This photo taken on Jan. 28, 2023 shows a dragon dance performance in celebration of the Chinese New Year in Budapest, Hungary. The Chinese community in Hungary on Saturday kicked off a two-day celebratory event in Budapest's Chinatown to mark the Chinese New Year. (Photo by Attila Volgyi/Xinhua)

BUDAPEST, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese community in Hungary on Saturday kicked off a two-day celebratory event in Budapest's Chinatown to mark the Chinese New Year.

It is the first time that the event has been held after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year's celebrations feature a spate of cultural programs, including traditional Chinese lion and dragon dances and Chinese folk music performances.

Visitors are also able to feel the festive vibes by trying on traditional Chinese clothing hanfu, trying Chinese calligraphy and painting, making paper-cutting and tasting a wide variety of Chinese foods, including dumplings and spring rolls.

"Today is the first time that the Chinese community here has held a large-scale event since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Yang Chao, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Hungary.

"The event has received strong support from the Hungarian authorities and fully reflects the friendly relationship between the two countries and the two peoples," Yang said at the opening ceremony. 
Festive holiday bodes well for tourism rebound

08:42, January 28, 2023 By Cheng Si ( China Daily

Locals perform a dragon dance during a molten iron firework show to celebrate Spring Festival in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, on Jan 24, 2023. [PHOTO by HU YUANJIA/FOR CHINA DAILY]

The ongoing Spring Festival holiday has blown a trumpet for the nation's tourism recovery, which is witnessing a robust rebound,thanks to optimized COVID-19 control measures.

Southwest China's Sichuan province said that as of Tuesday, the fourth day of the seven-day holiday,the number of visitors to its 15 attractions rated 5A  China's highest ranking  had hit a record high for attendance since 2020. As of Wednesday, the 15 attractions saw a year-on-year increase of about 48 percent in the number of travelers, while ticket revenue was 64 percent higher than during the same period last year.

The number of visits reached its capacity at some of the province's attractions, including Mount Emei,famous for its breathtaking views,and the Sanxingdui Museum, whose exhibits showcase the nation's ancient civilization.

A report from Hubei province in Central China was also encouraging.According to the province's bureau of culture and tourism, Hubei had received 17.62 million visits as of 3 pm on Tuesday, a year-on-year increase of 26 percent. Tourism-related revenue was about 9.92 billion yuan ($1.46 billion) during the four days  33.83 percent more than in the same period last year.

Visitors at a museum in Guanghan, Sichuan province, take photos on Jan 24, 2023 of a gold mask discovered among the Sanxingdui Ruins. [PHOTO by LI DONG/FOR CHINA DAILY]

Figures from travel agencies confirmed the boom in the tourism market during the Spring Festival holiday. Trip.com Group, for example, said that hotels, homestays and ticket bookings for tourist attractions all outperformed those in 2019- the year before COVID-19 hit  in the first four days of the holiday. It also said that homestay bookings doubled in the first four days compared with the same period last year, and sales of tickets for attractions rose 50 percent year-on-year.

At the holiday's halfway point,travelers began planning their return trips. Travel portal Qunar said that most of its users set their return trips for between Thursday and Jan 31, and the market will see a return-travel peak on Friday  the last day of the holiday.

Guo Lechun, deputy director of Qunar's big data academy, said that the number of returning travelers will surge compared with that of the early period of the Spring Festival travel rush, which started on Jan 7 and will end on Feb 15.

"We estimate that the passenger volume of the year's Spring Festival travel rush will recover to 80 percent of that in 2019, which is a good start for this year's tourism industry," he said.

Early on Monday, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism released a notice reminding travelers to protect their safety and health during holiday trips. The ministry said people should not go to dangerous areas such as riverbanks and the edges of cliffs, as well as off-limits places where safety and security cannot be guaranteed.

Travelers were also encouraged to consider their own health condition when participating in high-risk recreational activities, and to prepare masks and other anti-COVID supplies.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
 Flash

Judicial cooperation in the fight against organized crime topped the agenda of an informal meeting of the European Union (EU) member states' justice and home affairs ministers on Friday.

"Organized crime has never posed such a threat to the EU and its citizens as it does today," Sweden's Minister for Justice Gunnar Strommer said in a press release. "This is particularly true in Sweden. Effective judicial cooperation is therefore crucial as we step up the fight against cross-border crime."

At the meeting, the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) presented its work to support the coordination of cross-border criminal investigations by national authorities. The ministers discussed the important role of Eurojust and a new instrument for the transfer of proceedings and how this contributes to the fight against organized crime.

"It is important that (EU) member states draw on the experience of previous national prosecutions of core international crimes and cooperate through Eurojust," Strommer said.

The participants in the two-day meeting, which started on Thursday, also discussed migration challenges.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/why-biden-administration-is-in-panic-mode-over-forthcoming-debt-ceiling-battle-with-gop-1106791380.html

Why Biden Administration is in Panic Mode Over Forthcoming Debt Ceiling Battle With GOP

Why Biden Administration is in Panic Mode Over Forthcoming Debt Ceiling Battle With GOP

Speaking to US journalists on January 28, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen described a picture of forthcoming doom in case GOP-led House Republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling without hesitation this summer.

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Speaking to US journalists on January 28, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen described a picture of forthcoming doom in case GOP-led House Republicans refuse to raise the debt ceiling without hesitation this summer.The United States government reached its borrowing limit, also known as the "debt ceiling," on January 19. Yellen told House Republicans that the next hike would be needed by June. It's up to Congress to decide the amount the US can borrow. Last time, the debt ceiling was raised to $31.4 trillion by US lawmakers in December 2021. For comparison's sake, before the global financial crisis of 2008, the US national debt amounted to just $9 trillion.Over 40 House Dems have proposed a bill that would eliminate the debt ceiling altogether, thus allowing the US government to borrow without limits.However, regardless of apocalyptic scenarios depicted by the Biden administration, the Republicans are sharpening their spears for the upcoming debt ceiling fight, according to the US press. GOP lawmakers are now in control of the House and appear to be itching to take their sweet revenge on the Dems following the latter's spending spree and repeated weaponization of the reconciliation mechanism.House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has already signaled that he would insist on considerable spending cuts before green-lighting any expansion of the borrowing limits. For his part, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas proposed capping fiscal year 2024 spending levels at those of fiscal year 2022. Meanwhile, Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona even went so far as to say that he wouldn't vote for raising the debt ceiling: he argued that the Dems have already had lots of money. "Democrats have carelessly spent our taxpayer money and devalued our currency. Theyve made their bed, so they must lie in it," he tweeted.In response, President Biden called GOP lawmakers "fiscally demented," while Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer accused his political opponents of "brinkmanship" and "hostage-taking."Meanwhile, there is more to the latest debt ceiling debate than meets the eye, according to the US press. American journalists are bemoaning the fact that growing divisions between the Biden administration and Congress are sending mixed signals to the Global South.While Yellen has been on her charm offensive in Africa, Chinas Embassy in Zambia poked the Treasury secretary over the US' "catastrophic debt problem." Likewise, even the vague possibility of a US default on debt lessens the trust in Washington's financial might among African leaders, something that Yellen's latest trip to the continent was meant to strengthen.Furthermore, as the Biden administration has vowed to continue supporting the Kiev regime by sending weapons and various sorts of financial aid, it's unclear whether the White House will be capable of delivering on its generous promises.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/us-mccarthy-calls-bidens-refusal-to-negotiate-state-debt-ceiling-irresponsible-1106676540.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230124/mcconnell-debt-ceiling-solution-measure-must-come-from-us-house---not-senate-1106667160.html

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This week's Rewind is the monthly edition of Picture Parade. It takes readers back to January 1990 when the very first O'Brien Awards were handed out. Hopefully a number of the photos will spark your memory.

The O'Brien Awards Are Born

The now famous O'Brien awards were formulated in 1989 and first presented on the evening of January 20th, 1990. Shown below are pictures of a number of recipients of awards and their connections on that evening. Since several photos have numerous people shown it is not necessary to attempt to identify more than one or two, however name as many as you can. They are shown below in no particular order. Please note that this is not a complete list as I did not have a picture of every recipient. (All Photos by Brian Smiley from The Canadian Sportsman)

# 1 - The very first O'Brien Award was presented to the widow of the recipient. Can you identify the presenter on the right and the recipient on the left?

# 2 - Who are these fine looking folks who are receiving their award? On the far right is TROT editor Harold Howe who did the honours.

# 3 - The fellow in the centre was the O'Brien recipient from Tom Gorman representing the C.T.A. Who was that lucky man?

# 4 - The gent in the centre received the prestigious Horseman Of The Year award. Mrs. O'Brien on the far right does the honours. Who is he along with his wife?

# 5 -Smiles abound as Wilma Jansen of the Canadian Sportsman (centre right) makes the presentation to this trio of owners whose two-year-old colt was the O'Brien winner. Can you name them?

# 6 - Heather MacKay representing the Harness Writers group presents the award to this group of seven. If you can name a couple you get full marks. Don't forget to take a look at the young gent on the far right.

# 7 - This is a big group and their horse won a "big" award. Ray Veeneman, race secretary at Windsor does the presenting job. Name a few and you'll get high marks.

# 8 - Tracey Lang (centre) of TROT magazine is the presenter to a smiling foursome in this one. Can you name a few in the picture?

# 9 - Ralph Sucee representing The Standardbred magazine hands out an O'Brien to this duo. Their trotting colt was the best that year in his category. Can you identify them?

# 10 - Kathy Wade in the centre, no stranger to awards nights, hands out the top prize to the proud owners of a very fine trotting colt. If you can name the owners you just might know the horse as well. He always went back to get his picture taken!

# 11 - The couple receiving the award had a pretty nice two-year-old trotting filly. Carolyn Jackson of The Sportsman does the presenting. Who are they?

Closing Note - I see a lot of wonderful people pictured in this grouping. I know that with the passage of over 30 years a number of them are no longer with us but they are still fondly remembered.

Quote For The Week - From his shedrow at Ben White Raceway in Orlando, Fla., Ned Bower kept a sign that read, A man who is the master of patience is the master of everything else. Ned was a well-known trainer for many years and best remembered for his 1956 Hambletonian victory behind The Intruder.

A Bit Of History

Almost 45 years before the first O'Brien Award was handed out, the following piece appeared in the Sept. 5, 1946 issue of Hoof Beats magazine.

"There is one driver on Prince Edward Island who, though only 29 years old, is considered one of the best anywhere. He is Joseph O'Brien of Alberton, P. E. I., and at the Charlottetown Old Home Week meeting he stuck out like a sore thumb. He led the drivers and at the conclusion of the meeting was given the handsome trophy donated by the British Consuls. Joe, who is skinny faced and does not tip the beam at over 125 pounds, is fearless. He races into the turns like Ralph De Palma used to rip into the turns at old Sheepshead Bay. He does not throw the reins away in a close finish, but guides the trotter or pacer cleverly and gives his mount a lot of help. Much will be heard about O'Brien in the future and if he goes to any of the tracks in the United States he will be a great favorite, for he never gives up on a horse and can rate one as good as anyone in the sport. "

Joe O'Brien at Old Home Week in Charlottetown, P.E.I. 1946 (Photo and text courtesy of Hoof Beats)
OMAHA  A $915,163 grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is allowing the University of Nebraska Medical Center to address a shortage of nurses at K-12 schools throughout Nebraska.

The grant will place 25 nurses across UNMCs five campuses  Omaha, Lincoln, Norfolk, Kearney and Scottsbluff  at K-12 schools later this semester through the new School Nurse Scholars program. The grant has been awarded as a subcontract through the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

On average, for every school nurse in Nebraska, there are more than 1,100 students. The CDC recommends a student-to-nurse ratio of 750 to 1.

A news release noted students will focus on the specifics of school-age nursing in four one-credit-hour scholar classes over the course of four semesters through spring 2024. Nursing students will be able to directly care for students, conduct school screenings and provide mental health education.

The grant will cover participating students tuition, books and fees. Each student also will receive a $1,500 stipend for each semester theyre enrolled in the program. A students participation in the program will be in addition to their regular course load.

Top Journal Star photos for January 2023
An early test vote in the Legislature Thursday indicated supporters of a landmark anti-abortion bill have the two-thirds majority theyll need to enact it before the 2023 session ends.

Lawmakers voted 32-14 to reject a motion by state Sen. Megan Hunt of Omaha, one of the Unicamerals most outspoken abortion-rights members, to re-refer Legislative Bill 626 to the Judiciary Committee.

Norfolk Sen. Robert Dover, one of the 29 co-sponsors of Thurston Sen. Joni Albrechts fetal heartbeat bill, was excused from the chamber and did not vote on Hunts motion.

Senators who want to take advantage of the U.S. Supreme Courts June reversal of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling will need 33 votes to break a filibuster when LB 626 reaches the floor as expected later in the session.

The Legislatures Health and Human Services Committee plans its public hearing on Albrechts bill at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in Room 1510 of Lincolns State Capitol. Nebraskans can watch it online via the Unicameral website at nebraskalegislature.gov.

All five western Nebraska senators, who are also among LB 626s co-sponsors, opposed Hunts effort to redirect it to the Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Mike Jacobson of North Platte chalked up Thursdays effort by Hunt and other abortion-rights supporters to pure politics.

The actions on the floor today are simply attempts by those opposing the heartbeat bill to further delay the bill from coming to the floor, he said during the debate in a text to The Telegraph. This will be a common practice as we move through the session.

LB 626 would generally forbid abortions once doctors detect a fetal heartbeat  normally around six weeks after fertilization  but wouldnt criminalize patients seeking abortions.

It also contains exceptions to the general six-week ban for rape, incest and medical threats to a mothers life. Protections for in vitro fertilization and procedures after miscarriages also are included in LB 626s introduced text.

Jacobson said the Judiciary Committee, chaired by Omaha Sen. Justin Wayne, is evenly split between registered Republicans and Democrats in the officially nonpartisan Legislature.

That should explain the reason for the motion, he said.

He also echoed a floor statement Thursday by LB 626 co-sponsor Sen. Julie Slama of Sterling, who noted that the Legislatures Reference Committee voted 9-0 to refer the fetal-heartbeat bill to the Health and Human Services Committee.

Ironically, those opposing the bill have always referred to this issue as a health-care issue, yet they argue that the Health and Human Services Committee is the wrong committee for it to be heard, Jacobson said.

Sens. Steve Erdman of Bayard, Tom Brewer of Gordon, Teresa Ibach of Sumner and Brian Hardin of Gering also voted against Hunts motion.

Senators likely will resume debating LB 626s committee destination Friday. Hunt, who voted present  not voting on her own motion, has moved for senators to reconsider it. Wayne also has offered a re-referral motion.

Thursdays agenda also included motions by Hunt to redirect her two constitutional amendments to guarantee reproductive freedom (Legislative Resolutions 18CA and 19CA) from Health and Human Services to Judiciary. Fridays agenda had not yet been posted Thursday evening.

Lawmakers, who began 2023 public hearings on bills this week, are scheduled to hold hearings both mornings and afternoons each of the next two weeks. Pro-forma check-in floor sessions have been expected for that period.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation recently appointed new officers and members to the nonprofit organizations Board of Trustees and Council of Advisors.

The nonprofit also selected Kevin Brandt as its new development director for Virginia.

The Board of Trustees elected the following officers:

Former vice chair Bob Stout of Blowing Rock, NC, was elected chair of the Board of Trustees. He is a retired Regional President of US Foods.

Whitney Brown of Meadows of Dan was named vice chair. Brown is a dry-stone waller, folklorist and writer.

Bob Lassiter of Winston-Salem, NC, was selected treasurer. He retired as Finance Manager for HanesBrands/Haeco Americas.

Julie H. Moore of Winston-Salem continues to serve as secretary.

I am looking forward to working with our dedicated leadership and staff to continue our support of one of our national treasures, the majestic Blue Ridge Parkway, Stout said. Helping to protect this national park unit and enhance the visitors experiences are our aspirations.

The board also welcomed Roberts Bass of Winston-Salem, David Huff of Asheville, NC, and Sam R. Johnson of Dahlonega, Ga., to the leadership group.

Deanna M. Ballard of Blowing Rock, Charles Hauser of Winston-Salem, and Marsha Ralls Hershman of Asheville joined the Council of Advisors.

Based in Lynchburg, Brandt is now the Virginia development director. He was previously the project manager for the Foundation, serving as a liaison between the organization and National Park Service to shepherd projects to completion, including the rehabilitation of Flat Top Manor at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and The Bluffs Restaurant at Doughton Park.

Brandt will support community outreach and fundraising in the commonwealth.

I am thrilled to be expanding my role with the Foundation, which will allow me to help my fellow Virginians connect and support the national park we all love, Brandt said. Whether its the views, the hikes, or sharing a leisurely drive with friends and family, we are lucky to have such a special place in our backyards.

Brandt joined the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation team after four decades with the NPS. He retired after serving as the Superintendent of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historic Site.

A complete list of the organizations trustees and advisors is available at BRPFoundation.org/leadership.

Since 1997, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has provided more than $20 million in support for the Blue Ridge Parkway. A portion of that funding is made possible by sales of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation specialty license plate in North Carolina.

The nonprofit is accepting preorders for a new Parkway license plate in Virginia that will raise additional funds to enhance the national park. More information is available at GetThePlate.org.
Community members interested in learning about how to stop/prevent cat colony overpopulation are invited to a workshop at the Floyd County Humane Society Shelter in February.

The event will be from 1-3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 2136 Franklin Pike Rd. in Floyd.

Stray and feral cats, collectively referred to as community or free roaming cats, are everywhere in Floyd County.

A stray cat is a cat who lived indoors and was socialized, but has left or lost her home, or was abandoned, and no longer has regular human contact.

Over time, a stray cat can become feral as her contact with humans dwindles. Under the right circumstances, a stray cat can also become a pet once again but may require a period of time to re-acclimate.

A feral cat is an un-socialized outdoor cat, who has either never had any physical contact with humans, or human contact has diminished over enough time that she is no longer accustomed to it.

While they are socialized to their feline family members and bonded to each other, they do not have that same relationship with people. Most feral cats are fearful of people and are not likely to ever become a lap cat or enjoy living indoors.

Cat overpopulation is a burden on landowners and the environment.

Trap-Neuter-Return, or TNR, is the most humane and effective method known for managing community cats and reducing their numbers.

The cats are trapped and brought to a veterinary clinic. They are then spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies and ear tipped, which means that the tip of the left ear is surgically removed while the cat is still under anesthesia.

Ear-tipping is a universal sign that a community cat is sterilized. After theyve recovered from their surgeries, the cats are returned back to their original.

When possible, as foster or permanent homes are available, young kittens and friendly adults are removed and placed for adoption.

Without TNR, community cats continue to reproduce, overwhelming their human neighbors as well as the local animal shelters, and rescue groups that are already caring for large numbers of cats.

Learn more about the process and local resources during the FCHS workshop on Feb. 5. Everyone is welcome.

For more information at to secure a spot, call (540) 745-7207.
Cowlitz County Superior Court is requesting a new judge as the ongoing backlog of cases created during the pandemic begins to ease.

Superior Court Judge Gary Bashor said the court plans to formally seek approval from the Cowlitz County commissioners for a new judge this year, but the process could take much longer.

The last judge added to Superior Court was Anne Cruser in 2017, 11 years after the position was approved by local and state officials, Bashor said.

Today, the number of resolved cases is rising, compared to pandemic numbers, but still roughly 1,000 cases behind. According to Washington State Courts, 5,334 Cowlitz County Superior Court cases were resolved in 2019; 3,269 in 2020; 4,092 in 2021; and 4,318 in 2022.

Bashor said jury trials drive resolutions, but the county can only hold as many jury trials as they have space for. Jury trials are no longer held in the Cowlitz County Event Center, which was a temporary solution to allow social distancing during the pandemic.

We have always been open for resolution by plea, however pleas are driven by the availability of jury trials, said Bashor. As we have geared back up with jury trials, which drives case resolutions, we are limited in that we have only two.

Cowlitz County Superior Court resolved cases 2019: 5,334 2020: 3,269 2021: 4,092 2022: 4,318 Source: Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts

Bashor said the court received a State Justice Institute grant to study the countys criminal processing. The National Center for State Courts will make suggestions based on study results to address the backlog, improve the courts processes and provide training.

Cowlitz County Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Jurvakainen said the prosecutors office has fewer active cases since the pandemic started.

Jurvakainen said the prosecutors office has 434 active felony cases divided in differing amounts between the offices eight lawyers. The amount is the lowest since the start of the pandemic, but still higher than usual, he added.

The prosecutors office is going through a staff shortage, he said. The office currently employs two temporary attorneys and a staff member whose funding is expected to end in June 2023.
Housing for recovering addicts and former inmates is moving forward on Cascade Way after being approved by the state.

The Washington State Department of Corrections notified Longview on Jan. 10 that the house in the 2300 block of Cascade Way can be included on the statewide transitional housing list.

The state approval means the home may receive people getting out of prison through the Department of Corrections housing assistance vouchers, along with local referrals from drug courts or other service agencies.

The house will be run by Faithful Servants Ministry, a religious nonprofit that runs multiple homes in Kelso for people working to overcome addiction, homelessness or others struggles.

According to the DOC and Faithful Servants, the Cascade Way home will offer clean and sober housing for men.

Faithful Servants Board President Kyle Strum declined to comment on the approval, adding he would wait for legal counsel recommendations due to the horrible communications that we have been receiving from the neighbors.

The announcement of the homes opening in December was met with organized opposition from many of the neighbors. The city held a public meeting in late December to hear comments from the neighbors, residents of the house and other members of the community.

Longviews Community Development Director Ann Rivers sent the DOC a community impact statement that came out of the meeting. The letter did not make a recommendation for or against the location, but shared many of the concerns raised by neighbors about the effects on neighborhood character and transparency.

While DOC followed the letter of the law, there is an overwhelming feeling that the community should have had more notice, more information, and the ability to have a greater understanding, Rivers wrote.

Rivers formally requested that the DOC provide answers to some frequently asked questions about transitional housing and their approval process in order to alleviate the fear, frustration and anger from neighbors. A short FAQ was sent to the city along with the notification that the house was approved.
A man accused of attacking four Washington state power stations on Christmas Day was ordered released from federal custody Friday after a renewed effort by his attorney to get him into a drug-treatment facility.

Matthew Greenwood, 32, was one of two Puyallup men charged with conspiracy to damage energy facilities for allegedly breaking into the Pierce County electrical substations and disrupting power for thousands. With purported co-conspirator, 40-year-old Jeremy Crahan, Greenwood intended to use the power outages as cover to commit a series of commercial burglaries, prosecutors say.

In granting Greenwoods release on an appearance bond  essentially a promise to show up to future hearings and abide by conditions removing him from custody  U.S. District Judge Robert J. Bryan noted that the court was taking a public safety risk.

Its up to you to be sure that the risk is well-taken, Bryan told Greenwood inside a U.S. District courtroom in Tacoma.

Bryan said that the conditions being placed on Greenwood  including electric monitoring, mandated drug treatment and anticipated supportive housing  did not totally remove him from the courts control.

Greenwood confessed that he and Crahan stole from the cash register at one local business following the attacks, which caused at least $3 million in damages and left roughly 30,000 electric customers without power, according to court records and utilities officials. Prosecutors said the men had plotted a fifth attack.

Earlier this month, a federal judge denied bail for both men, pending a grand jury indictment, citing the potential danger they presented to the community. In recent court filings, prosecutors and Greenwoods attorney, assistant federal public defender Rebecca Fish, argued over Fishs latest efforts to release her client.

Prosecutors have previously called the crimes as dangerous as they were reckless. In the courtroom on Friday, assistant U.S. attorney Todd Greenberg said that Greenwoods alleged disregard for community safety and purported casing of a fifth substation indicated that his release would be risky.

Is this someone the court can trust to be safe in this community? Greenberg said I think the answer to that is no.

Fish reiterated circumstances that she had presented in earlier filings this month to contend that Greenwood was neither a flight risk nor a threat.

He has lived locally his entire life, had a tough upbringing and was expecting his first child, she wrote in the filings. He struggles with methamphetamine addiction, and his criminal track record, which does not include any violent offenses, was a reflection of that substance use disorder (SUD) and being impoverished, according to Fish.

If released, Greenwood will receive intensive SUD treatment as well as mental health screening and support, she wrote in a filing Thursday. These conditions more than adequately address the prior desperation, recklessness, and poor judgment that the government highlights. If released under this plan, Mr. Greenwood will instead be clear-headed, well-supported, and secure in his familys well-being.

Fish said Friday that Greenwood would be subject to electric monitoring and that he was on a wait list for sober and supportive housing, which he would enter into following treatment. After Greenwoods girlfriend finished a program appropriate to her needs, she would also enter into long-term supportive housing that she had already been accepted into, according to Fish.

Mr. Greenwood certainly understands how serious the case is and the position hes in, she told Bryan, adding later: His greatest priority is for his baby and his partner to be OK.

Prior to the break-ins on Christmas Day, Washington had seen a decade-high number of confirmed or suspected attacks affecting the power grid in 2022, according to a News Tribune analysis of federal data. The trend mirrored increases in such incidents nationwide as federal authorities warned of threats to the grid from domestic terrorists.

While the conspiracy to damage energy facilities charge is considered a crime of terrorism, there has been no evidence uncovered to date that the attacks in Pierce County were politically motivated.

Greenwood and Crahan face up to 20 years in prison on the conspiracy charge, according to authorities. Greenwood faces another 10 years for possessing unregistered firearms after law enforcement said they seized two short-barrel guns from his residence following his Dec. 31 arrest.
 Flash

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis addresses Parliament in Athens, Greece, on Jan. 27, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

A motion of censure against the Greek government over allegations of extensive wiretapping was outvoted on Friday, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported.

The motion was tabled by the main opposition party, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, over alleged surveillance of ministers, legislators, military officers, journalists, and businessmen by the Greek National Intelligence Service (EYP).

A total of 143 Members of Parliament voted in favor of the motion of censure, while 156 deputies voted against, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported.

Addressing the plenary shortly before the vote, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that he had been calling on the main opposition party to table a censure motion for the past five months, as it is the procedure in parliament and general elections for political parties to resolve their differences.

The prime minister has reiterated several times lately that general elections will be held in Greece this spring. His conservative New Democracy party was elected to office in July 2019, and is leading in recent opinion polls.

Mitsotakis and the government claim that they were not aware of any surveillance activities, and all procedures carried out were legal.

For several months, the Greek media has been reporting that many people have been under surveillance by EYP in recent years.
The Blinn College District and Sam Houston State University have created an easier, more affordable way for students to attain their bachelors degrees.

Representatives from the institutions announced last Friday the transfer partnership that will allow Blinn students who earn their associate degree to transfer to Sam Houston State to procure their bachelors degree in one of many fields.

This truly is an exciting day for Blinn College and for Sam Houston State, Blinn College Chancellor Mary Hensley said. This partnership is going to allow Blinn students a seamless, affordable pathway to complete their bachelors degree at Sam Houston State University.

The affordability aspect comes from the idea that attending a two-year college before transferring to a four-year institution is more affordable than if a student only attends a four-year institution.

The bachelors degrees being offered through this partnership at Sam Houston State include: agriculture, animal science, banking financial institutions, criminal justice, economics, education, entrepreneurship, finance, general business, human resource management, management information systems, management, marketing, nursing, psychology and supply chain management. Additionally, if students intend to major in agriculture, animal science or nursing, they will have the opportunity to co-enroll at both Blinn and Sam Houston State as incoming freshmen, according to a Blinn press release.

An unbelievable list of opportunities for those of you who would like to come to Blinn and go to Sam Houston State University, which we highly, highly encourage you to do, Hensley said.

Because of this partnership, there will be representatives from Sam Houston State on Blinns Brenham and Bryan campuses to assist students with the transition, the press release said.

We are here as higher ed[ucation] leaders wanting to help our students get through with as little debt as possible, so Im delighted to welcome Blinn students to Sam Houston State University, Sam Houston State President Alisa White said. Building a talent-strong Texas starts right here.

This makes the sixth transfer partnership Blinn has established with four-year institutions, including Texas A&M University, Texas State University, the University of Houston, Texas Tech University and Prairie View A&M University. Blinn also has transfer opportunities in place for students working to become registered nurses, its website said.

This means that once students attain their associate degree from Blinn, they are able to transfer to a four-year institution to achieve their bachelors of science degree in nursing. Sam Houston State and the University of Houston are on this list with articulation agreements also in place with Stephen F. Austin University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Tyler and the University of Texas Medical Branch, Blinns website said.
Jamarious Davis, a 32-year-old Bryan man, was sentenced to 35 years in prison Wednesday after he pled guilty to charges of assault family violence strangulation and injury to a child with serious bodily injury, according to the Brazos County District Attorneys Office.

In April 2019, Bryan police responded to a call that Davis destroyed his wifes property and during the call the victim was encouraged by family members to report abuse she suffered, according to the Brazos County District Attorneys Office. The victim then told police about an incident where Davis abused her and said she was afraid of Davis, who fled from the scene prior to police arrival.

In February 2020, College Station police responded to a call from a local hotel after a caller reported her 12-year-old son was found in a pool of blood after he was struck in the head with an unknown object, according to the Brazos County District Attorneys Office. The caller said she left her son in custody of her husband, Davis, while she ran errands and that Davis had fled the location. The child was first taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Bryan and later transferred to Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston to be treated for several traumatic brain injuries. Police said they believed Davis struck the child with a liquor bottle found at the scene.

According to Brazos County Jail Records, Davis was arrested on Feb. 9, 2020. The Brazos County District Attorneys Office said Davis was arrested after he was found by police and tried to escape by jumping out of a window.

Davis pled guilty and was sentenced pursuant to a plea agreement, according to the Brazos County District Attorneys Office. A lifetime protective order was granted for the victim and his mother.
AUSTIN  The Texas Department of Public Safety is no longer enforcing a state law that bars adults under 21 from carrying handguns in public.

The change was announced in a Jan. 10 memo sent to DPS officers.

It comes after a federal judge declared the age limits unconstitutional, and the state gave up defending the handgun law without any explanation.

The court order applies specifically to DPS and prosecutors in the North Texas counties of Fannin, Grayson and Parker.

But legal experts say the ruling could influence local police departments decisions going forward about how to enforce the handgun age restrictions and offer a line of defense to someone fighting charges.

Theres only so much law enforcement that can be undertaken, said Seth Chandler, a professor of law at University of Houston Law Center. Given a choice between a law thats clearly constitutional  and a law whose constitutionality is in doubt, they might choose to enforce the one that is clearer.

Texas has barred most 18- to 20-year-olds from carrying handguns in public, unless they are in the military or have taken out a restraining order. The age restrictions are one of the few gun laws the GOP-led Legislature has left intact in recent years. Even last session, when state legislators did away with the need for a license or training to carry a handgun in public, the law was written to apply only to people 21 and older.

The Firearms Policy Coalition, a Nevada-based gun rights group, and two North Texans challenged the age limits in 2021.

U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman of Fort Worth sided with the group last August when he ruled that the age-based restrictions violate the Second Amendment. He restrained DPS from enforcing them against law-abiding 18-to-20-year-olds based solely on their age.

Initially, the Department of Public Safety sought to appeal the decision. But in late December, the state dropped the effort, effectively letting Pittmans order stand. Neither DPS nor the Texas Attorney Generals office, which represented the state agency in court, has given a public explanation for the decision.

It remains to be seen whether the Legislature will respond. Lawmakers reconvened in Austin this month for the first session since the states worst mass school shooting in Uvalde. Victims families are advocating a raise in the minimum age to purchase a firearm. The policy faces resistance from GOP leaders who have questioned the legality.

Shannon Edmonds, director of governmental relations for the Texas District and County Attorneys Association, said it may take time for word of the court ruling to filter out to all 254 counties.

The recent DPS memo will control the conduct of DPS officers, he said. It does not apply to any police department, any sheriffs department, any constable. They all have to make their own decisions on how theyre going to enforce it.

Not every department is following the departments lead.

In a statement, Dallas Police spokesperson Kristin Lowman said: We have not read the ruling  there has been no change as to how we enforce the law.
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The U.K. National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) on Thursday warned of spear-phishing attacks mounted by Russian and Iranian state-sponsored actors for information-gathering operations.

"The attacks are not aimed at the general public but targets in specified sectors, including academia, defense, government organizations, NGOs, think tanks, as well as politicians, journalists, and activists," the NCSC said.

The agency attributed the intrusions to SEABORGIUM (aka Callisto, COLDRIVER, and TA446) and APT42 (aka ITG18, TA453, and Yellow Garuda). The similarities in the modus operandi aside, there is no evidence the two groups are collaborating with each other.

The activity is typical of spear-phishing campaigns, where the threat actors send messages tailored to the targets, while also taking enough time to research their interests and identify their social and professional circles.

The initial contact is designed to appear innocuous in an attempt to gain their trust and can go on for weeks before proceeding to the exploitation phase. This takes the form of malicious links that can lead to credential theft and onward compromise, including data exfiltration.

To maintain the ruse, the adversarial crews are said to have created bogus profiles on social media platforms to impersonate field experts and journalists to trick victims into opening the links.

The stolen credentials are then used to log in to targets' email accounts and access sensitive information, in addition to setting up mail-forwarding rules to maintain continued visibility into victim correspondence.

The Russian state-sponsored SEABORGIUM group has a history of establishing fake login pages mimicking legitimate defense companies and nuclear research labs to pull off its credential harvesting attacks.

APT42, which operates as the espionage arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is said to share overlaps with PHOSPHORUS and is part of a larger group tracked as Charming Kitten.

The threat actor, like SEABORGIUM, is known to masquerade as journalists, research institutes, and think tanks to engage with its targets using an ever-changing arsenal of tools and tactics to accommodate IRGC's evolving priorities.

Enterprise security firm Proofpoint, in December 2022, disclosed the group's "use of compromised accounts, malware, and confrontational lures to go after targets with a range of backgrounds from medical researchers to realtors to travel agencies," calling it a deviation from the "expected phishing activity."

Furthermore, a notable aspect of these campaigns is the use of targets' personal email addresses, likely as a means to circumvent security controls put in place on corporate networks.

"These campaigns by threat actors based in Russia and Iran continue to ruthlessly pursue their targets in an attempt to steal online credentials and compromise potentially sensitive systems," Paul Chichester, NCSC director of operations, said.
Salary transparency has been the hottest topic of the new year. California and Washington recently joined New York City and Colorado as the only states or cities requiring employers with 15 or more employees to post salary ranges with their job announcements.

And while every business owner and leadership team have their own reasons for withholding such information on public-facing job ads, its a practice that will only help foster more trust between companies and talent.

I recently talked with Martin Parsons, owner of Legal Advocacy Headquarters in Carterville. He said your level of transparency as an employer speaks to the culture youre trying to build.

Companies that are closed off about this type of information run the risk of losing credibility or trustworthiness in the eyes of job candidates or even their own employees, he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has played a big role in leveling the playing field between employers and employees. Thanks to more vacancies and a newfound level of confidence, workers are calling their own shots, leaving negative workplace environments, and asking for more money.

It has been a long overdue power shift that is being met with resistance from corporate America. Salary transparency is one of the many aspects of the employer-professional relationship flipped on its head by the pandemic.

Many job announcements require candidates to fill out a preferred salary range, and until salary transparency laws came along, very few job announcements listed potential earnings. Any negotiation expert will tell you to never give the first number, but for years, job candidates have been required to do so.

Now, job seekers are in more control when it comes to their search.

Still, there are many questions facing human resources and talent acquisition teams  especially in California and Washington where businesses are grappling with the new laws.

Here are some tips from Parsons on how to manage salary transparency laws, even if they havent yet made it to Southern Illinois. Consider this information before making any decisions about how youre sharing this sensitive information.

What if my competitors see it?

There are safeguards put into the laws for employers worried about losing a competitive advantage. The laws that have been put into place do not seem to be overly strict. You dont have to disclose exactly how much youre willing to pay for a certain position  you just need to provide a range.

Are there legal concerns to posting potential salaries?

There are some legal ramifications to consider before jumping straight into the practice of sharing salary ranges in your job posts. Be sure youre ready to match what youre advertising. If you bring someone through the hiring process and then dont live up to what you promised as a salary, you can find yourself in trouble for bait-and-switch tactics.

Any other legal issues to consider?

There is also the issue of discrimination, which is one of the top issues we see businesses get into when it comes to legal challenges. Salary disparities between males and females could become something you have to explain publicly if thats how youre running your business. All of this can be avoided with more thoughtful management, but unfortunately, we see these issues a lot.

Are there potential issues with internal team culture once you start openly advertising salary ranges for new positions?

Yes, absolutely. Lets say you havent been very diligent in giving your current employees raises. Then, all of a sudden, they see a similar role advertised for more money in your job announcements. That could result in a whole new set of challenges.
MARION  Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois officials and stakeholders heard from the second of three airlines to present a bid offering passenger airline service on Friday morning.

Mark Cestari, chief commercial officer for Southern Airways, presented their bid for essential air service.

Southern Airways is offering 28 flights per week to OHare Airport in Chicago and to Lambert Airport in St. Louis. That would be one round-trip flight per day to Chicago, and three flights per day to St. Louis.

The flights to Chicago will be on Saab 340 aircraft which seats 30 passengers. It is a cabin class aircraft and will have a flight attendant and restrooms. Flights to St. Louis will be on a smaller Cessna Grand Caravan.

Southern Airways also has a maintenance base in St. Louis that holds five aircraft.

We are Americas most reliable airline, Cestari said.

Their bid lists a completion factor for flights of 98.5%. He said their actual flight completion rate is more like 99.3%.

The airline has an average fare of $66, with prices that vary from super saver fares of $39 to higher prices of $99. Cestari said they do not have a fare over $99.

Southern has interline agreements with American, Alaska, United and Hawaiian airlines. That means customers can book tickets on the Southern website, iflysouthern.com. Because their interline agreements are unilateral, customers also can adjust their flights on the Southern website. They will not need to go to another website.

You can check bags all the way through and have the ability to adjust tickets, Cestari said.

A pilot shortage has been an issue since 2017. Cestari said Southern has implemented a program to train their own pilots.

They hire pilots with 700 to 800 hours of experience as first mates on two-year contracts. When they get 1,500 hours of experience, they are promoted to captains. They have 50 pilots training in January.

We are not competing with larger airlines who can pay three times what were able to pay, Cestari said.

Southern has four divisions.

Southern Airway Experience is a mainland commuter airline.

We fly in all four times zones from Nantucket to LA, Cestari said.

Mokulele flies in Hawaii. The airline connects smaller airports with the larger ones in Hawaii. Cestari said they are the only flight provider for some of the smaller islands.

Southern Private Jets offers private flights.

Marianas Airlines is the official airlines of the Mariana Islands.

Cestari was asked about a proposed schedule of flights. He explained that they like to work out a schedule after they win a contract. Southern officials will sit down with Doug Kimmel, director of Veterans Airport, and others to figure out a schedule. Their bid estimates three flights to St. Louis, one in the morning, one mid-day and one later, as well as a flight to Chicago.

He said they could adjust the schedule and have two flights to Chicago some days, with none on other days.

The company offers four community engagement initiatives:

ExpressPass offers digital gift cards.

Care Connector partners with local hospitals to bring in medical specialists at a discounted rate. Cestari said this program is geared toward doctors who work short-term.

Community Connector offers discounted rates to employees of towns or counties where the airport is located.

Campus Connect is a partnership with colleges and universities to offer discounted flights to students, potential students and alumni.

Cape Air is expected to present its bid next week.

Kimmel said all three bid proposals will be on the airports website through Feb. 8, with a survey. They have to make a recommendation to U.S. Department of Transportation by Feb. 13. U.S. DOT will take about two months to go over the bids and make a decision.
Land Between the Rivers, an iconic volume on the people, places, legends and folklore of Southern Illinois, turns 50 years old this year and the book remains as one of the seminal works on the region.

The book, written by a trio of Southern Illinois University Carbondale professors, seemed to have struck a chord with area residents when it was first published  and remains one of the most popular volumes about the area.

The authors were an interesting collection of people who came together to write this book, said Amy Etcheson, interim director of the Southern Illinois University Press. One was a photographer who was key in establishing the photography program at SIU, one was a former chemist who worked on the Manhattan Project and then became a professor of literature and the other was a professor of botany.

Those men, C. William Horrell, Henry Dan Piper and John W. Voigt, collected stories, photographs and more to create a work, that was very well researched and well written, said local historian and author Herbert Russell.

In fact, Russell said he used the book as a sort of model for one of his own books, an SIU Press publication named The State of Southern Illinois.

I counted the number of photographs in LBTR and I aimed to get approximately the same number in my book and I think I tried to make my text about the same length, he recalled. I thought since it had been so successful, there was no good reason not to imitate it.

The book also has met with positive reviews from a variety of sources. The Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society called it smoothly written, well-printed and beautifully illustrated.

Dean of Library Affairs at SIU John Pollitz echoed the sentiment.

It really is a wonderful book that combines poetry, writings and photographs. It is so rich with the history and just the capturing of Southern Illinois at in the early 1970s, he said. It really is just a snapshot in time.

Pollitz called the 208-page book bittersweet because of all the photographs of long-since shuttered coal mines, factories and other businesses. At the same time, however, the book shows how so many local communities have changed in a half-century, he said.

What I am struck with at this 50th anniversary of the publication of this wonderful book is the contrast between how much the landscapes and the beautiful nature are almost just the same as they are now but how the people and some of the places are so different, Pollitz said.

Russell said the book took a very positive look at the region and its residents.

The authors were very good at treating Southern Illinois seriously. Some people occasionally look down their noses because this area we call Egypt is not Chicago, but their attitude was very much that of scholars who knew their subject and their audience, he said.

Land Between the Rivers remains a must-have for those serious about the history of the region.

We call the book a survey in words and pictures of Southern Illinois, Etcheson explained. It includes a brief history of the region and then also information on the flora, fauna, lakes, rivers and land. It also features folklore, art and culture of the region.

The book went out of print in 2007, but was brought back in 2017 as part of the SIU Press 60th anniversary.

In the 2017 edition, we included a publishers note at the beginning of the book that said we were reissuing it for our 60th anniversary because it was classic and perennially popular, Etcheson said. In many ways, it is just a celebration of this area.

She said it originally was hardback, then was released in paperback. The 2017 release also was paperback.

With those three editions, Land Between the Rivers has sold nearly 20,000 copies, she said. As far as regional books go, its definitely one of the high-selling regional books we have published.

The book remains available from SIU press as well as from retailers.
South Carolina State Universitys Business, Environment, Communication and Transportation Institute (BECT) kicked off the Small Business Research and Entrepreneurial Accelerator on Jan. 19.

The kickoff featured 12 existing small businesses located in Orangeburg, Sumter, Berkeley and Richland counties, and a new student startup business.

Although one company is a long-standing family business looking to expand, the average age of the other companies is 4.3 years. They are a diverse group in various industries to include clothing, HVAC services, home care, real estate, farming, import, health and wellness, professional grooming and education.

According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 20% of small businesses fail within the first year; 30% will have failed by the end of the second year; and about half will have failed by the end of the fifth year.

The accelerator project is designed to give the participating companies the assistance they need to avoid failure.

Participants will complete a 12-month training program on various topics to include risk management, cash-flow management, customer relations, human resources, sales strategies, business planning, use of technology, digital marketing, intellectual property rights, accounting and legal assistance.

Each business also will be assigned a student intern to assist in developing and implementing a marketing plan, one-on-one consulting to assist in developing a three-year growth plan, accounting and legal assistance and membership in their local Chamber of Commerce.

Financial assistance of $10,000 will be provided to those who complete the training and other criteria. They will also have the opportunity to receive additional funding dependent on need.

Some of the expected outcomes for participants include:

A marketing plan that is implemented.

A growth plan for the business for the next three years.

A website and/or social media presence.

Training sessions will be held twice per month. The marketing plan will be developed during the first six months and implemented during the last six months of the program. The businesses will also develop a growth plan and enhance social media presence during the last six months.

Twelve student scholars have been awarded scholarships of $2,500 per semester up to four semesters for a total of $10,000 if they complete the training program and intern with one of the businesses each semester.

Our goal over the next year is to provide training and resources to move each company to a new level of success to enhance the economic development of our community, said Dr. Barbara Adams, Executive Director of BECT Institute.

Companies will be tracked over a three-year period to determine if the goal has been achieved.

Another goal is to get more students to become innovative thinkers in developing ideas that can be commercialized to grow the number of successful minority entrepreneurs, Adams said.

BECT is partnering with the Orangeburg Regional Innovation Center (ORIC), Break Through Results Inc. (a business turnaround consulting firm), 1890 Extension, DESA Inc. and faculty in the College of Business on various aspects of training.

This project is funded by a Clyburn SBA Congressional Community Development grant.

For more information about the BECT Institute and the Small Business Research & Entrepreneurial Accelerator contact Dr. Barbara Adams at badams@scsu.edu.
Janet Kozachek, a detailed artist who paints, sculpts and draws in well-crafted ways, is showcasing the juxtaposition of her poetry and visual art with an exhibit at the Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center through Jan. 31.

Her exhibition of works includes those crafted in pencils, charcoals and oil, many of which have come from her poetry books, signed copies of which will be available at the center.

The OCFAC is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday and is located at 649 Riverside Drive in Orangeburg.

Celebrating their

presence and words

The Orangeburg resident recently published her third book, A Rendering of Soliloquies - Figures Painted in Spots of Time. Images from the book are featured in the exhibit.

Many of them are from this book. I'm showing the original paintings and drawings from the text. I would describe it as a modern-day emblem book. Some people think of it as ekphrastic paintings and poetry side by side. Generally, ekphrastic is when you are writing a poem about somebody else's work, but this is the same artist, same work. So it's more like an emblem," Kozachek said.

This project started out with just square paintings. I would ask people to pose. One single person in each square painting. I made about 113 of them. I divided them into chapters and then wrote poetry for each painting, or each drawing.

I made three versions of the books. One was just paintings. So its in color. The second version was a black and white version of mostly drawings. Then the third version published last year is a mixture, she said.

She enjoyed allowing her subjects to have their own narratives.

I like to allow people to speak for themselves and have their own narrative. A lot of contemporary poets are sort of confessional. Everything's in the first person. So in this book, what's different is that I allow them to speak. That's why it's called A Rendering of Soliloquies.

When I would draw people, they would give me their stories as they were speaking. And then I made the stories into poems. So its celebrating their presence and their words in poems, Kozachek said

The exhibition also includes self-portraits which she completed during a visit to Romania, but Kozachek said her interest in combining text with images has a long history.

As a child and well into my teens, I kept wild and irreverent illustrated notebooks. When studying in China many years later, I found a kinship in the art of this culture that required poetic and philosophical literacy of their visual artists.

This was necessary because Chinese painting is generally accompanied by a poetic text rendered in beautiful calligraphy and stamped with writing in ancient Chinese. Calligraphy and visual art are always inextricably bound in an aesthetic balance between word and image. Later, in my second stint as a graduate student in New York, I studied ekphrastic poetry with J.D. McClatchy, author of Poets on Painters, at the Parsons School of Design, she said.

Some of her drawings are also from her time in Ukraine, where she last visited back in 1995.

Everyone wants

to have hope

One pencil drawing from Ukraine is titled Tanya Singing. It is featured in the book A Rendering of Soliloquies and is coupled with a poem titled Song of Soup. It features a woman who was a friend of her fathers first cousin.

That was in 1995. That was in Zaporizhzhia, she said, referring to the city on the Dnieper River in southeastern Ukraine.

She said the Ukrainian influence in her writing and visual art didnt just come by happenstance.

My father was Ukrainian. His father and uncle came to the United States shortly before the Bolshevik Revolution. Their brother, Maxim, remained behind in Kremenetz, Ukraine. When the revolution broke out, the family was severed. One part was developing in the United States and the other in what would become the Soviet Union, Kozachek said.

My grandfather exchanged letters with his brother in Ukraine up until the late 1930s, when the Soviets annexed Kremenetz and confiscated what was to be my grandfathers estate. There was apparently some visiting and inquiries made by my great-uncle in an attempt to reconnect to family there in the 1950s, but for the most part everything went dark until the collapse of the Soviet Union, she said.

Kozachek said the two families were reunited shortly thereafter through a pen pal who Maxims granddaughter acquired in Pennsylvania.

She eventually visited New Jersey and South Carolina, and my father and I went to Ukraine to see his first cousins, their children and grandchildren for the first time. My fathers cousins arranged for us to visit the old family home where his father was raised.

Through my brothers genealogical research, we discovered more extended family members. We basically all share the same great-grandparents, who were property owners benefitting from my great-grandfathers stature as a public prosecutor, she said.

Kozachek continued, Some of the people who posed for me and are entered into my paintings, drawings and writing come from places with names which were quite foreign a few years ago, but are now familiar: Kyiv, Lviv and Zaporizhzhia.

She said the ongoing war between Russian and Ukraine has made her feel sad and wonder if shell ever get back to visit Ukraine.

Who knows? I suppose what it gives me is a certain sense of historical deja vu because when my grandfather's family was separated and two brothers came to the U.S. and one didn't make it out, they did communicate for a number of years. Then Stalin put a stop to all that, and the Soviets annexed Kremenetz, the town where they're from.

At that point in the late '30s, the communication just cut off, just stopped. Why I feel that its a certain sense of deja vu is that it's the same thing now with communications being cut off, with infrastructure being bombed. So now communication isn't reliable anymore. It just occurs to me how evil that is, Kozachek said.

She said the name of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin does not conjure up good feelings.

No, of course not. No one feels good about Putin. Thats why I satirized him in one of my drawings, Kozachek said.

She has cousins in Lviv and Kyiv and hopes that the war will come to a swift end.

Everyone wants to have hope. I know eventually it will end. How it will, how much will get destroyed before it ends, I dont know. Russians have been pillaging all the artwork and stealing it and taking it to Russia, or destroying it. That I take personally, she said, because she studied the artworks of several museums in Ukraine.

To think of all of that being looted and destroyed (is heartbreaking). I have no idea whether they're going to be still there or not, Kozachek said.

She said communication with her Ukrainian cousins remains sketchy because of the destruction of infrastructure from Russian attacks. One of her extended cousins is part of the Ukrainian army.

The pipeline is gone. I feel the way most people feel. Its sad. Theres a little bit of historical deja vu about it because of this cutting off and this trying to destroy a language and a culture. I dont understand that. Why would you have a problem with someones language that you have to try to eliminate it?

I guess the idea is that Putin sees Ukraine as a part of his territory and his culture. Its like the left hand of his own body or something like that, but it isnt like that. The Ukrainians are very proud of their culture and their language and heritage. They want to establish that, Kozachek said.

She continued, My fathers cousins mentioned to me that during the Soviet Union, a Ukrainian wasnt even really allowed in schools or anything. Everyone has to speak Russian. So I think as a protest now, people arent speaking Russian anymore. I read that in the news, too. Language has become quite an issue.

She said it is hurtful to think of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.

Its very hurtful, yes, and very sad. I try to put my mind on other things. Unfortunately, though, like so much that we hear about, it was very upsetting at first. Then as it grinds on, you start getting numb to it. Just like we hear about so many mass shootings in the U.S., and then people start getting numb to it. Thats dangerous, too. You realize that getting numb to it is very unhealthy, as well, Kozachek said.

Upcoming work

The artist is preparing for the release of her fourth book titled The Book of Bothersome Cats. It is an illustrated humor book which features her drawings of anthropomorphic cats and corresponding poetry.

The cats all have some kind of aberration, things that people find annoying. It appeals to two audiences really: people who are bothered by things that they find difficult to voice, but also, of course, people who are enamored of cats. After that book, Im working on a book thatll be more difficult to write because it requires a little more research. Its an overlay of arts and science and genetics and rare disease, Kozachek said.

She continued, In February, Im also going to be doing a visual art and poem performance called Duets with Professor Florina Nastase, who I met at the University of Alexandru Ioan Cuza in Iasi, Romania.

She is in the English department there, and she has written a wonderful book on American poetry. Shes a poet herself. So were going to do duets. Were going to accompany her poetry and my poetry with visual art. Im using the visual art thats not very intricate. Its very spontaneous and fluid.

For more information about Kozachek, contact her by phone at 803-515-3804, email at kozachek@bellsouth.net and online at http://kozachekart.blogspot.com/.
Orangeburg County Council recently gave its final approval to incentives for a company that plans to invest $70 million in the construction of a solar storage facility.

While May Renewables LLC is not anticipating the creation of new, ongoing jobs as a result of the project, construction and maintenance jobs will be connected to the project.

Council gave third reading to a 30-year fee-in-lieu of taxes agreement, as well as special-source revenue credits. The incentives are designed to reduce the property taxes the industry will have to pay.

There was a public hearing, but no comments were made.

Council also gave unanimous second reading to an ordinance placing the project into a multicounty industrial park with Dorchester County.

In other business:

 Merle Johnson, Orangeburg County's new Economic Development director, introduced himself to council.

Orangeburg County Administrator Harold Young thanked the Central South Carolina Alliance's Stephen Roddey for helping the county continue with its economic development efforts while it searched for a new executive director.

 Dr. Aqkwele Polidore, founder and CEO of Aqkweles Consultants and part-time officer with the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety, informed council about her business. The business works with civic organizations and corporate agencies in safety and CPR training.

 Shanika Aiken, founder of nonprofit The S.A.F.E Organization, made an appearance and introduced board members and volunteers for the organization. The organization provides mentors and educational services to at-risk youth in Orangeburg and surrounding counties.

The organization was founded in March 2014 and since then has served over 650 girls.

 Council unanimously approved the 2023 fiscal year budget calendar.

 Council received a report from the county's Public Works Committee about a legal briefing the committee received about Kurt Poole Road and private roads for emergency vehicles.

 Council entered into closed session to discuss contractual matters related to the Orangeburg County School District.
COLUMBIA  The South Carolina Supreme Court ordered a lower court to collect more information from the Department of Corrections regarding the state agency's attempts to acquire lethal injection drugs.

The Thursday order means that it could be four more months until justices decide whether a newly organized firing squad or the electric chair are legal methods of execution in the state.

The order reversed a previous ruling that denied the plaintiffs request for such information from the circuit court, which Chief Justice Donald Beatty wrote abused its discretion.

Inmates discovery requests regarding lethal injection are particularly relevant and reasonable in light of the fact that, for over ten years, other states have continued to perform executions using lethal injection, rather than electrocution and the firing squad, Beatty wrote.

The high court found it impossible to evaluate the States assessment that such drugs are not available in South Carolina without such information. The justices said state lawyers failed to answer how or when South Carolina officials had sought the drugs during oral arguments earlier this month.

The Department of Corrections has 60 days to provide that information to the circuit court, which will then have 60 more days to conduct any additional hearings and present the findings to the South Carolina Supreme Court.

South Carolina  previously one of the most prolific states of its size when it came to capital punishment  has not killed anyone on death row since May 2011. Its batch of lethal injection drugs expired in 2013.

Four condemned prisoners challenged a 2021 law that forced them to choose between the electric chair or a newly formed firing squad signed by Gov. Henry McMaster in hopes the state could then restart its executions after the involuntary pause.

The issue received extra attention from McMaster in his State of the State speech last night. The governor called on lawmakers to pass a shield law protecting the identities of the companies making lethal injection drugs  a solution he said would free the companies to sell them to South Carolina without fear of public rebuke.

The death penalty has remained under near constant scrutiny throughout the United States. Late last year, Tennessee issued a report finding the state had used lethal injection drugs that hadnt been properly tested, abandoning 2018 guidelines.
COLUMBIA  Former President Donald Trump will be joined by two high-profile South Carolina supporters  U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Gov. Henry McMaster  at his first public 2024 presidential campaign event in the early voting state later this month.

Trump will be at the Statehouse in Columbia on Jan. 28 and will unveil his South Carolina leadership team, according to a person familiar with the plans. That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person wasnt authorized to speak publicly.

Trump's campaign had previously confirmed the South Carolina event but hadn't provided details.

The event will also include members of South Carolinas congressional delegation, as well as state lawmakers, according to the person.

U.S. Rep. Russell Fry, who with Trump's support ousted U.S. Rep. Tom Rice in a primary last year, told the AP on Tuesday that he would be at the rollout, saying Trump "delivered for the American people before and can do so again.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who defeated a Trump-backed opponent in her own GOP primary last year, told AP she would not attend the event, and that she would would wait to endorse a 2024 candidate once the field is set."

Until then, my powder is dry," she said.

Among remaining Republicans in South Carolina's U.S. House delegation, Rep. William Timmons' office said he would attend Trump's event, Rep. Jeff Duncans office said he would not, and a spokesman for Rep. Ralph Norman said his attendance wasn't certain. A representatives for Rep. Joe Wilson didn't immediately return a message Tuesday.

According to South Carolina government officials, the Trump campaign has blocked off 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. at a variety of sites inside and outside the Statehouse building, planning for 500 attendees.

Reservation information shared with AP promotes the event "as an opportunity to exemplify the strong support from elected officials in the state as we approach the one year mark to South Carolinas Republican Presidential Primary.

Some operatives and elected officials in South Carolina have been receiving calls from Graham asking for their support for Trump's reelection bid. At least two of the people asked had turned down the request, according to the person, who spoke with the pair.

Since announcing his latest presidential run in November, Trump has limited his public campaign appearances to events at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida before an invited crowd or in a virtual setting.

Trumps visit to South Carolina comes as two of the states top Republicans mull 2024 bids of their own.

Nikki Haley, a former governor and onetime U.N. ambassador, said she would take the holiday season to consider a White House campaign.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott has been making visits in other early voting states and launched a political action committee that could become a presidential campaign vehicle. A Scott spokesperson did not immediately comment Tuesday when asked if the senator would attend Trump's event.
(TBTCO) - Sau khi Ngan hang Nha nuoc Viet Nam ha lai suat ieu hanh va cac ngan hang thuong mai giam lai suat huy ong, lai suat lien ngan hang lai co tin hieu nguoc, leo doc kha nhanh va ieu nay co the la yeu to khien cho cac ngan hang cung se van phai can nhac chua the de dai trong viec ay manh cho vay.
A 13-year-old Palestinian boy shot and wounded a father and son in East Jerusalem Saturday hours after a gunman killed seven outside a synagogue, raising fears of escalation despite international calls for calm.



Police said the latest gun attack occurred on Saturday morning in Silwan just outside the old, walled city in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem.

A father, 47, and his son, 23, sustained gunshot wounds to their upper bodies and were rushed to hospital, police and medics said.

Police had earlier announced the arrest of 42 people in connection with Friday's synagogue attack, one of the deadliest in Jerusalem in years.

The mass shooting was carried out by a 21-year-old Palestinian resident of east Jerusalem who drove up to the synagogue in the Neve Yaakov settler neighborhood and opened fire during the Jewish Sabbath.

The attack coincided with International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

It came with tensions rising across the region a day after one of the deadliest army raids in the occupied West Bank in roughly two decades, as well as rocket fire from militants in the Gaza Strip and Israeli retaliatory air strikes.

Crowds shouted "Death to Arabs" as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the scene of the synagogue attack late Friday.

Palestinians held spontaneous rallies to celebrate the killings in Gaza and across the West Bank, including in Ramallah where large crowds swarmed the streets chanting and waving Palestinian flags.



Opposition lawmaker Mickey Levy, from former premier Yair Lapid's centrist Yesh Atid party, warned the surging violence recalled the second intifada, the 2000-2005 Palestinian uprising that brought devastation to both sides.

"What happened 20 years ago, it's [starting] to happen right now," he told AFP.

"We need to sit, think how we can advance and stop this situation."

Arab condemnation

The Palestinian Authority in a statement said Israel was "fully responsible for the dangerous escalation," without commenting on the two gun attacks.

Israel's police chief Kobi Shabtai called the synagogue shooting "one of the worst attacks [Israel] has encountered in recent years."

Several Arab nations that have ties with Israel  including Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates  condemned Friday night's shooting.

But the Lebanese group Hezbollah, one of Israel's most prominent foes, praised the attack as "heroic," voicing "absolute support for all the steps taken by the Palestinian resistance factions."

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was "deeply shocked" by the "terrible" Jerusalem attacks and that his country "stands by the side of Israel."

French President Emmanuel Macron said a "spiral of violence must be avoided at all costs," with Russia also calling for "maximum restraint."

The White House has also condemned the violence, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken due in the region next week on a trip where he is expected to call for de-escalation.

The gunman at the synagogue was killed by police during a shootout that followed a brief car chase after the attack.

There has been no indication that he had prior involvement in militant activity or was a member of an established Palestinian armed group.

'Died next to me'

Authorities have not yet definitively identified the synagogue attacker, but Israeli and Palestinian media have widely named him as Alqam Khayri, who was being praised on some social media platforms including his Facebook page.

Shimon Israel, who lives near the synagogue and witnessed the attack, said he was sitting down for Shabbat dinner when he heard "shooting and shouting."

"A guy stopped [his car] to help ... got a bullet in his head and died right here next to me," he said.

Police said 42 people had been arrested after the synagogue shooting, including members of the gunman's immediate family, relatives and neighbours.

Nine people had been killed Thursday in what Israel described as a "counter-terrorism" operation in the Jenin refugee camp.

It was one of the deadliest Israeli army raids in the West Bank since the second intifada.

Israel said members of the Islamic Jihad group were targeted.

Islamic Jihad and Hamas both later fired several rockets at Israeli territory.

Most of the rockets were intercepted by Israeli air defenses. The military responded with strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza.

There were no injuries reported on either side, but Gaza's armed groups vowed further action.
CHEYENNE  A ban on chemical abortions is headed to the House after passing its final vote Friday in the Senate.

Senate File 109, sponsored by Sen. Tim Salazar, R-Riverton, would ban the use, manufacture and distribution of medications for the use of abortions. It passed in a 23-6 vote, with two excused.

Anyone who violates the rule would be subject to a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months of imprisonment or up to a $9,000 fine, or both.

The bill defines said medication, which it calls chemical abortion drugs, as mifepristone, misoprostol, mifeprex, mifegyne or any substantially similar generic or nongeneric drug or chemical dispensed for purposes of causing an abortion.

The restrictions in the use of these medications wouldnt apply to the treatment of a natural miscarriage, or treatment in the cases where a persons pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or if their health or life is in danger. That exception doesnt hold for psychological or emotional conditions.

They also wouldnt apply to the sale, use, prescription or administration of contraceptives that a person might use before conception, or before a pregnancy can be confirmed through conventional medical testing.

The bill has 38 cosponsors, many of whom are freshmen lawmakers.

The House also rejected an amendment to the bill on Friday that would have taken one of those medications  misoprostol  out of the legislation.

Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, who proposed the amendment, explained that the bill could make pharmacies hesitant to procure the medication, which in itself isnt used for abortions (misoprostol is used together with mifepristone for the procedure).

Ive learned that this drug is a very useful drug, Case said on the floor Friday, citing a physician who said the medication is used to soften the cervix before labor or a gynecological procedure and to treat postpartum hemorrhage, among other things.

Theyre very concerned that if we tighten down this drug it would become less available  this very important, needed and useful drug that saves lives  will become less available and potentially blacklisted by pharmacies. Its important we keep this one available.

But Salazar adamantly opposed the amendment, noting that exceptions for the use of misoprostol in procedures other than abortion were already included in the bill.

I have done my very best to accommodate those on the floor, he said.

I have put exceptions into this bill. Ive lowered the penalties. I have done everything in my power, but this draws the line.

Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, said he was concerned that, even with those exceptions, the bill as written would discourage manufacturers and distributors of the medications that the bill references to work within Wyoming.

I think as written, it would clearly chill any possibility for manufacturers to engage in Wyoming, for anyone to distribute these drugs in Wyoming, to prescribe the drugs in Wyoming, to dispense, because they dont know the intent, Rothfuss said.

Certainly on the manufacturing side, how do you know if youre manufacturing it for what purpose? Do you put a label on, Shall not be used for this purpose? Or how does that even work?

Salazar sponsored the same bill last year when the Legislature passed the states abortion trigger ban.

Though the ban took effect briefly following the U.S. Supreme Courts reversal of Roe v. Wade over the summer, enforcement of the ban is blocked for now while its being challenged in court. Its very likely that the case will eventually be referred to the Wyoming Supreme Court. (Another bill this year seeks to nix the rape and incest exemptions from that abortion ban.)

PHOTOS: Abortion in Wyoming Pro-choice protest Abortions rights protest Abortion-rights protesters The Women's Health Center and Family Care Clinic of Jackson Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Abortion-rights protest Abortion-rights protest Abortion-rights protest Abortion clinic fire Abortion-rights protest Abortion-rights protest Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest Pro-life Protest
CHEYENNE  Person after person sat before the Senate Labor Committee on Friday and implored lawmakers to act in the best interest of Wyomings kids.

But there was stark disagreement over what acting in their best interest should actually look like, with some pushing for the passage of a bill to ban gender-affirming care for minors, and others asking for the legislation to be thrown out.

Senate File 111 passed the Senate Labor, Health and Social Services Committee in a 3-2 vote, with Sens. Eric Barlow, R-Cheyenne, and Fred Baldwin, R-Kemmerer, voting no.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper, would penalize anyone who intentionally gives gender-affirming treatment to minors with a felony and up to 10 years in prison. That could include surgery, but also hormone treatments.

Under the bill, administering such treatments, which include any procedure, drug or other agent, would be considered child abuse. The consent of the minor or the minors parents couldnt be used to override the crime.

It includes some exemptions for the medical treatment of people who are intersex or are born with an ambiguous sexual identity, and for treatment of traumatic injuries or life threatening physical diseases or conditions, not including any psychological or emotional conditions.

Scotts bill stems from nationally circulating concerns that some adults are preying on young adolescents and pushing them to undergo gender-affirming treatment, as the Casper lawmaker put it. Those fears have led to a slew of legislation across the country seeking to restrict medical treatments for minors who identify as transgender.

Opponents of the bill argued that the decision of whether or not to give gender-affirming care to a minor should be between that minor and their parents or guardians. Some medical providers said they were leery about the Legislature restricting any kind of medical treatment in general.

Proponents, meanwhile, said that gender dysphoria should be treated by changing the mental rather than the physical condition, and that gender-affirming treatment is the equivalent of mutilation (that concern mostly centered around gender-affirming surgeries, which arent performed in Wyoming and typically arent performed on minors in general).

Scott described that during puberty theres often some confusion about ones sex and gender, and that theres a fad among adolescents to deal with this confusion by changing their sex. Other supporters of the bill who spoke before the committee on Friday offered a similar perspective to Scotts.

I do believe this is a fad, Gillette Republican Rep. John Bear, chairman of the hard-line Wyoming Freedom Caucus, said, noting the growing demographic of transgender individuals.

Bear has been outspoken on trans issues. At an October event hosted by former State Superintendent of Public Instruction Brian Schroeder, he warned the audience of an epidemic of people wanting to de-transition, a comment which he later admitted was speculative.

More recently, he was also one among several Wyoming Freedom Caucus members and other lawmakers who signed a letter to the University of Wyoming castigating the school for blocking the tabling privileges of a Laramie church elder who targeted a trans student by name.

Many of the people who spoke during the meeting pushed back on the idea that transitioning is just a fad.

They dont want to find themselves in that situation, Andrew Rose, a pediatrician at Cheyenne Childrens Clinic, said of kids and families that seek gender-affirming treatment.

Why would they, especially here in Wyoming? These kids arent just confused. Theyre not immature, theyre not just in a state. Instead, they identify in a way that society tells them they shouldnt. And of course, that creates dissonance.

Legislating medical care

Many of those who spoke in opposition to the bill on Friday were medical and mental health providers, some of whom have had direct experience treating minors with gender dysphoria.

Wyoming statute is pretty light on restricting what kind of medical care providers can and cant give. Thats partly because peoples understanding of whats best practice can change rapidly. Some at Fridays meeting said the bill would create a chilling effect on medical providers ability to give patients what they believe is the best care.

As a pediatrician, thinking that I might be the one that goes to jail for 10 years for doing something that I think is within the realm of medical care and appropriate frightens the heck out of me, Bob Prentice, a retired pediatrician, said.

He noted that major medical groups, like the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, all have statements saying that the criminalization of medical treatment should be left out of the law.

Most lawmakers also arent medical experts, particularly in the area of transgender care, a point that Baldwin, a physician assistant, said made him uncomfortable to approve the bill.

Weve been here three weeks now, and to take these things and become experts and create law, that makes me nervous, he said.

The abortion trigger ban that became law last year is one recent exception to the Legislatures usual lightness on medical care. The ban is the subject of a lawsuit now, and its enforcement blocked at least until the legal matter concludes. Plaintiffs contesting the abortion bans constitutionality include medical providers who argue that the ban could force them to deny or delay care for pregnant women. (Lawmakers will consider another bill this year that would put even more restrictions on allowed abortions in the state.)

The arguments of people who opposed the bill in many ways paralleled those playing out in the abortion case.

Refusing to provide the standard of care for these patients with gender dysphoria syndrome is really tantamount to requiring medical neglect for these patients, April Kranz, a pediatrician at Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, said.

Some lawmakers on the committee focused in particular on concerns about changing a minors sex through surgery. But there arent any providers in Wyoming who offer gender-affirming surgeries  for minors or adults.

Several medical providers who spoke on Friday reiterated this point after lawmakers asked multiple times about the consequences of performing such surgeries  which they characterized as mutilation  on a minor who might regret it later.

At one point, Cheyenne Republican Sen. Anthony Bouchard, speaking to Rose, the Cheyenne pediatrician, described a surgical procedure that he had come across during his research.

Theyre adding what they call a penis, its no bigger than the tip of this pen, Bouchard said, lifting up a pen for the audience to see.

When I mentioned reversible procedures, Im discussing hormone therapy primarily that is based on blocking the progression of sexual maturation, which is reversible, Rose responded. What I had said is that no one here in the state of Wyoming is doing the types of procedures that you graphically explained for us all.

He added that the Academy of Pediatrics would oppose the kind of procedure that Bouchard had described, but that to blanket restrict and criminalize the process of gender-affirming treatment would be harmful. He suggested taking on the task of reducing Wyomings suicide rate as a better way to help the states youth.

A very gray issue

Scott said he aimed to keep the bill as simple as possible rather than getting lost in the weeds of medical treatment. His main goal was to set the principle that administering gender-affirming care to a minor with the intent of changing their sex is child abuse.

But some felt that this approach was too broad and vague for an issue they say is complicated.

I dont think this is a black and white issue, Baldwin, one of the senators who voted against the legislation, said. I think this is a very gray issue.

Amber Pollock, a Casper City Council member who testified, questioned whether lawmakers have a full understanding of trans issues, or whether theyve had a close personal experience with a trans person navigating the world. She speculated that most probably havent.

I dont say this to call anyone out, because the truth is, most people dont have a full understanding of trans issues, Pollock said.

They can be complex and difficult to relate to, and for many people it wont be something they confront directly in their lives. And generally, I would say its OK that most people dont fully understand it. You dont have to understand something to be kind and respectful (to) folks. But today in this room, its not OK to not fully understand it, because you are in a position to make life-altering decisions for Wyoming families, you are in a position to make felons out of parents who are faced with making very difficult decisions in the best interests of their children. And if thats not a responsibility that requires a complete and accurate understanding before proceeding, I dont know what is.

But Bouchard vouched in favor of the bill for the same reason, arguing that these treatments should stop for the time being because the topic is complicated.

We need to put the brakes on and start looking at data, he said.
Wyoming has been searching for ways to strengthen its teacher ranks as shortages and growing discontentment among educators impact the state.

The Wyoming Department of Education and Professional Teaching Standards Boards, the states independent teacher licensing body, have been developing an apprenticeship program to expand the local educator pipeline, while the University of Wyomings College of Education established a Teacher-Mentor Corps last year to support early-career teachers.

Rep. Bill Henderson, R-Cheyenne, and a cohort of lawmakers are looking to step in and aid those efforts by reviving and expanding the states teacher shortage loan repayment program.

House Bill 167 would restart the program, which allowed prospective teachers enrolled in UWs College of Education to obtain loans from the state and repay them by teaching in Wyoming public schools.

Previously, only special education, math, science and foreign language teachers qualified for the loan and loan forgiveness initiative, but Henderson and the bills co-sponsors plan to open the program to all College of Education students interested in teaching in Wyoming.

Teachers who return to UW in pursuit of additional qualifications, such as endorsements to teach in specialty areas, are also eligible for the loans.

Weve opened it up to anyone who wants to teach really, but were targeting shortage areas, Henderson said.

As it did previously, the Wyoming Community College Commission would oversee the program, and each year it would have to report to the governor and Legislature about the impact the program is having on the states teacher shortages.

In addition to helping the state address shortages, the program will support teachers in their own professional development, including those who may leave another profession to teach, Henderson said.

I think its going to offer a lot of people options, Henderson said. If you have options, youre more able to set up to your own path [and] the way that you want to proceed in your career.

Its a win-win, he said.

Lawmakers first created loan repayment program in 2005. It lasted more than a decade before being phased out in 2016.

In its first four years, more than 100 students participated, even though they were limited to training in science, mathematics, foreign language or special education, according to UW.

Students could also choose repay their loans, but by the end of the program in 2016 almost 160 Wyoming teachers had had their loans forgiven, Henderson said.

Approximately 45% of all teachers in Wyoming attended UW, according to Wyoming Department of Education data.

So far, Hendersons bill is the only legislation lawmakers have brought forward that would directly address teacher shortages in Wyoming.

It would set aside $500,000 from the states reserve account to restart the program and finance student loans beginning as soon as this fall.

The Wyoming Education Association, which advocates for the states teachers and public K-12 schools, threw its weight behind the bill.

Teachers are educated, certified professionals. Their investment in their education opens the door for them to work in Wyoming public schools, and that work shapes and betters our schools and communities, Grady Hutcherson, the president of the Wyoming Education Association, said in an email.

Hutcherson also pointed to program as a much needed sign of support from lawmakers as teachers feel the impacts of an increasingly polarized political climate.

Wyoming teachers are reporting low levels of job satisfaction, low levels of respect from their communities and low levels of perceived support from state officials and lawmakers, Hutcherson said. This bill is one step in the right direction toward respecting our teachers and encouraging them to live, work, and contribute to our Wyoming communities by teaching in our public schools.

While Hendersons bill would tackle the financial constraints prospective teachers face, its broader impact in addressing the states teacher shortages is unclear.

A study by UW researcher Mark Perkins and the Wyoming Education Association found that mental health and a lack of support were among the factors driving Wyomings teachers to consider leaving the profession.

Still, its time that lawmakers consider reauthorizing the loan repayment program to tackle teacher shortages, Henderson said.

Its definitely going to help Wyoming, he said.

A previous version of this article incorrectly characterized the research by Perkins and the Wyoming Education Association. Perkin's study only considered non-monetary factors.
Lawmakers and the Wyoming Department of Education support the creation of a new charter school board, but a bill that could open up the state to additional charter schools also faced pushback from some education groups.

The Senate Education Committee voted Friday to advance Senate File 174, which would create an independent board to oversee the approval of new charter schools in Wyoming.

In a significant move, it would also increase the state funding that charter schools can access.

Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder testified before the committee on behalf of the Department of Education and backed the bill as a way to expand school choice in Wyoming while also improving the states K-12 public education system.

Our entire public school system, both the traditional model as well as the additional schools, will benefit, Degenfelder said. Because competition and increased choices, they raise performance for everyone to the benefit of students, communities and our state.

Change in oversight

The State Loan and Investment Board and local school boards currently hold the responsibility for approving charter schools, but under the bill the authority of the State Loan and Investment Board would be supplanted by the new body.

The boards mission would be to to authorize high quality public charter schools throughout the state that provide more options for students to attain a thorough and efficient education.

Charter schools are public schools that are independent of school districts and operated by nonprofit or for-profit organizations.

Five members would sit on the board, approving new school charters and overseeing the renewal of existing agreements based on their merits.

The superintendent of public instruction would sit alongside members appointed by the president of the Senate and speaker of the House, as well as two members appointed by the governor, including one who must have served on the governing board of a charter school.

Board members would also be required to have some expertise in finance and management, public or nonprofit governance, public school leadership or public education law.

Sen. Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, sponsored the bill with backing from more than half the House and nearly a dozen senators.

Funding change

While the creation of an independent approval board would represent a significant development for charter school supporters, Degenfelder and others who testified pointed to another provision in the bill that is arguably just as significant  an increase in state funding.

The Wyoming Department of Education uses a metric known as average daily membership in calculating the money schools receive from the state, which essentially measures the number of students in a school.

Charter schools currently receive 80% of the funding determined by a schools average daily membership, while public schools receive 100%.

An amendment brought by lawmakers would boost state money for charter schools to match the 100% public schools receive.

With the Wyoming Constitution requiring a right to an equitable education for public school students, Dicky Shanor, Degenfelders chief of staff, said increasing state funding was a matter of fairness.

It does come down to that issue of just fairness and equity, Shanor said. These are public school kids and they should be entitled to that funding that other public school kids get.

However, the proposed funding boost was among the points highlighted by the Wyoming Education Association in their opposition to the bill.

Tate Mullen, the Wyoming Education Associations government relations director, testified that expanding charter schools and increasing funding would only worsen the states public education finances.

Mullen pointed to new charter schools in Casper, Cheyenne and Chugwater as some of the largest contributors to increasing education costs last year.

The three schools are expected to cost the state an additional $14 million during the next school year, according to an estimate from the Legislative Service Office.

That figure can be in part attributed to Wyoming law that requires the state to double funding for charter schools in their first year, a requirement that the proposed charter school bill would remove.

Opposition

Mullen argued that creating an independent approval board would open up the state to more charter schools.

Until we take care of the students and our educators who are already here and in our classrooms and learning, we should not be expanding this program, Mullen said.

Expanding this program, expanding charter schools, is irresponsible, he said.

The bill also drew the opposition of organizations such as the Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board, the states teacher licensing body, and the Wyoming School Board Associations because it would exempt charter schools from all state and local public school laws and rules and allow charter schools to hire unlicensed teachers.

The Senate Education Committee did not flinch, voting to send the bill to the Senate floor.

Sen. Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester, said it is the innovation and competition charter schools provide that make them so appealing.

Thats why I support charter schools and this whole idea of driving innovation because it does make everybody better, Biteman said.
Your childs education should be a family priority, according to Kimarie Richardson-Thomas, who has taught for 23 years in the public school system.

Richardson-Thomas is the Academic Dean at Goodwood Secondary School, and teaches English Language, English Literature, and CAPE Communication Studies.
burnt debris: Fire victims Mitchum Rawlins; his three-year-old niece, CassiLee Cummings; and his sister, Merissa De Verteuil, return yesterday to the site where their home was destroyed by fire two Fridays ago. Six other people occupied the house in Harmony Hall, Gasparillo. The family is appealing for assistance to rebuild. Photo: TREVOR WATSON
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 Arizona Historical Society has agreed to sell a 19th century adobe house in downtown Tucson that has been in the agencys hands since it was saved from demolition in 1971.

Society board members voted unanimously Friday to accept an offer from Rio Nuevo to buy the Sosa-Carrillo House and preserve it as an educational and cultural site.

The traditional Sonoran row house, finished in 1880, was one of only a handful of buildings to be spared when 80 acres of Tucsons oldest Mexican-American barrio was razed to make way for construction of the Tucson Convention Center.

In recent years, the historical society identified  but had so far been unable to fund  almost $1.3 million in renovations needed to protect the structure and improve it as a museum and events venue.

Selling the property to Tucsons tax-supported urban improvement district will allow that work to be done.

Under the deal, Rio Nuevo will buy the house for its appraised value of $1.05 million, but the historical society will only collect about $100,000 of that. The rest will be used to pay for restoration.

Historical Society Executive Director David Breeckner called it a unique solution to a challenge of stewardship the agency faces at its historic properties across the state.

He said he is excited to see the Sosa-Carrillo House revitalized under Rio Nuevos ownership. AHS is not looking to profit on this whatsoever, he said.

Breeckner added that the purchase agreement requires the house to be preserved for its current use, so it cant be turned into a Starbucks someday.

Ownership of the property will revert back to the historical society in 2035, when the tax-district is slated to be dissolved.

The 19th century house was built by prominent local businessman Leopoldo Carrillo on land previously owned by the pioneering family of Jose Maria Sosa, an ensign who served in the Spanish presidios of Tucson and Tubac in the 1770s.

The residence was passed down through the Carrillo family until 1968, when the city of Tucson took the property by eminent domain.

After that, the building  then known as the Fremont House for its tenuous link to 19th century military leader and Arizona territorial governor John C. Fremont  underwent extensive renovations as some 250 homes and businesses surrounding it were bulldozed.

Construction of the convention center complex displaced more than 700 residents, many of them people of color from low-income households. For many, the Sosa-Carrillo House, wedged between the convention center and the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall, serves as a symbol of what was lost in the name of that so-called urban renewal.

Delicate and expensive work is now needed to restore the buildings original adobe, which has been damaged by the cement-based plaster that was applied to the bricks in the early 1970s.

The house at 151 S. Granada Ave. also needs a new roof and air-conditioning system, upgraded electrical wiring, and improvements to its 50-year-old bathrooms and kitchen so it can better host wedding receptions and other special events.

The Sosa-Carrillo House currently hosts the Mexican American Heritage and History Museum and two nonprofit tenants: Borderlands Theater and Los Descendientes del Presidio de Tucson, the heritage organization that operates the museum.

Rio Nuevo has offered both groups 5-year leases that would allow them to stay for $1 a month.

Breeckner said the historical society also plans to remain involved as a partner in the continued preservation of the house.

After Fridays vote, historical society board president Linda Whitaker said Rio Nuevo board chairman Fletcher McCusker deserved to be acknowledged for opening the door for the discussions.

Im looking forward to what this next phase brings, Whitaker said.

Photos: The Sosa-Carrillo House and urban redevelopment in Tucson
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is considering altering its monthly Colorado River forecasting methods in the face of criticism from experts inside and outside the agency that predictions have been too optimistic.

Changing forecast methods could have major ramifications in how the bureau manages the river, water experts say. Larger cutbacks in water deliveries to Arizona, Nevada and California could possibly be triggered, for example.

The agency will consider starting to base its forecasts on the past 20 years of flows into Lake Powell, compared to the 30 years it uses now, a bureau official told the Arizona Daily Star.

Thats what several outside scientists have urged the bureau to do, on the grounds that the shorter time period will screen out a lengthy wet period from the 1990s when runoff into the river was much greater than its been since 2000.

Such a change would almost certainly make the forecasts more pessimistic than now. Thats because the years since 2000 have not only been extremely dry, some scientists have found them to be the driest in the Southwest for the past 1,200 years. Average annual river flows have dropped from about 15 million acre-feet over the 20th century to barely 12 million since 2000.

The bureaus expressed willingness to consider changes comes after one of its engineers, James Prairie, aired significant reservations about current forecasting methods at a public water conference held in Denver during the summer of 2022.

His concerns closely matched those raised for several years by outside scientists, most prominent among them Brad Udall. Udall, a Colorado State University water researcher, has been at the forefront since the early 2000s in warning about the risks to the Colorado River from climate change. He and several other outside scientists released a report about a year ago that criticized the accuracy of bureau forecasts.

Predicting availability of water

At issue are whats called 24-month studies that the bureau releases every month. The studies use computer models to forecast reservoir water levels for each of the upcoming 24 months. These monthly forecasts are well publicized and regularly discussed in the media by a wide range of water experts, including scholars, government water officials, activists, and engineers and hydrologists in the private sector.

A change to a 20-year forecasting model could have major implications for how the bureau plans its annual releases from Lake Powell to Lake Mead and how it determines the levels of future shortages in river water deliveries from Mead to Lower Basin states, said another outside critic, Eric Kuhn. Hes an author and researcher and retired general manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

For one, it could affect the scale of cutbacks that the bureau makes annually from Lake Mead into the rivers Lower Basin of Arizona, Nevada and California. Thats because the bureau bases the amount of cutbacks, if any, it will make for the following year on what its monthly forecast predicts in August will be the most likely water level at Lake Mead by the end of the current year.

It could also affect how much water the bureau releases each year from Lake Powell to Mead  an amount also crucial for river water availability for Arizona, California and Nevada, Kuhn said.

These forecasts are the best eyes we have on the future, Udall said. If they are grossly off, as they have been for many years, we will not make the best possible decisions about managing the river.

The biggest change that will occur if the method changes will be in the bureaus prediction of the lowest likely river flows  officially called minimum probable flows  expected over an upcoming year or longer, Udall said.

Recent minimum probable forecasts have utterly downplayed our risk, as we have unfortunately found out recently, when the bureau suddenly announced last June that drastic cuts need to be made by 2023 in river basin water use, Udall said.

Information may be biased

The bureaus Prairie raised similar concerns at a public conference in August 2022, sponsored by the advocacy group Colorado Water Congress.

I do not have a lot of confidence in federal forecasts of reservoir levels looking about a year ahead, Prairie said. He cited what he said are biases that are built into the forecast methods because of their reliance on temperatures and precipitation from the 1990s.

Im going to want to tend to skew that down, Prairie said.

Prairie is chief of the bureaus Colorado Basin Research and Modeling Group and has been a hydrologic engineer for the agency since 2000. He has extensive experience directing and coordinating research, development and modeling projects. He leads applied research in a wide range of topics, including long-term water resource planning and climate variability.

As you look at this, I would not walk away thinking this is exactly where we are going to end up, Prairie said at the conference, referring to the bureaus forecast for the most likely amount of flows into Powell in 2023. I would likely lean toward these lower flows, and consider that as youre thinking about how to protect the system more.

He told the gathering that when he works with folks, he will tell them that the information they are looking at from the bureau may be biased because of the agencys use of 30 years of data.

That 30-year period is a standard of NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Thats a standard view of climate. The way they look at the concept of climate, that idea is not something thats going to change quickly, Prairie said. Its something weve been talking about, but it is embedded at the international level.

Thats one reason it is going to be hard for us to move away from those consistent methods, but its something to think about when you look at the results, Prairie said.

A wet bias

The bureau declined to comment on Prairies remarks. But in an email to the Star, a Reclamation official said the 30-year period traditionally used for forecasting could be trimmed to 20 years sometime before authorities approve new, broader guidelines for operating the rivers reservoirs after existing guidelines expire in 2026.

The official acknowledged the current forecasting system has a wet bias, but added that there would be tradeoffs if the forecasts were to reflect 20 years of flows instead of 30.

The official noted the Colorado River Basin has been seeing an increased temperature trend in the past 30 years. We also see the observed record observes a wetter period from 1990-1999 than we have experienced during the current drought beginning in 2000.

Given the warming trend, we believe excluding the early wet years (1990-1999) could reduce the wet bias we are seeing in the recent forecasts, said the official, who declined to be quoted by name.

Spread represents the range of forecast  if its too tight, you could miss the observation (too high or below it), said the official, in explaining tradeoffs from switching forecasting methods. If its too wide, then you dont capture the specific forecast. Trying to balance the trend between accuracy and spread is the need.

Using a shorter forecast period may result in an overall drier forecast but may also result in narrower range of runoff possibilities (e.g., any future wet periods may not be forecast accurately), Ashley Nielson, a senior hydrologist for the federal Colorado Basin River Forecast Center, has told the Star. To account for the large amount of hydroclimactic variability within the Colorado River Basin, we cannot only rely on dry scenarios.

The possibility that forecasting methods could be tightened comes a little more than a year since the bureau last altered them. Until then, it relied on river flows from 1981 to 2010, but has since changed that period to 1991 to 2020. The change being considered would make that 2000 to 2020.

Critics say a 30-year period isnt workable in a rapidly changing climate.

When I teach classes, you always teach that using more data is better, said Professor Jack Schmidt, a longtime Utah State University water researcher. Unfortunately, in a changing, warming world, having a long averaging period isnt necessarily better.

Udall, Kuhn and Schmidt collaborated with others on a February 2022 study by Utah States Center for Colorado River Studies. It concluded the Bureau of Reclamations 24-month studies issued from 2010 through 2021 made projections for the most likely flows that in some cases were 7 million acre-feet a year more than what actually flowed into Powell.

Its widely accepted among many scientists that using 30 years isnt appropriate in an era of climate change, Udall said, but the problem is that there is no new standard. It leaves everybody searching for a consensus (forecasting) process that doesnt exist.
For Star subscribers: Rincon Creek Ranch was founded in the 1950s as a working cattle ranch on 100 acres bordering Saguaro National Park southeast of Tucson. The ranch now includes seven casitas and an event venue.

Gilbert and Betty Acosta bought land for the ranch probably before the 1950s. Gilbert was born in Hermosillo, Sonora. He became a "newsboy" at the Arizona Daily Star in 1916 and worked his way up to circulation director in 1948. He retired in 1961 to devote his time to the ranch. He died in 1984.

The ranch is currently owned and operated by Bill & Gretchen Shirley. The property has been listed for sale for $5.9 million.
Tucson police announced Friday theyve determined a 2022 suspicious death was a homicide and a man already jailed in the case now faces an additional charge of first-degree murder.

Officer Francisco Magos, a Tucson Police Department public information officer, gave the following account in a news release:

On Sept. 2 police were called to an apartment complex in the 300 block of East Benson Highway by a woman in distress who identified herself as a visitor. Police found human remains in the apartment and said efforts had been made to hide them.

The apartments resident, identified as Victor Lawrence Farber, 57, spoke to detectives over the phone but did not return to the home and remained at large. On Sept. 9, police found and detained Farber and he and the female visitor were charged with concealment of a dead body.

In October of 2022, the Medical Examiners Office identified the body as that of Alexis Ochotorena, 21, and police notified her family of her death.

Investigators determined that the victim had sustained substantial trauma and had been concealed for a significant amount of time, police said Friday.

After following leads and conducting additional interviews, homicide detectives found new information and established probable cause to charge Farber on Thursday, Jan. 26, with murder in Ochotorenas death. Farber was still in the Pima County jail on the previous charge and is now being held on a bond of more than $1 million.

Detectives ask anyone with information about the death to call 88-CRIME; callers can remain anonymous.
PORTLAND, Maine  Changes to U.S. rules about the monitoring of Northeast commercial fishing activities are going into effect this month with a goal of providing more accurate information about some of the nation's oldest fisheries.

The U.S. mandates observers to work onboard fishing boats to collect data and make sure fishermen adhere to rules and quotas. The relationship between fishermen and observers is sometimes difficult, and fishermen have long complained the monitoring program heaps costs on them.

The National Marine Fisheries Service has adopted new monitoring rules for Northeast fishermen of groundfish, like haddock and flounder, to try to improve the accuracy of the data. The fishermen harvest some of the most popular seafood species in the country, and the data are used to craft fishing regulations.

The monitoring rules include a plan to reimburse the fishing industry for at-sea monitoring costs in the 2022 fishing year. It also includes a plan to increase the percentage of fishing trips that include monitoring coverage from 80% to 100% for the next four years. That rule would hold as long as funds appropriated by Congress can support government and industry costs, the National Marine Fisheries Service said.

The expansion of at-sea monitoring has generated some pushback from fishing interests. The Northeast Seafood Coalition, which represents commercial fishing groups, argued that more information was needed to show that increased monitoring would improve management of fisheries.

The fisheries service disagreed, and said the increased monitoring is especially important because some valuable species of fish are in decline. The agency is in the midst of a drive to rebuild the collapsed Atlantic cod stock, for example.

"Improved monitoring will contribute to determining the level of interaction between the fishery and stocks," the fisheries service said in a response to industry concerns that was published in the Federal Register.

The new monitoring plan also includes the approval of new electronic monitoring technologies to serve as an alternative to workers on board, the fisheries service said. The plan also requires periodic evaluation of the monitoring program.

Several conservation groups came out in support of expanding use of electronic monitoring. The Conservation Law Foundation cited the method as a way to reduce the cost of monitoring.
Members of Peru's Uru indigenous community, who live on artificial reed islands and call themselves "people of the water," hold a protest on boats floating in lake Titicaca, near the border with Bolivia, amid nationwide unrest that has left at least 46 people dead.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

As a single mom, the bills add up each month, including my monthly gas bill from Southwest Gas. I couldnt believe it when I learned that the Arizona Corporation Commission just voted last week to allow Southwest Gas to raise our rates. As a disabled Marine Corps veteran, I know so many veterans and military families in Tucson will struggle even more to make ends meet because of this decision.

One of the tenets of the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC)s mission is to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable utility services. Arizona ratepayers rely on them to make decisions that have their best interest in mind. Unfortunately, thats not what we see from the ACC.

In a vote (4-1), the Arizona Commissioners let the Southwest Gas Corporation raise its rates for the second time in two years  adding to the increase they approved in 2021. Get this  the rate has nothing to do with delivering services to its customers. They voted in favor of the rate increase, knowing that this would devastate the budgets of already struggling Arizonans. Most of the Commissioners campaigned on the promise to voters that they would keep utility costs low. Specifically:

Commissioner Kevin Thompson used to work for Southwest Gas: a blatant conflict of interest.

Commissioner Nick Myers ran on keeping rates low for Arizona families.

Commissioner Jim OConnors official biography says he wants to protect ratepayers from skyrocketing utility rates and undue financial hardships.

Commissioner Lea Marquez-Peterson claimed she would keep rates affordable and understands the challenges facing working families.

As a Southwest Gas customer, I find the Commissioners behavior egregious. Southwest Gas originally asked for 11.5% until widespread public outrage forced them to lower it to 6.7%. Any rate hike can throw family budgets into disarray  especially families living on fixed incomes, like seniors and disabled veterans.

Consumers might understand a rate increase if the price of fuel were increasing. But its not. Natural gas prices on the commodity markets are at their lowest since early 2021 and falling fast.

Southwest Gas wants to pass the cost of infrastructure, lobbying, and fat executive bonuses on to consumers like you  rather than using their millions of dollars in profits. And the ACC  whose stated mission is to ensure safe, reliable, and affordable utilities  was more than happy to oblige them at the expense of Arizonans.
Winter is always a busy time in Tucson. People who live in cold weather climates flock to Tucson like sandhill cranes; students return to class. Its a great time to open a restaurant, with the rest of our glorious spring to capitalize on sunny weather.

At least 20 local restaurants have either opened or expanded this winter. Heres the rundown!

Barbata

The restaurateur behind Reillys Craft Pizza and its basement bar, Tough Luck Club, is duplicating the concept in more upscale digs. Bata, a fine dining restaurant named after the Japanese art of cooking over open flame, was one of the buzziest restaurants of 2022. Barbata is its basement bar, designed with European flair.

Location: Basement, 35 E. Toole Ave.

For more information, check out their website.

Blondies Ice Cream

Dana Rengel makes ice cream at Decibel Coffee Works in the MSA Annex  and in a cute lil trailer around town under the name Blondie's Ice Cream. Harder to find are typical flavors  youre more likely to try sweet potato pie, orange creamsicle and vegan snickerdoodle than chocolate or strawberry.

Location: While you can always find ice cream at Decibel Coffee Works, 267 S. Avenida del Convento, follow Blondies Instagram for up-to-date locations of the trailer.

For more information, check out their Instagram or our article.

Blue Front

The newest addition to Patricia Schwabes roster of chic downtown eateries is Blue Front, an upscale American restaurant inspired by her visits to the United States from Mexico as a child.

Location: 110 E. Congress St.

For more information, check out their website or our article.

Che Cafe Empanadas Argentinas

If you want to visit Buenos Aires, but youre on a budget, this lovingly curated cafe on the south side is the quickest way to feel like youre in Argentina. The cafes menu focuses on Argentine-style empanadas baked with wheat dough.

Location: 1998 E. Irvington Road

For more information, check out their website or our article.

Chef Brians Comfort Kitchen

The Instagram aficionado @tucsonwingexpert declared Chef Brians wings a 9.1/10. Though the celebrity chefs menu is centered around elevated chicken and waffles, Chef Brian also offers a limited selection of vegan and gluten-free options at this Fourth Avenue eatery.

Location: 611 N. Fourth Ave.

For more information, check out their website.

Minibar

Spaghetti Club was the MSA Annexs sensation of the summer  but as new vendors Savior and Warm Shape moved into their space after Spaghetti Clubs off-season lease ended, Minibar arrived. The stylish, small bar is run by the same folks behind Spaghetti Club, and, like its predecessor, will delight with fun pop-ups and other special events.

Location: MSA Annex, 267 S. Avenida del Convento

For more information, check out their Instagram.

Okashi Ice Cream & Confections

Each week, Dean Blair posts two eclectic menus on his Instagram page: a traditional and a vegan option, featuring pastries you cant find anywhere else, like caneles, and always a pint of ice cream. He applies Japanese techniques and Asian flavors like Filipino ube and Japanese kinako to both his ice cream and pastries.

Location: Okashi is currently based out of owner Dean Blair's home in Blenman-Elm, but keep an eye out for his upcoming commissary.

For more information, check out their website, Instagram or our article.

Puro Ice

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This Mexican-Italian ice shop downtown was inspired by the owners experiences with nieve de garrafa in Guadalajara, Mexico. Its also a new brick and mortar from Tanna Cole, the force behind the beloved Mexican snack shack Tannas Botannas.

Location: 314 E. Sixth St.

For more information, check out their Instagram or our article.

Snake & Barrel

Batch made a splash downtown with its quaint combination of whiskey and doughnuts. Now theyve opened a basement bar with an expanded cocktail menu and a speakeasy-adjacent vibe.

Location: Basement, 118 E. Congress St.

For more information, check out their website.

Unitea

Looking for mochi doughnuts and bubble waffles? This cute boba tea shop in midtown offers all kinds of goodies and is the second location for Ethan Pham, who got his start in Michigan.

Location: 1710 E. Speedway

For more information, check out their Instagram or our article.

Uptown Burger

You might be familiar with Daniel Scordato from his work at the long-standing Italian restaurant Vivace. Hes looking to reproduce his success in the Foothills with a refined casual burger restaurant.

Location: 6370 N. Campbell Ave.

For more information, check out their website.

Wooden Tooth Records

This vinyl record shop opened a second location on Congress Street, in the former location of the Red Room venue. The shop is outfitted with a bar featuring limited beer selections, for now, to enjoy while you browse.

Location: 108 E. Congress St.

For more information, check out their Instagram or website.

New locations

Blacktop Grill  This grill slinging Sonoran-style pub fare recently branched out from their flagship location in Marana to a second spot downtown. The Blacktop Grill will be supplying revelers with their loaded nachos and hot dogs at the Dillinger Brewing Company location at 402 E. Ninth St. For more information, check out their website.

 This grill slinging Sonoran-style pub fare recently branched out from their flagship location in Marana to a second spot downtown. The Blacktop Grill will be supplying revelers with their loaded nachos and hot dogs at the Dillinger Brewing Company location at 402 E. Ninth St. For more information, check out their website. Borderlands Brewing Company  Their sights on a second location, Borderlands Brewing Company settled into new digs in the Sam Hughes neighborhood at 2500 E. Sixth St. They brought along the talents of Chef Maria Mazon, of Fourth Avenues Boca Tacos, to design a limited bar fare menu to accompany their beer selection and refreshing assortment of cocktails. For more information, check out their website.

 Their sights on a second location, Borderlands Brewing Company settled into new digs in the Sam Hughes neighborhood at 2500 E. Sixth St. They brought along the talents of Chef Maria Mazon, of Fourth Avenues Boca Tacos, to design a limited bar fare menu to accompany their beer selection and refreshing assortment of cocktails. For more information, check out their website. FireTruck Pizza Company  FireTruck Brewing Company has expanded into the pizza market. This local chain of brewpubs just opened a pizza restaurant at 800 N. Kolb Road, of course, with their typical selection of beers on tap. For more information, check out their Facebook.

 FireTruck Brewing Company has expanded into the pizza market. This local chain of brewpubs just opened a pizza restaurant at 800 N. Kolb Road, of course, with their typical selection of beers on tap. For more information, check out their Facebook. Tuk Tuk Thai  This cult-classic Thai street food restaurant just opened its third location, this time in the Foothills at 6878 E. Sunrise Dr. For more information, check out their website.

Expansions

Bistro at the J  If youve ever enjoyed the Shabbat dinners that the Tucson Jewish Community Center caters, youve enjoyed the work of Chef Asher Amar. Now the JCC, 3800 E. River Road, is collaborating with Chef Asher to host kosher pop-up dinners every third Thursday of the month, through April. For more information, check out their website.

 If youve ever enjoyed the Shabbat dinners that the Tucson Jewish Community Center caters, youve enjoyed the work of Chef Asher Amar. Now the JCC, 3800 E. River Road, is collaborating with Chef Asher to host kosher pop-up dinners every third Thursday of the month, through April. For more information, check out their website. 5 Points dinner service  Barrio Viejos brunch darling has now opened for limited dinner service! The announcements have mostly been informal over social media, but theyre open for dinner with their natural wine selection Thursday-Saturday at 756 S. Stone Ave. For more information, check out their website.

 Barrio Viejos brunch darling has now opened for limited dinner service! The announcements have mostly been informal over social media, but theyre open for dinner with their natural wine selection Thursday-Saturday at 756 S. Stone Ave. For more information, check out their website. Ensenada Street Food breakfast  This women-run food truck-cum-restaurant at 1602 S. Park Ave., known for their Baja-style tacos, now offers breakfast! They offer breakfast burritos, pancakes, and more, including an entire vegan menu. For more information, check out their Instagram.

 This women-run food truck-cum-restaurant at 1602 S. Park Ave., known for their Baja-style tacos, now offers breakfast! They offer breakfast burritos, pancakes, and more, including an entire vegan menu. For more information, check out their Instagram. Family Joint Pizzeria breakfast  Our food writers favorite pizza in Tucson is now partnering with Cals Bake Shop to launch Breakfast & Bread. The weekend special (check their Instagram to see what locations theyre running Breakfast & Bread and when) features a special menu of breakfast enchiladas, sandwiches on Cals conchas, and French toast, as well as a selection of Cals pastries.

Coming soon

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Sometimes a high school homecoming is not just for student-athletes.

Its for teachers, too.

Its so good to be home, National Teacher of the Year finalist Rebecka Peterson said with a grin Friday to a cheering, standing-room-only crowd of students, staff and community members at Union High School.

The 2022-23 State Teacher of the Year, currently on sabbatical from teaching precalculus and Advanced Placement calculus at Union High School, Peterson was announced Wednesday as one of five finalists for National Teacher of the Year.

Organized by the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Teacher of the Year is selected from among educators of the year from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, four U.S. territories and the Department of Defense Education Activity.

This years five finalists will be interviewed in February, and a winner will be announced later this year in Washington, D.C. The other four finalists are Harlee Harvey of Alaska, Carolyn Kielma of Connecticut, Jermar Rountree of the District of Columbia and Kimberly Radostits of Illinois.

Its been very, very emotional to be able to represent Union Public Schools and the teachers and students of Oklahoma, Peterson said. Its just such an honor, and I am pieces of all of them, and I wouldnt be here without my students and colleagues. To see such an outpouring of support hit me pretty hard today.

As the current Oklahoma Teacher of the Year, Peterson is traveling around the state this year as an advocate for teachers and public education.

As of Friday, she had visited classrooms in more than 30 counties to spotlight public school educators through her Teachers of Oklahoma social media campaign, modeled after Humans of New York.

If named National Teacher of the Year, Peterson would take another sabbatical to speak across the country on behalf of teachers and public education.

Peterson is the first national finalist from Union and Oklahomas first finalist since 2019, when Broken Arrows Donna Gradel was named among the countrys top four teachers.

Its no secret to us at Union Public Schools that Rebecka Peterson represents not only the amazing excellence going on in the classroom every day here but in public school classrooms across Oklahoma, Superintendent Kirt Hartzler said.

Since the award was first presented in 1952, two Oklahoma teachers have been named National Teacher of the Year: Alva High Schools Edna Donley in 1959 and Charles Page High Schools Lawana Trout in 1964.

Now an accounting major at Oklahoma State University, Union High School graduate Anna Hemm was among the dozens of Petersons former students who queued up for a congratulatory hug or photograph Friday morning outside the schools College and Career Center.

Hemm took precalculus and Advanced Placement calculus from Peterson while at Union and said those classes affected her decision to pursue a degree in accounting.

Shes so much more than a math teacher, Hemm said. She showed every single day that she truly cared about her students and their well-being. I still talk to her to this day while Im in college.

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A trade association representing contractors from across the state on Friday called on companies to stop bidding on city of Tulsa street projects.

This is a call for help. This is a call to tell Tulsans that we are serious about this, Bobby Stem, executive director of the Association of Oklahoma General Contractors, said during a press conference. It is a call to say, I dont know if we can fix this with the city of Tulsa, and if we cant, dont do business here.

Stem said AOGC has been working with the citys Engineering Services Department for several years to resolve its concerns over late payments, tight construction schedules, disincentives and lack of incentives, poor communication and other issues.

Dont get me wrong. We have met many times over the last several years, and while the department works hard to address the symptoms, they fail to address the cause, Stem said.

Mayor G.T. Bynum said he was disappointed that Stem had chosen to hold a press conference to lambast the city of Tulsa in vague terms rather than calling him to fix any problems he had identified.

My staff and I have attempted to contact Mr. Stem to determine what specifically he would like addressed, Bynum said. He has not bothered to return any of our calls. I have worked with him constructively in the past and hope to do so in this instance.

Stem said he is not calling for contractors to strike and encouraged them to complete the city jobs they have before they start looking elsewhere for work.

I am encouraging my members to simply shift their attention from doing jobs with the city of Tulsa to doing jobs with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, Stem said.

Tim Gatz, who leads both, said he did not know enough about OAGCs concerns to comment on them. But he offered high praise for Tulsas Engineering Services Department.

The city of Tulsa is a great partner government-to-government, Gatz said. They work with us very well. We have a great relationship with (City Engineer) Paul Zachary and his team and the things that they do.

By that same token, the contractors that we work with everyday, we work hard to try to make sure that we are communicating with them at the level we need to.

Becco Contractors owner Ed Smith said Thursday that he would not participate in the trade associations call for contractors to stop doing road work in Tulsa. Becco does more street work in Tulsa than any other contractor, according to the city.

No, I will not participate in it, because that aint the way to do business, Smith said, adding that overall the companys relationship with the city is working out OK.

Stem said he was glad that the city established a blue ribbon panel in 2017 to improve the speed and efficiency with which street programs are done, but he said few of its recommendations were ever implemented.

I stand ready to assume responsibility for ways we as an industry can improve; we are not perfect, Stem said. But we have to have a partner that recognizes where things can be better.

Bynum noted that he and the City Council recently agreed that the city needs to assess how the city can improve its street work.

This is one of our shared goals for 2023, which will inform the budget development process currently underway, the mayor said.

The city did not respond when asked whether it plans to make any changes to the Engineering Services Department or other public works departments. The city noted that it will be moving its planning services back to City Hall from the Indian Nations Council of Governments as part of an initiative to improve the overall planning and implementation of capital projects.

Stem said he has met with several city councilors recently to express the associations concerns and to learn what, if anything, councilors can do about the problems.

He acknowledged, however, that when it comes to companies taking up his call to stop doing street work in Tulsa, he is not expecting many, if any, to do so.

But he did offer some possible solutions.

If you had to ask today, What one thing do you think could fix it? the funny thing is, is my big ask would be more resources for the department of public works, Stem said. Lets get them some good people; lets get them some good technology; lets find ways to dovetail into the industry to make sure we are moving the projects forward.

Featured video:
On this day in 1991, Cleveland native Marine Capt. Craig Berryman was shot down piloting a Harrier jet on his seventh mission of Operation Desert Storm.

He was captured and taken by Iraqi soldiers to Kuwait City where he was kicked and stomped. He was moved from Kuwait City, to Basra, Iraq, and then Baghdad.

"It is very difficult when you lose your freedom, especially as Americans, you don't realize what you have until you lose it," Berryman later said.

"It was very difficult coping with the interrogations. For myself, basically the love of my family and my faith in God is what got me through the difficult times."

The war ended Feb. 28. The fliers were liberated on March 5. Berryman arrived in Tulsa later that month to a heros welcome. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in Pensacola, Florida.

Here's a look back at our "Veterans Remember" series by Tim Stanley:
OKLAHOMA CITY  When Oklahoma implemented a near-total abortion ban hours after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Keri Young knew the strict law would be problematic for pregnant women carrying a terminally ill fetus.

Six years ago, she was one of those women.

Keri and Royce Youngs daughter, Eva, was diagnosed with a rare birth defect that meant she had no chance of survival. Keri Young carried her daughter to term in order to donate her organs.

Oklahomas abortion ban now limits options for mothers carrying a child that wont survive outside the womb, but Keri Young and her husband are working with an anti-abortion state lawmaker to try and change that.

Its an unintended consequence of the blanket abortion laws that went into effect in our state, Royce Young said.

After enacting some of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the nation, Oklahoma Republicans are now seeking exceptions to legalize the procedure in rare situations.

The Youngs are working with House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, on a bill that would allow for a woman whose fetus has a fatal condition to go into labor early. Early induction of a live birth prior to 37 weeks of pregnancy  when a woman reaches full term  is currently considered an illegal abortion, Keri Young said.

Eva was born at 37 weeks in a stillbirth. Keri Young said if she had induced early, she would have been able to hold her daughter while she was still breathing.

Keri Young, who co-founded an Oklahoma City group called Support for Infant Loss, wants parents to have the option to induce early so they can spend precious moments with their living baby.

Oklahomas abortion ban left some women in her support group scrambling.

They were basically having to wait until 37 weeks to deliver their babies, she said. They couldnt deliver at 35 weeks or 30 weeks in order to see their baby alive. They had to wait until the heart stopped beating to deliver.

Stillborn births dont violate the states anti-abortion laws.

Lawmakers eye rape, incest exceptions

Multiple GOP legislators filed bills this year to allow abortions in instances of rape or incest, something Gov. Kevin Stitt already indicated he would sign.

State law prohibits abortions except those necessary to save the life of a woman experiencing a medical emergency. A related law that is enforced by civil lawsuits allows private citizens to sue anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion at any point in her pregnancy. The latter already includes exceptions for women seeking an abortion due to rape or incest if they have reported the crime to law enforcement.

Sen. Julie Daniels, who has previously introduced numerous anti-abortion bills, wants those same exemptions to apply to the states criminal ban on abortion. Noting lawmakers havent coordinated much in their previous efforts to outlaw abortion, Daniels, R-Bartlesville, said her Senate Bill 834 is an attempt to clarify and standardize state law.

Critics of the states anti-abortion laws have argued GOP lawmakers passed a slate of contradictory and confusing laws last year.

Daniels said her bill is an attempt to take a more moderate anti-abortion stance that is politically in tune with what a majority of Oklahomans want. Polling from Oklahoma Citys Amber Integrated shows most Oklahomans support abortion exceptions in instances of rape or incest.

We make it clear to Oklahomans these are the exceptions we believe we can tolerate given that the states population as whole may be more in the middle than some of us, Daniels said. Were trying to reflect what we believe Oklahomans actually believe and also trying to protect the lives of as many unborn as we can.

Her bill also clarifies the states abortion ban does not prohibit contraceptives or in vitro fertilization, nor does it prohibit medical professionals from removing an ectopic pregnancy. SB 834 defines when an abortion might be allowed in a medical emergency and says physicians can exercise reasonable medical judgment in making that decision.

Opinions differ on proposed exceptions

Exceptions for rape or incest that require a woman to report to law enforcement dont really count because few victims will go to the police, said House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City.

Munson gave Daniels credit for trying to clarify the states abortion ban so physicians know when they can and cannot perform the procedure. But adding exceptions doesnt go far enough, she said.

The fight were fighting is trying to restore the bodily autonomy of individual Oklahomans, and that when they need access to health care, they should be able to access it, Munson said. We shouldnt be eliminating it or making a certain type of health care available only after a traumatic event has happened to you.

In a gubernatorial debate last year, Stitt said he would sign legislation to allow for abortions in cases of rape and incest. He recently doubled down on that pledge.

But Daniels bill and similar legislation from Rep. Marcus McEntire, R-Duncan, will face pushback from some Republicans.

Rep. Jim Olsen, who authored the states abortion ban, said he will oppose adding any new exceptions to the law.

I dont believe that its wise to have exceptions for rape, incest and sexual assault, Olsen said. As bad as those things are, theres still a baby involved. The babys right to life does not change based on the quality of its parents.

Olsen didnt propose any new abortion restrictions this year, but he expressed concerns that people are able to skirt the states ban on the procedure by receiving abortion pills in the mail.

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OKLAHOMA CITY  The Oklahoma Veterans Commission, which is made up entirely of Gov. Kevin Stitts appointees, will hold an emergency meeting Monday to discuss the job performance of a state agency director who challenged the governor in last years primary election.

In a Friday meeting, the first since Stitt removed four of the nine commissioners, the commission and the governors secretary of military and veterans affairs were critical of Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs Director Joel Kintsels handling of the agency.

Kintsel, who ran against Stitt in the GOP gubernatorial primary last year, was not in attendance. Commissioners were told he was in Hawaii for Oklahoma Air National Guard service. He did not respond to a call for comment.

The commissioners were also told Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Director Sarah Lane and general counsel Kim Heaton quit prior to the meeting. As a result, the commissioners unanimously agreed to hire former Attorney General John OConnor, a former Stitt appointee, to serve as outside legal counsel for the governing board.

Former commission Chairman Jerry Ball, one of the commissioners Stitt replaced this month, sat in the audience for the meeting and muttered, Jesus Christ at the mention of OConnors name. The commission is gunning to oust Kintsel, Ball said.

Kintsel previously said Stitt wanted him to privatize the states veterans centers, claims the governors office denies.

Stitts Cabinet Secretary of Military and Veterans Affairs John Nash categorically denied the allegation Friday.

There is zero plan to privatize veteran homes, he said.

But Nash and members of the commission appeared to blame Kinstel for increased expenses related to a new long-term care facility in Sallisaw.

Kintsel was told in September an additional $13 million was necessary to complete the project, Nash said. Due to delays, the same project gets more expensive by the day, with the current price tag now set at $21 million, he said.

The commission has to sign off on those expenses, but Nash said taxpayer dollars were wasted when Kintsel informed staff that Ball had canceled a mid-January commission meeting. Nash said the governor had removed Ball from the commission at that point so he didnt have the authority to cancel the meeting.

Commissioner Kevin Offel said the situation in Sallisaw necessitates a review of Kintsels leadership.

This is a serious issue, obviously, and it would warrant evaluation of that persons performance, he said.

Nash also took issue with Kintsels opposition to a governors executive order that requires that Cabinet secretaries sign off on nonemergency purchases over $25,000. Kintsel has said that executive order is unlawful, and Nash said Kintsel hasnt complied with it.

The commission met behind closed doors in September to discuss Kintsels job performance but took no action.

Stitts new appointees must be confirmed by the state Senate. Several GOP lawmakers have filed bills to reduce the number of gubernatorial appointees on the commission.

Featured video:
Somebody asked Gov. Kevin Stitt on Friday if the man hed just appointed Oklahoma attorney general, Tulsan John OConnor, would be more in line with Stitts views on certain legal matters than OConnors predecessor, Mike Hunter, who resigned earlier this year.

Stitt didnt directly answer the question, but OConnor did.

OConnor enthusiastically supported Stitts avowed desire to win a reversal, or least a clarification, of last years McGirt v. Oklahoma U.S. Supreme Court decision and to take on whatever else comes along.

And he said hes in it for the long haul.

I want to get my hands dirty, and that will take longer than 16 months, OConnor said during a press conference at the Rotary Plaza in downtown Tulsa.

OConnor, 66, who is filling Hunters unexpired term, thus dispelled speculation that he is only a caretaker until the 2022 election.

I am absolutely going to be a candidate for attorney general in 2022, he said.

Presumably, OConnor will do so with the backing of Stitt, who often did not see eye-to-eye with Hunter, particularly in dealing with the states tribal governments.

Stitt said he chose OConnor because it was so important to me to find someone who was highly competent in the law, but more importantly I was looking for someone of high moral character who will do the right things for the right reasons and never for personal gain.  We needed someone who will fight and defend whats best for all 4 million Oklahomans.

This closing comment has in the past been something of a code phrase for Stitt in referring to tribal relations, first with his fight over gaming revenue and more recently in dealing with the McGirt v. Oklahoma decision, which has drastically reconfigured the states relationship with its largest tribal governments.

If the question is, Will we oppose McGirt? the answer is yes, OConnor said. If the question is, Will we seek the overturning by the Supreme Court of McGirt? the answer is yes.

Still, OConnor said he is open to working with the tribal governments.

I have high regard for the tribes, he said. Weve all grown up with the tribes as our neighbors, and theyve been good neighbors. This positive and productive relationship between the state and the tribes thats existed so long needs to be restored.

OConnor said McGirt upset a balance and that the ruling should be more explicitly limited to major criminal cases if it is not overturned.

OConnors 40-year legal career has focused on business law, and he has never held or been a candidate for public office. He was nominated for a federal judgeship in 2018, but the nomination stalled because of opposition from the American Bar Association and reportedly because then-President Donald Trump favored a younger candidate.

In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the ABA said OConnor was not qualified in the areas of professional competence and integrity. It listed what it said were ethical concerns, all of which OConnor disputed.

On Friday, U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe brushed off the ABA controversy and said, I love the guy.

During a confirmation hearing for the judgeship, OConnor said he considered the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion rights settled law, but Friday he indicated a desire to see it reversed.

If a Roe versus Wade case makes it to the United States Supreme Court, then absolutely I will want to file an amicus brief in that matter, OConnor said. I think that we will pay the price for abortion.  Sometimes the Supreme Court gets it wrong. We all know that.

The Supreme Court is usually right, he said. Sometimes even they make a mistake.

OConnors intention to seek a full term sets up a possible all-Tulsa GOP primary with fellow Tulsa attorney Gentner Drummond, who announced his candidacy within days of Hunters resignation.

Drummond carried 55 of the 77 counties and lost to Hunter by 271 votes out of nearly 300,000 cast in the 2018 GOP runoff election.

While I respect his (Stitts) authority to appoint a candidate of his choosing, my passion to serve as the next elected Attorney General remains undaunted, Drummond said in a written statement.

I have been campaigning across the state for the past several weeks, building support and sharing my belief that Oklahoma needs a strong, independent leader who will take bold action to fight corruption, defend our liberty, and uphold the rule of law.

Featured video: Gov. Stitts closing statement at McGirt forum draws crowds ire

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Large cities in Vietnam, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang, welcomed many international tourists during this years Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday after three years of being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Ben Thanh Market in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City saw a high number of foreign visitors. Traders at the market said that sales were better as customers bought high-value products. Their customers were mainly Asians. During Tet, the market welcomed many groups of foreign tourists. Similarly, various foreign families were seen at a book festival on Le Loi Street and Nguyen Hue Flower Street. Thomas, a tourist from London, said coming to Vietnam during the Tet holiday was a special experience. He was excited as Vietnams ao dai (Vietnamese traditional costume) has many colors and styles. I bought some jam. It tasty and appropriate to be enjoyed with tea in our homeland, Thomas added. During the Tet holiday, Saigontourist, a local tourism firm, welcomed more than 200 U.S., French, German, and Swiss tourists to Vietnam, a representative said. They visited well-known landscapes, orchards, floating markets, and traditional craft villages in Vietnam while learning about the life and culture of local residents. Many international tourists choose to experience Vietnams traditional Tet holiday after three years of being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: N.Binh / Tuoi Tre Notably, a group of 30 French travelers landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Wednesday, or the fourth day of this lunar year, to begin their 11-day tour passing through Hanoi, Ha Long City in northern Quang Ninh Province, Hoi An City in central Quang Nam Province, Hue City in central Thua Thien-Hue Province, Ho Chi Minh City, and southern Vinh Long Province. They are Saigontourists first international tourists to come to Vietnam this lunar year by air. The group will come to Ho Chi Minh City next Thursday and will leave Vietnam next Saturday. Meanwhile, the Silver Spirit cruise ship arrived in Vietnam on the last day of last lunar year. In addition, Spectrum of the Seas, another cruise ship, will bring 3,000 tourists and crew members to Nha Trang City of south-central Khanh Hoa Province and southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau on February 26 and 27, respectively. According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the city served 32,000 international tourists this Tet. Tourist destinations in the city attracting many foreign visitors were Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple. In Da Nang City, central Vietnam some 226,700 tourist arrivals were reported between the 29th day of the 12th month of last lunar year and the fifth day of this lunar year, including nearly 167,500 domestic tourists and 59,300 international guests. Vietnam set a target of welcoming eight million international tourists this year. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Large cities in Vietnam, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Da Nang, welcomed many international tourists during this years Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday after three years of being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ben Thanh Market in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City saw a high number of foreign visitors.

Traders at the market said that sales were better as customers bought high-value products.

Their customers were mainly Asians.

During Tet, the market welcomed many groups of foreign tourists.

Similarly, various foreign families were seen at a book festival on Le Loi Street and Nguyen Hue Flower Street.

Thomas, a tourist from London, said coming to Vietnam during the Tet holiday was a special experience.

He was excited as Vietnams ao dai (Vietnamese traditional costume) has many colors and styles.

I bought some jam. It tasty and appropriate to be enjoyed with tea in our homeland, Thomas added.

During the Tet holiday, Saigontourist, a local tourism firm, welcomed more than 200 U.S., French, German, and Swiss tourists to Vietnam, a representative said.

They visited well-known landscapes, orchards, floating markets, and traditional craft villages in Vietnam while learning about the life and culture of local residents.

Many international tourists choose to experience Vietnams traditional Tet holiday after three years of being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo: N.Binh / Tuoi Tre

Notably, a group of 30 French travelers landed at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on Wednesday, or the fourth day of this lunar year, to begin their 11-day tour passing through Hanoi, Ha Long City in northern Quang Ninh Province, Hoi An City in central Quang Nam Province, Hue City in central Thua Thien-Hue Province, Ho Chi Minh City, and southern Vinh Long Province.

They are Saigontourists first international tourists to come to Vietnam this lunar year by air.

The group will come to Ho Chi Minh City next Thursday and will leave Vietnam next Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Silver Spirit cruise ship arrived in Vietnam on the last day of last lunar year.

In addition, Spectrum of the Seas, another cruise ship, will bring 3,000 tourists and crew members to Nha Trang City of south-central Khanh Hoa Province and southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau on February 26 and 27, respectively.

According to the Hanoi Department of Tourism, the city served 32,000 international tourists this Tet. Tourist destinations in the city attracting many foreign visitors were Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc Son Temple.

In Da Nang City, central Vietnam some 226,700 tourist arrivals were reported between the 29th day of the 12th month of last lunar year and the fifth day of this lunar year, including nearly 167,500 domestic tourists and 59,300 international guests.

Vietnam set a target of welcoming eight million international tourists this year.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
When the CJ Cultural Foundation and CJ CGV Vietnam started the CJ Short Film Project in Vietnam in 2017, the film-makers assigned to the selection and mentoring committees had no clue their choices would be so successful as to earn acclaim at some of the worlds top international film festivals. China and South Korea each held their own iterations of the CJ Short Film Project, though the films selected in those countries failed to reach the same level of international praise as those from Vietnam, according to famed Vietnamese film-maker Phan Dang Di. While Di and his colleague are not shy in admitting that Vietnamese cinema has quite a long way to go before it can arrive at the same strata of international success as its Asian counterparts, they do believe the success of the CJ Short Film Project in Vietnam is a telling indicator of what is to come for the local industry. Pioneering the industry The CJ Short Film Project is not the first attempt at giving local film-makers a chance to shine in the global spotlight. Twenty years ago, the Ford Foundation launched a project to fund 10 Vietnamese films over a 10-month period. In the projects first year, Nguyen Hoang Diep and Bui Kim Quy, two female film undergraduate students, were amongst the selected candidates. Diep and Quy were given cameras, access to post-production rooms, and financial support as part of the project, and the results of their work paved the way for a new generation of Vietnamese film-makers. Quys 'The Cushion' and Dieps 'The Fifth Season' resonated so much with their audiences that the Ford Foundation opened a Master Class for young film-makers the following year and invited French director Tran Anh Hung to mentor rising talents in the local film scene. Amongst these rising talents was Di. Hung is a Vietnamese-born French film director and screenwriter, whose films have received international fame and acclaim, including 'The Scent of Green Papaya,' which was nominated for an Oscar and won two top prizes at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993. The students in Hungs Master Class, aside from mentorship, were each given US$12,000 to finance a short movie  a budget Di described as enough to produce 20 short movies or, humorlessly, to buy a large piece of land in the suburbs. Di spent the next year scouring Hanoi for actors to cast in his short 'When Im 20.' With expectations high, the stress of filming was so intense for Di that he opted to sleep on a wooden sofa for the ten days he had been filming his project in order to avoid oversleeping. At that time, [all of the students in the project] were about to or had just graduated from film school, Di shared. We were a bunch of ignorant film-making enthusiasts who had dreamed of making a movie but had no knowledge of international standards. One beautiful day, we found ourselves being taught by world-famous directors and being given money to make movies the way we wanted, that was more than enough to make anyone run at full speed. Five young film-makers are selected for their excellent projects at the third CJ Short Film Project. Photo: CJ Short Film Project Short empowers long Over the next few years, Di began attending international film festivals around the world. It was during this time that he realized the important role that organizations such as the Ford Foundation and CJ Cultural Foundation played in helping unknown independent film-makers take important steps in their careers. Without these organizations, young film-makers, such as Di, Diep, and Quy would not have had the exposure they needed to access funding for their eventual feature film debuts. Dis 'When Im 20' qualified for the 2008 Venice International Film Festival (VIFF), allowing him to successfully raise $600,000 to fund his first feature film 'Bi, Dont Be Afraid!', which won two prizes at Cannes Critics Week in 2010 and many other awards at film festivals around the world, including in Vancouver, Hong Kong, and Stockholm. Four years after enabling me to make a short film, the $12,000 helped me, an unknown director from an equally unknown film industry, get 50 times as much money for a feature film, Di said. That was something I would never have dreamed of while sleeping on a wooden sofa during the production of my first short a few years ago. No way. Besides 'When Im 20' and 'Bi, Dont Be Afraid!', Di scripted feature film 'Adrift,' which was directed by Bui Thac Chuyen and won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2009 VIFF. It was also nominated for Best Screenplay at the 2010 Asia Film Award. His second feature film 'Big Father, Small Father, and Other Stories' was the first Vietnamese film selected for the Official Competition section at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival. He has also directed an episode of 'He Serves Fish, She Eats Flower'  a mini-series about Asian cuisine and flavors produced by HBO Asia. Dis production credits include 'Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere,' a feature directorial debut by Nguyen Hoang Diep that won the Critic Award at Critics Week and the 2014 VIFF. Young actors and actresses that were trained by Autumn Meeting, a non-profit cultural organization founded by Vietnamese film-makers Phan Dang Di and Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, meet at a gala dinner, November 20, 2022. Photo: Mi Ly / Tuoi Tre A new generation Now industry veterans, Di and others who helped build the local film industry are attempting to pass the torch to their successors. Along with producers Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, Di founded Autumn Meeting, a non-profit cultural organization, in 2013 to provide film-makers from 18 to 40 years old in Vietnams central region with educational training workshops led by experienced film professionals from around the world. Autumn Meeting has allowed Di and Ngoc to find truly amazing talents who have produced amazing works, including 'Blessed Land' by Pham Ngoc Lan, 'Live in Cloud-Cuckoo Land' by Vu Minh Nghia and Pham Hoang Minh Thy, and 'Stay Awake, Be Ready' by Pham Thien An. 'Blessed Land' was shown at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival, 'Live in Cloud-Cuckoo Land' competed at the 2020 Venice International Film Festivals Orizzonti Short Competition category, and 'Stay Awake, Be Ready' entered Directors Fortnight, an independent section held in parallel to the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. As a film-maker, I am glad that Vietnamese short films have made it into leading film festivals, Di commented. "Young directors put a lot of effort into cinematic language and personal style with their debut works, which have helped Vietnamese shorts stand out in recent years." While hailing those achievements, Di has called on the government for support for young film-makers. In the past 10 years, although many young Vietnamese directors have made headlines at international film festivals with their works, they have never received any support from the state budget, Di explained. Their films have been entirely paid for by foreign funds and private investment, which will eventually reach their limits. Di emphasized that the nature of cinema is a collective work, strongly influenced by money, time, the management capacity of the film industry itself, and in broader terms, the country. Without government funding, it remains difficult for even experienced film-makers to continue the journey, he said. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

When the CJ Cultural Foundation and CJ CGV Vietnam started the CJ Short Film Project in Vietnam in 2017, the film-makers assigned to the selection and mentoring committees had no clue their choices would be so successful as to earn acclaim at some of the worlds top international film festivals.

China and South Korea each held their own iterations of the CJ Short Film Project, though the films selected in those countries failed to reach the same level of international praise as those from Vietnam, according to famed Vietnamese film-maker Phan Dang Di.

While Di and his colleague are not shy in admitting that Vietnamese cinema has quite a long way to go before it can arrive at the same strata of international success as its Asian counterparts, they do believe the success of the CJ Short Film Project in Vietnam is a telling indicator of what is to come for the local industry.

Pioneering the industry

The CJ Short Film Project is not the first attempt at giving local film-makers a chance to shine in the global spotlight.

Twenty years ago, the Ford Foundation launched a project to fund 10 Vietnamese films over a 10-month period.

In the projects first year, Nguyen Hoang Diep and Bui Kim Quy, two female film undergraduate students, were amongst the selected candidates.

Diep and Quy were given cameras, access to post-production rooms, and financial support as part of the project, and the results of their work paved the way for a new generation of Vietnamese film-makers.

Quys 'The Cushion' and Dieps 'The Fifth Season' resonated so much with their audiences that the Ford Foundation opened a Master Class for young film-makers the following year and invited French director Tran Anh Hung to mentor rising talents in the local film scene. Amongst these rising talents was Di.

Hung is a Vietnamese-born French film director and screenwriter, whose films have received international fame and acclaim, including 'The Scent of Green Papaya,' which was nominated for an Oscar and won two top prizes at the Cannes Film Festival in 1993.

The students in Hungs Master Class, aside from mentorship, were each given US$12,000 to finance a short movie  a budget Di described as enough to produce 20 short movies or, humorlessly, to buy a large piece of land in the suburbs.

Di spent the next year scouring Hanoi for actors to cast in his short 'When Im 20.'

With expectations high, the stress of filming was so intense for Di that he opted to sleep on a wooden sofa for the ten days he had been filming his project in order to avoid oversleeping.

At that time, [all of the students in the project] were about to or had just graduated from film school, Di shared.

We were a bunch of ignorant film-making enthusiasts who had dreamed of making a movie but had no knowledge of international standards.

One beautiful day, we found ourselves being taught by world-famous directors and being given money to make movies the way we wanted, that was more than enough to make anyone run at full speed.

Five young film-makers are selected for their excellent projects at the third CJ Short Film Project. Photo: CJ Short Film Project

Short empowers long

Over the next few years, Di began attending international film festivals around the world.

It was during this time that he realized the important role that organizations such as the Ford Foundation and CJ Cultural Foundation played in helping unknown independent film-makers take important steps in their careers.

Without these organizations, young film-makers, such as Di, Diep, and Quy would not have had the exposure they needed to access funding for their eventual feature film debuts.

Dis 'When Im 20' qualified for the 2008 Venice International Film Festival (VIFF), allowing him to successfully raise $600,000 to fund his first feature film 'Bi, Dont Be Afraid!', which won two prizes at Cannes Critics Week in 2010 and many other awards at film festivals around the world, including in Vancouver, Hong Kong, and Stockholm.

Four years after enabling me to make a short film, the $12,000 helped me, an unknown director from an equally unknown film industry, get 50 times as much money for a feature film, Di said.

That was something I would never have dreamed of while sleeping on a wooden sofa during the production of my first short a few years ago. No way.

Besides 'When Im 20' and 'Bi, Dont Be Afraid!', Di scripted feature film 'Adrift,' which was directed by Bui Thac Chuyen and won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2009 VIFF. It was also nominated for Best Screenplay at the 2010 Asia Film Award.

His second feature film 'Big Father, Small Father, and Other Stories' was the first Vietnamese film selected for the Official Competition section at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival.

He has also directed an episode of 'He Serves Fish, She Eats Flower'  a mini-series about Asian cuisine and flavors produced by HBO Asia.

Dis production credits include 'Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere,' a feature directorial debut by Nguyen Hoang Diep that won the Critic Award at Critics Week and the 2014 VIFF.

Young actors and actresses that were trained by Autumn Meeting, a non-profit cultural organization founded by Vietnamese film-makers Phan Dang Di and Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, meet at a gala dinner, November 20, 2022. Photo: Mi Ly / Tuoi Tre

A new generation

Now industry veterans, Di and others who helped build the local film industry are attempting to pass the torch to their successors.

Along with producers Tran Thi Bich Ngoc, Di founded Autumn Meeting, a non-profit cultural organization, in 2013 to provide film-makers from 18 to 40 years old in Vietnams central region with educational training workshops led by experienced film professionals from around the world.

Autumn Meeting has allowed Di and Ngoc to find truly amazing talents who have produced amazing works, including 'Blessed Land' by Pham Ngoc Lan, 'Live in Cloud-Cuckoo Land' by Vu Minh Nghia and Pham Hoang Minh Thy, and 'Stay Awake, Be Ready' by Pham Thien An.

'Blessed Land' was shown at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival, 'Live in Cloud-Cuckoo Land' competed at the 2020 Venice International Film Festivals Orizzonti Short Competition category, and 'Stay Awake, Be Ready' entered Directors Fortnight, an independent section held in parallel to the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

As a film-maker, I am glad that Vietnamese short films have made it into leading film festivals, Di commented.

"Young directors put a lot of effort into cinematic language and personal style with their debut works, which have helped Vietnamese shorts stand out in recent years."

While hailing those achievements, Di has called on the government for support for young film-makers.

In the past 10 years, although many young Vietnamese directors have made headlines at international film festivals with their works, they have never received any support from the state budget, Di explained.

Their films have been entirely paid for by foreign funds and private investment, which will eventually reach their limits.

Di emphasized that the nature of cinema is a collective work, strongly influenced by money, time, the management capacity of the film industry itself, and in broader terms, the country.

Without government funding, it remains difficult for even experienced film-makers to continue the journey, he said.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Seven people were killed and 10 were injured in a synagogue shooting attack on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Friday, Israel's foreign ministry said. Israel's ambulance service put the death toll at five, and said another five people were wounded and transported to hospitals, including a 70-year-old woman. Israeli police described it as a "terror attack" and said it took place in a synagogue in Neve Ya'akov, considered by Israelis as a neighbourhood within Jerusalem, while Palestinians and most of the international community consider it occupied land illegally annexed after a 1967 Middle East war. The incident comes a day after the deadliest raid in the West Bank in years, and falls on the Jewish Sabbath. In Gaza, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Reuters: "This operation is a response to the crime conducted by the occupation in Jenin and a natural response to the occupation's criminal actions", though he stopped short of claiming the attack. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad also praised but did not claim the attack. Israeli forces walk next to dead covered bodies at the scene of a shooting attack in Neve Yaacov which lies on occupied land that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after the 1967 Middle East war January 27, 2023. Photo: Reuters A covered body is seen at the scene of a shooting attack in Neve Yaacov which lies on occupied land that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after the 1967 Middle East war, January 27, 2023. Photo: Reuters Palestinians celebrate following Jerusalem's shooting attack, in Gaza City January 27, 2023. Photo: Reuters Palestinians celebrate following Jerusalem's shooting attack, in Gaza City January 27, 2023. Photo: Reuters Israeli forces work next to covered bodies at the scene of a shooting attack in Neve Yaacov which lies on occupied land that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after the 1967 Middle East war, January 27, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Seven people were killed and 10 were injured in a synagogue shooting attack on the outskirts of Jerusalem on Friday, Israel's foreign ministry said.

Israel's ambulance service put the death toll at five, and said another five people were wounded and transported to hospitals, including a 70-year-old woman.

Israeli police described it as a "terror attack" and said it took place in a synagogue in Neve Ya'akov, considered by Israelis as a neighbourhood within Jerusalem, while Palestinians and most of the international community consider it occupied land illegally annexed after a 1967 Middle East war.

The incident comes a day after the deadliest raid in the West Bank in years, and falls on the Jewish Sabbath.

In Gaza, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem told Reuters: "This operation is a response to the crime conducted by the occupation in Jenin and a natural response to the occupation's criminal actions", though he stopped short of claiming the attack.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad also praised but did not claim the attack.

Israeli forces walk next to dead covered bodies at the scene of a shooting attack in Neve Yaacov which lies on occupied land that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after the 1967 Middle East war January 27, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A covered body is seen at the scene of a shooting attack in Neve Yaacov which lies on occupied land that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after the 1967 Middle East war, January 27, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Palestinians celebrate following Jerusalem's shooting attack, in Gaza City January 27, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Palestinians celebrate following Jerusalem's shooting attack, in Gaza City January 27, 2023. Photo: Reuters
Merit money donated to religious establishments, whether they are located in classified or listed relic sites, is not subject to state management but it is under control by those facilities themselves, according to a new rule included in a circular recently issued by Vietnams Ministry of Finance. The circular, which guides the management of financial revenue and expenditure for festival organization and merit money, funding for monuments and festival activities, was promulgated on January 19, 2023 after its draft version was released to the public for feedback in 2021. Under the new rule, which will take effect on March 19 this year, representatives of belief and religious establishments will be responsible for the management and use of merit money voluntarily donated to them by individuals and organizations during their visits to such places of worship. This regulation, which is in contrary to the previous one in the draft version, is applied to every religious and belief facility, whether they are located in relic areas under state management or those belonging to private ownership. If a belief or religious establishment is located within a relic site that is put under the management of a public non-business unit, then such a facility is required to pay that unit a part of the cost related to its repair, maintenance, renovation, upgrade or new constructions, if any, in addition to expenses for the maintenance of security and order, environmental sanitation, and others. In the event that the relic area belongs to private ownership, then the owner of the relic will be entitled to manage and use merit money collected from relevant belief or religious facilities. In April 2021, the ministry introduced the draft version of the circular including a rule putting merit money at belief and religious facilities under state management. A woman is shown putting merit money into a box at Quan Su Pagoda in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Thien Dieu/ Tuoi Tre After the draft document was released for public comment and feedback, the suggested rule encountered strong opposition from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) and some local churches such as the VBS in Quang Ninh Province. These religious organizations sent documents to the finance ministry and other ministries and agencies requesting that the state not manage merit money at any religious establishment. In its written proposal dated June 17, 2021, the VBS commented that such a rule secularized the sacredness of merit money offered by individuals and organizations to belief and religious establishments. The proposal was sent to the Government Committee for Religion, the Central Committee for Mass Mobilization, the Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. The VBS said in its document that the term merit money was not defined or explained in the draft circular as well as in any other legal documents of the state. It commented that putting merit money under state management would not ensure the private ownership of the VBS and Buddhist practitioners as provided for in the Vietnamese Constitution and current legislation. The VBS cited provisions in the 2016 Law on Beliefs and Religions and the 2015 Civil Code as affirming that religious organizations have the right to receive and own lawful assets voluntarily offered to them by domestic and foreign organizations and individuals. The VBS also cited Article 53 of the 2013 Constitution as stipulating that merit money is not public property that is owned by all the people, and represented and uniformly managed by the state. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Merit money donated to religious establishments, whether they are located in classified or listed relic sites, is not subject to state management but it is under control by those facilities themselves, according to a new rule included in a circular recently issued by Vietnams Ministry of Finance.

The circular, which guides the management of financial revenue and expenditure for festival organization and merit money, funding for monuments and festival activities, was promulgated on January 19, 2023 after its draft version was released to the public for feedback in 2021.

Under the new rule, which will take effect on March 19 this year, representatives of belief and religious establishments will be responsible for the management and use of merit money voluntarily donated to them by individuals and organizations during their visits to such places of worship.

This regulation, which is in contrary to the previous one in the draft version, is applied to every religious and belief facility, whether they are located in relic areas under state management or those belonging to private ownership.

If a belief or religious establishment is located within a relic site that is put under the management of a public non-business unit, then such a facility is required to pay that unit a part of the cost related to its repair, maintenance, renovation, upgrade or new constructions, if any, in addition to expenses for the maintenance of security and order, environmental sanitation, and others.

In the event that the relic area belongs to private ownership, then the owner of the relic will be entitled to manage and use merit money collected from relevant belief or religious facilities.

In April 2021, the ministry introduced the draft version of the circular including a rule putting merit money at belief and religious facilities under state management.

A woman is shown putting merit money into a box at Quan Su Pagoda in Hanoi, Vietnam. Photo: Thien Dieu/ Tuoi Tre

After the draft document was released for public comment and feedback, the suggested rule encountered strong opposition from the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) and some local churches such as the VBS in Quang Ninh Province.

These religious organizations sent documents to the finance ministry and other ministries and agencies requesting that the state not manage merit money at any religious establishment.

In its written proposal dated June 17, 2021, the VBS commented that such a rule secularized the sacredness of merit money offered by individuals and organizations to belief and religious establishments.

The proposal was sent to the Government Committee for Religion, the Central Committee for Mass Mobilization, the Central Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

The VBS said in its document that the term merit money was not defined or explained in the draft circular as well as in any other legal documents of the state.

It commented that putting merit money under state management would not ensure the private ownership of the VBS and Buddhist practitioners as provided for in the Vietnamese Constitution and current legislation.

The VBS cited provisions in the 2016 Law on Beliefs and Religions and the 2015 Civil Code as affirming that religious organizations have the right to receive and own lawful assets voluntarily offered to them by domestic and foreign organizations and individuals.

The VBS also cited Article 53 of the 2013 Constitution as stipulating that merit money is not public property that is owned by all the people, and represented and uniformly managed by the state.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The My Thuan Bridge connecting Vinh Long and Tien Giang Provinces in southern Vietnam was crowded on Saturday as residents in the Mekong Delta rushed back to Ho Chi Minh City after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. Dozens of thousands of vehicles were seen on the bridge and a 40-kilometer road section from a road leading to the Can Tho Bridge to the My Thuan Bridge. Traffic police officers of Vinh Long Province continuously patrolled to control the situation. However, the traffic was heavy on a three-kilometer section from the welcome gate of Vinh Long City of the namesake province to the My Thuan Bridge. Many people stopped on the sidewalks to wait for faster traffic. Vinh Long traffic police officers attributed the congestion to the huge volume of vehicles waiting to enter the Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway. A leader of the Tien Giang Traffic Police Division said a container truck broke down on the bridge, causing the gridlock. A National Highway 80 section from Dong Thap Province to the My Thuan Bridge faced the same fate with autos and motorbikes queuing up for several kilometers. Vehicles also filled a 10-kilometer bypass in Vinh Long City. Traffic police officers of Vinh Long and Tien Giang have cooperated to deal with the congestion. Below are photos of the large volume of vehicles on the My Thuan Bridge connecting Vinh Long and Tien Giang: Residents weave in and out of the traffic to pass through the My Thuan Bridge. Photo: Chi Hanh / Tuoi Tre Vehicles thread their way through the traffic. Photo: Chi Hanh / Tuoi Tre The approach road to the My Thuan Bridge is narrow, causing a bottleneck. Photo: Chi Hanh / Tuoi Tre Autos move slowly on the My Thuan Bridge. Photo: Chi Hanh / Tuoi Tre Vehicles form a long line of over 10 kilometers from the My Thuan Bridge to Can Tho City. Photo: Chi Hanh / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The My Thuan Bridge connecting Vinh Long and Tien Giang Provinces in southern Vietnam was crowded on Saturday as residents in the Mekong Delta rushed back to Ho Chi Minh City after the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday.

Dozens of thousands of vehicles were seen on the bridge and a 40-kilometer road section from a road leading to the Can Tho Bridge to the My Thuan Bridge.

Traffic police officers of Vinh Long Province continuously patrolled to control the situation.

However, the traffic was heavy on a three-kilometer section from the welcome gate of Vinh Long City of the namesake province to the My Thuan Bridge.

Many people stopped on the sidewalks to wait for faster traffic.

Vinh Long traffic police officers attributed the congestion to the huge volume of vehicles waiting to enter the Trung Luong-My Thuan Expressway.

A leader of the Tien Giang Traffic Police Division said a container truck broke down on the bridge, causing the gridlock.

A National Highway 80 section from Dong Thap Province to the My Thuan Bridge faced the same fate with autos and motorbikes queuing up for several kilometers.

Vehicles also filled a 10-kilometer bypass in Vinh Long City.

Traffic police officers of Vinh Long and Tien Giang have cooperated to deal with the congestion.

Below are photos of the large volume of vehicles on the My Thuan Bridge connecting Vinh Long and Tien Giang:

Residents weave in and out of the traffic to pass through the My Thuan Bridge. Photo: Chi Hanh / Tuoi Tre

Vehicles thread their way through the traffic. Photo: Chi Hanh / Tuoi Tre

The approach road to the My Thuan Bridge is narrow, causing a bottleneck. Photo: Chi Hanh / Tuoi Tre

Autos move slowly on the My Thuan Bridge. Photo: Chi Hanh / Tuoi Tre

Vehicles form a long line of over 10 kilometers from the My Thuan Bridge to Can Tho City. Photo: Chi Hanh / Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The Peoples Committee of Hai Phong City in northern Vietnam on Friday started work on the Do Muoi street project, which will be extended to the VSIP arterial road, at an estimated cost of over VND1 trillion (US$42.6 million). The project will contribute to realizing the citys orientation to develop its traffic infrastructure in a synchronous and modern manner and to improve the cityscape, building an exemplary new countryside and boosting the local digital transformation. The street project was commenced after Hai Phong began work on another project to develop a political and administrative center and traffic and other technical infrastructure systems in the North Cam River New Urban Area. Le Anh Quan, standing vice-chairman of the Peoples Committee of Hai Phong, said the project was expected to improve the connectivity between the citys downtown area and Thuy Nguyen District. The Do Muoi street project, which will be stretched to the VSIP arterial road, requires an estimated investment of over VND1 trillion (US$42.6 million). Photo: T.Thang / Tuoi Tre The Do Muoi street project was designed to be nearly 1.6 kilometers long and over 50 meters wide. The investment in the project will be sourced from the citys budget. Of the total, over VND698 billion ($29.7 million) will be spent on site clearance. In particular, 51.17 hectares of land will be taken back from more than 1,300 households, organizations, and individuals. The project is expected to be complete in 2024. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The Peoples Committee of Hai Phong City in northern Vietnam on Friday started work on the Do Muoi street project, which will be extended to the VSIP arterial road, at an estimated cost of over VND1 trillion (US$42.6 million).

The project will contribute to realizing the citys orientation to develop its traffic infrastructure in a synchronous and modern manner and to improve the cityscape, building an exemplary new countryside and boosting the local digital transformation.

The street project was commenced after Hai Phong began work on another project to develop a political and administrative center and traffic and other technical infrastructure systems in the North Cam River New Urban Area.

Le Anh Quan, standing vice-chairman of the Peoples Committee of Hai Phong, said the project was expected to improve the connectivity between the citys downtown area and Thuy Nguyen District.

The Do Muoi street project, which will be stretched to the VSIP arterial road, requires an estimated investment of over VND1 trillion (US$42.6 million). Photo: T.Thang / Tuoi Tre

The Do Muoi street project was designed to be nearly 1.6 kilometers long and over 50 meters wide.

The investment in the project will be sourced from the citys budget.

Of the total, over VND698 billion ($29.7 million) will be spent on site clearance. In particular, 51.17 hectares of land will be taken back from more than 1,300 households, organizations, and individuals.

The project is expected to be complete in 2024.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the largest organization of young people in Vietnam, will plant 20 million trees this year, said first secretary of the Central Committee of the union Bui Quang Huy. The Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union on Saturday cooperated with the Party Committee and the Peoples Committee of Hoa Binh Province in northern Vietnam to launch the Tet tree planting movement. At the launching ceremony, Huy informed that young people nationwide would plant 1.9 million trees on the day. In Hoa Binh alone, young people planted 30,000 trees. This is the first step to realize the target of planting 100 million trees in 2022  27, heading toward the prime ministers plan to cultivate 100 million trees. Huy also asked each young person to plant, take care of, and protect at least a tree in their workplaces, schools, and residences. He required the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at all levels to come up with solutions to apply technology and digital transformation to counting and managing trees. Speaking at the ceremony, chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Do Van Chien said the 13th Party Central Committee required effectively adapting to climate change; preventing, controlling, and easing the impact of natural disasters and diseases; managing, exploiting, and using natural resources in an appropriate, economical, efficient, and sustainable manner; considering the protection of the living environment and public health as the top priority; scrapping projects causing environmental pollution; protecting biodiversity and ecosystems; and developing a green and circular economy. He highly evaluated the role of young people in achieving these targets. The annual Tet tree planting movement has become more practical and effective, Chien added. A young girl in Hoa Binh Province plants trees in response to the Tet tree planting movement. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre First secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Bui Quang Huy speaks at the launching ceremony of the Tet tree planting movement. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre In Hoa Binh Province, young people and members of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union planted 30,000 trees. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre This land lot in Cao Phong District, Hoa Binh Province will be covered with greenery soon. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre Within the framework of the Tet tree planting movement, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union awarded over VND11.7 billion (US$498,641) to Hoa Binh Province to alleviate poverty, install lighting systems, and build houses, playgroundsm, and toilets for children. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

The Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, the largest organization of young people in Vietnam, will plant 20 million trees this year, said first secretary of the Central Committee of the union Bui Quang Huy.

The Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union on Saturday cooperated with the Party Committee and the Peoples Committee of Hoa Binh Province in northern Vietnam to launch the Tet tree planting movement.

At the launching ceremony, Huy informed that young people nationwide would plant 1.9 million trees on the day. In Hoa Binh alone, young people planted 30,000 trees.

This is the first step to realize the target of planting 100 million trees in 2022  27, heading toward the prime ministers plan to cultivate 100 million trees.

Huy also asked each young person to plant, take care of, and protect at least a tree in their workplaces, schools, and residences.

He required the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union at all levels to come up with solutions to apply technology and digital transformation to counting and managing trees.

Speaking at the ceremony, chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Do Van Chien said the 13th Party Central Committee required effectively adapting to climate change; preventing, controlling, and easing the impact of natural disasters and diseases; managing, exploiting, and using natural resources in an appropriate, economical, efficient, and sustainable manner; considering the protection of the living environment and public health as the top priority; scrapping projects causing environmental pollution; protecting biodiversity and ecosystems; and developing a green and circular economy.

He highly evaluated the role of young people in achieving these targets.

The annual Tet tree planting movement has become more practical and effective, Chien added.

A young girl in Hoa Binh Province plants trees in response to the Tet tree planting movement. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre

First secretary of the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Bui Quang Huy speaks at the launching ceremony of the Tet tree planting movement. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre

In Hoa Binh Province, young people and members of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union planted 30,000 trees. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre

This land lot in Cao Phong District, Hoa Binh Province will be covered with greenery soon. Photo: Ha Thanh / Tuoi Tre

Within the framework of the Tet tree planting movement, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union awarded over VND11.7 billion (US$498,641) to Hoa Binh Province to alleviate poverty, install lighting systems, and build houses, playgroundsm, and toilets for children.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
The AACTA Awards will be held on the Gold Coast for the next three years, in a new deal between AACTA | AFI and the Tourism and Events Queensland, Screen Queensland and Major Events Gold Coast.

AACTA Awards, AACTA Industry Awards, along with AACTA ScreenFest will all take place in February 2024 at a venue yet to be confirmed.

Russell Crowe, President of the Australian Academy, said, In acknowledgement of Queenslands growing importance of film and television production in this country it has been decided by the Board of the Australian Film Institute and AACTA and with the generous cooperation of the Queensland Government for the next 3 years well be shifting from Sydney and hosting the AACTA Awards here on the Gold Coast.

The Australian Film Institute (AFI) and more recently The Australian Academy (AACTA) have provided the platform that has seen this countrys contributions to the global film industry just keep growing and making household names out of Directors, Designers, Cinematographers, Post-production Houses, Visual Effect Artists, Writers, Producers, and of course, Actors.

Were looking forward to broadcasting a memorable show and showcasing the Gold Coast and the Great state of Queensland.

Thanks go to the Premier (who cant be here today) but also to the Minister, the Mayor, to Screen Queensland, for making this happen and particularly for the people of the Gold Coast for making us so welcome as an industry and this is goin g to be an event that really shakes things up and makes people have a lot of fun in our industry and in this state.

AACTA CEO Damian Trewhella said, Screen Queensland and the Queensland Government have always been valued screen agency partners of the AACTA Awards. Their commitment to showcasing our nations talent and productions on the global stage, igniting passion among young Aussies to pursue a career in screen, and creating a diverse and thriving culture closely aligns with our mission.

We look forward to working with Tourism and Events Queensland, Major Events Gold Coast, and Screen Queensland to highlight Queenslands screen culture and bring Australias biggest film and television event to the Gold Coast

Qld Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in a statement, I am delighted to announce our deal with the Australian Film Institute to bring the AACTAs to the Gold Coast for the next three years. Our screen industry keeps going from strength to strength as we build our international reputation as the place to film world-class cinema and television content.

Queensland is a production paradise offering the complete package, with film-friendly locations, highly skilled crew, world-class facilities and competitive incentives.

It is home to the iconic Village Roadshow Studios and hosts flagship industry events such as Screen Forever, Australian International Movie Convention, which will return in 2023, and the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.

Chair of The Australian Film Institute (AFI) | Australian Academy Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Board, Keith Rodger, said Queenslands screen industry has gone from strength to strength and with their commitment to Australian film and television, this growth will continue for years to come. Moving the AACTA Awards to the Gold Coast will bring about a new era for the Australian Academy, one that will see our industry continue to thrive and flourish. This new era will present fantastic opportunities for our industry, and we look forward to continuing to drive inclusive and dynamic programs that enhance our screen industrys unity, global relevance, education, growth and impact.

Amanda Laing, Chief Commercial and Content Officer at Foxtel Group said We are thrilled to see the AACTA Awards secure a new home and become a major part of the global awards calendar into next year. The Foxtel Group remains a long-standing champion of Australias creative talent in front of and behind the camera. After what will no doubt be another spectacular year for television and film it will be fantastic to celebrate the best of our industry on a new local stage during the coveted global awards season.

The AACTA Awards presented by Foxtel Group will next be held in February 2024 at the heart of the international awards season, alongside the Oscars & BAFTAs, driving Australias talented creative community further on the world stage. With its global media coverage attracting over 26.6 billion views in the past year, the AACTA Awards are uniquely positioned in the international market. Achieving significant profile recently has been Baz Luhrmanns Queensland production Elvis  which won 11 AACTA Awards, including Best Film and Best Direction in Film presented by Filmology Finance and earned 9 BAFTA and 8 Oscar nominations  and multi-AACTA Award recipient The Stranger, each making global headlines and positioning amongst key contenders in international awards races.

This new opportunity will allow AACTA to develop a number of initiatives  including the expansion of its celebrated ScreenFest program, which will also be presented on the Gold Coast in the lead up to the AACTA Awards. AACTA ScreenFest will feature a range of screen culture and creative development activities covering all aspects film, television and digital content creation  including workshops, skills and employment seminars, masterclasses, and showcases of some of the most exciting work being made by local and international creators  alongside growing programs that support and amplify First Nations storytelling.
Former TV personality and royal commentator Diana Bubbles Fisher, best known for The Inventors and royal tours, has died aged 91.

She died after a two-year battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma on Thursday, after being admitted to St Vincents Private Hospital in Sydney three days prior.

Born in London, UK Bubbles (named after her warm personality and love of champagne) moved to Australia in 1964 with her husband, Humphrey, who was a BBC producer posted to Sydney.

The couple were wed by his father, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who officiated the marriage between Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1947. Fisher went on to cover members of the British monarchy for media outlets around the world for decades.

She served as a panelist on The Inventors for 12 years, from 1970 to 1982. According to the NFSA, Though the panel would change from year to year, the one person who remained a fixture was Diana Fisher. As (producer Beverley) Gledhill commented in an interview with Tim Bowden for his book 50 Years, people either loved or hated Diana, but they always remembered her as the slightly dippy dame who had no idea how to use tools and who complained about the colour of a gadget.

She was also a regular on Beauty & the Beast amongst other daytime shows, made an acting appearance as a judge on Heartbreak High and was famously on the set of Midday when fisticuffs broke out between Normie Rowe and Ron Casey.

Source: nine.com.au
Getty Images



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Five Memphis, Tennessee, police officers have been charged for the murder of Tyre Nichols.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith were indicted on murder charges Thursday for beating Nichols to death after allegedly stopping him for reckless driving on January 7.

Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man and father of a 4-year-old son, was hospitalized in critical condition after the officers brutally attacked him at the traffic stop. He died three days later.

Getty Images

The officers were fired from the police force over the incident. All five have been charged with second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of official oppression, and one count of aggravated assault, prosecutors said.



"The actions of all of them resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols, and they are all responsible," Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy told reporters.

Second-degree murder, the most serious of the charges, "is a knowing killing," Mulroy said.

Footage of the incident will be released this Friday evening.

Ahead of the release, Memphis-Shelby County Schools announced it is canceling after-school activities Friday, and Southwest Tennessee Community College said its Friday classes will be virtual. Meanwhile, law enforcement officials in other cities are preparing for protests.

"Ive seen the video myself and I will tell you I was appalled," FBI Director Christopher Wray said Friday.

Getty Images

Despite her grief, Nichols's mother is asking people to protest peacefully.

"I dont want us burning up our city, tearing up the streets, because thats not what my son stood for," RowVaughn Wells told a crowd at a candlelight vigil Thursday, per USA Today. "If you guys are here for me and Tyre, then you will protest peacefully. You can get your point across but we dont need to tear up our cities, people, because we do have to live in them."

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3 men arrested after attempting to kidnap an Iranian-American journalist and activist who is critical of the country's human rights abuses, feds say

Masih Alinejad, Iranian journalist and women's rights activist, poses for a picture in New York City, New York, U.S., September 27, 2022. REUTERS/Roselle Chen

Three men were indicted on charges of money laundering and murder-for-hire, the DOJ said.

The target, Masih Alinejad, told The Associated Press the FBI read her the messages the men exchanged.

The indictment did not say if the Iranian regime was directly involved in the murder order.

The Justice Department on Friday announced charges against three men authorities believe are part of an Eastern European criminal organization who planned to murder an Iranian author and activist living in exile in New York City.

Rafat Amirov, 43, of Iran; Polad Omarov, 38, of the Czech Republic and Slovenia; and Khalid Mehdiyev, 24, of Yonkers, New York; were charged with money laundering and murder-for-hire, the DOJ said in a statement.

While the DOJ did not reveal the identity of the activist, Masih Alinejad confirmed on Twitter that she was the target.

"Yeah this the face of a person who was the target of a assassination plot," Alinejad said. "Let me make it clear, I'm not scared for my life because I knew that killing, assassinating, hanging, torturing, raping, is in the DNA of the Islamic Republic."

Alinejad told The Associated Press that the FBI read her the messages the men exchanged,

"I'm not scared," Alinejad told the AP. "I want to tell you that the Iranian regime thinks by trying to kill me, they will silence me, or silence other women. But they only strengthen me, make me more powerful to fight for democracy and give voice to brave women who are facing guns and bullets in the streets to get rid of the Islamic Republic."

While the man behind the plot is in Iran, the DOJ indictment did not say whether the Iranian government was behind the plot.

"The Victim in this case was targeted for exercising the rights to which every American citizen is entitled. The Victim publicized the Iranian Government's human rights abuses; discriminatory treatment of women; suppression of democratic participation and expression; and use of arbitrary imprisonment, torture, and execution," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement.

Story continues

According to the DOJ, the criminal organization was tasked with murdering Alinejad, who has previously been the target of "plots by the Government of Iran to intimidate, harass and kidnap" her. The attempted murder-for-hire plan had been active since at least July 2022.

The attempt was part of continuing plots and threats against the Brooklyn-based journalist and author. In July 2021, the DOJ charged four Iranian intelligence officials in an attempted kidnapping of Alinejad.

"Today's indictment exposes a dangerous menace to national security  a double threat posed by a vicious transnational crime group operating from what it thought was the safe haven of a rogue nation: Iran," US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement. "As national security and criminal threats continue to blend, the Department of Justice will use all its tools to zealously protect freedom and hold accountable all those who would use violence to undermine it."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Cruising is a popular retirement pastime. Pixabay

THIS month, when I turn 62, I will begin receiving a pension from the company I worked for when I started out in the newspaper industry.

Its only tiny, but its something. Its the second pension I have claimed, the first being another small payment, for the four years I spent working in various government departments.

Added together, the amount is useful, as is anything credited to my bank account, but it is a long, long way from being enough to retire on. Even when Im able to claim every pension I am due for my entire working life, it will still fall short.

I will have to wait another five years, until I am almost 67 to stop work.

Its nothing short of appalling that, here in the UK, we have to slog on until we are almost 70 to claim the State Pension.

Retirement should be a time of relaxation, fulfilling some of your dreams, going on holidays, spending more time with friends and family, taking up new hobbies and generally having fun.

But at that age, youre lucky if youre still healthy let alone able to enjoy yourself in your remaining years.

In the UK men used to claim their pensions at 65, women at 60 - something that clearly needed levelling up, and by 2018 it was 65 for both.

Interestingly, before 1940, the State Pension age for men and women was 65. In 1940, the aged for women was lowered to 60, despite the fact that they tend to live longer.

Now, men and women must be 66 to retire, but this will rise to 67 by 2028 and to 68 in 2039.

I cant understand why we Brits have accepted this without a fuss.

Across the Channel they dont take such things lying down. The citizens of France are up in arms over government plans to make them work until they are 64 before they can claim the state pension, up from 62 at the moment.

Protests have raged in major cities including Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes and Nice, bringing many transport services to a standstill. In Paris police fired tear gas and the furore was such that the Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors.

Story continues

Not that I am encouraging people to rampage through the streets of British towns and cities carrying burning torches, but why did we accept this without a hue and cry when just about every country in Europe has a lower retirement age than we do? Currently only Netherlands, Iceland and Norway retire later, and not much later.

No wonder a cafe society prevails across mainland Europe - retirees in countries such as Italy, Greece and Slovenia, who claim their state pensions at 62, have oodles of time on their hands to sup cappuccinos and people watch, while we are still cramming ourselves on to commuter trains at unearthly hours, trying to mind the gap with our Zimmer frames.

No wonder the French are rebelling when they may have to work two extra years before their days can be spent reclining with a glass of Bordeaux in between short bursts on the boules court.

Its not as if their retirement age is shooting up to 68 like ours, its only rising to 64. They dont know theyre born.

Some people may not want to retire and may actively want to work until they drop, but the majority of people dont.

Maybe we should all head for Turkey. There, the official retirement age is 60 for men and 58 for women, but a new law enables many to claim the State Pension years earlier.

Had that applied here Id have been retired long and had goodness knows how many cruises. Id probably be on one right now, sunning myself with a glass of prosecco in hand.
PC David Carrick has admitted multiple rapes, sexual abuse, and violence (Herts Police)

Londoners are being urged to have their say on the shape of the policing inquiry after the appalling crimes committed by shamed Met PC David Carrick.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the Angiolini Inquiry, set up to examine the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer, will also consider Carricks crimes and look at vetting & recruitment and the extent of misogynistic culture in policing.

She said she would encourage anyone with an interest in this important Inquiry to have your voice heard.

The draft Terms of Reference are now subject to consultation and I encourage anyone with an interest in this important Inquiry to have your voice heard, by submitting your thoughts here

https://t.co/U6op3zGk6g



2/3  Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) January 28, 2023

Ms Braverman added: To be clear, the Angiolini Inquiry will also look into the despicable case of David Carrick and how widespread and systematic failings allowed this predator to carry out truly sickening crimes. Further terms of reference on the Carrick case will be set out soon.

Lady Elish Angiolini, who is chairing the inquiry, said she looked forward to hearing from the public, adding: It is vital that we do what we can to ensure that all lessons are learned; to help prevent those in power abusing their position, to make women and girls safer in public, as well as society as a whole.

David Carrick in uniform (Handout)

Carrick served as a Metropolitan Police officer for more than 20 years before being unmasked as one of the countrys most prolific sex offenders.

He admitted 49 criminal charges, including 24 counts of rape against 12 women, as it emerged he had faced complaints about his behaviour before he joined the force and numerous other times throughout his career, but no action was taken.

The 48-year-old  who used his position to win the trust of his victims and then intimidate them  was only suspended from duty in October 2021 when he was arrested for rape.

Story continues

The Carrick case followed a series of damaging scandals besetting the Met, including the murder of Sarah Everard, offensive messages exchanged by a team at Charing Cross police station and the strip-search of a teenage girl at school while she was on her period.

Sarah Everard was raped and killed as she walked home in south London on March 3 last year (Family handout/CPS/PA) (PA Media)

More scandals are expected with two or three Metropolitan Police officers set to appear in court each week to face criminal charges in the coming months as the scandal-hit force attempts to reform.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley recently told the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee more painful stories will emerge as moves progress to remove hundreds of corrupt officers thought to be serving.

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.

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.

Sir Mark Rowley (PA)

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, Sir Mark 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 it wont be rapid and it will be painful.

In the wake of Carricks 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 he expects two or three officers per week to appear in court charged with offences linked to dishonesty, sexual offences, violence or domestic violence.
ReportLinker

The Global Advanced Phase Change Materials Market size was estimated at USD 1,365. 57 million in 2021 and expected to reach USD 1,566. 78 million in 2022, and is projected to grow at a CAGR 14.

New York, Jan. 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Advanced Phase Change Materials Market Research Report by Type, Application, Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Cumulative Impact of COVID-19" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06335788/?utm_source=GNW

91% to reach USD 3,144.04 million by 2027.



Market Statistics:

The report provides market sizing and forecast across 7 major currencies - USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, AUD, CAD, and CHF. It helps organization leaders make better decisions when currency exchange data is readily available. In this report, the years 2018 and 2020 are considered as historical years, 2021 as the base year, 2022 as the estimated year, and years from 2023 to 2027 are considered as the forecast period.



Market Segmentation & Coverage:

This research report categorizes the Advanced Phase Change Materials to forecast the revenues and analyze the trends in each of the following sub-markets:



Based on Type, the market was studied across Bio-Based PCM, Inorganic PCM, and Organic PCM.



Based on Application, the market was studied across Building & Construction, Electronics, HVAC, Shipping & Transportation, and Textile.



Based on Region, the market was studied across Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Europe, Middle East & Africa. The Americas is further studied across Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and United States. The United States is further studied across California, Florida, Illinois, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The Asia-Pacific is further studied across Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Europe, Middle East & Africa is further studied across Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and United Kingdom.



Cumulative Impact of COVID-19:

COVID-19 is an incomparable global public health emergency that has affected almost every industry, and the long-term effects are projected to impact the industry growth during the forecast period. Our ongoing research amplifies our research framework to ensure the inclusion of underlying COVID-19 issues and potential paths forward. The report delivers insights on COVID-19 considering the changes in consumer behavior and demand, purchasing patterns, re-routing of the supply chain, dynamics of current market forces, and the significant interventions of governments. The updated study provides insights, analysis, estimations, and forecasts, considering the COVID-19 impact on the market.



Cumulative Impact of 2022 Russia Ukraine Conflict:

We continuously monitor and update reports on political and economic uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Negative impacts are significantly foreseen globally, especially across Eastern Europe, European Union, Eastern & Central Asia, and the United States. This contention has severely affected lives and livelihoods and represents far-reaching disruptions in trade dynamics. The potential effects of ongoing war and uncertainty in Eastern Europe are expected to have an adverse impact on the world economy, with especially long-term harsh effects on Russia.This report uncovers the impact of demand & supply, pricing variants, strategic uptake of vendors, and recommendations for Advanced Phase Change Materials market considering the current update on the conflict and its global response.



Competitive Strategic Window:

The Competitive Strategic Window analyses the competitive landscape in terms of markets, applications, and geographies to help the vendor define an alignment or fit between their capabilities and opportunities for future growth prospects. It describes the optimal or favorable fit for the vendors to adopt successive merger and acquisition strategies, geography expansion, research & development, and new product introduction strategies to execute further business expansion and growth during a forecast period.



FPNV Positioning Matrix:

The FPNV Positioning Matrix evaluates and categorizes the vendors in the Advanced Phase Change Materials Market based on Business Strategy (Business Growth, Industry Coverage, Financial Viability, and Channel Support) and Product Satisfaction (Value for Money, Ease of Use, Product Features, and Customer Support) that aids businesses in better decision making and understanding the competitive landscape.



Market Share Analysis:

The Market Share Analysis offers the analysis of vendors considering their contribution to the overall market. It provides the idea of its revenue generation into the overall market compared to other vendors in the space. It provides insights into how vendors are performing in terms of revenue generation and customer base compared to others. Knowing market share offers an idea of the size and competitiveness of the vendors for the base year. It reveals the market characteristics in terms of accumulation, fragmentation, dominance, and amalgamation traits.



Competitive Scenario:

The Competitive Scenario provides an outlook analysis of the various business growth strategies adopted by the vendors. The news covered in this section deliver valuable thoughts at the different stage while keeping up-to-date with the business and engage stakeholders in the economic debate. The competitive scenario represents press releases or news of the companies categorized into Merger & Acquisition, Agreement, Collaboration, & Partnership, New Product Launch & Enhancement, Investment & Funding, and Award, Recognition, & Expansion. All the news collected help vendor to understand the gaps in the marketplace and competitors strength and weakness thereby, providing insights to enhance product and service.



Company Usability Profiles:

The report profoundly explores the recent significant developments by the leading vendors and innovation profiles in the Global Advanced Phase Change Materials Market, including Advansa B.V., Ai Technology, Inc., BASF SE, Beyond Industries (China) Limited, CIAT Group, Climator Sweden Ab, Cold Chain Technologies, Inc, Coolcomposites, Inc., Croda International Plc., Cryopak Industries Inc., Dow Corning Corporation, E. I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company, Entropy Solutions, Henkel AG & Company, KGAA, Honeywell Electronic Materials, Inc., Insolcorp, Inc., Kaplan Energy Sas, Laird Plc, Microtek Laboratories Inc, Outlast Technologies LLC, Parker Hannifin Corp., Phase Change Energy Solutions, Pluss Advanced Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Puretemp Llc, SALCA Bv, Sasol Limited, Sonoco Products Company, and Ubitherm Technologies Gmbh.



The report provides insights on the following pointers:

1. Market Penetration: Provides comprehensive information on the market offered by the key players

2. Market Development: Provides in-depth information about lucrative emerging markets and analyze penetration across mature segments of the markets

3. Market Diversification: Provides detailed information about new product launches, untapped geographies, recent developments, and investments

4. Competitive Assessment & Intelligence: Provides an exhaustive assessment of market shares, strategies, products, certification, regulatory approvals, patent landscape, and manufacturing capabilities of the leading players

5. Product Development & Innovation: Provides intelligent insights on future technologies, R&D activities, and breakthrough product developments



The report answers questions such as:

1. What is the market size and forecast of the Global Advanced Phase Change Materials Market?

2. What are the inhibiting factors and impact of COVID-19 shaping the Global Advanced Phase Change Materials Market during the forecast period?

3. Which are the products/segments/applications/areas to invest in over the forecast period in the Global Advanced Phase Change Materials Market?

4. What is the competitive strategic window for opportunities in the Global Advanced Phase Change Materials Market?

5. What are the technology trends and regulatory frameworks in the Global Advanced Phase Change Materials Market?

6. What is the market share of the leading vendors in the Global Advanced Phase Change Materials Market?

7. What modes and strategic moves are considered suitable for entering the Global Advanced Phase Change Materials Market?

Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06335788/?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




A Flybe plane landing at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Passengers were told not to turn up for flights after the airline they had booked with collapsed.

Flybe warned passengers in the early hours of Saturday that the airline was in administration.

The airline had gone into administration previously, in March 2020, but was able to resume flights.

Flybe passengers were told overnight not to turn up for flights after the airline collapsed for the second time in less than three years.

A notice posted on Flybe's website said the airline was no longer trading.

"Flybe has now ceased trading and all flights from and to the UK operated by Flybe have been canceled and will not be rescheduled," the notice said. "If you are due to fly with Flybe today or in the future, please DO NOT TRAVEL TO THE AIRPORT unless you have arranged an alternative flight with another airline."

The notice said the airline wouldn't be able to assist passengers who were flying with Flybe directly in finding alternative flights.

However, passengers with a Flybe booking sold by an intermediary were urged to get in touch directly with the relevant airline for assistance with making alternative arrangements. In its notice, the airline announced that joint administrators had been appointed.

BBC News reported that a passenger received an email from Flybe just after 3 a.m local time saying his flight had been canceled.

Paul Smith, consumer director at the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), said in a statement on the CAA's website: "It is always sad to see an airline enter administration and we know that Flybe's decision to stop trading will be distressing for all of its employees and customers."

The statement added: "We urge passengers planning to fly with this airline not to go to the airport as all Flybe flights are canceled. For the latest advice, Flybe customers should visit the Civil Aviation Authority's website or our Twitter feed for more information."

Flybe operated regional flights in the UK, as well as a few European destinations, including France and the Netherlands.

Story continues

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Flybe entered administration in March 2020. This impacted the livelihood of 2,400 employees, as reported by Reuters.

In October 2020, it was purchased by Thyme Opco, a firm controlled by Cyrus Capital, and the airline resumed flights in April last year.

Flybe didn't immediately respond to a request for comment by Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
From the pristine beaches of the Costa Tropical to the ancient port city of Cadiz, Spains sunny southern region of Andalusia is one of its brightest jewels.

Whether you want to relax and unwind on the sun-kissed beaches of the Costa del Sol or sample some delicious local cuisine, this huge coastal region has lots to offer.

Covering an incredible 17 per cent of Spains total territory with temperatures rarely falling into single figures, its the perfect place to escape the ravages of a northern European winter.

So if youre heading for the Costa del Sunshine, what should you see and do? Heres our lowdown on everything to enjoy in Andalusia, from carnivals to cuisine.

When is Cadiz Carnival?

Carnival masks - Canva

Believed to be the oldest city still standing in Europe, the port of Cadiz was established by the Phoenicians around 1100 BC. Surrounded by the sea, these days the city is a charming mix of architectural styles, reflecting its rich and varied history.

If you want to get a true taste of Cadiz though, you need to visit during carnival season. Taking place every February, the city transforms itself into one huge party venue.

Carnival music can be heard in every corner of the city and many of its citizens prepare their costumes, which in Cadiz are known as 'tipo' - some of them are true works of art, explains Arturo Bernal Bergua, Minister of tourism, Culture and Sports of Andalusia.

These are the days that people from Cadiz live with all their souls, its one of the most anticipated recreational events in the city and one of the most imaginative and ingenious Spanish carnivals.

This year the epic 10 day celebration runs from 16 - 26 February. Believed to be the largest carnival in Spain, the first Sunday sees a large parade wind through the city streets.Fireworks, food, competitions and dancing take place for the full length of the festival - and sometimes even longer.

Story continues

What beaches can I visit in Andalusia?

Bolonia dune, Cadiz - Canva

While youve probably heard of the sun-drenched beaches of the Costa del Sol and Malaga, the Andalusian coastline is 800 km long.If you stray off the well-worn path, youll find some truly unique and unexpected landscapes.

One such wonder is El Acantilado del Asperillo, the highest dune cliff in Europe. A system of fossil dunes, the jagged rocky structures jut out along 12 hectares of the coast.

Equally eye-catching is the Bolonia dune, which reaches an impressive 30 metres in height and is over 200 metres in length. This dune system is part of Del Estrecho Natural Park, located on the northern side of the Strait of Gibraltar, the point at which the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea.

Alongside the dunes, there are some stunning waterfalls in the region too, as Bergua explains.

You can also visit one of the few freshwater waterfalls in Spain, that falls directly into the sea, in the natural area of Maro - Cerro Gordo, where some of the smallest and most hidden beaches in the country are located.

Smaller still is Rijana, in the Granada town of Gualchos, which is about 250 metres in length. In addition, the community also has what is considered the longest beach in Spain, Donana, which is 28 km long and with restricted access.

Where are the best places to discover Andalusian cuisine?

Guadalquivir river - Canva

If you want to get a taste of the local cuisine, Bergua recommends following local food routes.

A good way to get to know the cuisine and native products of Andalucia is to follow its gastronomic itineraries, such as the Almadraba Tuna route on the Cadiz coast, the Jabugo Ham route in Huelva or the rice route in Seville, says Bergua.

The gastronomy of the southernmost region of Spain is undoubtedly determined by its excellent climate, its long hours of sunshine and its proximity to the sea.

The Andalusian tourist board runs tours for each of these routes, allowing you to learn more about how food is produced in the region.

The rice route will take you to the banks of the Guadalquivir river, where 40 per cent of Spanish rice is grown. As well as producing this essential cereal, the wetlands create a spectacular natural habitat, with 275 bird species nesting or wintering here.
Prize-winning Fort Worth author Jeff Guinn will talk about Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians and the Legacy of Rage, his new book on the 1993 Branch Davidian raid, siege and fire, at 11 a.m. Feb. 4 at the Waco-McLennan County Central Library.

Waco reference librarian Sean Sutcliffe will interview Guinn about his findings, including Guinns discovery of the book Koreshanity in the Waco library, a 1971 reprint of many of 19th century Branch Davidian prophet Cyrus Teeds End Time prophecies that David Koresh would preach as his own.

Guinns book features material from several Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents involved in the raid and surviving Branch Davidians, who have not spoken on record before. Waco provides a history of the Branch Davidians; Koreshs evolution and rise to leadership; the bungled ATF raid on the Davidian complex; and the FBI-directed siege, its fiery, deadly end and its attempted cover-up.

He also shows how the Waco event energized the anti-government citizen militia movement, including controversial conspiracist Alex Jones, leading in part to the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City that killed 168 people.

Guinns previous books include Manson, about Charles Manson and the Tate-LaBianca murders; The Road to Jonestown, on the rise and fall of Jim Jones; Go Down Together, a history of 1930s robbers Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow; and War on the Border, about Gen. John Pershings 1916 Punitive Expedition into Mexico.

He is a two-time winner of the Texas Book Award and worked with Leonardo DiCaprio as co-executive producer for the TV documentary series Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle.

The author will sign copies of his books for audience members after the discussion, but books will not be available for sale.

Admission is free, but seating is limited. The Central Library is at 1717 Austin Ave.
China's pandemic strategy optimization "great boon" for Cambodia's tourism, economy, says academics

Xinhua) 08:44, January 28, 2023

PHNOM PENH, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Academics in Cambodia said Thursday that China's optimization of its COVID-19 strategy early this month is a "great boon" for Cambodia's tourism and economy.

Vun Phanith, a lecturer at the Institute for International Studies and Public Policy, a school of Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), foresaw that large numbers of tourists, business people and investors will return to the Southeast Asian nation, given close relationship between the two countries.

"The comeback of Chinese travelers will be a great boon for our tourism and economy," he said here during a round-table discussion on China's reopening.

"Their return will also help promote cultural exchanges and people-to-people connectivity between the two countries towards the building of a community with a shared future," he added.

China was the biggest source of foreign tourists to Cambodia in the pre-COVID-19 pandemic era, a Ministry of Tourism's report said, adding that the kingdom received 2.36 million Chinese tourists in 2019, generating about 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in revenue.

The world's second largest economy is also the top foreign investor in Cambodia.

Lim Chhay, a program manager for foreign affairs at the think tank, the Konrad-Adenauer Stiftung Cambodia, said Chinese tourists, business people and investors have importantly contributed to socio-economic development in Cambodia.

"The opportunity from China's reopening is very clear, (and) we expect to welcome a huge influx of Chinese tourists and investors to Cambodia again, like it was before the pandemic," he said. "Chinese tourists like to spend money for their holidays, so their return will give a boost to our tourism growth."

Cheng Ousa, junior researcher from the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at RUPP, believed that Chinese tourists, business people and investors will pour into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) including Cambodia after China's optimization of its COVID-19 strategy.

"ASEAN will reap great benefits from China's optimization of its COVID-19 strategy, thanks to close relationship between the two," she said.

"To us, we're very happy that the Chinese tourists are coming back because their presence will contribute to our gross domestic product (GDP) and tourism growth," Cheng added.

Long Sovitou, another junior researcher at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, said Cambodia is looking forward to the return of Chinese tourists after their absence in the last three years.

"China's reopening will greatly help Cambodia recover our economy in the post-pandemic period, and one of the industries that will greatly benefit from that is tourism," he said.

Tourism is one of the four major pillars supporting Cambodia's economy. In the pre-pandemic era, the kingdom registered 6.6 million international tourists in 2019, contributing 4.92 billion dollars to the GDP.

Cambodia is famous for its three world heritage sites, namely the Angkor Archaeological Park in Siem Reap province, the Preah Vihear Temple in Preah Vihear province, and the Sambor Prei Kuk Archaeological Site in Kampong Thom province.

Besides, it has a 450-km pristine coastline stretching across four southwestern provinces.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Frontage road closures

The Texas Department of Transportation plans to close the northbound Interstate 35 frontage road just north of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at 8 a.m. Monday for maintenance work. This section is expected to be closed through Wednesday.

Frontage road traffic will be directed onto the northbound I-35 main lanes and will need to use the next available exit to reconnect with the frontage road.

Schedules are dependent on weather, field conditions and work progress.

GriefShare Tuesday

Peace Lutheran Church, 9301 Panther Way, will start a new 13-week session of GriefShare with a meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday. Meetings will continue at the same time through April 25.

Cost is $20, but scholarships are available. Snacks are provided each week.

To register, contact Becky Ritz at 254-857-9794 or rjritz@earthlink.net.

Valentines dance

Historic Waco will have a Valentines Sweetheart dance from 1 to 4 p.m. Feb. 11 at East Terrace House, 100 Mill St.

The event will include refreshments, a chance to learn some ballroom steps, and dancing to the music of years past. The Baylor Ballroom Dance Society will be in attendance to help teach the basics. The event will take place downstairs and upstairs in the East Terrace ballroom, and vintage clothing is strongly encouraged. Admission is $10, and an RSVP is required.

For more information, call 254-753-5166.

La Vega free tax help

Students from La Vega High Schools business program will offer free tax-preparation help from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Waco-McLennan County Central Library, 1717 Austin Ave.

Participants should bring all tax documents, ID and Social Security cards for everyone on their tax return. No registration is required.

Couples painting class

The Bledsoe-Miller Community Center, 300 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., will host a Paint Talk event from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 11.

It will include a couples painting class and dinner for two. Cost is $60 per couple, which includes painting supplies, step-by-step instructions and a dinner of steak, loaded baked potato, salad and iced tea.

To register, call 254-750-8684.
The Heart of Texas Homeless Coalition held its biannual Project Homeless Connect event Friday, aimed to provide social services, medical testing, referrals, housing help and other physical goods to people battling housing insecurity in the Waco community.

Coalition board member Nicole Wiscombe said the event brings together more than 30 community partners twice a year as a one-stop service fair.

Wiscombe, who also works as director of housing and homeless services for the Heart of Texas Behavioral Health Network, said the winter session coincides with the coalitions Point-in-Time Count that serves as a census of the homeless population and determines federal funding aid.

The average age of homeless individuals is trending upward, likely coinciding with the retirement of the baby boomer generation, Wiscombe said.

Were also seeing an increase in young adults, but I think thats because we have better programs to identify them now with the youth homelessness demonstration program, she said.

Wiscombe said previous counts would identify an average of 11 youths, but through programs at the Behavioral Health Network alone she knows that number is closer to 75. The average number of people counted each year is between 180 and 220 individuals.

We expect to see more people, unfortunately, because theres a lot of things that are impacting our community: COVID-19 is one of them, different market conditions that are impacting raising rents in Waco, Wiscombe said.

Local musician Stephany Chavira welcomed guests at Fridays event with song at the front door, as she has for the past three years.

You know, I might not be monetarily stable enough to give any kind of financial contributions, but I feel like music makes people happy, so its always a good gift to give out, Chavira said, as long as I can put a smile on peoples faces.

Also returning to the event was the First Baptist Church of Wacos bike ministry. Since the groups inception about a year and a half ago it has given away a little more than 160 bikes, member Jim Morton said. The group receives mostly abandoned bikes from Baylor and meets once a week to repair bikes to be donated through Caritas of Waco and Mission Waco, Morton said.

The group was able to repair seven bikes by 11 a.m. Friday, including one that came in with no brake hardware at all. The owner rejoiced in the fix, saying he would not have to wear out his shoes anymore to slow down.

In one room, vendors from faith-based organizations, legal partners, several nonprofits and social service agencies offered free haircuts, legal options, domestic violence resources and other community outlets.

Ruth Smith, coalition board member representing Woodway Methodist, said she works with other board members as much as six weeks in advance to find out from those who work closely with the homeless population what items are of actual need.

What were trying to do basically is not say, this is what you need, but tell me what you need, and well provide that.  The church provides. Smith said.

Some of the most sought-after items this year were flashlights, blankets and hygiene items, Smith said.

People will come and if they need it, they take it. If they dont need it, they dont take it, she said. So again, talking with people that work with the homeless is so critical because then we can provide whats needed.

A second room offered health services, including COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, HIV and AIDS testing and doctor referrals. A third room was designated for providing meals to participants and hosting a listening session in which the coalition received feedback from people experiencing homelessness on the services it provides.

In the main hallway was a table for Heart to Home, a coordinated touchpoint that creates connections to several local housing programs through one application.

Instead of going to different places to be put on different housing waitlists, they come to Heart to Home, whether calling by phone or going to a physical access point, Wiscombe said. We have an access point through Salvation Army, one through Mission Waco and we have one at the Dobey Drop-in Center.

Applicants are pulled from the priority list by all housing programs based on eligibility, vulnerability and need, Wiscombe said. She said the Heart to Home program also partners with Waco Housing Authority, which has its own separate waitlist for Section 8 public housing, to offer emergency housing vouchers and prioritize people in most need for housing through Heart to Home.

Maj. April Taylor of The Salvation Army, the point organization for Heart to Home, said one thing she is noticing is the increase in women over 60 years old in shelters because of the cost of basic necessities.

With rent going up so high theyre coming in and needing a lot more assistance than they have in the past, Taylor said.

Taylor said many women do not quite meet the 65-year age break for federal funding but must find a way to live on their own, often resulting in uncomfortable living situations with relatives or homelessness.

There are more than 30 women over 60 years old currently on Heart to Homes waitlist.

Wiscombe said the biggest trend systems across the county are seeing is an increase in unsheltered homelessness because of increases in rent that do not match increases in income. Not only are wages falling behind, but in communities with great economic expansion, housing loss becomes increasingly detrimental, she said. For people who live one paycheck away from homelessness, the loss of a job or an illness could cost them a place to live, Wiscombe said.

We have a lot of economic development happening in this community, gentrification, a lot of tourism, and those are all very good things, but it has some side effects, Wiscombe said. Our community has a high rate of poverty and when you have that you have these compounding factors.

Family Abuse Center prevention specialist Carmen Merritt said one in three Texans also experience domestic violence, a common cause resulting in homelessness.

We know that in the homeless population in particular, especially women, one of the biggest things that they cite as a reason for homelessness is domestic violence, Merritt said.
With the youngest of his four children just finishing potty training, Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha knows first-hand just how many diapers a small child can go through in a week.

So he has sympathy with the 1 in 3 Nebraska families who struggle to afford enough diapers to keep their children clean, dry, healthy and happy.

On Thursday, Cavanaugh presented a proposal (LB58) before the Legislature's Revenue Committee that would help parents and caregivers by exempting diapers from sales taxes.

The bill would apply to diapers for babies and children, as well as adult diapers used by some people with disabilities and some older people. The measure would reduce state revenue by about $2.5 million annually, according to legislative estimates, while saving parents about $80 a year per child.

Tegan Reed, co-founder and executive director of the Nebraska Diaper Bank, urged support for the bill, saying the diaper bank will distribute some 3 million diapers this year in the Omaha metro area, Lincoln and a number of other Nebraska communities.

But the distribution does not reach all parents in need and not having access to diapers has a big impact on children's health and well-being, she said.

It also can be critical in helping parents keep working. Child care providers require that parents provide diapers for their children, which means that running out of diapers can mean missing work.

Reed said a growing number of states exempt diapers from sales tax. The National Diaper Bank Network reported that 16 states, including Iowa, had passed a diaper exemption by June 2022, while another five do not have a sales tax. One state, North Dakota, exempts adult incontinence products but not children's diapers.

Scout Richters with ACLU Nebraska said LB58 is in line with Nebraska's long-standing policy of exempting groceries from sales tax and the recently passed exemption for feminine hygiene products, such as tampons. All are necessities, she said.

Alicia Christensen, director of advocacy and policy for Together, said diapers are not covered by typical public benefit programs, which focus on food assistance or health care. She said Medicaid does cover some products in limited situations.

Shannon Petersen, with Kubat HealthCare, said many medical conditions lead to the need for diapers for older children, adults and seniors. She said, as did Christensen, that the cost of diapers and incontinence products shot up during the last couple of years.

"Diapers for children aren't cheap and adult diapers are even more expensive," Christensen said.

The Revenue Committee took no immediate action on the bill but some members expressed interest. Sen. Joni Albrecht of Thurston said she thought the savings would help families and keep people healthier. Sen. Eliot Bostar of Lincoln said he liked the bill even if the savings were small.

But Sen. Brad von Gillern of Omaha questioned whether a sales tax exemption for everyone buying diapers would be the best way to help families in need and Sen. Tom Briese of Albion said it would be another shrinking of the state's sales tax base. Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha called the issue one of "personal responsibility."

Meet the Nebraska state senators making laws in 2023
DES MOINES  Two former Iowa state party chairs  one Democrat and two Republicans  are urging Iowa Democrats to continue their fight for Iowas first-in-the-nation caucuses.

Former Iowa Democratic chairman and former three-term U.S. Rep. David Nagle of Cedar Falls joined former Republican Party of Iowa co-chair David Oman and Mike Mahaffey, also former chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, at a news conference Wednesday at the Iowa Capitol to build an even broader base of support for the caucuses in Iowa.

The Democratic National Committee is set to vote early next month on a new calendar for its presidential nominating process, which would strip Iowa of its first-in-the-nation status and move it out of the early window entirely in favor of more diverse battleground states.

Republicans already agreed to keep Iowas first-in-the-nation caucuses for GOP candidates  and several Republicans already have been to the state to weigh the possibility of presidential runs.

Iowas caucuses have led the pack in presidential preference contests since 1972, drawing media attention and millions of dollars in campaigning from presidential hopefuls.

Iowa is going to be at a crossroads very quickly, Nagle said. And that is to determine whether the Democratic Party is going to fight to keep Iowa first-in-the-nation or allow Washington, D.C., to tell us what we should do, when we can do it and how we can do it.

Both the Democrats and Republicans of Iowa agree that this is an important function of the Democratic Party of Iowa to represent rural America, and the Republican Party to do the same in the nominating process.

Oman and Mahaffey echoed his comments.

The caucuses in this state have worked wonderfully for a couple of generations, and they can continue to work well, said Oman, a businessman from Des Moines, and former chief of staff for Republican former Iowa Govs. Robert Ray and Terry Branstad.

Nagle said should the DNC approve the new calendar, Iowa Democrats still should go first, regardless of the likely sanctions from the national party and loss of delegates to the national convention. He said Iowa Democrats held an unsanctioned caucus in 1984.

We dont need their acquiescence, their permission, and we dont need to genuflect in front of them. We just stand our ground, Nagle said.

The DNC, though, has said it would strip delegates and debate access from presidential candidates who campaign in unsanctioned states.

Whats important from our standpoint is were here if they want to be here, Nagle said. They have to make that choice whether theyre going to run in defiance of the Biden administration or acquiesce. Our goal is to provide the opportunity  for people who are not necessarily well-funded or well known to run for president.

BLACK BEAR HUNTING: A bill that would make black bears a protected species in Iowa advanced in the Iowa House on Thursday.

The bill, House File 89, would make it illegal to shoot, trap or hunt a black bear except when law allows for it. There are no protections currently in Iowa law for black bears, and it is not a crime to hunt them.

The bill is an attempt to protect the potential resurgence of the species in Iowa, said Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, who introduced the bill. The bill would allow the Legislature or DNR to set hunting seasons and regulations for black bears.

Black bears are originally native to Iowa, but there has not been a sustained population for more than a century, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

They occasionally wander into Northeast Iowa from Wisconsin or Minnesota. There have been more than 40 black bear sightings in Iowa since 2002, and the DNR expects their population may increase in the near future, according to a 2021 press release.

The bill unanimously passed out of a three-member subcommittee on Thursday.

MOVIE PREP MONEY BILL: Iowa House lawmakers on Thursday passed a bill 94-1 that would make it a felony to use fake movie prop money to buy goods and services in Iowa.

The measure now heads to the Iowa Senate.

The bills look authentic, but read For motion picture use only on the front and say copy on the front and back. Because of that disclaimer, the Iowa Court of Appeals in 2018 vacated the sentence of a Black Hawk County man convicted of forgery for purchasing a cellphone using a fake $100 bill that was used as a prop in a movie.

Despite the disclaimer, bill floor manager Rep. Jon Dunwell, R-Newton, said Iowa businesses are being purposely defrauded with little legal recourse as individual pass off as real money the prop currency used on stage and screen that can easily be purchased online at places like Amazon.

Rep. Ken Croken, D-Davenport, recounted receiving a $20 prop bill and trying to use it to purchase groceries unaware it was fake.

Its totally convincing and caused an embarrassing moment for me, Croken said on the House floor.

Under the House-passed bill, someone who uses movie prop money to buy goods or services could be charged with a simple misdemeanor up to a Class C felony, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, depending on the value of property or services fraudulently obtained.

House lawmakers Thursday also unanimously passed a measure prohibiting non-compete agreements between an employer and a licensed mental health professional.

Such agreements limit the ability of mental health professionals to practice in the state at time when Iowa is grappling with a mental health crisis and shortage of providers.
DES MOINES  A rush is on in the Iowa Legislature to fix an oversight resulting from a previously passed property tax reform package that could mean potentially millions of dollars in lost revenue in the coming months for some Iowa cities.

Lawmakers in 2013 passed a property tax cut package that, among other provisions, gradually lowered property taxes on multifamily residential units like apartments, nursing homes, mobile home parks and manufactured home communities to where they would be taxed at the same rate as all residential property by 2022.

And in 2021, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law including multi-residential properties in the residential property class beginning in the 2022 assessment year for taxes due in fall 2023 and in spring 2024. The bill eliminated multi-residential as a property tax classification.

In doing so, however, no corresponding changes were made to the section of Iowa Code that defines the mathematical formula used to calculate the number used to establish the statewide taxable value for each property class subject to taxation by cities, counties, school districts, community colleges and other taxing entities

The result: A higher percentage for residential property as a whole, because former multi-residential was included, said Julie Roisen, with the Iowa Department of Revenues local government services division. She said the department didnt catch the oversight until October, when staff calculated the property tax rollback rate.

The rate is set annually by the department and is designed to cap the total taxable value for homes and farms from increasing more than 3%. If aggregate property values for homes and farms increase more than 3%, their taxable values are rolled back so that the total increase statewide is 3%.

With former multi-residential erroneously included, staff calculated a rollback rate of 56.5%  compared to what should be 54.6%.

While that could be an unexpected relief for taxpayers, it could mean local governments have to scramble to find money to support the public services they planned.

To fix the oversight, the governors office and the Department of Revenue filed a bill in the Senate that carves out all former multi-residential properties from calculating the property tax rollback rate for 2022 residential property tax assessments.

With cities and counties in the throes of setting their budgets to take effect July 1, the error by the state has thrown the process into disarray and may cause cities, counties and school boards to either lose millions of dollar they planned on  or raise tax rates more than they wanted.

And the clocks ticking to make a fix.

In order for the state and the county auditor to have the necessary time to administer the levying of property taxes, cities and counties are required to have their budgets approved and certified to the state and county auditor by March 31. School districts are required to have their budgets set by April 15.

The bill is scheduled for a subcommittee hearing Monday.

It is important for taxpayers and local governments to have clarity regarding the residential and multi-residential assessment rollback, said Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, who chairs the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

Dawson said the committee will begin to evaluate the governors proposal and continue our work to protect the taxpayer.

The bill, if passed, takes effect upon enactment and requires the Department of Revenue, within two business, to issue an amended order certifying to the auditor of each county the percentages of actual value at which all property is subject to taxation.

My initial take is this that it will be very detrimental to local communities, said Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, ranking member of the Iowa Senates committee on tax policy. One county auditor, Jochum said, told her the bill would lead that county to increase is tax rate 29 cents to maintain current tax dollars. If not, county revenue would drop by $1.1 million.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man has been arrested after he twice assaulted his girlfriend Thursday.

Police allege Jakwone Rajion Watkins, 26, pulled the woman from her home shortly after she returned from the hospital following the first attack. Officers found them at a nearby convenience store.

Watkins was arrested for third-degree kidnapping, willful injury causing serious injury, domestic assault and violation of a no contact order. Bond was set at $75,000.

Authorities allege the first assault came shortly after midnight while the two were at a home in the 3200 block of Bristol Road. She attempted to leave during an argument, and he allegedly pulled her hair and threw her to the floor.

She was punched in the head and kicked, and when she attempted to stand up, he jumped on top of her and bit her face, arms and back, according to court records.

The woman fled outside and a neighbor intervened, stopping the attack.

A relative took her to the hospital for treatment, and Watkins allegedly sent her a Facebook message threatening to kill her and her children. He also allegedly damaged another womans Kia Sorento parked on Bristol, record state.

The attack left the womans face bruised and eyes swollen to the point she had trouble seeing. Injuries to her right leg made it difficult to walk.

She was later dropped off at her home where Watkins returned and demanded to see her, records state. When she attempted to talk him into leaving, he snatched her by the arm and led her out of the house, records state.

It was 12 degree outside and the woman didnt have shoes or a coat. She was taken about three blocks to the Kwik Star on West Ninth Street. Police arrived a short time later and Watkins was taken into custody without further incident.

Court records indicate Watkins is currently on probation on domestic violence charges. They stemming from a June incident where he punched the same woman in the face four or five times and stomped on her ankle, breaking it, as well as a May incident where he allegedly kicked in her door and then punched and bit her.
WELLSBURG  Four people were killed Friday morning  three of them young children  when the driver of a 15-passenger van lost control in icy conditions on U.S. Highway 20 in Grundy County.

Four of 14 occupants were ejected from the vehicle. None was wearing a seatbelt or was in a child restraint.

The Iowa State Patrol reported Saturday that Ervin J. Borntreger, 22, Emma Borntreger, 4, Rebecca Borntreger, 2, and Marlin Borntreger, 1, died in the 6:35 a.m. crash.

Injured in the accident were Mahlon Borntreger, 27, who was taken to Grundy County Memorial Hospital; Fannie Borntreger, 25, transported to Grundy County Memorial Hospital; Edna Borntreger, 21, taken to University of Iowa Hospitals; Jacob Borntreger, 1, taken to Grundy County Memorial Hospital; and Joseph Borntreger, 1, taken to University of Iowa Hospitals.

Also injured were Mary Herschberger, 29, transported to MercyOne Medical Center in Waterloo; and Jacob Jake Herschberger, 26, taken to Grundy County Memorial Hospital. All of the victims are from Delhi, a city in Delaware County.

An earlier report listed Ervin Borntreger, 3, of Delhi, as being taken to Grundy County Memorial Hospital.

The driver of the 2002 Chevy Express van was Sara E. Werner, 33, of Hopkinton, also in Delaware County.

No other names of those injured or killed have been released. The State Patrol previously reported that an adult and three children under 5 were killed and multiple others were injured.

The State Patrol reported that the single-vehicle accident happened as the van was westbound near the Wellsburg exit and mile marker 189. The driver lost control on 100% snow- and ice-covered roads and the vehicle entered the median. The van rolled over, ejecting four occupants, and came to rest in the eastbound lanes.

Numerous area agencies assisted at the scene. The crash remains under investigation.

Photos: Homicide, Dawson Street, Jan. 26, 2023 012623jr-homicide-dawson-1 012623jr-homicide-dawson-3 012623jr-homicide-dawson-2 012623jr-homicide-dawson-4 012623jr-homicide-dawson-5 012623jr-homicide-dawson-6
DANA POINT, Calif.  Ronna McDaniel has become the longest serving leader of the Republican National Committee since the Civil War. But now, she must confront a modern-day civil war within the GOP.

Frustrated Republicans from state capitals to Capitol Hill to the luxury Southern California hotel where RNC members gathered this past week are at odds over how to reverse six years of election disappointments. And while there are many strong feelings, there is no consensus even among the fighting factions about the people, policies or political tactics they should embrace.

On one side: a growing number of elected officials eager to move beyond the divisive politics and personality of former President Donald Trump despite having no clear alternative. And on the other: the GOP's vocal "Make America Great Again" wing, which has no cohesive agenda yet is quick to attack the status quo in both parties.

"It will be extraordinarily difficult, if not near impossible, for Ronna McDaniel to put the pieces back together," said Republican fundraiser Caroline Wren, a leading voice in the coalition of far-right activists, conservative media leaders and local elected officials across the country who fought and failed to defeat McDaniel. "These people are not just going to forget."

Indeed, as RNC members packed up from the Waldorf Astoria ballroom Friday, there was broad agreement that McDaniel's reelection alone would do little to heal the gaping divide that plagues their party, even as she celebrated a notably decisive reelection victory.

Trump quickly congratulated McDaniel on his social media platform after privately helping her campaign. But conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a Trump loyalist, likened McDaniel's successful reelection to a "middle finger" for the GOP's grassroots who demanded change at the institution that leads the party's political activities.

"The country club won today," Kirk said from the back of the Waldorf Astoria ballroom where RNC members from across the country voted to give McDaniel another two-year term. "So, the grassroots of people that can't afford to buy a steak and are struggling to make ends meet, they just got told by their representatives at an opulent $900-a-night hotel that, 'We hate you.'"

A similar sentiment roiled the Republican Party earlier in the month on Capitol Hill as Kevin McCarthy struggled through days of embarrassing defeats in his quest to become House speaker before acquiescing to the demands of the anti-establishment MAGA fringe.

McCarthy's inability to control the hardline Trump loyalists in his conference now threatens to undermine a high-stakes vote on the nation's debt limit that could send shockwaves through the U.S. economy if not resolved soon. So far, House Republicans haven't articulated a specific set of demands.

Some see the Republican divide as a byproduct of the GOP's years-long embrace of Trumpism, a political ideology defined by its relentless focus on a common enemy and a willingness to fight that perceived foe no matter the cost.

McDaniel has repeatedly highlighted the perils of GOP infighting as she campaigned for an unprecedented fourth term as RNC chair. On Friday, she pleaded for Republican unity while citing a Bible verse once used by former President Abraham Lincoln before the Civil War.

"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand,'" McDaniel said from the ballroom podium. "Nothing we do is more important than making sure that Joe Biden is a one-term president. But in order to do that, we have to be unified."

It may get worse before it gets better.

The conclusion of the RNC's winter meeting marks the unofficial beginning of the 2024 presidential primary season. Trump has already launched his candidacy and promises to wage a fierce campaign against any would-be Republican competitors.

The RNC is in the process of scheduling the first Republican presidential primary debates, which will likely take place in Milwaukee, the site of the party's next national convention, in late July or early August.

While he has been slow to hit the campaign trail since announcing a 2024 bid last November, Trump has events in New Hampshire and South Carolina this weekend. Sensing political weakness in the former president, as many as a dozen high-profile Republicans are expected to line up against him in the coming months.

Should he fail to clinch the GOP's next presidential nomination, Trump has already dangled the possibility of a third-party presidential bid, which would all but ensure Democrats win the White House again in 2024.

New Hampshire-based RNC member Juliana Bergeron reflected upon the state of her party as she prepared to take a red-eye flight back home to attend Trump's Saturday appearance. The New Hampshire GOP is working through its own bitter leadership feud.

"The party in New Hampshire is divided. The party nationally is divided. I just think there's a lot of space between the far right and some of the rest of us," Bergeron said.

"I think it's over," she said when asked about Trump. "I want to see a new generation out there."

And there are some signs that Trump's MAGA movement may be ready to move on as well. Some privately acknowledged that Trump had lost control of his own movement, which worked to defeat McDaniel even as the former president and his lieutenants tried to help her.

"The hard work now begins for bringing our party together," said former Trump chief of staff Reince Priebus, a former RNC chair who backed McDaniel's reelection. "This isn't going to be easy."

Photos: Scenes from historic speaker vote of 118th Congress
Hundreds packed Grace Church in Reno to celebrate the life of local philanthropist Evelyn Mount.

The celebration of Mount's life included singing, laughs and more than half a dozen speakers.

People who attended the memorial remember Mount as a woman of faith who was also a force of nature.

For decades, Mount held food drives out of her home in Cannan Street to make sure people didn't go hungry around the holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter.

The longtime local philanthropist died at age 96 on December 23rd.

The family has set up a GoFundMe account if you'd like to make a donation:

(December 23, 2022) Today we lost one of the most beloved members of the Reno family - Evelyn Mount.

A family friend close to Evelyn tells us she passed away peacefully.

Year, after year, after year, Evelyn Mount made sure people in this community didn't go hungry.

Inside her garage, at 2530 Cannan Street in Reno, one woman changed the lives of tens of thousands of people for four decades.

Evelyn Mount began her charitable work in Reno in 1979, but her life of giving actually begins much earlier than that.

"Growing up as a little girl on the farm, I was raised this way. They were always helping the neighbors before we could eat ourselves, we had to take the food to them."

So she did...Mount turned her garage into a makeshift food bank, started what was called the Evelyn Mount Community Outreach Program, and made sure her Reno neighbors never went hungry.

"People are very badly in need and I just feel so sad for them. They're very badly in need. And even the kids will come to the door and ask for food and fruits and stuff like that."

From fruits to veggies, pastas to potatoes, and tuna to turkeys...

"I'm begging people to please bring the turkeys and turkey parts in, to put in the food bags for the people."

She collected meaningful donations from helpful members of the community and then turned those donations into bagged meals with the helpful hands of volunteers.

"People don't have anything for the holidays. And we have to give it to them. I mean we have it. That goes for Christmas and Thanksgiving and all."

And it wasn't just a warm meal people would line up for.

When she wasn't helping put food on the table for the holidays, she was putting together Easter baskets for kids.

"I always say thank you to the person who always makes it awesome and incredible for all the kids. They get so excited and very happy of course."

"You see how happy they are. They're just so happy and the kids are excited because they can come in and they can get their baskets."

And it was that happiness, that brought her happiness for so long.

The people of Reno and Sparks and the surrounding areas has really been wonderful to me and I just thank God for them."

It wasn't until 2018, at the age of 93, that Mount's health pushed her into retirement.

But even then, as she finally took a step back to focus on her own well-being - one thing remained the same.

And that was the place where she helped to feed countless lives who would have otherwise gone without - the place she called home.

"When God calls me home, I want him to call me home right from Reno."

The Evelyn Mount Northeast Community Center, located at 1301 Valley Road is named after her and serves the northeast community of Reno. EMNECC has a year-round pool, fitness center, gymnasium, teen room, and meeting rooms.

Governor Steve Sisolak released the following statement on Mount's passing:

Kathy and I are deeply saddened to hear Evelyn Mount has died. She embodied the Battle Born spirit and was a celebrated and dedicated philanthropist. Every year, she and a group of volunteers collected food donations to help feed those in need. May she Rest In Peace.

Reno Mayor Hilliary Schieve released the following statement on Mount's passing:

Our entire community is heartbroken to hear of the news of Evelyns passing, what a blessing she was and will always be to our community.

Her tremendous legacy will live on forever in our hearts and in our city through the Evelyn Mount Community Center. She fed thousands of people over the years, and touched countless lives, especially during the holidays.

Let this holiday season be a true reminder of Evelyns generosity and the importance of serving others with gratitude. From the entire City of Reno we will miss her dearly. She forever will be a true icon of northern Nevadaalways loved and never forgotten."

U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto released the following statement on Mount's passing:

"Evelyn was a Reno icon who always led with warmth, spirit, and tenacity. She helped thousands of Nevadans, and I know her legacy will live on. Paul and I are sending our prayers to her family and loved ones."

Nevada Governor-elect Joe Lombardo released the following statement on Mount's passing:

Donna and I were saddened to hear of the passing of Reno philanthropist Evelyn Mount today. Evelyns heart for serving and uplifting others made a tremendous impact in northern Nevada, and we know that Evelyns spirit of generosity and legacy of kindness will continue to live on in our community and our state.

Governor-Elect Joe Lombardo released the following statement on Mount's passing:

Donna and I were saddened to hear of the passing of Reno philanthropist Evelyn Mount today. Evelyns heart for serving and uplifting others made a tremendous impact in northern Nevada, and we know that Evelyns spirit of generosity and legacy of kindness will continue to live on in our community and our state."
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. &&
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The United Nations recognizes 193 member states. Additionally, it recognizes what it calls observer states, which are the Vatican City and Palestine. The Encyclopedia Britannica lists 196 nations, including the Vatican City, Taiwan, and Kosovo. Most countries in the world allow for foreign embassies on their soil.

Embassies help countries communicate with each other to solve problems and address issues of mutual benefit. They represent the interests of the foreign government and foreign citizens in the country. I have been fortunate to have visited embassies in Asia, North America, Europe, and Latin America.

The U.S. has 185 embassies or foreign missions in Washington, D.C. In contrast, the small country of Bhutan only has diplomatic relations with Bangladesh and India. Vatican City (44 hectares of total area) and Lichtenstein (61 square miles) are countries so small that they do not have foreign embassies on their soil. However, they work through foreign diplomats assigned to their countries.

Looking up the term diplomat in a dictionary leads to two general definitions. The first is a person who is skilled at dealing with other people, and the second is an official representing a country abroad. Both sides of the definition accurately describe diplomatic officials I have met or worked with throughout my career. An ambassador is in charge of an embassy; however, he/she will be assigned diplomats who work for him/her in fields such as cultural affairs, commerce, security and health. Most diplomats tend to be well-educated, well-spoken, and knowledgeable about the country to which they have been assigned. This is a given, as countries do not want to station people abroad who are apt to cause problems or international incidents.

During my career, I have met and talked with five Mexican ambassadors to the U.S. and two U.S. ambassadors to Mexico. I have met ambassadors of the European Union (EU). One visit with an ambassador from Spain still stands out in my mind. During our conversation, he was brutally frank about the problems the EU is facing in generating entrepreneurship in major EU countries, as well as the feeling of entitlement in certain member countries that is putting a strain on productivity, and thus their economies. I have also met with Russian, U.K., Japanese, Canadian, Venezuelan, Costa Rican and Colombian diplomats, I have worked on projects with people who eventually became diplomats, and Ive served with retired diplomats on various foundations.

Two recent events caused me to think deeply about diplomats. The first was a meeting I hosted in my office with two Chinese diplomats who were stationed at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, one of which was at his second posting at that embassy. He has a total of 20 years representing the Chinese government in the U.S. The meeting covered a myriad of subjects. Of particular interest to them was how the Borderplex region of New Mexico, Texas, and Chihuahua interacted. However, the visit eventually turned to a discussion of U.S.-China relations, and the current trade war in which both countries are currently engaged.

The diplomats and I agreed that it was unfortunate that the relationship between our two countries had deteriorated to the point that we are now engaged in a fully-fledged trade war. They recounted to me several exporters from China that had been severely affected by the tariffs that the U.S. was imposing on Chinese imports. I told them about companies I know in the border region that also had lost business because of the trade war. In the end, we hoped that our two governments would better communicate and cooperate. We agreed that this was not only important for China and the U.S., but for the security and welfare of the entire world.

The second diplomatic trigger was reconnecting with Akihisa Inagaki, who was lent in the 1990s to the states of Arizona and New Mexico by the Japan External Trade Organization, which promotes mutual trade and investment between Japan and the rest of the world. Andy, as we would call him, worked hard to develop relations between these two U.S. states and his country. Like other diplomats, he was polished and extremely knowledgeable about his subject matter. He served as a mentor to me in my early career, teaching me business manners, how to dress, and conduct international business. I am forever indebted for his guidance.

After he retired from his private company in Japan, I lost touch with him. I tried to find his contact information, but to no avail. A few days ago, I received an international letter from Andy. He told me that he Googled me on Christmas Day and found my contact information. I gave him my email address and we are now chatting frequently  he from Tokyo and me from Santa Teresa, New Mexico. I told him that reconnecting with him was the best Christmas gift I could have been given.

Jerry Pacheco is the executive director of the International Business Accelerator, a nonprofit trade counseling program of the New Mexico Small Business Development Centers Network. He can be reached at 575-589-2200 or at jerry@nmiba.com.<br>
Bernalillo County commissioners refocused their planning priorities this week on Atrisco Vista Boulevard NW as a key corridor for growth and development in the northwestern quadrant of the county.

Commissioners voted 4-0 on Tuesday to approve a resolution adding the Atrisco Vista corridor to the countys regional transportation infrastructure priorities.

Commissioners also voted 4-0 to rescind a 2020 resolution that identified Paseo del Volcan  a north-south corridor about two miles west of Atrisco Vista  as a priority for the county. Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada was absent during the vote.

I think its important to ask for realistic priorities, said Commissioner Barbara Baca, who asked the board to approve the change. Atrisco Vista is ready for construction and Paseo del Volcan is not. Its better planning.

Atrisco Vista is envisioned as a principal north-south artery in the northwest Albuquerque metro. It is now a nine-mile, two-lane road from Central Avenue north to Paseo del Norte with an interchange at Interstate 40. The roadway serves the Double Eagle II airport and provides access to several large neighborhoods off Paseo del Norte.

A 2019 planning study called for widening Atrisco Vista from Double Eagle II north to Paseo del Norte and extending the road north to Southern Boulevard west of Rio Rancho.

Bernalillo County this year is seeking $5 million in capital outlay funding during the 60-day legislative session to pay for improvements to the Atrisco Vista corridor, county spokeswoman Tia Bland said. The county also plans to apply for federal grant funding for the project.

Atrisco Vista gained importance in recent years after Amazon announced plans in 2020 to build a fulfillment and distribution center at I-40 and Atrisco Vista. Commissioners that year approved $6.5 million in infrastructure upgrades at the site in preparation for the 2.5 million-square-foot facility just north of I-40.

The 2020 decision to declare Paseo del Volcan a county priority was contentious. The proposed 37-mile roadway  under discussion for decades  would connect US 550 to I-40, creating a four-lane bypass that would cover a vast swath of the West Mesa.

Commissioner Quezada at that time proposed making it a priority for the county to seek legislative funding for the project. Quezadas bill passed on a 3-2 vote. The boards action Tuesday rescinded it.

Then-Commissioner Debbie OMalley opposed Quezadas measure, calling Paseo del Volcan an example of leapfrog development that benefited a few private land owners, including Western Albuquerque Land Holdings, which owns the land slated for the massive Santolina development. Atrisco Vista mattered more, OMalley said.

Baca, who succeeded OMalley, said the county needs to make clear that extending Atrisco Vista is more important at this juncture.

We need to build our infrastructure where our current residents are first, Baca said.

In a related matter, the New Mexico Department of Transportation filed a condemnation lawsuit Jan. 12 intended to lock up state ownership of rights-of-way for an interchange at Paseo del Volcan and I-40.

The proposed interchange is located about two miles west of Atrisco Vista, at the doorstep of the Santolina development.

The state agency has been unable to agree on an appropriate price for the properties with owners, including Bernalillo County and others named as defendants in the suit. The suit asks a 2nd Judicial District Court judge to award the state fee-simple title to the properties.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Native American leaders said creating a special $50 million trust fund to help finance educational programs within tribal communities in New Mexico, where there are the lowest rates of reading and math proficiency in the country, would be a big step toward improving outcomes for their students.

The leaders packed a legislative committee room Friday at the state Capitol, with many testifying that the proposed trust fund would be an investment in their people and a signal to students that the state believes in them.

Laguna Pueblo Gov. Wilfred Herrera Jr. pointed to a landmark education lawsuit that centered on the states failures to provide an adequate education to at-risk students, including Native Americans, English language learners, students with disabilities and those from low-income families. Those groups make up a majority of the states student population.

In the nearly five years since the court ruled the state was falling short of its constitutional obligations, Herrera said legislative efforts and funding allocations to address the public education systems deficiencies have been piecemeal.

I liken this to putting away resources for our children for the future, he said of the proposed trust fund. If we do things right and manage it, administer it, let it grow, we stand to achieve things.

New Mexico ranks last in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math. The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress revealed just 21% of fourth-graders could read at grade level and fewer than 1 in 5 students could do grade-level math. For eighth-graders, proficiencies in reading and math were even more dismal.

Supporters also pointed out when asked by lawmakers that Native American students have the lowest graduation rates among their New Mexico peers.

Democratic Rep. Derrick Lente of Sandia Pueblo, one of the bills sponsors, said the trust fund would be established with a one-time allotment of state money. After a couple of years of earning interest, annual disbursements starting with the 2025 fiscal year could help tribes build their own educational programs.

Siting New Mexicos financial windfall, Lente said: This is the time to do it.

The idea is for tribes to put the money toward programs they believe would have the most benefits for students, he said, rather than have the state dictate how the money is spent.

Many of the Native American leaders and librarians who work with tribal communities said one focus would be on revitalizing Native languages and weaving cultural heritage into lessons.

A separate measure that also won the committees approval Friday would amend the Indian Education Act to funnel 50% of the states Indian education fund to New Mexico tribes. Tribes would be able to carry over unused allocations.

In the landmark case known as Yazzie v. Martinez, the court pointed to low graduation rates, dismal student test proficiencies and high college remediation rates as indicators of how New Mexico was not meeting its constitutional obligation to ensure all students were college and career ready.

The court suggested public school funding levels, financing methods and oversight by the state Public Education Department were deficient. However, the court stopped short of prescribing specific remedies, and deferred decisions on how to meet obligations to lawmakers and the executive branch.

The education department last year shared with tribal leaders a draft plan to address the ruling, but many leaders said at the time it would not be enough.

In recent weeks, education officials with Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grishams administration confirmed they still were working to finalize the plan.

Supporters of the Native education bills say the intent is to encourage tribes to plan, design and implement their own community-based education programs to complement what children are learning in school.

The proposed trust fund comes just after U.S. Interior Secretary Debra Haaland visited New Mexico, where she grew up and is an enrolled Laguna Pueblo member, on the yearlong Road to Healing tour for victims and survivors of abuse at government-backed boarding schools.

Tribal communities have the experts and I think we owe that to the pueblos to decide how they want to implement their programs, said Rep. Yanira Gurrola, who has worked as a bilingual teacher. And I think hopefully this will be something that sets a precedent for communities.
Copyright  2023 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  David Scrase  who led the state Human Services Department and emerged as the face of New Mexicos response to the COVID-19 pandemic  is leaving the administration of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and will formally retire next month.

The Governors Office confirmed the abrupt departure Friday, saying Scrase is already on leave due to a family emergency. His last official day on the job will be Feb. 24.

The departure of Scrase, one of the governors longest-serving and most high-profile Cabinet secretaries, continues a spate of turnovers as she moves into her second term. It also comes at a critical time for the administration, with the 60-day legislative session underway.

In a statement, the Democratic governor thanked Scrase for his service and described him as a valued member of state leadership since she took office in 2019.

Whats more, his work at HSD has benefited hundreds of thousands of low-income New Mexico families, delivering critical supports and services, Lujan Grisham said, referring to Scrases work overseeing the joint federal-state Medicaid program that, among others, provides health coverage to roughly 970,000 state residents.

Scrase is the second Cabinet secretary this week to announce plans to leave the administration. General Services Secretary John Garcia is set to leave Feb. 3 after just over a year on the job.

The leaders of the departments of Finance and Administration, Indian Affairs and Veterans Services have also stepped down over the past several months.

In addition to Cabinet turnover, the Lujan Grisham administration has over the past seven days announced the departures of several other state officials  Victor Reyes, deputy superintendent of regulation and licensing; New Mexico Medicaid Program Director Nicole Comeaux; and Behavioral Health Collaborative Chief Executive Officer Bryce Pittenger.

Senate Minority Leader Greg Baca, R-Belen, called the level of turnover problematic.

The state, he pointed out, is on its third public education secretary under Lujan Grisham and its third health secretary  not counting the time Scrase temporarily also led the health agency.

Its alarming the number of secretaries who have left during her administration, Baca told the Journal. You lose the institutional knowledge every time someone leaves.

Senate President Pro Tem Mimi Stewart, D-Albuquerque, said she was sad to see Scrase leave. But she said turnover isnt necessarily unusual for Cabinet secretaries serving demanding roles.

For a second term of a governor, its pretty normal to see some departures, Stewart said. These are very tough jobs with long hours.

As for Scrase, she credited him with helping steer New Mexico through the pandemic, saying, He was a face of calm and reason.

Rep. Liz Thomson, D-Albuquerque, chair of the House Health and Human Services Committee, said Scrase did a great job under high pressure, adding she understands his decision to retire.

I know the governor is a tough boss, Thomson said, while also saying the governor works hard herself.

Not your average job

After confirming Scrases imminent departure, Lujan Grisham spokeswoman Nora Meyers Sackett said the governors first term included unique challenges outside of our control.

The governor, she said, is thankful for the service of Cabinet members, and the sacrifices they and their families have made.

These are not your average 9 to 5 jobs  they require a high level of dedication and come with the highest level of responsibility, Sackett said Friday. That said, it is not uncommon that many administrations see turnover after the first term, especially given the extreme demands of Cabinet-level positions.

Scrase did double duty for much of the past year, simultaneously leading both the Human Services Department and the Department of Health, in the capacity of acting secretary, for nearly a year-and-a-half before Lujan Grisham appointed former Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen to take over the post in December.

In addition to overseeing the states Medicaid program, the Human Services Department also monitors other safety-net programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps, and cash assistance for low-income families.

The agency is currently in the process of issuing a new contract to run the states Medicaid program, which will be known as Turquoise Care, with health insurance companies invited to submit bids last fall for contracts that will begin in 2024.

Human Services Department Deputy Secretary Kari Armijo will serve as the agencys interim leader, given Scrases departure, the Governors Office said Friday.

New Mexicos Dr. Fauci

Due to his medical background and prominent Cabinet post, Scrase became a recognizable figure during the pandemic and appeared regularly with the governor at news briefings.

He was described by Lujan Grisham in 2020 as our very own New Mexico Dr. Fauci  a reference to former National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci.

A former health care system executive, a published author and a public speaker, Scrase was the primary physician for the governors late parents.

He also continued seeing patients, on a pro bono basis, at least twice a month since the governor picked him to run the Human Services Department after she won election in 2018, though he put that practice on hold during the pandemic.

The only licensed physician in Lujan Grishams Cabinet, Scrase said in a 2020 interview that he felt his career had prepared him for the COVID-19 pandemic.

I do feel like everything Ive done in my career has kind of prepared me for this moment, Scrase said at the time.
Copyright  2023 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Legislators turned to a computer scientist and other experts Friday as they plunged into the debate over whether New Mexico releases too many defendants who go on to commit new crimes.

They enlisted the expert help to zero in on an analytical tool considered by judges as they make decisions on whether to hold a defendant in jail and what conditions to impose if the person is released while awaiting trial.

The scrutiny focused on the Arnold Tool, which analyzes the likelihood a defendant will, if released, show up for court hearings and avoid new criminal charges.

No easy answers emerged.

Nobody out there is very good at predicting crime, computer scientist Cristopher Moore of the Santa Fe Institute said. That is true of humans. That is true of algorithms.

But Paul Guerin, director of the Center for Applied Research and Analysis at the University of New Mexico, said the Arnold Tool proved accurate during a study validating its performance in Bernalillo County. In other words, the people rated as the highest risk were the most likely to fail to appear or commit a new crime, and other methods of evaluating risk were more error prone.

This tool  the public safety assessment  more accurately predicts failure than these other methods.  The tool is accurate, Guerin said.

Moore and Guerin were among the experts called on during a three-hour hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, an influential panel with the power to shape, or block, crime legislation this session.

Sen. Joseph Cervantes, a Las Cruces Democrat and chairman of the committee, set the agenda, signaling that the Arnold Tool will be a focus for lawmakers as they weigh strategies for addressing crime.

He made it clear hes skeptical of proposals favored by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and some legislators to overhaul New Mexicos pretrial law more directly to make it easier to hold more defendants in jail while they await trail.

He questioned whether the proposals  often referred to as rebuttable presumption bills  would violate peoples civil rights.

Cervantes suggested instead that the judiciarys use of the Arnold Tool is in for scrutiny.

This is a tool thats not established in statute, he said. Its not a tool we as legislators have adopted or created.

Prosecutors and public defenders in Fridays hearing clashed over the impact of the Arnold Tool.

Court administrators repeatedly said the tool doesnt make a recommendation on whether to release someone. Instead, it suggests the level of supervision  such as GPS monitoring and drug tests  if a court determines release is appropriate.

Judges are trained in how to use the tool, court officials said, and they understand it isnt a recommendation of release or detention.

But Arthur Pepin, director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, acknowledged the public and others outside the criminal justice system may have a different view of the Arnold Tool.

It is gravely misunderstood, he said.

Lawmakers heard mixed testimony on the tools role in judicial decision-making.

Adolfo Mendez, special counsel for the state Attorney Generals Office, described it as influential.

A strong indicator of whether an individual is going to be detained isnt necessarily their history, he said, but which judge theyre getting and how theyre interpreting the score.

Jonathan Ibarra, senior trial attorney for the Law Offices of the Public Defender, disputed that the Arnold Tool is decisive. Judges, he said, understand they must review each case individually  including an examination of factors outside the scope of the tool  before deciding whether to jail a defendant who hasnt been convicted.

Every single one of them will go contrary to the (public safety assessment) in a case where they think they need to do that  every single one of them, Ibarra said.

Sen. Mark Moores, R-Albuquerque, said he wasnt convinced by assurances about the accuracy of the Arnold Tool.

Our constituents in Bernalillo County are incredibly frustrated, he said. You cant tell me the system is working right now.
Two men are scheduled for arraignment Monday on charges including murder, kidnapping and robbery in the 2020 shooting death of 33-year-old Antonio Jaramillo in Northwest Albuquerque, court records show.

Both men  Walter Eddings Jr., 39, and Gabriel Blea, 25  previously were arrested by FBI agents on federal firearms charges.

A third suspect was arrested last year in connection with Jaramillos death.

Reyanon Peaches Duncan, 35, was charged in September with an first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, aggravated burglary and conspiracy. No trial has been scheduled in Duncans case.

On Dec. 16, 2020, police responded to reports of a shooting in the 2600 block of Eighth NW, north of Menaul, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

Jaramillos roommate told police he had gone out to get food and returned to find Jaramillo tied up and shot in the head, the complaint said.

The roommate said he saw a woman and two men leaving the home as he returned, the complaint said. All three were caught on security video at the home, it said.

Eddings and Blea each are charged in 2nd Judicial District Court on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, tampering and conspiracy in Jaramillos death.

Both men also face federal charges in U.S. District Court of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Those charges remain pending.

Blea was charged in May 2021 on federal charges of distribution of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

FBI agents arrested Blea on May 5, 2021, after he allegedly arrived at a motel in the 2100 block of Yale SE carrying a backpack with suspected methamphetamine and fentanyl and carrying a pistol in his waistband, according to a federal criminal complaint.

Eddings was charged in January 2022 on a federal charge of felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

Eddings was arrested on Jan. 31, 2022, after federal agents saw him leaving a motel in the 1500 block of Candelaria NE in possession of an AK-47-style rifle, according to a federal criminal complaint.
A wrong-way driver was killed after crashing his car into a pickup truck Saturday morning on the West Side.

Albuquerque Police Department spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said the driver of the truck, a woman, was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, while the man driving the wrong way died at the scene.

Gallegos said an officer was traveling south on Unser around 7 a.m. and witnessed the crash.

He said the officer saw a gold car turn left from Vista Alegre NW and head south in the northbound lanes of Unser.

Gallegos said the officer was getting ready to radio in the wrong-way driver when he saw the car crash head-on into a truck, which was going north on Unser.

The APD spokesman said speed and alcohol were not factors on the part of the woman driving the truck.

It is unknown if the male driver of the Toyota Camry was intoxicated at the time of the crash, Gallegos said. No charges are pending at this time. The investigation is on-going.
Small-scale explosions inside one-foot cubes of plexiglass are helping Sandia National Laboratories scientists evaluate how to best use explosives and propellants to improve deep-underground geothermal energy development.

The labs Geothermal Research Group is using ultra-high-speed cameras that record the explosions at 1 million frames per second, plus specialized microphones to detect the sounds of tiny fractures as they form inside the plexiglass, which mimics many of the properties in rock.

The experiments are shedding more light on ways to steer and manage geothermal drilling operations that aim to crack open subsurface layers of hard granite, allowing developers to capture heat from underground hot-rock formations that can be used for electric generation, or for heating and cooling buildings and communities.

The current project is one of many research initiatives that Sandia has conducted for decades to improve drilling technology. Its experiments directly contributed in the past to modern industry methods that oil and gas companies use today to extract hydrocarbons from hard shale rock.

Geothermal energy developers are now applying those same methods to penetrate far deeper into the Earth than ever before, and Sandia wants to help make those efforts more efficient and less expensive, said Geothermal Research Group Manager Giorgia Bettin.

The big issue with geothermal development is cost and risk, Bettin told the Journal. Geothermal operations require large initial investments with a lot of risk, because its hard to know subsurface conditions, where to drill, and how to access those deep geothermal resources.

In the controlled-explosions project, Sandia is working with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which has extensive computer models of underground explosions based on decades of experiments that started with nuclear testing in the 1960s, said Lawrence Livermore computer model expert Oleg Vorobiev.

Eventually, the goal is to understand how to create fracture networks in hot, compressed granite at significant depths, Vorobiev said in a statement. This is very challenging, computationally, because events occur at different timescales. Shockwave propagation is very fast compared with microfracture formation caused by explosive gasses.

Sandia is working with many other national labs as well to advance geothermal technology, with financing from the U.S. Department of Energys Geothermal Technologies Office.

Its a group effort across the national lab complex, Bettin said. Were all working as a team because we understand how important this research is.

That includes development of advanced tools, sensors and methodologies to characterize subsurface conditions, determine temperatures, and pinpoint hot-zone locations.

Its data fusion, combining different methodologies for new ways to assess conditions and get higher resolutions of what the subsurface looks like, Bettin said. It includes a lot of software development and data analysis.

New methods and tools can help optimize drilling operations with real-time down-hole data.

Live data streams can allow drillers to analyze operations on the spot, Bettin said. It can tell them if theyre drilling in optimal zones or if they need to alter the operation.

Past Sandia research paved the way for development of high-temperature-resistant drilling tools, such as a specially designed and lubricated down-hole hammer needed for deep-underground drilling. The lab created a special high operating temperature, or HOT, test facility for that research that includes a 20-foot-tall drill rig, a heating chamber and a process gas heater to simulate underground conditions.

Such research is critical to move modern geothermal energy development forward, something new legislation introduced in this years session in Santa Fe by Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, D-Albuquerque, aims to increase through local entities.

The bill, SB 8, would establish a $10 million state fund to make grants of up to $250,000 for New Mexico universities, state agencies and tribal governments to study the costs and benefits of geothermal projects, plus $15 million for low-cost loans for public and private entities. It would also authorize $600,000 in annual funding for the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department to oversee grant and loan applications and promote development, plus $500,000 in annual funding for a new center of excellence at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro.

The funding will help EMNRD to pursue federal grants for geothermal research and development, said Tom Solomon, an environmentalist who facilitated a geothermal working group that Ortiz y Pino established last year. The group identified more than $600 million in federal assistance available for geothermal development nationwide.

We need state-level matching funds to obtain federal assistance, Solomon told the Journal. Thats why we put the geothermal funding into the bill to leverage federal dollars.

If approved, the new center of excellence could allow NM Tech to significantly expand its research on New Mexicos subsurface geothermal resource potential, said Shari Kelly, a senior geophysicist with the state Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources. It would also support new geothermal-related education and training opportunities for students, plus collaborative efforts among state universities and colleges to advance the industry.

New Mexico State University would directly participate in the center of excellence, complimenting NM Techs geological research with projects to further advance electronics, tools and machinery for deep-underground development, said NMSU Electrical Engineering Associate Professor Olga Larova.
Cover Images/Jennifer Graylock Celebrity

The 'Jay Leno's Garage' host, who suffered serious burns in car fire two months ago, refuses to stop riding motorcycles after breaking bones when falling off his motorcycle in Las Vegas earlier this month.

Jan 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - Jay Leno can't be stopped. The 72-year-old comedian, who is known for his love for cars and motorbikes, has been spotted out and about in town despite breaking his bones in a recent motorbike accident.

The former "The Tonight Show" host was spotted for the first time since the motorbike accident in Burbank. In footage obtained by TMZ, he was seen wearing an arm sling but was able to walk on his own when picking up food from Philly's Best. The clip was reportedly taken just one day after the accident.

Jay wore a blue long-sleeve shirt and light blue jeans during the outing. Besides the obvious broken collarbone that was shown with the presence of the arm sling, he didn't show signs of other significant injuries that affected his mobility.

Speaking to TMZ on Friday, January 27, Jay said he won't stop riding motorcycles despite his recent accident. He admitted that everyone keeps telling him to stop, but he insisted that "when you're 72, crashing a motorcycle is better than slipping in a walk-in bathtub." He further stressed, "Once men get past the age of 40 you can't teach them anything!"

Sharing more details of the accident, the "Jay Leno's Garage" host said he didn't even realize the extent of his injuries after he was flying off his motorcycle when he was clotheslined by an unmarked wife stretching across a parking lot. He said he drove himself to the doctor, where he was diagnosed with broken bones.

As for the bike, Jay said it kept going after he was knocked off, crashing into a building. The bike is currently at his famous Burbank garage and he plans on fixing it.

The funnyman said he's not going to sue whoever strung up the wire without hanging a flag from it, because he's not a "lawsuit guy."

Jay got into the motorbike accident on January 17. "That was the first accident. OK? Then just last week, I got knocked off my motorcycle. So I've got a broken collarbone. I've got two broken ribs. I've got two cracked kneecaps. But I'm OK! I'm working," he said when referring to the 2022 fire in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He suffered a "broken collarbone, two broken ribs and two cracked kneecaps" in the accident.

Back in November 2022, Jay suffered serious burns to his face and hands when a vehicle at his Los Angeles garage burst into flames. He was taken immediately to the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills Hospital in Los Angeles where he was treated for third-degree burns and spent 10 days receiving treatment, which included skin grafts from a skin bank.

Jay assured that he is recovering well from all his injuries and is set to make his return to the stage on March 31 at the Encore Theater at the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas.

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In a new interview, the Slaughter King appears to confirm that Drizzy's part in their collaboration song from their joint album 'Her Loss' is a diss against the Houston hottie.

Jan 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - 21 Savage has offered more details on "Circo Loco", his new collaboration track with Drake. In a new interview, the Slaughter King appeared to confirm that the song, released in late 2022, is about Megan Thee Stallion.

The Atlanta rapper, born Sheyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was asked by Complex to share his thoughts as the song got mixed reactions due to Drake's diss bars. In response, the 30-year-old emcee, who's named as the outlet's Best Rapper of 2022, said, "I don't feel like that was his intention [to diss Megan]."

"Remember when I said I was telling him to not hold back, people tried to twist that to make it seem like I was talking about that situation," 21 Savage continued. "That bar was more of, like, a joke bar than him trying to say something about her. But I don't really like speaking on people's situations because life be real."

Fans quickly rushed to Twitter to give their reactions to 21 Savage's comments. "So he just confirmed that the bar was about Megan," one user wrote. Someone else added, "So it was about her...[crying emoji]." A separate person said, "So first it wasn't about her now it is but it was a 'joke'?? be f**king real."

The track, from 21 Savage and Drake's joint album "Her Loss", sees Drizzy making an apparent reference not only to Megan but to the July 2020 shooting incident in which she was assaulted by Tory Lanez. "This b***h lie 'bout getting shots but she still a stallion," the Canadian rapper spits on the song. He continues, "Shorty say she graduated, she ain't learn enough/ Play your album track one, 'kay, I heard enough."

A few minutes following the song's release, Megan urged artists to stop using mentions of the shooting "for clout" in a series of furious tweets. The Houston hottie also said she's looking forward to when "the mf facts come out."

"Stop using my shooting for clout b***h a** N***as! Since when tf is it cool to joke abt women getting shot !" the Hot Girl Meg fumed. "You n***as especially RAP N***AS ARE LAME! Ready to boycott bout shoes and clothes but dog pile on a black woman when she say one of y'all homeboys abused her." She continued expressing her disgust as writing, "And when the mf facts come out remember all y'all h*e a** favorite rappers that stood behind a N***a that SHOT A FEMALE."

Afterwards, Meg's lawyer issued a statement that read, "Despite the irrefutable evidence that Megan was a victim of gun violence, the ignorant continue to support her attacker." The attorney further stressed, "I know many of the folks across the industry, but those people are going to look very silly when the facts fully come out."

Back in December, Megan scored a major victory in a felony trial against Tory over the shooting incident. Tory was found guilty of three counts in connection to the alleged shooting, including felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm, possession of a concealed, unregistered firearm and discharging a firearm with gross negligence.

Tory faces up to 22 years and eight months in prison as well as deportation to Canada. He's due to be sentenced on January 27 but the date has since been rescheduled to February 28 due to a change in his legal counsel.

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Joining POTUS in condemning the brutal violence by police are Vice President Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi, Martin Luther King Jr.'s children, actress Lynda Carter and rapper Moneybagg Yo among others.

Jan 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - President Joe Biden joins those who mourn the death of Tyre Nichols. Breaking his silence after footage of the police beat down that led to the 29-year-old's death was released, POTUS has condemned the brutal violence performed by officers in the video.

"My heart goes out to Tyre Nichols family and to Americans in Memphis and across the country who are grieving this tremendously painful loss," Biden tweeted on Friday, January 27. "There are no words to describe the heartbreak and grief of losing a beloved child and young father."

In his lengthy statement, the president admitted he "was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols' death." He continued, "It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day."

"The footage that was released this evening will leave people justifiably outraged. Those who seek justice should not to resort to violence or destruction," he added, before declaring, "Violence is never acceptable; it is illegal and destructive. I join Mr. Nichols' family in calling for peaceful protest."

Joining Biden in calling for a stop to police brutality, Vice President Kamala Harris released her own statement which read, "Tyre Nichols should have made it home to his family. Yet, once again, America mourns the life of a son and father brutally cut short at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve. The footage and images released tonight will forever be seared in our memories, and they open wounds that will never fully heal."

"The persistent issue of police misconduct and use of excessive force in America must end now," she pleaded. "I join President Biden in his call for accountability and transparency. We must build trust-not fear-within our communities."

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi tweeted, "My heart goes out to Tyre Nichols mother and their entire family. Tyre should be alive today. Justice must be done." She further implored, "We must reform policing. The House must, again, pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act - and this time, the Senate must advance it to the President."

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also weighed in on the issue, "The effort to separate the officers who murdered Tyre Nichols from the system of policing that produced them is palpable. Police killings in the US reached a record high in 2022. That has only been rewarded with more funding at the expense of schools, hospitals, housing, & more."

Martin Luther King Jr.'s son Martin Luther King III reacted as saying, "I am deeply disturbed by the video released by Memphis Police today. We all witnessed a horrific yet perversely familiar act committed by officers of the law. Everyone involved must be arrested & charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols. His family and our nation deserve justice."

His sister Bernice King, who is a lawyer, chimed in, "I am disgusted by the grotesquely inhumane treatment of #TyreNichols. I want elected officials, civic leaders, corporations & faith leaders to invest the same [even more] energy in preventing police brutality as they did in preparing for responses to a video of police brutality."

Actress Lynda Carter reacted to Bernice's statement, "What happened to #TyreNichols is an epidemic. We don't just need justice for one case, but the moral courage to change the system."

Social media personalities Brian Krassenstein and Ed Krassenstein echoed the sentiment, "This Tyre Nichols video should truly disgust every American. The vast majority of police are good people but Police brutality is a massive problem in this nation. Violence won't fix this but we need Justice for Tyre from the Memphis Police."

The duo further reminded people to protest in peace. "As people gather to protest this evening, remember this. Tyre Nichols would not want to be remembered by violence, destruction or riots," they added in a separate tweet.

Moneybagg Yo took to his Instagram page to show his support for Nichols' family. The rapper posted, "Praying for the family of Tyre Nichols, also praying for our city #JusticeForTyre."

Nichols was tased, pepper sprayed and beaten by five Memphis Police Department officers during a traffic stop on January 7. He was hospitalized in a critical condition and died three days later. The five officers, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith, who are all African-American, were fired from the police department, and two Memphis firefighters who responded to the scene were relieved of duty and ultimately fired.

On Friday, body-cam footage of the incident was released to the public. In the disturbing video, he told the cops that he was just trying to get home and repeatedly called for his mother while being beaten.

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The 'Star Trek' actor confirms he is back together with his former wife Elizabeth by making their official outing as a couple in Beverly Hills following their 2019 divorce.

Jan 28, 2023

AceShowbiz - William Shatner and Elizabeth Martin have rekindled their romance. The 91-year-old "Star Trek" actor and his 64-year-old spouse have decided to give their relationship another go, almost three years after they got divorced.

"My wife she is the zest of life. She brings the flavor," Shatner said to The Mirror. When quizzed what spice she could be compared to, William joked, "Mustard?" while Elizabeth said, "Cinnamon."

The couple made their first official outing as a couple since their reconciliation at the Living Legends of Aviation Awards in Beverly Hills. When asked if he is considered a living legend at home as well as at work, William replied, "Well, I think getting out of bed every morning and breathing I am, like, 'Wow'. I am a legend, I am breathing and I am still alive."

William and his fourth wife Elizabeth separated after 18 years of marriage in February 2019. They officially divorced the following year.

As part of the settlement, William kept his Studio City home and a ranch in Three Rivers, California, near Sequoia National Park. Elizabeth received their Malibu Cove home and their house in Versailles, Kentucky, along with a share of her family farm in Indiana. She also kept their 2015 Mercedes Benz ML65, 2007 BMW X5 and a 2004 Ford Explorer.

Shatner was married to his first wife, Gloria Rand, from 1956 to 1969 and they had three daughters Leslie, Lisabeth and Melanie, together. In 1973, he tied the knot with actress Marcy Lafferty before they divorced in 1996. In 1997, he married Nerine Kidd, who died aged 40 in 1999.

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CMS IT Services announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Mr. Sanjeev Singh as Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of the company effective 16 January 2023.

Commenting on the appointment of Mr. Sanjeev Singh, Mr. Mathew Cyriac, Chairman of the Board said, We are excited to welcome Sanjeev as the CEO & MD of CMS IT Services. Sanjeev has an exceptional leadership track record, strong exposure to Indian and Global markets, deep strategic expertise, a unique ability to forge long standing client relationships, and proven track record of driving transformation and turning around underperforming businesses. We believe that Sanjeev is the right person to lead CMS IT in its next phase of growth.

Commenting on his appointment, Sanjeev Singh said, Im honoured to be invited to lead CMS IT Services, an extraordinary company with deep technology heritage built on strong foundation of values. I look forward to working closely with Mathew, the Board, senior leadership and the highly talented employees of CMS IT to enter a new phase of growth and build a better tomorrow for all our stakeholders, including customers and employees.

Sanjeev will be based in Bangalore. Sanjeev joins CMS IT Services from Wipro Limited where he was Chief Operations Officer and a member of Wipro Executive Board. Till recently, he was a Member of CII Karnataka Council & Chairman of CII Karnataka CEO Forum. Before joining Wipro, Sanjeev was the CEO at Aegis Ltd for its India & Sri Lanka businesses, and did senior leadership stints at Mphasis and Genpact.

Sanjeev is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) and Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-K), where he was awarded the Gold Medal for academic excellence. He was recently awarded with the Distinguished Alumnus Award by his alma mater IIM-Kozhikode.
WhatsApp has been directed by the Delhi High Court to remove the groups which are illegally spreading the online edition of the newspapers which are owned by the Dainik Bhaskar Corp Limited. Justice Sanjeev Narula said in an order which was passed on December 24: A self evident case has been made by the complainant with the balance of convenience lying in favour of the complainant. Moreover an irreversible loss would happen in the case of an ex-parte order of directive not being granted  preventing the contravening Defedants from the illegal circulation and distribution of the e-newspaper of the plaintiff. The High Court has been approached by the publishers of Dainik Bhaskar and other newspapers, seeking directions to WhatsApp to get particular groups blocked which are apparently circulating the e-newspapers without proper authorisation. Previously in its response to a notice from DB Corp Ltd, WhatsApp had rejected the request to block certain groups seeking the production of a court order. The court was told that the access to its e-newspapers on a subscription basis through its mobile application and official website was provided by DB Corp. Dainik Bhaskar said before the court: The stated process of the digitization of publication required enough investment in the research and development and other resources for providing quality service as well as increasing the readership of the newspapers. A reader has the accessibility of subscribing to a plaintiffs newspaper by the payment of a subscription fee. It is available for an individual user for browsing content on the website for personal usage, with the subscriber not having the option of downloading the e-newspapers. It was said by DB Corp that the illegal and unauthorized sharing of e-newspapers belonging from different publications has become unrestrained and is detrimental to the publishers interests. The court has been approached by a number of other newspaper organizations against Telegram and Whatsapp asking for similar decisions. In its suit, 85 groups have been named by DB Corp on Whatsapp with the submission that there must be many other such platforms and groups where there has been an illegal and unauthorized sharing of e-newspapers. The next hearing for the case is on May 2, 2022.
Skoda Auto Indias Head of Marketing Tarun Jha and Head of Sales Ajay Raghuvanshi have resigned from the automobile company.

Tarun joined the company in 2008 as DGM of Marketing. Gradually he got promoted to head of marketing.

Whereas before joining hands with Skoda Tarun has worked with Mahindra & Mahindra as Senior Marketing.

Ajay joined Skoda in 2019.

Before joining Skoda he has worked for other automakers such as Nissan motors, Hyundai Motors, Tata Motors and Yamaha Motors.



Skoda has been seeing a series of top-level exits.
Sreenivasan Jain has officially announced his resignation from NDTV through his twitter handle.

"Hi all. An amazing, nearly three-decade-long run at NDTV comes to an end today. The decision to resign wasnt easy, but .. it is what it is. More later," he mentioned.

Sreenivasan has been working with NDTV since 1994.

NDTV has been seeing a series of top-level exits after Adani took over the channel.
At Google, we have been privileged to play a part in Indias embrace of technology to improve lives in three key ways: bringing access to affordable devices, building helpful and secure products to meet the evolving needs of Indian users, and partnering with India's vibrant developer community to grow and reach a global audience.

We take our commitment to comply with local laws and regulations in India seriously. The Competition Commission of India (CCI)s 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.

We continue to respectfully appeal certain aspects of the CCIs decisions and will champion our core principles of openness, expanding user choice, providing transparency and maintaining safety and security that have served the interests of the larger ecosystem.

However, we are making some changes as required by the CCIs directives. 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.

Here are some key changes well make to our platforms and business in India:

OEMs will be able to license individual Google apps for pre-installation on their devices.

Android users have always been able to customize 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.

Were updating the Android compatibility requirements to introduce changes for partners to build non-compatible or forked variants.

User choice billing will be available to 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.

Android has always supported the installation of apps from a variety of sources, including via sideloading, which involves app downloads directly from a developers website. We 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.

We are expanding our online resources such as Help Center articles and FAQs to provide more detail on services provided by Google Play and how and when Google Plays service fee applies.

Our commitment to Indian users and the countrys digital transformation stands undeterred. Through Android, Google has contributed significantly to the mobile ecosystem by giving OEMs unprecedented choice and flexibility, offering baseline compatibility for developers that has allowed them to scale their services across devices, and ensuring a safe, secure, and trusted platform for users in India and around the world.

This has helped local developers build successful businesses and find global audiences for their apps and games resulting in a 150% increase in time spent by users outside India in 2021 compared to 2019 on Google Play. We believe technology can help unlock opportunities in core areas of the Indian economy and we look forward to continuing to partner in this journey.
Vahak, Indias most trusted transport community platform, today announced the appointment of five senior leaders to its management team.

Commenting on these appointments, Karan Shaha, CEO and Co-Founder, Vahak, said, We are excited to welcome these talented leaders to our growing leadership team. Their expertise and hands-on experience will be invaluable as we continue to innovate for the Indian road transportationand logistics community.

Niyaz Hussain has been appointed as the Vice President of Business Development and Operations, responsible for driving growth in India and building an enhanced on-ground user experience. Niyaz has a proven track record of over 20 years in driving sales, commercial strategy and new product initiatives in his earlier stints with DHL, Ezyhaul, and Blackbuck. Kunal Mamtura has been appointed as the Head of Design and will be leading the companys design efforts across all channels. Kunal has over 20 years of comprehensive expertise in utilising experience design (UX) and end-to-end product lifecycle management to achieve the business objectives of organisations across industries.

Hammad Khan has been appointed as the Head of Digital Marketing. He will be responsible for driving the companys lead generation efforts and building a deeper connection with target users. Hammad brings over 14 years of experience to the role, with hands-on expertise in fast-paced digital transformation, amplification, and personalising communication with customers. Sumedha Mahorey has been appointed as the Head of Public Relations and Brand, responsible for managing the companys public image, establishing a brand connect with the trucking community, and building relationships with key stakeholders. Sumedha has a strong background in corporate communications, media relations and branding, with over 16 years of experience from her earlierstints with Sterlite Technologies, Network18 and Times Group.

Piyush Shinde has been appointed as the Head of Content, and will be responsible for developing and executing the companys content strategy across social media and digital platforms. Piyush brings 9 years of experience in content creation and management to the role, with a past stint in

Upstox.

Bengaluru-based Vahak is Indias largest open and free transport community platform that is enabling direct connections between all logistics players, fostering Indias largest ecosystem of transport SMEs and lorry owners. Backed by AI, the platform has seen 1.8 Million+ company sign-ups and 5 lakh plus monthly active users. Transporters on the platform have done over $400M of load/lorry bookings, delivering to 15,000+ pin codes pan India.
Decoding ChatGPT Part 1 - Will it dethrone Google? Not really, say experts

Not long ago, we wrote non-nostalgic elegies to encyclopedias and dictionaries, and what not, thanks to the advent of Internet search engines, with Google being the bellwether. There has been little threat to the domination wielded by Google, not even a trace of a competition, until a new kid on the AI block burst into the scene recently.

Decoding ChatGPT Part 2: The language conundrum, intelligence, and misuse

As of now, ChatGPT cannot be termed perfect just as Bloomberg journalist Joe Weisenthal realised when he asked it to write his obituary. In the days to come, can we expect an error-free and perfect ChatGPT (or other chatbots with much more sophistication or human-like intelligence) which will overwhelm us with its intelligence? Or will an intelligent chatbot with a mind of its own remain restricted within the pages of sci-fi writers or as the unbridled fantasies of futurists?

I have had an eventful and rollercoaster ride of a career: Colvyn Harris

While accepting the Award, Colvyn James Harris said, I have had an eventful and rollercoaster ride of a career. There has never been a dull day. Im proud to be part of the team that ensures brands they partner with become market leaders and are considered the best in their categories.

Influencer guidelines: Good for ecosystem, tough for influencers, say experts

The Department of Consumer Affairs under Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution last week released a guide  Endorsements Know-hows!  for celebrities, influencers and virtual influencers on social media platforms. The guide aims to ensure that individuals do not mislead their audiences when endorsing products or services and that they are in compliance with the Consumer Protection Act and any associated rules or guidelines.

Specialisation & orchestration needs to happen hand in hand in marketing: Vishal Jacob

In conversation with Adgully, Vishal Jacob, Chief Transformation and Digital Officer, Wavemaker India, speaks about the newly launched report, the idea behind it, addressing the privacy concerns of advertisers, and more.

Budget 2023: Forthcoming polls augur extremely well for the ad industry - Arvind Mittal

Arvind Mittal, MD & CEO, Moulis Advertising Service, expects Union Budget 2023 to give a boost to the communications, advertising and publicity industry, in that the government as well as corporates are expected to use various tools to increase their public outreach in a run-up to the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

Budget 2023: Expectations for the Media sector - Abhay Ojha

As Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman gets ready to present the Union Budget for 2023-24, the industry is hoping for measures to be announced that will fuel overall economic growth. Budget 2023-24 is an important one as it comes a year ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, and also as it comes amid a global slowdown and several geo-political tussles.

Budget 2023: Govt can bolster working capital for e-commerce suppliers - Vidit Aatrey

Budget 2023 gives our visionary government an opportunity to put our MSMEs in the fast lane, building on its proactive efforts to transform the small business economy, remarked Vidit Aatrey, Founder & CEO, Meesho, while sharing his expectations from the Union Budget 2023-24.

Jewellery players expect Budget to unlock true potential this sector: Ramesh Kalyanaraman

The jewellery industry in India has the potential to be a major driver of economic growth. With evolving consumer preferences as well as introduction of various regulations such as GST implementation and mandatory hallmarking, there has been rapid formalisation in Indias jewellery industry, says Ramesh Kalyanaraman, Executive Director, Kalyan Jewellers.

Reputation risk management will become more crucial: Ashwani Singla

Ashwani Singla, Founding Managing Partner, Astrum, speaks at length about where the Public Relations industry is headed in 2023, the rapid incursions of technology into this industry and wide ramifications of it, the core emphasis on people and growing the talent pool, and more.

A lot riding on Pathaan, as the film smashes Box Office on opening day

Shah Rukh Khans Pathaan has become not just a comeback film for the actor after a hiatus of four years, but also a harbinger of achche din for the Bollywood industry. Even as the industry looked to Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Brahmastra as a reviver for Bollywoods flagging fortunes last year, in 2023 Pathaan has a bigger load to carry.

How a strong omnichannel strategy is paying rich dividends to CaratLane

In conversation with Adgully, Avnish Anand, COO & Co-founder, CaratLane, speaks about jewellery buying trends in the online space, the benefits of following a strong omnichannel strategy, factors driving CaratLanes growth, and more.

Experts decode the new market realities driving media mix strategies today

In consideration of todays scenario, Adgully hosted its premier Twitter chat property, Gully Chat, on the topic Re-juggling the media mix - New considerations for marketers on January 20, 2023. A panel of leading industry experts took part on the discussions:

Stationery growth has surpassed most optimistic expectations: Santosh Rasiklal Raveshia

Santosh Rasiklal Raveshia, Managing Director, Doms Industries, speaks about the remarkable growth of stationery industry during pandemic times and beyond, increased urbanisation driving demand for value-added products, an upsurge in product innovation in the Indian stationery industry, and more.

Women are successfully managing challenges brought on by societal dynamics: Poulomi Roy

In conversation with Adgully, Poulomi Roy, CMO, RSH Global, speaks about work-life balance, sustainability drawing the attention of everyone, crisis management, gender sensitivity, and more.

Therell be continuous endeavour for a sustainable travel ecosystem in 2023: Amit Mehta

Amit Mehta, Country Manager - South Asia, Malaysia Airlines, highlights the key trends that will dominate the travel sector in the year ahead, rise of passenger traffic, and more.
Several years ago, my husband and I learned a valuable lesson when we visited San Diego: Ignorance is not an excuse. After returning to our car from a beach trip, we noticed that wed been ticketed. We drove to the police station and discovered that wed parked in a red curb zone.

We hadnt seen any No Parking signs, and the curbs werent red. However, there doesnt have to be red paint to signify a restricted area; people are expected to know the rules. We werent excused from that ticket, and we were chided for not knowing the law, even as vacationers.

Twenty years later, American parents are suffering from what I call the Red Curb Syndrome. We do our best to stay informed, but we dont always read school policy manuals or attend every board meeting. There are times when we may miss a new rule. Using taxpayer dollars nefariously and covertly to implement changes, public school officials have taken full advantage of parents busyness.

Its no surprise, therefore, that parents all over the country find ourselves battling Critical Race Theory and transgender bathroom policies that we didnt even know existed. Parental ignorance is no excuse. Public education has taken a dangerous turn. Parents hoping to take back their schools must start by studying the leftist school playbook.

Step One: Secretly Use Taxpayer Dollars to Subvert School Employees. School officials throughout the country have been caught on camera acknowledging efforts to train staff and to trick parents. My teenagers attend Olentangy Local School District, Ohios fourth largest public school system. With four high schools and 23,000 students, the district has become more like a government-run indoctrination station.

Unbeknownst to parents, school officials hired House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries brother, Hasan Kwame Jeffries, to lead a workshop in 2018 and hired him again to provide teacher professional development.

The district enlarged its DEI team, and Instagram posts from its members revealed the CRT mission to disrupt the districts Whiteness. Classroom teachers began using social media to proselytize progressive values.

The DEI team addressed cheerleading advisors and developed a session which emphasized the importance of avoiding implicit bias in body language, hair styles, and grooming. Cheerleaders were instructed to examine their routines and to replace equality with equity.

To help staff understand how to affirm gender identity, a DEI employee secretly sent an internal email to faculty so that they could incorporate transgender guidelines, guidelines that were never shared with the community.

Step Two: Normalize Deviance and Make Parents Seem Like Bigots. Schools like OLSD have made daily exposure to CRT and gender identity a core strategy. Stellar teachers have been sacrificed because district leaders have taken federal money, adhered to the agendas attached to those dollars, and approved instructional practices and policies that turn kids away from the communitys conservative roots. In the name of equity, small groups of parents were informed last year that it might be time to eliminate or edit the districts Advanced Placement classes. This year, OLSDs DEI team approached high school social studies teachers with pressure to add AP African American Studies, a course that includes the Marxist topics of intersection of race and gender.

From purchasing Trojan horse curriculum tools such as BrainPOP and Newsela, to covering classroom walls with transgender flags, teachers are immersing students in leftist ideology. For many kids, the propaganda has created a new normal for them, one that makes them question why their parents are bothered if their teachers secretly ask for their pronouns.

Step Three: Quietly Create Policy that No One Reads. In the spring of 2022, parents realized that administrators were ignoring the signs on school restrooms when two little girls went into an OLSD elementary school bathroom and encountered a biological boy. Moms asked for answers, and they were directed to district policy 5517, updated for anti-harassment to include gender identity. This revised policy had been on the books for years, but no one had ever paid any attention to it. It had been discussed at meetings, but board members sometimes referred to its number and didnt read the language attached to it.

Parents who persisted in their concerns were informed by the districts communication director that Title IX required the administration to make this special arrangement for the transgender student. In an interview with local media, that official stated that transgender students are a protected class, so any student who identifies as a gender different than their biological gender assigned at birth is in a protected class.

Step Four: Use Policy to Justify Operational Changes without Informing Parents. OLSD allows any transgender student to use all facilities that align with an individuals proclaimed identity, even when entryways are marked for biological sex, and even though parents and students have not been informed for such encounters in restrooms or locker rooms. Parents had no idea about how the districts distortion of Title IX or policy 5517 would apply to operational changes regarding public spaces, and many are still totally unaware that biological signage may be disregarded.

Step Five: Stall and Use Silence to Dismiss Parents. After the uproar in the Olentangy elementary school, parents asked for updates on the districts transgender policies. School officials remained silent, ignoring emails for weeks at a time. They denied any danger, and emphasized the districts goal of inclusivity. Last summer, conversations emerged as three high school girls, who stated they identified as boys, demanded lodging in male dorms at the Olentangy Orange High School band camp. No one was notified about the girls requests, including the boys who would be impacted by the living arrangements.

Earlier this month, students realized that a transgender student was using the girls restroom at Olentangy Berlin High School. I wrote to the principal to tell him that girls were not using the bathroom and felt uncomfortable knowing that a biological boy could be in there, asking him to verify the situation and to clarify policy.

I got no reply until I followed up. He refused to answer me directly. Instead, he wrote that if you or your daughter have any concerns about using the girls restroom, I can make alternative arrangements for her to use another restroom, such as in the nurses office or staff restroom.

Step Six: Ignore Court Rulings Unless Forced to Do Otherwise. Following the 11th Circuit ruling upholding the right to require transgender children to use the bathroom according to their biological sex, parents again asked Olentangy school officials to honor bathroom signage. OLSD Board President Kevin OBrien responded that Ohio is not controlled by the 11th Circuit and again echoed that board policy 5517 -- Anti-Harassment, revised in 2013, included the statement that [t]he Board will vigorously enforce its prohibition against discriminatory harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and transgender identity), disability, age (except as authorized by law), religion, ancestry, or genetic information

Ironically, girls who have sincerely held religious beliefs are being discounted when they ask for bathrooms that align with biological sex so that they can maintain their privacy. Instead of following policy 5517, district officials are placing gender identity ahead of religious rights.

How did we get here? We were ignorant; we were red-curbed. We believed we were sending our kids to school for an education, and we trusted teachers and administrators without verifying what was happening. In turn, the district made our children ideological soldiers, and our kids are fighting a battle that should not have begun.

Once awake, we attempted to communicate and negotiate solutions, but the silence from school officials continues to be deafening. Many families are choosing to leave, opting to home school, or sending their kids to private schools. For those who remain in the district, it may take the Supreme Court to ensure safe spaces for our girls.

There are 49 million kids in public education, and leaving them behind would be a reckless decision that would threaten the future of our republic. To take back our schools, we have created our own playbook. Were reading and questioning every school policy and demanding answers. Were speaking with dedicated teachers inside the system who disagree with whats happening. Were working to elect new board members, filing records requests, and seeking legal counsel to defend students rights. Were communicating with lawmakers and asking for legislation to combat extreme left-wing agendas and to support school choice. We urge grandparents and community members to join us in what could be one of our last battles to save our children, our values, and our country.

Image: K Whiteside
Mark Meincke, a Canadian Army veteran who served with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, appeared on a recent episode of The John-Henry Westen Show. Meincke has testified before the Committee on Veterans Affairs in Ottawa about Canada's Medical Assistance in Dying program, or MAID, and the current apparent push for assisted suicide in the military.

A soldier returns from fighting  and risking his life  for his country and, depressed, reaches out to the very government agency supposedly set up to help veterans deal with PTSD and other trauma...and is promptly offered euthanasia  instead of help  by the government agent who took his call.

"Thank you for your service. Would you like us to kill you now?" That couldn't ever happen, could it?

Yes, it can. An investigation by Veterans Affairs Canada itself verified that this very thing indeed happened, and may have occurred repeatedly over the last several years...though VAC claimed that it was the result of just one misguided agent.

Canada's "Medical Assistance in Dying" program is set to expand from offering assisted suicide to the terminally (physically) ill to offering it to the mentally ill as well starting in March.

A physicians' group in Quebec has already proposed euthanizing severely ill infants. What the hell, that's simply "after-birth abortion," right?

Where will this stop? Will Trudeau's government soon offer to off anyone who contracts the next iteration of the coronavirus? Permanently put down athletes who break a leg, sprain an ankle, or pull a groin? Snuff out teenagers after a break-up or spouses after a divorce? Will MAID be available to those dealing with "the heartbreak of psoriasis"?

The left's support of assisted suicide is dovetailing with its zealotry for unfettered abortion.

Former president Barack Obama recently tweeted that people need to advance "reproductive rights" for the sake of modern-day families and future generations.

He stated, "On what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we're reminded that progress can move backward. And that means we've got to recommit to doing our part to protect and expand reproductive rights for families today  and for generations to come." That means we need to protect and expand abortion rights for families today  and for generations to come.

This kind of talk is more than ironic, more than tone-deaf. Were abortion to become ubiquitous, there would be no families...and no future generations.

Image: Hernan Fednan via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) was all bravado when House Speaker Kevin McCarthy booted him from the House intelligence committee for dishonesty.

According to Fox News:

" "Kevin McCarthy just kicked me and @RepSwalwell off the Intelligence Committee," Schiff tweeted Tuesday evening. "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.

Fox reported that he drew reactions like this

MRCTV managing editor Brittany Hughes commented on how Schiff wrote his tweet: "You sound like a Batman villain."

So now Schiff is running for Senate, presumably to get back onto an intelligence committee, this time the Senate's, a likely thing given that Democrats control the Senate.

Wouldn't that be payback on payback?

Except that it's not going well.

First up, a day after announcing his Senate bid, he got hit with an ethics complaint by a group called the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust, which appears to be aligned with conservative groups.

In the present case, Rep. Schiff is clearly using official government video for campaign purposes in violation of federal law and the House ethics rules, the group wrote in a letter to the Ethics Office on Friday. The Office of Congressional Ethics is responsible for ensuring each Representative fulfills the public trust inherent in the office and that they comply with the Houses ethical standards. Therefore, we urge the Board to immediately investigate whether Representative Schiff used official resources for campaign purposes in violation of the House ethics rules. In his campaign announcement, Schiff used video of him speaking on the Senate floor during Trumps impeachment proceedings. Ethics rules prohibit members from using government resources in their campaign materials, which include photographs or videos taken from inside the House or Senate.

He's about as ethics-challenged as such Democrats can get. One wonders if this wasn't the work of his potential rivals, leaking the problems to the conservative group. He's got a lot of them, and the one who's declared her intent to run for the seat already, Rep. Katie Porter, is famous for her meaner-than-cats**t demeanor, racist remarks and toxic workplace accusations. Was she the one who pulled this stunt? It's natural to wonder.

Schiff, who represents Hollywood actually has got four potential competitors vying for the Senate seat -- Porter of Orange County, Rep. Barbara Lee of Berkeley, and Rep. Ro Khanna of the Silicon Valley, all of whom are fanatical leftists. Call these the left's Beautiful People. The Senate seat in question, that of San Francisco's Sen. Dianne Feinstein, meanwhile, hasn't been vacated yet. Feinstein, who will be 91 in the next election, may well follow Joe Biden and run for yet another term. Who says senility is an obstacle?

Vox thinks that will be a problem for Schiff because all of the other rivals have many legislative acts to point to in their bid to remake America on the California progressive model.

Other criticisms from California progressives reveal one of the central tensions of Schiffs nascent campaign: how to run an appealing primary race when his greatest asset is a backward-looking appeal to anti-Trump, #Resistance-era nostalgia instead of a future-oriented agenda backed by a track record of congressional advocacy, like Porter, Khanna, and Lee.

Vox continued:

The Democrats who do end up running will have to find ways to distinguish themselves, given that they all occupy space on the Democratic Partys left flank. Lee is an old-school, anti-establishment liberal with widespread name recognition in the Bay Area. Khanna has built more of a name for himself as a technocrat and wonk in the tech, antitrust, and economic realm, and co-chaired Bernie Sanderss 2020 presidential campaign. Porter comes from the Elizabeth Warren lane of the party. But Schiffs congressional identity has been shaped by his establishment ties.

All that Schiff has for a record is his bid to Get Trump. What else is he going to sell to voters, his friendship with Ed Buck?

Schiff claims that he sort-of has Dianne Feinstein's "support" because he met with her, which, given his record of lies probably means he doesn't:

Does this sound like a hearty endorsement?

In an interview with CNN This Morning, Schiff said Feinstein had been gracious and welcoming of his candidacy. We talked by phone a couple days ago and met earlier, he said. Feinstein told reporters on Capitol Hill on Wednesday she would finalize her plans probably in a couple of months, as she is still processing the death of her husband, who passed away last year. She added it was fine for people to get in the race. I think people should, she said. If they want to run, run.

Feinstein, of course, has yet to retire and back out of the race. One wonders what that conversation must have been like between the ambitious Schiff eager to "get back at" and "show " Kevin McCarthy the dread consequences of keeping him off the House intelligence committee, and the utterly doddering Feinstein.

Worst of all, Schiff is behind in the polls -- to the nasty, unpleasant Porter (who has fresh ethical problems of her own) no less.

Porter, who announced her candidacy for Senate Tuesday, topped Schiff 37% to 26% in a hypothetical general election matchup. Porter and Schiff are both Democrats but could face each other in November 2024 under Californias all-party primary system that advances the top two finishers to the general election contest. Schiff is not yet a candidate, and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has not revealed her 2024 plans.

No wonder it suddenly got important to Schiff to announce his candidacy for the Senate with the news of his booting from the House intelligence committee. He had to get into that race because Porter was eating his lunch.

More painful for Schiff, Porter has more fundraising prowess, which is the only thing that matters in Democrat-on-Democrat politics.

According to Fox News in a different report:

Porter, a progressive rising star and former pupil of Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, raised a whopping $25 million in political donations last cycle, making her the second-highest-raising House member behind House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Porter's fundraising total even beat out that of her boss, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi  a renowned fundraiser in her own right. Schiff was the fourth-highest-raising member of the House members up for re-election last year, taking in just over $23 million from 2021 through November 2022.

Nothing, in other words, is going Schiff's way since he shook his fist at McCarthy and told him he'd show him.

What a pathetic situation -- all bravado, and no political muscle, just a weak, pencil-necked, effort to make himself look important. He's going to wish he had President Trump back to lie about.

Caricature by DonkeyHotey, via Flickr // CC BY-SA 2.0
Joe Biden likes to advertise himself as ordinary "Scranton Joe" who's a family man and "devout" Catholic to the public.

A look at news rolling out about Biden's extended family in the wake of recent scandals suggests a different story. Far from being Lunchbucket Joe, House Biden is more like Venezuela's Maduro family, or Chavez family, or Cuba's Castro oligarchs. Cut to the chase and throw in Beijing's princelings or Russia's oligarchs, who frequently make cameo appearances. Not surprisingly, most claim to have a soft spot for "the common man."

Some photos of "the life" can be viewed here, here, here, here, and here.

Some headlines to give you the flavor:

Being the ex-President's daughter pays off: Hugo Chavez's ambassador daughter is Venezuela's richest woman

Children of Venezuela's elite including ex-leader Hugo Chavez's daughter flaunt wealth

Fidel Castro's son enjoying a millionaire vacation, while Cubans are starving

RICH KIDS OF INSTAGRAM IS INSPIRING A REALITY TV SERIES

Sound like the Bidens?

All we have to do is look at the latest story from the Daily Mail about how Joe used his "pull" to get his ne'er-do-well niece Caroline a fancy new job she'd never have otherwise gotten as a convicted criminal on probation for a $100,000 credit card theft.

President Biden helped his convict 31-year-old niece Caroline Biden land an interview for a job at Masimo Corporation, whose owner is one of his biggest donors, but she balked at the $85,000-a-year salary, records from Hunter Biden's laptop show. Caroline, the daughter of Joe Biden's brother Jim and his wife Sara, in 2017 pled guilty to buying more than $100,000 worth of makeup on a stolen credit card. She managed to get out of a grand larceny charge and the two-year prison sentence that carried, but was sentenced to two years' probation, which she wanted to serve in Los Angeles to be near her cousin Hunter Biden.

How the hell she managed to avoid prison for that is as mysterious as how Hunter Biden got into Yale. That kind of stuff happens When You're A Biden, which almost sounds like a Broadway song. What other Scranton Joe family has a "big guy" who can get every relative, down to nieces and nephews, out of any jam they get themselves into?

It wasn't just she. Hunter Biden was time and time again spared charges and jail time over his tax evasion, his falsification of his gun permit application, evidence of bribery and influence-peddling, and his numerous drug incidents. He lived a wild and free-spending life at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood as recently as 2018, around the time when he was occasionally driving old dad's Corvette from the Biden family garage where the misplaced classified documents were held. He seemed to have gotten a sweet deal in his string of homes around the Venice, California area.

Donations, it should be noted, tended to follow from these various "saves," as the Daily Mail noted in its report.

The entitlement mentality of this Biden scion of political privilege was stratospheric. The Mail continued:

Records show Jim Biden had asked Hunter to convince his cousin Caroline to accept a job, after a lifetime of only holding cushy jobs she had secured through her family name, according to the Free Beacon. Emails show the job she was interviewing for in July 2018 at Masimo promised $85,000 per year plus a guaranteed 10 percent bonus plus stock options. 'That's below minimum wage in California after taxes,' Caroline wrote in an email to her father. 'I cannot take this job. I have never made this little money in my life.' Caroline said she could not accept a job that would pay her 'less than $180,000.' She then appeared to 'bomb' the interview, get passed up for the job, but was offered an internship at the company as a favor to her uncle Joe. 'I didn't get the job,' Caroline texted her cousin Hunter. 'I was given an intern job at 31 years old because of your dad asking him to give me something even though I bombed it.' By July 28, Caroline texted Hunter that his father Joe was 'done' with her.

That suggests that a family culture of entitlement has been festering for a long time at House Biden. There was no sense of gratitude, let alone expectations of having to strike out on one's own. The Big Guy was always there for them  yet at the same time curiously absent as a parent who could teach his offspring and other relatives any sense of right and wrong. They didn't have that at all in that family.

More evidence of the entitlement mentality of the Biden princelings could be seen in the Vogue write-up of Naomi Biden's wedding. Naomi is the daughter of Hunter Biden, and Joe Biden's granddaughter. She fully expected to hold her wedding at the White House even though that had never been done beyond immediate family in the past. She even used the White House as a convenient crash pad, with Joe's consent:

When the couple's lease ran out on their DC apartment, they asked Nana and the president if they could move in for a few months while wedding planning, along with their mini Australian shepherd, Charlie, who can often be seen gamboling on the South Lawn with the Bidens' German shepherd, Commander. "I try to remind myself it's the White House, but it also gets normalized over time," says Naomi.

Naturally, Naomi and the rest of House Biden have their upscaling of standards and expectations.

Here's how she saw her White House wedding:

Naomi enters the Green Room inside a beehive of giddy activity: hairdresser, make-up artist, stylist Bailey Moon and two Ralph Lauren designers, Andrea and Lorenzo, who have come as keepers of the custom gown, quick to jump into the frame and help fluff and smooth the mille-feuille organza, charmeuse, and crinoline skirt. "Like every little girl, I had a vision in my head  it was Grace Kelly's dress I loved," admits Naomi, who with her Audrey Hepburn brows and honey-colored hair is not a far cry from the Princess of Monaco (after all, a White House wedding is our country's version of a royal one).

Ahhh, a royal wedding. Because she's a royal and has her privileges. It figures.

It gets worse when we get down to brand names here:

The bride and groom climbed a ladder to cut a seven-foot-tall, eight-tier lemon cake with buttercream frosting, while nearby, a dessert bar included everything from 20-inch apple pie (the groom's cake) to the president's favorite Graeter's chocolate chip ice cream. "He used to be a Breyers guy all the way but we've gotten him to upgrade to Graeter's," Naomi says.

Breyer's? Eeeew.

That wasn't all of it, either.

"I do know [Jill Biden] lost sleep over the fact that I was planning to serve turkey sandwiches at the lunch," Naomi adds. (They amended the menu to chicken pot pie, as a surprise for the father of the bride, as it is Hunter's favorite and the dish Dr. Biden cooks for him every year on his birthday.)

Turkey sandwiches to wedding guests? How dreadful. How very lunchbucket.

Obviously, this is a hell of a princeling class of privilege encircling the House of Joe Biden. Like all of these princelings cited, including the trashy Latin American ones, they are virtually all socialists who declare themselves to be looking out for the common man. Yet as their regimes of total power settle in, the nomenklatura activity begins, with every unworthy and tainted relative holding their hand out and being treated with deference even in the middle of crime sprees by the powers that be. We saw that with the Castros, the Chavezes, the Maduros, the oligarchs of Russia, the princelings of China, and now we see it with House Biden.

What kind of trash is this? It's influence, it's entitlement, and its ill-gotten gains to the most unworthy people on Earth. That's Lunchbucket Joe's real game, and it's a disgusting one, not at all different from Maduro's.

Image: Anthony Quintano via Wikimedia Commons (extracted image), CC BY-SA 2.0.
In too many cases, abused wives have discovered that obtaining a restraining order against their abusers has resulted in worsening the abuse, sometimes tragically. The abusive husband, instead of being restrained, is sometimes enraged and reacts with devastating violence.

If you think this has nothing to do with world politics, consider that in 1941, the United States embargoed Japan, cutting off many of Japan's supplies, including oil. This policy was aimed at restraint, reducing Japan's war-making capabilities, at a time when Japan was committing atrocities against China and other nations. Japan's reaction to the restraint was to bomb Pearl Harbor, forcing the United States into World War 2, the most destructive war in history.

The analogy is valid insofar as it has become clear that it is not a straightforward procedural matter to stop the abuser, whether it be a man or a nation. Consequences must be anticipated, and decisive pre-emptive action must be taken, before effecting the restraint. Later is too late.

Today, we are facing an abusive dictatorship in China that is in the middle of an embargo that, in its leaders' likely view, is an existential threat to their power and, therefore, literally, to their physical survival. As was the case with Japan (and Germany) in the late 1930s, the world economy today is affecting China in complicated ways. Other important factors exacerbate the crisis, but economic survival is always the priority.

In the Western nations, political peril usually entails, at worst, the possible disgrace of early retirement from office, but in dictatorships, such as China and Russia, the retirement plan almost always involves a graveyard. Therefore, the dictator is willing to risk everything, including nuclear war, to maintain power.

The one thing that we wish to avoid, therefore, is to provoke any potential enemy to the point of nuclear war. A fine balance is necessary, however, between that and provoking the enemy to believe that we are weak and that we are an easy target of conquest, thereby triggering the very war that we wish so fervently to avoid. Witness the situation in Ukraine as an object lesson, in which Russia underestimated Western resolve and is threatening to use nuclear weapons.

In 1941, it was the oil embargo; today, the embargo involves computer chips. There are many critical factors upon which the world economy depends, and upon which individual nations stake their survival. Computer chips are arguably the most important among them  not merely the chips themselves, but the complex web of supporting industries upon which chip manufacturers depend. Witness Taiwan and the Netherlands as examples of that web.

The United States, under both President Trump and Joe Biden, is aggressively embargoing China's access to computer chip technology. That technology is the informational lifeblood of modern nations, both militarily and in terms of their internal control of their populations. Militarily, the potential competition is obvious and intense. The capability to launch a first strike, at computer speeds, can win a war before the enemy can fire a shot. This fact makes it vital to quickly anticipate and pre-empt an enemy first strike. That anticipation must be accurate, neither too late nor too soon. A mistake either way would be disastrous, because in the modern era, even the victor in a war will be subjected to the risk of unacceptable consequences. Murphy's law always lurks in the dark corners. What could possibly go wrong? Everything.

The embargo against China is both necessary and risky. The complications are enormous, requiring both precise calculations and steady nerves at the helm.

Will a mistake be made? Will one side or the other miscalculate? Will the dictator suddenly become paranoid and desperate, perhaps triggered by internal enemies in his own palace guard?

Let us remember that nuclear war was narrowly averted during the Cuban missile crisis, only by a Russian commander who defied orders to launch a strike against what mistakenly was thought to be an American attack. History has shown that the unforeseen actions of a single person can have a dramatic outcome. In that case, the outcome was fortunate. The next time, it could go either way.

A final irony is this: the critical calculations may well be made, at least in part, by the very computer chips that have become the central motivation of the present conflict.

Image: ChristianIS via Pixabay, Pixabay License.
Cognitive dissonance occurs when a person is grappling with simultaneously conflicting information and cannot accept that an old, false idea is being supplemented by a new, true idea. When it comes to Tyre Nichols horrific death at the hands of five Black police officers, we can see that Americas race hustlers, who have created a totalitarian world completely invested in racism as the answer to all questions, have swatted aside their cognitive dissonance with a crazed race theory.

Watching the videos showing the last minutes of Tyre Nichols life is just awful. Its like watching a snuff film because hes lying bound on the ground as the five officers literally beat him to death. I dont believe we know yet what led to the officers treating Nichols with ferocity from the moment they first removed him from his car, but I do know that nothing justifies beating a helpless man to death.

But first, two observations that have nothing to do with the main point of this post: First, Memphis is one of Americas most dangerous cities, while urban Black culture has too often centered around explosive violence. It makes sense, therefore, that Memphiss police culture would reflect these thingsviolent, out-of-control communities will create violent, out-of-control police. Basically, the video showed what looked like gangbangers in action.

Second, Tyres last words were to call for his mother, something I found utterly heartbreaking. No matter how old we get, when we think of the ultimate comfort, its that moment, beginning at birth and continuing throughout our childhood, when our mother takes us into her arms and makes the world better. Its not uncommon for people in extremis to cry out for that primal comfort. As a mother, Tyres cry cut me to the core.

But back to the subject at hand.

Image: Tyre Nichols helpless last moments. YouTube screen grab.

For decades, going back at least as far as OJ Simpsons trial, but with increasing urgency since Obama appeared on the scene and then, if possible, even more frantically when Trump upset the Obama applecart, leftists have relied upon a single concept to leverage themselves into ever greater political power: racism. Everything that opposes them, every person or idea, is racist. The Trump years added the alternative phrase White supremacy.

Critical Race Theory, whether acknowledged or not, permeates leftist thinking. It goes like this: All Whites are inherently racist supremacists who are simultaneously privileged and fragile because of the hideous racial burden crushing their souls. The corollary is that all Blacks, while pure of soul, are perpetual victims, always on the receiving end of White supremacist privilege. And the sub corollary is that police are White supremacists whose job gives them the power to act out physically the racism that other Whites can show only through systemic racism and microaggressions.

What happens, though, when the police who manifestly and brutally victimize a Black man are all Black, too? Well, thats when the cognitive dissonance kicks in. The old idea is that White cops act out their inherent White supremacy on Black victims. The challenging idea, as seen in this case, is that it was Black cops doing the acting.

Because the race hustlers cannot accept that new idea, both because it runs counter to their identities and because theyll be shunned by their totalitarian friends, they must devise a workaround. So far, that workaround has been to embrace the No true Scotsman fallacy. Heres how that works:

The core principle is that No true Scotsman wears underwear under his kilt. The rebuttal is that Mr. Angus McDonald wears Hanes tighty-whities under his kilt. The refutation/fallacy is that Mr. Angus MacDonald is no true Scotsman.

In this case, the race hustlers are informing us that Black cops who abuse Black citizens arent true Blacks. Instead, they are White supremacists with an internalized White psychology that has overridden their otherwise skin color. You can call this the no true Black fallacyor, as Joe Biden said in a political context, if a Black-identifying person didnt support him, then you aint Black:

How is this not satire? pic.twitter.com/wir0lvbjb2  End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) January 27, 2023

White supremacy doesn't just mean white people oppressing people of color. White supremacy pits POC against each other. White supremacy makes POC hate themselves. Internalized racism is a byproduct of white supremacy. Tokenism is a byproduct of white supremacy. It's all connected  Christine Liwag Dixon (@cmliwagdixon) January 28, 2023

We all have internalized White Supremacy Culture  to the extent that even people of color have subconsciously shown anti-Blackness behaviors. If you want to understand this, there are videos of young Black children expressing self hatred.  Sharon Shelton Corpening (@shastonwrites) January 28, 2023

If one follows this line of reasoning to its logical conclusion, of course, all the Black-on-Black killings that are destroying urban Black America are also the fault of the dominant White culture. Every one of those amoral gangbangers, raised in a fatherless, Godless home, is no longer a true Black. Were all White now.
This exchange at yesterday's White House press briefing is so repulsive that it ought to result in the firing of Karine Jean-Pierre, despite the loss to comedy that would result.

Transcript via Grabien:

Reporter: "We just heard that there are at least seven people who have been killed in an attack on a synagogue in Jerusalem. I don't know if youve heard or not. Do you have any comments?" Jean-Pierre: "No, I have not heard of that, but  but clearly, we have been asking both sides to de-escalate and we'll continue to do that."

How, exactly, are innocent worshippers supposed to "de-escalate" when a gunman shoots and kills them?

KJP admits that she doesn't know about the attack, which was horrific:

"As a result of the shooting attack, the death of 7 civilians was determined and 3 others were injured with additional degrees of injury," police said. Five of the shooting victims were pronounced dead at the scene, Israel's Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency rescue service said: four men and a woman. Five people were transported to hospitals, where another man and woman were declared dead. Among the wounded is a 15-year-old boy, the MDA said. The attack occurred around 8:15 p.m. local time on Friday, near a synagogue on Neve Yaakov Street, according to a police statement. Shabtai said the gunman "started shooting at anyone that was in his way. He got in his car and started a killing spree with a pistol at short range." He then fled the scene in a vehicle and was killed after a shootout with police forces, police said.

But the questioner informed her that seven people were killed. Calling for de-escalation in that situation is like saying that Tyre Nichols should have de-escalated while the Memphis cops were beating him to death, something you can be certain the mop-headed moron would never say. It seems pretty clear to me that her framework blames Jews for attacks they suffer, even when it is a gunman shooting them down in cold blood as they leave a house of worship.

Stupid alone is not enough to explain this. This is malicious bigotry.

Photo credit: Grabien video screen grab.
The old saying is that he who pays the piper calls the tune. That is, whoever is paying the largest share controls whats being said, and nowhere is this more true than in academia. An anecdote in the new book by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo makes this clear, for he describes MITs fealty to Chinese dollars, something that silenced a speech by the then Secretary of State.

Chinese parents like sending their children to American colleges. By the peak year of 2019-2020, before COVID hit, 372,532 Chinese students were studying at U.S. colleges and universities. That number, obviously, dropped a bit with COVID (down to 290,086 in the 2021-2022 academic year), but theres no reason to believe it wont bounce back again.

The cool thing about foreign nationals is that they pay cash. There are no discounts and scholarships to disrupt the money flowing to the Chinese students chosen colleges. Instead, these students pay the full tuition amount, no matter how ludicrous it is.

However, unlike American dollars, which colleges take for granted (whether from governments, institutions, or individuals), college administrators must be careful to keep the Chinese happy, or the money dries up. (Stanford, coincidentally or not, expelled Steven Mosher in the early 1980s after the Chinese went ballistic when he dared to reveal Chinas forced abortions.) Mike Pompeos recently published (probable pre-presidential campaign) book, Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love, reveals that the keep China happy policy controlled MIT.

Image: Mike Pompeo. YouTube screen grab.

I havent read Pompeos book, but Douglas Murray did. In an essay in the New York Post, Murray notes that most media outlets have focused obsessively on any gossipy tidbit that Pompeo dropped about his time in the Trump administration, from Trump himself to John Bolton, to foreign leaders such as Kim Jong-Un.

(Thats a reminder that most of what passes for political news in Americas media is simply the adult version of the same mean-girl gossip that dominated our high school years.)

Murray ignores the gossip and focuses on Pompeos description of why, despite being Americas Secretary of State, a position of key importance in international politics, he got canceled at MIT.

As a reminder, Murray explains that Pompeo, like Trump himself, recognized China as our greatest geopolitical enemy, both in economic terms and in terms of potential military confrontations. And like Trump, hed say this out loud:

In a speech in October 2019, he told an audience of business-people (many of whom made money in China) that the Communist Party of China is a Marxist-Leninist party focused on struggle and international domination.

At one point, Pompeo wanted to deliver a major speech about China and how it distorted American academia, both by coopting funding and through its policy of requiring all Chinese students to be agents for the CCP. Writes Murray:

The speech was scheduled to take place at MIT, which had previously held an MIT-China Summit in Beijing sponsored by Chinese tech companies including ones that are now under sanctions for providing technology to crush human rights in China. But shortly before the speech MIT said they couldnt host the US Secretary of State after all. A strange move, no? Well according to Pompeo he picked up the phone and spoke with the president of MIT, Rafael Reif. And Reif claimed that there was no way that the speech could go ahead because of the risk of offending Chinese students. By MITs own data in 2021-22 a full 25% of international students at the university were from China. In fact what was clear was that the no-platforming of an American Secretary of State on an American campus had nothing to do with a fear of upsetting Chinese students. What Reif and his fellow academic cowards were afraid of was that their money spigot from Beijing would be shut off.

Its not that academics have no principles. Its that their principles are driven by greed and anti-American animus. Those things dovetail perfectly when the Chinese are involved. They also dovetail perfectly when Joe Bidens classified documents landed at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement, which opened in 2018 and attracted huge amounts of foreign money:

Records indicate that the University of Pennsylvania amassed millions from foreign countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, and more. Following Biden's appointment as an honorary professor, donations from foreign entities exploded from $31 million in 2016 to over $100 million in 2019, the Washington Free Beacon reported. This included about $61 million in gifts and contracts stemming from China between 2017 and 2019, per the report.

Small wonder that college students emerge as America-hating leftists who dream of a world like China, one with complete government control over guns, speech, and political thought. Theyre the dancers, college is the piper, and China is paying the money and calling the tune.
TEHRAN, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian foreign ministry condemned an armed attack on Azerbaijan's embassy in the Iranian capital Tehran, in which one was killed and two others injured.

The ministry's spokesman Nasser Kanaani expressed "deep" sympathy to the assassinated embassy member's family as well as the Azerbaijani government, according to a statement published on the ministry's website.

He added the assailant has been arrested by police and security forces and is being interrogated.

Kanaani gave the assurance that at the order of the Iranian political and security authorities, the attack is under investigation with high priority and sensitivity.

Mohammad Shahriari, the caretaker chairman of Tehran Province's criminal court, said initial investigations showed that personal issues have been behind the attack, the official news agency IRNA reported.

Shahriari said the attacker claimed that his wife went to the embassy in April 2022 and had never returned home, and the assailant had gone to the embassy on numerous occasions looking for his wife but had never received any response.

Shahriari added the attacker said he had believed that his wife was in the embassy, but did not want to meet him.

On Friday morning, the assailant went to the embassy with a Kalashnikov rifle and started shooting, killing one employee and injuring two others, according to Tehran police Chief Hossein Rahimi.

The assailant had entered the embassy with his two young children, he added.

Azerbaijan's foreign ministry identified the victim as a guard, who had served as the head of security at the embassy, saying the Friday attack also wounded two people. 
Were exactly one month away from Chicagos mayoral election, and early voting has already started. The big question is whether Lori Lightfoot, who has presided over large parts of Chicago diving into a crime-rich, Dante-esque hellscape, will get another term. Currently, there are multiple candidates vying against her, but oneWillie Wilson, a five-time candidatestands out for his courage in saying what must be said: Chicago needs its police, and criminals must face consequences.

Nothing needs to be said about Lightfoot. Her incumbency speaks for itself.

Except for Wilson and Paul Vallas, the other candidates are all generic leftists.

Kam BucknerIts the usual plan for justice, more money for public schools, more public transportation, etc.

Chuy Garciaboasts about being a progressive community leader for universal health care and the rights of immigrants. Sounds like a Hispanic Lightfoot.

JaMal GreenHe wants to know if youre ready for progressive change. One would think that most Chicagoans would already have had a snootful of that change.

Brandon JohnsonHes a leftist teacher and, in that capacity, a union organizer. Call me cynical, but when a teachers union organizer wants a more equitable Chicago, you pretty much know where thats going.

Sophia KingAnother progressive teacher who was a veep for Planned Parenthood Chicago and who wants gun control.

Roderick SawyerA progressive stockbroker who backs the teachers unions and wants a $15 minimum wage.

Paul Vallas is a bit different. Although hes also a Democrat, he wants some variation of school choice and believes that the police have a necessary role in keeping Chicagoans safe. Unfortunately, hes White, which is currently a no-no in a Democrat-run city.

Image: Willie Wilson. Fox News screen grab.

And then theres Willie Wilson, who is, like comedian Pat Paulson, a perennial candidate, having already run four times for the mayors office. Wilson is a bit of an odd bird when you watch him because hes not comfortable with the camera and speaks in a hesitant manner. Were he a school child today, he might be labeled as someone with Aspergers. Wilson also lacks the flashy college credentials needed to function in todays political world. However, he turns out to be a very interesting person.

Its Wilsons bio that separates him from all the other generic candidates. He was born in 1948, in the segregated south, the son of a Louisiana sharecropper. His childhood education stopped after 7th grade when he left home to begin working in cotton and sugar cane fields for 23 cents an hour.

Wilson moved to Chicago in 1965 and began as a custodian and burger flipper at a McDonalds. He worked his way up and got a loan to own his own McDonalds franchise, eventually owning five franchises. When he sold the franchises, Wilson started a medical supply company, produced a syndicated gospel music television show, and worked in local politics.

Through his efforts, Wilson has become a very wealthy man who supports churches, community organizations, and impoverished individuals. One of the things hes done is paid back taxes for people whose homes the government is about to repossess. Sadly, in the midst of all this do it yourself wisdom, Wilson also supports reparations. In Chicago, youll never find the perfect candidate.

A defining moment in Wilsons life came when his son, Omar, who got involved with Chicago gangs, was shot to death at age 20. It is this loss that powers his current approach to politics.

Wilson has run for Chicago mayor five times and for the U.S. presidency once. He considers himself an Independent Democrat. Hes also a genuine American success story and eccentric.

If you go to Wilsons campaign website, youll see that his issues/positions summary is so generic that it sounds like a political speech from some 1940s movie. Reading it, I thought of the generic, content-free, populist campaign speeches Loretta Young gave when playing Katie Holstrom, a wholesome farm lass who becomes a successful political candidate, in 1947s The Farmers Daughter (a charming movie, by the way).

Where Wilson endeared himself to meand probably to many othersis in his full-throated condemnation of crime in Chicago, coupled with support for the police and recognition that crime will not stop until criminals face punishment, something he expanded upon on Tuckers show:

Chicago Mayoral candidate Willie Wilson slams Lightfoot ahead of election | https://t.co/IS3zHIUWvS  Andrea Widburg (@Bookwormroom) January 27, 2023

I doubt Wilson will win, but in a sea of generic Democrat candidates, all of whom (except, maybe, for Vallas) promise to do more of what Lightfoot has already done to Chicago, hes a refreshing person to see on the campaign trail.
The Doomsday Clock was created in simpler times in 1947, but it serves no useful purpose today. Since 2007, when climate change was added to the calculations, the clock has become an inaccurate metaphor for the advent of human doom. Its hands are calibrated once a year, but even the smart atomic scientists who run it can't conflate disparate threats, nor synchronize different timing systems.

According to the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, "[t]he clock isn't designed to definitively measure existential threats, but rather to spark conversations about difficult scientific topics such as climate change."

Well, it's always a day late and a dollar short  make that a year late. The clock was just reset from 100 to 90 seconds before midnight, the closest it has ever been. The main justification for the recent move was Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which was almost a year ago in February of 2022.

Rachel Bronson, president and CEO of the Bulletin, noted that at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, U.K., in 2021, former prime minister Boris Johnson cited the Doomsday Clock when talking about the climate crisis the world is facing.

That's pretty paltry evidence of "sparking conversations." How about current leaders in Russia, China, Iran, and other places who hold humanity hostage to their megalomaniacal ambitions? It would be Panglossian in the extreme to suggest that the malfunctioning Doomsday Clock is even in their consciousness.

Even in the West, it's unlikely the clock's time settings infiltrated policymakers' minds when they mulled sending tanks (Abrams, U.S.; Challenger, U.K; Leopard 2, Germany) to Ukraine. Concerns about escalation were considered (hence the coordination with Germany), but an uncalibrated clock  off by a year in a new take on relativity  probably didn't add spark to the discussions.

Neither do we need it to raise alarms about climate change. Biden, the U.N., the WEF, a plethora of obsessive crusaders, woke ESG companies, "socially conscious" retirement funds, extremist environmental groups, and extraterrestrials like John Kerry already do that until the cows come home  at least until they ban the cows because of their methane emissions. Add weather forecasters to the list of alarmists every time there's stormy weather, and after all that, I don't need the Doomsday Clock to remind me about anthropogenic climate change.

Bronson seems defensive about the Doomsday Clock's diminishing impact on our collective consciousness. Indeed, she encourages people to "look at your daily habits and see if there are small changes you can make in your life such as how often you walk versus drive and how your home is heated." Does that include considerations to ban gas stoves?

While looking at her own daily habits, perhaps Bronson should have a wee chat with climate czar John Kerry. It's astonishing that it's not in the climate czar's job description that travel be conducted with the least possible carbon footprint.

If Czar Kerry and his coterie of effete elites are as wise as extraterrestrials, then why doesn't he set an impressive example and fly commercial? That really would spark conversation, but it's clearly too inconvenient for the pompous milquetoast. Maybe he's not truly committed to his convictions.

Prior to adding convoluted threats such as climate change and A.I., the clock served as a reminder of our precarious existence. Now it's a muddled metaphor. Rather than spark conversations among those who incite the greatest threats to our longevity and posterity, it sparks criticism about its usefulness.

As Matt Reynolds points out in Wired magazine, "it also undercuts the complexity of climate change and the way that risks spread across time and bleed into one another[.] ... [T]he Doomsday Clock is a warning from a much simpler era."

What's the point of a clock that inaccurately measures things  even when it measures only once a year?

What's the point of a mixed metaphor that doesn't spark insight, but prompts confusion and generally unhelpful conversations?

Even a broken clock is right twice a day, but the Doomsday Clock is not even right once a year. It's incapable of being fine-tuned; instead, it's time to smash it to smithereens.

Image: OpenClipArt.
One of the defining hallmarks of leftism is that America invariably suffers compared to other cultures. Theres a good example of this in the New York Times, where a man named Jeff Yang claims that the reason two Asian men killed numerous Asian victims last week is that theyve been assimilated into American values. Yang might want to look back to Asia to see that these men might have brought some Asian values with them to America.

Last week was a tragic one for 18 Asian victims in California. In Monterey Park, Huu Can Tran, a Vietnamese man who immigrated to America from China, went to a dance hall frequented by his ex-wife and callously slaughtered 11 people. Just days later, it emerged that Zhao Chunli, a few hundred miles up the California coast, murdered another seven people in Half Moon Bay, California. In his essay, Yang also brings up the case of David Chou, who, in May 2022, killed one person in an Asian church in Laguna Woods, California, and injured four others.

Image: Hu Can Tran. Public domain.

What happened is terrible but is Yang correct to blame these killers acts on America? Heres what he has to say:

In the countries from which Mr. Chou, Mr. Tran and Mr. Zhao immigrated, civilian gun ownership is essentially nonexistent. In America, just three weeks into 2023, there have already been over 40 acts of gun violence with at least four victims. Thats a statistic that would be cause for widespread public alarm anywhere else in the world, but here in the United States its the status quo. Ours is a nation where the unimaginable has somehow become inevitable. If Mr. Chou, Mr. Tran and Mr. Zhao committed mass shootings, they did so not because they were Asian but as Americans. Mass murder may be the fullest act of assimilation possible into a culture that has proudly chosen as its colors the red of innocent blood, the white of panicked eyes and the hazy blue of semiautomatic smoke.

There are some countervailing facts Yang might want to consider before concluding that Americas gun culture infected these Asian killers.

First, the killings on which Yang focuses happened in California, a state with some of the most restrictive gun laws in America. Its possible that, if people in California had greater Second Amendment rights, the shootings might not have occurred or might have ended without so much bloodshed.

Second, as Yang notes, the three guys he names werent that anomalous. Asian Americans have been involved in shootings before, although they havent always targeted fellow Asians:

There have also been Asian mass shooters: Wayne Lo, the gunman who shot six and killed two at Bard College at Simons Rock in 1992. Seung-Hui Cho, perpetrator of the horrific Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Elliot Rodger, whose 2014 attack on students near the University of California, Santa Barbara, left 14 wounded and six dead.

Third, Yang isnt correct that Asians dont turn on each other in their home countries. Asian governments have often turned on their own race. Maos Cultural Revolution killed something between several hundred thousand Chinese citizens (a low-end estimate) to tens of millions of Chinese people (a high-end estimate). In Cambodias Killing Fields, Pol Pot murdered around one-third of his fellow citizens. The Vietnam War saw innumerable massacres by both the Republic of Vietnam forces and the Viet Cong forces. North Korea has the largest collection of concentration camps in the world. The Japanese massacred indigenous populations across Asia, everywhere from China, to Korea, to Thailand.

Yang is also wrong to believe that individual Asian citizens dont go on rampages in their home countries. Wikipedia has a page dedicated to rampage killers. Asia has quite a few (and this is just the shortlist, with the long lists here and here):

Back in the 1960s, leftists taunted those who showed a pro-American patriotism that expressed itself in the idea of my country, right or wrong. But theres a flip side to this: Yang represents Marxist hate-triotism, which boils down to my country, always wrongand thats the case even when the facts fail to support his arguments.
When a citizen is elected to Congress, he is conferred the title of "representative," with each "representative" elected to a two-year term, "serving the people of their specific congressional district."

So it was disconcerting to hear Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican from Florida's 27th district, address the recently concluded World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, in her official congressional capacity and declare that she "represents" the millions of migrants presently inside the sovereign borders of this nation illegally.

Speaking as part of a bipartisan panel discussing "the reshaped legislative landscape in the United States as it relates to domestic and foreign policy," the crux of her remarks to the attendees was that she wanted to give "dignity" to illegal migrants that are living inside the United States." She would elaborate:

We need to also give dignity to those people who are in the country. And those are the people that I represent. We're talking about 13, 15 million people who are most of them Hispanics  I would say 85 percent  who speak my language, look like me and sound like me.

Whether she unwittingly made her comments, not realizing that they would be taken as coming in her official capacity, she  not surprisingly  generated a loud and vocal reaction on social media. Comments were quick to point out that the relatively junior Representative Salazar may be confused or not understand whom exactly she was elected to "represent" in Congress. Those millions of migrants are not her district's constituents, and her ethnic affinity (she is Cuban-American) for most of the migrants does not supplant or supersede her congressional responsibilities for her district's constituents.

A fundamental issue in the practice of our representative democracy is whom an individual representative feels he represents and the actions he takes based on that understanding. This presumed right of the people to instruct their elected representatives has deep roots in the American experience. Constituents elect politicians to be their agents in passing laws and setting public policy and assume that the will of the people is consulted and accommodated when doing so.

To this end, representatives and their staffs devote individual attention to requests and the views from citizens of their district. One would be hard pressed to think Representative Salazar acted upon strong input from citizens in her Florida district (even with its heavy Hispanic demographic) expressing their desire for her to attend the globalist WEF conference in Davos, let alone for her to publicly suggest in that very forum that she would give illegal aliens the same representation as U.S. citizens in her district.

Attentively working the issues, concerns, and requests from her district's constituents should be Representative Salazar's  indeed, any member of Congress's  full-time job, requiring her time, energy, and intellect. Is it then too much to ask of Salazar that she correctly focus her attention on serving the constituents of the district she was duly elected to represent and trust that the larger issue of the millions of people who have entered this nation illegally must be acted upon by the full Congress?

Voters in her district will decide her future in office and whether they agree (or not) with her overall views on immigration  in Davos, she all but called for amnesty. Plus she will undoubtedly face continued national opposition in the Republican Party for her views. But Salazar did herself no favors when she was not able as a member of Congress to say, "I have listened to my constituents, and based upon what I heard, this is my position." If she had, her constituents and the rest of the nation could take some measure of satisfaction that Salazar at least acknowledges whom she is supposed to work for.

Image: U.S. Congress.
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday urged the international community to help Mali build counterterrorism capacities.

"The international community should help Mali strengthen its counterterrorism capacity building, bolster its support in terms of finance, equipment, intelligence, and logistics, and respect Mali's sovereign right to engage in external security cooperation," Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council briefing on Mali.

"Regional countries should keep up the current counterterrorism cooperation momentum and forge synergy," the envoy added.

Dai stated that Mali has recently conducted counterterrorism operations in Mopt among other areas to maintain local stability and protect civilians, noting that these efforts "merit our full recognition."

"Terrorist forces remain rampant and are constantly harassing villages, kidnapping and attacking civilians. Such security threats are spilling over to neighboring countries," he said. "Mali stands at the forefront of counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel and West Africa."

"To support Mali in combating terrorism is to safeguard regional peace," the envoy stressed.

Speaking about the situation in the war-torn country, Dai said that "the political and peace process in Mali stands at a critical juncture, which requires unrelenting attention and support from the international community."

"We need to help the Malian Government properly address the various challenges," he added.

Referring to the efforts made by the Malian government, the envoy said that Mali has recently initiated the constitutional process, set up a more inclusive National Transitional Council, and advanced election preparations.

"China welcomes these positive outcomes," he said.

Noting that political transition can hardly be achieved overnight, the ambassador said that it is essential to ensure broad-based participation, take into account the interests of all parties, safeguard unity and stability, and address differences through dialogue and consultation, thereby creating conditions conducive to the constitutional referendum and the electoral process.

"The international community, in providing support, should respect Mali's sovereignty and ownership. The AU and the Economic Community of West African States should continue to play a constructive role. The implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement is of vital importance," Dai spelled out.

"We welcome the efforts made by all parties concerned to reopen the dialogue mechanism, including the monitoring committee, commend the important role played by Algeria in leading the international mediation team, and look forward to greater contributions from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)," he said.

With the backdrop that Mali faces a grim economic situation, with a quarter of its population in need of humanitarian assistance, Dai said that "we should work together to help alleviate its difficulties, ensure that relief funds are in place, and forestall the recurrence of humanitarian disaster in Mali."

"It is necessary to scale up investment in peacebuilding, support Mali in implementing projects in such areas as agriculture development, infrastructure, education, and housing, and help Mali enhance its own development capacity," he added.

Turning to MINUSMA, Dai said that efforts must be made to strengthen the mission's top-level design, streamline and optimize its mandate, and focus its resources and strength on the most central and urgent tasks. 
Sonne by Kurdwin Ayubil wins the Trieste Film Festival Best documentary is 'Scenes with my father', 'Plima' best short

(ANSA) - TRIESTE, 28 GEN - The Trieste Prize awarded by the jury to the best feature film in competition at the Trieste Film Festival, focusing on Central and Eastern European productions, goes to Sonne by Kurdwin Ayub, a Kurdish director who grew up in Vienna.



Among the reasons for the choice were "investigating without dogma, and using the language of the present time, the still unresolved questions of roots, religion, and identity of the new generations resulting from migration flows, through the gaze of three young women in search of their place in the world." The Alpe Adria Cinema Prize, awarded by the jury for the best documentary, goes to "Scenes with my father" by Biserka Suran (Netherlands, 2022), "a pearl of cinema describing a migrant family in today's Europe." Eva Vidan's short film "Plima" (Croatia, U.S., 2022) was awarded the TSFF Shorts Prize for the "delicate, childlike-eyed account of a pre-modern, female society where women preside over the household." Other award-winning films include Otilia Babara's "Love is not an orange" (Belgium, Netherlands, Moldova, France, 2022), awarded the CEI (Central European Initiative) Prize for the best interpretation of contemporary reality and dialogue between cultures. The Corso Salani 2023 Award went to Sophie Chiarello's "Il Cerchio" (Italy, 2022). And, again, the SNCCI Award for Best Critics' Film 2022 went to Jafar Panahi's "The Bears Don't Exist" (Iran, 2022), while Best Italian Critics' Film 2022 goes to Laura Samani's "Piccolo corpo" (Italy, France, Slovenia, 2022).



Finally, the 2023 Eastern Star Award, which recognizes a personality in the film world whose work has contributed, like the Trieste Film Festival, to bridging Eastern and Western Europe, goes to Krzysztof Zanussi. (ANSA).





 Copyright ANSA - All rights reserved
S Club 7s Hannah Spearritt says she and her family had to move into an office over Christmas and New Year, after being forced of their home by a landlord.

The well-known 90s pop star said she had lived in four temporary homes in the last six months, adding it was stressful, but you deal with it.

In an interview with The Sun, Spearritt said public perception of her and fellow bandmates as millionaires was just not true.

The well-known 90s pop star said she had lived in four temporary homes in the last six months (PA)

Speaking about her time spent in between permanent living spaces, she said: Our landlord needed the money and the property sold so fast. We ended up with under two days to leave.

What screwed us is we didnt have time to find another place. We had somewhere over Christmas but ran out of time before we could move in. It was just a couple of weeks.

We were allowed to stay in our friends office. We just used it as our living room.

It was extra space. It was stressful but you deal with it, dont you? Especially with the kids.

She added: People think we must all be millionaires but sadly its just not true. It was what it was and we enjoyed ourselves at the time.

Spearritt also told The Sun she had come down with an illness that had left her bedbound, while her and her partners new cafe venture had also stalled.

S Club 7 were formed in 1998 and consisted of Spearritt, Bradley McIntosh, Jo OMeara, Jon Lee, Paul Cattermole, Rachel Stevens and Tina Barrett.

Their hits included Dont Stop Movin, Bring It All Back, and Never Had A Dream Come True.

Spearritt is the only original group member not to sign up for S Clubs reunion gigs, including shows at Londons O2 Arena, this autumn.

She told The Sun that there was still a chance she would join her bandmates for the comeback shows but that it was dependent on her health.
Fresh strikes have been called by the biggest civil service union in its long-running dispute over jobs, pay and pensions.

Members of the Public and Commercial Service union (PCS) at the British Museum will take industrial action during February half term.

More than 100 members of the museums visitor services and security teams will take seven days action from February 13.

The same day sees more than 60 PCS members start five days of action at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Wales.

The union said the strike between February 13 and 17 is likely to disrupt the printing of driving licences and impact on other print jobs at His Majestys Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

In a separate dispute, PCS members working as legal advisers and court associates in more than 80 courts across England and Wales have announced four days of strikes from February 3.

The Rosetta Stone at the British Museum (Edmond Terakopian/PA)

The announcement comes ahead of a strike by up to half a million workers next Wednesday, including 100,000 PCS members.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: We warned ministers that our action would spread if they ignored our demands, and were good to our word.

In failing to come to the table with any new money, the Government has failed its own workforce  the very people they praised for keeping the country running during the pandemic.

If the Government was serious about resolving the dispute, ministers could resolve it tomorrow.

Instead, theyre shamefully hiding their heads in the sand, hoping well go away. We wont.

Wednesday will see the largest action by our union in a decade, with 100,000 of our members all over England, Scotland and Wales telling the Government they demand a pay rise now to help them through the cost-of-living crisis and beyond.
What should passengers do after Flybe ceases trading?

Regional carrier Flybe has ceased trading and all scheduled flights have been cancelled.

What does this mean for travellers?

How many people are affected?

Flybe was scheduled to serve 17 destinations across the UK and Europe in 2023, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

The airline operated seven daily flights at Heathrow, Britains busiest airport, to Amsterdam, Belfast, Newcastle and Newquay

Next week Flybe was scheduled to operate 292 flights, equating to over 22,700 seats.

Flights have cancelled (Peter Byrne/PA)

What should I do?



The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) made the announcement the company had gone into administration and urged those with booked Flybe flights not to travel to airports.

It urged ticket-holders to instead check its website for the latest information.

What if I booked with a credit card?

If booked directly with Flybe and paid by credit card passengers may be protected under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 and should contact their card issuer for further information

Those who booked tickets costing more than 100 will be able to claim from their credit card provider.

What if I booked with a debit card or ticket under 100?

If the tickets were under 100 or booked with a debit card, passengers can try to use chargeback from their bank or card provider.

I have travel insurance, what should I do?

Passengers should check if their policy includes Scheduled Airline Failure Insurance (SAFI) cover.

If travel insurance includes cover, customers should contact their insurer

What is SAFI?

A policy may simply cover the cost of the original tickets purchased or any unused portion, or the additional cost of purchasing new flights, such as new tickets for travel back to the UK.

They type of protection provided may vary depending on the type of policy taken out.

What if I booked through a third party?

If a passenger did not book directly with Flybe and purchased their tickets through a third party, they should contact their booking or travel agent in the first instance.

They may have provided SAFI as part of the booking.

Can the Government step in?

According to Which?, very few passengers flying Flybe will be on Atol protected packages so the government is unlikely to step in and repatriate those abroad or provide refunds.

What is the Atol scheme?

Atol provides protection to holidaymakers when travel firms collapse.

What protection does it offer?

If a business collapses while you are on holiday, the scheme will make sure you can finish your holiday and return home.

Customers who have not yet left home will be given a refund or replacement holiday.
Abortion pill manufacturer GenBioPro filed a lawsuit Wednesday arguing that West Virginia's sweeping ban on the procedure is unconstitutional  one of a spate of suits testing the legality of medication abortion in the post-Roe legal landscape.

GenBioPro manufactures mifepristone, the first pill in a two-drug regimen used to carry out medication abortion. Medication abortion has become a hot-button issue since the Supreme Courts June decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion.

Medication abortion now accounts for more than half of all abortions carried out in the U.S., according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights. The Biden administration has sought to shore up access to abortion pills, even as more than a dozen states have banned the procedure.

The drugmaker, which filed its case in West Virginia federal court, argues that the Food and Drug Administration's regulations on abortion medication override state law. Also on Wednesday, a medical doctor in North Carolina sued officials over the states stringent requirements for the use of mifepristone. In November, anti-abortion medical providers filed the anti-abortion mirror of the two suits, legal expert Rachel Rebouche said; that lawsuit argues the FDA acted outside of its authority in approving medication abortion in 2000. The outcomes of the cases could determine who can access medication abortion amid the patchwork of abortion laws that have sprung up across the country since the high courts decision.

Think about one federal court in Texas saying mifepristone shouldnt be on the market, one federal court in North Carolina saying the FDA preempts state law, Rebouche, dean of Temple University's law school, said in an interview with NBC News. Theres bound to be confusion.

The FDA approved mifepristone for medication abortion at up to 10 weeks of pregnancy more than two decades ago. The agency widened access to the drug in 2021 by allowing providers to prescribe abortion pills by telemedicine and send them to patients by mail, and it has taken additional actions to broaden availability more recently.

In September, West Virginia's governor signed legislation outlawing abortion in almost all cases. The state also restricts the use of telemedicine to prescribe mifepristone.

GenBioPro said West Virginias restrictions have caused it significant losses in sales, customers and revenue. The suit argues that state legislation must give way to the federal regulatory authority granted to the FDA by Congress. The North Carolina lawsuit relies on a similar argument.

Abortion law and the status of the legality of abortion flickers on and off, Rebouche said. One day its a constitutional right, the next day theres a Supreme Court decision, in the weeks after a dozen states rushed to criminalize, those laws are still being interpreted, and on top of it, these conflicts between states and the federal government. Were just seeing a really dynamic, fast-changing legal landscape.
Zvika Karavany, 72, a Yemeni-born Israeli, wipes his tears in front of the Death Wall in the former Nazi German concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz during ceremonies marking the 78th anniversary of the liberation of the camp in Oswiecim, Poland, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Michal Dyjuk)

OSWIECIM, Poland (AP)  Auschwitz-Birkenau survivors and other mourners commemorated the 78th anniversary Friday of the Nazi German death camp's liberation, some expressing horror that war has again shattered peace in Europe and the lesson of Never Again is being forgotten.

The former concentration and extermination camp is located in the town of Oswiecim in southern Poland, which was under the occupation of German forces during World War II and became a place of systematic murder of Jews, Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, Roma and others targeted for elimination by Adolf Hitler and his henchmen.

In all, some 1.1 million people were killed at the vast complex before it was liberated by Soviet troops on Jan. 27, 1945.

Today the site, with its barracks, barbed wire and ruins of gas chambers, stands as one of the world's most recognized symbols of evil and a site of pilgrimage for millions.

Jewish and Christian prayers for the dead were recited at the memorial site, which lies only 300 kilometers (185 miles) from Ukraine, where Russian aggression is creating death and destruction  a conflict on the minds of many this year.

Standing here today at this place of remembrance, Birkenau, I follow with horror the news from the east that the Russian army, which liberated us here, is waging a war there in Ukraine. Why? Why?" lamented survivor Zdzisawa Wodarczyk during observances Friday.

Piotr Cywinski, Auschwitz state museum director, compared Nazi crimes to those the Russians have committed in Ukrainian towns like Bucha and Mariupol. He said they were inspired by a similar sick megalomania" and that free people must not remain indifferent.

Being silent means giving voice to the perpetrators, Cywinski said. Remaining indifferent is tantamount to condoning murder.

Russian President Vladimir Putin attended observances marking the 60th anniversary of the camps liberation in 2005. This year, no Russian official was invited due to the attack on Ukraine.

Valentina Matvienko, speaker of Russia's upper house of parliament, deplored that as a cynical move.

They refused to invite the liberators so that they could pay tribute to the memory of the victims, she said. Of course, this is very worrying.

Rabbi Berl Lazar, one of Russias two chief rabbis, said not having any Russian invitees was a humiliation for sure, because we perfectly know and remember the role of the Red Army in the liberation of Auschwitz.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy marked the event in a social media post, alluding to his own country's situation.

We know and remember that indifference kills along with hatred, he said.

"Indifference and hatred are always capable of creating evil together only. That is why it is so important that everyone who values life should show determination when it comes to saving those whom hatred seeks to destroy.

An Israeli teacher, Yossi Michal, paying tribute to the victims with a teachers union delegation, said it was important to remember the past, and while he said what is happening in Ukraine is terrible, he felt each case is unique and they shouldn't be compared.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose Brothers of Italy party has its roots in the post-Word War II neo-fascist Italian Social Movement, called the Holocaust the abyss of humanity. An evil that touched also our country with the infamy of the racial laws of 1938.

Bogdan Bartnikowski, a Pole who was 12 when he was transported to Auschwitz, said the first images he saw on television last February of refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggered traumatic memories.

He was stunned seeing a little girl in a large crowd of refugees holding her mother with one hand and grasping a teddy bear in the other.

It was literally a blow to the head for me because I suddenly saw, after almost 80 years, what I had seen in a freight car when I was being transported to Auschwitz. A little girl was sitting next to me, hugging a doll to her chest," Bartnikowski, now 91, said.

Bartnikowski was among several survivors of Auschwitz who spoke about their experiences to journalists Thursday.

Another, Stefania Wernik, who was born at Auschwitz in November 1944, less than three months before its liberation, spoke of Auschwitz being a hell on earth.

She said when she was born she was so tiny that the Nazis tattooed her number  89136  on her thigh. She was washed in cold water, wrapped in rags and subjected to medical experiments.

And yet her mother had abundant milk, and they both survived. After the war, her mother returned home and reunited with her husband, and the whole village came to look at us and said it's a miracle.

She appealed for no more fascism, which brings death, genocide, crimes, slaughter and loss of human dignity.

Among those who attended Friday's commemorations was Doug Emhoff, the husband of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Emhoff, the first Jewish person to be married to one of the top two nationally elected U.S. officials, bowed his head at an execution wall at Auschwitz, where he left a wreath of flowers in the U.S. flag's colors and the words: From the people of the United States of America."

The Germans established Auschwitz in 1940 for Polish prisoners; later they expanded the complex, building death chambers and crematoria where Jews from across Europe were brought by train to be murdered.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the suffering of 6 million innocently murdered Jews remains unforgotten  as does the suffering of the survivors.

We recall our historic responsibility on Holocaust Memorial Day so that our Never Again endures in future, he wrote on Twitter.

The German parliament was holding a memorial event focused this year on those who were persecuted for their sexual orientation. Thousands of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual people were incarcerated and killed by the Nazis  a fate only publicly recognized decades after WWII.

Elsewhere in the world on Friday events were planned to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, an annual commemoration established by a United Nations resolution in 2005.

In Britain, candles were lit to remember victims of genocide in homes and public buildings, including Buckingham Palace.

___

Frank Jordans in Berlin and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.
A two-shot dose of Evusheld at a University of Washington Medicine clinic in Seattle. The Food and Drug Administration has revoked its authorization of the drug because it doesn't work against current Omicron variants. (Ted S. Warren / Associated Press)

The Food and Drug Administration has withdrawn its provisional support for the use of Evusheld, a medication that was once a valuable tool for preventing patients with weakened immune systems from becoming severely ill with COVID-19.

With new viral variants increasingly adept at defeating Evusheld, the FDA said the biological drug should no longer be used.

The FDA decision marks the end  at least for now  of a medication that had helped restore some normalcy to the lives of cancer patients, transplant recipients and others who either could not be vaccinated against COVID-19 or whose immune systems failed to make a good response to vaccine. As many as 3% of the U.S. population  7.2 million adults  is thought to have immune deficiencies that put them at risk of becoming severely ill or dying if they are infected with the pandemic virus.

Its a really sad time, said Dr. Camille Kotton, an infectious disease doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital who cares for people with impaired immunity. For her patients, she said, it was kind of like being told the seat belts in your car wont work anymore, and were not going to be able to replace them with anything.

In recent months, nine new subvariants of the dominant Omicron strain have proven capable of sneaking around Evushelds defenses. Collectively, those subvariants now constitute more than 90% of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus specimens circulating in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The result: After 15 months in the nations armamentarium against COVID-19, a medication that U.S. taxpayers spent at least $1.58 billion to develop and produce has become largely ineffective. However, the FDA said its authorization for the drug would resume if at least 10% of coronavirus specimens in circulation are susceptible to it in the future.

Evusheld is the commercial name of an AstraZeneca drug that combines two monoclonal antibodies, tixagevimab and cilgavimab. In a statement Friday, the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant said it is testing the safety and effectiveness of a new antibody medication to protect people with weakened immune systems, which it hopes to field in the latter half of 2023.

When Evusheld became available to patients just over a year ago, its protection allowed many immunocompromised patients to emerge from isolation for the first time since the pandemic began.

It was expected to be administered to patients who needed it every six months. But some never got their first jab, and many did not get their second, before changes in the coronavirus rendered it ineffective.

Were mourning the official death of what had been a really good tool, Kotton said.

Many doctors had already accepted that Evusheld's time had passed.

Physicians at UCLA Medical Center and its satellites stopped giving it to their transplant and chemotherapy patients in December. That is when the Omicron subvariant known as BQ.1.1., which had found a way to circumvent Evushelds protection, became dominant across Southern California.

It is unfortunate, said UCLA infectious disease physician Dr. Tara Vijayan. But, she added, we were surprised the FDA waited so long to pull it.

Thanks to the relentless rate at which new coronavirus variants have emerged, a passel of COVID-19 drugs based on bioengineered monoclonal antibodies have become obsolete.

Since November 2020, when the first such treatments for COVID-19 won the FDAs provisional support, six have been rendered useless by genetic changes in the coronavirus. It began with the emergence of the Delta variant in March 2021, and the arrival nine months later of the Omicron variant  which itself has splintered into 18 subvariants  has wiped out the rest.

Since April 2021, the FDA has withdrawn its emergency use authorization for all monoclonal antibody treatments used as therapies for COVID-19 except for tocilizumab, which continues to be used in some hospitalized patients.

As UCLA doctors watched one after another of their monoclonal antibody therapies fail, we always advised a measure of caution, said Vijayan, the health system's medical director of adult antimicrobial stewardship. We were always waiting for the variants and the resistance that would come with them.

The viruss triumphs over these sophisticated therapies has left all COVID-19 patients with a dwindling store of rescue drugs. But for patients with compromised immunity, the situation is even worse.

The virus incessant shape-shifting has more completely demolished the store of effective drugs that can save them from severe illness or death with COVID-19. Many cannot take the antiviral Paxlovid because it interacts with their other medications. That leaves them with the less effective antiviral molnupiravir and the drug remdesivir, which must be infused daily  usually in a hospital  over three days.

The dearth of drugs available for patients with compromised immune systems has renewed interest in convalescent plasma, an old-school version of antibody therapy first explored in the opening days of the pandemic. As COVID-19 therapies for these fragile patients have dwindled, several medical societies have recommended a return to the use of blood products drawn from previously infected patients who have recovered.

A recently published systematic review of clinical trials suggested that convalescent plasma could help prevent death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with impaired immunity. And a British clinical trial is currently testing the use of Vax-Plasma  plasma from vaccinated people who had breakthrough infections and then recovered.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
As the first week of the long-awaited double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh wrapped up Friday, a jury of eight women and four men, the state of South Carolina and the nation have borne witness to an evolving courtroom drama and disquieting disclosures from the witness stand.

The trial begins again Monday morning in the 202-year-old Colleton County courthouse in Walterboro, where dozens of local, state and national news media, bloggers and book writers have converged. Members of the public from the surrounding area, as well as from North Carolina, Georgia and other states, were in the audience, which grew as the week went on. The trial is also reaching a realtime nationwide audience through Court TV.

In the first two days of testimony, the prosecution has launched a fact-based frontal assault in order to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Murdaugh was capable of committing the double murder. The defense has waged a vigorous counter offensive, undercutting some claims made by prosecution witnesses.

Nine witnesses, all members of law enforcement, have testified so far. Among the revelations elicited so far from them under questioning by prosecutors and defense lawyers:

 Although the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division obtained a search warrant the day after the murders of Murdaughs wife, Maggie, 52, and his son, Paul, 22, on June 7, 2021, SLED waited until Sept. 13 of that year to search the house on the familys 1,700-acre estate in rural Colleton County, a SLED agent testified Friday. No reason was given for the delay.

Found inside the house were numerous guns, a large gun room and much rifle and shotgun ammunition of the type  300 Blackout rifle ammunition and 12-gauge shotgun shells  believed to have killed Paul and Maggie, SLED agent Melinda Worley testified Friday. Her cross-examination begins Monday morning.

Drone footage captured by the Colleton County Sheriffs Office of the kennels at Moselle.

 Human hairs were found in Maggies clenched hand, testified Colleton County detective Laura Rutland, who was called to the death scene the night of the slayings. Bruising or possible scratches were found on Pauls cheek. Both bodies were found near dog kennels about 1,000 yards from the main family house, witnesses said.

 Blood was found on the steering wheel and in other places of Alexs Chevrolet Suburban. Future prosecution witnesses are expected to tell the jury whose blood it is. SLED agents testified they took DNA from Paul and Maggies bodies.

Witness SLED agent Melinda Worley handles the shoes of Paul Murdaugh that were collected into evidence in the double murder trial of his father Alex Murdaugh at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier/Pool

 Alex Murdaugh gave an initial 35-minute interview with SLED agent Capt. David Owens and Colleton County detective Rutland within two hours after finding his wife and sons bodies and calling 911. Murdaugh had a man whom he introduced as his personal attorney, Danny Henderson, with him. Henderson is a widely-respected longtime lawyer at Murdaughs former law firm, PMPED.

Among the drama:

 Friday morning, state prosecutor John Meadors led Rutland through the events of the night of June 7 and early June 8 through a recording that Rutland made and a recording of her first interview with Murdaugh.

Under Meadors questioning, Rutland told the jury that despite a large pool of blood and brain matter around Paul, Murdaughs hands and clothes appeared clean even though he claimed to have checked Paul for signs of life and tried to move his body, according to earlier witnesses who talked to Murdaugh that night.

In an effort to paint Murdaugh as a liar, Meadors led Rutland through a series of rapid questions and answers, his voice rising as he highlighted the inconsistencies.

Is the individual in this courtroom who told you he tried to take the pulse of Maggie and Paul? Is the individual in this courtroom who told you he tried to turn Paul over? Meadors asked, his voice rising almost to a shout as he underscored the inconsistencies. Is the individual you described as clean from head to toe, in this courtroom?

Yes he is, Rutland said.

Please point him out for the jury, Meadors replied.

Hes sitting at the defense table, Rutland said, lifting a hand to point at Murdaugh, sitting across the courtroom at the defense table with lawyers Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin.

John Meadors shows still images taken from video to Colleton County Sheriffs Office detective, Laura Rutland.

Meadors was only hired by the Attorney Generals office in early January. That office does not normally try murder cases, and it hired Meadors because he has tried hundreds of murder cases. He is respected for having a folksy but powerful way with juries.

In cross-examining Rutland, defense attorney Griffin asked , On that night, was Alex Murdaugh a suspect?

Rutland: On that night, everybody was a suspect...There were so many scenarios. Everybody was a suspect at that point.

Griffin: Including Alex?

Rutland: Including Alex.

 In the recorded interview with Owens and Rutland in a SLED car, Murdaugh began to cry as he told about the pride and love he had for his slain son.

Despite the trauma of a 2019 boat crash and its aftermath, a crash in which many blame Paul for killing a friend, Mallory Beach, Murdaugh said, his son had handled the pressure and adversity well. I have never been prouder of him...Paul is a wonderful, wonderful kid who loved working on the family estate, he said. He helped everybody with everything. This place was his absolute passion.

 The courtroom stood bereft of an oil painting that had been there many years. It was a painting of Murdaughs grandfather, Randolph Buster Murdaugh, a longtime solicitor, or Lowcountry elected prosecutor, who served for nearly 50 years and was one of the most influential members of the states legal and law enforcement communities.

Trial Judge Clifton Newman had ordered the portrait removed for the trial so as not to exercise, by its mere presence, any sway over the jury.

The nine witnesses during the first week were only the initial wave of what could be dozens of prosecution witnesses, including cellphone tower experts, pathologists and other experts.

Crime scene experts have already testified about how they collected DNA, gun shot residue, organic matter, shotgun shell casings, rifle casings, an SUV black box from a Chevy Suburban and blood-stained clothing from Alex Murdaugh.

They will likely be followed by more than a dozen witnesses testifying for the defense.

Alex Murdaugh becomes emotional during testimony during his murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. Grace Beahm Alford/The Post and Courier/Pool

During the first two days of testimony, witnesses referred to various events that begged for more explanation:

 Several witnesses spoke about footprints that were found to go around a large airplane hangar structure on the Murdaugh property, a structure close to the dog kennels were Maggie and Paul were shot. The size and shape of the footprints, which were likely made the night of the killings, appeared to match sandals worn by Maggie when she was killed, witnesses said.

 Aside from pointing to unknown people who harbored animosity towards Paul following the boat crash, the only person the night of the murders who Murdaugh thought could be involved was Moselle handyman CB Rowe. Murdaugh told Rutland and Owen that he was planning to fire Rowe, who had damaged a field of sunflowers and told Paul a bizarre story, claiming to have joined an FBI undercover team whose aim was to assassinate radical Black Panthers.

 Both prosecutors and defense attorneys have elicited from witnesses the fact that there was a large pool of water around Paul, but no explanation about its significance has been forthcoming.

Week one comes to an end

The trial has proceeded faster than many onlookers expected. By 1:13 Wednesday afternoon, a jury had been sworn in. The 250 residents of Colleton County who were summoned for jury duty had been whittled down to a pool of 12 jurors and 6 alternates.

But the first week of trial did not produce a definitive picture of what happened at the dog kennels the night of June 7, 2021. Two full days of testimony has sketched an image that is more Rorschach test than oil portrait.

At times, the press and publics understanding of the evidence has been hampered by Judge Newmans order sealing graphic exhibits. Often only the audio of key video evidence, like the body camera footage of the first sheriffs deputy to arrive at the scene, can be heard. Attorneys have taped curtains of paper over their computer screens, which they lift to watch body camera footage. The jurors display is facing away from observers.

A photo of footprints taken by investigators at the scene at the scene of the murders. On the stand, investigators have said that they are believed to belong to Maggie Murdaugh.

Opening statements underscored that the jury will be expected to chose between radically different interpretations of the evidence.

Listen to that gathering storm that all came to a head on the day that he killed Maggie and Paul... start piecing it together like a puzzle, lead prosecutor Creigton Waters urged the jury in a fiery opening statement. Suddenly a picture emerges and its real simple. Its real simple.

But in a winding statement of his own, defense attorney Dick Harpootlian reminded the jury that they were under oath to see Murdaugh as an innocent man. Could they imagine that man blowing off the top of the head of his son, Paul  the apple of his eye?

Theyve been pounding that square peg in the round hole since June 2021, Harpootlian said, Theres no forensics. None! I say that without any fear of contradiction whatsoever.
The presidents of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Honduras and Cuba are trying to rewrite history about recent events in Peru: They are casting doubt on legitimacy of that countrys President Dina Boluarte, circulating the lie that there was a congressional coup there.

By any legal or moral measure, that simply not true.

Whats worse, they are adding fuel to the fire in Peru. At least 56 people have died in recent clashes between police and violent radical leftist groups seeking Boluartes resignation.

Most Peruvian constitutional experts agree that, while any excessive use of force against the protesters should be investigated and, if necessary, punished, there is no doubt that Boluarte is the legitimate president.

She is a leftist politician who was the next in line in Perus constitutional order after leftist former President Pedro Castillo was impeached and removed from office for launching a coup to grab absolute powers.

On Dec. 7, Castillo went on national television to order the dissolution of Congress and announce that he would rule by decree. It was a classic self-coup, just like the one carried out by the countrys right-wing President Alberto Fujimori in 1992.

Yet, the presidents of Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and other countries are turning the facts upside down, trying to portray Castillo as an innocent victim.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said in a videotaped message to the Jan. 24 summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in Argentina that, Its an infamy what was done to Pedro Castillo and the way they are repressing the people in Peru. The presidents of Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile made similar comments.

Cuban dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel, whose country has not allowed a free election in 64 years, had claimed earlier that Castillos dismissal was the result of a process led by the dominant oligarchies to subvert the will of the people. So Cuba is now giving lessons on democracy. How ironic.

Curious about these allegations, I interviewed former Peruvian President Francisco Sagasti, who led the country during the 2021 elections and transferred power to Castillo.

Sagasti, an engineer and former World Bank adviser who last week moved to Washington to join the Wilson Center think tank, told me that, Unfortunately, some leaders of other countries have a very distorted perception of recent events in Peru.

Granted, its true that conservatives had falsely claimed that Castillo had won through fraud and had gone out of their way to make his life difficult once he took office.

But theres no question that his order to dissolve Congress was a violation of the constitution, and that, He was on his way to becoming a dictator, which is absolutely unacceptable, Sagasti told me.

As for President Boluarte, she is a legitimate president, because there has not been a break of constitutional order, as some would like us to believe, he added.

Asked about Perus recent violence, the former president said that, unlike countries that suffer from political polarization, Peru suffers from political atomization, meaning that it has many ethnic and political factions that are fiercely opposed to each other.

To emerge from this crisis, he is proposing a credible mediator such as Perus Interreligious Council, a group made up of 16 religious denominations, to take the protesters demands to authorities, and seek a negotiated solution with early elections. Boluarte has offered to hold early elections this year or in early 2024.

Critics are right to demand an investigation into whether security forces used extreme force to quell the violent protests in recent weeks. But Latin American countries should be helping Perus beleaguered President Boluarte, instead of pulling the rug out from under her.

Watch the full interview with former Peruvian President Francisco Sagasti Sundays at 7 pm E.T. on CNN en Espanol. Twitter: @oppenheimera


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LUSAKA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- A tripartite deal aimed at enhancing connectivity in order to enhance business in Africa has been signed, a statement released on Friday said.

The Lobito Corridor Transit Transport agreement was signed by Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Zambia on Friday in the Angolan capital Luanda, according to the statement released by Zambia's Ministry of Transport and Logistics.

According to the statement, the agreement will unlock the business potential along the corridor through effective participation of small and medium-sized enterprises in the value chains as well as boost private sector investment in the three countries.

Frank Tayali, Zambia's Minister of Transport and Logistics, said the agreement will also ease the movement of people, goods and services as well as improve and stimulate regional connectivity and integration through the implementation of harmonized trade facilitation instruments.

The agreement, he added, will provide Zambia with an alternative strategic outlet to the Western and European export markets and offers a key rout to the sea Port of Lobito.

He, however, said there was an urgent need to constitute governing organs and structures of the Lobito Corridor to actualize the quick implementation of the agreement.

According to him, the mere signing of the agreement without actualizing its content and aspirations will be futile hence the need to ratify it in order to enter into force.

"I have also noted that our technical experts are yet to develop the tripartite and railway transport agreements which will be additions to this agreement. In this regard, I wish to encourage our technical experts to start formulating these agreements as they are key to the successful implementation of the transport corridor agreement," he said.

The Lobito Corridor represents an alternative strategic outlet to export markets for the DRC and Zambia and offers the shortest route linking key mining regions to the sea. 
Two pilots ejected safely, but the third one is missing

Pilots being rescued from the crash site after a Su-30MKI and Mirage 2000 fighter planes crashed during an exercise, in Morena district, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Two Indian Air Force fighter jets crashed Saturday, killing one pilot, in an apparent mid-air collision while on exercises in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday

The crash involved a Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30, carrying two pilots, and a French-built Mirage 2000, operated by a third.

Both aircraft had taken off in the morning from the Gwalior air base, around 50 kilometres east of where they came down.

"The aircraft were on routine operational flying training mission," the Air Force said in a statement, adding that one of the three pilots had sustained fatal injuries.

An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the crash, it added.

Police officer Dharmender Gaur told AFP from the scene of the crash that another pilot had been found alive but injured in the forests of Padargarh around 300 kilometres.

"We have located the wreckage of one of the planes," the officer said. "The other plane has likely fallen further away from the site and we have sent teams to locate it."

Local authorities had been instructed to assist with the air force's rescue and relief work, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted.

"I pray to god that the pilots of the planes are safe," he added.

The crash is the latest in a string of aviation accidents involving India's military air fleet.

Five army soldiers were killed last October when their helicopter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh.

It was the second military chopper crash in the state that month, coming weeks after a Cheetah helicopter came down near the town of Tawang, killing its pilot.

Defence chief, General Bipin Rawat, was among 13 people killed when his Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter crashed while transporting him to an air force base in December 2021.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is grappling with the urgent task of overhauling India's outdated armed forces.

Its military establishment is fretting over a growing assertiveness by China along its vast Himalayan frontier, which in 2019 sparked a lingering diplomatic freeze after a deadly high-altitude confrontation between troops of both countries.

India unveiled its first locally built aircraft carrier last year as part of government efforts to build an indigenous defence industry and reduce reliance on Russia, historically its most important arms supplier.

An effort to reform military recruitment to trim down India's bloated defence payroll stalled last year after a backlash from aspiring soldiers, who burned train carriages and clashed with police in fierce protests.
A joint house judiciary committee must be constituted by bringing about an appropriate Constitutional amendment

The Supreme Court has chosen to make public its reiterated recommendations with regard to certain judges whose appointments the government has been sitting on for over five years now. (Representational Image)

An independent judiciary, credible media, autonomous election commission, unshackled Parliament and enlightened executive committed to protecting and preserving civil liberties and fundamental freedoms are the hallmarks of a vibrant democracy.

Both the Vice-President of India and the Union law minister have, of late, mounted a frontal assault on the judiciary. While the former has repeatedly called into question the basic structure doctrine, a judge-made constitutional fiat that puts some features of the Constitution of India beyond the amending powers of Parliament, the latter has been repeatedly assailing the manner in which incumbents to the higher judiciary namely the high courts and the Supreme Court are appointed.

The Supreme Court, in turn, has chosen to make public its reiterated recommendations with regard to certain judges whose appointments the government has been sitting on for over five years now.

Particularly galling is the case of a Delhi high court lawyer Saurabh Kripal whose candidature is not being processed by the government because of his sexual orientation. It is rather apocalyptic that that his partner, a Swiss national, was purportedly surveyed by the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), an intelligence agency that has a clear external remit and should not be investigating the conduct of even foreign nationals in India.

Article 124 (2) of the Constitution lays down the process of appointment of judges. It states interalia Provided that in the case of appointment of a Judge other than the chief Justice, the chief Justice of India shall always be consulted. From 1950 to 1993 it was the executive that appointed judges after due consultations as laid down above.

However there has been an endemic controversy over the formulation the chief Justice of India shall always be consulted. In the First Judges case in 1981, Re: SP Gupta, seven Justices of the Supreme Courtheld by a majority of five is to two that amongst the view of the three constitutional functionaries, the opinion of the Chief Justice of India did not enjoy primacy over those of the other two in the matter of appointment of judges.

However, 13 years later, a nine-judge bench of the Supreme Court in the 1993 Re: Advocates on Record reversed its view and reinterpreted the word consultation to mean concurrence of the Chief Justice in the matter of appointments to higher judiciary. The earlier primacy given to the executive was, thereby, negated.

However, there was a sweetener added to mitigate the radical reinterpretation of the word, consultation, The opinion of the Chief Justice of India did not mean the individual opinion of Chief Justice of India, it meant his opinion formed collectively, that is to say, after taking into account the views of his senior colleagues, who are required to be consulted by him for the formation of his opinion. Thus the Supreme Court created the collegiums system that finds no mention anywhere in the Constitution.

In 1998, the Supreme Court, in an advisory opinion on a reference by the President of India, expanded the collegium for the appointment of Supreme Court judges and transfers of high court judges from three to five in what is colloquially referred to as the Third Judges case.

In 2010, the then UPA government had also introduced and almost passed the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill (JSAB), 2010, in Parliament only to pull back at the last moment.

That is the way it stayed till August 2014 when the then NDA/BJP law minister introduced the National Judicial Commission Appointments Bill (NJAC) and the 121st Constitutional Amendment Bill to restore balance in the appointment of judges to the higher judiciary.

The NJAC bill was passed by Parliament with near unanimity. It was ratified by 16 states and assented to by the President of India only to be struck down by the Supreme Court in October 2015 with a 4-1 majority by pronouncing that the judiciary cannot risk being caught in a web of indebtedness towards the government. The NJAC judgment is sometimes referred to as the Fourth Judges case.

Perhaps not fully cognisant with the over a thousand-page judgement in the NJAC case and the preceding tomes from 1981 onwards, the current Union law minister ostensibly wrote a letter to the Chief Justice asking for a role for the executive in the collegium system. He subsequently clarified that he had written for the restructuring of the collegium system as enunciated in the Memorandum of Procedure (MOP). There the matter rests currently.

How should then judges be appointed? They should not be appointed by judges themselves for whatever may be the various arguments in favor of this practice it militates against the constitutional principle of separation of powers that lies at the very heart of the doctrine of checks and balances.

The irony is that the legislature that is the expression of the will of the sovereign has no role in the process except when it comes to the removal of a judge and that too through a process of impeachment. There are even constitutionally proscribed from discussing the conduct of judges in Parliament.

Given that the intricate panoply of legal jurisprudence laid down by nine judges in the Second and Third Judges cases, respectively, as well as the NJAC judgement it is nigh impossible to turn the clock back to Re : SP Gupta with regard to judicial appointments.

An elegant solution, therefore, could perhaps be that Parliament must be given a role in the appointment of judges through a confirmation process.

A joint house judiciary committee must be constituted by bringing about an appropriate Constitutional amendment. The committee should consist of the chairperson of the Council of States, Speaker of the Lok Sabha and two members each from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively (one each of from the treasury benches and one from the Opposition benches) elected by two thirds of the majority of the House present and voting sans the rigors of the Tenth Schedule. This would ensure a certain level of reaching across the aisle as well.

The casting vote would be of the chairperson of the committee. No judicial warrant would be issued by the President of India unless the judiciary committee clears the appointment of each and every judge after a proper confirmatory hearing.

Some of the functions that were incorporated in the aborted JSAB bill could also be entrusted to this committee. In this manner the executive, through the legislature, to whom they are, in any case, accountable, too, can also exercise a salutary say in judicial appointments.
With temperatures dropping to minus 34 centigrade, the country is going through its worst cold snap in 10 years. The coming months could see both droughts and floods. More than half of the population depends on humanitarian assistance.

Kabul (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Harsh winter cold has killed at least 150 people in the past two weeks with temperatures dropping as low as minus 34 degrees Celsius,

This has aggravated a humanitarian crisis that has ravaged the country after four decades of war and the Talibans return to power in August 2021.

According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, large sections of the population lack the means to buy heating systems. The greatest impact is on the most fragile: women, children, the sick, and the elderly.

This is the worst cold snap in 10 years, but things could get worse in the coming months. In some areas, the effects of years of drought will be felt, while others could be affected by heavy flooding.

Today, more than half of Afghanistan's population depends on humanitarian assistance, while the countrys healthcare system would collapse without development aid.

Some six million Afghans face extreme food insecurity. The banking system has essentially stopped operating, and there are serious problems with electrical power supplies.

The Taliban regime's recent ban on women working in non-governmental organisations has made a bad situation worse, since humanitarian work requires a strong presence of women.
The other news of the day: Travel is booming in China for Lunar New Year. Tokyo joins Washington and bans microchip sales to China. Thailands general elections is getting underway. Indias Adani group sees market value plunge. In Russia, controversial former Orthodox priest gets more prison time.

ISRAEL  PALESTINE

Seven people are dead and 10 wounded as a result of last night's synagogue attack in East Jerusalem. An armed Palestinian opened fire on worshippers before he was killed by police. This followed an Israeli army's operation in Jenin that left 10 Palestinians dead, including some alleged terrorists, on Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah).

CHINA

Travel in the country for Lunar New Year jumped by 74 per cent over the same period last year. This follows the governments decision to drop the zero-Covid policy it imposed three years ago.

JAPAN

Responding to US demands, Japan yesterday decided to restrict microchip sales to China. According to various media outlets, the Netherlands also joined the embargo.

THAILAND

The ruling Palang Pracharat party picked former army chief Prawit Wongsuwon as its candidate in the upcoming general election. He is likely to challenge incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who joined the United Thai Nation Party, and Paetongtarn Shinawatra, nephew of former Prime Minister Thaksin.

INDIA

Seven publicly traded companies owned by Indian billionaire Gautam Adani lost US$ 48 billion in market value since 25 January after a report the day before questioned the group's debt situation and expressed concerns about its use of tax havens.

RUSSIA

A court imposed five and a half more years in prison on former Orthodox priest Nikolai Romanov (Fr. Sergiy). The ultraconservative COVID-19 denier was accused of inciting hatred against Catholics, Muslims, and Jews.

UZBEKISTAN  KYRGYZSTAN

The presidents of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan signed 20 bilateral agreements yesterday, including the ratification of an accord reached last November delimiting the border between the two countries, the scene of repeated armed clashes between the two sides.
The new government scraps a policing agreement with China. During the election campaign, Rabuka had pledged to move Fiji away from China. The new government is turning to its traditional partners, Australia and New Zealand. The South Pacific is a key area in the geopolitical competition between China and the United States.

Beijing (AsiaNews)  The Fijian government under newly elected Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has ended a training and exchange agreement with China.

In last months election campaign, Rabuka had promised to move Fiji away from China, stressing that his country's political institutions and justice system were democratic and different from those of China.

For this reason, Fiji plans to turn again towards countries with which it has more common ground, namely Australia and New Zealand.

After the 14 December election, Rabuka managed to form a coalition government that ousted Frank Bainimarama, who had led the island nation for 16 years following a military coup.

During his rule, Fiji forged stronger ties with China, while seeking to maintain good relations with the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

The South Pacific region holds great strategic importance in the geopolitical confrontation between China and the United States.

In May, China signed a secret security pact with the Solomon Islands, possibly giving Chinese warships the right to stop and refuel in the countrys ports, something that Solomon Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavaris has repeatedly denied.

Unlike the Solomons, the other South Pacific states have rejected China's offer of a wide regional trade and security pact.

Washington, Canberra and Wellington have expressed concern over Chinas activism in the region.

The US and its allies fear that China will succeed in establishing military outposts in the South Pacific as it has done in the South China Sea.

From the perspective of containing China, Beijing expansion into this region would threaten the sea lanes the US Navy uses between Hawaii and the Western Pacific.
by Stefano Caprio

If dialogue between the Churches was a way out of the tensions of the world wars of the 20th century, todays new conflicts show that the efforts of that great work could not eliminate the reasons for divisions, which very often closely linked to historical-political events rather than spiritual issues, as was the case in the most ancient schisms.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ended a few days ago, and beyond the many worthy meetings in Catholic and Protestant churches, it was evident how much classical ecumenism, inaugurated at the beginning of the 20th century by Evangelicals and progressively also accepted by Orthodox and Catholics, has now sadly spent itself.

The almost total absence of representatives of Orthodox Churches, devastated by wars and schisms as never before, has clearly exposed the powerlessness of all Gospel-centred confessions, unable to find a way to peace and reconciliation.

Russias holy war, blessed and proclaimed by the patriarch and almost all the Russian Orthodox clergy, has brought the Christian world back to a sense of strife that had seemed buried centuries ago, that of clashing peoples and religions.

Many quarters have explicitly condemned Patriarch Kirill's "imperialist heresy, and the World Council of Churches has recently discussed the possible expulsion of the Russian Church.

Pope Francis has condemned war at every opportunity, trying at the same time to keep an open door to dialogue with the Moscow "brothers", but the jubilation of the greeting Somos hermanos! (We are brothers!) that Pope Francis addressed to Kirill during the historic meeting in Havana, on 12 February 2016, no longer echoes. The anniversary of that meeting is coming up soon, but it now seems to be centuries ago.

Ukrainian Orthodox, while trying to unite to counter Russias war and ideological invasion, cannot really find a formula that can represent them all together. Ukraine remains the land with the most Orthodox jurisdictions, and any attempt to bring them together under a single ecclesial roof generates further divisions and fragmentation.

The Ukrainian government has recently granted the "autocephalous" Orthodox Church the exclusive use of the countrys most prestigious religious site, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves, driving out the pro-Russian metropolitan and monks who are in turn split between pro-Kirill, pro-Onufriy (the moderate metropolitan), neutral and quasi-autocephalous" factions.

The jurisdiction, which was historically linked to the Moscow Patriarchate, with its 13,000 churches (more than in Russia itself), declared itself "autonomous" in June, but it seems mostly to be anarchical Church", without stable moorings.

In the convulsive events of war, reciprocal "ecclesiastical sanctions" have piled up, intended to exclude any kind of encounter between Christians fighting over lands, churches, and monasteries, even the dates of major liturgical feasts.

Anathemas from Kyiv are dropping on the Russian patriarch and his acolytes, including relatives and acquaintances, even a 30-year "sentence" was issued against Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev), one of the most ardent historic enemies of the many "non-Muscovite" Orthodox, which found him in Hungary where he was exiled by Patriarch Kirill himself for rather obscure political-ideological reasons.

The crisis of ecumenism is not, however, the result of the recent Russian-Ukrainian conflict, which is in part a consequence of a much older and broader cleavages.

If dialogue between the Churches was a way out of the tensions of the world wars of the 20th century, the new conflicts show that the efforts of that great work could not eliminate the reasons for divisions, often not very spiritual in nature and closely linked to historical-political events, as was the case for the most ancient schisms.

Even before the great political changes that marked the end of the 20th century, which tore down the Cold War wall and redefined the world order, an increasingly intricate and contradictory climate was beginning to be felt in the various venues of interconfessional dialogue.

Since the 1980s, the Churches have not made any real progress in understanding and cooperating, for reasons that now appear patently obvious, since Russia has justified total war as a reaction to the "loss of traditional values" in the rest of the world.

An increasingly radical reaction in the ecumenical field has been triggered by the process of secularisation and the end of historical prohibitions such as divorce and abortion, not to mention homosexual unions and womens priests, inspired by movements and social groups that found forms of expression even inside the Churches.

The ecumenism of dialogue and openness to the demands of modernity has increasingly been replaced by the attempt to forge conservative and anti-secularist alliances, of which the apocalyptic vision of Russian Orthodoxy is the latest version.

The dream of unity among Churches has vanished, leaving room to partisanship in which what counts is not internal union, but common opposition to an external enemy. And 2016 was the emblematic year that marked this radical turning point.

in February of that year, the patriarch of Moscow met with the pope of Rome, the highlight of the Catholic-Orthodox alliance, but in June the pan-Orthodox Council of Crete failed spectacularly after Eastern Churches split precisely over the ecumenical question.

The historic meeting in Cuba itself had aroused very negative reactions among the Orthodox, in Russia and beyond, with critics complaining about making compromises with heretics" that Kirill tried in vain to justify with the need to cooperate to save ancient traditions.

The days that preceded the Council, which was supposed to sum up an entire millennium of divisions in unity, saw the Churches of Bulgaria, Antioch, Georgia, Serbia and Russia stay away; eventually, the Serbs changed their minds, going to Crete to scuttle the document on the "Relations of the Orthodox Church with the rest of the Christian world".

At that point, Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople put aside all internal diplomacy, and after the Council, set in motion the process that two years later led to the proclamation of Ukrainian autocephaly, finally breaking ties with the "degenerate daughter" Church of Moscow.

Churches are no longer "mothers and daughters", nor even "sisters", but only allies or adversaries. Amid this, Catholics and Protestants are just spectators at the undoing of the Christian family, whose vocation instead should be the defence of the natural family against the new rights and freedoms, with Churches incapable of understanding how to close ranks to fight together, and end up instead haphazardly taking sides on the battlefields.

The radical and anti-ecumenical Orthodox are finding allies among the very conservative Pentecostal movements, which are very active in supporting sovereignist and intolerant policies, but also many Catholic communities who feel unrepresented by the current Roman hierarchy, and end up adding their voice to the chorus of fundamentalist protest.

The slogan of classical ecumenism, "unity in diversity", applies to a pluralistic and inclusive vision of the relationship among Christians, which corresponds to an open-to-dialogue and non-invasive presence of the Church in contemporary society.

This vision led the Georgians and Bulgarians to abandon the World Council of Churches in 1997, showing the unease that runs through the Orthodox world, very traditionalist in its very nature.

Since then, attempts have been made to experience a "local ecumenism" or one from below, limited to brotherly relations between different confessions in specific areas; but so far, that has yielded mixed results with the evident recognition of the impossibility of meeting at the broader level.

Some Lutheran theologians have defined this crisis as a transition from a unitive ecumenism to an interdenominational one, as two variants that are now incompatible with each other.

One of the most authoritative Russian Orthodox hierarchs, Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov) also known as "Putin's spiritual father", has repeatedly said that he sees "no real future for the idea of ecumenism in the Church".

In the face of attempts at "ecumenical conformity", there will always be in his opinion "defensive reaction of believing people" who follow " unfalteringly and without waiting.

Many Russian priests, Tikhon notes, "remember the ecumenical prayers of Soviet times, which the clergy were obliged to join, by the will of the state."

The theology of ecumenism is "sad and affected, and has no real foundation," while true Orthodox theology is "inspired and founded on the traditions of the Fathers." One of Kirill's closest theologians, Protoiereus Alexander Lebedev, calls ecumenism a "terrible spiritual disease, which has long infected all the Churches."

A well-respected Ukrainian ecumenical theologian, Orthodox Father Cyril Hovorun, at a recent conference in Rome, urged everyone not to be completely discouraged in the face of the failure of dialogue and the willingness of the Russians to include everyone in their metaphysical war.

He maintains that "excluding a brother is not the way to reconciliation; dialogue also means inviting repentance and change, metanoia, beginning with the conversion of one's own heart.

Ecumenism must start again from scratch, invoking the redemption of all, as is inevitable for humanity wounded by original sin and by the sin of Cain.

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Angola, Russia to improve cooperation mechanisms

Xinhua) 09:12, January 28, 2023

LUANDA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Angola and Russia will maintain existing cooperation to develop bilateral relations in various areas, said Wednesday the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, in Luanda, the Angolan capital.

The Russian diplomat made the statement following talks with Angolan President Joao Lourenco which covered common interest issues and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

"We had a prolonged and consistent dialogue. We discussed in detail our bilateral relation," said Lavrov, who was in Luanda as part of his visit to Africa, which had previously taken him to South Africa and Eswatini.

He said steps are to be taken to implement strategic cooperation between the two countries in various fields during the meeting with the Angolan president.

Angola's Foreign Minister Tete Antonio, who met with his Russian counterpart in a separate meeting, said Angola and Russia would enhance cooperation mechanisms to identify new areas for bilateral relations.

Tete Antonio said agriculture, the manufacturing industry, and the agro-industrial sector were some of the priorities for cooperation with Russia that can eventually help the Angolan economy grow.

The Angolan minister said the two countries are linked by traditionally friendly relations, frank dialogue, and common interests. He said that Angola encourages Russia to give a "chance" in the conflict with Ukraine, establishing a ceasefire that can re-establish a climate of world peace.

Lavrov said the Russian government appreciates Angola's balanced positions in the United Nations, specifically those linked to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

He announced that a meeting of the Joint Commission with Angola would be held in April to identify new areas of cooperation.

The Russian diplomat said he appreciated Angola's efforts toward regional peace, stressing that his country accepts African solutions to African issues. He also revealed that the Russia-Africa summit would take place in July in St. Petersburg, Russia.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
KAMPALA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Uganda has rolled out a polio vaccination exercise in districts that were affected by the Ebola outbreak, which was contained early this month.

Ministry of Health said the 10-day exercise targeting children aged five years and below started on Friday in the districts of Mubende, Mityana, Kampala, Wakiso, Kassanda and Mukono. The districts missed out on the nationwide exercise last November when the country was battling the Ebola outbreak.

In the Central District of Wakiso, Dorothy Asiimwe, community health officer told Xinhua on Saturday that so far, the exercise is going on smoothly and many parents have brought their children for immunization.

Simon Lutwama, who brought his three-year-old daughter for vaccination, said he supported the exercise because he wants to ensure that all children are born free from polio.

Uganda in August last year reported a polio outbreak in the country after samples from fecal matter collected in the capital Kampala tested positive.

The country was certified polio-free in October 2006 by the World Health Organization (WHO) after having reported no indigenous polio cases for 10 years.

According to the WHO, polio is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus that mainly affects children under five years old. 
I'm fine, as I'm very fortunate to own my home

I own, but I'm feeling the pinch on my mortgage with other inflation costs

I rent and it's expensive, but it could be worse

I'm seriously considering leaving the valley if something doesn't give

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An existing, informal trail on the old McClure Pass roadcut in the Crystal Valley is shown. The U.S. Forest Service on Friday issued a final Environmental Assessment and draft decision to authorize Pitkin County to build a new trail from Redstone to the summit of McClure Pass.
Kia Donates $100,000 to Georgia Tornado Relief Initiatives

Published Jan. 27, 2023

Kia America and Kia Georgia announced a joint $100,000 donation to the American Red Cross of Georgia to help those affected by recent tornadoes across Georgia, which destroyed or caused major damage to more than 500 homes in the state and affected at least a dozen team members from Kia's U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, GA.

The donation will support the nonprofit as it works to facilitate temporary shelter and support for tornado victims. In addition to the monetary donation, Kia will also collect supplies for tornado victims and disaster relief workers.

"We are devastated by the tornado destruction across Georgia, which has impacted the lives of many, including Kia team members and families. We are committed to supporting the American Red Cross of Georgia's disaster relief efforts for those impacted by the tornadoes," said Sean Yoon, president and CEO, Kia North America and Kia America. "As proud members of the community, Kia thanks the American Red Cross of Georgia for its relentless support for those in need, during times of disaster and beyond."

Kia's support of the American Red Cross is a further extension of the brand's "Accelerate The Good" charitable initiative, which has provided nearly $14 million to those in need since 2019. In addition to disaster relief, Kia has also made donations to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to treat and defeat childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases; established scholarships for students in need looking to pursue their dreams of higher education; provided PPE to medical facilities nationwide during the pandemic; and partnered with animal welfare organizations including those that help rescue and preserve the endangered sea turtle population and those that help shelter animals find their forever homes.

"The Red Cross of Georgia is grateful to Kia America and Kia Georgia for their generous donation to help provide relief to those impacted by disasters here in our state," said Dee Dixon, regional CEO of the American Red Cross of Georgia. "With this support, our dedicated Red Cross volunteers will continue to deliver safe shelter, food, comfort and hope to those in need."

Kia will encourage its employees, dealer network and vendor partners to provide additional support via a donation microsite in partnership with the American Red Cross of Georgia and by donating supplies on-site at its West Point, GA, plant. For information on how to donate, visit www.redcross.org.

Source: Kia America
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani security forces reportedly busted a network of suicide bombers, local media reported Saturday.

Local media quoting security officials reported that the security agencies conducted a series of operations during the last week after getting intelligence reports about the presence of a network of suicide bombers.

The operations were conducted in the aftermath of a suicide bombing at a check post in the Jamrud area of Khyber district in the country's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on January 19, which killed three policemen.

The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Following the attack, security forces started an operation to trace the perpetrators and facilitators.

Modern technology, geo-fencing and the closed-circuit television footage revealed that a terrorist of the TTP identified as Umar was involved in the suicide attack, said the reports.

During an intelligence-based operation on January 23, the security forces arrested two terrorists, who gave a tip to the forces to conduct two more operations on Friday leading to the arrest of four suicide bombers, added the reports.

The security forces also confiscated a big cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosive materials from the terrorist group. 
Photo: Wikimedia User CS92 - Own work

Photo: Wikimedia User Yxen (Own Work)

Photo: Wikimedia User Karelj - Own work

CAS

That's why you might find it fascinating to know the favorite toy of the hedge fund adrenaline junky has a more powerful, feistier younger relative you've probably never heard of before. If this is the case, allow us to introduce you to the Aero L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft (ALCA), the L-39's legit military attack-jet descendant.The L-159 is an airplane developed at a pivotal time in Czechoslovakian history. A time in which the country needed to decide whether to remain a single nation under a communist government or ditch it, split up, and set out on their respective paths. Unlike most revolutions in Eastern Europe during this period, Czechoslovakia's divorce from communism came without too much fuss at all.Soon after, the independent Slovakia and Czech Republic would emerge to become stalwarts of NATO. Throughout this entire process and far preceding it, the L-39 was an all-present force in a country split in two. The L-39 was designed and built in the Bohemian region of the modern-day Czech Republic by the Aero Vodochody company.In the distant past, Aero, as it was then known and still known unofficially, used to make some pretty impressive-looking automobiles from 1929 until around the late 1940s. Since then, the company's focused solely on aircraft. Aero's magnum opus L-39's airframe first flew in 1968 and has flown with distinction in Air Forces across Eastern Europe and the Middle East.All this history became the setup for the L-159 ALCA, a jet whose development started at a time when Czechoslovakia's President Vaclav Havel was ironically de-mobilizing his military. Efforts to modernize a by-then slightly old and crusty airframe into a computer-age cyber jet ultimately resulted in two bespoke designs on the part of Aero.The first was the L-59 Super Albatross, sporting a Lotarev DV-2 turbofan engine over the L-39's Ivchenko turbofan. The L-59 is a spectacularly robust and capable airframe in its own right, serving as an introductory trainer for real big-boy jets like the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the Mirage 2000. But the L-159, the second L-39 evolution, might be the ultimate of the whole lineage.With dimensions of just under 12.75 meters (41 ft 9 in) long and a 9.54 meter (31 ft 4 inches) wingspan, the L-159 ALCA isn't much larger than its Albatross forbearer. Being a straight-wing aircraft, you'll rip the wings off this bird, pushing past the never-exceed speed in the L-159 of 600 mph ( 960 km/h, 520kn). With a maximum takeoff weight of 8,000 kg (17,673 lbs), the L-159 can haul its weight around considerably better than the lighter, less powerful L-39Meaning, sadly, supersonic speed is out of the L-159's reach. That doesn't mean the L-159's Honeywell/ITEC F124 turbofan engine with 28.2 kN (6,300 lbf) of thrust to play with isn't a speed demon in the sub-sonic region. Only once it reaches the top end, its straight wings more or less bump into a proverbial brick wall. But raw speed isn't everything. In areas where even the L-39 was revered as competitive, like maneuverability, the L-159 is still a top-notch performer.With the benefit of a Grifo-L radar suite courtesy of the Italian Leonardo S.p.A., the L-159 has no problem tracking all but the stealthiest of warbirds and most of the stuff on the ground as well. Unlike most standard L-39s of days gone by, the L-159's fancy radar allows for it to use American air-to-air missiles AiM-9 Sidewinder or even AiM-120 AMRAAMs should the pilot be so lucky.That's alongside the slew of other ground-based ordinances. The L-159 can also fly sporting. This includes American Mark 82 and Mark 83 unguided bombs, but also GBU-12 and GBU-17 Paveway II laser-guided bombs. If more widespread destruction is called for, the L-159 can also carry CBU-87 cluster bombs.That's without mentioning the capability of this jet to carry the AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile, 70mm unguided LAU rocket pods, and even up to three ZVI PL-20 Plamen gun pods. Being this armed to the teeth, the Aero L-159 is a formidable adversary for any Air Force to fight against. Not only is the type phenomenal at ground attack and close air support, but it's also perfectly capable in a dogfight.Contemporary gen-IV and V fighter jets may be faster and stealthier than an L-159. But if the brave old bird can survive long enough to get out of beyond-visual-range (BVR) combat, the jet's lightweight airframe with accompanying Sidewinders and machine gun pods ensure the L-159 can effectively strike back against hostile forces.In both single-seat attack jet and two-seater training variants, the L-159's appeal is truly international. As recently as the mid-2010s, the Iraqi Air Force was using L-159s to precision strike ISIS targets roaming the deserts in their territory. That's without mentioning the model's service in both Spain and its native Czech Republic.If you were curious, this list of nations served also includes the United States. Through the private enterprise Draken International LLC, a fleet of at least 23 L-159E variants is operated as part of a squadron that provides simulated close-air support (), electronic warfare training, and even mock aerial refueling, among other services. Alongside a fleet of 13 A-4 Skyhawks , 21 Mirage F1s, 25 MiG-21s, and 24 F-16 Fighting Falcons, the L-159 might be easy to blend into the considerable crowd around it.But compared to gen-IV jet fighters in the Draken fleet, we can imagine the L-159 can keep on flying as everybody else has to turn back to base to refuel. Check back soon for more military jet profiles here on autoevolution.
The problem of gray hydrogen

Photo: IRENA

Best way to get green hydrogen

Photo: Image by macrovector on Freepik

The best hydrogen container

Photo: PaxOcean

Ammonia sounds good and all, but

Photo: International Energy Agency

Ammonia may save the internal combustion engine!

Photo: Wartsila

Is it really an alternative?

Photo: ARENA

Climate change is real, and the global warming caused by anthropogenic CO2 is real. If we dont act now to stop man-made pollution, the threat to our survival on this planet is unquestionable. On the other hand, if we stop using fossil fuels now, our advanced society will simply collapse.Its a lose-lose scenario. Of course, that is the case if you agree with the scientific consensus. It may come as a surprise for most, but the fossil fuels industry does agree with science, finally. Moreover, Big Oil assumes part of the responsibility for the current situation.And it bets on hydrogen as a replacement for polluting fossil fuels. In short, what they say is we apologize for almost ruining us all, but, hey, we have the perfect cure!Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the Universe. Its the fuel used by our Sun and when burned it doesnt release carbon  because there are only two atoms of hydrogen in an H2 molecule. It really is the perfect replacement for oil.Do you remember when electric cars were considered the perfect replacement for internal combustion engine cars? That was until someone pointed out that while they don't pollute when in use, battery manufacturing is responsible for a lot of pollution and GHG emissions. And also, electricity as well is sourced mainly from polluting coal power plants.Thus, electric cars are plagued by related pollution problems, which coincidentally fits very well with the industry praising the hydrogen future. But lets just apply the same principles of related pollution to how hydrogen is sourced nowadays.Most of it comes from natural gas reforming which consists of reacting natural gas with high-temperature steam, resulting in synthesis gas  a mixture of hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Hydrogen is also obtained by the gasification of coal or biomass, which is converted into gaseous components with high-temperature steam and oxygen.Basically, it all comes down to cracking the methane molecule (CH4), which consists of one atom of carbon and four of hydrogen. The cheapest and most common method is to use methane from fossil fuels. In the U.S. 95% of the hydrogen is sourced this way, thats why its called gray hydrogen.Related pollution of gray hydrogen is a serious problem. First of all, the extraction of natural gas is associated with uncontrolled methane emissions. These are estimated to be at least a quarter of the quantity of contained natural gas.NASA is monitoring methane data from EMIT Instrument installed on International Space Station in July 2022. Thats because methane is more powerful than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere and we risk accelerating global warming if we rely on natural gas.Moreover, cracking methane requires very high temperatures and pressures. Its an energy-intensive process, and it means burning a lot of fossil fuels. As a consequence, related pollution of gray hydrogen is much higher than that of battery manufacturing.The most sustainable way to get green hydrogen is to split water (H2O). But separating the oxygen atom from the two hydrogen atoms requires much more energy than methane cracking. It can be done using electrolysis or high temperatures, but you need a lot of renewable power.There are other ways of sourcing green hydrogen, like the fermentation of sugar-rich feedstocks converted from biomass, using green algae to consume oxygen in the water and produce hydrogen as a byproduct, or reforming ethanol at high temperatures.But they dont have the same potential and efficiency, and the costs are very high. So, they are only marginal. The bottom line is green hydrogen is way more expensive than gray hydrogen for now. And is no match for the low costs of fossil fuels.Well, things will change a little when we take into account the real costs of pollution. There has been a carbon tax in place for many years now, and its going to increase. But it cant be increased ten or twentyfold overnight  it would simply crash the global economy, and its another dead-end.Thats why analysts predict that large-scale economically feasible facilities for green hydrogen will be in place only around 2030. Mainly because of big investments into harnessing ammonia technologies.You can find all sorts of interesting facts about ammonia on Google and Wikipedia. Like the fact that it saved humanity from starving a hundred years ago. The Haber-Bosch process helped farmers all around the world increase crop production by replacing natural fertilizers with ammonia turbo fertilizer.Today, ammonia is a $60 billion worldwide business per year, and more than 70% of it is used in agriculture. By 2050, it is estimated to reach a market size of more than $200 billion, because of growing demand in the energy and transport sectors . Some forecasts are pointing to a six-fold growth possible, from todays production of 185 Mt annually to more than 1,000 Mt by the half of the century.Thats because ammonia (NH3) is hailed as the best carrier for hydrogen energy. It has a nitrogen atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms and its energy density by volume is double that of liquid hydrogen. Its simply an energy-rich gas that can easily be cooled and squeezed into liquid fuel, that can be shipped anywhere in the world and converted back into hydrogen.It sounds very similar to oil, doesnt it? Minus the pollution and emissions and environmental hassles. You can easily understand why most energy companies are jumping on the ammonia train today. Firstly, they can use existing oil infrastructure for transporting and producing ammonia.Secondly, its still a billion dollars business and the worlds dependency is even deeper because the food industry will still account for half of the ammonia demand. Thirdly, thats a nice payback to batteries invasion  because a hydrogen-based economy is very similar to a fossil fuels-based one and requires a lot fewer changes than a battery-based economy.Theres always that annoying but. And it comes down mainly to how sustainable is the ammonia produced. In the Haber-Bosch process hydrogen reacts with atmospheric nitrogen to give birth to ammonia. But guess what  its an energy-intensive process AND its based on gray hydrogen (sourced from methane).This kind of ammonia is referred to as gray or brown ammonia. Direct and indirect emissions amount to more than 600 metric tons of CO2 per year. Producing conventional ammonia is nearly twice emissions-intensive than steel production and four times that of cement.Theres also blue ammonia, which is gray/brown ammonia where the CO2 from methane cracking is captured and stored or is used for enhanced oil recovery. Sourcing ammonia in these ways is not at all sustainable, it contributes to reducing greenhouse gases to merely 10% by 2050.Green ammonia needs green hydrogen, so its the same problem of very expensive processes that need to be overcome. Industry experts are confident they will, while government funds help speed up things. But this will still take many years and by that time same industry experts expect batteries to be much better.The International Energy Agency is warning that ammonia production requires new infrastructure, innovation, and investment for near-zero-emission technologies to account for 95% of total production by 2050. This means todays Big Oil infrastructure is going to need much more than an upgrade.IEA estimated that by 2050 industry must invest $15 billion per year in new infrastructure. This means by the half of this century we need more than 110 GW of electrolyzer capacity and 90 Mt of CO2 transport and storage infrastructure.But nearly 60% of those technologies are currently in the demonstration phase. Moreover, ammonia production will require a large part of the energy from renewable projects, and this raises questions about the negative impact on overall electricity costs. So there are big concerns about the future feasibility of an ammonia-based economy.Ammonia is a strong fuel candidate for engines, gas turbines, power generators, and burners. In fact, shipping is expected to be the main client for ammonia, as it could drastically slash emissions in this sector. But could ammonia be used in smaller engines, like those in todays cars and trucks There are some challenges to overcome. Ammonia has an approximately 200C higher autoignition temperature than gasoline and diesel and also a low flame velocity. It causes low combustion temperature and power reduction in the engine.Thats why it is necessary to mix ammonia with traditional fuels, either by air intake in its gas form or injecting it into the cylinder as a liquid. Its very similar to using AdBlue in modern diesel engines  after all, AdBlue is made from urea which is made from ammonia.The bad news is converting a conventional small-sized petrol or diesel engine to work with ammonia fuel is very complicated. Each ammonia-fuel blend would require a different ammonia-fuel blender, injectors, and other engine parts.Better performances require a higher compression rate in the cylinders and also preheating for ammonia. Because of higher NOx emissions, there are necessary expensive ammonia oxidation catalysts and catalytic reduction.All of these add a lot to the costs of an internal combustion engine and frankly, its not economically feasible for usual cars and trucks. Theres no substantial gain in emissions reduction related to the high costs of the engine and producing of ammonia. In the long term, such a car would become more costly than an EV or a fuel-cell car Instead, it is of great importance for big diesel engines in long-haul shipping and trucking. These are low-rpm engines, where injection and burn processes can be better controlled. But the main driver is the tremendous slash in emissions and pollutants, which is the Achilles heel for shipping.Theres no doubt hydrogen is of great importance for a sustainable future. It will largely contribute to the decarbonization of the energy sector, the main source of GHG emissions in the world. It will also grab a slice of the transportation sector, as its more suitable than batteries for heavy applications, like trains, shipping, or airplanes.Ammonia really seems like a strong contender for sustainably sourcing hydrogen and it also is more interesting as a safer solution than hydrogen to pack and transport energy anywhere in the world.For instance, todays haulers transporting oil from the Middle East or coal from Australia will someday transport ammonia packing renewable energy from solar farms that will be used in special power plants in Japan or South America. Or will be converted into green hydrogen for fuel-cell cars and planes all over the world.This is truly a vision of sustainability, but theres a fine line between this and a futile dream. In the meantime, we will continue our heavy fossil fuel dependency and climate problems will worsen. The longer this transition to a hydrogen-based economy, the better for the fossil fuels industrys business as usual.Keep this detail in mind when you read more and more headlines about how ammonia is the new kid on the block for the sustainable hydrogen future.
The famous athlete hopped on social media and revealed in a now-deleted post that he was involved in a serious crash. At the moment, he was not driving, but was riding a bike. Conor McGregor explained that the crash happened on Friday afternoon. The UFC was riding his bike when a car that was traveling at full speed hit him. He also shared the footage from the aftermath of the crash, which shows his bike lying in the middle of the road, his water bottle thrown a few feet away."Got a bang of a car just now from behind," Conor said in his Instagram post. "A sun trap, the driver couldnt see me. Full speed straight thru me. Thank you God, it wasnt my time."McGregor thinks that his hard work as an athlete paid off because he added, also thanks to wrestling and judo. The ability to fall correctly saved my life." One of the shots showed his pants ripped off from the fall, but other than that, he didnt seem to have sustained any injuries.But he was quite shaken, as we can see in one of the videos he posted, where the driver who hit him apologized profusely. While McGregor claimed that it was "all good, all good," and to not worry about it," he did seem to understand that the crash was quite serious. He is heard saying, "I could have been dead there, mate, look!!" and "Jesus Christ ... I think I got away with my life, there."The driver offered to help him carry his bike, which was seemingly ruined. But the UFC champion ended up catching a ride from the driver who hit him. "God bless ... I'm still here. Thank God. That's all that matters." His bike was also in the back of the car.The two-wheeler he was riding at the time was a turqouise Orbea bike. While it's not very clear from the picture, the bike seems to be an Orbea Alma racing bike, which he purchased all the way back in 2019 from the Bikeology shop in Naas, Ireland.Besides being a big car fan, the athlete proved he loves everything on wheels and owns several bicycles. Just these last few months, McGregor showed off a Segway electric bike, the X260, and a Sur-ron. But he owns many more, as his bike also includes a custom FiftyOne Bikes that features 24-carat gold leaf accents and his name and nickname all over its frame, a Reid bike, and one from Gerard Cycles, among many others. So, now that his Orbea is seemingly ruined, he does have a lot of replacements for it. And luckily, he got away from the crash seemingly unhurt, which is all that really matters.
EV

Using the Moke and the Meyers Manx as examples, DARTZ disclosed that it sold FreZe and its tiny electric roadster project to an unidentified investor. The Latvian company did not reveal how much money was involved in the transaction or the plans the new FreZe owner had for the company and its first modern product.As you might remember, FreZe was a Russian brand founded by Pyotr Aleksandrovich Frese. Its first vehicle was an electric car presented in 1896. It was the first automobile created in Russia and had the name Jakowlew & Frese. That was due to the companys other founder, Yevgeny Alexandrowitsch Jakowlew. The first car, named solely Frese, emerged in 1902, but its independent career lasted only eight years. In 1910, RBVZ purchased Frese & Co. If you did not connect the name to the person, RBVZ is the company that gave birth to DARTZ When we last spoke to Yankelovich, he said he brought FreZe back to life after getting tired of turning down proposals to sell his leading company. Anyone willing to have a piece of DARTZ could buy FreZe instead. While DARTZ has sold around 50 vehicles in 20 years of activities, FreZe already delivered around 100 units of the rebadged Minito fleet and private customers in Europe.The FreZe Froggy EV Beachstar project was developed in the Old Continent. The idea consisted of modifying a Wuling Hongguang Mini EV to turn it into a roadster. Yankelovich said that any Chinese vehicle could be transformed into the Beachstar, pointing to other options apart from the Wuling. Considering how many competitors the Mini EV currently has in the Chinese market, it should not be difficult to choose one.We are trying to contact Yankelovich to discover how much money the deal involved and also what the new FreZe owner plans to do with the brand and with the Froggy EV Beachstar. The Latvian entrepreneur wanted to sell it to resorts and fancy hotels as vehicles for its guests to move around. Either the investor who bought FreZe had the same vision, or they may try something else.The Citroen Ami success in Europe proves there is room for affordable electric quadricycles in Europe. While they may prefer something stylish like the Microlino, there seems to be room for something like the Mini EV and its competitors. Lets wait and see what Yankelovich and the new FreZe owners can share with us.
Photo: Greenmoxie/Gary Mulcahey

Photo: Greenmoxie/Gary Mulcahey

kW

Photo: Greenmoxie/Gary Mulcahey

Photo: Greenmoxie/Gary Mulcahey

Luckily, there is a wide selection of off-grid tiny homes available today, offering a liberating way of life. Greenmoxie is one of them - a tiny mobile home on wheels that offers the perfect balance of style and functionality combined with robust off-grid capability.Built by an Ontario, Canada-based green-living company that goes by the same name, Greenmoxie is a 340-square-foot (32-square-meter) two-person mobile home perfect for environmentally-conscious people who are looking for a sustainable, off-grid, and eco-friendly place to stay.Greenmoxie has been designing and manufacturing all kinds of sustainable and eco-friendly products for the home since 2011, with a great emphasis on using renewable materials and minimizing the environmental impact of their products. Building a self-reliant tiny house was a natural step for them.We take responsibility for our impact on the earth. We recycle, upcycle, and are continuously striving to waste less, consume less, and need less. So its no surprise that the tiny house movement really ticked all our boxes, the company said back in 2016 when the Greenmoxie tiny home was unveiled.The mobile dwelling looks just like a cozy cabin in the woods and is built on a 30-foot (9.14-meter) custom-built triple-axle trailer platform, with electric brakes on all three axels, slipper springs, and a pintle ring hitch for moving it around. Spray foam insulation in the roof, walls and floors ensures the home is well prepared for cooler weather.The company used a variety of reclaimed materials when building the Greenmoxie tiny house , from the barn wood ceiling to the bathroom barn door to the windows and light fixtures. Durability and adaptability were also on their mind, and this is something the Greenmoxie excels at. It features fire-resistant charred Sho-Shugi-Ban cedar siding on the outside walls, which gives it a rugged look, complemented by a corrugated black metal roof.An electric drawbridge is attached to the front of the house. It lowers and turns into a decently-sized deck that provides owners extra lounging and entertaining space. A beautiful red door, large windows throughout, and a giant skylight open the entire house up to the outdoors.Greenmoxies remarkable off-grid capability is what makes this build stand out from the crowd and still remain relevant today, despite being a seven-year-old model. Its eco-friendly cred is emphasized by its 1solar PV system with 11 kW storage capacity and a custom racking solution.There is also a First Flush roof water recovery system with an intensive filtration system that serves to purify the first flow of rainwater, so that the water stored in the 53-gallon (200-liter) on-board tank is clean and free of pollutants. A composting toilet and low-voltage LED lighting throughout the house also help to drive the sustainability point home.The cabin in the wood vibes continue inside the house, mainly due to the combination of hardwood oak flooring, reclaimed barn wood ceilings, and massive windows that allow plenty of natural light to fill the place.Greenmoxies main floor features an open-space layout with a spacious living area and a practical galley kitchen. The family room is fitted with a custom L-shaped couch that runs the length of one of the walls. Floor-to-ceiling built-in wall storage on both sides of the house and boxes under the sofas provide plenty of storage space.Between the living room and the kitchen, there is a slim dining table that was custom-made with a gas-operated pedestal that can be raised and lowered. The same type of pedestal is installed in front of the couch in the living area. This way, the owners can move and use the table where they need it.The kitchen is both beautiful and fully functional. It features custom cabinets with wood countertops, as well as high-end appliances, such as a big sink, a 24-inch range, and a full-size refrigerator. At the end of the countertop sits a mighty wood-burning stove that, together with a Dickinson 9000 propane heater, is used to heat the entire house during winter. The house is also equipped with a heat recovery ventilation system.The bathroom hides behind a sliding barn door off of the kitchen. It includes a composting toilet, a sink, and a full-size stand-up shower. The builders included some built-in storage here as well, for the owners towels and toiletries.A storage-integrated staircase leads to the spacious loft bedroom above the kitchen. It offers plenty of room to fit a king-sized bed and storage units. It also features a porthole window and recessed lighting, along with a glass partition added for safety reasons.Greenmoxie has been custom-building their off-grid tiny house model for clients in the Ontario, Canada area. The base model was priced at $65,000 USD. For the moment, though, they are taking some time off to build their own off-grid home and will be back in the spring of 2024.
The diecast manufacturer has announced that the Hot Wheels Collectors RLC Exclusive 2022 Mainline Factory-Sealed Set will be available for purchase on January 31st starting at 9 am PT. So if, for some reason, you didn't get any of the mainline collectibles last year or you're just starting with this hobby, this is big news. That's because this set contains a total of 454 cars. That's right, 454 Hot Wheels in total. We don't know about you, but our collection is currently at just under 300 items right now.If you can get one of these limited-editions sets, there's a lot to take in. First off, you're looking at all of the 35 mini-collections that were released in 2022. Some of the best ones were Factory Fresh (with cars like the Lamborghini Sian FKP 37, the Mercedes-Benz 500 E, the 2020 Corvette, and the Porsche 911 GT3), the HW Turbo (with items such as the Porsche 935, the '94 Bugatti EB110 SS and the LB Super Silhouette Nissan Silvia S15), the HW Exotics (with the Automobili Pininfarina Battista, the '71 Lamborghini Miura SV, and the Pagani Zonda R), and the list goes on and on.But there's more to it than just a bunch of random cars. You'll be getting your hands on all of the 50 new mainline models released by Mattel in 2022. Even more so, this set includes all 15 Treasure Hunt and Super Treasure Hunt collectibles! Just think about it, the Super Treasure Hunt alone sold for $250 when it went live a few weeks ago. As if all that wasn't already extremely exciting, the set also includes retail-specific editions.And that's amazing news for anyone living outside of North America, as that's where those items are normally sold to the general public. Kroger stores featured the white Ford Focus RS, the yellow Mclaren F1 GTR, the light-blue/aqua Dodge Dart, the metallic Red Toyota Land Cruiser 80, the glossy black Nissan Leaf NISMO RC_02, the purple '70 Chevelle SS Wagon, the blue Mazda RX-3 and the green LB-Works Lamborghini Huracan Coupe.Then, you also need to consider the products that were only available in stores like Dollar General, Best Buy, Target (Red Edition), and of course, Walmart (ZAMAC models). All of these are pretty cool, but the Red Edition and ZAMAC variations are always extremely popular among collectors. For the latter ones, a full set of 18 cars can cost as much as $100 on eBay. And still, Mattel wanted to make the Mainline set even more appealing.So it also included seven promotional Collector Edition items that were available throughout the year. You could easily spend about $200 just to buy these alone, so we're now up to $550 if we're only considering 40 out of the 454 cars included in the new RLC-exclusive package. And it seems like you'll need to spend $600 to get one if you make it out of the queue. It seems like one man managed to get his hands on the set several months ago.Even though he doesn't speak English, the video below will still provide all the information you need to know about this special collectible package. There's at least one other person who has already had access to the Master Case, and it was via that video that we learned how many sets will be available in total. But if Mattel planned to release 1,250 of these and some have already left the factory, how many of them will still be available for the official launch on Tuesday?
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To be precise, Atlas Technologies B.V. is the company that is currently under administration. It was responsible for the Lightyear 0 production. The Dutch startup comprises two more enterprises: Atlas Technologies Holding B.V., which holds the intellectual property (IP) rights, and Lightyear Layer B.V., whose role was not disclosed. As optimistic as anyone may want to be, it seems that Atlas Technologies B.V. was the most crucial of all three companies.Lightyear disclosed that the Rechtbank Oost-Brabant (Court of East Brabant) from s-Hertogenbosch (yes, thats the name of the city) granted the suspension of payments. The Dutch court also appointed Reinoud van Oeijen, from Holla legal & tax, as the trustee. Lightyear stated he will focus on the position of the employees and creditors as well as assessing how the Lightyear concept can be continued. At this point, perhaps the right question is not how but rather if.It is not clear yet how many financial issues the production division of Lightyear had. Above all, we need to learn how many orders for the Lightyear 0 the company had, how many people paid for their cars entirely (if anyone), and how the company established that the right price to ask was 250,000 ($271,725 at the current exchange rate).Was that enough to cover the production expenses? Couldnt the car have a lower price and more units? After all, Lightyear would make 946 units of the vehicle as a tribute to a light-year  equivalent to .9.46 trillion kilometers. What if it had committed to produce 9,460 cars at a lower price? Or 946,000, even if it never reached that number?Anyone willing to pay 250,000 for a vehicle is not concerned with electricity costs. Someone disbursing 100,000 or 50,000 for a car may be. The appeal the Lightyear 0 had was energy efficiency and the incredible range it could offer with a relatively small battery pack: 710 kilometers (440 miles) with a 60-battery pack and a full charge.How many units of the Lightyear 0 were made before production ended? Will we ever see one of those units on the streets? Without those answers, it is quite premature to talk about the Lightyear 2 , a vehicle that will only achieve the price target the company established for it with mass production. If the Dutch startup does not have more news to share soon, the chances that all its plans may die with Atlas Technologies B.V. are, unfortunately, pretty high.
Photo: Richard Barnes for Schweder + Shelley

Photo: Richard Barnes for Schweder + Shelley

Photo: Richard Barnes for Schweder + Shelley

ReActor is a mobile home, in the most basic sense of the word: it moves, though it never relocates. Unlike the mobile homes we usually cover here, which range from tiny homes to easy-to-assemble prefabs and container homes, van and bus conversions, luxurious RVs, and mega-trailers, ReActor doesnt move from place to place. Because its built on the same principles as a weather vane, it spins in place and tilts from one side to the other, depending on the forces that act upon it. Rotating homes are not new, and ReActor doesnt claim to break the mold here. Theyre still curiosities, though, built out of a desire for something that sits outside the norm and delivers an ever-changing view depending on the speed of the rotation and your location inside the house.The idea of weather-vaning homes is not new, either. Former pilot Thomas Bennington proposed putting a converted Boeing 727 home on a pole and having it spin in the wind way back in 1998. He called that a Wind Resistant Building, one that would come in very handy during natural disasters like hurricanes and floods. His idea never took off (pun intended), mostly because of the large costs the airplane conversion and the new foundation would have required, but it did cause quite a stir in the media.ReActor is at the intersection of all this, while also being its own thing. Its actually a piece of performance art and what artist duo Alex Schweder and Ward Shelley call performance architecture, a phrase they coined for their own brand of art, which combines architecture with sculpture and the performative side of it.Designed and built in 2016, ReActor is a functional home for two adults, with floor-to-ceiling glazing, sitting on top of a single cement pole that keeps it 15 feet (4.5 meters) off the ground. The design of the home is similar to that of a railway cart, with mirrored spaces spread over a platform that is 44 feet (13.5 meters) long and 8 feet (2.5 meters) wide. It offers two bedrooms, a shared but fully-equipped kitchen, and a shared bathroom, with open balconies at either end.The get of ReActor is the fact that a hinge that connects it to the cement pole allows it to spin 360 degrees, depending on the wind. If the residents move around inside the house, it tilts accordingly, so they have to be in constant communication to prevent the home from becoming a sloped surface. Think of it like a seesaw  a house-shaped seesaw for two adults.The structure rotates in response to its inhabitants movements, exterior forces, and interior conditions, making visible the intimate relationship between architecture and its inhabitants, the artists said at the time.For a period of five days, Schweder and Shelley lived inside the house, which was erected on-site, on top of a hill at the OMI Art Center in the Hudson Valley, near Ghent, in upstate New York. During this time, the Art Center was open to the public, so visitors could see how the two residents interactions influenced the movements of the house, and how they ended up cooperating to keep it stable. Stable is one way of putting it because, even in perfect balance, ReActor still swayed gently in the wind. Again, its design was based on a weather vane, so it moved (and creaked) at the slightest breeze.The goal of the project was to show the different possible uses of wood as a construction material , as well as how architecture shapes and impacts relationships between residents. According to the artists, the project was based on the notion that relationships between occupied spaces and occupying subjects are permeable.In other words, the house forced the two residents to collaborate and communicate, which is something that modern architecture doesnt do anymore. At the end of those five days, the artists said they were surprised at how pleasant their stay inside ReActor had been, even keeping in mind that they had been in a fishbowl, with people gawking at them constantly.ReActor remained on site until 2018, and its whereabouts are currently unknown. For all the emphasis on how it was a fully functional home, given its constant state of motion, it could have never been more than just an art piece  though one could argue that it would have made for an interesting overnight rental. YouTubers and travel vloggers would have probably jumped at the chance for such a unique experience As far as mobile houses go, ReActor is the one with the less range (if you will allow the pun), but its definitely artsy enough to make up for it.
Retracing the legacy - Rolls-Royce before 1998

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The modern Rolls-Royce: continuous excellence

The 2003 Phantom: the start of a new era

The 100EX: experimenting with the 9-liter V16

Extending the Rolls-Royce Experience: the 2005 Phantom EWB

The 101EX: elegant and timeless concept

The 2007 Phantom Drophead Coupe: yacht-inspired luxury on wheels

The 2008 Phantom Coupe: a cinematic legacy

The 200EX, 2009: the concept of younger exclusivity

In March 1998, BMW officially acquired Rolls-Royce (RR), marking the beginning of an era for the iconic British manufacturer. While the acquisition was a significant hallmark for the company, implementing changes and adjustments to align with the new ownership structure took several years to realize fully.Under these circumstances, the first vehicle to be delivered under BMW's ownership was not until several years later, in 2003, signifying the completion of this transition period. This celebration marks a significant achievement for both companies and is a testament to their successful partnership.Rolls-Royce Limited started life as a British luxury car and later an aero-engine manufacturing company founded by Charles Rolls and Henry Royce on March 15, 1906. The partnership between the two men was formed in 1904, and the company's first car, the Rolls-Royce 10 hp, was unveiled at the Paris Salon in December 1904.During the First World War, Rolls-Royce began producing aero engines, and its products quickly became renowned for their quality and reliability. The Rolls-Royce Eagle engine, in particular, was widely used by the British and American airforces, and the company became the world's leading aero-engine manufacturer.During the Second World War, Rolls-Royce signed a contract with Packard Motor Car Company to build the Merlin airplane engine in the United States. The company also developed a derivation of this unit, known as the Meteor, for the British Army, who planned to equip the Cromwell tank with this 600 hp (450) V12 petrol powerplant.The post-war austerity pushed the company into developing diesel engines, not only for passenger vehicles but also for the railway, industrial and marine services. Despite financial troubles in the late 1970s, when the company faced receivership and nationalization, Rolls-Royce remained a British establishment.In 1987, Rolls-Royce was privatized as a public limited company (PLC), and in 1998, Vickers PLC sold Rolls-Royce to BMW, which marked the beginning of a new era for the company.Under the ownership of BMW, Rolls-Royce continued to produce luxury cars and engines while expanding into new areas, such as developing bespoke, custom-built vehicles.In the years since the acquisition of Rolls-Royce by BMW in 1998, the iconic luxury car brand has undergone a significant evolution. Under the guidance of BMW, the company has maintained its prestigious reputation while modernizing and expanding its offerings.One of the critical areas of focus for Rolls-Royce since 2003 has been the development of new technologies and engineering advances. It allowed the company to continue to push the boundaries in terms of performance, luxury, and comfort.The company has also placed a strong emphasis on sustainability and environmental responsibility reflected in developing advanced powertrain options and using sustainable materials in their vehicles.Rolls-Royce also expanded its production capabilities and opened a new factory in Goodwood , England, in 2003. This state-of-the-art facility was designed to accommodate the latest production techniques and technologies and allowed the company to increase its production capacity and improve efficiency.Beyond the technical advancements, Rolls-Royce has also undergone a significant expansion in terms of its global reach. The company now has a presence in over 50 countries and customers in over 100, with a strong focus on emerging markets. Furthermore, the company has also been able to tap into new segments of the luxury car market, such as younger buyers and women, through the development of their newer models.Moreover, the Rolls-Royce has also focused on sustainability and environmental concerns, and implemented eco-friendly manufacturing processes. Not least, the brand has been heavily investing in research and development in electric and hybrid technologies and announced plans to launch a fully electric vehicle by the end of the decade.In 2003, the company introduced the Phantom , a luxury sedan that marked a new era for the brand and set the standard for future models. The Phantom was the first car to be designed and developed entirely under BMW's ownership, the first model to ever leave the Goodwood factory gates. It featured a host of cutting-edge technologies, including a 6.75-liter V12 engine and a state-of-the-art suspension system.The brand still recalls when it sold its first vehicle to its customer. "The first completed motor car was handed over to its new owner in a special ceremony at one minute past midnight on 1 January 2003. Since that historic moment, no fewer than 20 different models and variants have been created and handmade at Goodwood  equivalent to one for every year."Rolls-Royce innovated and expanded its lineup in the following years by introducing new models such as the Ghost, Wraith, and Dawn. These cars were specially designed to appeal to a younger, more dynamic demographic while maintaining the brand's reputation for luxury and refinement.The first modern "experimental model" (EX) made by the renewed Rolls-Royce brand came to public attention during the 2004 Geneva International Auto Show and was specially created to commemorate 100 years since the company's venerated founders, Charles Rolls and Henry Royce, first met.The vehicle featured a mindblowing powerplant at the time, a massive 9-liter V16, and a six-speed automatic transmission. The 100EX closely resembled the seventh-generation Phantom of the time but in convertible form, paving the road for what would later become the Drophead Coupe.The vehicle took inspiration from luxury motorboats with its "teak deck" motifs behind the rear passengers. Also, it featured a hood made from a single piece of machined aluminum and a Spirit of Extasy made from a solid block of silver.The seventh-generation Phantom gained another family member in the form of the first modern extended wheelbase (EWB) version of the Phantom, which was 250 mm (9.8 inches) longer than the "standard" car, if you can even call it that.In terms of drivetrain and technology, the Phantom EWB was similar to its predecessor, its main highlight being an even more luxurious inside living space, specially conceived for owners who preferred to be chauffeur-driven.Launched at the 2005 Geneva Motor Show, the vehicle offered comfort and luxury unheard of at the time, being fitted with the finest materials and craftsmanship, including bespoke leather seats, wood veneers, and cutting-edge technology. The Phantom EWB established itself as a must-have vehicle for the wealthy and powerful.In 2006, Rolls-Royce proudly showcased the 101EX, a grand tourer coupe prototype, at the Geneva International Auto Show, as a follow-up to the 100EX concept, teasing the public about the possibility of introducing a two-door Rolls.The 101EX was built on a shortened version of the aluminum space frame technology used in the 2003 Phantom. The car featured a lowered roofline with a shallower glass area, with the body panels made entirely out of carbon fiber composite.The stunning design of the 101EX, alongside the 100EX from two years prior, would eventually become the basis for developing the Phantom Drophead Coupe and Phantom Coupe.The Phantom Drophead Coupe was first unveiled in 2007 in Detroit at the North American International Auto Show. It quickly evolved into one of the Goodwood factory's most sought-after models.The car's distinctive styling was derived from the 100EX concept, featuring a unique interior wood veneering that flows around the cabin and into the teak tonneau cover, a design inspired by the deck of a racing yacht.The amazing attention to detail and unparalleled craftsmanship can be observed in every aspect of the car, from the fine leather upholstery to the precision-machined aluminum accents, making this machine an even more exclusive addition to one's collection.The Phantom Coupe unveiled at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show, featured a highly-praised pillarless construction, showcased as a genuine hardtop two-door coupe, the first of its kind in the company's modern portfolio.The vehicle's exterior appearance was heavily influenced by the 101EX concept car. The Phantom Coupe became an industry favorite among affluent luxury car enthusiasts who sought high performance and ultimate style.The Phantom Coupe also made a successful cinematic appearance in Johnny English Reborn. The leading actor, Rowan Atkinson, a passionate automotive enthusiast, convinced BMW to fit one of the V16 engines initially developed for the 2003 Phantom saloon into the vehicle that would appear in the motion picture.To everyone's delight, BMW executives gave their consent, thus adding another layer of excitement and prestige to the already iconic vehicle.The 200EX was a concept car displayed at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, representing a new direction for the brand, devising a more accessible and driver-focused model.The car's design was a clear departure from the traditional, imposing look of previous Rolls-Royce. The car was built on a shortened version of the Phantom's aluminum spaceframe, with a more driver-focused, modern, and minimalist design, inside and out.Rolls-Royce's traditional clientele appreciated the brand's effort to evolve and innovate. As a result, the 200EX served as the inspiration for the 2010 Ghost, with which it shared many design elements.As our retrospective journey through the first decade of Rolls-Royce under BMW's ownership comes to an end, it's clear that the brand has produced some truly iconic and revolutionary vehicles, and we cannot help but feel a sense of excitement for what's to come.But as impressive as these cars have been, they were only the beginning of the modern Rolls-Royce. As we look ahead to the next part of our coverstory, we'll dive into the next decade of the brand's history and explore the cars that have pushed the boundaries of technology and design even further.
Photo: Skyted / PriestmanGoode

Photo: Skyted / PriestmanGoode

Photo: Skyted / PriestmanGoode

Said device doesnt have an official name just yet, but its been in the works since 2018, when Skyted founder and CEO Stephane Hersen was working for Airbus on a solution to the hypothetical problem of all 300 passengers on a flight taking a call at the same time. With the start of the 2020 international health crisis and the way it impacted work patterns, Hersen realized that such a device would also come in handy in an everyday scenario, in addition to offering protection against viruses and pollution.So what if a mask existed that could somehow absorb voice vibrations from the wearer and integrate a microphone, thus allowing them to take a call in complete privacy? Said mask would make working from crowded spaces like airports, coffee shops, and what-have-you an entirely different, more private experience, but it would also come in handy for those taking personal calls in the same spaces. Imagine the worst experience youve ever had on public transport with a loud talker on the phone, and it could be made to disappear if that person wore such a mask.A prototype of this device, for now generically dubbed a voice-absorbing mask, was presented at the 2023 edition of CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, with the announcement that it will go live on crowdfunding platforms in March 2023. There is no production unit yet, as Skyted and PriestmanGoode are still putting the finishing touches to it, but the technology has been tested, as the video at the bottom of the page will show.A crowdfunding campaign will help the two companies bring the product to market. There will be two models offered, business and gamer, with the latter offering a higher resonator volume but at a higher price. The estimated price for the mask is $400 and $500, respectively, but theres no word yet if thats pricing for early backers or the final MRSP.Using his Airbus experience, and with backing from partners Airbus and ESA (European Space Agency), Hersen has developed a mask that features an aerospace-sourced acoustic absorber: a miniature jet engine silencer, to put it in much simpler terms. It is made of metamaterial, which is an acoustic liner that is used to silence jet blast in jet engines, developed by Darpa ONERA. In the video below, Hersen is seen testing the prototype in an ONERA acoustic room to impressive results. The mask also integrates a microphone and Bluetooth connection, and it will be compatible with all cell phones, phone operators, and dedicated software for complete functionality whether its used for business or personal reasons. Pair it with some headphones, and youre set to take calls in complete privacy wherever you may be.Developed using breakthrough aerospace technology, our voice silencer solution contains sound for private and confidential calls in both the real and virtual worlds, Skyted explains. Perfect for the hybrid workplace, Skyted provides the new nomads with total comfort and speech privacy in aircraft, open workspaces and on public transport as well as in the virtual world through both the Metaverse and online gaming.Tests conducted so far promise an 80% absorption of voice vibrations, and the fact that the internal microphone will not pick up any of the external noises, no matter how noisy the area in which the speaker is located. The plan is to use bio-sourced or recycled materials for the mask , for a more sustainable touch to the production cycle, but none have been announced as of the time of press.Compared to a regular disposable face mask, this device will offer comparable protection from viruses and pollution, but also improved air flow due to the use of the same metamaterial. Perhaps more importantly, its anthropomorphic design will encourage human interaction even when its done through the screen. Speaking with the media after CES, PriestmanGoode director Luke Hawes noted that the last aspect was very important for successful communication, whether working or personal.The anthropomorphic shape of the mask follows the recognizable form of the face and that's really important in human interactions, Hawes explained. The team has worked hard to ensure it fits the widest possible range of facial types whilst concealing the sound-absorbing technology within.March 2023 is the next milestone for this voice-absorbing mask, when the crowdfunding campaign should go live. Until then, we have the successful test of the prototype below, and renders of how the production version might look. Assuming the finished product stays close to these renders, as face masks or face shields go, its not the strangest looking. If you consider the added benefit of almost complete noise cancellation, you could almost say it looks good.
Journalists from Chinese and Indonesian media outlets witness and observe the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway at the Tegalluar Station in Bandung, Indonesia, Jan. 28, 2023.(Xinhua/Zulkarnain)

JAKARTA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Indonesian Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi invited guests from over 20 Chinese and Indonesian media outlets to witness and observe the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) at the Tegalluar Station on Saturday.

During the tour, Budi conveyed Chinese New Year greetings to Chinese workers and praised the construction progress.

He said that the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR is seeing a crucial year, hoping that the Chinese and Indonesian construction units would continue to work hard, collaborate closely and ensure the on-time completion and launch of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR.

The high-speed line, a landmark project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, connects Indonesia's capital Jakarta and another major city Bandung.

With a design speed of 350 km per hour, the railway will cut the journey between Jakarta and Bandung from over three hours to around 40 minutes. 
The C-17 was introduced by Boeing in 1991, with the first production model being delivered in 1993 to what was then the Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina. Now called Joint Base Charleston, the base is home to the 628th Air Base Wing, and the place from where, at the beginning of the month, a large pack of C-17s departed for the first time from the same place in a record mission.Weve told you all about that back in early January. A number of 24 such airplanes departed the bases runways, heading out for a show-of-force flight over the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston Harbor. They then dispersed and landed at four other bases in the area: the Pope Army Airfield, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, and Hunter Army Airfield.The exercise took place on January 5, and also involved other elements of the USAF, including 20 F-16 Fighting Falcons that were conducting mock air battles in the region, but also Army and Marine Corps units. An E-3 Sentry and several KC-135 Stratotankers were also involved to support the mammoth drill.As it usually happens with such events, the Charleston outing was the perfect opportunity for military photographers to snap the most modern USAF gear in action. We expect the military branch to continue releasing related images, many of which will probably make it in our Photo of the Day coverage.Like the main pic we have here, snapped a few days prior to the record flight, on January 3. It shows one massive C-17 front and center, sitting on the flight line of the airbase as it got ready to take to the sky with its peers.The massive machine occupies almost the entire field of view, but if you look behind it, at least three other planes of the same family seem to sneak up covered by fog, giving us yet another glimpse at what the American military is capable of doing if it puts its mind to it.And just to give you another taste of that, heres a quick reminder of what just one C-17 is capable of. Powered by four large Pratt & Whitney turbofan engines rated at 40,440 pounds of thrust each, the Globemaster can lift in one go 585,000 pounds (265,352 kg), including its own weight. The thing can carry a small military unit of 102 troops, or 170,900 pounds (77,519 kg) of cargo.
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Forget about high mileage, rusty, smelly and endless source-of-problems cheap cars that you can find online for a few hundred euros/dollars or a couple of grand.Its all about restored and well-kept cars that usually cost more than ten grand and they mean the world to their owners. If these owners are also environmentally conscious, theres a good chance they will pay good money for a professional conversion R-FIT is a commercial brand under the parent French company MCC Automotive, based in Cassis, France. It started business in 2016 by developing and approvingconversion kits for the Citroen 2CV and Renault 4L.Yes, they are small cars. Yes, they are very simple and basic. Yet, they are pretty expensive, because these are really iconic cars for the French people, almost like the baguette or la tour Eiffel (no translation needed).It's no wonder R-FIT found tens of people interested in converting their little jewels into EVs. And it shouldnt come as a surprise that Renault decided to partner with this small company. The behind-the-scenes reason is the imminent launch of the completely new Renault 4 and Renault 5 as modern battery electric vehicles starting in 2024.Until then, fans all over the L'hexagone will get the chance to admire, talk about and even order the EV conversions of iconic R4 and R5, along with the first generation Twingo at the 47th Retromobile car show in Paris, taking place between 1 to 5 February.The electric retrofit kit for the vintage Renault 4 will be available in February from 11,900 (almost $13,000), including VAT and installation. The kit for Renault 5 will go on sale in September 2023, while the kit for the first-generation Twingo will be made available at a later date.Now, about that price  is it expensive or is it expensive? If you add around 2,000 euros (less than $2,200) you can have the Dacia Spring, the most affordable electric car in Europe, thanks to the French ecological bonus.So, why bother converting a Renault 4, or 5, or a Twingo? Because they are not simply cars, they are icons. People buying these vintage cars is a clear sign they can afford expensive cars. Ok, whats on the menu for that amount of money?The internal combustion engine is replaced by a brushless synchronous engine, with a peak power of 14.5, enough for giving the car performances equivalent to the original engine . The original mechanical transmission system remains untouched, so it should provide an interesting experience to be able to manually shift gears without the sound of the engine revving.The battery is of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) type, a cheap and old formula. The 105 V battery pack has a capacity of only 10.7, so the maximum driving range of approximately 80 km is hilarious compared to modern EVs.It can be charged via a 16A  220 V domestic plug, and the full charge takes 3 hours 30. Dont expect anything like DC fast charging. And you should know the boot capacity will be much less because thats where the batteries are placed.Add to all this unimpressive package a two-year guarantee and thats about it. Oh, and dont forget the cost of the car before converting  a good preserved or freshly restored Renault 4 has an average price of 14-15,000 (around $15-16,000). After all, it was the most successful French car of all time, with 8 million units being produced between 1961 and 1993.Buying such an old timer and using the Retrofit kit is more expensive than a modern Renault Zoe , a better EV in every aspect. Except for the vintage flavor But the good news is this vintage EV is eligible for the state subsidy.So maybe paying around 20,000 ($21,700) for an iconic French car converted to EV makes sense, after all  despite the short range and limited performances. Interesting fact, most Renault 4 collectors are young people, who are also more prone to accept transforming it into an electric car.We are yet to see the Retrofit kit specs for Renault 5 and first-generation Twingo. By the way, 2023 marks the 30 years anniversary of this little cutie. On this occasion, Renaults design team prepared a specially customized model.Its a reinvented Twingo, advertised as a surprising tribute to the California lowriders of the 1990s, and it will make its first-ever public appearance at the 47th Retromobile car show in Paris. Of course, it will be an electric conversion.
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It's easy to forget that nuclear fusion and fission are two sides of the same coin. One may conjure images of meltdowns, radiation sickness, and general nightmare fuel. While the other is mostly in the realm of science fiction. At least, it was all sci-fi until recently.If there were a single atom you could point to as encapsulating the yin and yang-like parallels between nuclear fission and fusion, look no further than tritium. It's an isotope of hydrogen so rare in nature on Earth that it's almost unfair humanity discovered its considerable usefulness. It's all the sadder because tritium is a bonafide superstar in nuclear fusion.For all the petrolheads reading this, various types of nuclear fusion isotopes have much more in common with different types of gasoline than you might think. If scientists are so gung-ho about amassing as big of a global tritium stockpile as possible, it's a signifier the isotope isn't just any old 87-octane . It's the real premium, top-tier stuff.But why? What is it about tritium that makes it so irresistible to fusion engineers? Despite its important-sounding, sci-fi adjacent name, tritium is just another, albeit a particularly "spicy" and radioactive isotope of old-fashioned hydrogen. Unlike standard hydrogen, tritium contains one proton and two neutrons to the standard one proton without neutrons.Along with its sibling isotope of deuterium with one proton and one neutron, isotopes of hydrogen are the only ones to receive their own nomenclature as if they were separate elements. First discovered in 1934 by Ernest Rutherford, Mark Oliphant, and Paul Harteck, tritium was first isolated five years later by the American physicist Luis Walter Alvarez.In the early days, tritium's practical use for mankind was the radiometric dating of liquids, usually water or wine. Alternatively, small quantities of tritium can be added to tiny glass tubes to create glow-in-the-dark wristwatches that stay luminescent for at least a decade, if not more, depending on the purity.Tritium isn't as overtly dangerous as other luminescent wristwatch materials like radium. Which famously made the jaws of the workers making the watches fall off after dipping their paintbrushes in the stuff and then in their mouths to point the brush tip. It'd take a little longer to understand this astonishing isotope's full energy potential. In truth, tritium was more closely studied in relation to its use in thermonuclear bombs before it was pegged as the future of nuclear fusion fuel.An idea for potentially adding solid lithium-deuteride to the fission stage of a hydrogen bomb to form tritium was floated at one point by the U.S.. All in the name of increasing the explosive power in the fusion stage without making the weapon physically larger were had during the Cold War. Among the explosive thermonuclear reaction's elemental leftovers is a non-unsubstantial amount of residual tritium.But uncontrolled nuclear explosions are perhaps the least constructive application of tritium. To make one more gasoline analogy, tritium isn't just your average premium 93-octane . Instead, its rarity and horsepower potential are more like 110-octane race gas. You know, the stuff that maybe a handful of gas stations in your tri-state area carry and never located anywhere near you.The energy generated by deuterium and tritium fusion, in particular, far exceeds other combinations of isotopes. The tritium-deuterium fusion process, should it succeed as planned, should generate an entirely new single atom of helium plus a spare neutron left over. Per every set of atoms fused, each tritium-deuterium fusion should generate at least 17.6 electron volts (MeV) per reaction.Compared to other forms of fusion like deuterium-to-deuterium or even deuterium-to-helium-3, the energy release is profoundly more intense. It sounds like a win-win scenario, apart from one massive problem. You could fit the entire planet's reserves of tritium into a slightly above-average-sized suitcase. Only about 44 lbs (20 kg) is known to be in reserve in all the world's facilities. That's not including the plethora of fake tritium watchmakers passing them off as tritium when it really isn't.Fusion reactors that rely heavily on tritium, like the Tokamak reactors at the JET Laboratory in the U.K. and the ITER facility in France, could eat through 300 grams of the stuff every single day in commercial operation. Happily, it's possible to breed new tritium in the same vein as farming XP in a video game. Meaning, of course, very slowly and at a great expense of time.The most popular form of what's called "tritium breeding" occurs as a byproduct of, of all things, nuclear fission reactors. More specifically, the fission of uranium isotopes like 235 and 233, but also plutonium-239. This process is most prevalent in light-water or heavy-water cooled fission reactors like the Canadian CANDU-class are known to produce as much as 4.6 ounces (130 grams) of tritium per reactor per year.With a total of 31 active CANDU reactors in Canada, South Korea, China, India, Argentina, Pakistan, and Romania , humanity still struggles to produce enough tritium to run the average Tokamak-class fusion reactor for more than a couple of months. The U.S.'s 56 pressurized water and 24 boiling water reactors produce tritium as an after product, but can only produce enough of it to equal around 4.2 grams as of 2023.The EPA estimates that by 2030, global man-made supplies of tritium will be equal the amount estimated to exist in nature. Imagine that happening with literally any other element, that's absolutely bonkers! Keep in mind not all the tritium fission reactors produce is able to be harvested. Several American fission reactors have had tritium escape containment and confirmed by the EPA . In one case, this left the surrounding groundwater contaminated with 7.5 microcuries (280 kBq) of tritium per liter. That's almost 400 times the World Health Organization's recommended limit.France's ITER facility Tokamak generator does plan to bombard pieces of lithium metal with some of the neutrons flung off from fusion plasma to help further boost tritium stockpiles. But the efficacy of this has yet to be proven. Tritium can also be found in exceedingly scarce quantities at the very fringes of Earth's atmosphere. Here, cosmic rays from the Sun interact with nitrogen molecules not fortunate enough to be shielded by the bulk of the atmosphere beneath it to create tritium gas.Not very beneficial for fusion production, that's for sure. Considering tritium has a half-life decay of around 12 years or so, reserves can and will decline if we don't use it quickly enough. Compared to deuterium, which makes up about one in every 5,000 hydrogen atoms in most seawater, it's a shame we can't just fuse deuterium with itself till the cows come home.But as private fusion research companies like Helion Energy have found, deuterium-to-deuterium fusion produces only a fraction of the energy as deuterium-to-tritium vision. All while potentially damaging the reactor while it attempts nuclear fusion in excess of 100 million degrees.Considering tritium naturally decays into helium-3, another staple isotope of nuclear fusion research, some argue it's better to skip tritium altogether and just fuse deuterium and helium-3 into helium-4 plus an extra atom of hydrogen. The sad truth of the matter is that scientists are forced to essentially throw cupcakes at a wall to see which ones stick the longest when it comes to finding the right mix of fusion fuels. I.e., nothing more than old-fashioned trial and error.With so many private companies developing their own novel fusion methods, one combination should prove to be the ticket before too long. The only question is whether tritium will or won't be included in the recipe when all said and done. Whichever team manages to figure it out and make it viable enough for commercial operation is due to be rich beyond most people's wildest imagination. That's on top of all the other added benefits of nearly limitless, carbon-free energy.
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That year, a gentleman by the name of Anyos Jedlik designed a crude electric motor. The Hungarian priest and physicist then attached it to a small model car, et voila! A few years later, Scotsman Robert Anderson took that concept in a different direction with a fully electric carriage.The non-rechargeable batteries from that period rendered his carriage a parlor trick rather than a bonafide means of personal transportation. Rechargeable lead-acid batteries would follow suit in 1859 thanks to French physicist Gaston Plante. Yet another French physicist  Camille Alphonse Faure  would significantly improve his seniors design in 1881, paving the way for commercially viable electric carriages and vehicles.French inventor Gustave Trouve publicly demonstrated what is believed to be the first human-carrying EV that same year. German engineer Andreas Flocken is credited with building the first proper electric vehicle in 1888, whereas the first electric vehicle in the U.S. came out of Des Moines in the form of a six-passenger wagon. Designed by William Morrison, said contraption was capable of reaching 14 miles per hour (23 kph).Interest in e-motor vehicles may have increased greatly in the late 1890s and at the beginning of the 20th century, but alas, internal combustion steadily chipped away at the electric vehicles popularity. Despite quite a few one-offs and oddballs like the Lunar Roving Vehicle and Sinclair C5 , electric vehicles wouldnt come back into the mainstream until the 1990s.Modern-day electric vehicles can thank the California Air Resources Board for its aggressive push for lower emissions, with the agencys goal being the switch to zero-emission vehicles. The most prolific EV of that era is  of course  the GM EV1, which needs just under 9 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour (97 kph). The quarter-mile was dealt with in 16.7 seconds. Top speed was limited to 80 miles per hour (nearly 130 kph).Contrary to popular belief, Nissan's long-running Leaf isn't the first modern highway-capable mass-production electric vehicle. The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is and was also sold under the Mitsuoka, Peugeot, and Citroen brands. Both the i-MiEV and Leaf are hardly exciting, which brings us to 2008, the year the first example of the first-gen Tesla Roadster was delivered.60 miles per hour in under four seconds was seriously impressive back then, and the 125-mph (201-kph) top speed was good enough for a blistering quarter-mile sprint as well. The Lotus Elise-based Tesla Roadster was originally priced at $98,950. Fewer than 2,500 were made.The story of the high-performancecontinues with Tesla s Model S. The rear-drive P85 and all-wheel-drive P85D were stupidly fast, more so if you remember that both of them are full-size luxury sedans that weigh quite a bit more than high-performance supercars of Italian origin.Those variants were quickly succeeded by the P90D and P100D. Back in 2017, a P100D clocked 2.28 seconds to 60 miles per hour on a prepped surface in Ludicrous mode. Those 2.28 seconds wouldnt have been possible without the industry-standard rollout before the clock starts. Following the Raven update, Tesla wowed everyone with the Palladium.The Palladium's Plaid three-motor powertrain features one front-mounted electric motor and two in the rear. As far as mainstream EVs go, the Model S Plaid continues to be in a league of its own. Not only can it reach 60 miles per hour in 1.99 seconds, but 200 miles per hour (322 kph) on full song and 9.23 seconds in the quarter mile are borderline bananas.The Lucid Air Sapphire does 60 miles per hour in 1.89 seconds, but similar to the Model S Plaid, its a mainstream EV. The fastest series-production EVs out there  including the absolute fastest EV ever made  are hypercars that cost way more than the Sapphire and Plaid combined.The Nevera and Battista come to mind. The Croatian automaker founded by Mate Rimac quotes a simply staggering 1.85 seconds to 60 miles per hour, onto a top speed of 258 miles per hour (412 kph). The Italian alternative, which bears the name of Pininfarina founder Battista Pininfarina, needs 1.79 clicks and cracks 217 miles per hour (350 kph).This being said, what is the fastest EV out there? To our knowledge, that electric vehicle is the Aspark Owl . Specialized in providing engineering services, the Japanese company wants 2,900,000 euros (around $3.15 million) for each example of the four-motor hypercar. But why euros?The reason is Manifattura Automobili Torino, the Italian company tasked with building the Owl for Aspark. Theoretically capable of reaching 60 miles per hour in 1.69 seconds, the Owl clocked a remarkable 1.72 seconds with road-legal tires at the Misano World Circuit in Italy in 2020. The companys original estimate was achieved by computer simulation.The world would be a more exciting place if there were more people thinking about exciting things, declared big kahuna Masanori Yoshida. Thats why we will never give up our mission and we will keep producing many exciting projects like the Owl. The Owl is limited to 10 units for the U.S., 20 for Europe, and 20 for the Middle East and Asia.Believe it or not, a handful are still available to reserve at press time. Standing 99 centimeters (almost 40 inches) tall, the Owl produces 1,480or 1,985 horsepower and 2,000 Nm of torque or 1,475 pound-feet. Its 69-battery offers an electric range of 450 kilometers (280 miles), albeit on the olderrather than theor EPAs test cycles.
One day after a judge ruled Kern County may resume local oil permitting, people on both sides of the case looked forward to what may lie ahead
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A red-faced Harry Styles apologised to members of the audience after ripping his trousers on stage in Los Angeles.

The British music superstar told screaming fans it was meant to be a family show, before laughing off the wardrobe malfunction.

The mishap occurred during a rendition of Styles hit song Music For A Sushi Restaurant at the Kia Forum on Thursday night.

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Dropping down almost to his knees, Styles went wide-eyed as his tan leather pants ripped.

He continued on with the performance, smiling in disbelief, and later covered the hole with a rainbow flag.

My trousers ripped. I feel it necessary to apologise to a certain few of you right down in the front there, he said.

The wardrobe malfunction happened at Styles show in Los Angeles on Thursday (Dawbell/PA)   Lloyd Wakefield

I mean this is a family showI promise its not part of the show.

Its a family showor is it? he added, to screams of delight from the audience.

Hollywood actress and Friends star Jennifer Aniston was among those at the show who witnessed the incident, according to photos shared on social media.
The subject matter isnt new but its been given a bookish regeneration writes Aine Toner

Weve had misery lit, history lit, chick lit now its time for witch lit. In the first two months of 2023 alone, there are several books hitting shelves and e-readers thatll impress anyone with more than a passing interest in all things witchcraft.

Kirsty Logans Now She Is A Witch (Harvill Secker) has been called a dark conjuring of a book and details a witch story unlike any other. Else needs Luxs help to seek revenge on the man who wronged her. Though many are suspicious of Lux  and her abilities  she agrees to help Else, leading to a hunt thats full of dark secrets.

Next week, Emilia Harts Weyward (right, HarperCollins) will be published. Weaving the stories of three women  Kate in 2019, Violet in 1942 and Altha in 1619  across five centuries, theres an epic feel to this tale of female resilience. Im about halfway through and its excellent. The Weyward women cannot be tamed and as a reader, I am here for that.

Also in February, Camilla Bruce will publish The Witch in the Well (Bantam Press). Inspired by the Norwegian folklore stories with which the author grew up around, expect possession, competition and obsession to leap from the pages. Citizens of F- did something bad over a century before, leading to Catherine Evans writing the definitive account of what happened. However, a rival book is on the cards  and written by a childhood friend. Cue much conjuring of the past, which maybe isnt so forgotten

In May, expect Kate Griffins Fyneshade (Profile) to make a splash. If you like your fiction full of gothic drama and featuring large houses with crumbling corridors, then put this on your TBR list.

Also that month, Mat Osman  yes, his brother is Richard and yes, he is the bassplayer in Suede  releases The Ghost Theatre (Bloomsbury), a troupe staging magical plays in Londons hidden corners. Were pretty sure Shay and Nonesuch and their antics will grab your attention.

Camilla Bruce's The Witch in the Well

Anya Bergmans The Witches of Vard (Manilla Press) has been out three weeks and is already making an impression. Set in the mid 17th century, a grieving fishermans wife, Zigri, embarks on an affair with the married son of a wealthy merchant. Shes swiftly sent to the fortress at Vard to be tried and condemned as a witch.

Its based on the real events of witch hunts in Norway in 1662 and the blend of historical fact and magic realism (read Angela Carter if youre a fan) will have you reaching for more.

It became an obsession, says Anya of her debut novel. I was living in Norway for six years. Ive always been interested in the history of witch trials and a Norwegian friend told me about the trials up in Vard, this tiny island up above the Arctic Circle.

Then I discovered that the trial records, all the testimony of those accused, still existed.

Not only that, conveniently, theyve been translated into English and published in this book by this professor.

I went up to Vard a couple of times and I met with that professor and interviewed her. I took a very earnest approach to the material; it was important to me to try to bring to life the real events.

Emilia Harts Weyward

Fiction generally has a grain of reality or truth and for Anya, the big question was the reasons behind witch hunts existing.

Its not as simple as men hating women, its way more complex than that, she says.

And if you look at the history of witch hunts in different locations all over the world, there are different reasons.

Theres some underlying commonalities: economic crisis comes into it and scapegoating, crops failing and things like that.

Religion comes into it. The places where it was most ferocious was the places of the new reforming religion. Thats why Scotland was so bad because of the Calvinism.

And if you look at Ireland, there really arent that many cases in Ireland, and I think thats related to culture and religion.

The Witches of Vardo by Anya Bergman (Manilla Press)

Female persecution dominates in witch lit  something that perhaps rings true for readers in 2023 given global events. These pageturners may feel closer to home than youd expect.

I think one of the reasons is its hitting on something thats going on at the moment in terms of feminism, that rights are being infringed upon worldwide, says Anya of the genres popularity.

Youve got what went on in America last year, with the overturning of Roe v. Wade, youve got the rise of the evangelical far right in America as well which really is where the original witch hunters were from.

Youve got movements across the world like in Iran, the movement for liberation for women. And I think that books about witches provide parallels where we can see well, this was going on in the past, this attack on womens autonomy  and look what happened.

I think its one of the bigger conversations as well about this bigger movement about feminist retellings. Theres a lot of things that are kind of ingrained in our beliefs about history without us even realising it, she continues.

If you did history at school, we dont even realise that we learned the history of our world from a male perspective, from a patriarchal perspective.

Once you start looking into history, looking beyond the school history books, you realise theres so many other stories of incredible female figures that never got any space in those books or if they did they were just depicted as [someone like] Elizabeth The Virgin Queen.

Anya Bergman's debut novel concerns 17th century witch trials in Norway

Searching #witchtok on TikTok highlights the community of likeminded readers, drawn to both fictional and nonfiction.

Ive noticed on social media, theres a big community of people saying, I read witchy books or This is a genre I read, says Anya. Its like people who are really into fantasy books or really into science fiction, but theres actually a group of people who say I read witch books and it covers all genres in the sense that the witch books can be fantasy or they can be historical.

She notes non-fiction reads, The Ruin of All Witches by Malcolm Gaskill and Mona Chollets In Defense of Witches, as well as Andrew Sneddons upcoming Representing Magic in Modern Ireland: Belief, History, and Culture.

Youve also got people tapping into witchy ways for self-help, which is really interesting, says Anya on the growing wellness genre.

Theres many different reasons [why witch lit is popular] but I think I think the strongest one is a sense of something within these stories from the past, connecting within us that weve got to stop this shrinking of rights.

The Witches of Vard by Anya Bergman (Manilla Press) is available now
Flybe has confirmed the routes that it will no longer be flying as it ceases trading.

The regional carrier announced the news on Saturday, telling customers who had flights on the day not to travel to the airport.

Chief executive at Belfast City airport, Matthew Hall, confirmed which flights would be cancelled and served by other carriers.

Flybe operated 10 flights to and from Belfast City, 8 of which are currently served by other carriers from our airport, he said.

Alternative travel to Birmingham; Glasgow; Leeds Bradford; London Heathrow, Amsterdam; Edinburgh; Manchester; and Southampton can be arranged through Aer Lingus, KLM, British Airways and Loganair which operates flights to Teesside International from Belfast City Airport.

He also offered his thoughts to Flybe employees and customers.

First and foremost, our thoughts are with Flybe employees and passengers affected by this disappointing and unexpected news.

Passengers booked on Flybe flights should not travel to the airport and should seek further advice from the Civil Aviation Authority.

Three early Flybe flights from Belfast, two from Birmingham and two from Amsterdam were all showing as scheduled on time on Flybes online flight status live tracker at 5am.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) made the announcement the company had gone into administration and urged those with booked Flybe flights not to travel to airports.

But the CAA urged ticket-holders to instead check its website for the latest information.

CAA consumer director Paul Smith said: It is always sad to see an airline enter administration and we know that Flybes decision to stop trading will be distressing for all of its employees and customers.

We urge passengers planning to fly with this airline not to go to the airport as all Flybe flights are cancelled. For the latest advice, Flybe customers should visit the Civil Aviation Authoritys website or our Twitter feed for more information.

The airline also confirmed the sad move, noting that administrators had been brought in.

We are sad to announce that Flybe has been placed into administration, Flybe tweeted.

David Pike and Mike Pink of Interpath have been appointed administrators. Flybe has now ceased trading. All Flybe flights from and to the UK are cancelled and will not be rescheduled.

It comes after Flybe returned to the skies in April following an earlier collapse.

It returned with a plan to operate up to 530 flights per week across 23 routes, serving airports such as Belfast City, Birmingham, East Midlands, Glasgow, Heathrow and Leeds Bradford.

Flybe was pushed into administration in March 2020 with the loss of 2,400 jobs as the Covid-19 pandemic destroyed large parts of the travel market.

Before it went bust it flew the most UK domestic routes between airports outside London.

Sinn Fein MLA Caoimhe Archibald said news that airline Flybe has again entered administration was devastating news for workers and their families.

My thoughts are with the Flybe workers, 138 of them based in Belfast, and their families who will be left devastated and plunged into uncertainty about what the future holds for them at what is already a difficult time with the cost-of-living crisis, she said.

The unexpected collapse has also caused disruption for passengers who had planned travel, and I would urge people to follow advice from the Consumer Council and Civil Aviation Authority.

Its vital that workers are kept up to date with any changes at the company in the days ahead and fully informed on the next steps, she added.

Alliance MLA Andrew Muir also expressed his disappointment.

Having met with staff in the past, I can only imagine how devastating this must be after the company re-launched only last April.

Were in a unique position in Northern Ireland where air connectivity is so vital for us, more so than in other areas of the UK due to lack of rail links to mainland Britain, and so this kind of loss will inevitably hit hard here, he added.

With that in mind, its essential going forward that the government works to ensure we retain that air connectivity for the routes that have been affected, whilst also prioritising the needs of the employees and passengers at this difficult time.

SDLP MLA Sinead McLaughlin said her thoughts were with Flybe staff and customers.

Flybe operated ten flights from Belfast City and I welcome reports that the airport are already engaged in discussions with other airlines to continue the routes and minimise the impact on the airport. I would hope that where possible Flybe staff could be employed to facilitate these routes for the new airlines, she said.

When Flybe previously entered administration there were concerns expressed around the long-term viability of Belfast City Airport and I welcome that thanks to steps taken since that period that is no longer the case and the airports future is secure, she added.

"I will be reaching out to the airport and the Flybe staff affected on behalf of the SDLP and we will do our best to offer help and advice to customers who had booked flights through the airline.
Mary Lou McDonald has said Bloody Sunday has become the story of those families enduring as she gave the Bloody Sunday 2023 lecture in Londonderry.

The Sinn Fein President was the keynote speaker at Derrys Guildhall as part of a series of events to mark the upcoming 51st anniversary of the atrocity.

Thirteen people were shot dead and at least 15 others injured when members of the Army's Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in the Bogside on January 30 1972. A 14th victim died of his injuries months later.

Ms McDonalds lecture, titled A letter to those we lost and to those we have yet to meet opened with Ms McDonald saying the words Bloody Sunday resound with the gravity of history, as a chapter of profound trauma and searing injustice in the story of our nation.

They reverberate with humanity  with human cruelty and cowardice, human tragedy and suffering, human resilience, and courage. Human hope.

Bloody Sunday is the story of British state murder of innocent civilians.

Ms McDonald said the story of Bloody Sunday is about those families enduring and refusing to let the massacre of their fourteen loved ones be justified with lies or swept under the carpet by cover-up, black propaganda, and whitewash.

She added: Those families resisted. Those families held on. Those families overcame.

I want you to know that we will always stand with you in your long walk to justice and truth. The full truth.

No cloud left hanging over any innocent name. Full vindication. For every victim.

During the lecture, the Sinn Fein President recalled her young daughter sobbing in distress after believing footage of 1972 on television was happening in real-time.

My child fully believing the events of Bloody Sunday were unfolding, there and then, she told the audience.

Her little mind experiencing the horror, in real time. Blue eyes, wide-eyed, inconsolable.

It takes time to calm her down. To assure her that the awful things she sees happened a long time ago.

Ms McDonald also quoted African-American poet Lucille Cliftons poem why some people be mad at me sometimes.

"They ask me to remember but they want me to remember their memories and I keep on remembering mine, she said.

"Cliftons words provide a critique of how the powerful often attempt to steal the past from the powerless. How the powerful try to steal experiences, and steal memory from those who have suffered.

She concluded her speech by reading the names of some of the victims, saying we carry these names with us as we work to build the Irish nation anew.

"We can get there, together. We will get there, together.

We will see the dawning of a new day for everyone who calls Ireland home."

Other events to mark the anniversary including a special screening the musical documentary North Circular and unveiling of a new mural by local artist Ray Bonner.
Michelle ONeill has offered condolences to the First Minister of Wales following the death of his kind and warm wife.

It was announced on Saturday that Clare Drakeford had passed away suddenly.

She had been married to Mark Drakeford since 1977 and the couple have three children together.

Sinn Feins vice president expressed great sadness after being informed of the untimely death and said she has spoken to Mr Drakeford.

I have been in contact with First Minister Mark Drakeford to express my condolences to him on his deep loss at this very sad time, Ms ONeill said.

I had the pleasure of meeting Clare who was a very warm and kind person.

The death of a loved one is so difficult for any family as they come to terms with their grief, and especially so for Mark at this difficult time.

Clare will be missed by many.

"Ar dheis De go raibh a hanam.

A spokesperson for the Welsh government issued a statement earlier.

"It is with deep sadness that we confirm the sudden passing of Clare Drakeford, wife of the first minister, they said.

"The thoughts of everyone in the Welsh government are with the family at this time and we ask that their privacy is respected."

Scotlands First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, took to social media to send her Welsh counterpart "love and strength".

"My thoughts are with Mark and his family at this terribly sad time," she tweeted.

"On the occasions I met Clare, it was obvious how strong the bond between her and Mark was, and I can only imagine the depth of grief he is feeling."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has passed on his deepest condolences to Mr Drakeford privately.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also sent his sympathy and offered condolences on behalf of his party.

"I know just how close they were as a couple, and I can only imagine the sense of loss Mark and the whole family are feeling, he said.

"They are all in our thoughts and prayers."

Mr and Mrs Drakeford have lived in the Pontcanna area of Cardiff for 30 years.

They lived apart during much of the COVID19 pandemic to allow Mr Drakeford to carry on working in the role he has been in since 2018.

His wife remained at the house with her mother who was shielding.

Mr Drakeford, who who was reappointed to the post in May 2021, later described their reunion as "a bit emotional".

Speaking previously to the ITV Wales podcast he said: "I've been married for a very long time and not to be in the house and to be at a physical distance, even though we saw each other every day and talked every day, it was a puzzling experience in that sort of way and for that to be over it is a bit emotional for everybody."
Survivors from the Princess Victoria being rescued after she sank

Seventy years on from one of the UKs worst peacetime sea disasters, the stories of that fateful day live on in Northern Ireland.

More than 130 people  men, women and children  lost their lives when the car ferry Princess Victoria sank off the Co Down coast on January 31, 1953.

Many of those lost to the sea that day were residents of Belfast, along with the many crew members whose homes were in port towns of Larne and Stranraer in Scotland.

The dead included the Deputy Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Maynard Sinclair, and the MP for North Down, Sir Walter Smiles.

There were no women or children among the survivors. The death toll has varied between 133 and 137 people.

As the years pass, the terrible loss can be forgotten by the wider public, but the Donaghadee Heritage Preservation Company is working to keep the memory of the tragedy and the stories of those who lost their lives alive.

The charity was set up to conserve the historic lifeboat Sir Samuel Kelly, which saved the lives of 35 of the 44 survivors from the Princess Victoria as it sank. Alan Couser is the chair of the charity and feels that it is important that we all remember the great ferry disaster.

Things like this you forget about, it becomes fish and chip wrapper but it is something people need to remember and its an important thing for us to highlight, it is an important thing in Ulsters history for us to know about, he said.

Princess Victoria

The tragedy remains in the hearts of many of the people who live in Donaghadee, Mr Couser explained.

We often have people coming to see the lifeboat and they start crying when theyre there because they know the stories.

Maybe they were told the stories by their parents or grandparents and they understand what a tragedy it is.

The last survivor of the crew working on the lifeboat on the night of the Princess Victoria tragedy, Hugh Nelson, died in 2017 aged 84.

But the stories passed on from survivors and the families of those who died still touch the hearts of many in Donaghadee.

Mr Couser added: Its about our history and a part of a culture here today.

This is a small place so a lot of people knew someone that survived or the family of someone that unfortunately didnt survive.

We get to hear stories from these people sometimes and they are all different, all these people had different lives that were so greatly affected by this disaster,

We sometimes have people who have never been to Donaghadee coming to see the lifeboat and sharing the story they have heard about the Princess Victoria, Mr Couser said.

The Sir Samuel Kelly is currently undergoing restoration but the public are welcome to view it.

We see people coming down all the time, and because the restoration is ongoing they can come back in a few months and see the differences.

The Sir Samuel Kelly

The company is in dialogue with Ards and North Down Borough Council and with the National Lottery Heritage Fund about progressing plans to create an exhibition centre for the lifeboat.

Hopefully by the time we get the funding the lifeboat restoration will be finished or at least 95% finished so it can go on display and people can come and see it along with the stories surrounding that day, Mr Couser said.

The Princess Victoria was one of the first roll on, roll off designed ferries and made daily return crossings from Larne to Stranraer.

Annual commemorations are held in Larne and Donaghadee and memorials also stand in Larne, Stranraer and Donaghadee.

The 70th anniversary of the disaster will be commemorated at a special service in Belfast Cathedral on Sunday. The service has been organised by the Rev Mark Reid, Belfast and Northern Ireland Chaplain to the Mission to Seafarers, with involvement from the Flying Angel Centre, the port authorities and the Harbour Commissioners.

Hugh Nelson

Dean of Belfast Stephen Forde said: The 70th anniversary of the loss of the MV Princess Victoria may be the last occasion when significant numbers of those who were present, and even those who remember 31st of January 1953, will gather to recall their personal experiences of that day. Those who were in their 20s in 1953 are now in their 90s.

This 70th anniversary service is an important moment. It allows the memories of the last of those who were directly involved with that unforgettable day to pass on to others the call to remember, for the loss of the Princess Victoria remains the occasion of the greatest loss of life at sea in British waters since the end of the Second World War.

The Dean added: I very much hope that anyone who has a personal link with those who were lost, or rescued or involved in that day, and especially those with a Belfast connection, will join us for this service of reflection and remembering.
DUP member: Unionists are asking what is in this council for them and to be honest I cant see what

A row broke out as Mid Ulster District Council rejected a motion calling for the authority to write to King Charles III congratulating him on his upcoming coronation.

The motion, brought by DUP councillor Clement Cuthbertson at the councils monthly meeting this week, also called on the council to organise a programme of meaningful and respectful events to commemorate this significant occasion.

The Kings coronation is due to take place on May 6.

The motion was first amended by Sinn Fein group leader Cathal Mallaghan who sought the removal of the programme of meaningful events with a call to encourage community groups to access council grants in festival and good relations to organise events if they wish.

Adding this amendment was backed with 20 councillors voting in support of it, 14 against it and two abstaining.

However, when it then came to voting on the amended motion it failed, with 14 councillors voting in favour, 16 against and six, including Mr Mallaghan, abstaining.

Introducing his motion to the floor, Mr Cuthbertson said there are many things Mid Ulster District Council can do over the coronation weekend  from screening the events on large screens in public spaces, lighting up public buildings, flying the Union flag at council officers, inviting communities to volunteer in our public parks.

Due to the timing of this historic event Mid-Ulster District Councils response to this significant occasion must be officer led, particularly as it will be in the run up to the local government elections.

Mr Cuthbertsons motion, seconded by the DUPs Wilbert Buchanan read: This year, on May 6, 2023, the coronation of His Majesty, King Charles III will take place, having previously acceded to the throne on September 8, 2022, following the passing of his mother the late Queen Elizabeth II.

To mark this historic occasion, Mid Ulster District Council will write a letter of congratulations and best wishes to His Majesty and also organise a programme of meaningful and respectful events to commemorate this significant occasion.

Mr Mallaghan told the chamber the he wanted to propose an amendment to the motion and introduced it to the chamber.

Many people will see this as an important and historic occasion and many others will not, he said.

It will be up to people to decide for themselves but there is funding already programmed in to Council budgets and I feel that is the most appropriate place for this type of thing to happen.

The amendment was seconded by Sinn Fein councillor Brian McGuigan.

UUP councillor Mark Glasgow welcomed the original motion and told the chamber how the late Queen Elizabeth IIs platinum jubilee showed the great positive attitude the people of Mid Ulster had for the Royal Family.

Independent councillor Barry Monteith said that while he fully respects the right of other councillors to hold the British Monarchy in high esteem, as a republican the British monarchy and the trappings of empire do not represent him.

SDLP group leader Malachy Quinn said his party has always preached respect for difference and respect for other peoples views but said he had no problems with the amendment at all and his party would be supporting it.

Independent councillor Dan Kerr explained he was opposed to motion and explained that as an Irish republican I am opposed to all forms of monarchy.

UUP councillor Robert Colvin called on the council to rise above individual positions and recognise this historic event.

Asked if he accepted the proposed amendment to his motion, Mr Cuthbertson explained why he couldnt, stating that, in his view, the proposed amendment is a direct negative.

Unionists are in the minority in this district, we are not asking for everything, all we are asking for is a bit of respect and a fair share when it comes to Council events and Council funding, he said.

Last year we were here with a motion concerning the platinum jubilee, it was rejected. The year before it was Northern Irelands centenary, there was nothing meaningful or worthwhile done for the centenary of Northern Ireland.

Unionists are asking what is in this Council for them and to be honest I cant see what, they get their bins lifted but that is about it.

Confirming it was her view that Mr Mallaghans amendment was perfectly grand in its wording, Councils chair Cora Corry said she would be taking a vote on the amendment.

Mr Mallaghans amendment was then voted for by all Sinn Fein and SDLP councillors present, the two independent republican councillors chose to abstain and the DUP and UUP councillors present voted against the amendment.

A further vote was then taken on Mr Mallaghans amended motion and it was defeated with 14 votes in favour, 16 against and six abstentions with Mr Mallaghan among those choosing not to vote on his proposal.

Following this vote Mr Culbertson queried why the vote was carried out twice.

Council chief executive Adrian McCreesh explained the councils standing orders clearly state that when there is an amendment and it succeeds the amendment becomes the substantive motion and it is once again put to the floor.
But 64% overall still support Belfast Agreement, new poll reveals

Unionist leader David Trimble, SDLP leader John Hume and Bono pictured together on stage at the Waterfront hall in Belfast for a concert to promote the YES vote in May 1998

A majority of unionists would vote against the Good Friday Agreement if a referendum on the historic peace accord was held today.

Just one in three unionists now endorses the deal, but support for it remains strong among nationalists and Alliance voters, according to a new poll.

The Agreement was backed by a majority in both communities with a 71% yes vote in the 1998 referendum.

As its 25th anniversary approaches in April, a LucidTalk poll for the Belfast Telegraph shows 64% of people  down seven points  would back the deal now if another poll was held.

While 95% of nationalists and 96% of Alliance and Green voters would vote yes, only 35% of unionists would do the same.

Around a third of people (31%) say theyd vote no  a slight increase from the 29% who did so in 1998.

Only 3% of nationalists and 2% of Alliance and Green voters would oppose the deal, but 54% of unionists would do so.

A significant section of unionists are undecided on whether they support the Agreement. Some 11% dont know or are unsure of how theyd vote if another referendum took place, with just 2% of nationalists and Alliance and Green voters saying the same.

While the DUP led the campaign against the Agreement in the 1998 referendum, it was backed by Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble and an estimated 80% of the partys voters.

However, just 58% of UUP supporters would now vote for the peace deal, with 28% saying theyd oppose it and 15% unsure of how theyd vote.

Some 3,662 people took part in our online poll conducted from January 20 to 23. The sample was scientifically weighted to reflect the Northern Ireland population.

There are sharp gender divisions on the Good Friday Agreement. Almost three-quarters of women (73%) would vote yes compared to just over half (55%) of men if a referendum was held now. Almost twice as many men (40%) would vote against the Agreement as women (22%).

The over-65s are less enthusiastic for the peace accord than younger people  59% would vote yes compared to 65% of both 45-64 and 25-44-year-olds and 64% of 18-24-year-olds.

Opposition to the Agreement increased with age. Just 25% of 18-24-year-olds would vote no compared to 31% of both 25-44-year-olds and 45-64-year-olds and 36% of over-65s.

Changing demographics mean the highest percentage of unionists is found among those of retirement age.

Signed on April 10, 1998 after extensive negotiations involving local politicians and the British and Irish governments, the Good Friday Agreement was followed by simultaneous but separate referenda in Northern Ireland and the Republic.

More than two million voters across the island registered their support for the deal, with 361,000 voting against. However, there was a significant difference in turnout on each side of the border.

In Northern Ireland, 81% of the electorate voted with almost 677,000 supporting the peace deal and 275,000 opposing it.

The result was overwhelmingly in favour of the Agreement in the Republic with more than 1.4m people (94%) supporting it and 86,000 opposing it (6%). But turnout in the south was much lower, with only 56% of people voting.

Methodology

Polling was carried out online from 1pm on January 20 to 6pm on January 23, using the established LucidTalk Northern Ireland (NI) online opinion panel (14,422 members), which is balanced to be demographically representative of Northern Ireland (NI). Some 3,662 full responses were received, and these were then authenticated, audited and weighted, to a 1,499 response NI representative data-set which was used for analysis in terms of the final results.

These final data results were then weighted by age, gender, socio-economic group, previous NI voting patterns, NI constituency, NI constitutional position, political party support, and religious affiliation, to produce a robust Northern Ireland representative opinion sample. All results are accurate in terms of being NI representative to within an error of +/- 2.3% at 95% confidence.

LucidTalk is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its regulations. LucidTalk is the only NI (and Ireland)based polling and market research company which is a member of the British Polling Council.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the DUP, has said the NI Protocol must be replaced by arrangements supported by all sides (Liam McBurney/PA)   Liam McBurney

The DUPs strategy in opposing the Northern Ireland Protocol has been vindicated, party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said.

Speaking to party members and supporters in Brookeborough, Co Fermanagh, Sir Jeffrey said that people in London, Dublin and Brussels now recognise that the sacrifice of consensus politics on the altar of the protocol was a mistake.

The DUP is blocking the functioning of powersharing at Stormont and has made clear it will not allow devolution to return unless major changes to the protocol are delivered.

The Northern Ireland Protocol is opposed by unionists in Northern Ireland (Liam McBurney/PA)   Liam McBurney

Talks remain ongoing between the UK and the EU over the protocol, part of the post-Brexit deal which keeps Northern Ireland aligned with some EU trade rules, effectively placing a trade border in the Irish Sea.

Both sides are keen to strike a deal to break the logjam over the contentious trading arrangements before the 25th anniversary of Northern Irelands historic Good Friday peace agreement in April.

Many unionists are fiercely opposed to the treaty which they claim has weakened the regions place within the union.

The DUP leader said: We warned London, Washington, Dublin and Brussels in July 2021 that the Northern Ireland Protocol was incompatible with powersharing and our hard-won politically balanced arrangements.

We gave time and space for these fundamental concerns to be addressed but that time was not utilised.

Instead, some local parties told us that the protocol had to be rigorously implemented. No one is saying that now.

We are seeking the restoration of democratic decision-making to the Assembly, replacing the democratic deficit created by the protocol.

Why should anyone want to deny the people of Northern Ireland, through their democratically elected representatives, a say or a vote on vast swathes of the laws governing our economy and which affect the people of Northern Ireland so directly?

Sir Jeffrey said that the protocol is not and will not be supported by unionists.

He added: It was a mistake for its authors to press ahead with an agreement that has harmed Northern Irelands constitutional and economic place within the United Kingdom.

Whilst I welcome that there is public recognition that it was a mistake to ignore the objections of unionists, the greatest misstep would be if the same mistake were to be repeated.

Political progress in Northern Ireland has been painstakingly slow at times but it has never been achieved by one side ignoring the concerns of the other.

With a divided society, we need to work together.

Not one unionist MP or MLA supported the protocol. Such a one-sided approach was never going to work. We need a deal that unionists as well as nationalists can support.

The powersharing institutions at Stormont collapsed last year after the DUP withdrew co-operation in protest at the NI Protocol (Liam McBurney/PA)   Liam McBurney

Sir Jeffrey continued: All of this work will only be worthwhile if we can reach a balanced and durable outcome.

There will be no solid basis for an Executive and Assembly until the protocol is replaced with arrangements that restore Northern Irelands place in the UK internal market and our constitutional arrangements are respected.

Recognising mistakes is one thing but learning the lesson that consensus is the only way forward must be at the forefront of minds in London and Brussels rather than any dates on the calendar.
The coffins of Alex and Ann Easton arrive for the Service of Thanksgiving at Bangor Abbey (Brian Lawless/PA)   Brian Lawless

Political leaders, including Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and Michelle ONeill, gathered for the funeral of the parents of Northern Ireland Assembly member Alex Easton in Co Down.

Mr Eastons mother and father died following a fire at a property in the Dellmount Park area of Bangor, on Monday morning.

Alec and Ann Easton, who were aged in their 80s, were treated for their injuries but both died at the scene.

Speaking at a service of thanksgiving in Bangor Abbey, Alex Easton said the emergency services would always have a place in the hearts of his family for their efforts in trying to save his parents.

Stormont Assembly member Alex Easton at the service of thanksgiving at Bangor Abbey (Brian Lawless/PA)   Brian Lawless

A number of politicians, including North Down MP Stephen Farry, the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Alex Maskey, and TUV leader Jim Allister also attended the funeral service.

Several members of the DUP, of which Alex Easton was formerly a member, were in the congregation.

The two wooden coffins were side by side at the front of the church for the funeral.

Opening the service, the rector of Bangor Abbey Canon Ronnie Nesbitt welcomed those who had attended the funeral.

The Order of Service for the Service of Thanksgiving at Bangor Abbey (Brian Lawless/PA)   Brian Lawless

He said: For their family, especially for Chris, Lorraine and Alex, it has been a grievous loss indeed but one that is perhaps made a little bit more bearable by your presence here today and the many expressions of love and care they have been receiving over these past days.

Before reading a prayer, Alex Easton expressed words of thanks for those who had tried to save his parents.

He said: I want to say thank you to the emergency services, the PSNI, the fire service, for all they did.

You will forever be in our hearts for what you tried to do for us.

I want to say thank you to my mum and dads carers. I know it wasnt always easy for you.

I want to say thank you to everybody who sent me and my family such kind messages.

Canon Christopher Easton, the rector of Armoy, delivered a reflection on the lives of his mother and father.

He said: This is not at all how I ever imagined this day would be.

Mum and dad met and married in their late teens and they were together ever after that.

Dad had been sent from his father from South Africa, where he was born, to Belfast to Harland and Wolff on an apprenticeship as an engineer.

Mum worked in the Ulster Bank in Belfast and they met quite literally over the counter in the bank.

It wasnt long before they fell in love and they began a journey which was long and eventful together and has just ended.

Or perhaps, I would prefer to say, this chapter has ended and another has begun for them because they were believers in Jesus.

Hymns played at the service were The Lords My Shepherd, Amazing Grace and In Christ Alone.
Ukraine and its Western allies are engaged in fast-track talks on the possibility of equipping the invaded country with long-range missiles and military aircraft, a senior official has said.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukraines supporters in the West understand how the war is developing and the need to supply planes capable of providing cover for the armoured fighting vehicles that the United States and Germany pledged at the beginning of the month.

However, in remarks to online video channel Freedom, Mr Podolyak said that some of Ukraines Western partners maintain a conservative attitude to arms deliveries, due to fear of changes in the international architecture.

Russia and North Korea have accused the West of prolonging and taking a direct role in the war by sending Kyiv increasingly sophisticated weapons.

Suffering from cancer, Gennadiy Shaposhnikov, 83, rests in his partially destroyed home which was hit by Russian shelling last fall in Kalynivske, Ukraine (AP)   Daniel Cole

We need to work with this. We must show (our partners) the real picture of this war, Mr Podolyak said, without naming specific countries.

We must speak reasonably and tell them, for example: This and this will reduce fatalities, this will reduce the burden on infrastructure. This will reduce security threats to the European continent, this will keep the war localised. And we are doing it.

On Wednesday, the US and Germany agreed to share advanced tanks with Ukraine along with the Bradley and Marder vehicles promised earlier, a decision that led to criticism not only from the Kremlin but from the prime minister of Nato and European Union member Hungary.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban asserted on Friday that Western countries providing weapons and money to assist Ukraine in its war with Russia have drifted into becoming active participants in the conflict.

Mr Orban has refused to send weapons to neighbouring Ukraine and sought to block EU funds earmarked for military aid.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry said it would summon Hungarys ambassador to complain about Mr Orbans remarks.

Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian positions in Kherson region (AP)   LIBKOS

A ministry spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, said Mr Orban told reporters that Ukraine was a no-mans land and compared it to Afghanistan.

Such statements are completely unacceptable. Budapest continues on its course to deliberately destroy Ukrainian-Hungarian relations, Mr Nikolenko said in a Facebook post.

US President Joe Bidens announcement that America would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine reversed months of arguments by Washington that they were too difficult for Ukrainian troops to operate and maintain.

The US decision persuaded German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had expressed concern about a unilateral action drawing Russias wrath, to agree to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks from Germanys stocks and to allow European countries with tanks to send some of theirs.

Amid news of the coordinated effort, Russia bombarded Ukraine with missiles, exploding drones and artillery shells.

The attacks continued on Saturday, when Russian missiles struck the city of Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraines Donetsk province.

A local woman walks in the yard of a residential neighbourhood after a Russian attack in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine (AP)   Andriy Dubchak

The missiles fell in a residential area, killing three civilians, wounding 14 and damaging four high-rise apartment buildings, a hotel and garages, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

Kostyantynivka is a city relatively far from the front line, but still, it constantly suffers from enemy attacks. Everyone who remains in the city exposes themselves to mortal danger, Mr Kyrylenko said.

The Russians target civilians because they are not able to fight the Ukrainian army.

In a separate Telegram post earlier Saturday, Mr Kyrylenko reported that Russian attacks in the province killed four civilians in all and wounded seven others in 24 hours.

Russian rockets hit a residential area the Donestsk town of Chasiv Yar on Friday night, killing of two people and wounding five more, the governor said. Photos attached to Mr Kyrylenkos post showed a three-storey school building on fire.

Donetsk province, where the territory is roughly split between Russian and Ukrainian control, has become the battle epicentre of the war as Moscow tries to jump-start a grinding offensive to capture the city of Bakhmut.

The turret of a destroyed tank is pictured outside Kalynivske in Ukraine (AP)   Daniel Cole

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that Russian troops are defending themselves near Lyman in Luhansk and Kharkiv provinces north of Donetsk, as well in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces in the south.

The fighting has largely been deadlocked over the past months, with winter conditions slowing down ground operations and neither side reporting significant progress.

In the same update, the military reported that Russian forces launched 10 missile strikes, 26 air strikes and 81 shelling attacks on Ukrainian territory between Friday and Saturday mornings.

The shelling killed two civilians in Kherson, another province that is partly Russian-occupied.

Mr Podolyak, the presidential adviser, said Ukraine needs supplies of Western long-range missiles to drastically curtail the key tool of the Russian army by destroying the warehouses where it stores cannon artillery used on the front line.
Life here has been much better since the Good Friday Agreement

Its a natural tendency in life to sit back, years after the event, and ponder whether we would have done things differently. The history that has passed between times always shines a different light on those choices and the what if scenarios can torture the minds if we let them.

Plenty of water has flowed under the bridge in the 25 years since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. Not all of it has been clear and refreshing.

What it did allow Northern Ireland was a fresh start.

But while the foundations were signed and sealed, what has been built on top of that has gone askew. Its never truly developed into the building of a country we all believed was going to materialise.

The Good Friday Agreement was never perfect. Nothing was ever going to be given the traumatic decades that preceded it. Courage was shown by the political leaders of the day in 1998. Courage was going to be needed to keep that progression on the right path. But that courage has been lost, Stormont has faltered more than once.

The 25th anniversary arrives as discontent in Northern Ireland has reached its highest level in that time. But these things are not the fault of the Good Friday Agreement.

Today a majority of unionists would not support the agreement if they had the choice again. That mirrors the discontentment among unionism generally. It would be surprising if the result had come out any other way.

What is today more clear than ever is that the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement has been lost along the way. The rekindling of the kiss of life it provided for an ailing Northern Ireland that was dying a slow and torturous death is needed.

It will take courage to find what has been lost and to give the majority who still show support for what the GFA brought what they desire. The hope of a better future.

That courage can be found in the footsteps of those who took the first steps, should anyone care enough to revisit those days of intoxicating optimism. The majority still hope they see visions of From Here to Eternity rather than Brief Encounter.
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.
Travelers watch as a plane takes off from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta on Nov. 22, 2022.
This image from video provided by Eddie Johnson shows a line of tanks and other military combat vehicles traveling by rail along a snowy field along Highway 40 outside of Gorham, Kansas. On Friday, The Associated Press reported on stories circulating online incorrectly claiming the video showed a train transporting American tanks and infantry fighting vehicles in Poland, after President Joe Biden announced the U.S. would send tanks to Ukraine.
Business writer

Tony Dobrowolski's main focus is on business reporting. He came to The Eagle in 1992 after previously working for newspapers in Connecticut and Montreal. He can be reached at tdobrowolski@berkshireeagle.com or 413-496-6224.
Using illicit drug samples as small as a grain of rice, Jessica Kelly keeps an eye on whats circulating in the Berkshires.

One in particular has caught her attention. About a year ago, when she started testing samples as prevention services supervisor at Berkshire Harm Reduction, she would find xylazine, a veterinarian sedative, in about 1 in 20 bags of heroin.

Now, she estimates it is turning up in one in seven bags.

The drug is not an opiate and thus doesnt respond to opiate overdose reversal medication like naloxone. Xylazine is being increasingly found in the drug supply in New England and beyond.

Kelly worries its presence will continue to rise in the Berkshires. Sooner or later we are going to see more and more of it, she said.

Its definitely a major concern along the I-91 corridor, said Stephen Murray, an overdose researcher at Boston Medical Center.

About 40 percent of the more than 200 lab-tested samples from North Adams and Pittsfield since March 2020 contained xylazine, according to data from the Massachusetts Drug Supply Data Stream.

Xylazine was initially detected in the drug supply in the early 2000s in Puerto Rico, according to a U.S. Department of Justice report. The Massachusetts Drug Supply Stream program detected it in the opioid supply in mid-2021.

This summer, an alert about xylazine being on the rise went out through that state drug checking program, a warning that the Berkshire District Attorneys office also circulated. Also called tranq or tranq dope, its been a major problem in Philadelphia, where the citys health department reported it was detected in 90 percent of dope tested in 2021.

While not a controlled substance in the U.S., the drug is only approved for veterinary use. When taken by humans, it poses a slew of problems that providers are working to better understand.

Extremely dangerous for humans, says Dr. Jennifer Michaels, medical director for The Brien Center.

The scary thing about xylazine is that naloxone and Narcan dont reverse the overdose, she said. Still, if you think someone overdosed, Michaels says people should still administer Narcan, since the medication will still reverse an opioid part of the overdose  as well as get the person medical attention.

Xylazine, a sedative, can increase the risk for overdose by suppressing breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure, she said.

It can also cause severe wounds. The drug seems to be toxic to the skin and tissue underneath it. As a sedative, people can fall asleep or be unconscious for hours lying on a body part, like an arm, decreasing blood supply to it, Michaels said.

Berkshire Harm Reduction, which is testing drug samples, is seeing wounds it hasnt before.

One of the things weve definitely seen an increase in is abscesses in wounds that are just not traditional injection related wounds weve seen historically, said Sarah DeJesus, program manager at Berkshire Harm Reduction. Thats one of the problems with xylazine  it just causes wounds weve never seen before, (wounds) that are almost burns that are very difficult to treat.

Program keeps watch on illicit drug supply To find out what kinds of illicit drugs are on the streets, a state-funded program at Brandeis University is helping test samples across Massachusetts. Since 2020, Berkshire Harm Reduction has been participating in the program, known as the Massachusetts Drug Supply Data Stream. There's a lot of unknowns in these substances. It was a really good tool for people to feel empowered and knowledgeable about what the components of the substances are, said Sarah DeJesus, program manager at Berkshire Harm Reduction. Using a spectrometer, Berkshire Harm Reduction does an initial screening and can send a sample out for a more detailed test. Just a very small sample, the size of a grain of rice, is needed. The Berkshire District Attorney's Office signed an agreement to allow the program to operate. Most drugs tested are determined to be heroin. The center can test anything and there is no charge, said Jessica Kelly, prevention services supervisor at Berkshire Harm Reduction. "Anybody can use the service, anytime," she said. The person who submits the sample is notified with test results, and the data is collected and used more generally to warn the public about trends in the supply. Samples can be dropped at any of Berkshire Harm Reduction's locations in the county.

When injected, the drug can cause pain. Ive had multiple people report it feels like worms crawling in their skin, which causes a lot of picking that causes more infection rates and abscesses, too, Kelly said.

The wounds are troubling, Murray said. They are not like typical infection wounds which are caused by bacteria.

Researchers dont know as much about xylazine as they want to, he said. As its use has spread across New England, there hasnt been enough time to study it.

In its drug testing, the program uses a spectrometer to see what is present in a sample. The machine it uses is on loan from Brandeis University through the Massachusetts Drug Supply Data Stream, a state-funded program based at the university. Anyone can voluntarily submit samples for testing.

Routine drug screenings of individuals at The Brien Center dont test for xylazine, Michaels said. We dont really know how much it has infiltrated our patients substance supply.

The center plans to add it as a drug to test for, she said, and she hopes one day there will be test strips for it, similar to fentanyl test strips.
GREAT BARRINGTON  A group of Housatonic residents is demanding, through their lawyer, their water supplier provide safe, fit, pure and reliable water immediately  or else install filtration systems, as well as pay $3,000 per household.

If a "reasonable" settlement isnt offered within 30 days, residents of these 10 households may sue.

Attorney Michael J. ONeill, of Boston environmental firm McGregor Legere & Stevens, sent a demand letter Wednesday to Housatonic Water Works Co.s President Frederick J. Mercer Jr., and Treasurer James J. Mercer.

ONeill cites the waterworks violations of state drinking water regulations, alleges unfair or deceptive acts as well as breach of warranties and injuries, harms and damages from the water.

HWWC has been supplying unsafe water to the residents of Housatonic and its customers in West Stockbridge and Stockbridge for years, ONeill writes. Residents receive brown water and are expected to drink it, serve it to their pets, and farm animals, cook with it, and bathe in it.

The letter mentions the expense of buying bottled water or filtration systems in addition to paying for tap water. The letter includes 152 pages of exhibits, among them news stories, notices from regulators and photos of stained laundry.

James Mercer, the company spokesman, said he could not comment on what could involve pending litigation.

Residents referred questions to ONeill, who said the consumer protection law they cite is "very powerful." It could result in double or triple damages, he said. "The ball is in their court," O'Neill said of the waterworks. "We always hope and assume that they're going to do the right thing."

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Water customers have previously threatened to sue the waterworks over problems that include bouts of discolored water that ranges from yellow to brown due to excessive levels of manganese in the Long Pond source.

Some households have it worse than others. That issue appears to have increased in recent years  particularly last summer.

While regulators say manganese levels are too low  or undetectable  to be a health threat, there are other concerns. The waterworks has struggled since August 2021 to reduce levels of haloacetic acid, a disinfection byproduct linked to cancer.

Last week, the most recent water samples taken in November revealed that this problem persists  though levels are still below the 2021 spike of the compound.

Water tests on Jan. 11 show manganese detectable at the Long Pond plant but not at the three other sampling locations  one of which is owned by the Mercer family  according to a report provided by James Mercer. The level detected there was 0.0105 mg/L.

The state Department of Environmental Protection's health advisory level for manganese in drinking water is 0.3 mg/L; infants under six months should not be given water above this level for more than 10 days per year.

Mercer did not provide results of water tests for manganese during other months when levels might have peaked.
The opening of Wayfairs Pittsfield call center was celebrated as a sign of business in the Berkshires moving in the right direction. A bit more than three years later, Wayfair announced Monday it will close its call center in the Clock Tower Business Center when the lease is up in July.

Wayfair is closing its Pittsfield call center UPDATED: Wayfair is planning to close its customer call center in Pittsfield when the company's lease for the space expires in July. Mayor Linda M. Tyer said the city was informed of Wayfairs intentions Monday. Clearly, its discouraging news, because as you know Wayfair came into the community with quite a bit of fanfare, she said.

Its discouraging news, and that discouragement should be channeled into some serious soul-searching about balancing economic development goals with realistic expectations and strategies. Before tackling the broader philosophical questions, though, a more pressing financial question must be answered sooner rather than later: Exactly what is the status of the $31 million in tax credits that Massachusetts offered Wayfair in hopes of growing jobs in the commonwealth?

Wayfair received those investment tax credits  totaling $31,350,000 to be precise  from the states Economic Assistance Council with the projection that the company would have 300 employees at its Pittsfield call center and add 3,000 jobs at its headquarters in Boston by last year. While Wayfair saw a similar pandemic-era growth spurt as its tech-based peers, reality ultimately got in the way of those goals. Three years after its opening, the soon-shuttering Pittsfield call center has a few dozen employees. The numbers in Boston are well under the target as well, and will be even more so after layoffs there are completed.

The slight silver lining is that while Wayfair is eliminating 1,750 jobs companywide, most of their positions in Pittsfield are surviving at least for now  theyre just going entirely remote when the call center closes in July.

While its good that most of those employed by Wayfair in the Berkshires will retain their jobs, it underscores looming questions about how the work-from-home revolution will shake out in communities looking to holistically develop their economic picture and grow their tax base.

Going remote has potential benefits for worker and employer alike. The former perhaps realizes a bit more autonomy and skips the commute; the latter gets to radically cut down on overhead like rent or property taxes, utilities and office supplies. In fact, Wayfairs downsizing announcements led to a surge in its stock price, which jumped 20 percent last week with the news that the cuts will will save the firm about $750 million a year.

But from where are those corporate savings drawn? Arguably, they at least partially eat into the communitywide economic ripples that cities like Pittsfield hope to see when a big company plants a flag there. Yes, Wayfair doesnt have to pay rent and its employees wont have to commute to the Clock Tower Business Center. But that means those mixed-use business incubators  important pieces of the citys tax base  lose out on clients and therefore rent revenue. Meanwhile, the knock-on economic impact from having a workforce collectively located downtown  workers getting lunch at downtown eateries or local contractors doing repair and renovation jobs  are impinged as well.

This isnt an argument for or against remote work. We simply must acknowledge that any sea change, including the work-from-home revolution, carries both benefits and drawbacks. That update to the status quo should compel us to update our calculus on what we can reasonably expect in return on public investments like tax breaks. When it comes to justifying big business incentives with public money, we believe its often a questionable tactic of gambling taxpayers money to pick winners and losers in the market.

Nevertheless, the reality is that as long as other states continue to offer corporate enticements, Massachusetts cant remain competitive without also doing so.

But the commonwealth should be far more judicious in handing out those carrots seeded with public money, especially in this precarious economic moment encapsulated by Wayfairs downsizing. Our leaders must think even more critically about exactly what economic impact we can reasonably expect to see from offering up our public dollars in the form of juicy tax breaks. That means maintaining a healthy skepticism while crafting incentive agreements as to whether incoming companies can hit ambitious job-making goals agreed to in moments of optimism, as well as updating our conception of what those jobs mean for the big picture of cities seeking economic growth in the 21st century.

Those elements will be tough to get our arms around until the tech sector stabilizes and the new work-from-home paradigm solidifies. One thing we must get our arms around now, though, is the status of that massive investment tax package the state offered Wayfair. No city money was tied up in that package, but the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, which operates the state council that bestowed the tax credits, owes all Bay Staters a full accounting.

Has Wayfair, despite falling well short of the agreed-upon job-creation goals in Pittsfield and beyond, already claimed those credits and taken that money? If so, some or all? And, if necessary, what is the protocol for clawing back an appropriate amount  or have the commonwealths taxpayers essentially lost a big bet hastily placed for them by the state? We dont know, but the people of Massachusetts need those questions answered now.
Throughout Scripture we can see this truth revealed in the accounts of Gods people:

-Adam could not fulfill his destiny alone, so God gave him Eve.

-Abraham could not fulfill his destiny alone, so God gave him Sarah.

-David could not fulfill his destiny alone, so God gave him Jonathan.

-Elisha could not fulfill his destiny alone, so God gave him Elijah.

-Timothy could not fulfill his destiny alone, so God gave him Paul.

Even Jesus needed close relationships in order to fulfill His destiny, so God gave Him twelve disciples.

Unfortunately, Satan also will use relationships to sabotage and derail us if we are not careful! For example, David and Bathsheba, Samson and Delilah, Cain and Abel, and Jesus and Judas, to name a few.

In short, relationships can either make us or break us! The good relationships can make us, and the bad ones can break us.

Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character" (1 Corinthians 15:3).

Perhaps the most influential and important relationship to our destiny is our romantic one. Therefore, choosing the right spouse should be done with a great deal of consideration and prayer. And by looking at the courtship of Boaz and Ruth, our biblical Romeo and Juliet, we can learn much about how to choose Mr. or Miss Right.

Look Beyond What the Eye Can See

In one sense, you could compare choosing a spouse to buying a car. If you ever saw the movie Fast and Furious, youll remember the street cars were raced for the pinks, or the title deed of ownership to the car. The loser of the race turned over the ownership of his car to the winner. That means they were serious; they were all in  racing for keeps.

In the same vein, when selecting our romantic relationship, we need to keep in mind that everything is on the line: your identity, emotional stability, destiny, dreams, prosperity, family, self-image  even your relationship with God is ultimately on the line.

When we enter into a romantic relationship, we put the proverbial title to our lives on the line.

Ruth and Boaz

In the Book of Ruth, Elimelech, his wife Naomi, and their two sons left Israel due to a famine and resettled in the land of Moab. In time, their sons married local girls, Ruth and Orpah.

Tragically, Elimelech and his sons died, and left Naomi and her two daughters-in-law destitute. Naomi decided to return to Israel, and urged the two girls to remain with their families to find new husbands. Orpah agreed and left, but Ruth declared she would remain with her mother-in-law, regardless.

And thus began one of the greatest stories of love, romance and redemption ever to be lived.

Photo credit: Getty Images/Xavier Lorenzo
Today

Cloudy skies early, followed by partial clearing. High 56F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 35F. Winds light and variable.

Tomorrow

Partly cloudy skies during the morning hours will become overcast in the afternoon. High 66F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.
The billionaire Forrest family will invest in Australian fashion powerhouse Camilla, as the brand known for its distinctive prints works to expand its global reach.

Andrew and Nicola Forrests investment vehicle Tattarang will take a minority shareholding in Camilla Australia, which was founded by Camilla Franks in 2004.

Nicola Forrest with Camilla Franks. Tattarangs investment in Camilla will be the first time the fashion label has taken on external capital.

Camilla has gained global attention over the past year after the brands designs featured in cult-hit TV series The White Lotus, while a host of celebrities from Beyonce to Robbie Williams have also worn Camilla designs.

The investment comes after a strong period of global growth for the business, which now generates around 40 per cent of its sales overseas. Camilla now has 25 retail boutiques in Australia and the United States and hundreds of stockists across 65 countries.
Public support for the Voice had slipped from 53 per cent three months ago to 47 now. And Duttons demands for detail appeared to be vindicated; only 13 per cent of respondents said that they were confident they understood the proposal. All this is pretty handy work for a politician with a net performance rating of minus 17, versus Albaneses plus 35. And for a politician whose party is in an existential crisis after it lost its traditional heartland bastions at the May election, including the seat of the partys founder, Robert Menzies. Duttons not the only doubter, but his words have the greatest reach. His junior coalition partner, the Nationals, decided formally to oppose the Voice in November. The hardcore No campaigners in the Nationals  Jacinta Price, Barnaby Joyce, Matt Canavan and Keith Pitt - are working daily to build resistance to the Voice. Joyce explains how his constituents see the Voice by saying he was in a cattle truck with a bloke who spontaneously raised the matter and asked Joyce what the Voice was about.

It would give capacity for Aboriginal people to have more involvement in making laws, answered the former Nationals leader. Well, do I get it? No, answered Joyce. The man wanted to know whether Joyce supported the idea and seemed satisfied when the answer was no. Loading This anecdote, told to me by Joyce, actually reveals how he wants voters to see the Voice, rather than the way they necessarily see it. His explanation to the man is slippery in two ways. First, involvement in making laws makes it sounds like Aboriginal people would have an extra bite at the lawmaking cherry, maybe grabbing the drafting pen from the elected members. In fact, the draft wording of the constitutional amendment to create a Voice says only that it it may make representations to Parliament and to the government. So the Voice would be advisory only. Parliament would remain sovereign. No pen-grabbing allowed. Second, the draft says that the Voice may make representations on matters relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Not on anything else.

Nonetheless, this is a useful pointer. The committed No campaigners are not waiting to shape opinion. And recall that it was the Nationals, and Barnaby Joyce in particular, who led the Liberals to rupture Australias bipartisan consensus on climate change in 2009. Where Joyce led, Tony Abbott followed. This was when an admiring Abbott described Joyce as the best retail politician in Australia. A divisive decade followed, but it was a division that helped put the Coalition in power. And helped keep them there. Are we about to see something similar now? Barnaby Joyce thinks the Voice is going down. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen The Voice is going to go down, and its going to be one of the most divisive things to happen in Australia for a long time, says Joyce. But not because of the people who put it down but because of the people who put it up. Is this where its heading? Are the Nationals and the committed No campaigners ultimately going to sway Dutton to oppose the Voice? If so, history tells us what happens next. Only eight referendums have succeeded out of 44 attempts since Federation in 1901. No referendum has succeeded when the main political parties are split over it.

Before joining the fashionable rush to declare an emergency, consider four points. First, the strongest piece of evidence that the Voice could be in trouble, this weeks Resolve poll, is actually inconclusive. Loading While the Yes vote fell, the No vote didnt rise. Instead, the support that apparently was lost from the Yes column went into the undecided column. And when the poll respondents were pressed to give a straight Yes or No without the option of saying they were undecided  in other words, as they would in an actual referendum  60 per cent chose Yes. This was down by 4 percentage points over three months but still a firm majority. The pollster, Resolve director Jim Reed, puts it in perspective: The Yes vote still holds a lead nationwide and in every state, so it meets the double majority test, as the constitution demands, but this downward trajectory makes a result later this year less clear now. The comments we collected in this latest poll suggest that the recent drop is about voters feeling they dont have enough information to make what they regard as an important decision. Okay, so the country is broadly well-disposed to the idea. People want more information. The good news for Voice supporters is that more information is on the way. Among other things, there will be a parliamentary inquiry into the proposed referendum, and there will be parliamentary debate to follow. This will unfold over some months.

Second, before panicking over the slowness of the pace, recall that Albanese faced exactly this same pressure during the term of the Morrison government. As Opposition Leader, he faced intense pressure for years. To produce more policy, to throw more punches. Albanese held to his plan. And, of course, was vindicated. Loading Its the normal course of events in any campaign that the broad aim comes first, with the detail supplied later. Whether its a promise of lower taxes or a Voice. And Noel Pearson, despite his worries, says that whether the detail campaign is translating into what Dutton wants is what Textor and the campaign people say isnt happening. Pearson is giving us a glimpse behind the scenes here. Mark Textor, the most effective Liberal pollster and strategist for a generation, is advising the Yes campaign. If hes not panicking, why should anyone else? But what happens when voters eventually get more information about the Voice? This is the third point. One of the pro-Voice bodies conducted focus groups in Cairns. After being asked their initial views on the Voice, the voters were given the wording of the draft constitutional amendment that Albanese has proposed.

When they saw it, they literally said, is that it? recounted one of the researchers. They saw the Voice as a reasonable and modest reform. Finally, Dutton faces a momentous decision on the Voice. Its not as simple as seeking to wreck it. If the Liberals want to recover any of the heartland they lost to the teals last year, they will not do it by opposing the Voice. The teal seats are economically conservative but socially progressive. They are solidly pro-Voice. Dutton knows that his party is on its way to becoming a populist right-wing rump. His task is to arrest this and make it electable. And even if Dutton decides to oppose the Voice, historys precedents might not hold. The last referendum was held in 1999. Before the proliferation of the smartphone. The big parties were the dominant communication sources last century, but campaign communications are radically different today. Some of the shrewdest political strategists contend that the Coalition could oppose the Voice yet find that the referendum is carried regardless. So, does Dutton need the Voice to succeed more than the Voice needs Dutton?
It is not an exaggeration to say this will be a tragedy for a generation of women, she said. Loading Obstetrician Nisha Khot fears the closure of the only private secular maternity unit in Geelong, will mean women seeking procedures, including terminations, tubal ligation, and other methods of contraception post-birth will face increasing challenges as such treatments are not available at the St John of God hospital. Of most concern to Khot, board director of the Royal Australian New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, are women wanting terminations, including for pregnancies where the fetus is found to have life-threatening anomalies. A private hospital that is a Catholic hospital does not provide termination options for women, which means that these women will have no choice but to go to the local public hospital, Khot said.

These are really heartbreaking decisions to make and to not have those choices available when youre making such a difficult, life-changing decision is simply not acceptable. A pandemic fuelled sea change has led to a population boom of more than 13,000 people flocking to popular Surf Coast and Bellarine Peninsula towns, while Geelong has swelled by more than 5000 people. Dr Nisha Khot fears women in the Geelong area seeking procedures, including terminations, will face challenges because these treatments are not available at Catholic health provider St John of God. Credit: Justin McManus Birth rates in Geelong are well above the state average. Last year, the Geelong local government area had the fifth-highest birth rate in Victoria and the highest birth rate outside metropolitan Melbourne, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Thompson said the Epworths maternity unit serviced not only women from Geelong, but those seeking private healthcare from Colac, Birregurra, Winchelsea and Portland.

She said fewer options for private patients meant hundreds more women would opt to give birth at Geelongs only public hospital each year, and could force the health service to implement shorter postnatal stays. Loading Instead of them staying overnight we could be waving goodbye to them sometimes just a few hours after theyve had their baby, Thompson said. You can always shorten stays and churn through more women, but it might be that the quality of that care is compromised for some people, especially if they dont have support at home. Davey is concerned there is not enough capacity at St John of God and the public hospital to absorb the soaring numbers of births. The maternity ward at Epworth was growing by about 20 per cent per year and delivered 500 babies in 2022.

Thompson said Australia did not want to be in a situation like the United Kingdom, where chronic and systemic underfunding of maternity health had resulted in hundreds of preventable deaths of babies and women. What is at stake here are the lives of women and their babies, she said. What is at stake here are the lives of women and their babies. Kara Thompson, obstetrician Expectant mother, Jocelyn Pritchard, was in her car driving to the shops when she heard about the maternity unit closure on the radio. At first, I just assumed that it couldnt possibly be legitimate because the thought of a hospital suddenly closing down is just crazy, the 31-year-old Geelong woman said.

I was just in shock and walking around Target in tears trying to process it. She gave birth to her daughter Harriet at in the Epworth maternity ward three years earlier. We had such a great experience, and we were really looking forward to going through them again, she said. But the staff at the hospital told us they cant tell us anything until February 14, at the earliest, which is actually useless if youre due in March. Pritchard, who is due to give birth in March, was left frantically trying to book in at St John of God. Across Victoria, maternity wards have been increasingly under pressure with staff asked to work double shifts, often for up to 18 hours through the night. Staffing shortages are also affecting neonatal units.

Victorian Liberal senator Sarah Henderson has asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission trading watchdog to investigate whether Epworth Healthcare had breached consumer law via alleged conduct leading up to its decision to consider closing its maternity ward. Loading This week, Australias first female professor of obstetrics and gynaecology, Caroline de Costa, also wrote to Epworth HealthCare imploring it to keep the unit open. The planned closure comes months after the birthing unit at Portland District Health hospital, in Victorias far south-west, was shut down due to severe midwife shortages. Epworth HealthCare acting executive general manager Mark Grime said the decision to close the unit had been challenging and was driven by continued workforce shortages.

This is a difficult and distressing proposal for our impacted patients, staff, obstetricians, paediatricians and the broader community, he said. St John of God Geelong and Barwon Health have confirmed they will be able to safely accommodate all Epworth Geelong patients. Barwon Health spokeswoman Katie Bibby said the University Hospital Geelong averages about eight births each day and regularly manages periods of higher numbers of births. She said healthy mothers and their babies usually go home one to two days after birth and there were no plans to shorten postnatal stays or change the model of care. St John of God chief executive Stephen Roberts said a significant redevelopment of the hospitals maternity unit was underway. He confirmed a small number of reproductive services are not offered by Catholic hospitals in Australia, including terminations. Epworth launched a consultation process following its announcement and will make a final decision about the units closure within two weeks.
The detail question For weeks Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has been calling on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to release more detail on what the Voice to parliament would look like in the form of a draft bill. While the government is sticking to the strategy of legislating the Voice after the referendum, Albanese changed his language last week in responding to criticisms about a lack of detail. Previously he repeatedly referred to a 250-page report by Indigenous academics Marcia Langton and Tom Calma, which the government has not adopted as its policy, but there has now been a shift to focus on what the Voice is and how it will improve the lives of Indigenous Australians. Davis said a lot of criticism about a lack of detail was premature, considering the working groups advising the government have not yet come back with their advice.

It was a very clear process set up by Albanese and theres been three working groups working on the amendment to the Constitution and the amount of detail thats required for Australians to have an informed vote, she said. Were at the tail end of that process because they need that information for the referendum vote to be set up  so its not far off from being released. But Davis said the level of detail being requested by ordinary Australians was very different from that being demanded by politicians and a lot of the media, according to focus group research. Theyre not so much interested in the minutiae of a clause in the Constitution or a fully stood-up bill, she said. The detail that theyre seeking is: how will this make a difference if we vote yes? Along with answering questions on detail, the government and the Yes side are also dealing with the aftermath of the Invasion Day rallies in which Indigenous speakers, including Greens senator Lidia Thorpe, publicly opposed the Voice on the basis that it could cede First Nations sovereignty.

Campaigners on the Yes side are confident that they can convince wider Australia that the Indigenous voices critical of the Voice are in a minority. Polling conducted by Ipsos, conducted in the week leading up to January 26, showed 80 per cent of First Nations people support the proposed Voice to parliament. Davis said media coverage of the rallies amplified the voices of a very small minority in the community. If you were at all the marches, most people werent clapping for the anti-Voice sentiment, she said. The campaign strategy

The groups supporting the Yes side have already spent around $1 million on advertising and that figure is expected to significantly increase over the coming months. They are, however, planning to save most of the advertising spend for the final weeks of the campaign. The campaign will look to run localised messages across the country, with a focus in rural and regional areas on reminding both Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians that the Voice started as an anti-elitist idea out of the Uluru dialogues. Australians will be told that the Voice will take on the government bureaucracies and the Indigenous industry which has held First Nations people back for decades. It was anti-elitist in the sense of our own sector, our own people. There was a strong sentiment in the [Uluru] dialogues and ever since that our own people need to be accountable to our own people, Davis said. Our mob are sick of this big industry that thrives and flourishes on our disadvantage. Theyre not active players in their own lives. Labor MP Marion Scrymgour, who represents the electorate of Lingiari which takes in Alice Springs, said if the Voice had existed since 2014, then perhaps many of the issues that have erupted now would not have occurred.

A Voice will make a difference to communities like Alice Springs. It will mean government and bureaucrats need to listen to us. A Voice might even give people in Alice some hope, she writes in an opinion piece for this masthead. The No side Former ALP president and Bundjalung man, Warren Mundine, is still in the process of setting up his outfit which will coordinate the No side, which will launch its campaign in either late February or early March. Mundine said announcements will be made in the coming weeks on directors. Former deputy prime minister and Nationals leader John Anderson already declaring he is interested in some kind of role in the campaign. Warren Mundine is starting a committee that will coordinate the No campaign. Credit: Brook Mitchell

Mundine confirmed that the No side would adopt an official position of supporting constitutional recognition of Indigenous Australians while opposing the Voice, with the potential slogan: Recognise A Better Way. Were not against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution, but there are better ways to do it, he said. Mundine said the funding was getting positive but conceded his side would be massively outspent by the Yes campaign. Theyve got a lot more money than us and theyve got a really good team together running their campaign - probably some of the best campaigners in the country. He said he was growing increasingly concerned about the vitriol appearing online from people opposed to the Voice, naming the idiots and stupid people who were criticising Voice co-designer Tom Calmas appointment as senior Australian of the year.

Ive known Tom Calma for 40 years I have a tremendous amount of respect for him and he deserves all the accolades he has got, he said. So thats why I try to catch up [with Yes campaign] for a chat so we dont go into this incredible crazy space that just divides everyone. Its only early days - when it starts to get to the last couple of months this thing could become quite divisive. Loading Mundine said if Australians do vote for a Voice, he will help make it successful.
It remains unclear whether the Israeli steps will be effective. The attackers in the weekend shootings, including a 13-year-old boy, both appear to have acted alone and were not part of organised militant groups. In addition, Netanyahu could come under pressure from members of his government, a collection of religious and ultranationalist politicians, to take even tougher action. Such steps could risk triggering more violence and potentially drag in the Hamas militant group in Gaza. If its even possible to put this violent genie back into the bottle, even for a little while, this would require the reinforcement and proper deployment of forces  and carefully managing the crisis without being guided by the widespread calls for revenge, wrote Amos Harel, the defence affairs commentator for the Haaretz newspaper. Fridays shooting, outside a synagogue in east Jerusalem on the Jewish sabbath, left seven Israelis dead and three wounded before the gunman was killed by police. It was the deadliest attack on Israelis in 15 years. Authorities published the names of four of the victims. They included 14-year-old Asher Natan; Eli Mizrahi, 48, and his wife Natali, 45; and Rafael Ben Eliyahu, 56. Funerals for some victims were scheduled Saturday night.

Mourners lit memorial candles near the synagogue on Saturday evening, and in a sign of the charged atmosphere, a crowd assaulted an Israeli TV crew that came to the area, chanting leftists go home. Loading Ella Sakovich, an aunt of Natali Mizrahi, said that her niece had been celebrating the Jewish sabbath with her husband and his father when they heard gunfire outside on Friday night. While eating, she and her husband wanted to help and went out of the house to treat the wounded; they shot both of them, Sakovich said in a statement released by Hadassah Hospital, where Natali Mizrahi worked serving food to patients. In response to the shooting, Israeli police beefed up activities throughout east Jerusalem and said they had arrested 42 people, including family members, who were connected to the shooter.

But later Saturday, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy opened fire elsewhere in east Jerusalem, wounding an Israeli man and his son, ages 47 and 23, paramedics said. Both were fully conscious and in moderate to serious condition in the hospital, the medics added. As police rushed to the scene, two passers-by with licensed weapons shot and overpowered the 13-year-old attacker, police said. Police confiscated his handgun and took the wounded teen to a hospital. Blinken is expected to arrive in Israel on Monday. The Biden administration condemned Friday nights shooting and has called for calm on all sides, but given few details on how it expects to promote these goals. The attacks pose a pivotal test for Israels new far-right government. Both Palestinian attackers behind the shootings on Friday and Saturday came from east Jerusalem.

Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem hold permanent residency status, allowing them to work and move freely throughout Israel, but they suffer from subpar public services and are not allowed to vote in national elections. Residency rights can be stripped if a Palestinian is found to live outside the city for an extended period or in certain security cases. Israel captured east Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war. The Palestinians seek all three areas for a future independent state. Israel has annexed east Jerusalem in a step that is not internationally recognised and considers the entire city to be its undivided capital. Israels new firebrand minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has presented himself as an enforcer of law and order and grabbed headlines for his promises to take even stronger action against the Palestinians.

Speaking to reporters at a hospital where victims were being treated, Ben-Gvir said he wanted the home of the gunman in Fridays attack to be sealed off immediately as a punitive measure and lashed out at Israels attorney general for delaying his order. Loading Overhauling Israels justice system, including the attorney generals office, has been at the top of the agenda of the new government, which says unelected judges and jurists have overwhelming powers. The divisive issue helped fuel weekly protests by Israelis who say the sweeping proposed changes would weaken the Supreme Court and undermine democracy. Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the central city of Tel Aviv Saturday evening for a new protest. Some raised banners describing Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir as a threat to world peace.

The marchers also held a moment of silence in memory of Jerusalem shooting victims. The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank, meanwhile, upheld its decision to halt security coordination with Israel to protest the deadly raid in Jenin. After a meeting headed by President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority called on international community and the US administration to force Israel to halt its raids in the West Bank. Last year, as the Israeli military intensified its arrest raids following a string of deadly Palestinian attacks within Israel, at least 150 Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. It was the highest annual death toll for more than a decade and a half. Over 30 people were killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis last year, according to Israeli figures. Israel says most of the dead were militants. But youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in the confrontations also have been killed.
I can still remember the red trucker cap sporting the confederate flag and the stench of stale bourbon. It was my first bus trip in the American south and, just outside Greenville, South Carolina, wed stopped at a ramshackle bus stop to take on passengers.

One of the new passengers plonked himself down next to me. He was missing several teeth and wearing what had once been a t-shirt.

Illustration by Andrew Dyson Credit:

After some nervous banter, we ended up in lucid conversation about life in the South compared with life in Australia. South Carolina had only just passed laws allowing gun owners to carry licensed firearms concealed on their person, so it wasnt long before the discussion turned to guns.

I explained how Australian gun laws worked and how they had changed over the years. I also explained that despite the tighter gun laws, sport shooters and hunters like me still had the freedom to pursue their sport.
The ruling BRS in Telangana on Saturday said the NDA government at the Centre needs to answer serious questions on LIC and SBI's large exposure to Adani Group stocks.

Who "pushed" LIC and SBI to such a large exposure, the BRS claimed.

"There are serious questions that need to be answered by the NDA Govt on #HindenburgReport. Why do LIC & SBI have such large exposure ?77,000 Cr & ?80,000 Crore to Adani group stocks? Who pushed them to do so? Who was aiding & abetting them in this entire episode?," tweeted State Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao, son of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

BRS MLC K Kavitha, daughter of Chandrasekhar Rao, in a statement, said the Centre should answer all the questions in the wake of the "fall and fluctuations in the LIC and SBI and market on the whole."



The recent fall and fluctuations in the LIC, SBI and market on the whole, after the recent report on Adani Group is extremely worrisome. Every Indian deserves an explanation and it is the responsibility of the government of India to answer all the questions," she said in a statement.

"I request Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Ji and SEBI chief Madhabi Puri Buch Ji to not only initiate recovery measures but also have a conversation with millions of investors and dependent households who have already started facing the brunt," Kavitha said.

Adani Group stocks took a beating after the US-based investment research firm Hindenburg Research made damaging allegations.

Also Read Telangana: BRS to unveil national agenda at first public meeting on Jan 18 BRS' primary target is 2024 Lok Sabha polls, says party leader K T Rama Rao Rift between KCR-led BRS govt and Telangana governor surfaces again TRS working president K T Rama Rao attacks NDA govt 'Rozgar Mela' Telangana seeks funds in Union Budget for various industrial projects 1 yr of Air India with Tata: Controversies cloud turnaround, transformation News channel 'India Ahead' shuts down, employees not paid for months GRSE partners Rolls Royce Solutions for building marine engines in India GRSE signs pact with Rolls Royce Solutions to make marine diesel engines No change in schedule, issue price of FPO, confident of success: Adani Ent

Adani Group has since rubbished the report.
China witnesses increasing railway passenger trips on 6th day of Spring Festival holiday

Xinhua) 09:27, January 28, 2023

Passengers arrive at Beijing North Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 26, 2023. China witnessed an increase of railway passenger trips on the sixth day of the seven-day Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Passengers arrive at Beijing North Railway Station in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 26, 2023. China witnessed an increase of railway passenger trips on the sixth day of the seven-day Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Passengers wait for their trains in lines at Hohhot East Railway Station in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Jan. 26, 2023. China witnessed an increase of railway passenger trips on the sixth day of the seven-day Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Passengers wait for their trains at Hohhot East Railway Station in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Jan. 26, 2023. China witnessed an increase of railway passenger trips on the sixth day of the seven-day Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

Passengers walk to board a train at Hohhot East Railway Station in Hohhot, north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Jan. 26, 2023. China witnessed an increase of railway passenger trips on the sixth day of the seven-day Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
India Ahead, a private English news channel, shut down its operations, leaving its employees in a state of uncertainty.

The employees have alleged that they have not been paid their salaries for several months.

All the employees, including reporters and anchors, are now demanding their dues and have come down heavily on the authorities.

Speaking to IANS, a top management official, who didnt wish to be named, said that the management is doing everything possible to pay salary to the employees.

Ridhima Kedia, a journalist, tweeted, "We had the company's back till the end, like the very end, the least we would ask for is honesty. The HR also has no answer as far as salaries are concerned and this is unfair! This is simply unacceptable."

Soon after this tweet, Bhupender Chaubey, former Editor-in Chief at India Ahead, responded that owners of the company is doing everything possible to help all the employees.

Also Read NCLAT directs Jet Airways' new owner to clear unpaid provident fund, dues How an unpaid loan aided Adani firms to make hostile takeover bid for NDTV Twitter faces more lawsuits over unpaid rent for US HQ, UK office Prasar Bharati considers launching children's TV channel under Doordarshan Finance Minister Sitharaman nudges India Inc to clear unpaid dues of MSMEs GRSE partners Rolls Royce Solutions for building marine engines in India GRSE signs pact with Rolls Royce Solutions to make marine diesel engines No change in schedule, issue price of FPO, confident of success: Adani Ent Hyundai, Kia sued in US for lack of anti-theft technology in some models BMW launches petrol, diesel variants of third-gen X1 SAV in India

Another ex-employee blamed the India Ahead management for not responding to her calls.

"It's true. I am an ex-employee and I didn't receive nearly two months' pay. My mails to HR and accounts team went unanswered," tweeted Akanksha Verma.

--IANS

atk/arm
Since the inauguration of Metro phase 2 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 19, more than 10 lakh commuters have travelled by Metro Lines 2A and 7, said SVR Srinivas, Commissioner, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority on Saturday.

Srinivas told ANI said, "Since the inauguration of phase 2 of the Mumbai metro by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, more than 10 lakh commuters have travelled on it. Both the metro lines are fully operational and are connected with Metro line 1, creating the first metro network in Mumbai Metropolitan Region."

"Because of its easy connectivity with the railway line through metro 1, millions of people living in Mumbai have benefited from it," added Srinivas.

Since the first phase was commissioned on April 2 last year, metro lines 2A and 7 have been successful in providing uninterrupted services to around more than one crore of people in Mumbai, said the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) data.

Almost 1,00,03,270 commuters have travelled to date and a total of 22 trains provide 245 metro services daily on metro lines 2A and 7, stated the commissioner.

While speaking about the Mumbai One Card, he said, "More than 20,000 Mumbai One Cards have been issued to date for the seamless travel experience of passengers."

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Mumbai One Card is the one common mobility card needed during travel, stated the commissioner.

"This card can be used in all metros in India and all city buses in Mumbai. People buy metro tickets and Best bus tickets using this card. They can also shop using this card as it also works as a debit card. People can get these cards on metro ticket windows," said Srinivas.

Srinivas while congratulating everyone for the success of Mumbai metro lines said, "It's great news for all of us. People are now switching their mode of transport from private vehicles to eco-friendly Metro."

Last week, the Prime Minister on his visit to Mumbai inaugurated the Mumbai Metro Rail Lines 2A and 7. He also laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and seven sewage treatment plants. He inaugurated 20 Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Aapla Dawakhana and started road concretisation projects for around 400 kilometres of roads in Mumbai.
Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the government is constantly removing bottlenecks for faster disposal of litigation in the Central Administrative Tribunal across the country, said a press release by Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions.

While addressing the two-day Orientation Workshop for the Members of the Central Administrative Tribunal at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) in New Delhi today, Jitendra Singh, who is also the Chairman of the IIPA Executive Council, said that the government, in the last eight years, has repealed around 2,000 laws which had become obsolete.

He said that the government has looked forward and made efforts to reduce the burden of the judiciary by simplifying procedures and removing hurdles, added the statement.

Singh also launched the Namani Gange Calendar on the occasion.

Singh said that while conceptualising the idea of a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), it was expected that the setting up of such Administrative Tribunals to deal exclusively with service matters would go a long way in not only reducing the burden of the various Courts and thereby giving them more time to deal with other cases expeditiously but would also provide to the persons covered by the Administrative Tribunals speedy relief in respect of their grievances.

He said that Parliament enacted Article 323A to provide for special Tribunals for the purpose of hearing specialized matters like service matters on two grounds, first, the High Court is so much burdened with other types of works and, therefore, it is not possible for it to expeditiously dispose of service matters. And, second, the service matters need an amount of specialization and, therefore, an element of the experience of service matters is necessary

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The Union Minister said that with the increasing pendency of litigation before the High Courts, the theory of 'alternative institutional mechanisms' has also been propounded to defend the establishment of Administrative Tribunals. He noted that these Administrative Tribunals are expected to function as a viable substitute for the High Courts.

Singh said that the Administrative Tribunals are distinguishable from the ordinary courts with regard to their jurisdiction and procedure, as they exercise jurisdiction only in relation to the service matters of the litigants covered by the Act.

He stated that these Tribunals are also free from many of the procedural technicalities of the ordinary courts. Singh said that the Tribunal is thus now manned by persons having vast experience in judiciary and administration, resulting not only in quick disposal of cases, but quality judgments as well.

He appreciated the fact that these Members are discharging their duties similarly as are being discharged by higher judiciary in the country, independently of government intervention and the Chairman of the Tribunal can be given powers akin to that of the Chief Justice of a High Court.

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) was set up on November 1, 1985. with Benches in five places. As of date, it has 19 regular Benches, 17 of which operate at the principal seats of High Courts and the remaining two at Jaipur and Lucknow. Both the newly created Benches at Jammu and Srinagar have been made functional.

The Jammu Bench was made functional w.e.f. June 8, 2020, and the Srinagar Bench has recently been made functional w.e.f. November 23, 2021. Singh noted with satisfaction that since its inception in 1985 and up to November 30, 2022, 8,93,705 cases have been received in CAT for adjudication (including those transferred from High Courts), out of which 8,12,806 cases have been disposed of, leaving a pendency of 80,899 cases.

He noted that the disposal rate by CAT, on average, has been above 90 per cent. He said that there is no doubt that the Central Administrative Tribunal has come a long way and is rightly being characterised by the uniqueness of its jurisdiction and procedure. Freedom from the long-drawn mandatory procedural technicalities has enabled it to achieve an unmatched disposal rate.
One person died after floods 80 to 300 cm high destroyed dozens of homes in Indonesia's North Sulawesi on Friday.

"Heavy rains in several areas of Manado City have caused the Tondano river to overflow, and flooding cannot be avoided," said Abdul Muhari, spokesperson for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

At least five sub-districts have been flooded, and 33 houses in six sub-districts have experienced landslides, as the authorities continue to assess the situation on the ground, Xinhua news agency reported.

The evacuation is still ongoing, and officers are preparing a variety of needs for evacuation posts.

Manado City faces a medium to high risk of ground movement in January, according to the Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation.

On the other hand, rain accompanied by lightning will continue to flush the area until Saturday, according to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency.

Also Read Deep 6.1 earthquake shakes eastern parts of Indonesia, no damage reported Magnitude 5.7 quake shakes eastern Indonesia; no serious damage reported Suicide bombing at Indonesian police station kills officer, hurts 7 others Strong earthquake jolts western Indonesia; no casualty reported yet Parliament passes anti-piracy bill to ensure India's maritime security Truck-sized asteroid misses Earth, passes closer than some satellites Nepal plane crash: Black boxes of Yeti Airlines to be analysed in Singapore World Food Programme secures $71mn to address food crisis in Africa IMF delegation to visit Pakistan next week for talks on review: Official Bad weather disrupts operation of S Korean airport again after 3 days

--IANS

int/khz/
The Hyderabad-based company has reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 12.53 crore in Q3 FY23, which is lower by 63% as compared with a PAT of Rs 34.15 crore recorded in the same period last year.

Revenue from operations fell by 7% YoY to Rs 767.17 crore during the quarter.

Total expenses declined by 4% YoY to Rs 749.55 crore in the third quarter, due to lower raw material costs (down 8% YoY), lower other expenses (down 1% YoY) and lower employee costs (down 8% YoY).

Profit before tax in Q3 FY23 stood at Rs 17.32 crore, down by 68% from Rs 54.72 crore reported in Q3 FY22. Total tax outgor for the period under review was Rs 4.79 crore (down 77% YoY).

The company's board has approved an interim dividend of Rs 20 per share for the financial year 2022-23. At yesterday's closing price, this translates to a dividend yield of 0.83%.

The company has fixed Monday, 6 February 2023 as the record date and the said interim dividend will be paid to those members whose name appears in Register of Members (both physical & electronic mode) as on record date. Payment of the said interim dividend will be processed within 30 days from the date of declaration.

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HIL is a part of the C.K. Birla Group and is headquartered in Hyderabad. It manufactures asbestos FC sheets, coloured steel sheets, non-asbestos corrugated roofing sheets, new generation building products such as autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) blocks (light bricks) that are used for walls in building constructions, and aerocon panels and boards that are used as partition in residential and commercial buildings. The asbestos FC sheets are sold under the brandname 'Charminar', non asbestos cement roofing sheets under 'Charminar Fortune' and building products under 'Birla Aerocon'.

The scrip slipped 3.94% to end at Rs 2408.65 on the BSE on Friday.

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On a consolidated basis, Kajaria Ceramics' net profit tumbled 39.09% to Rs 74.32 crore in Q3 FY23 as against Rs 122.02 crore in Q3 FY22.

Revenue from Operations was at Rs 1,091.13 crore in the quarter ended 31 December 2022, up 2.14% from Rs 1,068.23 crore reported in the same period last year.

Profit before tax dropped 37.75% to Rs 99.71 crore in Q3 FY23 from 160.18 crore registered in 160.18 crore in Q3 FY22.

EBITDA fell 28% to Rs 133.07 crore in Q3 FY23 from Rs 183.84 crore posted in Q3 FY22. EBITDA Margin reduced to 12.20% as compared with 17.21% reported in the corresponding quarter previous year.

Total expenses rose 9.11% year on year to Rs 998.90 crore in Q3 FY23. Cost of material used stood at Rs 264.22 crore (up 17.5% YoY) while employee benefit expenses was at Rs 116.58 crore (up 9.36% YoY).

The company's chairman said, This quarter has been challenging in terms of performance. The overall volumes were impacted by the prolonged monsoon season and the festive period in the month of October 2022. However, there has been some recovery in demand during November and December, indicating a positive trend going forward.

Also Read Kajaria Ceramics declines on Q2 PAT slides 40% YoY to Rs 70 cr Kajaria Ceramics to be title sponsor for India's Zimbabwe Tour Board of Kajaria Ceramics approves investment in proposed JV in Nepal Kajaria Ceramics consolidated net profit declines 39.85% in the September 2022 quarter Board of Kajaria Ceramics approves expansion and modernization of Sikandrabad unit Fineotex Chemical Q3 PAT jumps 20% YoY to Rs 22 cr Vedant Fashions Q3 PAT jumps 18% YoY to Rs 150 cr NTPC Q3 PAT rises 6% YoY to Rs 4,777 cr Hi-Tech Pipes Q3 PAT soars 200% YoY to Rs 13 cr BEL records PAT of Rs 599 cr in Q3 FY23

The EBITDA margin for Q3 FY23 was 12.20%, a decline of 500 basis points compared to the same period in the previous year. The primary cause of this decline was disruption in natural gas supply and an unprecedented increase in gas prices. However, fuel cost has started to come down since December 2022, primarily due to the increased use of alternative fuels and some fall in gas prices. The full impact of these changes is expected to be visible by March 2023.

Overall, the company has seen decent growth in the first nine months, with a 12% increase in volume and a 22% increase in revenue. The company is dedicated to its growth strategy, which includes expanding market share and increasing the number of dealers across India, particularly in unrepresented territories. The company is confident that its strong foundation and commitment to excellence will continue to drive its success in the upcoming quarters, both in terms of sales and profitability.

The company's board has approved an interim dividend of Rs 6 per share for the financial year 2022-23. The record date for the same has been fixed on Wednesday, 8 February 2023 and the payment of the dividend will be made on/before 26 February 2023.

Kajaria Ceramics' board has also approved an additional acquisition of upto 11,40,968 equity shares of Rs 10 each of Kajaria Vitrified (KVPL), a subsidiary company, at a cash consideration of Rs 1,80,04,475. Presently, the company holds 87.37% equity shares in KVPL and after completion of the proposed acquisition, holding of the company in KVPL would be increased to 95%.

Further, the board of directors of the company has given a green light to divest its entire stake (i.e. 1,22,40,000 equity shares of Rs 10 each) in Vennar Ceramics (Vennar), a subsidiary company in a phased manner, at a consideration of Rs 18.25 crore. The firm will receive the consideration in five equal instalments, starting from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

Kajaria Ceramics is the largest manufacturer of ceramic/vitrified tiles in India and the eighth largest in the world. It has present annual capacity of 84.45 million sq. meters (MSM) presently, distributed across eight plants - one at Sikandrabad in Uttar Pradesh, one at Gailpur, one at Malootana in Rajasthan, two at Morbi in Gujarat, one at Vijayawada, one at Srikalahasti in Andhra Pradesh and one at Balanagar in Telangana.

Shares of Kajaria Ceramics rallied 4.51% to end at Rs 1,097.30 on Friday, 27 January 2023.

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Sales decline 0.02% to Rs 33691.00 croreNet profit of Vedanta declined 40.83% to Rs 2464.00 crore in the quarter ended December 2022 as against Rs 4164.00 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2021. Sales declined 0.02% to Rs 33691.00 crore in the quarter ended December 2022 as against Rs 33697.00 crore during the previous quarter ended December 2021. ParticularsQuarter EndedDec. 2022Dec. 2021% Var.Sales33691.0033697.00 0 OPM %20.9832.08 -PBDT6211.0010171.00 -39 PBT3491.007897.00 -56 NP2464.004164.00 -41

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Opposition parties in Goa on Saturday sought the resignation of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant over the statement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah that the Mahadayi river water dispute between Karnataka and the coastal state had been resolved.

The two states have been engaged in a tussle over the sharing of water of the river for several years now and Goa has often accused Karnataka of proceeding unilaterally by ignoring pacts.

Addressing the Bharatiya Janata Party's 'Jana Sankalp Yatre' in Belagavi in the neighbouring state earlier in the day, Shah said, "I want to tell you (people) that BJP, by resolving the long-standing dispute between both states, has given Mahadayi water to Karnataka and, thereby, ensured farmers in several districts here are benefited."



Yuri Alemao, leader of opposition in the Goa Assembly, said Sawant must resign immediately for the "murder of Mahadayi".

"Truth always Prevails, God is Great! Home Minister's statement in Belgavi makes it clear that Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant avoided including Opposition MLA's in the Delegation which met Home Minister Amit Shah to give consent to the conspiracy to betray Goans and kill Mother Mahadayi," Alemao said.

Goa Congress chief Amit Patkar accused Sawant of betraying the people of the state, while Goa Forward Party MLA Vijai Sardesai said the decision to divert Mahadayi water was a joint one of the two chief ministers, both from the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Sardesai and Aam Aadmi Party Goa unit chief Amit Palekar said Sawant must publicly disagree with the BJP's central leadership, failing which he must resign.

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Defending himself, CM Sawant tweeted, "We have asked for an early hearing by the Supreme Court in the Mhadei matter. We will continue to fight for every drop of water that rightfully belongs to Goa. The DPR of Karnataka has also not received the necessary Environment Clearances."



"I assure the people of Goa that my Government will protect Goa's interest," he tweeted further. PTI RPS.
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A New Haven man was sentenced to 35 years in prison on a murder charge after he pleaded guilty to shooting his girlfriend in the street in front of their 1-year-old daughter in March 2021, according to the States Attorneys Office.

Rashod Newton, 29, was sentenced to 35 years in prison by Judge Gerald Harmon on Thursday, States Attorney John Doyle Jr. announced Friday. He pleaded guilty in December to murder in connection to the death of his girlfriend Alessia Mesquita on March 22, 2021 and first-degree assault charges from a separate incident on Jan. 23, 2020.

Mesquita, 30, of New Haven was shot four times outside of a parked car, which had Mesquita and Newtons 1-year-old daughter inside, near Lenox and Clifton streets in New Haven. The child was uninjured in the shooting.

Investigators found security footage that captured the shooting, according to police at the time. The footage showed Mesquita get out of the cars passenger seat with several bags and try to open the rear door. The car took off before she could open the door, according to a warrant affidavit in the case.

Mesquita then tried to chase the car and the car stopped. Then Newton got out of the car and fired several shots; Mesquita then fell to the ground. Newton then got in the car and left the scene, leaving her behind, the warrant said.

Newton told police that he shot Mesquita when they spoke to him after he was initially arrested. He told police they were arguing and she wanted to leave the car. He said he did not want her to take the child with her and she was yelling and causing a scene so he snapped and shot at her, the warrant said.

When Mesquita was identified and authorities reached out to family members, her mother told police that the relationship between the two was tumultuous with a history of domestic incidents, police said at the time.
Former Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that he takes full responsibility after classified documents were found at his Indiana home.

In his first public comments since the discovery, Pence said he hadnt been aware that the documents were in his residence but acknowledged his lack of awareness wasnt an excuse.

Let me be clear: Those classified documents should not have been in my personal residence, Pence said at Florida International University, where he was talking about the economy and promoting his new book, So Help Me God. Mistakes were made, and I take full responsibility.

The discovery made public by Pences team earlier this week marked the latest in a string of recoveries of sensitive papers from the homes of current and former top U.S. officials. The Department of Justice was already investigating the discovery of classified documents in former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort and at President Joe Bidens home in Delaware and his former Washington office.

Pences public acceptance of responsibility over his handling of the documents marks a departure from the reactions of both Trump, his former boss, and Biden in their own cases. Trump denounced the search of Mar-a-Lago as one of the most shocking abuses of power by any administration in American history and suggested without evidence that investigators may have planted the documents. Biden has said he was surprised to learn the documents had been found but had no regrets about how the public was informed.

The discovery of documents at Pences home came five months after he told The Associated Press that he did not take classified records with him when he left the vice presidency. No, not to my knowledge, he said when asked if he had retained any such information.

The comment  which would typically be unremarkable for a former vice president  was notable at the time given that FBI agents had seized classified and top secret information from Trumps Florida estate on Aug. 8 while investigating potential violations of three different federal laws. Trump claimed that the documents seized by agents were all declassified.

Pence said he decided to undertake the search of his home out of an abundance of caution after recent disclosures by Bidens team that documents were found at his former office and in his Delaware home.

He said he had directed his counsel to work with the National Archives, Department of Justice and Congress and fully cooperate in any investigation.

The former vice president said national security depends on the proper handling of classified documents, but he hopes that people realize that he acted swiftly to correct the error.

We acted above politics and put national interests first, he said.

Pence, who remains estranged from Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, is considering a 2024 White House challenge to his former boss, who announced his campaign in November. Biden has said he intends to seek reelection in 2024, though he has yet to officially kick off his campaign.

Referring to a possible White House bid, Pence said he has been reflecting on the challenges the nation has. He said many accomplishments have been dismantled by the Biden administration, highlighting problems with immigration and the economy.

We are giving powerful considerations on what might be next for us, he said. I am going to continue to travel all across this country. I am going to continue to listen and to reflect.
Chino, CA (91710)

Today

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later in the day. High 66F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low 46F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel won her bid Friday to lead the GOP for two more years, prevailing in an election that highlighted fierce internal divisions that threaten to plague the party into the next presidential season.

McDaniel, whom Donald Trump tapped as RNC chair in 2016, won the the secret ballot 111 to 51. The high-profile election played out inside a luxury resort on the Southern California coast as the RNCs 168 voting members  activists and elected officials from all 50 states  gathered for the committees annual winter meeting.

A relieved McDaniel invited her rivals to the stage immediately after the outcome was announced.

With us united, and all of us working together, the Democrats are going to hear us in 2024, she declared.

With the victory, McDaniel becomes the longest-serving RNC chair since the Civil War. Yet friends and foes alike agree that she will not be leading the RNC from a position of strength.

The party is not united, McDaniels chief rival, Trump attorney Harmeet Dhillon, told reporters in the hallway soon after standing alongside McDaniel on stage. Nobodys going to unite around the party the way it is, which is seemingly ignoring the grassroots.

Indeed, while Trump privately backed McDaniel, powerful forces within his Make America Great Again movement lined up behind Dhillon.

Backed by MAGA leaders in conservative media, Dhillon waged an aggressive challenge against McDaniel that featured allegations of chronic misspending, mismanagement and even religious bigotry against Dhillons Sikh faith  all claims that McDaniel denied. Above all, the case against McDaniel centered on deep dissatisfaction with the direction of the party after continuous election losses since Trump chose her to lead the committee following his upset 2016 victory.

After Dhillons loss was announced, conservative activist Charlie Kirk cited the Republican bases overwhelming desire for change and said those members who voted for McDaniel would be held accountable.

The RNC has contempt for their voters, said Kirk, who sat among several Dhillon allies in the back of the hotel ballroom where the vote was held. They basically just gave them a middle finger.

While McDaniel prevailed, some of her supporters privately conceded they were open to a change in the committees leadership after three successive disappointing elections. But there were specific concerns about Dhillon  and the people around her.

The California Republican closely aligned herself with Caroline Wren, a former Trump fundraiser who was involved with raising money for the Washington rally on Jan. 6, 2021, that preceded the violent attack on the Capitol.

Dhillons chief surrogate at the RNC meeting this week was Kari Lake, the failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate who has spread debunked claims of voter fraud. Lake courted RNC members on Dhillons behalf inside the conference hotel.

From afar, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a likely 2024 presidential contender, spoke out against McDaniel on the eve of the vote as well.

I think we need a change. I think we need to get some new blood in the RNC, DeSantis said in an interview with Floridas Voice, citing three substandard election cycles in a row under McDaniels leadership.

Meanwhile, Trump quietly supported McDaniel, a niece of Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, and dispatched a handful of his lieutenants to Southern California to advocate on her behalf.

The former president avoided making a public endorsement at McDaniels request, according to those with direct knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations. McDaniels team was confident she would win without his public backing, allowing her to maintain a sense of neutrality heading into the 2024 presidential primary season.

According to its rules, the RNC must remain neutral in the presidential primary. Trump is the only announced GOP candidate so far, but other high-profile contenders are expected in the coming months.

McDaniel is now set to lead the RNC through the 2024 election. Under her leadership, the committee will control much of the presidential nominating process  including the debates and voting calendar  while directing the sprawling nationwide infrastructure designed to elect a Republican president.

Also in the race on Friday was MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, a pro-Trump conspiracy theorist who won four votes.

Lindell has already endorsed Trumps 2024 campaign and said he would not change his mind if his longshot bid was successful Friday.

Ive never not endorsed Donald Trump, Lindell said. Im never moving off that space.
FRIDAY, Jan. 27, 2023 (American Heart Association News) -- People hospitalized with COVID-19 may have an increased risk for heart damage, but not so much the type of inflammation previous research suggested, according to a new study.

Early in the pandemic, several studies suggested many COVID-19 survivors experienced heart damage even if they didn't have underlying heart disease and weren't sick enough to be hospitalized. The new study, published Friday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, examined the nature and extent of the heart damage and inflammation in the sickest people with COVID-19.

Researchers looked at 342 COVID-19 patients with high levels of the protein troponin in 25 United Kingdom hospitals between June 2020 and March 2021. Elevated levels of troponin in blood tests are a strong indicator of acute heart muscle injury or heart attack. Doctors routinely check troponin levels in people hospitalized for COVID-19.

Participants were compared with two control groups, one with 64 people hospitalized with COVID-19 who had normal troponin levels, and a second group of 113 people of a similar age, sex and cardiovascular health but without COVID-19 or elevated troponin levels who had not been in the hospital. All hospitalized patients had a magnetic resonance imaging scan within 28 days of discharge. Non-hospitalized participants also received an MRI.

The study found that 61% of people hospitalized with COVID-19 who had high troponin levels had heart abnormalities including scarring from myocardial infarction, also known as a heart attack, or from microinfarction, which the study's lead author, John Greenwood, called "small areas of scar." That was almost twice as high as hospitalized COVID-19 participants with normal troponin (36%) and those without COVID-19 who had normal troponin (31%).

But when it came to suspected myocarditis, a rare and sometimes fatal heart muscle inflammation typically triggered by a viral infection, researchers found the prevalence was 6.7% in participants with COVID-19 and elevated troponin, compared to 1.7% in those without. That's much lower than seen in previous studies, according to Greenwood, a cardiology professor at Leeds Institute for Cardiovascular and Diabetes Research in England and a cardiologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.

"Several smaller past studies raised a lot of concern about myocarditis. But this more rigorous national study of hospitalized patients with troponin elevation shows clearly that this isn't predominantly a condition of a viral myocarditis, but more of a condition of infarction and microinfarction," he said. "This is really important information for clinicians who have the challenge of trying to understand why troponin levels are elevated so they can tailor the appropriate treatment options."

Greenwood said the study was limited by a lack of data about cardiac events before participants were hospitalized and by "survivor bias," since the research focused only on patients who survived to hospital discharge. Greenwood and his colleagues plan to do more studies on this group by repeating the MRI scans at six months.

Dr. Tim Duong, a professor of radiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center in New York City who was not involved in the research, noted that the study began before COVID-19 vaccines were available. Since the first COVID-19 vaccines became available in the U.S. in December 2020, hundreds of millions of doses have been administered nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Vaccines would generally reduce the disease severity and reduce the abnormal imaging findings reported in this study," Duong said.

The CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older stay up to date with COVID vaccines for their age group.

"This is the first large, multi-hospital cardiac MRI study on the effects of COVID on the heart," Duong said. "These important findings will raise awareness to better monitor COVID patients at risk of cardiac injury and enable timely treatment, if needed, to prevent further cardiac issues."

He called for long-term studies to better understand the impact that "long COVID" might have on the heart and other organs.

"Tens of millions of people have gotten sick from COVID, and we think it's causing multi-organ damage. But at this point, nobody really knows what the long-term effects are," Duong said. "We need research that follows patients for years down the line so we can anticipate problems and treat them as early as possible."

American Heart Association News covers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyright is owned or held by the American Heart Association, Inc., and all rights are reserved. If you have questions or comments about this story, please email editor@heart.org.

By Thor Christensen, American Heart Association News
Thousands of canceled flights. Countless separated bags. Millions of angry passengers.

Southwest Airlines costly holiday meltdown highlighted how quickly airline operations can go off the rails, particularly when you add bad weather to the complex calculation of how to get crews on the right planes at the right time.

The Dallas-based airline has pledged to do better. Southwests chief executive said the company would invest more than $1 billion to upgrade its IT system, and on Thursday during the first quarterly investor call since the fiasco, company executives spent significant time pledging that the year-end failures would not be repeated. In all, the company canceled more than 16,700 flights, sharply more than other airlines, which recovered faster from the multi-state storms than Southwest did.

We disrupted thousands and thousands of customers at a critical point in time, Southwest Chief Executive Bob Jordan said during the call. I cant apologize enough for that. I own that, and we will do everything it takes to make sure we dont have an event like that again.

But as climate change continues to make once-extreme weather events more routine, and airlines pack more passengers onto planes to increase efficiency and lower prices, a single disruption can throw the whole air travel system into chaos.

Its a commodity where everyone can fly and most people do, said Ernest Arvai, president and co-founder of AirInsight, an aviation news and consulting site. But if something goes wrong, theres not enough slack left in the system to accommodate everyone quickly.

Southwest is paying dearly for the December disaster.

The company said Thursday that an $800 million financial hit from the episode caused a net loss of $220 million for the last three months of 2022. Some travelers have since been avoiding the airline, decisions that will cause another loss in the first quarter of this year, Jordan said. The company expects things will turn around by March.

There are things we need to work on as we continue to grow this operation, Jordan said during the call.

Though much maligned as a major factor in the carriers slow recovery from weather-related flight cancellations, Southwests unique point-to-point system is a way for the airline to set itself apart in a competitive marketplace.

Flying from one destination to another, rather than through the traditional hub-and-spoke network used by many large airlines, allows Southwest to offer nonstop flights to many locations throughout the United States that arent being served with direct flights by other major airlines, said Laurie Garrow, professor and aviation expert at Georgia Tech.

The lack of hubs also means Southwest can spread out its labor costs instead of needing large numbers of employees during peak times at locations where many planes arrive at the same time. If a location has less demand than expected, its easier to move planes than relocate an entire hub.

However, the hub-and-spoke network is more resilient because there are more pilots and crew members in a single location. If something happens with one flight, there are crew members and planes nearby to help with a faster recovery.

In Southwests case, the complexity of its point-to-point system crashed into the antiquity of its crew scheduling system, leaving the carrier struggling longer than other airlines to return to normal operations, Southwests pilots union and aviation experts said.

The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association said the processes used by the airline to connect crews with planes have eroded over the years, leaving pilots stranded in hotel rooms or being shuttled via other passenger flights to their destination even in the best of times.

We are a very complex network, said Captain Casey Murray, president of the Southwest pilots union. Its much more difficult not only to manage but recover.

A Times analysis of the late-December performance of Southwest and American Airlines, the nations largest carrier, showed that before the storms on Dec. 18, Southwest had a lower cancellation rate (0.05%) than American (1.18%).

By Dec. 23, as ferocious and deadly winter storms hit a large part of the nation, Southwests cancellation rate hit 34.63% while American was at 30.91%. That was the highest cancellation rate for American  after that, the airline largely recovered.

But Southwests cancellations kept climbing to a high of 76.22% on Dec. 26, long after the major inclement weather had passed. Southwest continued to cancel over 50% of its flights until the rate suddenly dropped to 1% on Dec. 30.

During the meltdown, Southwest also was forced to fly more than 700 non-passenger flights to reposition crew and planes, adding to the episodes financial hit.

We cant continue to be unreliable and not provide our customers with a sense of that reliability, Murray said. The future of Southwest Airlines is at stake.

And that future may not be up to just Southwest.

Shortly after the December debacle, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it was looking into the incident. In a statement to The Times on Wednesday, a department spokesperson said the agency is in the initial phase of a rigorous and comprehensive investigation, and that the department has made clear to the airline it will face consequences if it doesnt make timely refunds and reimbursements to customers.

The Transportation Department is also looking into whether Southwest executives engaged in unrealistic scheduling of flights  meaning the carrier had scheduled more flights than it could possibly have handled under the circumstances  which is considered an unfair and deceptive practice under federal law, the spokesperson said.

On Thursday, Southwest officials said they will cooperate fully with the investigation and that the airlines recent on-time performance and reliability show that the airlines schedule is viable.

Southwests stated efforts to fix its problems with new software and systems is a good step, but it cant happen instantaneously, said Arvai of AirInsight.

All we need is one giant storm, and will we have a repeat of what happened a few weeks ago? he said.
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Senior Lola Oke, a political science major and Brock Scholar in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Honors College, has become the first UTC student to be awarded a Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship.



Ms. Oke, who said, I want to be a change-maker; I want to be a servant, will begin an orientation at Howard University in Washington, D.C., following UTC graduation in May. She was one of 45 fellows selected nationwide for the Rangel programs 2023 cohort.



According to the program, Rangel Graduate Fellowships support individuals who want to help formulate, represent and implement U.S. foreign policy through a career in the Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. Oke will receive up to $84,000 for a two-year masters degree, two paid internships in the U.S. Congress and a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad, and mentoring and professional development opportunities.



It means so much to me to be able to have even participated in the application process in the first place, Ms. Oke said, and Ill be participating in a program that first and foremost was meant to diversify the space of diplomacy, the U.S. Department of State and foreign relations in general, and the voices that are able to be contributed to that.



Ms. Oke, a 2019 graduate of Campbell High School in Smyrna, Georgia, has had a highly decorated academic career at UTC. She is:



 The first UTC student accepted into the Fulbright Canada Mitacs Globalink program (in 2021).



 One of 20 collegiate undergraduates selected from more than 1,200 applicants as a 2021 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Summer Enrichment Program Scholar.



 A recipient of a Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute Fellowship, spending the summer of 2022 at Princeton University.



Fellows who complete the program and Foreign Service entry requirements will receive appointments as Foreign Service Officers per applicable law and State Department policy.
Dr. Ralph Hood will discuss research of snake handling in Appalachia in the final presentation of Christian Roots, Where it Started and How its Going at St. Peters Episcopal Church.Dr. Hood, Jr. will explore When the Spirit Maims and Kills on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 6:30 p.m. at the church at 848 Ashland Terrace in Chattanooga. This event is free and open to the public.The contemporary serpent handlers of Appalachia are arguably one of the most Christian aligned and misunderstood Christian sects.Rooted in holiness, fundamentalism, and Pentecostalism their persistence puzzles many who long predicted their obituary, Hood said. With years of study of these believers I will present persuasive reasons why the tradition survives, not because of their bizarre beliefs but because of them. They merge the symbolic nature of the serpent with its literal sign value and in handling serpents confirm not only the Gospel of Mark but the reality of a triumph over secular death and the assurance of life everlasting.Dr. Hood, Jr. is professor of psychology professorship at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and UT Alumni Association Distinguished Service professor. He is a past president of division 36 of the American Psychological Association and a recipient of its William James award for research in the psychology of religion.A short question and answer session will follow the lecture.For more information, call 423-877-2428.
Chattanooga's police chief and mayor, as well as the NAACP, issued statements after the planned release of the video of the "heinous" death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols in Memphis after a police stop.



He died three days after the stop by five Memphis Police Department officers on Jan. 7. The officers have been charged with second-degree murder. The victim and all the offcers are black.





"I want to assure the residents of Chattanooga that the Chattanooga Police Department is committed to protecting and serving this community with integrity. We want Chattanooga to be a safe, comfortable place for us all to live, work, and play without fear of retribution when encountering police.





"The video of Tyre's encounter Im sure will deliver a shock that will no doubt impact us all. Now more than ever, we have to work together to bridge the great divide in our communities and with the police. And as your Police Chief, I assure you this remains a primary focus for our department. I am proud of our departments demonstrated commitment to building relationships, and I know that we can continue to build trust in the community while maintaining the pursuit of justice and public safety."



Mayor Tim Kelly said, "As Chattanoogas mayor, I offer my deepest condolences to Tyre Nichols family, loved ones, and the entire Memphis community. Mr. Nichols was savagely beaten by officers sworn to protect and serve, in a deplorable act of violence and inhumanity, and as a human being and fellow Tennessean, I am shocked and saddened by this senseless murder.



"Tragedies like this further fray the ends of trust between the police and the community- a gap that is made even wider by smaller, everyday injustices that many of us never hear about. It is a tragic reminder that we have a lot of work to do in this country to bridge that gap and rebuild trust.



" In Chattanooga, Im encouraged by the policies and training our Police Department has put into place over the past few years to prevent the use of excessive force. During my time as mayor, I have seen first-hand how our officers professionally and compassionately engage the community, even in the midst of incredibly challenging situations, and I know that we will continue to grow that public trust by focusing on great hiring and training practices, and centering the community in our public safety approach."



Senator Marsha Blackburn said, The footage released tonight is difficult to watch. My office has been in contact with DOJ and will continue to work with our federal and local officials. I am confident the Memphis Police Department and State of Tennessee will conduct a thorough investigation. Chuck and I are praying for the loved ones of Tyre Nichols and for peace in Memphis and across our state,

Senator Bill Hagerty said, Like so many across our state and nation, I am deeply disturbed by the video footage released this evening. My prayers are with Tyre Nichols' family as they endure unimaginable grief.



My team and I have been closely monitoring the situation and are in contact with community leaders, local officials, and Governor Lee's office. At the federal level, I have asked the Department of Justice and FBI to keep my office apprised of their ongoing investigations.



The criminal justice system must swiftly pursue accountability. I echo Governor Lee in urging a full, independent investigation to determine what happened and how to prevent such misconduct from ever happening again.



My priority remains the community of Memphis and its citizens during this difficult time.

Tennessee State Conference NAACP President Gloria Sweet Love and Memphis Branch NAACP President Van Turner gave statements rega rding former Memphis police officers Desmond Mills, Demetrius Haley, Justice Smith, Emmitt Martin and Teddarius Bean being charged with second-degree murde.



Memphis Branch NAACP President Van Turner stated, We are gratified to hear that the Shelby County District Attorneys Office charged five former officers with second-degree murder following the tragic and brutal death of Tyre Nichols. No one should be viciously beaten to death over an alleged traffic violation. The officers actions were despicable, excessive, callous and unjustified. We hope that justice prevails.
A man on Heritage Landing Drive told police the day before around 10 a.m. he discovered three cigarette butts on his outside deck. He is concerned someone may have been on his deck sometime the night before. He said sometimes the yard workers throw their cigarette butts on the ground, but they would have to throw them a long distance to get them on the deck, so he's not sure where they came from. He is worried this could be related to some other case as well. He wanted a report for documentation.



* * *



A disorderly customer was reported at Boost Mobile, 3514 Rossville Blvd. An employee said he attempted to activate a phone for the customer, that she had brought in, and the device was found to still be locked by another service provider. He said he informed her that she could not use that device for her service and she demanded her money back. He informed her that the charges were not refundable by company policy and she became irate. By the time police arrived, they had worked out a solution for her to get another device to use for the service. The employee asked that a report be written and police provided him with a complaint number.

* * *

A woman on W. 46th Street told police she found 25 9mm live rounds in her back yard. The ammo was inside of a small box and it was collected and turned in to Chattanooga Property Division.

* * *

At approximately 3:12 p.m., police got out at 652 E. 10th St. to remove homeless persons camping in the parking lot. While there, police found a live 20 gauge round in the parking lot. Police collected the round and took it to Property to be disposed of.

* * *

A loss prevention associate at the Walmart, 3550 Cummings Hwy., told police that a man and woman fled the store with stolen merchandise. The employee said she watched the two on camera conceal two shirts and one hat. The two failed to pay for the items and passed all points of sale. They appeared to be a white female with blond hair and a white male with brown hair. The two fled the scene in a black Honda sedan with unknown tag.

* * *

A man told police he was driving north on Alton Park Boulevard when the top of his commercial truck struck the railroad overpass. The top of his truck was completely open and gone. The man said that his insurance company did not need a police accident report for the incident, but he just wanted to document the damages to his vehicle. The man had a valid commercial license, registration and insurance for the truck.

* * *

While working as a courtesy officer for Hamilton Pointe Apartments, 6574 E. Brainerd Road, an officer was notified by the leasing office about a vandalism. The officer spoke to a woman who said that at an unknown date and time someone keyed the side of her vehicle. While speaking to the woman, the officer did observe a long scratch all the way down the side of her vehicle that is consistent with a vehicle being keyed. At this time there is no suspect information.

* * *

A man on Graysville Road told police he recently found out that someone has been using his Regions Bank debit card for a couple of weeks to pay car insurance with GEICO. He said the 12 transactions total $694.80. He said he is dealing with GEICO and Regions Bank in an effort to recover his money. He said GEICO said the policy is in his name and they have all of his information. The man told police he has had car insurance with State Farm for quite some time.
Since the Hamilton County Mayor and Hamilton County Commission are smoothly working in harmony to protect the interests of the citizens of the fourth largest community in the Volunteer State this article may be outdated.

It has been previously stated by one of our new leaders that we are basically in a new era and the ways of the past are being removed and replaced with new dynamics.

I picked up a copy of the 1982 paperback by the late County Executive Dalton Roberts Things That Really Matter - The Wit and Philosophy of Dalton Roberts for the purpose of attempting to visualize the wonderful present and future of the county that has survived the eras of Democrat Roberts and Republican Claude Ramsey, etc.

In the two-page chapter filed as above the late politician, public administrator, musician, and songwriter, etc. gives a 1982 perspective on the subject of political reform now advocated in 2023:

Weve all heard about the horror of the smoke-filled room. Close your eyes and you can see it now: a motley crew of your elected officials hiding in a hotel room carving up the political pie, and chomping on cigars, far from the watchful eyes of reporters and decent citizens.

"Yes, it probably was a horror. Sunshine laws requiring public officials to deliberate toward decisions in advertised public meetings were a healthy new direction. But have you noticed how political reform often substitutes a new horror for an old one?

"You see, we still have the smoke-filled rooms. Theyre occupied by pollsters, media experts, and direct-mail specialists. Candidates hire them to manipulate you. There may be a crew of them in your town right now with you under their microscope, looking into your loves and hates, checking your political taste buds, and cooking you up a pot of political stew.

"Youve received some of their letters. You got on their mailing list because somewhere you said or did or became something that indicated you would bite. You may have been selected because you are rich and they decided you hated some politically-active group of 'poors.' Or because you are poor and they decided you hated a certain group of 'riches.'

"Remember the salutations? It was 'Dear Republican' or 'Dear Democrat' or 'Dear Friend of Free Enterprise' or 'Dear Friend of the Working Man' or 'Dear Last Hope of The Almost-Extinct Bluetick Whale.' They write the sweetest hate letters you will ever receive! When you write that check and put it in the envelope, theyve done all their work so well that you feel you have saved mankind from great calamity.

"The TV boys are geniuses. They made Nixon look charming and honest, Carter look decisive, and Reagan look like a kid training for the Olympics! In one state, they took a senator who was partially-paralyzed and barely able to talk and turned him into a vigorous, healthy articulate leader.

"Theyve turned the telephone into an instrument of torture. No matter who you are or where you live, theyll get you on the phone at least once this year to probe your brain. They even have an automatic phone attached to a computer that dials 24 hours a day, asking questions until the connection is broken. While theyre slurping Scotch and soda in a smoke-filled motel room their computer is raping your privacy.

"They are the modern-day political mercenaries-the 'bag men' in three-piece suits who are making many citizens long for the old days and ways.

"Now that contributions from unions and corporations are illegal, those organizations have put together 'political action committees' into which they funnel millions. And those PACs hire the consultants to see who is 'receptive' to their message.

"Those who get reputations for producing winners are able to command huge fees. In one state a highly-regarded consultant was courted by both sides in 12 races!

 "How do they get so much power?' Youre surely asking. I have nothing but theories to offer. Those theories are: (1) they carry brief-cases, (2) they're 50 miles from home, (3) they look smart and clean, and (4) they talk like a 45 RPM record on 78 RPM speed. Candidates take them seriously, and that may be the bottom line.

"The egos of most politicians wont allow them to accept the simple fact that times and tides determine most political races. Its being in the right place at the right time. Its seldom how well you manipulate public opinion but whether you are in a situation where public opinion carries you to serious consideration by the voters.

"Its also geography and culture. A George Wallace would never get off the ground in Detroit and Jacob Javits wouldnt have to worry about being drafted in Mississippi. Ten intelligent citizens with little or no experience in politics could probably predict your chances of winning a political office as accurately as a high-powered consultant.

"In close races, 90 percent of the determining factors concerning the times and tides are known. Its that 10 percent unknown area that enriches consultants. I even question their ability with that 10 percent area because development beyond their control within the last 48 hours of a campaign can turn their computer into a blithering idiot.

"So, my fellow Americans, choose between these two smoke-filled rooms. Will it be the old-time 'boss' and his boys or the clean-cut lad from Yale unloading his computer down at the Holiday Inn?

"Neither room is a place youd want your Mama to know you were hanging around. But Ill take the computer, if I must choose. It generates more jobs, spreads the wealth, and stimulates the economy!

"The two forerunners(and others) laid the groundwork for what has come in the future!"

(Could the cooperative parties mentioned in the first paragraph adopt a county slogan like Gig City?)

* * *

You can reach Jerry Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com

* * *

Jerry Summers is totally right in allowing us to read or re-read what Dalton Roberts knew.

The back room shenanigans have been around since who knows. It's sad, real sad, that the common person who works hard for his/her family to make a living while putting food on the table, clothing and educating their children, tithing to their church and maybe scraping enough to put away for "the future" doesn't have a snowball chance in Hades to represent their community, to offer well-conceived ideas, to indeed be part of real reform by limiting elected officials of service, retiring all PACs, not allowing candidates to contribute any more to their campaign than a regular contributor and many more absurdities.

I know Mr. Summers is quite happy being the gracious local historian that he is and a fine attorney, but it's a shame he never himself ran for public office...maybe he saw what Dalton saw as well...and I applaud him for that.

There are so many inconsistencies in our present system of who we elect that it turned me off during the Gubernatorial Pray Election in August 2010. I walked away from it then, became an Independent and don't vote for incumbents who have served more than 12 years. I have written in so many people to do their jobs.

I know it's a long shot and maybe a delusion, but it would be nice to have representatives who actually work across the aisle, actually come home each week and get amongst the people often, not just around.d election time.

My gratitude to Mr. Summers for being such the person we would want to represent us, at any level.

Rick Tucker

Hixson
Jay-Z rose to fame in the late 1990s in the wake of iconic New York rappers such as Nas and The Notorious B.I.G. At the turn of the millennium, Jay-Z released the single Big Pimpin' with Pimp C and Bun B of UGK. And though the two hip-hop icons eventually jumped on the track with Jay, Pimp C needed some convincing after deducing that one of Jay-Zs lyrics in the song was about masturbation.

Jay-Z | Lester Cohen/Getty Images

Jay-Z recorded Big Pimpin with Pimp C and Bun B of UGK

Texas natives Pimp C and Bun B formed the Underground Kingz  a.k.a. UGK  in the late 1980s. They released albums throughout the 1990s and 2000s and were instrumental in showing that Southern rappers were not to be taken lightly.

In late December 1999, Jay-Z released his fourth studio album Vol. 3 Life and Times of S. Carter. The following spring, Jay-Z released the UGK collab Big Pimpin' as a single. The song was the most successful single from the album, peaking at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and driving Vol. 3 Life and Times of S. Carter to triple-platinum status. It would be UGKs highest-charting single, both as lead and featured artists, and the only song of theirs to crack the top 20 on the Hot 100.

Pimp C thought Jay-Z was rapping about masturbating

In a January 2023 appearance on the R.O.A.D. Podcast, famed Roc-a-Fella A&R Kyambo Hip-Hop Joshua reflected on how Big Pimpin' first came about in the late 1990s and how Jay-Z and company had to work hard to convince Pimp C to join in on the track. First, Pimp C had to be convinced to do the song with Jay-Z in the aftermath of the death of his friend Tupac Shakur, who had expressed his disdain for the Brooklyn-bred rapper. Pimp C refused to do the song, and after agreeing to do it, he had to be convinced again after he heard one lyric in particular.

He thought Jay was saying that he was playing with his d*** in the truck, Joshua recounted. So hes like, Man, Im not getting on no song with another man talkin bout playing with hisself in the truck! Young Hop, you my boy, but what you tryna have me doin, man? He said, Thats like career suicide!'

The line in question  Let em play with the d*** in the truck  actually referred to women who would join Jay-Z in the car. [Pimp C] said, I could see that. That makes sense now. Then he kinda got closer to doing it, Joshua remembered.

He really was well aware of what he was doing, Joshua praised the late Pimp C. He really broke down his whole flow and his whole thing. Like, I rap with the vocal tone of Run[-D.M.C.], with the choppiness of Scarface, and the Southern drawl of Willie D. And he did it for me, like in my face.

Jay-Z looks back on Big Pimpin with regret

Even though Big Pimpin' remains beloved by fans today, Jay-Z doesnt necessarily look back on the song with pride. In a 2010 interview with The Wall Street Journal, he admitted that Big Pimpin' is one of his songs that hasnt aged well for his liking.

Some [lyrics] become really profound when you see them in writing. Not Big Pimpin. Thats the exception, he said. It was like, I cant believe I said that. And kept saying it. What kind of animal would say this sort of thing? Reading it is really harsh.
A body language expert pointed out Prince Harrys sass when he spoke about his time in the military during the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan. The expert said Harry displayed a sassy gesture when he said he went to war twice.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry | Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Prince Harry spoke about his time in the military

In the docuseries, Harry touched on his time in the military including his experience during two tours in Afghanistan.

Working and living with normal people  and I fully appreciate that my life is not normal  certainly has an effect on you, Harry said. The bubble within the bubble that I was brought up in got burst. Ultimately Im so grateful for it, and that was all before I met Meghan.

He continued, My 10 years in the army, it gave me the lived experience that other members of my family wouldnt have had. Two tours in Afghanistan, flying Apache helicopters on a military base, means that you grow up pretty fast.

Harry added, Jeez, I went to war twice. The people that I met and the lifelong friends made, that was my second family.

Body language expert shares analysis of Harry discussing his military experience

In his analysis for the YouTube channel The Behavioral Arts, body language expert Spidey looked at Harrys first statement. He said he can appreciate that my life is not normal after mentioning normal people.

The expert said, He is really good at autocorrecting  or kind of elaborating on what he needs to. And sometimes he does it for himself, sometimes he does it for Meghan where he says a statement and he immediately knows, Theres going to be a way to spin this, I better correct that.'

This moment illustrated Harrys autocorrecting abilities perfectly. If Harry had ended his statement by referencing his experience with normal people, the expert said, it wouldnt be very well received. We would think its demeaning, he explained.

Harry adjusted slightly by pointing out his life isnt normal. With that elaboration, he kind of makes us go, Oh, right. It wasnt demeaning to us. Youre just saying that your life is so far out of the ordinary that ours is kind of normal. Its not an elite thing,' Spidey said.

Prince Harry showed sassy body language in the clip, expert says

Prince Harrys body language included shrugging both shoulders and raising his eyebrows. Spidey said these gestures indicated Harry didnt know what else to say or add to his statement.

When Harry referenced his experience in the military, he also performed a one-sided shrug. Spidey noted, Its very possible that hes not that confident. Hes saying it but hes not that confident.

Spidey analyzed Harrys tone and cadence, which showed no signs of hesitation. Its worlds different from when hes stressed or unconfident or talking at the same time as Meghan, the expert said. Theres a lot of confidence here with this. I think his experience in the Army actually gives him quite a bit of confidence. His whole mood is very different.

Harry gave a bit of sass at the end of the clip. We end with something just beautiful with the body language, Spidey said, pointing out how Harry extended his hand to the side as he said, Jeez, I went to war twice.

Harrys eyes also fluttered in the moment. Its funny because Harry has this sass that comes out sometimes  Im totally seeing it here, Spidey explained. Thats a very sassy kind of way to end this confident speech about his time in the military and it just got my attention. It was just interesting.

Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
A timeline of events in the Tyre Nichols case, which sparked state and federal investigations into police brutality and led to murder and other charges against the five officers involved in his arrest this month:

Jan. 7: Tyre Nichols is pulled over by police for an alleged traffic violation after photographing a sunset, according to accounts his family would give later. A confrontation ensues, and he is brutally beaten by five Memphis police officers in an encounter that is recorded by police body cameras.

Jan 8: Memphis police say in a statement that officers attempted to stop a man for reckless driving on Jan. 7 and he was taken to a hospital in critical condition after two confrontations. The first description of what happened says one confrontation occurred when officers approached the vehicle and the suspect fled on foot. Officers pursued, and another confrontation occurred when they took him into custody, police said. The subject complained of shortness of breath and was taken to a hospital. Due to his condition, police contacted the Shelby County District Attorney Generals Office, which asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to conduct a use-of-force investigation.

Jan. 10: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says the man involved in the altercation with Memphis officers has succumbed to his injuries and identifies him as 29-year-old Tyre D. Nichols, a Black man.

Jan. 14: Family, friends and supporters of Nichols protest in front of a Memphis police station and call for police to release body camera video of the arrest. Nichols stepfather, Rodney Wells, tells local media that his stepson suffered cardiac arrest and kidney failure because of a beating by officers.

Jan. 15: Police Chief Cerelyn Davis says she has reviewed information on the encounter and has decided to take immediate action by serving notice of policy violations to the officers involved.

Jan. 16: Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announces he is representing Nichols family and calls on police to release body camera and surveillance video from the traffic stop. Meanwhile, protesters gather at the Civil Rights Museum to push for the release of police video and call for officers to be charged.

Jan. 18: The U.S. Justice Department announces that it has opened a civil rights investigation.

Jan. 20: The five officers involved in the arrest are fired after an internal investigation finds they used excessive force, failed to intervene and failed to render aid. They are identified as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. All five are Black.

Jan. 23: Nichols family views the police video with their attorneys, who say it shows Nichols being beaten for three minutes in a savage encounter reminiscent of the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King. The video shows Nichols was shocked, pepper-sprayed and restrained after he was pulled over minutes from his home while returning from a suburban park where he had taken photos of the sunset. Crump says the family has agreed to investigators request to delay making the video public so as not to risk compromising the criminal investigation.

Jan. 24: Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy says the release of police video will be carefully timed to avoid the chance that suspects or witnesses tailor their statements to what they saw in it and asks the public for patience. The timetable rankles activists who had expected the video to be released after Nichols family viewed it. Meanwhile, the Memphis Fire Department says two employees involved in the initial care of Nichols the night of his arrest have been removed from duty while the agency conducts an investigation.

Jan. 25: Davis, the police chief, calls the officers actions heinous, reckless and inhumane and makes a plea for people to protest peacefully when the video is made public. She says in a statement issued on social media that other officers are still being investigated for violating department policy and that a complete and independent review will be conducted of the departments specialized units.

Jan 26: The five officers are charged with murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Mulroy says they each played different roles in the killing but they are all responsible. Mulroy also announces that video of the traffic stop will be released to the public the following evening. Nichols parents say they are satisfied with the charges against the officers. At an evening candlelight vigil, Nichols mother pleads with supporters to protest in peace when the horrific video footage is released.

Jan. 27: In the hours before video is to be released, the police chief says she has not been able to substantiate the reckless driving allegation that prompted the stop. The community takes steps to prepare for the release, including school cancellations of after-class activities and early closures of places such as the Memphis power companys community offices and the University of Memphis.
We just discovered one of the craziest stories about a series of childhood playdates that had gone horribly wrong.

One woman had a friend named Erin when she was 12-years-old. Erin was one of her good friends, and they liked having sleepovers.

At the time, Erin lived with her parents and a brother who was about five years older. But whenever she came home after spending the night at Erins house, she felt extremely ill. Shed be nauseous, would vomit, and would be extremely drowsy.

After experiencing this about five to six times, her mother noticed the pattern and confronted her, asking if she and Erin were drinking alcohol at their sleepovers.

I remember laughing at that question because I had never even tasted alcohol at that point in my life, she recalls. But my moms question was super serious.

She told her mother no but that she thought Erins pets, a series of rodents, were causing her to be sick. However, her mother was still suspicious, so she didnt let her spend the night at Erins house anymore.

One night, she was with a group of friends at Erins house for a few hours before going to her friend Saras house for a sleepover. Even though she didnt sleep at Erins, she still returned home very sick.

Her mother decided to take her to the doctor. The doctor believed that she wasnt drinking alcohol, but given that her symptoms were consistent with a hangover, he went ahead and tested her blood alcohol levels. They came back at 0.

The doctor then said he could test her blood for Rohypnol but that it would be too late to detect it in her blood. Rohypnol is illegal in the United States and is often used to dangerously spike peoples drinks at bars and parties.

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Did Andy Stanley do a 'great disservice' with comments on LGBT churchgoers?

A now-viral video of Georgia Pastor Andy Stanley magnifying the faith of LGBT people over "most" of his own congregation has drawn sharp criticism from pastors and Christian thinkers alike, with one ministry leader claiming the megachurch pastor does God a "great disservice."

The clip of Stanley, an influential pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, and the leader of North Point Ministries, comes from North Point's Drive Conference last May, where Stanley told churchgoers that any LGBT individual who continues to go to church has "more faith than a lot of you."

"A gay person who still wants to attend church after the way they've been treated, I'm telling you, they have more faith than I do," Stanley said in the clip. "They have more faith than a lot of you."

While drawing praise from some LGBT-affirming Christians, others such as David Hoffman, founder and director of the evangelism training ministry His Kingdom Enterprises in Tucson, Arizona, have accused Stanley of pandering to LGBT individuals over "straight people."

"Stanley's attempt to magnify the faith of openly LGBT individuals over 'straight people' is total pandering to the dictates of secular pagan American culture and a rejection of Biblical truth," Hoffman told CP via email. "His most recent stance can be summed up by saying he believes gay people in his church have more faith 'than him' and the majority of his congregation, because they are willing to come to church even though historically Christian churches have not been accepting of homosexuality."

Calling such a statement "absurd," Hoffman said homosexuality, just like a myriad of other sins, is clearly defined as sin in the pages of Scripture.

"The disposition of the heart is very important in coming to saving faith. If a liar, a thief, an adulterer, a porn addict, or any other person stuck in sin, comes to Jesus Christ in repentance and faith, He will forgive their sins and give them a new identity," he added.

"The homosexual is in no different position than anyone else that is in need of coming to Jesus Christ and receiving forgiveness for their sins and receiving a new forgiven, sanctified, and righteous identity that is imputed to us through the shed blood of Jesus Christ."

When it comes to fellowshipping and worshipping with unrepentant LGBT individuals, Hoffman said anyone who openly refuses to obey the clear teachings of Scripture is called to first repent before being welcomed into fellowship.

He pointed to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, which states: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you."

Hoffman, a graduate of Southwestern Assemblies of God University, said that standard still applies to unbelievers who refuse to acknowledge what is clearly defined as sin.

"The Church is meant to be set apart. Biblically, the Church is the Body of Christ, not a building," he explained. "Hence, if someone is in open rebellion to God, they cannot be part of His body, regardless of the sin. The same standard applies to anyone that is not LGBT."

But Hoffman distinguishes between unbelievers living in unrepentant sin and those who belong to Christ who struggle with same-sex attraction.

"In no way am I talking about people that struggle with sin and are seeking to live a life of repentance and a life of overcoming temptation," he said. "Many people struggle with sin, and they struggle against their sin, seeking to give it no place in their lives. Fellowship and worship are fine for someone that struggles with same-sex attraction, or the person that has had past homosexual encounters that have been repented of, or even the person that wants God to change them but still feel stuck, but they have responded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and no longer engage in same-sex relationships."

In the same sermon, Stanley seemed to suggest that God has said "no" to the prayers of some of the LGBT community that asked Him to change their hearts.

"I know 1 Corinthians 6, and I know Leviticus, and I know Romans 1, so interesting to talk about all that stuff," Stanley said. "But just, oh my goodness, a gay man or woman who wants to worship their heavenly Father, who did not answer the cry of their heart when they were 12 and 13 and 14 and 15. God said, 'No,' and they still love God?

"We have some things to learn from a group of men and women who love Jesus that much and who want to worship with us," he continued. "I know the verses; I know the clobber passages, right? We got to figure this out. And you know what? I think you are."

Hoffman said the topic of unanswered prayer is far more complex than Stanley's response.

"He really does God a great disservice in this statement. Individual lives are complicated and hard to speak of in generalities," he added. "If there is one thing I have learned in ministry, it is that people are complicated. Childhood experiences are unique for each person. They often shape our experience of life and even shape our understanding of God many years later after the experiences even though we wouldn't think they could have such long-lasting effects.

"It is always God's will to conform us into the image of Jesus Christ."

Hoffman's His Kingdom Enterprises was founded in 2015 as a multi-faceted ministry that seeks to further the Gospel in local communities and equip believers to fulfill the Great Commission.

CP reached out to North Point Ministries for comment on Wednesday. A response hasn't been received.

In a column published Friday, Dr. Richard Land, CP Executive Editor and President Emeritus at Southern Evangelical Seminary in North Carolina, warned Stanley may have edged toward blasphemy with his comments.

"Frankly, this is an astounding statement from a leading Evangelical pastor. When God did not answer 'the cry of their heart,' is he saying that God was wrong in not accepting their sexual orientation, or is he saying that God should have answered their prayer by changing that orientation?" wrote Land, a former head of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. "Either option is blasphemous."

Ultimately, Land wrote, it's about laying down not just sin but all that people cling to as their own to truly take up our cross and follow Christ on His terms.

"When people of whatever background, behavior, or orientation come to God, they must come without reservation, forsaking all to follow Jesus as Savior," he wrote. "We throw ourselves on His mercy and trust Jesus and Jesus alone for salvation. He is Lord and Savior, and we come on His terms, not ours  it is not a negotiation.

"I fear the Rev. Stanley has drifted farther than he is aware from the biblical foundations of his youth, and all of his Christian brothers and sisters should pray for him, and all the Christians whom he influences, without ceasing."
DOJ charges Planned Parenthood arson suspect in 10 days as pro-life clinic still searches for answers

The U.S. Department of Justice has announced the arrest of an Illinois man a little over a week after he allegedly set fire to a Planned Parenthood facility, as pro-life groups maintain that federal law enforcement is not acting quick enough to bring justice to those responsible for the arson of pro-life pregnancy centers and churches.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of Illinois announced Wednesday the arrest of Tyler Massengill, 32, for the malicious use of fire and an explosive and attempt to damage a Planned Parenthood facility in Peoria, Illinois.

The clinic reported on its website that the building is closed indefinitely following the "substantial fire and damage." The fire occurred in the late evening on Jan. 15, 2023, 10 days before news broke about Massengill's arrest.

"A review of area surveillance from the fire scene revealed that at approximately 11:20 PM, an older white pickup truck with red doors parked in an area adjacent to Planned Parenthood," the statement reads. "Video footage depicts a man walking up to the building with a laundry detergent-sized bottle. The man lit a rag on fire on one end of the bottle, smashed a window with an object, then placed the container inside of the Planned Parenthood building. He then quickly left the area on foot."

The rest of the announcement details the collaboration between "multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Field Office; the Peoria Police Department; and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives." If convicted on a malicious use of fire charge, Massengill faces a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years and faces up to 40 years in prison.

Massengill could also face up to three years of supervised release and a possible fine of up to $250,000.

According to a complaint filed Wednesday, authorities received a tip about an Illinois license plate number for the pickup truck. Peoria police "conducted an inquiry of the subject plate number in a license plate reader database system which returned a photo of an older white pickup truck, with red doors," The Journal Star quotes the complaint as reading. The complaint further stated that Massengill told investigators that he was upset after a girl he was in a relationship with three years ago got an abortion.

The arson comes as the abortion issue has become a source of contention following the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision last June, finding that the U.S. Constitution does not contain a right to abortion.

Since Politico published a leaked draft decision in the Dobbs case on May 2, pro-life pregnancy centers and churches have found themselves subject to acts of vandalism and arson.

While pro-abortion groups and individuals have experienced incidents of violence, a report compiled by the Crime Prevention Research Center found that their pro-life counterparts have experienced 22 times as much violence in the 4.5 months following the publication of the leaked Dobbs draft.

Rev. Jim Harden, the CEO of CompassCare, a network of pro-life pregnancy centers whose Buffalo, New York, office was firebombed last June, praised the Peoria police for their "top-notch investigative work" in a statement released Wednesday. He also denounced the attack on Planned Parenthood, asserting that "Attacking an abortionist does not make someone pro-life, it makes them crazy."

At the same time, CompassCare noted that after a Planned Parenthood in Kalamazoo, Michigan, was targeted in an attempted arson attack, an arrest was made after four days.

CompassCare believes that partisan considerations explain why federal law enforcement has handed down only two indictments of perpetrators of violence against pro-life organizations and churches.

As no arrests have yet been made in the CompassCare firebombing case, the organization partnered with the Thomas More Society legal group earlier this month to hire independent investigators to search for the perpetrators of the June 2022 attack. Vandals broke the windows of CompassCare's Buffalo office, lit fires at the facility and spray-painted graffiti outside the building.

"What the situation in Peoria and Kalamazoo show is that the FBI has the tools, skill, and manpower to bring these criminals to justice when it is politically favorable," Harden said. "They threw pro-life people a bone with the indictment of two pro-abortion extremists on January 18."

A grand jury in Florida indicted two pro-abortion activists last week for vandalizing multiple pro-life pregnancy centers throughout the state. CompassCare is not the only pro-life organization to raise questions about the lack of action taken against those who have committed pro-abortion violence.

Brian Burch, the CEO of the advocacy group CatholicVote, has repeatedly raised concerns about the DOJ's lack of action to address violence against Catholic churches dating back to May 2020, when the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, led to national unrest. He wrote a letter to the DOJ in December 2021 calling on the federal law enforcement agency to investigate the attacks on Catholic churches and symbols.

In a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan published Tuesday, Burch wrote that Associate Attorney General Venita Gupta responded to the request in January 2022, telling the advocacy group that Attorney General Merrick Garland had ordered a "15-day review to ensure that all appropriate resources are being deployed to protect houses of worship."

Additionally, Gupta informed Burch that the "Department is taking numerous steps to address such violence, consistent with our commitment to combat unlawful acts of hate in all their forms."

"Disappointingly, it now appears that the promises made in Associate AG Gupta's January 2022 letter were mere platitudes," Burch concluded in his letter to Jordan. "To date, the federal government has only found evidence to charge two individuals involved in only a handful of cases, despite hundreds of actual incidences of violence. These charges only recently came to light, indicating the more sunshine that Congress shines on the indifference of the DOJ the more likely they will do their job."

While the FBI has offered rewards for information that could lead to arrests for the vandalism of 10 pro-life pregnancy centers, Harden contends that the law enforcement agency's efforts are "a day late and a dollar short." He attributed the FBI's embrace of reward money for information about pro-abortion vandals to "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."

Bill Donohue of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights raised questions about a potential political bias against pro-life individuals and groups at the FBI in a Sept. 26 letter to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa., the ranking member on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

"There seems to be much interest in pursuing alleged wrongdoing by pro-life activists, yet little interest in pursuing alleged wrongdoing by abortion-rights activists," Donohue wrote.

Donohue cited the arrest of pro-life activist Mark Houck for purportedly pushing a patient escort at a Philadelphia Planned Parenthood clinic as an example of an "overreaction for a minor infraction of the law." Houck faces the possibility of up to 11 years in prison.

Donohue contrasts Houck's case with the "underreaction by the Department of Justice when the pro-life side is targeted."

A GiveSendGo fundraiser set up for Houck's family maintains that the escort was harassing Houck and his son as they prayed outside the abortion clinic, prompting them to walk away from the building.

"The escort followed them, and when he continued yelling at Mark's son, Mark pushed him away," the fundraiser stated.

Houck's case was heard this week at a federal court in Philadelphia. Judge Gerald Pappert rejected Houck's defense attorney's request for the case to be dismissed. The jury remained deadlocked Friday and will resume deliberations on Monday.
Spain church attack suspect saw 'the devil,' spoke of witchcraft and magic, roommate says

The Moroccan man who allegedly stormed two Spanish churches in the southern port city of Algeciras on Wednesday, killed a church official and wounded a priest with a machete allegedly thought a stuffed animal was "the devil" and spoke of witchcraft in the weeks leading up to the attack, according to one of his roommates.

Police have identified the accused as a 25-year-old man with "no prior criminal or terrorism convictions in Spain or allied countries" and was not under surveillance although a deportation procedure was "opened in June," AFP quoted an interior ministry official as saying.

The international newswire reports the suspect, who attacked San Isidro Church and Nuestra Senora de La Palma Church in downtown Algeciras, lived near those churches. His name is Yasine Kanjaa, according to reports.

The Spanish daily newspaper El Pais spoke with a roommate who noticed disturbing developments in Kanjaa's behavior in the days and weeks leading up to the attack.

The roommate, identified by the newspaper only by the name Muhammad, is one of seven who lived with the suspect in a squatter home. Pointing to a light blue teddy bear, Muhammad told the newspaper that Kanjaa "claimed that was the devil."

Muhammad doesn't believe Kanjaa had any connection to Islamic radicals or groups.

"He is a paranoid person; it is not jihadism," Muhammad was quoted as saying. "He threatened his own roommates with a knife. That kid is unwell; he used drugs, then he quit and started to pray."

Kanjaa is from Oued El Marsa, a town on the northern coast of Morocco. He moved to the first floor of the squatter home after receiving expulsion orders from the Spanish government. The roommate recalled him as a "normal" person who dealt drugs and "smoked joints." But about two months ago, Muhammad noticed he began to change as he stopped doing drugs.

Muhammad said he began speaking often about things like magic, witchcraft and demons, shouting phrases like "there is no god but Allah" in Arabic. The newspaper notes that two mosques in the city confirmed that they had not seen Kanjaa in their facilities, and Muhammad doesn't recall him reading jihadi propaganda.

"He didn't want some of us to drink alcohol, or for others to have a girlfriend without getting married first. It got worse; one of the kids got scared and left: two weeks ago, he threatened to kill us all," Muhammad said.

Witnesses heard the suspect shout "Allahu Akbar" and "death to Christians" as he attacked the churches, according to The Telegraph.

The Spanish government has not said if it was a terror attack, although the country's top criminal court has launched a terror investigation.

Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska stated that it was not yet possible to determine if the incident had a "terrorist nature," saying there were "no third parties involved" in the attack.

The verger who was killed in the attack has been identified as Diego Valencia, who was in his 60s. According to reports, he was first injured inside the church, but fled outside in an attempt to escape the attacker. However, the attacker pursued him into the square and killed him.

On Friday, red candles and bunches of flowers were placed at the location where the church official was killed before a mass was held and the verger's coffin was taken away in a hearse, AFP reports.

The wounded priest, 74-year-old Antonio Rodriguez, underwent neck surgery and has since been released from the hospital.

After the attack, Francisco Garcia, secretary general of Spain's Episcopal Conference, expressed "great pain."

"These are sad times of suffering; we are united by the pain of the victims' families and for the Cadiz Diocese," he stated, as quoted by Reuters.

Across Europe, hate crimes against Christians have escalated in recent years. According to a report released last fall by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, there were over 519 incidents classified as hate crimes against Christians in 2021, with 30 occurring in Spain.

Christian and Muslim organizations in Spain have condemned the attacks. Spain's Vox Party reportedly blamed the government's allegedly lax immigration policies.

Last October, the Migration Policy Institute published a report describing Spain as "one of Europe's largest migrant destinations," as approximately 7.3 million of its residents were immigrants.

"[R]esponsibility for immigrant integration has largely been handed to Spain's 17 autonomous communities, which enjoy wide authority as result of the country's devolved political system," noted the report. "Matters relating to asylum, border control, and legal status are exclusive to the national government, but policies key to integration  including social services, housing, and employment  have been granted to subnational governments."
Andy Stanley and his troubling message as spiritual shepherd of the flock

A little more than a fortnight ago, I wrote a column for The Christian Post titled Free Speech and the State of American Culture.

In that column, I discussed The American Worldview Inventory, which is researched and published by George Barna, the director of research with the Cultural Research Center located at Arizona Christian University. Barna and his team compiled exhaustive research in order to analyze the bedrock doctrines of the Christian faith to ascertain the current state of American Protestant Christianity.

Barna and his teams research results were, and are, devastating. For example, Barna found that among Evangelical pastors, only 61% believed in the concept of absolute truth (some things are always right and some things are always wrong). And the Evangelicals are the conservative, Bible-believing Protestants.

Barnas research was among pastors, not church members at large. If the pastors, the shepherds of the flock, have succumbed to sub-biblical worldviews, who is going to lead the people and teach them all things whatsoever I have commanded you? (Matt. 8:18-20)

If people are not hearing a sure, certain, and uncompromising word from the pulpit, where will they find truth in this increasingly secular age in which Americans find themselves immersed?

Let us always remember that the Prince of Darkness, the Great Deceiver, is able to transform himself into an angel of light (II Cor. 11:14) and that Christians must put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (Eph. 6:11)

And the devil is wily, deceitful and strategic. If Satan can deceive and neutralize a pastor, it is the spiritual equivalent of an expert sniper neutralizing or taking out the commander of a military unit. This is one of many reasons we should pray for our pastors, indeed all pastors, every day. It is a certainty they are going to get the special attention of Lucifer and his demonic minions.

It is with profound sadness that I bring to your attention a subtle, but profound example of a devastating, anti-biblical teaching coming from one of the leading Evangelical pulpiteers in America todayAndy Stanley.

The Rev. Stanley, the influential pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, and the leader of North Point Ministries, during North Points Drive Conference last May, made some rather astounding comments that have now gone viral on social media.

Stanley declared,

A gay person who still wants to attend church after the way theyve been treated. Im telling you they have more faith than I do. They have more faith than a lot of you.

Here is the most troubling part of the message from this shepherd of the flock. The Rev. Stanley spoke of the gay men and gay women whove come to faith in Christ as adults, who want to participate in our church.

After acknowledging and dismissing with a casual wave of his hand and the equally dismissive statement, I know I Corinthians 6, and I know Leviticus, and I know Romans 1, so interesting to talk about all that stuff, Stanley declared, But just, oh my goodness, a gay man or woman who wants to worship their Heavenly Father, who did not answer the cry of their heart when they were 12 and 13 and 14 and 15. God said, No, and they still love God!

He then declares, We have something to learn from a group of men and women who love Jesus that much and who want to worship with us.

Frankly, this is an astounding statement from a leading Evangelical pastor. When God did not answer the cry of their heart, is he saying that God was wrong in not accepting their sexual orientation, or is he saying that God should have answered their prayer by changing that orientation? Either option is blasphemous.

When people of whatever background, behavior, or orientation come to God, they must come without reservation, forsaking all to follow Jesus as Savior. We throw ourselves on His mercy and trust Jesus and Jesus alone for salvation. He is Lord and Savior, and we come on His terms, not oursit is not a negotiation.

I fear the Rev. Stanley has drifted farther than he is aware from the biblical foundations of his youth, and all of his Christian brothers and sisters should pray for him, and all the Christians whom he influences, without ceasing.

So, if Andy Stanleys approach to the LBGTQ community is wrong, and it is, what should the Christian attitude be to a gay man or a gay woman who wants to come and worship in your church, but wants to do so while still embracing and practicing same-gender sexual relationships, expecting you and our Heavenly Father to accept such behavior?

It just so happens that I had some experience in addressing just that question many years ago before the LGBTQ community had received the acceptance it has achieved in todays America.

In the early 1970s, I was the pastor of a storefront Baptist church in the French Quarter of New Orleans. At the time, there was a significant resident homosexual population in the French Quarter, supplemented significantly by LGBTQ visitors and tourists on a daily basis. Around the corner from the church was a gay bar and a drag queen costume shop was across the street.

This was during the Jesus Movement and most of my church members were recent converts to the Christian faith. At least 90% of the churchs membership were fairly new Christians and a high percentage of them had been addicted to drugs in the fairly recent past. It was a multi-ethnic church as well, and my fiance (now my wife) and I were known as the straights.

My church members took their transformative Christian faith very seriously which meant, among other things, they were witnessing machines. I had a difficult time keeping them supplied with tracts and other witnessing materials.

Several homosexuals were converted to faith in Jesus as their Lord and Saviorsome from one-to-one witnessing and some through attending church services and hearing evangelistic sermons.

We always welcomed anyone in our churchs worship services, Bible studies, and other outreach programs, whether they were church members or not.

Christians should never discourage anyone from coming to their church for worship and spiritual sustenance. However, that is different than accepting the lifestyles they bring with them.

Our church would never accept anyone into membership (which was by baptism by immersion, subsequent to a profession of faith in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, unless by letter of recommendation from a sister Baptist church). I baptized some converts who had still not come to a conclusion about being church members. I baptized them as an act of obedience and witness to the Lord Jesus with a commitment from them that they would join a local congregation of believers when they felt convicted about when and where to join a church. (We most often counseled new converts who were not from New Orleans, many of whom were in their late teens and early 20s and who had run away from home before becoming Christians.)

We felt, with good reason, that there were a great many negative influences in New Orleansa truly wicked citythat they were better off separating themselves from physically.

We never turned anyone away who came to worship, gay, drug addicts, Satan worshipers, prostituteswe had them allbecause the ground is level at the foot of the cross and they needed to be where the Gospel was being proclaimed and taught.

However, we made it clear that we loved and accepted them because Jesus did, but that neither Jesus nor we accepted those things in their lives that were condemned as sinful by our Savior. So even if they had experienced a conversion experience, until they removed such behaviors, they could not be church members or in positions of leadership.

I believe that is the way the churches should have dealt with homosexual and lesbian believers then and now.

Those people you truly love, you tell the truth. You are not telling them the truth when you lead them to believe that God accepts their behavior.

I am not diminishing their anguish or the fact that same-sex attraction is powerful. I lived with people dealing with this issue on a daily basis for more than two years, and on a regular basis since then.

However, as an ordained minister, and as a Christian brother, I have an obligation to my Savior, in whose army I serve, and to my fellow brothers and sisters, to be a truth-teller. And according to Holy Scripture, God does not accept or bless same-sex unions or behavior, whatever ones sexual orientation may be.
Pompeo's allegations against Turkiye "exaggeration, false information": Turkish FM

Xinhua) 09:38, January 28, 2023

ANKARA, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's allegations against Turkiye in his new book contain "false information, exaggeration, and double standards," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

"It is a pity that the book said the Turkish army does not have the capacity to defeat Daesh (the Islamic State)," Cavusoglu told a press conference that was also attended by visiting Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.

"The only army fighting close combat against Daesh was the Turkish army. While we were clearing the north of Syria from Daesh, the U.S. sent the YPG and Daesh members to Afghanistan by planes and buses during Pompeo's tenure. They are responsible for the attacks in Afghanistan," Cavusoglu said.

The Turkish minister said he believed Pompeo's purpose to write the book was to propel him to the U.S. presidency.

Ankara considers the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States and the European Union and has rebelled against the Turkish government for over three decades.

Pompeo, who served as U.S. secretary of state between 2018 and 2021, said in his book "Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love" that he was worried that Ankara's plan to fight against the IS could lead to ethnic cleansing of the Kurds in Syria.

Ties between the two NATO member states have long been strained due to U.S. military support to the YPG, which cooperated with Washington in carrying out operations against the IS.

The Turkish army launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016, Operation Olive Branch in 2018, Operation Peace Spring in 2019, and Operation Spring Shield in 2020 in northern Syria targeting both the IS and the YPG groups.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
When consultants surveyed West Hartford residents about the future of LaSalle Road in the town center, plenty of people recommended banning traffic altogether to make it a pedestrian plaza.

Another group called for returning LaSalle to two-way traffic so it could again be a north-south artery and an alternative to busy South Main Street.

LaSalle Road in West Hartford Center, at center, was made one-way during the pandemic to accommodate outdoor dining. Neighbors in the area say it has changed driving patterns, directing more traffic to their streets.

Still others endorsed keeping the current one-way traffic plan to retain convenient parking and easy access to local businesses.

Were going to carefully consider everyones opinion. But we will have to make decisions, and we cant make everyone happy, said Duane Martin, director of community development for the town.

Later this year, local officials will determine how best to configure traffic flow and pedestrian routes in the town center, one of the busiest commercial and residential areas in central Connecticut.

A decision about LaSalle will be just part of their task as they look for ways to make traffic safer but also efficient, and to help local stores and restaurants without harming the hundreds of homeowners and apartment tenants nearby.

And all of the decisions must be made with an eye toward how the town center is changing: Better than 300 new apartments and condos were approved for the center just last year, and more proposals are expected this year.

Spurred by the success of Blue Back Square, retail landlords and residential developers keep close watch on real estate listings on South Main Street, Arapahoe Road, Farmington Avenue, Memorial Road, LaSalle and other nearby streets.

For residents, merchants, property owners and others with an interest in the future of the town center, Thursday evening offers the key opportunity to learn about whats being considered  and to offer opinions about how to proceed.

Stantec, a consultant helping draft the plan for reconstructing Farmington Avenue and LaSalle Road, is hosting an open house at town hall from 6 to 8 p.m. Engineers will present what theyve concluded so far, and then will conduct their last formal public input session before plans are written.

Stantec held public forums last year and surveyed people on the street as well. After Thursday night, engineers will put together specific proposals for traffic, sidewalks, bike routes and parking along two busy parts of the center: LaSalle between Ellsworth Road and Farmington Avenue, and Farmington Avenue from Walden Street to South Main.

A shopper climbs the stairs as he passes the Webster Walk at Blue Back Square on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023. (Aaron Flaum/Hartford Courant)

This will be the last time people have the opportunity to provide specific feedback in a public forum. By end of February, we need to move forward on the designs, Martin said.

The towns pedestrian and bicycle commission has been urging safety improvements for walkers and cyclists alike, and public works officials and police will get to review the consultants final recommendations before any reconstruction of Farmington Avenue or LaSalle.

East-west pedestrian traffic is expected to get even heavier in the years ahead as large residential complexes open just west of South Main. New condo owners and apartment tenants are likely to want to walk to popular Blue Back Square on the other side of South Main.

When Stantec met with the commission in December, the consultants said one possibility under review is closing LaSalle to vehicles on weekends as a trial.

The final plan will address infrastructure from vehicle lanes and turning lanes, bike lanes, bike racks, EV charging stations, parking options, traffic signal timing, crosswalk placement and more. The consultants will also recommend what becomes of outside dining facilities, which were allowed through the pandemic.

Martin is interested in the potential for a Memorial Road connector to extend westward to LaSalle, which would require negotiations with the owner of a commercial driveway. Martin noted that better public access to the parking garage at 29 South Main, which is along that driveway, could alleviate pressure for on-street parking.
Political candidates simply reflect the depraved morality of the masses

As we mark the 50th anniversary of the recently overturned Roe v Wade decision from the U.S. Supreme Court, all Christians should realize the continued urgency to prioritize the defense of the unborn.

We understand that we are living in a dark, evil time, and there is an all-out war on the family; and that war is especially being waged against children. The opportunity has never been greater to protect life.

Over the past 50 years, we have legalized murder of children in most states in this country. In fact, just until last year because of Roe v. Wade, our government had legalized the murder of over 60 million innocent lives across this country. We praise God that that horrific ruling was overturned, but the reality is the war on children is still ongoing in each individual state.

Think about this.

Any mass murderer, any serial killer, has killed far, far fewer people than your typical baby-killer masquerading as a doctor. Ted Bundy cant hold a candle to the lives that Planned Parenthood and other abortion clinics have snuffed out for decades. Unfortunately, abortion receives a fraction of the outcries and outrage that follow other, more-visible mass murderers. Why have we allowed the lives of the unborn to be accounted as nothing in the grand scheme of life?

Our apathy and dereliction of duty towards the sanctity of life has permeated our political system across all jurisdictions. In this past election cycle, Arizona had a candidate for governor, Katie Hobbs, who believed you should be allowed to murder babies without limits up to the point of birth. She won her contest, which means that more than half our state either believes its okay to murder babies or they really dont care either way. Governor Hobbs has promised to use her office to do whatever she can to bring back abortion on demand in our state.

This is the way it is in most states in America, not just Arizona. Our country is deeply divided on whether it should be legal to take the life of an unborn child; the candidates simply reflect the depraved morality of the masses. Many of these pro-abortion candidates win their elections  some by the cross-over votes of supposed pro-life voters. Across the nation, our governors mansions, our state legislatures, and our courts are filled with men and women who support this horrific attack on innocent children in the womb.

Contrary to many who want to justify their motivations for the voting booth, there is no third option. Professing Christians cannot vote for a baby-killing-supporting candidate just because they dont like the personality or the endorsements of his or her opponent. You either think it should be illegal to murder children or you dont.

And tragically there are a vast number of people in our country, including almost everyone with a megaphone, who think murdering babies is perfectly fine. Its not just confined to one party either. Members of both major political parties are guilty of supporting abortion on demand or making exceptions to murder babies months into the pregnancy.

Why?

Because children are often viewed as an obstacle to success, an obstacle to career advancement, and an obstacle to womens rights and equality. Children are not seen as a precious gift from God in our culture, the way Scripture describes them, but as an inconvenience that can be discarded for any and every reason if theyre not wanted.

In some ways, I think its correct to say that nothing pictures the war on children like abortion, and Christians have a biblical responsibility to stand up for life. Proverbs 24:11-12 tells us,

"Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back. If you say, 'See, we did not know this,' Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?"

We can defend life by voting for candidates who promise to defend the lives of the unborn, holding officials accountable for their promises to stand for life, and praying that all of our leaders have a change of heart to protect the sanctity of God-given life.

Most importantly, we must pray for our leaders to repent, turn to Christ in faith, and be delivered from their sins. Only a supernatural change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit will bring true and lasting change both now and in eternity.
Andy Stanley says gay churchgoers 'have more faith than a lot of you'

Do gay individuals who go to church have more faith than most Christians?

According to megachurch Pastor Andy Stanley, the answer, apparently, is a resounding yes.

Stanley, who leads the multi-site North Point Ministries and North Point Community Church based in Alpharetta, Georgia, said in a now-viral sermon clip that any LGBT individual who continues to go to church has "more faith than a lot of you."

"A gay person who still wants to attend church after the way they've been treated, I'm telling you, they have more faith than I do," Stanley said in the clip, which had over 1.2 million views on Twitter alone as of Thursday. "They have more faith than a lot of you."

What on earth let this be a lesson. Much evil can be done against you, others and your church under the banner of evangelism. pic.twitter.com/EArWfpTc7r  pagemasta (@AdamPage85) January 23, 2023

He also noted the courage it takes for LGBT individuals to continually attend churches that don't accept their lifestyle.

"A gay person who knows, 'You know what? I might not be accepted, but I'm going to try it anyway,' and as a straight person, have you ever, where do you go that you're not sure you're going to be accepted over and over and over?" asked Stanley.

The message  which reportedly came during North Point's Drive Conference in May 2022  also spoke directly to the "gay men and women who grew up in church and the gay men and women who've come to faith in Christ as adults, who want to participate in our church."

After acknowledging the multiple passages of Scripture that condemn homosexuality as sin, Stanley appeared to suggest that rather than a failure to repent on behalf of LGBT individuals who go to church, it was God who didn't change their hearts.

"I know 1 Corinthians 6, and I know Leviticus, and I know Romans 1, so interesting to talk about all that stuff," Stanley said. "But just, oh my goodness, a gay man or woman who wants to worship their heavenly Father, who did not answer the cry of their heart when they were 12 and 13 and 14 and 15. God said, 'No,' and they still love God?

"We have some things to learn from a group of men and women who love Jesus that much and who want to worship with us," he continued. "I know the verses; I know the clobber passages, right? We got to figure this out. And you know what? I think you are."

Stanley's North Point Ministries did not return a request for comment from The Christian Post as of Thursday afternoon.

The son of Charles Stanley, famed pastor emeritus of the First Baptist Church, Atlanta, Andy Stanley has courted controversy over his comments about the LGBT community in the past.

In 2015, Stanley said local congregations should be the "safest place on the planet for students to talk about anything, including same-sex attraction."

During a message delivered at a two-day church leadership summit in Southern California, he said: "We just need to decide, regardless of what you think about this topic  no more students are going to feel like they have to leave the local church because they're same-sex attracted or because they're gay. That ends with us."

In 2018, he also told his congregation they should "unhitch" their theology from the Old Testament.

In the final part of his "Aftermath" series, Stanley said that while he believes that the Old Testament is "divinely inspired," it should not be "the go-to source regarding any behavior in the church."

"[First century] Church leaders unhitched the church from the worldview, value system, and regulations of the Jewish scriptures," said Stanley.

"Peter, James, Paul elected to unhitch the Christian faith from their Jewish scriptures, and my friends, we must as well."

Stanley argued that it had to be done for the same reason the Church in Acts 15 did so, which was so that "we must not make it difficult for those Gentiles who are turning to God."
Pastor Jack Hibbs says mother tried to abort him but God had another plan for his life

During a sermon Sunday, megachurch Pastor Jack Hibbs shared with his congregation that he is a survivor of a failed abortion in which his mother used a heated coat hanger after facing pressure from his father.

The 65-year-old pastor of California's Calvary Chapel Chino Hills shared his support for the pro-life stance in a Jan. 22 sermon on the 50th anniversary of the since-overturned Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made abortion a national right.

In the sermon titled "The Sanctity of Life," he detailed his mother's struggles that led to the abortion attempt several years before abortion was made a national right.

"On Dec. 24, 1957, my mom was alone, putting my brother and my sister to bed, [and she] boiled a coat hanger in San Diego and attempted an abortion because she was terrified," Hibbs told the congregation.

"She didn't know anybody. She didn't know when my dad would be back after his deployment or his detail in Alaska. All she knew was, my dad said, 'when I come back, there better not be three kids in this home,'" Hibbs continued.

"And [my father] was gone for a year. And when he came home, he came home to a three-month-old and my mom's abortion attempt failed. So, this is what's really beautiful about God redeeming things and forgiving."

For those who have been involved in abortion in any way, Hibbs said there is room for God's grace if they repent.

"God wound up forgiving my mom. I watched it happen. He wound up forgiving my dad  which is very ironic. Isn't it? The very one who said: 'I don't want his life in my world. Get rid of him.' It's this reject that wound up leading my dad to Christ before he died and went to Heaven," Hibbs added, as his congregation erupted in cheers and clapping.

[My dad was] redeemable. You're redeemable. I'm redeemable. There's not one thing that you could have committed or done in life that's beyond the forgiving blood of Christ. Not one thing. The decision is yours today. Your mind and your emotions and your heart and your soul is in the valley of decisions right now, to choose what you will do with what's before you."

"God says, 'choose life and live,'" Hibbs said, adding that if a woman in his church is pregnant, they should say something to receive help.

"If you find yourself pregnant, let us know. We'll keep it quiet. We'll find a family. We'll take care of it, and we'll take care of you. We will not be a church that says: 'don't do that,' and then don't supply the needs, and then you can't obey," he said.

Because of his mothers experience, Hibbs said he is able to sympathize with the fear that pregnant women experience who are being pressured to get abortions.

"I understand a woman who has been harassed and is terrified and mortified," he said. "My mother was terrified when she attempted abortion on me. She was scared to death. I understand that," Hibbs admitted.

"My heart goes out to those that are being bullied. But, those who perform abortions lie about it, and then it's defended by a series of lies. It's big money, you know."

The pastor recited Isaiah 5:18 in reference to medical professionals who perform abortions as being those who engage in "wickedness" and "mock" God.

"Life is God's business," he said, but "man destroys it."

Hibbs asserted that Christians who worship God should believe in the sanctity of life.

"If we believe in the sanctity of life, then we believe that God was in the womb: Psalm 139; assembling the baby parts together. Before mom even knew she was pregnant, God was at work," Hibbs said.

As he concluded, Hibbs delivered a closing prayer.

"Father, we pray in Jesus' name that you, Almighty God, would continue the success that's happening in America today where abortions are decreasing, lives are being saved, people are given the chance, and the adoption industry is busy," Hibbs prayed.

"But, dear God, we pray that you forgive us as a nation. And that should restore, father, to our land: reverence of God, preservation of human life, the love for one another, even our enemies may we love them with all of our hearts. And Father, may we put ourselves in the position that as a nation, having repented, we might find your favor once again."

Hibbs previously told Calvary Chapel Magazine that he was born 21 days after his mother was hospitalized because "God saw fit to let me come into a world where I wasn't wanted."

"I was a severe stutterer from a very young age. I didn't blend in with other kids because I stuttered so much and therefore was teased, mistreated, and abused. Growing up, I never felt close to my dad," he said. "I could tell that he didn't really like me, and I felt rejected and hurt. I grew up an angry child and later, as a teen, became violent. One day, I accidently overheard my mother telling someone on the phone about the abortion attempt. At the time, I was a junior in high school and didn't really care, although I never forgot about it."

"A few years later, on June 20, 1977, I saw many young people going into a building, and I decided to follow them in. I had inadvertently stumbled into Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa," he added. "I had never been to church, and I was curious and excited to see a young hippie pastor named Greg Laurie teaching the Word of God."

Hibbs said Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, shared the message of John 3:3: "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This was the first time Hibbs had heard the Gospel and gave his life to Christ that evening.
Actor who plays pastor in new 'Left Behind' film opens up about why he left the Church

An actor who took on the role of a pastor struggling with his faith in the new rapture film "Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist" said it's ironic how he was cast in the role.

Identifying himself as a lapsed Christian who left the Church but still holds onto spirituality, Actor Charles Andrew Payne told The Christian Post about his upbringing in the Catholic Church and what led him away from the institution.

In the film, released in theatres Thursday, Payne is a narrator throughout each scene and also plays the role of Pastor Bruce Barnes, who doesn't lead a life according to what he preaches from the Bible at the start of the film.

Growing up, the 56-year-old actor attended church religiously. But negative church experiences drove him away. He recalls being turned off by the pastors he encountered, who he said did not practice what they preached.



Now, he says he'd rather believe in God and spirituality without religious church observance to avoid what he calls "sinful humanity" within churches.

"I do believe in a higher power," he said.

"Some people say 'the universe.' Some people say 'God'  whatever you want to call it. And I recognize that there is something happening in the world that's bigger and greater than myself now," Payne said.

Payne's remarks come as declining church attendance has impacted many denominations in recent decades. The rising trend of deconstructing from the faith has led some prominent believers to announce they've either left the faith entirely or left the Church or institutional religion in recent years.

The actor detailed major issues in the churches he was involved in that led him to leave and never look back.

As someone who grew up in the church, Payne said it was only natural that he would be heavily involved because he was raised by his grandparents, one of which was a devout Christian.

"The first book I learned how to read was the Bible. But, as I got older, I will freely admit that I found areas that I couldn't fully buy into," he said. "Did I have spiritual leaders in the Church that I saw were not necessarily walking the walk based on what they were preaching? Yes. And this kind of made me a little bit disillusioned. So, I stepped away from the Church, but not from my relationship with God."

"Specifically, church leaders that focus on constantly raising funds or reminding people to tithe or trying to make them feel guilty for not tithing enough, etc., I found that a bit problematic. You don't know everyone's situation, and it looks bad optically when you are always asking for more funds, and then after church, you drive away in your Mercedes."

Payne said the churches he experienced were overly focused on material things and not spirituality.

"I don't have to be part of the Church. I think my relationship with God is my relationship with, you know, whatever you want to call it. It is solid and strong," Payne said.

"My relationship with the Church; not so much. Because human frailty, human ego and human opinion sometimes get conflated in their way when the Bible should be the true spiritual message."

Throughout the film, Payne's character battles with his faith as a pastor who is left behind on earth following the rapture  which causes a large sum of Christians, including his entire family, to disappear from the earth to be taken up to Heaven.

"I grew up in the Catholic Church. But, one of the things that resonated with me with this story and the pastor that I play is that I'm a lot like him. I grew up believing fully. Then, I got to a certain age where I stopped and questioned. So now, I don't say that I'm religious. I say that I'm spiritual," Payne said.

"When it comes to pastors and people, I do think not always practicing what you preach perfectly is just human nature. And I would not be surprised if there are spiritual leaders out there who are like Pastor Barnes, talking the talk and not walking the walk. I think we know the news. We found many, many examples of that in the last few years."

In the remainder of the film, following the rapture, Payne's character develops newfound faith and begins to navigate life with others while the Antichrist has taken his place on the earth.

"Pastor Barnes has been left behind. And so, he's one of those who is now faced with a spiritual dilemma because he's never really been a fully bought-in believer in Scripture and in the stuff that he's been preaching. But, now that the rapture has happened, he's realized that this stuff is real," Payne said.

"He's been left behind. But he sees it as an opportunity for redemption and an opportunity for hope and an opportunity to work with the people who have been left behind now and find his way, and that's kind of the ark of the story."

Payne said that although he has stepped away from the Church, he has read through the entire Bible on many occasions.

Taking on the role of a pastor in the film helped solidify his faith in God. The movie also opened his eyes to issues with religion that exist naturally.

"When you step out into nature, you look around you; you cannot help but recognize that there is a greater divine presence in our world. But, organized religion, for me, sometimes does not seem to embrace that," Payne said.

Payne said his beliefs about End Times and whether there will be a rapture have not changed even after he starred in the role.

"I've read the book of Revelation. It's hard to interpret. Will there be End Times? Are we living in End Times? I am not well-informed enough to make that decision. But look around you. We know we just came through a pandemic that is not quite over yet, but it's still there. Look at the divisiveness in the world as it stands and the way human beings are treating each other," Payne said.

"I can see why some people would say: 'hey, you know, these look like End Times.' But the Bible doesn't say when it's going to happen. So, who am I to say it's going to happen? But is it a possibility? I will never ever deny that it is highly probable that at some point something might happen."

"Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist" was written by film producers Paul Lalonde, John Patus and Jessica Parker and directed by Christian actor Kevin Sorbo.

The film is an adaptation of the latest installment of the "Left Behind" series, based on the bestselling books by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.

The movie will remain in theaters for a limited run of five days.

Lalonde, the film's producer and co-writer, told The Christian Post in a statement that the film is based on a "true story" that "just hasn't happened yet."

"The current political, social and global climate is creating a perfect storm for an even greater revival of interest in what the Bible says about it all," Lalonde said. "Nothing you see on the news is surprising if you have the roadmap in your hand."

The director, Sorbo, known for his leading role as "Hercules," will appear in the film alongside Payne, Neal McDonough, Corbin Bernsen, Greg Perrow, Sarah Fisher and Sam Sorbo.

Kevin Sorbo plays the leading role of the character Rayford Steele, which was previously played by Nicolas Cage, who starred in the original 2014 film.

Payne said what attracted him to the role of Pastor Bruce was the role's dynamic.

"Imagine you get up in the morning, and the people you love are no longer there. It doesn't matter whether it's religion or what have you; they're gone. How would you feel as a human being?" he asked.

"So that's the place I started from; what would I feel like? I have a wife and two children. If I got up and they were no longer here, but I was left behind, my heart [would] hurt. I cried when I thought about that. How would I respond? How would I feel, and then I transferred that, and I pushed that out onto the character."
Mark Houck jury deadlocked, to resume Monday as pro-lifer faces up to 11 years in prison

The jury deciding the fate of Mark Houck was "deadlocked" after two-and-a-half hours of deliberation Friday in a case that could see the pro-life advocate imprisoned for up to 11 years if found guilty of a federal violation for pushing an abortion clinic escort in a verbal dispute. Jurors will reconvene on Monday.

Houck, a father of seven, is facing a federal FACE Act violation for pushing Planned Parenthood abortion clinic escort Bruce Love who verbally confronted him as he stood across the street from the clinic to counsel women about alternative options to abortion.

The pro-lifer is accused of pushing Love twice on Oct. 13, 2021, after the clinic escort walked across the street to confront Houck and his son, who was 12 years old at the time. A security camera caught the altercation that showed Love falling to the ground, injuring his elbow.

Defense attorneys requested a motion to dismiss the federal indictment Thursday. Both Houck and his son, Mark Houck Jr., testified Friday, the third day of the trial at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Pastor Bill Devlin, who has been present at the court proceedings, told The Christian Post on Thursday that he has ministered with Houck for over 20 years and is familiar with The Kings Men, of which Houck is president.

We are deep brothers in the faith, and Ive come alongside to undergird and support him because its the presumption of innocent until the government can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mark Houck violated the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, Devlin told CP.

On Thursday, Houcks attorneys, Brian McMonagle of the law firm McMonagle, Perri, McHugh, Mischak & Davis, alongside Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society, a nonprofit law firm, argued before Judge Gerald Pappert that the federal government had not made the case to prosecute Houck.

According to Devlin, McMonagle said Houck's actions were not a violation of the FACE Act, which prohibits violent, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services.

After hearing McMonagles motion to dismiss, Devlin said he heard the judge say, It appears to me that the U.S. government is stretching the statute of the FACE Act.

Devlin told CP that federal prosecutors argued that Houck committed two violations of the FACE Act by allegedly preventing someone from entering the abortion clinic and causing bodily injury by pushing Love, the clinic escort who fell to the ground.

McMonagle argued, according to Devlin, that the shove which resulted in Love falling to the ground was initiated by Love, who, as the defense attorney noted, was in violation of the non-engagement policy described in Planned Parenthoods volunteer escort manual.

The volunteer manual instructs escorts not to engage with the pro-life sidewalk counselors outside the clinic. McMonagle argued that Love caused the altercations by violating the clinics nonengagement policy.

Devlin said the defense attorney argued that the case never should have been brought to federal court and the fact that it was brought to federal court is a disgrace.

The first interaction between Houck and Love took place on the opposite side of the street from the Planned Parenthood clinic where Houck was attempting to talk with two women who had already left the facility when Love ran up to them and interrupted, appearing to violate the non-engagement policy.

The U.S. Department of Justice has claimed that Houck violated the FACE Act during the altercation in which he twice pushed Love, who had walked across the street to confront the pro-life counselors.

Houck maintains that he was defending his son from the clinic escort, who was reportedly behaving in an aggressive manner toward the boy and had gotten in his sons face after he tried to walk away from Love.

Devlin said that during every court recess, he would take people outside and lead them in prayer. Many are also fasting in addition to praying that God will bring the victory now.

We're hoping and praying that reason and common sense will prevail, that the jurors, the 12 jurors, and the two alternates will understand that this case should never have ended up in federal court.
Beloved Washington pastor, grandfather charged with drug-trafficking, money laundering

Just over a year ago, as he was pictured on Facebook officiating a wedding, Washington pastor and grandfather Steve Parker was praised as an amazing man of God. Earlier this month, however, detectives in Skagit County arrested Parker, who allegedly had a stockpile of guns and drugs, after getting a tip that he was on his way to becoming a high level drug dealer, and his clean-cut family knew nothing about his double life.

On his Facebook page, Parker, 57, introduces himself as a new convert, a soul in the midst of spiritual growth. A fish on the line. He also lists himself as the director at NEST Ministries and founder and executive director of Omni-Manna Services, which is a supportive employment and housing service.

We work within Snohomish County for those who have had troubled pasts, addictions, or just down on their luck. With the help of ProviderOne we are able to help find employment and low cost housing while counseling our clients through the process, the Omni-Manna Services website says.

On Facebook, there are wholesome photos of Parker with family and friends and even a video of him belting out an inspiring rendition of Andrae Crouchs The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power.

In court records reviewed by The Christian Post, the Skagit County Interlocal Drug Enforcement Unit said they got a tip from sources in November 2022 that Parker had been distributing controlled substances in the counties of Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom.

Information obtained from these sources is that Steve Parker has started to become a higher level drug dealer and that he possesses firearms, and deals fentanyl powder, fentanyl pills, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine, an affidavit of probable cause explains. Sources told detectives that Steve Parker is a pastor and that he has a business that helps people with addiction problems by assisting them with housing and jobs, although he deals drugs as well.

On Jan. 19, as he drove his 2002 Subaru in Mount Vernon, police swooped down on Parker and found him with approximately two ounces of fentanyl powder and a loaded handgun. Deputies also noticed he had a live feed camera on his phone, and he turned it off as they were contacting him.

Acting later on a search warrant, detectives searched the Subaru and discovered more than 2.7 pounds of methamphetamine, some 2,000 counterfeit pills, another ounce of fentanyl powder and cocaine.

Parker admitted the drugs were cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. Detectives also located packaging material commonly used in the distribution of drugs along with drug scales, the affidavit says. Parker also admitted he knew fentanyl was a very dangerous drug, and he has provided Narcan to an overdose victim in the past.

Parker further told police that he needed multiple drug suppliers because he sources were not consistent and bragged about being a good drug dealer, saying he is good at business.

He also confessed to leading a double life and having two houses where he kept his godly life and criminal behavior separate.

The house in Tulalip is where he conducts his criminal behavior and has a girlfriend. During the search warrant, detectives located several firearms and discovered there were surveillance cameras both inside and outside the home, court records note.

At the second home, Parker lived with his wife and mother-in-law, along with approximately 14 other people living on the property.

Parker said they did not know about his criminal activities. That was confirmed by detectives while servicing a warrant at that home, investigators note.

A total of 30 firearms were recovered from both homes.

In a Jan. 20 appearance at the Superior Court of Washington County of Skagit, Parker was charged with possession with intent to distribute cocaine as well as fentanyl and methamphetamine which both came with a firearm enhancement. He was also charged with counterfeiting controlled substances, maintaining a vehicle for drug trafficking; money laundering and conspiracy to deliver methamphetamine, fentanyl and/or cocaine. All the charges are felonies.

Bail was set at $750,000. He is set to appear in court again on Feb. 2 at 9:30 a.m.
Rabbi uses ChatGPT to write sermon; theologian warns of AI 'idolatry'

In what might be the latest sign of things to come, a rabbi in New York has become the first Jewish teacher to deliver a sermon written entirely by artificial intelligence.

Before teaching on Genesis 44, Rabbi Joshua Franklin of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons in New York, told his congregation that his AI-written sermon was, in fact, written by ChatGPT, according to the Times of Israel.

Were going to do something new tonight, maybe something at first youre going to say is unethical, but Im going to do it anyways, Franklin said during the message in early January.

The rabbi began reading the lesson on Genesis 44:18, when Judah pleads with Joseph for the release of Benjamin, offering himself as a slave instead. Joseph then reveals his true identity to the brothers who betrayed him.

When he was finished, he revealed the truth.

Artificial intelligence wrote that. It constructed it. Look, if I read that, I would know the various faux pas. There are distinctive markers that aren't how many rabbis would speak, he told the congregation.

Following the crowds reaction and applause, Franklin said the real issue is how AI will impact what the world considers spiritual.

How does spirituality function in a world thats driven by data and driven by information? Franklin asked.

Thats a question that theologians have grappled with for decades as AI has leapfrogged from the simple task management of Siri and other gadgets to being used to design self-flying planes, paint works of art and even consider moral dilemmas for AI-driven driverless cars.

But when it comes to the pulpit, most pastors are unlikely to be left unscathed by the age of AI, according to theologian and bestselling author Wallace Henley, who said he was stunned to learn about the rabbis sermon.

Ive certainly used the computer to do research and develop outlines, Henley told The Christian Post. But when it comes to doing a full manuscript as the machine itself, putting together all of those elements, Im stunned.

The great question is, what are we going to allow the machines to do to and for us, and what are we going to govern ourselves? And so, it stuns me that an entire sermon can be developed, not just the research.

Who Will Rule The Coming Gods?: The Looming Spiritual Crisis of AI

In a recent CP column titled Can artificial intelligence worship God?, Henley warned that the Church faces a coming spiritual crisis that will be grounded in what he calls the ultimate idolatry, which is the worship of the machine.

We've got to understand the spiritual crisis that's coming, and the spiritual crisis is going to be the ultimate idolatry, which is the worship of the machine. And already, we've seen many signs of that, he wrote.

Henley told CP the context for that looming crisis will be the potential for a world brimming with AI-gleaned data but lacking the spirit which comes from God alone.

We human beings are wired for transcendence, we are spirit, soul and body. You can make a machine that has a kind of body, you can even attribute some level of soul to a machine, that is, by putting in certain values that it's supposed to think about before it does anything, but you cannot put a spirit in that machine, he said.

This is what distinguishes a human being ... that spirit hungers for God like the body hungers for water and for oxygen.

In 2020, a New York-based engineer created an AI algorithm programmed to read passages of Scripture from the King James Bible "and nothing else.

George Durendal used a natural-language processing system that ultimately led the AI to read, speak and write using nothing but the Bible," the engineer wrote in August 2020.

So where does that leave pastors and ministers whose entire livelihoods are based on teaching and preaching the Word of God?

While Henley believes AI can help communicate the Gospel more efficiently and research how to do so, he warns about potentially unexpected consequences.

If we begin to allow the AI machine to shape our theology or drive the ethical values and so forth and dictate that to us, then were in trouble, he said. Yes, the church must use and accept AI as a means of helping its performance task, but the Church must not become an idolater ... in the sense of fresh revelation or a substitute for the Holy Spirit.

That will never satisfy us.
Florida church to teach banned AP African American Studies course: 'Our way of evangelism'

A Florida church has offered space for teaching an Advanced Placement African-American Studies course rejected by the Florida Department of Education due to course content the DeSantis administration considers "indoctrination."

Pastor Andy Oliver of Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg is offering his church as a space to teach AP African American Studies after the state's Department of Education informed the College Board that it was not going to add the course to the state's Course Code Directory.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Oliver said he sees teaching the content of the course as essential to his congregation's mission.

"We have an important job as Christians to know our history, to know the history of harm specifically that African Americans have experienced in this country," he said. "I lead a congregation that sees it as a central part of our faith to stand with those who are marginalized and oppressed because that's where Jesus always located himself."

When asked how his congregation will come up with the resources necessary to teach the course, Oliver remarked, "It's central to our faith so that we will foot the bill."

"This is part of discipleship; this is our way of evangelism. This is central to our mission," he said.

Oliver told CP that although the church is still finalizing the plan for the course and where it will take place, "we're moving forward with it." The church's plans "are not concrete yet, but we've talked to almost a half-dozen teachers and looking at a team-teaching approach," Oliver said.

The individuals Oliver has talked to about possibly teaching the course include three people who are either "part of our congregation" or people he personally knows and three additional "members of the community."

He said that "it's yet to be seen whether we do this in a partnership with a private school and students can get credit for it or if we just offer it broadly to anyone who wants to take it and it's not necessarily for credit."

"Either way, I think there will probably be an online component to it," he said.

The church's offer comes after the Florida Department of Education's Office of Articulation wrote a Jan. 12 letter to the College Board informing the oversight body that the course doesn't comply with state law.

"The content of this course is inexplicably contrary to Florida law and lacks educational value," the letter reads.

The relevant state law, known as the Stop WOKE Act, outlines a list of concepts that schools must not teach because they constitute discrimination based on "race, color, national origin, or sex."

This is the letter sent by the DeSantis administration to the College Board, informing them that a proposed new African American Studies AP curriculum runs afoul of FL law & has been rejected in its current form. We wrote about this yesterday: https://t.co/2Qm5rjdYszpic.twitter.com/GfiftuwWoD  Guy Benson (@guypbenson) January 20, 2023

Specifically, the law bans any "training or instruction" advancing ideas insisting that "Members of one race, color, national origin, or sex are morally superior to members of another race, color, national origin, or sex," "a person, by virtue of his or her race, color, national origin, or sex is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously," or "a person's moral character or status as either privileged or oppressed is necessarily determined by his or her race, color, national origin, or sex."

The ideas prohibited by the Stop WOKE Act correspond with the ideology of critical race theory. Encyclopedia Brittanica defines critical race theory as an "intellectual and social movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of color."

Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz elaborated on the concerns with the course's curriculum in a tweet last week, saying it is "filled with Critical Race Theory" and an example of "woke indoctrination masquerading as education."

One topic included in the course deals with "Intersectionality and Activism." The Department of Education described the idea of intersectionality as "foundational to CRT," noting that it "ranks people based on their race, wealth, gender, and sexual orientation."

Despite the lies from the Biden White House, Florida rejected an AP course filled with Critical Race Theory and other obvious violations of Florida law. We proudly require the teaching of African American history. We do not accept woke indoctrination masquerading as education. pic.twitter.com/Anw7Ui2JJv  Manny Diaz Jr. (@SenMannyDiazJr) January 20, 2023

The Department of Education expressed reservations about the inclusion of works by Angela Davis, a "self-identified Communist and Marxist," and Kimberle Crenshaw, the "'founder' of intersectionality," in the course curriculum.

Additional topics that concerned the state include "Black Queer Studies," "Black Feminist Literary Thought," "The Reparations Movement," "Black Study and Black Struggle in the 21st Century," as well as "Movements for Black Lives."

"Movement for Black Lives is an organization with stated objectives that include eliminating prisons and jails, ending pretrial detention, and concluding 'the war on Black trans, queer, gender non-conforming, and intersex people," the department explained. Additional readings flagged by the Florida Department of Education advance narratives of "white supremacist superstructures" and a "white supremacist capitalist patriarchy" while the unit on reparations provides "no critical perspective or balancing opinion."

Diaz vowed, "if College Board decides to revise its course to comply with Florida law, we will come back to the table."

In a tweet Tuesday, Bryan Griffin, the press secretary for Florida's Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, retweeted a story announcing that the College Board plans to issue a revised framework for the AP African American Studies course, attributing the development to DeSantis's "principled stand for education over identity politics."

Excellent news. Thanks to @GovRonDeSantis' principled stand for education over identity politics, the College Board will be revising the course for the entire nation.



The Florida Department of Education (@EducationFL) will review the changes for compliance once resubmitted. https://t.co/p4JWwsKGay  Bryan Griffin (@BryanDGriffin) January 24, 2023

DeSantis, widely seen as a contender for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, addressed the controversy in remarks Monday. Pushing back on the implication that not approving the course amounted to an effort to prevent schools from teaching African American history, DeSantis stressed that "In the state of Florida, our education standards not only don't prevent but they require teaching black history."

Education is about the pursuit of truth, not the imposition of ideology or the advancement of a political agenda. pic.twitter.com/Hete9aeHlF  Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) January 23, 2023

Oliver believes DeSantis's potential presidential aspirations played a role in his decision to oppose the AP African American studies class.

"The state is led by someone who's running for president, and unfortunately, he's doing so on the backs of black and brown people and transgender persons," Oliver said.

DeSantis has yet to announce his 2024 candidacy officially.

Oliver described the College Board's effort to "restructure the class in order to accommodate Florida" as "a shame." He indicated that his church plans to "offer the full course as it was intended to be taught" even if the state of Florida approved a revised version of the class.

"It very well may not be an official class. It may be more of a 'this is what this class was all about,'" Oliver said.
5 Christian students killed in car crash spent final week attending Bible classes: 'They finished the race'

The five students who were killed in a car accident while on their way home to Arkansas from a Bible college in Wyoming were devout Christians who spent their final week on Earth attending Bible classes and communing with other like-minded young adults, the school has revealed.

Sylvan Hills High School seniors Susana "Suzy" Prime and Ava Luplow, Salomon Correa, 21, Maggie Franco, 20, and 23-year-old Andrea Prime, Suzy's sister, were fatally injured in a multi-car collision on Sunday while on their way back from a church-sponsored trip to Jackson Hole Bible College in Wyoming.

In a statement, the Bible college revealed the young adults had spent the week before the accident sitting in on classes and getting to know this year's student body, as well as catching up with staff who were previous classmates to three of them.

All five attended Faith Bible Fellowship in North Little Rock, Arkansas, a church of beloved brothers and sisters in Christ who we have come to love beyond words, the statement said. It is with inexpressible joy that we tell you that our friends had placed their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. As a result, we know they are currently with Him, a reality we are quite envious of.

There is no doubt that what they are currently seeing through their eyes is unspeakable joy, as they have finished the race set before them and are now enjoying fellowship with their Savior.

The five young adults were driving 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.

The driver of the Dodge Ram who allegedly caused the wrong-way crashes has not been identified. Officials said the individual "may receive future charges as the investigation unfolds."

Following the accident, the five young people were remembered by their church and community for their strong faith and commitment to evangelism.

Lydia VanderVate, who grew up going to church with the group, told KARK, It feels like my heart is broken.  They all had such bubbly personalities, could get along, always laughing with each other.

Ruth and Betsy Peters, owners of the Humble Crumb bakery, where three of the students had worked, said they take 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."

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."

On Facebook, Faith Bible Fellowship said there will be a combined funeral service held for Salomon, Andrea, Maggie, Ava and Suzy at 10 a.m. on Feb. 4 at the Sylvan Hills High School Performing Arts Center.
Catholic priest convicted of blocking Planned Parenthood entrance, could face prison time

A Catholic priest was found guilty in federal court of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act for placing locks on the entrance to a Long Island Planned Parenthood abortion facility in July 2022.

Father Fidelis Moscinski faces the possibility of six months in federal prison after being convicted in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York on Monday.

The FACE Act prohibits "violent, threatening, damaging, and obstructive conduct intended to injure, intimidate, or interfere with the right to seek, obtain, or provide reproductive health services."

A Thursday press release from the Thomas More Society, a nonprofit law firm representing Moscinski, highlighted arguments from the firm's Special Counsel Christopher Ferrara, who claimed there is no "jurisdictional basis" for the application of the FACE Act.

"Planned Parenthood's own witness admitted that no appointments were cancelled that day, and there was no significant effect on its business," Ferrara noted.

"Father Moscinski's purely local, non-violent conduct at most constituted disorderly conduct under the New York Penal Law and had no impact on interstate commerce, which is the supposed basis for Congress' authority to enact the FACE Act."

The priest is scheduled to be sentenced on April 24, 2023. The Thomas More Society intends to file an appeal on Moscinski's behalf.

After the local fire department removed the locks Moscinski had placed on the facility's entrance gate in July, the Catholic priest laid in the driveway before local police arrested him for obstructing traffic.

In September 2022, the Department of Justice charged Moscinski with violating the FACE Act.

Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, alleged that the pro-life advocate "attempted to prevent women from accessing their legal right to vital reproductive and pregnancy services."

The Thomas More Society, in addition to other pro-life groups, feel that the DOJ's enforcement of the law is unfair, raising concerns about what they think is an inadequate response to the wave of violence against pro-life organizations and churches.

"At Students for Life of America and Students for Life Action, we are very concerned about a weaponized Department of Justice using the law against pro-life Americans as well as ignoring crimes against them," Kristi Hamrick, vice president of media and policy for Students for Life Action, told The Christian Post in a Friday statement.

Hamrick, who also serves as the chief media and policy strategist for Students for Life of America, highlighted an incident in December where the abortion activist collective Jane's Revenge allegedly left a note on a Nebraska-based Catholic ministry center threatening to carry out a mass shooting if the state passed an abortion ban.

Jane's Revenge claimed responsibility for various attacks against pro-life pregnancy centers and churches following the leak of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization last May. The ruling, which came in June, overturned the 1973 decision that made abortion a national right.

Hamrick questioned the authorities' apparent lack of concern over the threatening message and other cases of vandalism and threats of violence against pro-life Americans.

The note was placed on the door of the St. John Paul II Newman Center, where Students for Life members planned to meet and discuss strategies for closing a late-term abortion facility in Bellevue, Nebraska, via the organization's Campaign for Abortion Free Cities.

"If our right to abortion in Bellevue is taken away due to the attempt to pass an abortion ban and it gets passed we will shoot up your Newman center with our new AR74 rifles," the message read.

Before the incident, eight cities in Nebraska had declared themselves "sanctuary cities for the unborn," ordinances prohibiting abortions from taking place within city limits. Students for Life of America is pushing for the ordinance to be enacted in Bellevue.

The Students for Life leader also criticized the DOJ permitting the U.S. Postal Service to mail abortion drugs, which Hamrick said is "an extraordinary dereliction of duty."

Hamrick believes Moscinski's case "adds to the impression that the DOJ has thrown out the law in exchange for abortion activism.

"We support Congressional investigations into DOJ activity," she said.

As The Christian Post reported, the DOJ announced Monday that two individuals had been indicted in connection with the vandalism of three pregnancy resource centers in Florida.

The grand jury for 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."

If convicted, the individuals face up to 12 years in prison and fines of up to $350,000.

However, no arrests have been made related to the firebombing of a pro-life pregnancy center near Buffalo, New York, last year.
For one Bridgeport mother, it took three weeks to learn that her son could register for school without disclosing their immigration status. The school district didnt provide her any resources in her native language  Spanish  to help with the process, she said.

One Hartford mother said she needs to use her phone to translate every paper and form thats sent home from her sons school. She told her son to explain to his sixth-grade teacher that the forms would be returned late because she didnt have help to understand what the documents meant. His teacher told him that was just an excuse, she said.

The two sentiments, shared at a recent press conference at the Capitol, illustrated what lawmakers called an ongoing struggle for parents who dont speak English to actively participate in their childrens education.

It never ceases to amaze me how many bills we pass every year that I feel should have been done decades ago and how many obstacles we have faced to deliver basic human rights, said Rep. Antonio Felipe, one of the lawmakers who introduced House Bill 6211, which advocates for a statewide bill of rights for parents of English language learners.

We stand here today because its critically important that people can learn in their own languages, people can be involved in the outcomes of students and their children for years to come, and that has not been the case, Felipe said. And as I said, for decades, it should have been.

Felipe said his district, in Bridgeport, has made local efforts, but its time to ensure the initiative is consistent statewide.

The bill of rights would include that parents of an ELL student have the right for information to be communicated in the language instruction program that their child is taught in, in addition to the presentation and clarification of 17 rights, including that children may receive a free public education regardless of immigration status and that parents are able to request a qualified translator for critical interactions.

Rep. Juan R. Candelaria, D-New Haven, who introduced the bill with Felipe, said he was an ELL student over four decades ago and was lucky that his mother was able to advocate for him, as well as knowing how to navigate the school system to ensure he got the education he needed.

However, he noted, many students arent as lucky.

I hear parents stories about  Unfortunately, theres multiple models out there for ELL, but none of them have been discussed with me, or my child. Which one is best for my child?' Candelaria said. There needs to be a dialogue. Not one individual knows what fits a student with multiple learning abilities, and each model may work, but we have to engage the parent. They need to be part of the process.

The process begins with making translators more readily available, according to several community organizations such as Make the Road Connecticut, ConnCAN, United Parents and Students and the Center for Childrens Advocacy that attended the press conference.

I would often see many of my friends at school trying to translate for their parents, as well as the complications and barriers it created for them. This was decades ago, and its the same today in 2023  That still persists among many students and their families, said Roman Garcia, a life-long Connecticut resident, father and spokesperson for ConnCAN.

Garcia urged the state to do better as the number of English language learners surpasses 45,000 students and continues to grow.

It is crucial that English language learners and their parents are given the same rights and opportunities as that of others, Garcia said. No student, no child, no parent should ever be treated differently simply because English is not their first language. Communication is key is a statement I would always hear. With that being said, how can parents play an active role in their childs education if theres a language barrier? How can students participate in extracurricular activities at school if theres no one to communicate with or translate for them in a language they can understand and speak?

Currently, local school districts are mandated by the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and state statutes to provide non-English speaking students equal opportunity access to education, Stacey Violante Cote, an attorney at the Center for Childrens Advocacy, said.

In order to properly serve all students, effective techniques and curriculum for English language learners are essential. Federal law requires that English language learner students be empowered to participate meaningfully and equally in educational programs, Violante Cote said.

We have a list of explicit rights that must be included so as to ensure educational access and programming for ELLs and their parents, Violante Cote said. Parents play a fundamental role in their childs education. They must have meaningful access to their childs education, otherwise students cannot progress and thrive.

Jessika Harkay is a reporter for The Connecticut Mirror (https://ctmirror.org/ ). Copyright 2023 (c) The Connecticut Mirror.
'Pagan idol to abortion': Critics lambast NYC's Ruth Bader Ginsburg statue as 'satanic'

A sculpture of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg atop a New York City courthouse is attracting criticism, with observers claiming the statue has a "demonic" appearance and celebratory nature towards abortion.

The sculpture, titled "NOW," was designed by Pakistani American artist Shahzia Sikander, who claims that the statue is part of an "urgent" and "necessary cultural reckoning" in New York.

The citizens of New York should be outraged that their hard-earned tax dollars have been used for such an offensive display, Penny Nance, CEO of the social conservative activist group Concerned Women for America, the nations largest womens public policy organization, told The Christian Post in an email.

This is the same city that just tore down a statue of Teddy Roosevelt because it was too controversial but a satanic symbol to glorify the murder of a child in the womb is not? No wonder New Yorkers are leaving in droves. No one should be forced to look at this disgusting graven image of evil. Tear down this statue.

Billy Gribbin, communications director for Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., wrote in a Wednesday tweet that "[t]hey turned abortion into a pagan idol to worship and put it on a courthouse."

A new statue atop a New York City courthouse. The artist says its part of an urgent and necessary cultural reckoning underway as New York reconsiders traditional representations of power in public spaces and recasts civic structures to better reflect 21st-century social mores. pic.twitter.com/4IFRj7hCsf  Andrew Beck (@AndrewBeckUSA) January 25, 2023

New Founding and American Firebrand digital director Logan Hall also took issue with the statue, writing that "decline is a choice" in a Wednesday tweet.

"NYC is taking down a statue honoring teddy roosevelt and putting up a statue honoring some hideous abortion idol," Hall wrote.

In another tweet critiquing the statue, Micaiah Bilger, a staff writer for LifeNews.com, called the figure "demonic."

"When Gavin Newsom, Gretchen Whitmer and others promise to 'fight like hell' for abortion, I think we need to start taking them literally," Bilger wrote. "Abortion is demonic."

The statue of Ginsburg was installed last week on the roof of the Appellate Division Courthouse of New York State, First Department on Madison Avenue.

Sikander's artwork depicts the justice with braided hair in the shape of rams horns, skeletal branches protruding from each side like tiny arms, and wearing a lace apron resembling the one Ginsburg wore over her robe.

Daily Wire podcast host and author Andrew Klavan tweeted that the "New York Courthouse has added this aesthetic atrocity to its sculptures of great lawmakers."

"It is meant to honor Ruth Bader Ginsburg's pro-abortion stance by depicting a woman with demonic goat-horns who has clearly lost the power to reproduce," Klavan wrote. "Or something."

According to a Wednesday profile of the statue by The New York Times, it marks the first female figure to adorn the court's building. The courthouse's plinths contained statues of male lawgivers before the recent addition of Ginsburg.

"She is a fierce woman and a form of resistance in a space that has historically been dominated by patriarchal representation," Sikander told NYT.

The artist said that the statue is titled "NOW" because it's needed "now" as states enact abortion restrictions due to the overturn of Roe v. Wade last summer. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that there is no constitutional right to abortion, restoring regulatory authority over the practice to the states.

Another statue Sikander designed is an 18-foot tall recreation of the same statue, except this piece depicts Ginsburg wearing a metal cage as a hoop skirt. The statue, titled "Witness," is located in Madison Square Park across from the court building.

"Struggle is a never ending process. Freedom is never really won," Sikander wrote in a tweet last week.

"'You earn it and win it in every generation.' Never fading words by Coretta Scott King. Inspired and humbled that Havah..to breathe, air, life' 'NOW' & 'Witness' are open on MLK day Jan16, 2023."

While Ginsburg consistently voted to strike down abortion restrictions during her tenure on the nation's high court, the late justice voiced objections to the reach of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and its impact.

During a talk at the University of Chicago Law School on May 11, 2013, Ginsburg stated, "Roe isn't really about the woman's choice, is it? It's about the doctor's freedom to practice.  It wasn't woman-centered, it was physician-centered."

"My criticism of Roe is that it seemed to have stopped the momentum on the side of change," Ginsburg added.

In 2019, Ginsburg recalled when President Bill Clinton considered nominating her to the Supreme Court in 1993 during an appearance on "The David Rubenstein Show: Peer-to-Peer Conversations." The justice claimed that the Texas abortion law before the Roe ruling was the most "extreme" in the nation, only permitting abortion if the mother's life was in danger.

"I thought that Roe v. Wade was an easy case and the Supreme Court could have held that most extreme law unconstitutional and put down its pen," she said. "Instead, the court wrote an opinion that made every abortion restriction in the country illegal in one fell swoop, and that was not the way that the court ordinarily operates."
How a Christian's investment portfolio should look different

May your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

These words were uttered by none other than Jesus Christ, creator of Heaven and earth, and His followers have been praying these words for millennia ever since. Through darkness and light, in evil circumstances and good, in times ancient and modern.

These are old words. I was recently on business in the Vatican City, and my wife and I attended worship inside St. Peters Basilica, a holy place effused with age and significance. I am not Catholic, but you do not have to be in order to be touched by the weight of time and endurance of the Word of God throughout time, which is palpable and physically on display in that old place, surrounded by ancient relics and old stories, despite our sin and failure.

As the words of our Lords prayer left my lips under the watchful gaze of stone saints who themselves prayed and preserved those exact words through the ages, even unto martyrdom, I was struck by the significance of our part in keeping old words alive, in word and deed.

How do we personally and corporately carry those ancient words on earth as it is in Heaven as the Church in our modern time? And for us in the investment industry, how do we carry those ancient words in our daily work?

To pray is to work, and to work is to pray. On earth as it is in Heaven indeed is our prayer, and it is also our God-ordained task. Our modern work must echo our ancient prayers. Whatever our work, there are three principles involved in working our prayer of your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven into physical existence: (1) supporting what is good; (2) opposing what is evil; and, (3) restoring what is broken.

As investors, we have the opportunity, and I would say the calling, to incarnate this heavenly vision with a uniquely transformational impact. Where we place capital matters. Are the companies we invest in through public or private markets, stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, 401(k), or whatever investment vehicle worthy of the support of Gods people? Do they represent a heavenly good that we can support? Does their work, in some small or large way, reflect Gods will and Gods Kingdom purposes?

Certainly, there is a spectrum here, and there are no companies that come close to actual heavenly perfection, but so long as we have the opportunity, are we actively choosing to allocate Gods capital toward those businesses which more closely align with His will than others?

While we go about our prayerful task of investing money toward this heavenly vision, we find that we are not only confronted by a spectrum of companies in relation to the good that they produce but by a spectrum of companies in relation to the evil that they promote.

Abortion drug manufacturers (please step forward, Pfizer, et al.), pornography distributors (Im looking at you, Netflix and Amazon), aiders and abettors of human trafficking (that would be you, Meta-Facebook), and all manner of businesses that perpetrate sin and folly upon creation pollute the investment landscape with their ungodly filth.

To invest on earth as it is in Heaven requires us to be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves, to sharply distinguish evil from good, and to oppose such evil with whatever means we have been given. Can such investments have any place in the portfolio of an investor seeking Gods will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven? May it never be counted among the people of God to be complacent partakers of the profits of such evil.

Perhaps the only place such companies might have in Christendoms portfolio is when we have a real opportunity to make a difference that only an investor could make. To actively and strongly pull a company out of the muck and mire through proxy, resolution, petition or other means. To renew what is broken is the heart of God; to be a sanctifying influence is to join God in His redemptive plan. To be sure, there is no way to redeem abortion drug manufacturing or pornography or other similarly despicable businesses. Their only proper end is to be crushed with the serpent under the heel of Christ, and as the body of Christ here on earth, investors may sometimes be called to be Christs heel.

However, I find the more common situation is a company with stains that we, as investors, by the grace of God, can wash away, crooked parts we can help straighten. This means we cannot be idle, passive investors. Instead, we must invest with intention and engage either directly ourselves or by partnership, such as by investing with a Christian asset manager who engages on your behalf.

We must speak biblical truth to corporate power, and when corporate power bends the knee to that truth, we rejoice, and when it remains stiff-necked and rebellious, we must shake the dust from our feet and invest Gods money elsewhere.

Investment creates. What are your investments creating? Is it a world where Gods will is done on earth as it is in Heaven? Or is it something else, something less? Investing toward the heavenly vision requires us as Christian investors to Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good (Romans 12:9) with every investment we make or decline to make, as the case may be. Then we will find ourselves treading the footsteps of holy men and women who came long before us, playing our role in the age we have been placed to carry and keep the old words on earth as it is in Heaven until He comes.

Truly, may your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, oh Lord! Come, Lord Jesus, come!
5 important facts about Holocaust Remembrance Day

Friday marks Holocaust Remembrance Day, an annual international observance that honors the memory of the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust.

This year, the United Nations announced that it will host a ceremony at the United Nations General Assembly Hall that will center on the theme of Home and Belonging.

The theme Home and Belonging highlights the humanity of the Holocaust victims and survivors, who had their home and sense of belonging ripped from them by the perpetrators of the Holocaust, explained the global body. The violence of exclusion began with disinformation and hate speech that lent support to systemic injustice and discrimination, and marginalization and ended with genocidal killing.

The U.N. went on to note that this years theme reminds us of our responsibility to respond with humanity to the victims of atrocity crimes, to counter hate speech, antisemitism, Holocaust distortion and denial, and prejudice  to do all we can to prevent genocide.

Here are five important facts about Holocaust Remembrance Day, including why Jan. 27 is the date for the international observance, why Israel observes it on a different day, and how much Americans know about the World War II-era genocide.

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Connecticut police and officials across all branches of government are condemning the acts of the now ex-Memphis officers who brutally beat Tyre Nichols in a fatal case the president said is a painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.

Memphis authorities Friday released more than an hour of footage of the violent beating of Nichols in which officers held the Black motorist down and struck him repeatedly as he screamed for his mother.

The video was released one day after the officers were charged with murder in Nichols death.

The release of the video drew immediate and powerful reactions from officials across the nation and in Connecticut.

President Joe Biden said he was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols death.

It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day., Biden said in a statement from the White House. My heart goes out to Tyre Nichols family and to Americans in Memphis and across the country who are grieving this tremendously painful loss. The footage that was released this evening will leave people justifiably outraged. Those who seek justice should not to resort to violence or destruction. Violence is never acceptable; it is illegal and destructive. I join Mr. Nichols family in calling for peaceful protest.

The footage shows police savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes. The Nichols family legal team has likened the assault to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.

The five officers are charged with murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. One of the officers was a Bloomfield High School graduate.

Protests were planned in Connecticut and elsewhere, as occurred following the killing of George Floyd. Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after a white police officer pinned the Black man to the ground with his knee on his neck for 9 1/2 minutes. Floyds death touched off protests around the world and forced a painful national reckoning with police brutality and racism.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said in a statement that the severity of the charges brought against the officers and their swift dismissal from the police force is a step toward accountability but cautioned that more work must be done.

Under no circumstances should the outcome of a routine traffic stop be the death of an innocent Black man, Murphy said. 32 years after the nation was transfixed by eerily similar footage of the beating of Rodney King, its time to ask: have we made any progress at all? Last year, killings by the police in the United States reached an all-time high. Congress must recognize that without systemic reform that addresses the root causes of this violence, Tyres death will just be one of over a thousand fatal police interactions in 2023.

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called the video stomach turning and heartbreaking in a statement.

We cannot turn away from Tyre Nichols brutal death. His family, community, all America demand and deserve justice, he said.

Gov. Ned Lamont on Saturday said a more just society must be created for everyone and he is committed to continuing that work in Connecticut.

Tyre Nichols should be alive today., Lamont said in a statement. His life matters, and my heart breaks for his family, friends, and loved ones. His last word was mom,' I was struck by the beautiful photos taken by Tyre, which serve as a stark contrast to the horrifying video and images released last night. His family and our nation deserve a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation.

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, also in a statement Saturday, said the treatment, beating and ultimately killing of Nichols at the hands of officers from the Memphis Police Department is not only disgusting and enraging, but completed depraved.

I am devastated for the Nichols family, and my heart goes out to his friends and loved ones, and to his mother, who had to hear her son cry out for her in his final moments. My thoughts are with his family and the City of Memphis during this tragic time., Bysiewicz said. It is incumbent upon us as leaders to ensure our criminal justice system lives up to its principles of equality and impartial justice, and we will continue to work together to ensure accountability at our state and local levels.

The condemnation of what occurred and the action of those police officers drew statement Hartfords police chief and policing officials across Connecticut.

Here are portions of those statements:

Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody

As someone who has dedicated most of my life to this profession, I will say that what occurred on January 7th in Memphis Tennessee is an absolute outrage, and I am angry beyond words. We have worked tirelessly with our community over the past few years to be better, to show that we are better, and to build and strengthen a relationship that is based on trust. The actions of the five police officers in Memphis were sickening not only to myself, but also to the men and women of the Hartford Police Department.

What those officers in Memphis did was deplorable and a fundamental violation of the oath they swore to uphold. In this case, those sworn to protect and maintain public safety became violent criminals while wearing a badge of public trust.

Joint statement by Connecticut State Police Col. Stavros Mellekas and Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner James Rovella

The officials offered apologies and prayers to the Nichols family.

Those five officers broke their solemn oath to protect and serve. They betrayed the entire profession for all of us who put on a badge every day to proudly protect and serve. They should be held accountable and anyone else like them, Mellekas and Rovella said.

Connecticut Police Chiefs Association

The organization called the brutality incomprehensible.

The actions of the officers, and equally as disturbing, the inaction of others, is inexcusable and an insult to the work of hundreds of thousands of police officers who do their jobs to the best of their abilities in service to their communities each and every day, the association said in a statement Friday. Professional police officers know that treating every person with dignity, respect, and compassion regardless of their creed, color, gender, ethnicity, or any of the countless ways that people self-identify is fundamental to our role in society.

Joint statement by New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson

The officials condemned the abhorrent acts of police brutality and violence and said they are glad the involved officers will be held accountable.

The heinous beating, treatment and (alleged) murder of Tyre Nichols by officers of the Memphis Police Department is both sickening and enraging  and, like others, we watched the videos that were released last night with horror and disgust, Elicker and Jacobson said.

Police officers swear an oath to protect and serve their fellow residents and the community, and we must do everything in our power  whether in Memphis, New Haven or elsewhere  to ensure that our police departments and criminal justice system live up to that solemn promise and treat everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of their race or background, they added. In New Haven, we remain committed to that goal and we are resolved  in our policing, policies, and practices  to provide fair and impartial treatment of all residents and to ensure equal justice under the law.

Stamford Police Chief Timothy Shaw

We at the Stamford Police Department are angry, as is our community, from the senseless death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five disgraced police officers from Memphis. There are no words to describe what we all have seen in the recent release of the video of the officers beating Tyre.

I can tell you that the Stamford Police Department stands with our community in condemning the officers disgusting, brutal behavior and we will pray for the Nichols family. As a Police Chief, and a parent, no family should ever go through something like what we saw.

East Lyme Police Chief Michael Finkelstein

Finkelstein said the criminal act shown in the video of Tyre Nichols deadly assault was not policing and not representative of law enforcement.

This was not policing and this is far from what we train and expect from Officers in our society. Watching it evoked feelings of anger, disgust and disappointment, Finkelstein said.

Incidents like this undermine the trust that Police Departments work hard to build each day with the communities they serve and violates the oath we all take when entering the profession. he added. The men and women of the East Lyme Police Department join in the condemnation of this incident by law enforcement around the world and will continue our work to maintain the strong mutual trust and respect we share with the East Lyme Community. We will continue to select the highest quality Officers and train our officers to the highest possible standards to ensure that we are always providing the policing that our community deserves.

Torrington Police Chief Bill Baldwin

The actions of these officers was deplorable, sickening and inhumane. The Torrington Police Dept. stands with our community and all of our state and nation in condemning these officers brutal, disgusting and criminal actions.

As with the tragic events surrounding George Floyd, these officers have once again shaken the trust and legitimacy of the majority of officers throughout our state and nation and especially here in Torrington, who work so hard every day to ensure that the best service in public safety is provided and that people are treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Nichols family.

Danbury Mayor Dean Esposito and Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour

Our sincerest condolences go out to the family of Mr. Tyre Nichols, who lost his life because officers in Memphis violated their oath of office and the laws that they swore to uphold. The video is appalling. Appropriately, these officers have already been terminated, arrested, and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is no rightful place in this profession for brutality under any circumstances.

The outrage that this senseless assault has caused is felt by all, including the dedicated men and women of the Danbury Police Department and every other good police officer who believes that this job can and should be done with compassion and by respecting the life and dignity of everyone we encounter.
The state Supreme Court ruled against a group of medical practices on Friday that contended their insurers wrongly denied claims for reimbursement for pandemic related business losses under the terms of their all risk commercial property coverage.

The medical practices sued three insurers that issued policies with identical language, arguing they were forced to suspend or curtail business because of government orders and incurred further repair costs from the daily sanitation of their offices and measures such as construction of Plexiglas barriers to protect patients and staff.

The insurers responded that they were not obligated to pay under the policies because the medical practices did not suffer a direct physical loss of or physical damage to their properties.

Had their been any question about direct damage, the insurers argued they would have been exempt from paying claims regardless because of a policy exclusion barring payment for loss or damage caused by the presence, growth, proliferation, spread or any activity of fungi, wet rot, dry rot, bacteria or virus.

Judge Cesar Noble, who heard the case in the Superior Court, ruled for the insurers on the basis of the virus exclusion and the Supreme Court took the case directly on appeal.

Writing for a unanimous court, Chief Justice Richard Robinson said there was no reason for the justices to even consider the virus exclusion because the policy language does not cover losses arising from government restrictions.

We agree with the defendants that the insurance policies do not cover the plaintiffs losses, and, therefore, we need not decide whether the trial court correctly determined that their claims were subject to the virus exclusion, the court said.

The medical practices argued that the loss of the use of property due to actual damage is equivalent to their loss of the productive use of their properties because of government restrictions.

The court disagreed.

Instead, we agree with the multiplicity of courts that have concluded that use of property and property are not the same thing, and the loss of the former does not necessarily imply the loss of the latter, the court wrote.

The medical practices argued that their claim of actual property loss is supported by the fact that they were obligated to to undertake demonstrable, physical repairs to the properties to bring them back into use, such as erecting barriers and buying personal protective equipment.

We conclude that, just as the properties were not physically altered in any way by the COVID-19 pandemic, the (medical practices) activities designed to prevent the transmission of the coronavirus on the properties were not repairs in any ordinary sense of the word, the court wrote.

The suit was brought by Connecticut Dermatology Group, Live Every Day, and Ear Specialty Group of Connecticut, which own and operate healthcare businesses in Connecticut.
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 27)  The Philippines is awaiting comment from Japan about one of its citizens who went by the alias "Luffy"  the alleged mastermind behind a robbery ring  who was reportedly nabbed by the Bureau of Immigration (BI), Justice Secretary Jesus "Boying" Remulla said on Friday.

As reported by the Japan Times, the alleged mastermind behind the string of robbery cases in Japan had been sending instructions via smartphone from an immigration detention center in Manila.

One of the cases saw 35 million (around 14.7 million) in cash and gold bars stolen. Another resulted in the murder of a 90-year-old-woman.

"It's not proper for me to discuss it yet. They haven't made contact yet when the issue started coming to my office. The situation here is that Japan is the requesting party, we are waiting for the request to push through," Remulla told reporters.

He said that he still had to discuss the matter with the Japanese Embassy in the Philippines.

A briefer from the Department of Justice (DOJ) said that a Japanese national named Imamura Kiyoto with the alias "Luffy" was first intercepted by the BI in 2019. On Jan. 30, 2020, a deportation order was filed against him as he was a robbery fugitive fleeing from justice in Japan.

A criminal case was filed against him for violence against women and children. This was dismissed by a Makati court on Wednesday, Jan. 25. Following the dismissal, he will soon be deported. Kiyoto was originally thought to be the mastermind behind the robbery gang in Japan.

However, two years later on Apr. 19, 2021, one Yuki Watanabe who also went by the alias "Luffy" was caught by immigration. A deportation order was filed against him on May 28, 2021 for illegally entering the country and for fleeing the law in Japan.

Like Kiyoto, Watanabe has a pending criminal case for violence against women and children.

Watanabe is now thought to be the mastermind "Luffy" and Kiyoto just a member of the gang, the DOJ briefer said.

Remulla said that the BI had many foreigners under detention and that the DOJ was working to identify the true identity of "Luffy." He added that he could not discuss the subject further.

Meanwhile, the BI was directed to strictly monitor and prohibit Watanabe's access to communication devices.

CNN Philippines will publish the comments of the Japanese nationals or their lawyers if they become available.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28)  China has expressed gratitude to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) for the immediate rescue of a distressed Chinese fishing vessel off Eastern Samar.

"Our sincere gratitude and deep appreciation to Commandant Abu and PCG for their immediate response and humanitarian efforts to help the Chinese fishing vessel and 7 Chinese fishermen on board," Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said in a statement on Friday.

The Chinese fishermen were rescued off Suluan Island in Guiuan Friday. Their boat, which had a damaged hull, was towed to Tacloban Port by the PCG.

READ: PCG rescues Chinese crew from distressed fishing vessel in Eastern Samar

Huang described the rescue as proof of the friendship between Manila and Beijing, as he cited a Chinese vessel that saved a Filipino fisherman floating in the open sea off Davao Oriental earlier this week.

"These moves are in line with and concrete implementation of the important consensus reached by our two presidents on strengthening communication and improving dialogue mechanisms between our two Coast Guards, properly managing maritime differences through dialogue and consultation while expanding practical cooperation on the sea," the ambassador added.

In November last year, the Philippines sent a note verbale to China after a Chinese coast guard ship "forcefully" took what's believed to be rocket debris retrieved by the Philippine Navy off Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea.

Chinese officials denied the alleged use of force, saying there was only "friendly consultation" between the two sides.

READ: PH sends note verbale to China following Pag-asa Island incident
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28)  The Marcos administration should view the International Criminal Court's (ICC) resumption of its probe into the Philippine drug war as an avenue to show "transparency" and commitment to human rights, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said Saturday.

"Let this development be a chance for the Philippines to demonstrate openness and transparency as part of the fraternity of nations that values human rights and the rule of law," the CHR said in a statement.

"The ICC investigation is an opportune occasion for the present government to take the right track in upholding its human rights obligations, especially for those wronged and violated," it added.

The war on drugs  a flagship campaign of the previous Duterte administration  has earned the ire of the global rights community after thousands of victims were reported killed in the conduct of police operations.

The ICC halted its inquiry in November 2021 following a deferral request from the Philippine government. But the tribunal noted that it was "not satisfied" with developments in the local investigations, prompting the pre-trial chamber to approve the resumption of the probe.

Marcos administration officials said they will still study the country's next steps in response to the ICC's latest move.

RELATED: PH gov't open to dialogue with ICC, but won't accept 'impositions'  DOJ chief

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police said it is open to working with the ICC if the government permits.

"If the national government will submit to the jurisdiction of the ICC then you will expect po na ang PNP ay magko-cooperate (the PNP will also cooperate)," PNP spokesperson Jean Fajardo said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28)  Authorities are eyeing to file a case against the recruitment agencies involved in the hiring of Jullebee Ranara, the Filipino domestic worker killed in Kuwait, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Saturday.

"After examination of the facts involved, by next week, there will be a recruitment violation case that will be filed against the [recruitment agencies] involved," DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said in a media briefing.

Olalia cited the companies' supposed lapses in monitoring the status of Ranara.

"'Yung continuous monitoring sa ating OFW... Base po sa initial investigation, hindi po nagampanan ng [recruitment agencies] 'yun," he added.

[Translation: The continuous monitoring on our OFW... Based on initial investigation, they were not able to achieve that.]

The DMW earlier confirmed the death of the 35-year-old Ranara, whose burnt body was found in the desert last week.

The suspect, the 17-year-old son of Ranara's employer, is already under police custody, according to the department.

READ: NBI starts autopsy on remains of OFW killed in Kuwait

Olalia said government officials will be meeting next week with representatives of local recruitment agencies managing household service workers sent to the Gulf State.

All concerns relating to their deployment will be tackled during the meeting, he added.

Meanwhile, the DMW said it will also be sending a fact-finding team to Kuwait to look into welfare cases involving Filipino workers.

"To find ways and means to address these welfare cases  either by filing cases in Kuwait if need be or filing cases in labor tribunals and authorities there. And of course, to facilitate, at the appropriate time, the safe repatriation of our distressed workers," DMW Undersecretary Hans Cacdac said in the same briefing.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28)  The proposed mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program can be fully implemented in five years through a "phased approach," Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said Saturday.

"The projected timeline from enactment of the law to initial implementation is 2-3 years, while full implementation can be done in 5 years," Galvez said in a statement.

The defense chief shared six phases: preparation, pilot programs and simulation in volunteered schools, expansion to different regions, progressive implementation, evaluation and further fine-tuning, and full implementation in all schools.

Under the preparation phase are curriculum development, selection and training of implementers, personnel, logistics and budget planning, as well as selection of pilot volunteer schools based on results of evaluation of their facilities and capacities.

Galvez said the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have already coordinated this "proposed concept" to the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and other supporting agencies.

"The DND and AFP also intend to harness the expertise of the Regional Community Defense Groups (RCDGs) of the Philippine Army, Air Reserve Centers (ARCENs) of the Philippine Air Force, and Naval Reserve Centers (NRCENs) of the Philippine Navy all over the country in managing the ROTC program," he added.

Galvez's remarks came after Sen. Bato dela Rosa got irked by a defense official, who told senators there would be an "enormous" requirement to implement the mandatory ROTC program.

During a Senate hearing on Wednesday, DND Usec. Franco Nemesio Gacal said it would need the AFP to deploy 9,000 to 10,000 military personnel  equivalent to two infantry divisions that could cover Mindanao  to train students from around 2,400 higher education institutions.

Dela Rosa, who chairs the Senate subcommittee on Revitalized ROTC Act, responded: "'Pag gano'n ang attitude ng defense establishment natin, i-hinto na natin ito. Balik na tayo sa NSTP (National Service Training Program), kapag gano'n ang gusto ninyo. Pinag-uusapan natin 'to ROTC, ROTC, tapos kayo pala sa Defense, ayaw pala niyo, gusto pala niyong ibigay ang trabaho sa CHEd, sa TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority)."

[Translation: If that's the attitude of our defense establishment, let's stop this. Let's go back to NSTP, if that's what you want. We are discussing here ROTC, then those from the defense apparently doesn't want it and want to give the work to CHEd and TESDA.]

Galvez assured lawmakers that his department is ready to start the program once the law gets passed.

"The DND fully supports and greatly appreciates the enthusiasm of our legislators led by Sen. Ronald dela Rosa in pushing for the law and we commit to take an active part in the legislative process through our full cooperation and inputs, whenever and wherever they are needed," Galvez stressed in his statement.

The Senate subcommittee tackled the revival of the mandatory ROTC program, a different version from the "consensus bill" that the House of Representatives passed on third and final reading in December last year.

House Bill 6687, which seeks the institution of a National Citizens Service Training Program (NCST), was certified as urgent by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

READ: House approves NSTP replacement bill on final reading

Mandatory ROTC was abolished in 2002 following the death of Mark Welson Chua, a cadet at the University of Santo Tomas (UST). Chua blew the whistle on alleged corruption in UST's ROTC program.

Republic Act 9163 or the NSTP Act of 2001 was signed in January 2002 replacing ROTC.
(CNN)  Some of the five former Memphis police officers accused in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were members of a recently created unit that was tasked with tackling rising crime in the city.

When it was launched in 2021, the SCORPION unit -- Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods -- was heralded as a direct response to some of the city's worst crime, with a focus on homicides, robberies, assaults and other felonies. Mayor Jim Strickland championed the unit, mentioning it during an address to the city in January 2022 and proudly pointing to 566 arrests -- 390 of which were for felonies -- and more than $103,000 in cash seized.

"Statistically, crime was off the hook. Tactically, it was the logical move for a police department to create SCORPION," CNN Chief Law Enforcement and Intelligence Analyst John Miller said. "These units are sent to areas where the police are tracking upticks in violent crime."

Miller said "targeted deployments can have a good impact" but noted there could be issues.

"The problems may lie in three key places: Did they receive specific, tailored training in de-escalation and how to manage events from spinning up too fast? In the selection process, beyond choosing officers who had records of making gun arrests, did they look at their civilian complaint history, use of force histories, and talk with their former supervisors about their fit for this kind of work? Finally, supervision."

Unclear how many members of unit were involved

It's unclear how many of the officers involved in the Nichols incident are members of SCORPION, and Memphis police has not officially disclosed that information.

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy told reporters on Thursday that "the SCORPION unit was involved" in the fatal stop, but he didn't specify a number. In an interview with CNN's Don Lemon on Friday morning, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis acknowledged that the unit was involved in the stop and said it was created due to "an outcry because of three years of violence in the city."

"You know, numbers of violent crimes, robberies, homicides, aggravated assaults, and this is one of three teams, whose primary responsibility is to reduce gun violence, to be visible in communities, and to also impact the rise in the crime," Davis said on "CNN This Morning." "We had record numbers in 2021, 346 homicides. So, this unit was put together and they had great success, believe it or not, last year. It was the first year in a long time that we had reductions."

Asked if the death of Nichols was an indication of a failure of the unit, Davis told Lemon it's "an indication that there is a gap somewhere in that unit."

"My observation is that, you know, we have several contributing factors. We train and we re-train these officers, just like specialized units around the country. These officers working in specialized units, you always need to make sure that the supervision is there and present," she said.

Davis also said the department was unaware of any evidence that members of the unit have previously engaged in similar behavior but said an investigation was underway.

Family attorney calls for unit's disbanding

Nichols, 29, was pulled over by Memphis police officers on January 7 for suspected reckless driving, according to the department, when "a confrontation occurred" between officers and Nichols.

Memphis police say Nichols fled on foot, and when apprehended by the officers "another confrontation occurred," resulting in Nichols' arrest. On January 10, three days after the stop, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced Nichols had died due to injuries sustained in the "use-of-force incident with officers" and preliminary results of an autopsy that was commissioned by attorneys for his family show that Nichols suffered "extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating."

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith, the police officers involved, have been terminated for failing in their "excessive use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid" and criminally charged, though it's unclear what role each of them allegedly played. The five former officers, who are free on bond, are scheduled for arraignment on February 17.

At a news conference on Friday, Antonio Romanucci, an attorney for Nichols' family, called upon the department to immediately disband the unit.

"The intent of the SCORPION unit has now been corrupted," Romanucci said. "It cannot be brought back to center with any sense of morality and dignity -- and most importantly -- trust, in this community.

"The intent was good, the end result was a failure," he continued. "And we must recognize that and do something about it."

Strickland on Friday said the SCORPION unit which encompassed some of the officers involved in the traffic stop remains inactive pending an independent review.

"It is clear that these officers violated the department's policies and training. I want to assure you we are doing everything we can to prevent this from happening again. We are initiating an outside, independent review of the training, policies, and operations of our specialized units. Since this event happened, the SCORPION Unit has been and remains inactive," he said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Memphis special police unit accused in Tyre Nichols death faces scrutiny."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 28)  The National Bureau of Investigation has started the autopsy on the remains of slain OFW in Kuwait Jullebee Ranara, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said Saturday.

The family of Ranara  whose burnt body was discovered in the desert on Jan. 21  requested the autopsy, according to DMW Secretary Susan Ople.

READ: DMW vows justice for slain OFW in Kuwait

Kuwaiti authorities have arrested the primary suspect in the killing the 17-year-old son of Ranara's employer.

The OFW's remains were brought home Friday night.

READ: DMW imposes preventive suspension on employer of OFW killed in Kuwait

"Secretary Ople and the entire department condemns this heinous crime and urges the Kuwaiti government to work on the early resolution of the case and its perpetrators brought to justice," the DMW said in a statement.

Despite the gruesome killing, Ople dismissed calls for a total deployment ban to Kuwait.

"Kapag nag-impose kasi ng [If we impose a] deployment ban, you are sending a message that Kuwait is not suitable for workers," Ople said.

Instead, the secretary is pushing for a better bilateral agreement with Kuwait that will provide additional protection for Filipino workers in the Gulf state.

"Consensus of DMW and the Department of Foreign Affairs was to engage the Kuwaiti government on the discussion about stricter safeguards, more responsive and concrete actions especially on calls for rescue and assistance from OFWs in Kuwait," she added.

READ: DMW not considering Kuwait deployment ban after OFW slay, eyes additional safeguards

In April 2018, the Philippines banned the deployment of OFWs to Kuwait following the killing of Filipino domestic helper Joanna Daniela Demafelis  whose body was found stuffed in a freezer at an abandoned apartment.

The ban was partially lifted the same year after the two countries signed a protection agreement for Filipino workers in Kuwait.

But in May 2019, OFW Constancia Lago Dayag was killed by her employer in Kuwait.

This was followed by the death of another OFW, Jeanelyn Villavende, in December 2019, which prompted the Philippine government to reimpose a deployment ban in January 2020.

It was lifted a month later after the filing of murder charges against Villavende's employers.

So far, there are 222 OFWs in Kuwait who are seeking repatriation and awaiting resolutions to their cases, according to the DMW.
Editor's note: Van Jones is a CNN host, political commentator and the founder of Dream.org, a national nonprofit dedicated to criminal justice reform. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion at CNN.

(CNN)  On Friday evening, the city of Memphis released graphic video of Tyre Nichols' arrest to the public. Nichols died three days after the arrest.

Three decades ago, when four White Los Angeles police officers were videotaped beating Rodney King, the public outcry was heard around the world. In fact, I got arrested for the first time in my life during protests that followed. And I subsequently dedicated my career as a lawyer to helping to sue rogue cops, close prisons and reform the criminal justice system. It was a defining moment for the nation and the world.

What happened to King was horrifying  but at least he survived the ordeal. Tyre Nichols, tragically, did not survive his: The 29-year-old Black man died earlier this month after a police traffic stop and violent arrest in Memphis, Tennessee. According to preliminary results of an autopsy commissioned by attorneys for Nichols' family, he suffered "extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating." On Friday, Nichols' mother RowVaughn Wells told CNN, "It's still like a nightmare."

Since the news of Nichols' death was made known, the world has been holding its collective breath in anticipation of the release of video that captured the violent assault, and the possibility of a new outpouring of protests spilling into the streets across the country. That video is expected to be released Friday evening.

Five former Memphis police officers, fired for their alleged actions during Nichols' arrest, have now been indicted on charges including kidnapping and murder. On Friday, Memphis police chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis told CNN, "I was in law enforcement during the Rodney King incident, and it's very much aligned with that same type of behavior. I would say it's about the same, if not worse." On Thursday, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director David Rausch described being "sickened by what I saw."

By all accounts, Nichols was a good guy: a 145-pound skateboarder, an Instagram photographer, a Starbucks aficionado. Learning that your child's life was senselessly stolen from him is every Black parent's nightmare. But  surprisingly to many people  the five officers charged with viciously beating him were also Black.

How do we explain Nichols' horrific killing, allegedly at the hands of police who looked like him?

From the King beating to the murder nearly three years ago of George Floyd, American society has often focused on the race of the officers  so often White  as a factor in their deplorable acts of violence.

But the narrative "White cop kills unarmed Black man" should never have been the sole lens through which we attempted to understand police abuse and misconduct. It's time to move to a more nuanced discussion of the way police violence endangers Black lives.

Black people are not immune to anti-Black messages

One of the sad facts about anti-Black racism is that Black people ourselves are not immune to its pernicious effects. Society's message that Black people are inferior, unworthy and dangerous is pervasive. Over many decades, numerous experiments have shown that these ideas can infiltrate Black minds as well as White. Self-hatred is a real thing.

That's why a Black store owner might regard customers of his same race with suspicion, while treating his White patrons with deference. Black people can harbor anti-Black sentiments and can act on those feelings in harmful ways.

Black cops are often socialized in police departments that view certain neighborhoods as war zones. In those departments, few officers get disciplined for dishing out "street justice" in certain precincts  often populated by Black, brown or low-income people  where there is a tacit understanding that the "rulebook" simply doesn't apply.

Cops of all colors, including Black police officers, internalize those messages  and sometimes act on them. In fact, in Black neighborhoods, the phenomenon of brutal Black cops singling out young Black men for abuse is nothing new. Back in 1989, the rap group NWA highlighted the problem in a classic hip-hop anthem, in which Ice Cube rapped:

"But don't let it be a Black and White (cop)/

Coz they'll slam ya/

Down to the street top/

Black police showing out for the White cop."

When it comes to police violence, race does matter  but possibly not the way you think.

At the end of the day, it is the race of the victim who is brutalized  not the race of the violent cop  that is most relevant in determining whether racial bias is a factor in police violence. It's hard to imagine five cops of any color beating a White person to death under similar circumstances. And it is almost impossible to imagine five Black cops giving a White arrestee the kind of beat-down that Nichols allegedly received.

Stricter oversight is needed  regardless of the race of the officers

In short, racial animus can still be a factor, even when the perpetrators are all Black. And that's especially true if these actions are a part of a broader pattern and practice within the Memphis Police Department.

It's a sad fact, but one that's old as time itself: People often oppress people who look just like them. The vast majority of human rights abuses are committed by people who look exactly like the people they are abusing.

Wells, who has not watched the video of her son's beating, told CNN through tears that she feels sorry for the officers: "They have put their own families in harm's way. They have brought shame to their own families. They brought shame to the Black community...I really feel sorry for them, because they didn't have to do this." Regarding the officers' race, Wells also noted to CNN that violence like what happened to her son is about how some bad cops use their power over Black and brown victims.

The key to reducing the incidence of police violence is stricter oversight and swifter punishment. I am glad that the offending officers were quickly fired and charged. We need more of that  and not just when the cops are Black. Civil rights advocates once pushed for more racial integration in police departments, in hopes that more Black cops would lead to less police brutality. But while racial integration is important for basic fairness and opportunity, it is not a panacea against police abuse.

Any system needs to put into place adequate checks and balances. Without meat inspectors, you would see a lot more food poisoning. Without building inspectors, you would see a lot more buildings falling down. And policing is just as much  even more  in need of rigorous internal monitoring that roots out bad cops and holds the entire police department to the highest standards of conduct.

Unless there is real oversight, with real consequences for wrongdoing, bad actors will take advantage, lower the practical standards for everyone and put all of us at risk. And without aggressive oversight and swift punishment, we'll continue to see stomach-churning acts of police violence against Black men  by cops of every color.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Opinion: The police who killed Tyre Nichols were Black. But they might still have been driven by racism."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 27)  The Philippine government is still open to holding a dialogue with the International Criminal Court (ICC) following the pre-trial chamber's decision to resume the probe into the controversial anti-drug campaign, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Friday.

"We're willing to open dialogue with them, we're not closing the doors to dialogue," Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told a media briefing hours after the ICC greenlighted the investigation.

Remulla, however, said the government will not be accepting any "impositions" - stressing that the tribunal no longer has jurisdiction over the country.

"If they want data from us, we will provide them the data. We will provide them with the course of action that we're taking, that's okay with us," Remulla said. "But to impose themselves on us, that is totally unacceptable."

Launched by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016, the bloody war on drugs had earned the spotlight in the global human rights community - with advocates lamenting the thousands of lives claimed during the conduct of police operations.

'ICC has capacity to resume probe'

The ICC previously said it retains jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed while the country was still a member of the tribunal. The Philippines' withdrawal from the Rome Statute, the treaty that governs the ICC, formally took effect in March 2019.

For Human Rights Watch (HRW), the ICC can still pursue the probe despite the government's unwillingness to cooperate.

"The fact that the justice secretary is unhappy and saying that he's not going to cooperate doesn't mean that there won't be an investigation going forward," HRW Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson told CNN Philippines' The Final Word.

"We've seen many times that the ICC is not permitted into areas where they are conducting investigations, but those investigations are capable of going forward, nonetheless," he added.

The watchdog said the ICC can conduct the probe in "a number of different ways" and "through various means" if investigators are prevented from entering the country.

RELATED: After ICC's move, ex-Pres. Duterte reiterates stand to only face local courts

Meanwhile, Remulla said he will be speaking to Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra with regard to the government's next steps on the matter.

"Definitely, I do not welcome this move of theirs. I will not welcome them [to] the Philippine unless they make clear that they will respect us in this regard," he maintained.

Guevarra earlier said the current administration will exhaust legal remedies to counter the probe, including elevating the matter to the ICC appeals chamber.

An avenue for justice

Rights groups lauded the ICC's latest move, labeling it as the "only credible avenue for justice" for drug war victims.

"As the court's judges agreed, Philippine authorities are not undertaking relevant investigations into these crimes or making a real or genuine effort to carry these investigations out. The ICC offers a path forward to fill the accountability vacuum," New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

Karapatan likewise welcomed the development, and expressed hope that it would help end the "culture of impunity" in the country.

Remulla, for his part, said the government is "doing what it takes to fix the system."

These include the reorganization and modernization of law enforcement programs, as well as proposals to reform the police system, among others.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 27)  The remains of slain overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Kuwait Jullebee Ranara have been repatriated.

Ranara's body arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Friday night.

Her body - burned and dumped in the desert - was discovered last week.

The suspect - her employer's 17-year-old son - is already under police custody.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said the victim previously told her mother that she was being abused by her employer's "cruel" son.

The DMW added that it has prohibited Ranara's employer from hiring other Filipino workers.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it continues to coordinate with Kuwaiti authorities for the early resolution of Ranara's case.
(CNN)  Archaeologists working in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor have uncovered a complete 1,800-year-old Roman city.

Mostafa Waziri, Secretary-General of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, said the city dated back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD, and described it as "the oldest and most important city found on the eastern bank of Luxor."

"A complete residential village was discovered, with two pigeon towers found for the first time," Waziri announced Tuesday, in a video posted on Twitter.

These towers served as nests to in which to raise carrier pigeons, Waziri explained. The birds would then be used to transport messages to other parts of the Roman Empire.

The excavations, which began in September, also uncovered a hoard of tools, pots and bronze and copper Roman coins.

The uncovered city was found in Luxor, a modern-day city that sits on the banks of the Nile and is the site of Thebes, the famous ancient Egyptian city.

Luxor is home to the world-famous Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

Waziri praised the discovery as a rare find in an already "excellent" season. Luxor has long been a site rich with archaeological finds, and the latest discovery of this ancient city follows the uncovering of a number of tombs in January alone.

The latest flood of discoveries comes ahead of the long-awaited opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo later this year. The museum will display many of the country's ancient riches, in what the Egyptian Ministry for Tourism and Antiquities hopes will be a boost to the sector following the Covid-19 pandemic.

This story was first published on CNN. Complete Roman city uncovered in Luxor, Egypt
(CNN) - The biggest moment in the Ukraine war this week took place hundreds of miles from the battlefield. After days of diplomatic pressure from its increasingly exasperated NATO allies, Germany announced Wednesday that it would send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, a potentially pivotal move in the conflict that could decisively tip the balance in Kyiv's favor.

The United States and a number of European nations will also provide sophisticated battle tanks to Ukrainian forces. A spring offensive is expected from Moscow, but Ukraine's battle to reclaim its territory from Russia will soon be boosted by the arrival of powerful and modern Western weaponry.

On Germany's streets, however, reactions were mixed. From concerns about how the war may now escalate to a belief that its government is doing the right thing, people appeared to diverge on whether the decision was right. And the country is fractured along party lines, generations and geography.

Those CNN spoke to preferred to be identified by their first names only. Manuel, a 29-year-old German citizen living in Berlin, told CNN that he feared the decision could fuel Moscow's anger and aggravate the almost year-long conflict. "I don't think Russia will attack any NATO member, at least for now. But I'd be worried about a harsher retaliation, directed on Ukraine and its people," he said.

For trained carpenter Eric, 27, from Paderborn in western Germany, it is important to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. However, he is also concerned that providing Kyiv with Leopard 2 tanks could create more problems than it solves.

"The deployment and use of the Leopard 2 is a great asset for Ukrainian warfare, but we have to face the fact that this involves obstacles and also political consequences.

"In addition to logistics, the Ukrainian armed forces need to be trained in the handling and maintenance of the Leopard 2," Eric added. "This is most likely not going to happen in Ukraine, which means that NATO and Germany will again intervene more directly in the war."

He views his government's move as a "major interference" in the war between Russia and Ukraine. "The deployment of tanks and the training of Ukrainian troops could be considered and turned into a declaration of war by Germany and NATO at any time," he believes.

Barbara, a 59-year-old librarian from western Germany, understands Chancellor Olaf Scholz's reluctance to bow to international pressure yet thinks Germany should stay out of the conflict where possible. "I don't agree with sending all this war equipment to Ukraine," she told CNN. "We offer a lot of civilian help, so when it comes to the war, it's good to be reluctant."

For others, the need to help Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression outweighs the cons. Another German, who identified herself as Sybille, said: "For me it is a big problem that so many people lose their lives and therefore I would try to give my understanding for the delivery of tanks, especially as the lawyers say that it is not against international law and I think Russia does not respect any laws in our world."

After months of hesitation, the German government announced Wednesday that it would answer Kyiv's calls for the high-tech Leopard 2 tanks, following weeks of pressure on Berlin from some of its NATO allies.

The move was coupled with an announcement from US President Joe Biden that he was providing 31 M1 Abrams tanks, reversing the administration's resistance to providing Kyiv with the highly sophisticated but maintenance-heavy vehicles.

Hours after Germany and the US revealed their plans, Russia fired dozens of missiles at Ukraine, signaling Moscow's rage at the developments and indicating that it will aim to damage Ukrainian resolve amid the race to get the new tanks onto the battlefield.

Polls show a divided country

A public opinion poll carried out earlier this month also highlights the difference in German attitudes. The Deutschlandtrend poll conducted by public broadcaster ARD on January 19 asked respondents the question "Should Germany deliver heavy battle tanks like the 'Leopard' to Ukraine or not?".

The results showed that 46% of Germans were in favor of sending such tanks, while 43% were against it.

Clear differences in opinion could be seen among eastern and western Germans as well as younger and older generations.

The poll showed that there was more support for sending heavy battle tanks in Germany's western states, with every second person supporting the delivery, while in the former communist states, 59% rejected the idea.

For Eric, this geographical split makes sense. "East Germany has a high proportion of right-wing citizens and AfD [far-right party Alternative for Germany] voters, and a different history with Russia due to the occupation after the Second World War, thus a greater distrust in political decisions," he said.

Age also plays a factor as, according to the poll, older generations were more likely to approve the sending of the tanks. Some 52% of 18- to 24-year-olds believed Germany should not deliver the tanks.

The clearest divide was political. A high proportion of supporters of Germany's left-leaning Green Party -- 61% -- approved the delivery. The result was less clear among Scholz's center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), with just 49% in favor.

The heaviest rejection for the delivery of heavy battle tanks came from AfD supporters. A hefty 84% of them rejected the delivery of Leopard tanks to Ukraine.

In the wake of Wednesday's decision, AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla's condemnation was clear as he labeled the move "irresponsible and dangerous."

"Germany is in danger of being drawn directly into the war as a result," he wrote on Twitter.

History plays a role

Librarian Barbara admits that her country has a "difficult history" while Berliner Manuel believes that since the end of World War II Germany has adopted a "strong anti-militaristic culture" which is now deeply embedded in the German psyche.

"Any direct or indirect involvement in a war is not left unquestioned," he explained.

While it is true that modern Germany has been reluctant to become involved in international conflicts against the backdrop of post-WWII demilitarization, the country has adopted an evolving approach to security and military policy in the wake of Moscow's war on Ukraine.

The new approach has come amid accusations from Berlin's Western allies of being comparatively slower in offering support to Kyiv -- partly due to its dependence on Russian gas.

'A relief for mistreated Ukraine'

Political figures in Germany also weighed in on the debate this week.

Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, a member of parliament and former deputy leader of Germany's centrist Free Democratic Party (FDP), described Germany's decision to supply the Leopard 2 as "arduous, but unavoidable."

She added that the decision would come as "a relief for a mistreated and brave Ukraine."

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly stressed the need for the delivery of the heavy battle tanks including the Leopard 2, believing they will provide a powerful fighting vehicle for Ukraine, boost its forces ahead of the potential Russian spring offensive.

German lawmaker Ralf Stegner, who is a member of Scholz's SPD, spoke critically of a "Free the Leopards" hashtag that has cropped up on social media, a tongue-in-cheek expression calling for the tanks' deployment on the battlefield.

"People talk about 'Free the Leopards' as if they were zoo animals. It's far too serious a matter to deal with it as if it's a social media event," he told German free-to-air television channel Phoenix.

Stegner questioned whether the tanks could drastically change the course of the war in Ukraine's favor, or just lead to a prolonged conflict and more, devastating civilian causalities.

"We need to consider the end; we need to ask what comes after this? We had the decision with the Marder (infantry fighting vehicles). As soon as that was made, the debate started immediately about battle tanks. How do we go from here? Does it really shorten the war, or does it just lead to more war deaths?"

Stegner concluded: ''In the end, history books will show whether [the decision] was right or not."

ARD-Deutschlandtrend interviewed 1211 German citizens who are eligible to vote. The survey was carried out from January 17-18, 2023. Data was weighted to represent sociodemographic factors and voting trends. Results have a margin of error of plus or minus two points.
(CNN)  Israeli police say at least seven people were killed and three were injured in a shooting near a synagogue in Jerusalem on Friday amid high tensions in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Friday's shooter was also later killed by police forces, according to police, in what police chief Yaakov Shabtai described as "one of the worst terror attacks in the past few years."

"As a result of the shooting attack, the death of 7 civilians was determined and 3 others were injured with additional degrees of injury," police said.

Five of the shooting victims were pronounced dead at the scene, Israel's Magen David Adom emergency rescue service said: four men and a woman. Five people were transported to hospitals, where another man and woman were declared dead.

The attack occurred around 8:15 p.m. local time, near a synagogue on Neve Yaakov Street, according to a police statement.

Shabtai said the gunman "started shooting at anyone that was in his way. He got in his car and started a killing spree with a pistol at short range." He then fled the scene in a vehicle and was killed after a shootout with police forces, police said.

Police identified the gunman as a 21-year-old resident of East Jerusalem, saying in a statement that he appeared to have acted alone. East Jerusalem is a predominantly Palestinian area of the city, which was captured by Israel in 1967.

The incident comes one day after the deadliest day for Palestinians in the West Bank in over a year, according to CNN records. On Thursday, Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians and wounded several others in the West Bank city of Jenin, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. A tenth Palestinian was killed that day in what Israel Police called a "violent disturbance" near Jerusalem.

Israel's controversial National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the scene of the attack on Friday evening, telling people who were chanting angrily that "it cannot continue like this."

"I can tell you, [the people chanting] you are right. The burden is on us. It cannot continue like this," Ben Gvir, who also leads the far-right Jewish Power party, said.

Some people on the scene were chanting support for Ben Gvir, saying "You are our voice, we support you."

CNN's Hadas Gold and team, who were also at the scene of Friday night's shooting, heard what sounded like celebratory gunfire and car horns honking from the nearby predominantly Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina.

The United States State Department on Friday condemned the "apparent terrorist attack" in Jerusalem "in the strongest terms."

"This is absolutely horrific," said State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel. "Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to those killed and injured in this heinous act of violence."

Patel said the US is "still gathering information" but that the US government is "in direct touch with our Israeli partners."

Patel said no change to the schedule of Secretary of State Antony Blinken's upcoming trip to Egypt, Israel and the West Bank was expected.

The European Union, France and the UK also condemned the shooting.

"I am appalled by reports of the terrible attack in Neve Yaakov tonight. Attacking worshippers at a synagogue on Erev Shabat is a particularly horrific act of terrorism. The UK stands with Israel," Neil Wigan, the British ambassador in Israel wrote on Twitter.

The EU ambassador to Israel, Dimiter Tzantchev, also condemned the "senseless violence," saying in his tweet, "Terror is never the answer."

And the French embassy in Israel tweeted that the incident was "all the more despicable as it was committed on this day of international remembrance of the Holocaust."

This story was first published on CNN. "At least seven dead in Jerusalem synagogue attack, Israeli police say"
(CNN)  Officials have warned the public of the risks in touching a small capsule containing a radioactive substance that was lost during transportation in Western Australia.

The silver, round capsule, which measures about a quarter of an inch in diameter and is about a third of an inch tall, contains a small quantity of radioactive Caesium-137, a substance used within gauges in mining operations. Australia's Department of Health has warned of the material's serious health consequences.

The capsule left a mine site north of the town of Newman by road on January 12, according to a statement released by Western Australia's Department of Fire & Emergency Services (DFES) on Saturday.

It was being sent to the northeastern suburbs of Perth for repairs. The package holding the capsule arrived in Perth on January 16 and was unloaded and kept in a secure radiation store.

However, when the package was opened for inspection on Wednesday, the gauge was found to be broken apart with screws missing -- and the capsule was not there.

Western Australia police notified DFES and the Hazard Management Agency that evening. A search is underway to find the capsule and safely contain it, according to DFES Country North chief superintendent David Gill.

"A multi-agency Incident Management Team, comprised of DFES, Department of Health, WA Police and other subject matter experts, are confirming the exact route and stops made during the journey from north of Newman," he said in a statement on Friday.

"The start and finish of the transportation journey -- the mine site north of Newman and the transport depot in the north-eastern suburbs of Perth -- were among the locations searched" on Thursday and Friday, he added. "We are also combing roads and other areas in the search zone."

'Do not touch it'

The emergency services warned of a radioactive substance risk in parts of the Pilbara, Midwest Gascoyne, Goldfields-Midlands and Perth Metropolitan regions.

Exposure to Caesium-137 could cause radiation burns or radiation sickness. However, risk to the general community is relatively low, officials said.

"If people see the capsule or something that looks similar, stay away from it and keep others away from it too," said Dr. Andrew Robertson, chief health officer and Radiological Council chair, in a statement on Friday.

"Do not touch or pick it up. The public is asked to report it immediately by calling 13 DFES (13 33 37)," he added, advising anyone who touches or goes close to the material for a long period of time to seek medical care.

"If you are very close to the material or touching it, the radiation risk increases immensely and could cause serious damage to your health, including causing radiation burns to the skin," Robertson said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Search underway for missing radioactive capsule in Western Australia"
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
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American Kung Fu master's Spring Festival experience in China

Xinhua) 09:42, January 28, 2023

Jake Lee Pinnick practices martial arts at the Wudang Mountains in Danjiangkou, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 11, 2023. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

WUHAN, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Jake Lee Pinnick is busy making special purchases, hanging poetic banners and visiting friends with his family to celebrate the Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year.

In 2010, the 32-year-old U.S. national traveled to the Wudang Mountains, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site in central China's Hubei Province, to study martial arts. Pinnick said he was very interested in Chinese Kung Fu from a young age.

When Pinnick first arrived in the Wudang Mountains, he had no prior training or martial arts experience, so he began with a five-year training program, learning the basics and all about Taoist culture.

Pinnick said the first six months were the hardest, because he had to train for eight or nine hours, six days a week, no matter the temperature outside.

After over a decade of hard training, he has mastered various forms of martial arts, including Tai Chi and Qigong, and become an instructor with about 200 apprentices in China.

This year is the 10th Spring Festival that Pinnick has spent in China. He likes the Spring Festival and the traditions here. He also teaches his daughter Selina Lee Pinnick these traditions.

"I think I've celebrated almost every year since I came to China, while in China. Most of the time I'm here for the Chinese New Year. It's a great holiday for everyone to get together," he said.

As the new year begins, people are starting new chapters in their lives and making resolutions. Pinnick also has many plans and wishes -- He plans on making more efforts to learn the Chinese language this year.

For a long time, I have been able to communicate in Chinese very well, he said. "But I want to improve my reading and writing comprehension." He wants to take the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK), or the Chinese Proficiency Test.

In addition to learning Chinese, Pinnick will continue to learn about traditional Chinese culture and how to play Chinese musical instruments in his leisure time, and he will share his experience on social media.

"He believes that learning martial arts is not enough. He wants to learn comprehensively, so he started learning about Chinese culture and musical instruments several years ago," said Cao Lingling, Pinnick's wife.

"I think that the experience I've had, being a foreigner coming to China and learning the culture from outside, is unique. I hope that I can be like a bridge between cultures," he said.

As a Kung Fu instructor, Pinnick's next big plan is to teach more students in person. "I hope that this year is a big year of growth for everyone."

Jake Lee Pinnick writes Spring Festival couplets with his daughter at his home in Danjiangkou, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Jake Lee Pinnick records a course at his home in Danjiangkou, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Jake Lee Pinnick and his family select Spring Festival couplets in Danjiangkou, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

Jake Lee Pinnick plays the Xiao, a vertical end-blown flute which is generally made of bamboo, at his home in Danjiangkou, central China's Hubei Province, Jan. 12, 2023. (Xinhua/Wu Zhizun)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
As antisemitism is on the rise, Holocaust Remembrance Day is more important than ever. According to George Santayanas philosophy, those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. During Holocaust Remembrance day, people vow to never forget. They understand that we must remember the horrifying acts of the past to ensure no such tragedy will occur again.

One way one can educate themself about the Holocaust is by reading books. Firsthand accounts from Holocaust survivors are becoming more challenging to find as survivors grow older. Luckily, many have recorded their experiences through books. Reading these books is one way to keep their memory alive.

Here is a list of three must-read books for Holocaust Remembrance Day:

"Paper Hearts": A Statement of Hope

Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott is a true story about a simple yet courageous statement of love and hope. Zlatka,a young girl in Auschwitz in 1944, decided to make a heart-shaped birthday card for her friend Fania. This was an act of defiance, which was punishable by death. The paper heart is carried throughout the camp and even throughout the death march. The paper heart, unlike six million Jewish people, survives and is currently displayed in a Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre. The book is written in a diary-like format. It draws the reader in with simple sentences, fragmented on the page like a poem. This allows the reader to insert themselves into the story and feel the characters emotions.

It shows [Zlatkas] relationship with her friends and with her family before going to the concentration camp and after, Han Boyd-Hiers, a Eugene resident, said. It shows how she changes mentally and physically.

"Night": Concise yet Powerful

Elie Wiesel, the author of Night, won a Nobel Peace prize for being a messenger of mankind. Wiesel takes the reader through his experience in Auschwitz; from hearing his father wallow in pain as he took his last breaths, to marching in the snow as people fall to their deaths to seeing the smoke as it swirls out of the gas chambers. This concise memoir shows these horrifying events in their clear and unbelievable nature.

Its more of an honest tale than what traditional American schools would give you, Efron Chudacoff, a sophomore studying family and human services, said.

"Man's Search for Meaning": Finding Purpose

Viktor Frankl developed Logotherapy, a psychotherapy based on the idea that peoples greatest desire is to find meaning in their lives. Through his book, Mans Search for Meaning, Frankl shares his personal experience in Nazi camps and how he has been able to find mental resilience. He attributes his optimistic attitude and ability to find purpose in the most challenging of times, to his survival. This book will make you think. It will make you think of how one can find meaning when there seems to be no meaning left, when everything is lost, everyone around you is starving and there is no sense of hope.

It shows that mindset is more important than any circumstance that youre in, Alex Malve, an innovation fellow at Oregon Hillel, said.

According to a Pew Research survey conducted in 2020, 55% of U.S. adults do not know basic facts about the Holocaust, such as how many Jewish people died. This is one example of how the memory of the Holocaust is fading from our community. Through reading books such as these we can honor those who lost their lives to the brutal acts of the Nazis and those who lived long enough to share their horrifying experiences.
I have been annoying people for decades. It is my job as a journalist to do so. And when I look back on my career, I only regret that I did not annoy more of them. News is what powerful people want to keep out of the media. Interesting commentary strays outside the mainstream and challenges conventional wisdom. That is why it so often wears better, over time, than the standard official opinion.

Well have to wait and see how the Ukraine war goes, which almost everyone currently thinks is a good thing. But the near-unanimous view of the Covid crisis back in 2020 is now beginning to look a bit threadbare.

Did we really do the right thing, squandering all that money we didnt have on making people stay at home? Now were deep underwater in unpayable debt, the currency is shrivelling, multitudes have given up regular work patterns and a terrifying number of businesses are in permanent trouble because their customers have melted away. And we absolutely did not save the NHS. In fact, we made it much, much worse.

I was almost alone in criticising these measures when they began. In fact, for the first few days I was totally alone  except that The Mail on Sunday, upholding the proper tradition of a free press  allowed me to dissent and gave me generous space to do so. That was absolutely proper. I was responsible for what I said. The newspaper did not have to agree with me, but it took the civilised view that open debate favours the truth, or as Milton put it in his great defence of free speech, Areopagitica: Who ever knew Truth put to the worse, in a free and open encounter?

A terrifying number of businesses are in permanent trouble because their customers have melted away

After a few weeks, it became clear that not everyone was as enlightened as The Mail on Sunday.

Invitations from broadcasters, who had previously been friendly and reasonably generous with their time, stopped arriving, with a few heroic exceptions such as Mike Graham on Talk Radio.

Various people went on to Twitter and elsewhere to ludicrously accuse me of denying Covid or of having caused the deaths of people by expressing doubts about the restrictions, a very nasty slander.

Despite having been vaccinated myself, I was simultaneously denounced as an anti-vaxxer by Covid zealots, and became the object of fury from genuine anti-vaxxers who decided madly that I was a traitor even though I had never adopted their cause (one of these pursued me on to a train to shout at me, only the other day).

But the deeper effect was harder to pin down. For it was on the internet, the most vital forum of all. Here, you can never be sure.

I use Twitter a lot, but are others seeing my tweets? I have no idea, and will never know whether I was shadow-banned  a form of censorship in which your impact is reduced but not actually obliterated, so hard to measure or spot.

But at two points it was clear beyond doubt that something very creepy was going on. I give quite a few interviews which appear later on YouTube, sometimes getting more than 100,000 viewers.

We absolutely did not save the NHS. In fact, we made it much, much worse

In June 2020, I gave an interview about the virus farce to two clever young men, Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster, who run a popular web broadcast called TRIGGERnometry. I said what I have been saying here  that the crashing of the economy and the stifling of personal liberty were utterly out of proportion to the danger from Covid-19. I gave evidence for my view and quoted eminent experts. I do not think I said anything that was false or abusive. But, within a couple of hours of launching the interview, Konstantin and Francis noticed a very strange thing. It was almost impossible to find, even if you knew where to look. Usually, their programme quickly garners large numbers of viewers, and it had done so on a previous occasion when Id been interviewed by them on another matter.

I am pretty sure (but cannot prove) I was the victim of shadow-banning. Someone had fiddled with the computer algorithms, which guide the searches everyone makes on the World Wide Web. A lot of people kindly protested. And as mysteriously as it had been applied, the ban evaporated, albeit too late. The audience for the interview was irretrievably reduced. Thats not all  on January 25, 2021, YouTube posted a version of a conversation I had had with Mike Graham on Talk Radio. But 75 seconds of the original broadcast were missing.

A few weeks before, YouTube had suspended the entire Talk Radio station from its output. The ban was ended after a major public fuss. I have never really got to the bottom of what happened to my censored words, but I think I can say that someone deliberately cut them because they did not like the opinions I was expressing.

I mention these things because we now have an even more worrying connection. The report from Big Brother Watch probably only touches the surface of what Government agencies were up to during the closedown of the country. We know they were at one stage interested in what I was up to, but I suspect there was a lot more than this that we will never find.

Did we really do the right thing, squandering all that money we didnt have on making people stay at home?

But the key is Whitehalls special access to the giant internet companies, which, of course, include YouTube and Twitter. These shadowy monitors clearly had hotlines to the web monsters, which allowed them to flag things they did not like. Did someone whose salary was paid by you and me, with the special powers given to government, dislike what I said? Was someone else afraid that the popularity of TRIGGERnometry would give me and my unwelcome views a new, wider audience? I can only guess, and so can you.

But the circumstantial evidence is strong. And I believe that this is the way censorship will reappear among us, as governments grow less tolerant of opposition.

To me, the most astonishing thing about the great Covid panic was how many attacks the state managed to make on basic freedoms without anyone much even caring. This was partly because of the fear the Government had deliberately spread (as SAGE minutes reveal).

So now is the time to demand a full and powerful investigation into the dark material which Big Brother Watch has bravely uncovered  and to stand against the tendency towards censorship and suppression which flourishes like bindweed if it is not ruthlessly cut back.
LIAR! This word was shouted, over and over, as our car pulled into the side entrance of the Royal Courts of Justice in London. The crowd of Johnny Depp fans pushed up against the vehicle, jostling for a glimpse of his ex-wife Amber Heard through the window.

It was the opening morning of what was billed as 'the libel trial of the century'. Depp was suing The Sun newspaper for defamation for calling him a 'wife-beater': he claimed Amber had lied about the domestic violence she said she had suffered during their relationship. As a human rights barrister, I was representing Amber as she gave evidence in support of the newspaper's case.

We could hear the crowd before we could see them. Bellowing, yelling, booing.

Among them were grown men dressed as Johnny Depp  or at least as his screen characters Jack Sparrow and Edward Scissorhands. They had taken up his cause as if it were their own. They held up hand-drawn placards: 'Men too', 'Gold-digger', 'Amber LIES', 'Amber the Abuser'.

CRUSHING: Johnny Depp (left) and Amber Heard (right) pictured during the US trial

SUPPORT: Lawyer Jennifer Robinson hugs Heard outside Royal Court

In Johnny Depp, it was as if they saw the victim of a cancel culture supposedly obsessed with bringing white masculinity down. He was not just someone suing in costly defamation proceedings with a huge legal team and a PR campaign of the kind very few people can afford.

The actor had somehow become an everyman, unfairly accused and subject to the same 'witch-hunt' that had seen the demise of every guy who had made an off-colour office joke since MeToo. Every man who had been sacked for coming on to the junior women at work or making 'now inappropriate' comments. They saw their own ex-wives and custody battles, and the child support they had been forced to pay.

Maybe they sympathised with Depp when they learned he had sent a message to Elton John calling his ex-wife and mother of his children, Vanessa Paradis, a 'French extortionist c***'. Maybe they agreed with his texts calling women whores and wishing ruin and death on Amber, his ex.

They saw all of this in Johnny Depp  to them he was an anti-Establishment hero, the kind he so convincingly played in movies.

I had worked on cases that had drawn a crowd before  including representing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange  but I had never seen anything like this. Celebrity fandom and misogyny converged.

I reached out to squeeze Amber's hand.

It was 2020, four years since she had got a domestic violence restraining order against Depp from a Californian judge.

Amber had never detailed the violence she said she suffered during her relationship with Depp in public, nor did she ever want to. Before Depp's defamation claim, Amber had only told a judge in California enough detail about the violence to obtain the original restraining order back in 2016  long before MeToo went viral. Once she got the order, she had no interest in talking about it again and she had signed a non-disclosure agreement as part of their divorce that prevented her from doing so. It was only after MeToo that Depp would sue.

In 2018, Depp sued The Sun over an article which had questioned JK Rowling's decision to cast Depp in her film franchise, given that Amber had been granted a restraining order by a judge and Rowling's support for MeToo.

Depp was claiming more than 300,000 in damages and an injunction to prevent The Sun from ever reporting he was a 'wife-beater' again, which would also stop other media reporting it.

He would also later sue Amber in the United States, too, claiming $50 million in damages, more than enough to bankrupt Amber. Her legal costs were crippling.

He had vowed to take revenge on her after she left him. As he wrote in a text message to his agent: 'She's begging for total global humiliation... She's gonna get it.'

Now, thanks to the law, he was getting his way.

Depp sued Amber in the United States claiming $50 million in damages, more than enough to bankrupt Amber. Her legal costs were crippling

Amber Heard testifies about the first time she says her ex-husband, actor Johnny Depp hit her, at on May 4 last year

Following revelations about Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein's sexual misconduct, the MeToo movement went viral in 2017. At its core, MeToo is about survivors speaking out and finding solidarity in one another. In a culture of shame and silence, where survivors are kept isolated from each other, speaking out is a powerful act.

In a sense, the MeToo movement is a response to legal systems that do not serve women and girls, either because the laws are inadequate or because the response of the legal system to victims and survivors is flawed.

Only 14 per cent of sexual violence victims report the assault to police. And even if sexual assault and rape are reported, prosecutions and convictions remain depressingly low. In Britain, only 1.6 per cent of rapes reported to the police result in a charge  a rate so low that the UK Victims Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird, has said that 'we are witnessing the decriminalisation of rape'.

Even smaller again is the number of men who are actually convicted. In the UK, less than 1 per cent of rape cases result in conviction.

But something has been happening as a reaction to the MeToo movement.

As women have been empowered to break their silence, they have faced a different kind of silencing: the silencing of those who speak out by, and through, the law.

The spike in the number of survivors speaking out has been followed by a spike in legal actions against them and the journalists who want to report their stories  in defamation, in contract, in privacy and in breach of confidence.

By far the most common legal action we have seen used against women who have spoken out or reported gender-based violence is the libel suit. Defamation law allows a person to sue for damage caused to their reputation.

As lawyers, we have seen this in our practice and watched it happen all around the world. The courts have become the battlefield, where judges grapple with competing rights: a woman's right to speak about gender-based abuse and a man's right to reputation.

For lawyers who understood media law, it came as no surprise that Depp chose to sue in London, where defamation law is notoriously pro-claimant.

The Sun's article wasn't the first to report on the claims of assault made against him but the actor and his lawyers chose The Sun as the defendant, a tabloid that they perhaps thought would be unlikely to arouse the sympathy of much of the public, or of fellow celebrities or Hollywood executives.

Amber was merely a witness, asked by The Sun to give evidence to help them prove she had not lied about the abuse she suffered in their relationship.

Soon after he sued, Depp's PR campaign had kicked into gear. GQ magazine reported he had hired crisis-management firm Hawthorn, which acts for 'exceptionally wealthy clients [who] call if there's no one else to call'; its staff were 'wolf men, fixers, public-image adjustment specialists'.

In the lead-up to the UK trial, there was a full-scale effort to paint Amber as a liar and abuser, and Depp as the 'nice guy' victim  the well-known tactic to 'deny, attack and reverse the role of the victim and offender', or 'Darvo' for short.

Celebrity friends gave statements in support of Depp, including his ex-wife Vanessa Paradis, who said it was not the 'true Johnny' she knew.

Another ex, Winona Ryder, said the allegations were 'impossible to believe', though, significantly, neither she nor Paradis appeared in the London court, which would have allowed them to be cross-examined. It was later reported that Ryder had hired a former US prosecutor to block the use of her testimony.

Meanwhile, a sea of online trolls targeted Amber, us as her lawyers, and the journalists reporting on the case.

We were flooded with what appeared to be bot-generated emails and tweets saying that we had been associating with a 'criminal' and an 'abuser'.

'I fell head over heels in love with this man,' Heard testified at in court on May 4

It was a sophisticated campaign: it targeted everyone who had been pictured with Amber, tweeted about Amber or tweeted about being at an event with Amber  and not just with tweets but with emails addressed to their workplace. Colleague after colleague forwarded me the identical tweets and emails they had received.

Amber and I had spent two years gathering evidence to corroborate her allegations: photos, text messages, medical records, witness evidence. She had, in my view, far more evidence than most victims of domestic abuse.

Meanwhile, Depp's entire case was nearly struck out because of his repeated failures to disclose relevant evidence.

It was only by accident that his legal firm disclosed 70,000 of Depp's personal text messages, including the now infamous texts between Depp and actor Paul Bettany, joking about wanting to drown and burn Amber and rape her corpse. The stage was set: he was the powerful, much-loved movie star calling her a liar. She was the younger woman who left him, got a restraining order and was trying to get on with her career. She said he was violent, he denied it.

Who was to be believed? The judge had to decide: had The Sun published things about Depp that were true? And, by extension, had Amber told the truth about his domestic violence?

It was one thing for Depp and his supporters to make all kinds of claims in the media and online, but it was another to make them in court where a judge would decide.

At the Royal Courts of Justice, I sat with Amber and her sister through 16 days of evidence. I watched as she and Depp were cross-examined over 14 separate incidents of violence, including sexual violence, which was heard in closed court to protect what was left of her privacy.

I watched as Depp's defence used all the old, gendered tropes: she lied, she nagged him, she picked fights, she stood up to him. She was not a 'real victim'. Much of Depp's case was irrelevant to the central question: had he hit her?

There was certainly evidence of his violence.

Depp and Heard met on the set of the 2011 movie The Rum Diary, turning up on the red carpet together for its London premiere

In a recording that we discovered and submitted as evidence, Depp said this: 'I headbutted you in the f***ing forehead  that doesn't break a nose.' Amber's evidence was that he had headbutted her, leaving her with bruising and a suspected broken nose, and the recording supported this.

In Depp's witness statement he claimed he had not touched her and she was uninjured.

When confronted with the recording in court, Depp conceded he had headbutted her but now claimed it was 'accidental'. When pressed about why  if that were true  he had not included this in his written statement, he claimed that he had not read his own statement. It was all 'too much information' for him, and he blamed his lawyers for the factual error.

The reaction among the lawyers in the courtroom was palpable: this was a huge blow to Depp's credibility.

Of course, there was a problem with Depp's answer, as the judge would abruptly remind him: he had been asked at the outset of his evidence to confirm that he had read his witness statement and that it was true, and had done so.

Four months later, the judgment arrived in my inbox. I quickly scrolled through the 129 pages. Mr Justice Nicol found that what The Sun had published was substantially true.

He found there was sufficient evidence to support Amber's account in 12 of the 14 incidents of violence pleaded by the newspaper. I immediately called Amber to give her the good news: she had been vindicated. It was a big win  for Amber, and for all women  setting an important precedent that would deter the powerful from suing to silence.

The Sun ran a triumphant headline and front page: 'On behalf of domestic abuse survivors, we can now confirm that HE IS A WIFE-BEATER.'

The outcome was hailed by domestic violence charities, after 'a trial which exemplified tactics used to silence and discredit victims'. Lisa King of Refuge, the largest specialist domestic violence service, said the ruling was 'a very powerful message power, fame and financial resources cannot be used to silence women'.

Depp's lawyers protested what they called a 'perverse and bewildering' decision, but his appeal was rejected.

Depp's supporters and online trolls went into meltdown. Wild claims were made about the judge, and about me. Thousands signed online petitions calling for the judge to be sacked, claiming he was biased and had conflicts of interests.

It was just another online misinformation campaign that bore no relationship to reality.

The judgment had restored my faith about the progress that had been made in how women are treated in the courts, if not in the media and online. 'Surely, no one could doubt her now?' I thought to myself.

But how wrong I was.

Amber continued to face suspicion and online attacks and abuse. The online noise attacking her drowned out the fact that the British courts had determined that she is a domestic abuse survivor.

And then came the US trial.

Two years later, on the same set of facts, the same outdated arguments were run again  this time before a jury in Virginia in the US. Depp was suing Amber for an opinion piece she wrote for the Washington Post in 2018.

In it, Amber did not name Depp or any of the underlying factual allegations of violence, but wrote from experience about how women who speak out need to be supported and necessary law reform to better support survivors.

Before a jury in Virginia in the US, Depp was suing Amber for an opinion piece she wrote for the Washington Post in 2018

After a trial streamed live on YouTube, the jury found against Amber. It decided Amber had defamed Depp, that she had lied and that she had done so with malice  and they awarded him $10 million in damages and $5 million in punitive damages

Depp had lost his defamation case in the UK  a jurisdiction that is notoriously pro-claimant. It should have been more difficult for Depp to win in the US, where the burden of proof fell on him rather than on the defendant. By rights, she should have won  based on the evidence and the supposedly more stringent free speech protection in the US.

But after a trial streamed live on YouTube, the jury found against Amber. It decided Amber had defamed Depp, that she had lied and that she had done so with malice  and they awarded him $10 million in damages and $5 million in punitive damages.

The jury also found that Depp had defamed Amber, through the statements of his lawyer, claiming that her allegations were a hoax. She was awarded $2 million.

I believe the outcome was absurd  and the consequences have been even worse than could have been imagined, for Amber and women everywhere. And the fallout has been global.

After seeing what happened to Amber, lawyer colleagues around the world have said their clients are worried about taking action against their abusers. Some decided not to go ahead. Others reported that abusive partners were threatening them, saying they were 'an Amber' and no one would believe them. In the face of all this, there remain many important questions.

What message does all of this send to women who might want to speak out about their abuse? How many women will speak out if this is how they will be treated? How many more women will have watched this case and thought, 'I can't go through that'?

How many women now feel unable to confide in family members about their experiences after hearing them ridicule Amber?

How many women are now silenced and afraid to come forward?

How many more women will be sued and silenced? How can we make sure that the law is balanced and fair, that it protects the presumption of innocence, privacy and reputation while upholding women's rights to live a life free from violence?

And how many women have to suffer this before the cultural narrative shifts away from the oldest tricks in the book  calling women liars, gold-diggers and whores.

These are the questions that we believe we all need to start asking  and our lawmakers need to start debating.
As Nelly Scott stared at her computer, bored, she tried to make it look like she was doing something useful.

At 27, temping at a health and safety company in London, she felt uninspired, to say the least.

One day, after Id finished my duties and was sitting waiting for people to ring the doorbell, my boss told me to at least pretend I was working, the 34-year-old from Canada but living in London tells Metro.co.uk.

It was my lightbulb moment. I remember thinking to myself: What am I doing with my life?

Nelly Scott, 34, a Londoner from Canada, runs clowning retreats after quitting her job at a health and safety company to take up the art at the professional level

A couple of months later, Nelly handed in her notice. And she knew exactly what she was going to do instead. She wanted to become a clown.

She said: It may seem like an unusual calling, but performing is in my blood.

'Growing up in Ontario, Canada, with a theatre director mom and set designer dad, it was inevitable Id end up on stage.

'In fact when I was a little girl, my parents put me into their productions rather than paying for childcare!

Nelly revealed she grew up interested in performing arts, and became captivated with clowns after seeing a troupe perform in Paris when she was 15

Nelly originally wanted to be a professional theatre actress, but during a family trip to Paris, aged 15, a street show of clowns captivated her.

To me, their antics represented absolute freedom. They were so playful and it was clear they werent taking themselves seriously.

During our holiday I went back to that show about five times, and one afternoon I got talking to the performers. Thats when I discovered there was such a thing as clown school.

Back home, Nelly had a civics and careers class in high school so she asked to research clowning.

The professional clown recounted how a 'lightbulb moment' led her to question her life choices and quit her job

Her teacher told her it wasnt a real profession. Luckily, her parents were more open-minded.

It gave Nelly something to aim for, but she had challenges to overcome first. Aged 17, an accidental overdose at a teenage party left her fighting for her life.

My recovery gave me time to rethink my priorities and make some changes. In hospital Id spent my days thinking about comedy and clowning.

'As soon as I was discharged, I auditioned for a year-long role at Canadas Shaw Festival, a theatre company.

Nelly said clowning is #the ultimate way to get in touch with yourself' because life really can be 'ridiculous'

After quitting her reception job, in summer 2016 she became a full-time clown performer and teacher, working under the stage name Zuma Puma

Aged 18, she started studying at several clown schools. After six years, she moved to London and began supplementing her acting and clowning income with temping jobs.

She also found some work as a clown teacher on a part-time basis.

And finally, after quitting her reception job, in summer 2016 she became a full-time clown performer and teacher, working under the stage name Zuma Puma.

Friends and family told me I was crazy, asking how Id pay my rent. But a friend helped me to produce my first clowning workshop and it immediately sold out.

Nelly is determined to make clowning for everyone and her love of retreats led her to create clown-specific retreats

With clowning comes the freedom to tap into the ridiculousness of life, embracing fun and joyfulness, or fully expressing yourself during challenging times, whatever is happening.

'When people came to my clowning classes I could see huge transformations  they became more confident and playful.

Nelly is determined to make clowning for everyone and her love of retreats led her to create clown-specific retreats.

For me, clowning is the ultimate way to get in touch with yourself because life really can be ridiculous, so its about celebrating that and allowing yourself to act with total freedom.

My advice is to follow your instincts, embrace those lightbulb moments and let curiosity be your guide. Thats my Red Nose Philosophy!

Visit Metro.co.uk to read the full version of this article
Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney has revealed the highly-anticipated results of her facial feminization surgery with a glamorous old Hollywood-inspired shoot.

The 26-year-old actress and activist, who has more than 10.3 million TikTok followers, underwent the procedure in mid-December. She unveiled her new look on Instagram six weeks later on Friday, January 27.

The cinematic video begins with a title card that reads 'Dylan Mulvaney starring in "The Face Reveal."' A red velvet curtain opens and shows her doing a dramatic ballet dance to Tchaikovskys 'Swan Lake.'

Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, 26, revealed the results of her facial feminization surgery after undergoing the procedure last month (pictured)

Mulaney is dressed in an aqua two-piece costume with a flower petal skirt, shiny silver boots, and sheer elbow-length gloves. Her dark hair is pulled back in a slick bun that draws attention to her face during close-ups.

After a brief curtain call, she comes back on stage modeling a black Audrey Hepburn-inspired strapless dress, matching gloves, and pearls.

Mulvaney bows and twirls for the audience. She blows one last kiss goodbye before closing the velvet curtain for the final time.

'You know I have a flair for the dramatics, but it's so good right?' she says of her face backstage. 'I'm so happy, and it's still me. It's just a little bit softer of a version.

'I just hope that all trans and non-binary people can get the gender-affirming resources that they need because this is life-changing and sometimes life-saving.

'I'm so happy, and it's still me. It's just a little bit softer of a version,' Mulvaney said of her transformation. She pictured last month, a few weeks before the procedure

'So, thank you so much for supporting me, and we've got so much to catch up on,' she tells her fans. 'I love ya.'

The nearly two-minute video has been viewed more than 4.6 million times and has received over 950,000 comments.

Mulvaney thanked everyone who helped make the clip possible in the caption, including her 'wonderful doctor' Dr. Harrison H. Lee, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California.

She also shared a series of stunning black and white images from the shoot in a second Instagram post that she titled 'PART 2 - the actress.'

The TikTok star revealed that she was undergoing facial feminization surgery on December 16 while sharing videos of herself waking up and being dropped off at a medical center.

The TikTok star revealed that she was undergoing facial feminization surgery on December 16

Mulvaney later posted a photo and video of herself in the hospital. Her head was completely bandaged and her cheeks, nose, and chin were covered in gauze

Five days later, she posted a video of herself in her hospital bed. Her head was completely bandaged and her cheeks, nose, and chin were covered in gauze.

Stitches could also be seen above her upper lip, and she appeared to have bruises around her mouth and under her eyes.

'Miss you all already, and I'm doing well so thank you for supporting me,' she said hoarsely in the video. 'I love you so much, thank you, love ya!'

Facial feminization surgery refers to a broad range of procedures to modify and soften masculine facial features to make them more feminine.

This may include forehead reconstruction, lowering and reshaping the hairline, raising the brows, jaw surgery, and rhinoplasty. Surgeons may also elect to shave the trachea to reduce the size of an Adam's apple.

Facial feminization surgery refers to a broad range of procedures to modify and soften masculine facial features to make them more feminine. Mulvaney is pictured in October

Mulvaney, pictured before the procedure, thanked her 'wonderful doctor' Dr. Harrison H. Lee, a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California

Altogether, the surgeries can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000, out of pocket.

Mulvaney has previously said that her 'Days of Girlhood' series  in which she documents each day since her transition  effectively pays for her surgeries.

'A lot of the initial deals were tailored to my queerness and to my transness,' she told The Creators newsletter in October. 'For some of these major corporations, I was actually their first trans creator. It's exciting to make money to support myself since I lost my job, and to have my transition surgeries be covered too.'

As DailyMail.com previously reported, Mulvaney was set to earn more than $1 million in 2022  just from promoting teeth-whitening strips, lipsticks, and other products on TikTok.

Industry insiders who broker commercial endorsement deals for TikTok creators say Mulvaney nets at least $100,000 each month from showcasing brands in her popular 'Days of Girlhood' series.

The influencer has more than 10.3 million followers on TikTok and 1.2 million followers on Instagram

Mulvaney's meteoric fame was buoyed by her sit-down interview with President Joe Biden in October

They describe Mulvaney, who is represented by LA-based Creative Artists Agency (CAA), as a savvy operator who likely gets paid $25,000-$50,000 each time she posts about her sponsors, including Ulta Beauty, Haus Labs, Crest, Instacart, EOS, and CeraVe.

Assil Dayri, founder of London-based AMD Consulting Group, which helps companies grow their reach on social media, for example, said Mulvaney's platform was 'very lucrative' and 'easily' netted her $100,000 per month.

'Dylan could become more of a public figure, appear more on TV, get more press coverage, and even become a brand ambassador and collaborate with LGBTQ organizations to drive awareness around transitioning,' Dayri told DailyMail.com.

The influencer's meteoric fame was buoyed by her sit-down interview with President Joe Biden in October, when the president said states should not be able to regulate the availability of these types of surgeries.

'I don't think any state or anybody should have the right to do that,' he said when Mulvaney asked if red states should have the right to pass laws limiting access to gender-affirming treatments.

Mulvaney has previously said that her 'Days of Girlhood' series - in which she documents each day since her transition - effectively pays for her surgeries

Mulvaney earns as much as $100,000 per month pushing brands such as EOS, CeraVe, and Crest, industry insiders told DailyMail.com

'I just hope that all trans and non-binary people can get the gender-affirming resources that they need because this is life-changing and sometimes life-saving,' she said in her recent video

'As a moral question and as a legal question, I just think it's wrong,' Biden continued. 'Sometimes they try to block you from being able to access certain medicines, being able to access certain procedures, and so on.'

'I mean, no state should be able to do that, in my view,' he added. 'So I feel very, very strongly that you should have every single solitary right including use of your gender-identity bathrooms in public.'

Alabama, Arkansas, Texas, and Arizona all enacted laws or policies restricting youth access to gender reassignment treatments, care, and surgeries. In some cases, these laws impose penalties on adults who facilitate access to this care.

GOP lawmakers pushing for legislation that would regulate gender-affirming surgeries and treatment in these states argue they are dangerous and could cause irreversible changes in younger patients.

Most legislation in red states has focused on minors, not adults.
They have been joined by their eldest daughter Princess Catharina-Amalia

Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands have been joined by their eldest daughter Princess Catharina-Amalia as they visit the Dutch Caribbean Islands.

On day two of their two-week visit to the various countries and municipalities of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the couple toured Bonaire alongside the 19-year-old princess.

Catharina-Amalia cut an elegant figure in a blue and white floral dress, teamed with cream heels and a dainty handbag. She left her hair loose and opted for a smattering of glamorous makeup.

Her mother looked equally stylish in a colourful pink frock, cinched at the waist with a fashionable belt and featuring elegant button detailing down the front.

Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands have been joined by their eldest daughter Princess Catharina-Amalia as they visit the Dutch Caribbean Islands

Known for her colour coordination, she opted for a coffee-coloured headband to sweep back her locks, and a matching handbag and pair of heels.

King Willem-Alexander made sure to appear just as smart as his family, sporting a pair of royal blue trousers and a crisp white shirt.

Although the Netherlands is the largest and wealthiest part, the Kingdom of the Netherlands is actually comprised of four constituent countries - all of which have equal status.

Along with the Netherlands itself, the members are Aruba, Curacao and St Maarten, each of which has King Willem-Alexander as its head of state and its own parliament.

On day two of their two-week visit to the various countries and municipalities of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the couple toured Bonaire alongside the 19-year-old princess

Catharina-Amalia cut an elegant figure in a blue and white floral dress, teamed with cream heels and a dainty handbag

The princess (pictured right) left her hair loose and opted for a smattering of glamorous makeup

Queen Maxima (pictured) looked equally stylish in a colourful pink frock, cinched at the waist with a fashionable belt and featuring elegant button detailing down the front

Three further Caribbean islands, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, are administered as municipalities of the Netherlands and as such, inhabitants are Dutch citizens with the same rights and responsibilities.

Until 2010, all the Caribbean islands, with the exception of Aruba, were part of the Dutch Antilles - an entity that was dissolved and its residents given the choice of independence or integration.

The arrangement is similar to that between the Commonwealth Realms, all of which have Britain's monarch as head of state but have separate directly elected parliaments.

Earlier this month, Queen Maxima looked effortlessly chic in a camel cape coat as she received guests at the Royal Palace.

Known for her colour coordination, Maxima (pictured right) opted for a coffee-coloured headband to sweep back her locks, and a matching handbag and pair of heels

King Willem-Alexander (pictured centre) made sure to appear just as smart as his family, sporting a pair of royal blue trousers and a crisp white shirt

The Dutch queen, 51, teamed her elegant gold blouse with a stunning diamond bracelet and matching earrings, as she joined her husband King Willem-Alexander at the palace in Amsterdam.

Underneath her coat she donned a textured midi skirt in a variety of colourful patterns and brought the whole thing together with suede olive heels.

The mother-of-three kept her blonde tresses loose, in a side parting and tucked behind her ears, and her make up naturally bronzed with a smokey eye and nude lip.

King Willem, 55, wore a single breasted navy suit with a blue and white patterned tie as he joined his wife to welcome several hundred guests from political and public administration and from various sectors of Dutch society.

This was a quick turn around, as the couple attended the funeral of former King Constantine II of Greece the day before in Athens.
The Princess of Wales is promoting her new early childhood campaign which aims to 'give generations of children the best start in life.'

Kate posted a video to Twitter today teasing the campaign launch after she met her team of advisers on the subject for the first time earlier this week.

The royal's meeting came as Kensington Palace said that Kate's work through her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood to promote the importance of the first five years of a child's life is being accelerated.

Full details about the new campaign were not given but Kate told the advisers she was 'excited' about the project and said a key area that might be looked into is how to 'develop the social and emotional skills which are vital for later life'.

Princess Kate posted a video to Twitter today teasing the campaign launch after she met her team of advisers on the subject for the first time earlier this week

'I am really excited for next week, there is lots coming out,' Kate told the team. '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.

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.

'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?'

The princess held talks with eight academics who represent sectors including neuroscience, psychology, perinatal psychiatry, early years services and policy development at Windsor Castle on Wednesday.

She said the team is dealing with 'big questions, big topics' which are 'complicated'.

MailOnline has approached Kensington Palace for comment.

'I am really excited for next week, there is lots coming out,' Kate told the team. She is pictured during her meeting with the Early Years Advisory Group at Windsor Castle on Wednesday

Princess Kate talks with experts from across academia, science and the early years sector, including Professor Peter Fonagy, Professor Eamon McCrory, Dr Alain Gregoire, Dr Trudi Seneviratne, Ed Vainker, Carey Oppenheim, Imran Hussain and Beverley Barnett-Jones, at Windsor Castle on Wednesday

Inside Kate's 'cosy' childhood home: 'Humble' four-bedroom house where the Middletons lived before making millions... READ MORE HERE Revealed: The Princess of Wales's first home, a four-bedroom semi-detached house in Bradfield Southend, Berkshire Advertisement

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'.

She noted 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.

'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.'

The royal's meeting came as Kensington Palace said that Kate's work through her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood to promote the importance of the first five years of a child's life is being accelerated

Kate (pictured during Wednesday's meeting) said the team is 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

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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'.

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.
Showed a hoody from the retailer featuring a similar design to the brand's logo

A Manchester brand has hit out at Primark after spotting similarities between its logo and a kids' hoody from the store.

Taking to Instagram earlier this month, clothing company Hikerdelic shared a clip titled 'Primark can't get their own ideas again', which showed a garment from the UK retailer featuring a similar illustration to the one used by the smaller firm.

'We've been sitting on this for a while,' read the caption, before adding: 'At the end of the day it's a business that makes hundreds of millions a year in clear profit. They don't need to step on toes.'

'A legal fight would be a distraction and far too costly for a small business like ours so instead we've decided to share this on here,' it continued.

A Manchester brand (pictured left) has hit out at Primark after spotting similarities between its logo and a kids' hoody from the store. Pictured right, Primark's hoody with Hikerdelic's design on some paper underneath

The Hikerdelic illustration, by Manchester-based Daren Newman, features a grass-covered hill underneath a pink and orange sunshine. It also features the words Hikerdelic inside the hill, in a curved font, similar to the one used by Primark.

Meanwhile, the Primark kids' hoody boasts a circular design, with the words 'Explore Nature' placed under trees, mountains and a colourful sunset.

Hikerdelic, which was founded by Proper Magazines Mark Smith and Neil Summers back in 2012, said in its Instagram post: 'We've been sitting on this for a while.

'From time to time we find stuff out there similar to ours, but usually it's just a case of people being influenced by similar things. It's hard to be 100% original.

Reaction: Social media users were quick to comment, with one writing: 'At least try and change it a bit Primark.'

'This though, from a corporate behemoth we're all familiar with is a step too far, in our opinion. We'd be tempted to turn the other cheek and get on with doing our thing normally.

'Sometimes though, when someone kicks sand in your face you've got to let them know it's not really on. At the end of the day it's a business that makes hundreds of millions a year in clear profit. They don't need to step on toes.

'A legal fight would be a distraction and far too costly for a small business like ours so instead we've decided to share this on here. This was the first logo we worked with @daren_newman on, and although we've got plenty more in our armoury, it's the one that we began with.

'It's not just us who are affected but talented independent illustrators too. Would be terrible if it got widely shared wouldn't it?'

Social media users were quick to comment, with one writing: 'At least try and change it a bit Primark.'

Another said: 'Floored with how low this is. So lazy! How did this get signed off. Is it not worth the fight? Gotta choose your battles but man. David And Goliath.'

A third outraged individual added: 'No way thats actually crazy!? This makes me very angry.'

A Primark spokesperson told MailOnline: 'We were concerned to learn of an issue regarding the design of a kids hoodie we sold last year. We are investigating this and are in touch with the brand.'
December and January were jampacked with events, family gatherings, and an arduous back-to-work slump - and many will still be feeling the brunt of 'social jet lag'.

Staying up and sleeping late can throw your whole schedule into orbit - and it can be hard to figure out how to get back on track.

However Dr Lindsay Browning - an expert at Trouble Sleeping and author of the self-help sleep book, Navigating Sleeplessness - has said it is possible, with just a little discipline.

She told FEMAIL the key is patience as you gradually use the clock as a tool to move away from any bad sleeping habits you've acquired - and keeping yourself alert during the day.

Sleep expert Dr Lindsay Browning has revealed how to recover from social jet-lag after a busy December and January (stock image)

Being strict with your wake-up time - even on weekends - and exposing yourself to light in the morning can also help.

'Social Jet lag is when our wake and bedtimes are misaligned with the wake and bedtimes for work,' Dr Browning said.

'Often, social jet lag means we go to bed late and sleep in at the weekend (or during a holiday), but then we can struggle to go to sleep earlier and wake up early enough for work when its time to go back to work again.'

She explained that this is because a 'circadian rhythm which controls the time when we feel tired and when we feel awake each day'.

Dr Browning said it can be 'hard' to go back to your old rhythm - but it's definitely doable with some ground rules.

1. Start with one hour a day

Dr Browning said that moving your circadian rhythm by one hour a day is easier than braving 'a big jump of several hours in one go'.

'It is a good idea to start moving your bedtime and wake time towards your ideal timings gradually,' she explained.

She added that patience is key in setting the internal clock back to normal.

'It might take a few days for the new timings to feel natural.'

2. Open up those curtains

Light exposure, Dr Browning explained, can be a very powerful tool in how your body understands time.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), humans see light as a signal to be awake, and the darkness as a sign that it's time to rest.

3. Make the alarm EVERY morning No sleeping in on the weekends! Even though it may be tempting to lay in bed and sleep your Saturdays and Sundays away, Dr Browning says it's important to be strict with yourself during the adjustment period. 'To get used to going to bed and waking up earlier, it's imperative that you set a morning alarm and get up every morning at this new earlier time,' she added. 'If you let yourself sleep-in when the weekend comes, you won't get used to the earlier bedtime and wake times.' Advertisement

This is also why staying away from screens is recommended as a way to wind down before bed.

'If you have been used to going to sleep too late and sleeping-in then bright light exposure in the morning can help to shift your natural circadian rhythm earlier,' Dr Browning said.

'It will also help you to feel more alert and refreshed during the day.'

4. Keep your caffeine intake small and impactful

As tempting as it could be to down a jug of coffee to help keep you awake, Dr Browning advised to focus on smaller doses.

'If you are struggling with alertness in the morning, small regular amounts of caffeine can be more helpful than one or two large coffees to keep you going through the day,' she said.

Most have their first cup of Joe within minutes of waking up, or as soon as they get to their desk.

But the best time to drink coffee for most is actually between 9.30am and 11am.

Studies show cortisol levels  the main stress hormone  are high when we wake up, and that having a coffee that early boosts these even more, leaving us at risk of unnecessary jitters.

Former US President George W. Bush used to drink about 10 cups to get through the day, while Virgin mogul Richard Branson once claimed he would drink twenty cups.

Many people know this is already far too much, but according to recent research involving 500,000 people three cups appear to be the sweet spot for reaping the best benefits.

Another study from 2015 showed consuming five cups was optimal for living a longer life, while one from March last year suggested two cups were best. Somewhere in between is likely best for reaping the rewards.

5. Exercise in the morning

While it could be a challenge to get yourself out of bed early for exercise, this really can be a wonder that helps you both wake up and go to sleep earlier.

Dr Browning said that the stimulation from a workout can boost alertness and have you feeling more ready for the day.

And what's more, it could also be good for you.

According to research, women who exercise in the morning may have a lower risk of suffering heart problems or a stroke.

A study of more than 85,000 people in the UK looked at their physical activity levels while they wore a fitness tracker for a week.

People were split into four groups, including those who were most active in the early morning, at around 8am, and those most active mid-morning at around 10am.

The other two groups contained people most active at midday and in the evening at around 7pm.

People who exercised first thing in the morning or mid-morning were found to have a lower risk of developing heart problems, including a heart attack, the most common form of angina and coronary heart disease.

Those who exercised mid-morning were less likely to have a stroke.

Gali Albalak, who led the study from Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, said: 'It is well established that exercise is good for heart health, and our study now indicates that morning activity seems to be most beneficial.

'The findings were particularly pronounced in women, and applied to both early birds and night owls.'
A hairdresser with a reputation for being brutally honest to customers has revealed how her sharp tongue earned her a legion of loyal fans.

Wendy Ha, who works from Randwick Beauty Spot, an understated salon in Sydney's east, told FEMAIL clients travel for hours to sit in her chair.

'It's not about my benefit, it's theirs. You are the expert you need to tell them the truth,' she said.

Wendy claims she will never lie to her clients, even if the truth hurts to hear.

The mum's talent has been spreading by word of mouth, until recently her salon didn't even have a website.

Wendy believes she has soared in popularity because she cares more about her clients' final look than making money.

'I don't care if they're asking for more expensive products or treatments, if it wont suit them or if it's bad for their hair I won't do it,' she said.

'A salon usually tries to sell products no matter what, but I will tell customers if their is something cheaper from the kitchen they can use for their hair instead.'

Wendy Ha (pictured) is the cult secret hairdresser who has clients that travel hours to hear her brutal honesty

She has built a loyal following of clients as she says she will never lie to them, even if the truth hurts to hear (pictured with a client). The mum (pictured with her daughter) said she owes her following to the fact she doesn't act like other salons, she cares about the final look and the health of her clients hair rather than making money

This approach stems from the stylist's impoverished upbringing.

She explained she raised herself from age six in Vietnam after her parents fled war.

But it isn't just about money - her popularity is fueled by her blunt cut approach to service.

Poll Would you appreciate Wendy's honesty or feel annoyed? I'd appreciate it I'd feel annoyed Would you appreciate Wendy's honesty or feel annoyed? I'd appreciate it 384 votes

I'd feel annoyed 37 votes Now share your opinion





'Customers like me because I don't lie to them, I will give them advice, and tell them which style or treatment is best for them,' she explained.

One time Wendy admits she refused to cut the hair of a woman who requested a very short style.

'She was very upset when she asked me to cut it, I tried to convince her not to and then I refused.

'She went somewhere else and chopped it very short, and now every month she comes to me and I cut a little bit off so the hair grows longer,' she said.

Another time Wendy warned against a treatment was when a woman who was beginning to lose her hair asked for a permanent straighten.

Before and after: Wendy is particularly passionate about healthy hair and has even refused to do treatments or styles that would damage a client's hair. She tries to focus on giving the client the treatment which will be best for their hair, rather than the most expensive one

She explained that this would exasperate the issue and she had to tell her client the effects it would have.

Despite her strong opinions the mum admits no customer has ever gotten angry or upset with her for her brutal honesty

'I told her the truth and she appreciated that, then we worked out a better treatment to suit her.'

The mum claims no customers have ever been left angry or upset over her brutal honesty or strongly expressed opinions.

'No one has ever had a bad reaction because they like and trust me,' she explained.

'They are surprised, as most hairdressers are not as honest and want to sell the product or most expensive service.'

The stylist said there are several damaging treatments she often advises against because they are bad for your hair.

Bleaching is a big no-no for her as it doesn't suit every type of hair and can cause certain hair types, such as dry hair, to become very unhealthy.

She also often recommends against perms and permanent straightening.

A big pet peeve of hers is when people decide to carry out home treatments from watching YouTube videos.

The worst things you can do to your hair according to a beauty therapist: * Bleaching * Getting a perm * Permanent straightening * Doing a treatment on yourself after watching a YouTube video Advertisement

She says the most common cause of hair damage she sees is from people who bleached their hair at home.

She warns people against using at home kits to give themselves a lash lift, outlining it's one of the most dangerous things she has seen as the solution often gets into the eyes.

Wendy offers a multitude of beauty services, including hair, eyebrows, eyelashes and nails. It's clear from her collection of five star reviews that her clients do love her.

'The service is fantastic. I had eyelashes extensions, manicure, pedicure and even hair colour. Wendy is so friendly and professional,' one woman said.

'Wendy did an amazing job with my hair waxing and eyelash extensions. I had so many compliments at the dinner I attended. She works so hard, its hard to find a one stop shop of all these services so I will be returning,' another wrote.

'So nice and nails look so pretty. Wendy gave us food because we had to wait a bit nicest lady I have ever seen,' another wrote.

Wendy has a close relationship with her clients due to her honesty (pictured left with a customer). She has a massive collection of five star reviews and even receives handwritten thank you notes (right)

The mum said she always tries to make a haircut an ongoing conversation to ensure clients are happy.

'I take time to do it and take photos halfway through on the back so they see. I do it step by step to confirm they are continually happy with it,' she explained.

'If they're happy with it and I'm not I'll advise them how to do it to look more healthy. I don't mind my tongue.'

Wendy shares hairdressing tips with her clients that most stylists won't share.

She advises people with blond hair never to use purple shampoo, which she says causes your hair to become very dry, brittle and dull.

She also recommends only washing your hair twice a week to maintain healthy oils.

However, she warns that you should always wash your hair after swimming in a chlorinated pool as it can strip your hair of its natural oils, she advises her customers to put a silicone or oil based product such as a serum into the hair before swimming.

The stylist stressed that conditioner should never be left on for more than three minutes, and it shouldn't touch the scalp.

The mum said she always tries to make a haircut an ongoing conversation to ensure clients are happy. She loves that can has the ability to 'make people feel beautiful.' Wendy also shares the hairdressing tips most stylists won't share that she gives to her clients

She always recommends giving your hair an overnight mask with coconut oil every so often, and she advises adding an oil like Argan to your hair when it is wet before blow drying.

She says you should never apply any heat to your hair without heat protection serum.

The mum now has 26 years of experience working in beauty and hairdressing, a job she dreamed about when she was growing up in poverty in the wake of the Vietnam war.

'When I was six years old my parents left Vietnam to escape the new government after the war,' she said, explaining that she grew up on her own with some help from her grandparents.

'I was very hungry all the time, we had no clothes, no food, most of the time I didn't have shoes.'

Wendy was eventually able to move to Australia and reunite with her parents when she was 18, but arrived with no English and had to learn whilst working office jobs.

Secret tips not every hairdresser will share: * Never use purple shampoo, it causes your hair to become very dry, brittle and dull * Only wash your hair twice a week to maintain healthy oils * Always wash your hair after swimming in a chlorinated pool as it can strip your hair of its natural oils, and put a silicone or oil based product such as a serum into the hair before swimming to protect it * Conditioner should never be left on for more than three minutes, and it should never touch the scalp * Give your hair an overnight mask with coconut oil every so often, and add an oil like Argan oil to your hair when it is wet before blow drying * Never apply any heat to your hair without heat protection serum

'I loved to speak English, but English didn't love me,' she laughed.

'People didn't understand what I was talking about because my accent was very strong.'

After nine years working and studying beauty in Australia, Wendy realised her dream and opened her own beauty salon in Fairfield, Sydney.

She ran her business for 16 years and became an integral part of the close knit community, a local newspaper even coined her the 'queen of eyebrows'.

'In Fairfield, if you say 'Wendy queen of eyebrows' they know me,' she laughed.

However, she had to sell the business in 2016 after going through a divorce, and was 'devastated' to say goodbye to her clients.

The mum said it was a very difficult few years for her, she went back to college to further upskill and eventually made the move to buy her current salon in Randwick, Sydney.

She found a family salon run by a couple in their seventies and immediately fell in love.

Before and after: Wendy is particularly passionate about eyebrow styling. She recently visited Vietnam to see family and friends, and whilst on holiday undertook training for a new eyebrow technique, nano hair stroke (pictured)

'First time I saw the business I put down a deposit. The second time I came was the day I took over the salon' she said.

'I had to start a new business in an area I never knew or had any connection in, but it didn't take me long to trust the people here. They are so nice, my neighbours are so helpful and it is a lovely, welcoming community.'

Just as she was finished renovating the business Covid and lockdown hit and she went through a very difficult time.

'In my childhood I cried a lot, but in lockdown I cried more than I ate or slept. It was the hardest time of my life,' she said.

However, she was encouraged when the customers she met before lockdown came back and brought their friends and family, and some clients from her old salon started travelling hours to make an appointment.

Wendy offers a multitude of beauty services, including hair styling, eyebrow styling, eyelash extensions and nail art

Wendy is still working in the simple studio in Randwick, which is full of people everyday who heard of her skills by word of mouth.

She admitted the salon didn't have WI-FI for a long time so she had no website or social media until one of her clients set up accounts for her so other people could hear about the secret.

'One day someone said "I love your new website" and I said "what website?" Wendy laughed, explaining that she wasn't even aware her customer had made one for her.

'IT doesn't like me,' she joked.

Her particular passions are hair and eyebrow styling, and she constantly makes an effort to stay up to date with the latest techniques and learn more about the beauty industry.

She recently visited Vietnam to see family and friends, and whilst on holiday undertook training for a new eyebrow technique, nano hair stroke.

Wendy was encouraged by customers who brought their friends and family after she set up a new salon in Randwick after Covid related lockdowns

Wendy prides herself on keeping her prices suitable for everyone, so no one is deprived of a hair cut, she currently charges only $25 for a first haircut.

She said growing up in poverty makes her appreciate that not everyone has money for things that make them feel beautiful so she tries to make it as easy as possible.

'I can relate as I was hungry as a child. I was like the homeless kids raising myself.'

Wendy said hairdressing fills her with more joy than she could imagine when she was younger.

She loves that can has the ability to 'make people feel beautiful.'

'I usually take before and after photos and to see them see the difference makes me feel me feel my day is good,' she explained.

'I really like this job and I want to keep going even after I'm retired.'

'To be honest with you to see the reactions of people who didn't think they could afford such a transformation, I think I am very blessed, so I don't mind not having more money.'
Professor at a Norwegian university says white noise forces the brain to focus

Australian scientist says it is only a quick fix for people suffering with insomnia

Listening to the gentle rumbling of thunder, or even the hissing of a radiator, could help you fall asleep.

That is, if you believe sleep scientists.

If you've scrolled through social media, especially TikTok, at any point in the past 12 months, chances are you will have come across the sensation of 'brown noise'.

Videos claiming it can 'calm and focus the mind', help you doze off and prevent you tossing and turning have received millions of views.

Up to one in three Brits and almost half of Americans have insomnia.

Brown noise can be compared to the gentle hum of a jet engine, so if you are able to fall asleep on a plane brown noise could help you. Research shows one of the reasons brown noise could help with sleep is because it is softer sound than white noise and still masks external sounds

Desperate for a remedy, millions resort to breathing exercises and lighting scented candles to help them sleep. Some count sheep.

Others even listen to TV static to help them wind down. Similarly, frustrated parents have, for decades, sworn by using the white noise of a vacuum cleaner or a hairdryer to get their baby to sleep.

But now sleepyheads are pivoting towards its sister 'brown' sound, following claims it also possesses miraculous drifting off abilities.

Although it can sound similar, it's technically softer. Advocates liken it to the sound of rushing water, or the deep but gentle grumble of a jet engine.

Such sounds have already been plugged into phone apps and devices marketed as having sleep-inducing capabilities, which are proven to work by calming your heart rate.

Brown, pink and white noise: What do they sound like and what do they do? Brown noise, pink noise, and the better-known white noise, are all examples of different frequencies of noise. These sounds, also known as sonic hues, are constant noises which have minimal changes in pitch and have no distinct beat. Brown noise is named after something called Brownian motion. This is the random motion of particles in a fluid as they bounce off each other. Brown noise is just the audio version. To the human ear it sounds similar to the white noise of TV static, but it is softer. The lower frequencies are boosted, and the higher notes dampened. It can be likened to soft rumbling thunder; water falls or a rushing river. It can help you relax, sleep, block out noises and improve your focus. White noise makes a consistent humming sound like a fan or television static. Pink noise is a lighter sound than brown noise. However, it is a much deeper sound than white noise, imagine rainfall, wind, rustling leaves and a heartbeat. Advertisement

Professor Dan Berlau, a neuroscientist who currently teaches at the Regis University School of Pharmacy in Denver, Colorado, said: 'Brown noise does something called sound masking, where because you are hearing full frequency sound, it creates a noise blanket over all other sounds.'

He said: 'It is just reducing the distractions in your environment.

'At night, [it means] if you are trying to sleep you are not distracted by the creaks and sounds of the wind in the house...

'It just creates an auditory blanket that creates all the frequencies of noise, so you do not get distracted.'

Professor Berlau added: 'As the father of a four- and a six-year-old, I can tell you that my children have been sleeping with brown or pink noise their entire life. It is terrific.'

Although the simple hack may not work for everyone, Professor Berlau recommends the desperate at least try.

He believes listening to sounds is safer than taking a lot of medication, which used to be the main weapon in a sleep doctor's arsenal.

Professor Berlau said: 'There are a lot of medications for sleep, many of which have very strong side effects. So, if there are nonpharmacological therapies that can help with sleep it would be terrific.

'The down sides of brown noise are pretty minimal, unless you are listening to it so loud that it is going to hurt your ears.

'I would recommend anybody try using brown noise for sleep if they are struggling.'

A scientific report, published in the journal Sensors in 2022, supports his theory that the sleep-inducing effects of listening to brown noise are due to sound masking.

Rather than prescribing drugs to treat insomnia, the Korean study suggested white, brown or pink noise could one day be recommended instead.

Listening to coloured noises helped participants drift off roughly 10 minutes earlier than usual, according to an analysis of sleep diaries.

There are many devices, such as the speaker pictured, and smartphone apps marketed as having sleep inducing capabilities. These sleep aids use auditory stimulation to induce sleep, but there is little proof this actually works

Dr Gemma Paech, a sleep expert at the University of Newcastle in Australia, said the waves of an ocean during a storm or fast-flowing river could also fall be classified as brown noise.

Dr Paech explained the sound is deeper, less harsh and more calming for sleep than white or pink noise.

Pink noise, like brown and white noise, is a sonic hue and it can be compared to the sound of rustling leaves.

Speaking to MailOnline, Dr Peach said there were other reasons why brown noise can help people sleep, not just through its potent masking effect.

She said: 'There might be a "conditioned response" - if someone has regularly fallen asleep listening to these noises in the past, the brain begins to associate these noises with sleep such that when they are played, the brain will fall asleep.

'Some people may find these sounds relaxing, which may help to put the brain in a state that is ready for sleep.

'For example, if someone has positive associations with rain on a roof then they might find it calming to listen to similar sounds to fall asleep.'

But brown noise is only a quick fix and does not solve the route cause of the sleep disorder, says Dr Peach.

If stress and anxiety is causing you to have disturbed sleep rather than external noise, then these sounds are not necessarily going to fix your sleep problems in the long term, explained Dr Peach.

White noise could help memory and attention specifically in children. Studies involving inattentive school children shows white noise could actually help them study, but it doesn't work for everyone

Professor Goran Soderlund, at Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, researches white noise and how it can help with memory and attention specifically in children.

Standing by his own theory, he's used the white noise of appliances in his home to help get his children to sleep.

He said: 'Anyone who has got small children uses white noise.

'Some people use the noise of a vacuum cleaner to calm down their children and make them sleep. I did that with my child.'
Its teatime in the Spencer-Churchill household, and amid the jumble of cups, plates, books and children clambering about, five-year-old Jake stops to drape himself adoringly over his father, Alexander.

The bond between them is clear. Whos your best friend? asks Alexander, 39  grandson of the 10th Duke of Marlborough  as Jake climbs up on to his shoulders.

You, Jake replies. And then he takes off like a whirlwind, scaling the furniture, prowling the room and, very politely, offering everyone cheese crackers.

Its a happy domestic scene that will be familiar to many, although Alexander, better known as Ali, and his 38-year-old wife Scarlett, say that just a year ago the situation was much more complicated. Last year, after they were initially told that Jake had autism, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and was a completely different little boy.

Jake Spencer-Churchill, five, pictured left with his father Alexander, right, has been diagnosed with ADHD having earlier been wrongly told he was autistic

Jake and Alexander were both diagnosed with ADHD by Professor Debora Elijah, right, pictured with Mail on Sunday reporter Jo Macfarlane, left. Prof Elijah runs the Elijah Social Cognitive Skills Centre in north London

His parents say the conversation were having today, in the living room of their West London home, wouldnt have been possible at all.

Typical signs of the neurodevelopmental condition  thought to affect two to five per cent of school-aged children  include struggling to focus on tasks and follow instructions, and being forgetful or disorganised. Youngsters are often simply labelled disruptive or naughty.

For Jake, who his parents describe as a gentle soul, very caring and funny, there were furious, screaming tantrums, hitting and scratching and objects smashed or thrown around the room. Bedtimes were impossible  a particular nightmare which left Ali and Scarlett drained. He was up and down, and wed take it in turns to lie with him to help him settle, recalls Scarlett.

Jakes behaviour could be so disruptive there were weekly calls from his nursery, asking Scarlett to come and take him home. She continues: With most children you can tell them off and theyll listen, but with him the word No just wasnt an option. Hed start tearing up the place  anything we cared about, or was expensive or breakable, hed target. And wed always have to give in.

Id see other families  my brother, for instance, has perfect children  and it was really hard.

Worst of all, Jake sometimes lashed out at his younger sister Florence, now four.

The Elijah Social Cognitive Skills Centre in North London, pictured, supports all neurodiverse children, including those who often fall through the gaps for local authority help  those at the mild to moderate end of the spectrum

Today, however, the boy is transformed. And it is largely thanks to a pioneering education centre where Jake had his original NHS diagnosis overturned  ADHD and autism are sometimes confused, as symptoms overlap  and where he has been receiving intensive support from its founder, neuropsychologist Professor Debora Elijah. What Jake learned there holds a lesson for all schools in how to deal with children with ADHD, says Ali.

Thanks to Prof Elijah and the tailored therapy she provided, Jake is settled into reception at school. There are no more worried phone calls. He is a brighter, happier, more content little boy who loves swimming, shooting trips with his father and the cartoon series Paw Patrol. He patiently sits with his dad for The Mail on Sundays photographer  indeed, hes naturally playful and beaming in front of the camera.

Recalling his first meeting with Prof Elijah, Ali says: She told me, Youre going to see an amazing change in the next six months.

I thought it was too good to be true, as anyone can say that sort of thing, but the improvements became obvious.

Equally significantly for the family, Prof Elijah has identified that Ali himself has ADHD and another condition, obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as OCD  personality traits that Ali was conscious of but which had never been formally diagnosed.

About 76 per cent of ADHD cases are thought to be genetic. For Ali, a relative of Sir Winston Churchill and the right-hand man of billionaire club owner Richard Caring, high standards and attention to detail have served him well.

My OCD is what I describe as the full English, Ali says lightheartedly. My wife might tell you its exhausting to live with, as I notice everything, something as simple as the salt dish not being in the right place. Im up early. I love making sure things are just right. My suit and tie and shoes must be perfect.

Like others who learn in adulthood that they have ADHD, Ali feels it offers some explanation as to his character.

Like Jake, I never get tired. Its served me very well in my life, and it feels like we are on a journey together. Hes going first and Ill work on myself with Prof Elijah afterwards. Its made our bond even more special.

They know they are fortunate. The private treatment Jake has received is not available to most of the 700,000 children thought to have ADHD in the UK. Many families wait up to three years just for a diagnosis  a problem compounded by the pandemic  and then find there is little practical support on offer.

Mainstream schools may make adjustments, such as providing a separate workstation to remove distractions or a fidget toy to improve focus. Some may employ an additional teaching assistant, though this isnt a given. It all depends on the available budget for special educational needs, which is set by the local authority.

Christina Brooks, 41, from North London, was on a waiting list for two years to have her son, Jacob, assessed. When he was finally diagnosed with autism in 2021, the NHS specialist told her his condition was so severe that there was little hope he could progress. He could not speak, was unable to make eye contact and would not even respond to his name. But support from the Elijah Centre has turned Jacob, now six, into a different child, she says

Schools already say it is not enough to cover all the children they have with conditions such as autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia and ADHD  and the number of ADHD diagnoses alone has rocketed 80 per cent in the past five years. Experts say this is mainly because there is greater awareness about the condition, partly due to better medical understanding and also thanks to public figures making their own diagnoses public.

This month, former Great British Bake Off host Sue Perkins revealed when she learned she had ADHD suddenly everything made sense... to me and those who love me. Comic Johnny Vegas, US gymnast Simone Biles and chef Heston Blumenthal are among many other famous names who have the condition.

How to spot the early signs and where you can find help Neurodevelopmental conditions, which affect how the brain functions, are seen in one in ten children and include autistic spectrum disorders and ADHD. Speech disorders such as Tourettes, and learning difficulties such as dyslexia and dyspraxia are also common. Each person may experience them differently, the signs often overlap, and children can also have more than one. Between 60 to 80 per cent of children with ADHD, for example, have another condition such as autism or dyslexia. Possible signs of autism in young children include failing to make eye contact, repetitive movements and not responding to their name. Children with ADHD may have problems concentrating or sitting still and may talk excessively. Those with Tourettes may grunt, whistle or click their tongue  known as tics. Signs of other conditions such as dyslexia or dyspraxia may not be evident until they start primary school. Those with dyslexia may have problems with concentration and following instructions, speech and writing skills. Dyspraxia is more physical, and involves poor co-ordination, difficulty getting dressed and taking part in playground activities like kicking a ball. Parents concerned that their child may have one of these conditions should first speak to their teachers, to see what may have been noticed, and make an appointment with their GP. Either the school or a GP can make a referral to Children And Young Peoples Mental Health Services for a formal assessment, but there are long waiting lists  up to three years, depending on where you are in the country. Private clinics carry them out, but this can be expensive. Support and advice varies depending on location. In some cases, medication and therapy may be appropriate. For further resources visit youngminds.org.uk, adhduk.co.uk, ambitiousaboutautism.co.uk and conquerandlearn.org.uk. Advertisement

Prof Elijah says: Many people with ADHD are extremely bright and creative, and if you look at industry leaders and top business brains youll find many are neurodiverse [an umbrella term for neurodevelopmental conditions]. We tell parents their children are potentially future leaders, with the right support.

However, as paediatrician and ADHD UK adviser Dr Max Davie explains, this support isnt universally provided: ADHD is classed as a special educational need, and schools have an obligation to make reasonable adjustments. But in practice its a matter of how they interpret that, and how much funding is available. And, sadly, that varies.

This is why many parents, like Ali and Scarlett, opt to pay privately. After the NHS diagnosed Jake with autism when he was three, they were dismissed without much of a plan, Scarlett recalls. Its a very daunting experience for any parent, says Ali. You think, Is it something Ive done wrong? How can I fix it? 

Scarletts research uncovered the Elijah Social Cognitive Skills Centre in North London. It supports all neurodiverse children, including those who often fall through the gaps for local authority help  those at the mild to moderate end of the spectrum.

The centre assesses each child to see what they need as individuals and offers a tailored combination of psychological and physical therapies  known as interventions  and simple behaviour management exercises to help children focus and improve their social skills. This, in turn, has an impact on their ability to learn.

Its a holistic approach, says Prof Elijah. Some children have good physical skills and poor speech and cognitive skills, others are the opposite. Communication often starts with pointing  if young children cant do that, they may not be able to talk and might need physio to help start that process.

Children usually begin with one-to-one sessions with a therapist and are then placed into groups with other children for two-hour after-school sessions.

Jake initially spent about two months attending the centre three times a week. Scarlett says: After ten minutes of meeting with Dr Elijah, she said, Jake can communicate perfectly well. Im telling you now, hes 99.9 per cent not autistic. She understood him instantly  his personality traits, what works to get through to him and what his triggers are  which was such a relief.

We had to go through the process of having him reassessed by the NHS, so the misdiagnosis of autism could come off his medical records, and we now know hes got ADHD. Hes bright, very caring and capable of everything, he just needs to learn how to manage it.

When we visit, the atmosphere is relaxed but ordered  a world away from the noise and hubbub of a mainstream school.

Part of its success, Prof Elijah explains, is that each child knows what is expected of them when they come here. She meets each child at the door with a handshake and expects them to make eye contact and say a polite hello. The structure of their sessions follows a set pattern which the children know in advance  there are no surprises and they know what is coming next, which allows them to focus on the tasks before them.

A group of six children, who were sitting quietly on a mat watching a video, get up calmly when their therapist rings a small hand bell and sit around a table.

The basics of how to sit are reinforced with a checklist: back against the chair, feet on the floor, and quiet hands. Most tasks like this are broken down into straightforward steps to follow.

It sounds simple but the children thrive on routine and having a plan  it quietens the brain, Prof Elijah explains. Teaching them rules even over sitting down equips them to fidget less and focus on doing the task properly.

The centres director, Nivin Jaber, says: Were teaching them all the skills they need to behave and perform better at school. We also go into the childrens schools and show their teachers what would work to help that child.

The children happily complete the exercise in front of them. No one runs around and most barely look up.

Our aim is to help support all of these children to reach their full potential, Prof Elijah says. This isnt about changing them  theyre perfect as they are  but they often need help to communicate appropriately, solve problems and regulate their own behaviour.

Sadly that support is often lacking in mainstream education. If I could say anything to the Government it would be to encourage them to train all schools to put this kind of model into practice everywhere.

Advice given to Ali and Scarlett has helped things at home, too. Scarlett says: Before, I would get really angry at Jake. Hed be aggressive and sometimes Id shout back. Now I know its the worst thing you can do, as it makes him more disruptive. He just wants a cuddle or to have a quiet chat. Its hard to manage those instincts, but a bit of loving and a firm No goes a much longer way.

Ali continues: I approach this like I do a business  we can either pretend we dont have these issues or cope better with them.

If he cant burn off his energy, he gets disruptive. He needs to be the one to ring the doorbell when we come home, and to check the door is double-locked.

CLICK TO READ MORE: Is ADHD being overdiagnosed Former GBBO host Sue Perkins is one of a growing number of celebrities to recently reveal they have been diagnosed with ADHD Advertisement

Hes always asking questions, always asking whats going on, like whats being served for dinner? How is the table going to be laid? Hes upstairs now and hell be in charge of the temperature the bath is going to be. If something isnt quite the way he knows it should be, hell always say, Thats not the plan. Hes a character.

Ali says he will use his voice in any way possible to champion the work carried out by Prof Elijah.

Weve been fortunate enough to be able to afford to pay for Jakes support, he acknowledges, but not everyone is. The Government needs to do more to expand access to clinics like this through funding or bursaries. We also need more clinics like this one.

Some parents who have come to Prof Elijah for help with their children have heartbreaking stories, she says. Many spent years knowing something was wrong with their child but had to wait for a diagnosis  only to then be left high and dry by NHS professionals who could offer little support.

Christina Brooks, 41, from North London, was on a waiting list for two years to have her son, Jacob, assessed. When he was finally diagnosed with autism in 2021, the NHS specialist told her his condition was so severe that there was little hope he could progress.

He could not speak, was unable to make eye contact and would not even respond to his name. But support from the Elijah Centre has turned Jacob, now six, into a different child, she says.

Christina, who runs her own executive headhunting business, says: When we got Jacobs diagnosis, my husband was devastated. We were handed a piece of paper with his results and basically told, Good luck with it all. It was soul-destroying. But we found Prof Elijah, who sees something special in each child and who put together a bespoke set of therapies for him.

Its a similar story for another parent, who wishes to remain anonymous. His five-year-old son was, like Jake, misdiagnosed with autism  following a Zoom consultation with an NHS specialist during the pandemic  only to discover, following several intensive one-to-one sessions with Prof Elijah, that he had ADHD.

Before he came, our son wasnt speaking comprehensively and could get angry and aggressive, the parent said. After nearly eight months of therapy its like night and day  he can express himself and concentrate. He can also be in mainstream school, something I dont think he could have done without their help.

Many of Prof Elijahs families receive funding from the centres charitable arm, Conquer And Learn. Parents pay just 20 per cent of the fees while the charity and the childs school pay the remainder. The charity also helped ensure children could continue attending the centre even if families were struggling financially during the Covid crisis.

Although the Spencer-Churchills are now winding down the time Jake spends with Prof Elijah, the familys involvement with the centre will continue. And Ali will continue to be a passionate advocate for her methods, as well as a potential client himself.

When Jake finishes, I wont finish, he says. Ill be involved with fundraising dinners or giving speeches or whatever I can do to help. It demonstrates how highly I think of her, but I also want to be part of that journey for other people. I want to see other people  other families and their children  benefit from their amazing work.
IndiGo airlines began daily flight service to New Delhi from Mangaluru.. (Representational image: AFP)

Mangaluru: IndiGo airlines began daily flight service to New Delhi from Mangaluru.

Flight number 6E6303 will leave from New Delhi at 2.55 pm and reach Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) at 6.05 pm. Flight number 6E6304 will leave from MIA at 6.35 pm and reach New Delhi at 9.35 pm.

In the flight that left for Delhi on Friday, 147 passengers were on board. On Saturday, 170 people have already booked their tickets to travel to New Delhi from Mangaluru, a release from the airline said on Saturday.

As the re-carpeting work for renovation of runway has begun from Friday at the international airport in the city, IndiGo, Air India Express and Air India flights will operate under revised schedule except Sundays and public holidays.

IndiGo flight number 6E 172 to Kolkata will not operate from Monday to Saturday. This will only fly on Sunday, when re-carpeting work will not be done. Flight number 6E 172 will fly to Kolkata via Bengaluru from Mangaluru.

This flight will leave from Mangaluru at 12.15 pm. From Bengaluru, the same flight will depart at 2 pm and reach Kolkata at 4.35 pm, the release said.
Young women are risking lifelong scarring and permanent hair loss by undergoing a cosmetic procedure to lower their hairline, experts warn.

Costing between 5,000 and 7,000 in the UK, the operation  originally a treatment for men with receding hairlines  is widely promoted on social media by cosmetic firms and former patients who claim that having a smaller forehead balances facial proportions and boosts confidence.

The operation involves cutting across the womans scalp and pulling her hairline forward.

Online adverts promise patients will fully recover in a week and be left with no obvious scarring. On video-sharing app TikTok, clips showing women with hairline transformations have attracted 44 million viewers.

Melanie Smith, 29, had hairline lowering surgery to reduce the size of her forehead in an effort to boost her self confidence

Ms Smith suffered significant swelling following her surgery and required emergency treatment

Yet experts say that if the skin is pulled too tightly then the supply of blood and oxygen to the face is restricted, causing skin tissue to die and patches of hair to fall out.

In extreme cases, if the surgery is done badly, the dead tissue gets infected and the infection spreads under the skin to the rest of the scalp, says facial plastic surgeon Dr Greg Bran. This leads to patches of permanent hair loss, chronic pain and persistent infections.

According to Dr Bran, who performs the procedure at his Harley Street clinic, an increasing number of patients are requiring correction surgery following botched jobs.

He says: Some doctors are jumping on the trend despite not having an understanding of the structure of the face, and patients suffer.

Melanie Smith, a 27-year-old midwife, paid 1,300 for the treatment in Poland in October 2021. She says: I hated my hairline. I knew surgery to have it lowered would leave a scar but the doctor assured me hair would grow back and cover it.

When Melanie woke up from the operation, her forehead was swollen and painful, and after the dressing was removed bits of the scar turned black and skin began coming away. She was suffering necrosis  when the blood supply is cut off to the tissue, causing it to rot and die. She says: I ended up with a huge red scar and losing all of the hair on my forehead.

On TikTok, many patients appear to be delighted with their results. One woman, reviewing the procedure she had a month ago, says she loves the transformation. I feel like Im 18 again! she says to the camera. Another patient, called Madison, wrote on Instagram: I finally feel and look the way Ive always wanted. Im about a month out from my surgery now and you cant even see my scars.

Hairline-lowering surgery was developed in the late 1990s to treat male hair loss. Over the past decade it has also been used in gender reassignment surgery, but experts say the explosion in popularity is a result of fake images on Instagram and TikTok. Doctored photos and videos have changed what young women perceive to be the perfect female face, suggests Dr Bran.

I used to have maybe one or two hairline surgeries every month. In the past year thats increased to at least two every week.

During the three-hour procedure, surgeons cut away a band of skin on the forehead below the hairline. Tiny holes drilled into the skull allow metal implants to secure the bone to the skin once it is pulled forward. Then the wound is stitched. Dr Greg Williams, hair restoration expert at Farjo Hair Institute in London, says: Every patient will be left with a scar, the quality of which cannot be guaranteed. It can be raised or a different colour to the forehead skin  requiring a fringe to hide it.

The surgeon has to be very skilled to hide the wound. The risks are trivialised by social media influencers, who suggest its easy and everything will go well.

In May, Melanie had corrective surgery with Dr Bran to cut out the scar and re-adjust her hairline. The wound has recovered well, she says. The scar is hardly visible. Its been a long journey but I am finally satisfied with my result.
Older diabetics struggle to use high-tech blood sugar trackers the NHS is rolling out to revolutionise their care, a study claims.

Last year 400,000 Britons with the disease were offered the devices, called continuous glucose monitors, which track blood sugar levels via a sensor in the arm.

The data is beamed to an app on the patients phone which can send them alerts if their blood sugar is too low or high. The technology does away with finger-prick blood tests, which diabetics have had to endure several times a day.

But researchers in the US have found that the digital devices can be a stumbling block for people over 65. During the study, three-quarters of participants allowed blood sugars to drop to seriously low levels without noticing.

The NHS gave out continuous glucose monitors to 400,000 diabetics last year which continually test the patient's blood sugar levels and warns them if they are dangerously low or high

Traditionally, diabetics had to do a finger tip test several times a day to determine whether their blood sugar levels were correct

Some 4.9 million Britons have diabetes, 90 per cent of them with the form known as type 2, which is typically triggered by excess body fat. The other main form of diabetes, called type 1, is genetic.

In both cases, patients lack sufficient levels of insulin, a hormone that helps blood sugar from food to enter the bodys cells so it can be used for energy. Uncontrolled blood sugar levels can lead to long-term complications, including eye problems, nerve damage and potential limb loss, as well as heart disease. So diabetics must regularly monitor their blood sugar levels and administer insulin shots if they get too high, or eat if too low.

Continuous glucose monitors are approved for all type 1 diabetics and type 2 patients with severe diabetes-related health problems. But scientists at the Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis found that when 70 older people were given the gadgets for two weeks, they failed to use them properly.

Dr Michael Weiner, professor of medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine who led the trial, described the results as extremely concerning.

Professor Partha Kar, NHS Englands national speciality adviser for diabetes, says he was aware of the issue in the UK.

Teaching elderly people how to use a blood glucose monitor is very different to teaching someone young. But there are things we can do. Patients can choose to share their data with their consultant, so they can keep an eye on them from afar.

With some types of monitors, you can give the patient a separate digital device and tell them to keep it on them at all times. This seems to work better.
Doctors have raised the alarm over plans to stop giving toddlers a meningitis vaccine, claiming it would leave children vulnerable to the life-threatening infection.

All youngsters in the UK receive the jab, which protects against meningococcal group C (MenC) bacteria, around their first birthday. These bugs cause meningitis  a rare infection of the protective membranes around the brain and spine.

The condition, which strikes healthy children without warning, is difficult to distinguish from milder childhood illnesses in the early stages and can lead to death within 24 hours.

Bacterial meningitis can cause life-threatening blood poisoning called septicaemia and lead to serious injuries, including loss of limbs, deafness and brain damage.

Since meningitis vaccines were introduced in 1999, yearly cases have dropped from about 1,300 to just a handful

Dropping the vaccine for one-year-olds is expected to happen when stocks of Menitorix run out in 2025, but charity Meningitis Now says the change could place lives at risk

Last summer, drug firm GSK, which makes the jab named Menitorix, announced it would halt production in what was said to be a commercial decision.

In response, vaccine chiefs have said it will be dropped entirely from the child immunisation schedule.

At the same time, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which advises the Government, is replacing another aspect of the combined injection which protects against Haemophilus influenzae type b, or Hib  a different meningitis-causing bacteria. It does not plan to replace the MenC element.

Their experts say that because teenagers are now given a meningitis jab called MenACWY, children are indirectly protected.

Since meningitis vaccines were introduced in 1999, yearly cases have dropped from about 1,300 to just a handful. This is a sign herd immunity has been reached  when levels of a bug in circulation fall to such low levels it becomes highly unlikely to catch it.

Dropping the vaccine for one-year-olds is expected to happen when stocks of Menitorix run out in 2025, but charity Meningitis Now says the change could place lives at risk. Along with the Meningitis Research Foundation, it is calling for an extra MenACWY jab for youngsters.

Rates of vaccinations among teenagers against meningitis dropped during the pandemic, and are not back to pre-Covid levels, their experts point out. Disease caused by meningococcal bacteria is unpredictable and increases with little warning says Claire Wright, of the Meningitis Research Foundation.

Consultant paediatrician Dr Nelly Ninis said that while she trusts the JCVI to make the right decision, young children could be left vulnerable  particularly when going abroad to parts of Africa and the Middle East, where MenC rates are higher.

Dr Ninis warns there can also be unpredictable outbreaks in any country. There have been little hot spots all over Europe in the last few years, she says.

Children can pick up the bacteria in their throats and, while they may not be affected, they may bring it back with them and spread it to other people.

I think giving maximum protection to every child is the way forward. Spotting early meningitis disease is very difficult, and by the time it is spotted it can be too late.

Parents may want to pay to vaccinate their children, she adds. A jab that protects against the four strains of meningococcal A, C, W and Y can be bought for 50 privately in the UK. Dr Simon Nadel, consultant in paediatric intensive care at the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, says surveilling cases of disease caused by Men C is key, so that swift action can be taken if numbers start to rise. He adds: I share the charities concerns. Fortunately we are very good at monitoring it.

A mother whose seven-week-old baby died from meningitis less than 24 hours after he became unwell expressed her unease at the plans. The night before he died, Myles King went to bed as a typically healthy baby. He woke at midnight unsettled and restless but had no temperature, says his mother Natalie, 40, a police officer who lives in Chobham, Surrey. She drove him to A&E at 6am when Myles started making a grunting sound. She says: We were seen quickly and the doctor started antibiotics straight away. But a rash just spread across his little body. Myles was admitted to Southampton Childrens Hospital for specialist care, but his organs started to fail and he died that afternoon. His death, in 2015, was caused by MenB bacteria, which is known to be the most fatal form, not MenC.

Natalie, who lives with her husband Mark, 49, and their children Tristan, nine, and Elliott, five, adds: Myles was a happy, healthy baby and it was shocking how quickly he become unwell.
A cough medicine taken by millions of Britons could trigger a lethal allergic reaction in those undergoing operations.

Experts suspect that when pholcodine, a cough suppressant that is found in popular products such as Day Nurse and some Covonia syrups, is combined with certain anaesthesia drugs, it sets off a life-threatening anaphylactic shock. This causes a patient's blood pressure to drop and their airways to narrow, blocking breathing.

Such is the concern over the safety of pholcodine that UK drug watchdog, the Medicines And Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), has launched an investigation and advises patients to inform anaesthetists if they've taken the drug in the year before going under the knife.

Last year, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended a ban on the drug. It was also previously withdrawn from sale in France. The move was sparked by a series of French and Australian studies which showed that patients who'd taken pholcodine within a year were more likely to suffer a specific reaction to two of the most common anaesthetics, rocuronium and suxamethonium, which are used in roughly a quarter of operations.

Experts suspect that when pholcodine, a cough suppressant that is found in popular products such as Day Nurse and some Covonia syrups, is combined with certain anaesthesia drugs, it sets off a life-threatening anaphylactic shock

Patients are being warned to advise their doctor if they have taken cough medicines such as Night Nurse in the year before they undergo surgery (picture posed by models)

Pholcodine is a non-sedating opiate  which is why it is not found in the sleep-inducing Night Nurse.

It suppresses cough reflexes by reducing the nerve signals sent from the brain to the muscles involved in coughing. Experts believe that as its chemical composition is similar to that of the anaesthetic drugs, this can cause some people's immune system to overreact, triggering the anaphylactic shock.

The link with anaphylaxis was identified in 2007 when health authorities in Norway realised they had ten times the rate of deaths from anaesthesia than neighbouring Sweden  where pholcodine wasn't available in over-the- counter medications.

Health chiefs in Norway then withdrew pholcodine from sale, and allergy-related deaths during surgery dropped from roughly five per year to zero.

In 2014, the results of a French study of more than 500 patients who suffered allergic reactions to anaesthesia also concluded that those who had recently taken pholcodine were more likely to suffer.

At the time, EU health officials ruled this was insufficient evidence to categorically prove the link, and called for more studies. However, subsequent research from Australia and New Zealand has reignited concerns. In 2021, doctors from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth published the results of an eight-year study, analysing risk factors for allergic reactions after surgery in 145 patients. They concluded that pholcodine use in the year prior to surgery was a significant risk factor.

The Australian New Zealand Anaesthetic Allergy Group, a team of medical specialists working to prevent allergic reactions during operations, claim that the medicine is responsible for at least seven deaths every three years.

But some UK experts say this level of concern is unjustified.

Dr Penny Ward, visiting professor in pharmaceutical medicine at King's College London, says: 'Studies estimate that out of 100,000 procedures it happens in eight cases. This means that even if pholcodine did increase the risk, the chance of an allergic reaction would still be very low.'

What's more, Dr Ward believes the ban recommended by the EMA is founded on the idea there are minimal benefits to the cough suppressant. 'The decision was based on the fact that pholcodine is used to treat dry coughs, which generally go away without treatment,' she says. 'The evidence that it helps ease symptoms is very weak.

'I suspect many of the experts who made the decision thought that, even if the risk is tiny, it's not worth taking when a patient could get the same benefit from drinking hot water with honey and lemon.

'There have been several major safety reviews over the years and, despite this, health chiefs in Australia, the US and the UK have not yet recommended a ban  probably because these types of allergic reactions are so rare.'

Health authorities in the UK are yet to confirm the link. The Royal College Of Anaesthetists says a relationship between pholcodine and allergic reactions to anaesthetic drugs is 'possible', noting in a recent report that more research is needed. No study has yet offered conclusive proof of the problem.

There are also questions over the reliability of studies that rely on patients remembering which cough medicines they'd taken in the year before their surgery.

Pharmacist Claire Frank, from the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association, says: 'A year is a long time to think back and recall correctly  particularly because there are so many different over-the-counter cough remedies.

'Patients may not know if the cough medicine they took contained pholcodine or not.'

In a statement last night, the MHRA said: 'There is already a known link between pholcodine and a very small chance of severe allergic reaction to muscle relaxants that are used during general anaesthesia. We will provide further details in due course.'
An article on 23 November 2022 wrongly alleged that Gabriele Galimberti was responsible for the content of a Balenciaga advertising campaign that included a photograph of a young child alongside an excerpt from a US Supreme Court ruling regarding child pornography, and that Balenciaga would sue him as a result. This was incorrect. Mr Galimberti took photographs for a different campaign for Balenciaga, although he had no responsibility for the concept, design and creation of that campaign. He had no involvement in the campaign featuring an excerpt from a US Supreme Court ruling andBalenciaga did not propose taking legal action against him. We are happy to make this clear and apologise to Mr Galimberti for the errors and the harm caused to him.

To report an inaccuracy, please email corrections@mailonline.co.uk. To make a formal complaint under IPSO rules please go to www.mailonline.co.uk/readerseditor where you will find an easy-to-use complaints form. You can also write to Readers Editor, MailOnline, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or contact IPSO directly at ipso.co.uk
Thousands of bereaved young families struggling with finances when a partner dies can now claim support worth up to 9,800, thanks to a campaign backed by Wealth & Personal Finance.

Last week, the House of Commons voted through a bill to help almost 23,000 grieving families where the parents had been cohabiting but not married.

The surviving mother or father will now be able to claim the same bereavement support that was previously only offered to married couples or those in a civil partnership. The new rules, expected to come into force early this year, could benefit an estimated 1,800 widows or widowers a year.

Campaign: The charity WAY Widowed and Young has been leading the fighting for equal rights for bereaved families

The change is also backdated to cover a further 21,000 claims from August 30, 2018, which may affect those whose partners died more than a decade ago. Unfortunately, families only have a 12-month window to claim backdated support before the offer is axed.

Families entitled to child benefit, still in full-time education up to the age of 20, will be able to receive a 3,500 lump sum followed by monthly payments of 350 for 18 months.

The charity WAY Widowed and Young has been leading the fighting for equal rights for bereaved families, as highlighted in our paper in recent years.

Georgia Elms, campaign ambassador for the charity, says: 'It is thanks to the campaigning by brave parents of bereaved families  along with support from others  that justice is finally being done. Many have been forced to suffer many years of financial hardship.'

The extra money helps families at their most vulnerable  facing a drop in household income when there can be additional childcare costs along with funeral arrangement fees. To be eligible for help, you must be under state pension age  currently 66.

The payments are largely made from the National Insurance contributions of the deceased partner, so they must have paid contributions for at least 25 weeks in a single tax year since 1975 or died from an accident or illness caused by work.

More than half of all births are now to unmarried couples, according to latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

For further details contact the Bereavement Service Helpline on 0800 151 2012.
Talking tough: Chancellor Jeremy Hunt

Jeremy Hunt's formidable Bloomberg speech seeks to burst the cloud of pessimism which hangs over the UK economy.

He is up against daunting forces on the opposition benches and a national narrative which is instinctively gloomy.

When Richard Branson's Launcher One mission failed as a result of a malfunctioning rocket, it was immediately assumed it was all over for the UK's 16billion plus space industry with its innovative satellite technology.

Yet rocket tech is notoriously unreliable and the history of Elon Musk's 103billion Space X is also riddled with debacles.

Hunt's goal is to refocus attention on all the stuff that Britain is good at, such as AI, pharma, biotech, creative industries and fintech. Britain's brilliant research universities have helped drive us to the top of the class in many categories.

The UK's ability to hang onto those technologies, and turn them into world beating companies, lags. Our satellite champion Inmarsat is on its way to US command and control unless the Competition & Markets Authority stops it. Industrial software pioneer Aveva was recently swallowed by France's Schneider and barely anyone blinked an eye.

In his speech, Hunt mentioned support for Sizewell C, the UK's next nuclear reactor. But why is the project still on the starting blocks?

And what about getting fully behind Rolls-Royce's Small Modular Reactors before GE and Hitachi get there first? No one will miss the paradox of Hunt speaking in favour of HS2 on the day that it was reported that the final miles of track to Euston might be axed. Following the decision to abandon the Leeds leg, there is danger of destruction by a handful of cuts.

The Chancellor needs a whole new approach to company taxation in the Budget if the UK is to reverse its disappointing business investment and productivity performance.

The windfall surcharge on the North Sea is a barrier to energy security as the UK seeks a greener future. Ideally, the jump in corporation tax from 19 per cent to 25 per cent would be rescinded again.

At the very least, the super-deduction, which provides a double tax write-off for new investment, should be made permanent, allowing planning for the future.

Britain's spend on R&D was up-rated by the Office for National Statistics late last year and is now assessed to be 2.4 per cent of output. If the country really has ambition to be the next Silicon Valley, it needs to at least match the US level of 3.4 per cent and be underpinned by tax incentives.

Hunt has looked at the horizon and likes what he sees. The country is only going to arrive there if investment, enterprise and entrepreneurship are given the tangible support they crave.

Direct hit

The near halving from last year's peak in standalone insurer Direct Line shares to 173.8p in latest trading tells it all.

Chief executive Penny James may have rebuilt the insurer's technology for the digital age, but shareholders are unforgiving about value destroyed and a dividend axed.

Chief executive Penny James may have rebuilt the insurer's technology for the digital age, but shareholders are unforgiving

A new management team, temporarily headed by chief commercial officer Jon Greenwood, needs to inspire confidence in the firm's underwriting and strengthen depleted capital. The possibility of a swoop on an insurer with 8.5million customers, with a market value of just 2.28billion, will be tempting. Chairman Danuta Gray will need to show nerves of steel.

Aviva, which has strengthened its finances with a series of disposals, must be keeping an eye on things. Until now, boss Amanda Blanc has been all about selling assets, but bolstering market share would be a tempting proposition.

Nor should anyone count out Bain Capital which already owns insurance brand Esure. Some of Direct Line's underwriting losses have been re-insured, which is some relief for investors. Consumers who stay loyal in a promiscuous market place will end up absorbing some of the pain with higher premiums.

Best of luck

Sainsbury's share register already is lumpy with Qatar and the Czech sphinx Daniel Kretinsky holding big stakes.

Now they have been joined by Bestway, the privately held owner of Costcutter convenience stores.

A deal with Bestway potentially could be just what Sainsbury's needs, having tried and failed to halt Aldi and Lidl with no-frills brand Netto. The last thing it needs, however, is a highly leveraged deal with Bestway. The fates of Morrisons and Asda provide a salutary warning.
Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below.

N.F. writes: My daughter went to Germany on a university field trip, and on the way back Lufthansa lost her luggage.

The airline admitted the bag was lost and offered 25 in compensation, claiming this was to make up for delivering the luggage a day late, but in fact my daughter has never received it.

Lufthansa keeps trying to pass us off to its own baggage handling agents and a courier firm. They refuse to admit the luggage is lost, which means we cannot claim on the travel insurance.

Chaos: The airline had no record of the traveller or her missing luggage

Tony Hetherington replies: Lufthansa behaved appallingly during your contacts with the German airline, and its attitude did not improve when I contacted it.

In response to my request for a comment, Lufthansa seemed to think it was sufficient to tell me that 'we do not have the capacity to research baggage claims'. It asked for my 'understanding'.

Well, sorry, but I don't understand how a major airline can not only lose baggage but then follow this up with a shrug of the shoulders as if this should be accepted as a minor inconvenience that every one of its passengers faces as a normal risk of flying on one of its aircraft.

Lufthansa expected you and your daughter to trace the missing luggage, despite being unable or unwilling to do so itself. So, you contacted Lufthansa's baggage agent. It referred you to the firm that runs a depot at Heathrow, where the luggage might have been held.

And finally you questioned the courier company used by Lufthansa, which told you it never even collected the baggage, let alone delivered it.

All this shows that you went above and beyond what was needed. Your daughter's contract was with Lufthansa, and not with any of the separate firms that Lufthansa chose to use. But this did not stop the airline from creating a shambles and then adding to it.

A few days after Lufthansa falsely told your daughter that her luggage had been found and was being couriered to her, it admitted that it had no idea where her belongings had gone, and it confessed that they could simply have been left behind in Frankfurt.

Weeks later though, Lufthansa reverted to its earlier claim that the baggage had been found at Heathrow and delivered. It refused to produce any evidence to back this up, such as a delivery signature.

I pressed Lufthansa and gave the airline's Frankfurt headquarters your daughter's name and the references shown on Lufthansa's emails to her. It replied that it could find none of its own references in its system, adding, 'No results either by searching after surname all the way back to last February 2022.'

In short, not only was her luggage missing, but as far as Lufthansa was concerned, your daughter had vanished too.

I repeated your daughter's details to Lufthansa, including her flight number and the date she flew. Lufthansa fell silent, and stayed silent. It has not only lost the luggage  it refuses to admit that it has lost the luggage.

Typically, insurance companies expect travellers to get confirmation that their belongings really have been lost. And typically, airlines provide this. Your daughter could prove that she had reported the missing luggage at Heathrow, but not that Lufthansa admitted to losing it, so I offered to intervene with the insurer.

Happily, when you told the insurance company you were in touch with me, it offered your daughter 595 to settle the claim. She has accepted this, while making the point that her lost luggage, clothes, make-up and jewellery were actually valued at 1,100.

I explained this to Lufthansa and gave the airline one last chance to put things right. It has not done so, and still refuses to admit that the luggage was even lost. Lufthansa passengers beware.

Reassure won't let me get my money

H.S. writes: I am approaching 87 and for many years I have had a small drawdown policy which was taken over by Reassure.

Due to my age, and having been diagnosed with cancer, I applied to make a withdrawal of the total due, which is about 4,700, but despite letters and phone calls, I still cannot get the money.

Frustration: The Reassure department dealing with the drawdown policy will not accept calls

Tony Hetherington replies: You told me that the Reassure department dealing with your drawdown policy will not accept your calls.

Worse still, you received a letter saying you had been paid 1,223 in error, and Reassure wanted its money back  yet you had received no such payment. I contacted Reassure, and within a couple of days you received 2,200, followed swiftly by a further 2,504.

Reassure says the figure of 4,700 was quoted incorrectly because it repeatedly failed to adjust its valuation records to account for your earlier withdrawals.

Officials have apologised, but they accept this is little comfort and for this reason they decided to pay the actual value of your policy, which was 2,504, plus 2,200 as compensation. And you can forget about the demand for 1,223. This was just another mistake.

If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
Sainsbury's shares soared after family-owned wholesaler Bestway snapped up a huge chunk of the grocer.

The UK's second biggest supermarket said the Costcutter owner had bought a 3.45 per cent stake, worth around 200million.

Sainsbury's shares jumped 5.5 per cent, or 13.1p, to 252.5p as the investment sparked chatter about a potential takeover.

Swoop: The UK's second biggest supermarket said the Costcutter owner had bought a 3.45 per cent stake, worth around 200m

But Bestway said it is not planning to make a bid to buy the supermarket chain, founded in 1869 by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury.

The wholesaler said it will hold the shares 'for investment purposes' and that it wants to support Sainsbury's bosses.

Bestway added that it will consider building up a bigger stake in the FTSE 100 firm in the future. Sainsbury's ownership has been the subject of speculation for some time and in 2021 there were even reports that it could be taken over by US private equity giant Apollo.

Bestway Group is the seventh largest family-owned business in the UK with turnover of approximately 4.5billion.

It was founded as a convenience store chain in London in 1963 by Pakistani entrepreneur Anwar Pervez and has since branched out into wholesaling, selling food, drink, cigarettes and household goods to 130,000 retailers.

The company has 28,000 employees, thousands of whom are in the UK, and around 400million in annual profits. Alongside its wholesale business, Bestway owns the UK's third-largest pharmacy chain, Well Pharmacy, and more than 2,700 convenience stores under the Costcutter and Best-one brands.

AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould said the purchase came 'out of the blue' and a combination of the two companies makes sense.

He highlighted how Tesco thrived after its 2017 takeover of Bookers  the country's biggest wholesaler  for 3.7billion.

Mould said: 'As the UK's largest independent cash and carry business, Bestway's strategy is to be seen as a place where retailers, caterers and cafes can obtain all the stock they need at a good price.

'If Sainsbury's was part of the same group, both sides could benefit. In theory, Bestway could tap into the supermarket's buying power and obtain stock at a lower price, thus making its proposition more appealing for its customers.'

But he cautioned that any attempt to make a full-blown bid would be tricky, with Bestway having to make a 'convincing' offer to Sainsbury's existing major shareholders.

They include the Qatari Investment Authority with a 14.3 per cent stake and the secretive so-called 'Czech sphinx' Daniel Kretinsky, whose Vesa Equity Investment vehicle owns a tenth of the supermarket.

Sainsbury's said in a statement last night that it would 'engage with Bestway Group in line with our normal interactions with shareholders.'
Shares in Rolls-Royce fell yesterday after the chief executive warned staff that the company was 'unsustainable' and a 'burning platform'.

Tufan Erginbilgic, who took over at the FTSE 100 engineering group earlier this month, told employees in a global address that investors were getting fed up with weak performance, driving shares down 2.9 per cent, or 3.28p, to 110.2p.

'Every investment we make, we destroy value,' Erginbilgic told staff, adding that financially, 'we underperform every key competitor out there'.

Sign of the times: Tufan Erginbilgic told employees in a global address that investors were getting fed up with weak performance

He also said the firm had reached an 'unsustainable' point.

'It is at a level at which it cannot continue,' he said. 'Rolls-Royce has not been performing for a long, long time, it has nothing to do with Covid, let's be very clear. Covid created a crisis, but the issue in hand has nothing to do with it.'

Rolls-Royce said it was 'regrettable' that these comments had been leaked to the media.

A spokesman said Erginbilgic 'was honest about our financial under-performance compared with our peers, laid out his priorities for all of us and stressed the need for everyone within the business to work together in order for Rolls-Royce to succeed'.

Oil stocks in London ended the week on a high following positive data on the US economy and hopes over a recovery in demand across China.

BP rose 1.1 per cent, or 5.1p, to 489.3p and Shell climbed by 1.2 per cent, or 29p, to 2370.5p.

The FTSE 100 edged up 0.05 per cent, or 4.04 points, to 7765.15 and the FTSE 250 rose 0.6 per cent, or 119.88 points, to 20035.39.

LandSec sold its One New Street Square office property in London to the Hong Kong-based developer Chinachem Group for 349.5m. Shares in the blue-chip commercial property developer gained 0.9 per cent, or 6p, to 707.4p.

Mitchells & Butlers sank 1.2 per cent, or 2p, to 161p after City broker Jefferies downgraded the pub group's rating to 'hold' from 'buy'.

There was good news for On The Beach after holidaymakers jetted off during what is usually its quietest sales period.

The package holiday group reported that the total value of transactions in the last three months of 2022 were ahead of the same period in 2021. Bookings since Christmas were more than two-thirds higher than last year, On The Beach added. Shares gained 3.8 per cent, or 6.6p, to 181.6p.

Ingredients maker Treatt made a good start to its current financial year after sales in the three months to December were 9 per cent higher than the same period in 2021. The group added that its UK production capacity should at least double once a new facility is completed towards the end of this year. Shares, however, fell 0.3 per cent, or 2p, to 625p.

Serica Energy added 3.1 per cent, or 7.5p, to 252p after most of the North Sea producer's shareholders voted in favour of its proposed takeover of rival oil and gas business Tailwind Energy at the general meeting.

One of the UK's largest mortgage and loan providers hailed its ability to lend during a 'quarter of extreme volatility for the banking sector'.

Paragon Banking reported that lending in the three months to December was nearly 22 per cent higher at 861.7m compared to the first quarter of 2022.

Shares rose 1 per cent, or 6 per cent, to 591p.

You Gov cheered a 'resilient performance' in the six months to January after business traded well in the US and UK.

As a result, the polling company expects to report robust sales and 'top-line growth' at the end of its financial year in 2023.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Home Minister Amit Shah seeking his intervention in ensuring adequate security to the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir.

His letter to Shah comes after the Bharat Jodo Yatra was suspended for the afternoon session on Friday following a "security lapse", with the Congress alleging that the J and K Police had withdrawn security around its leader Rahul Gandhi in the wake of surging crowds during the foot march in Qazigund.

"We are expecting a huge gathering to join the yatra over the next two days and also the function that will be held on 30th January at Srinagar. Many senior Congress leaders and leaders of other important political parties are attending the culmination function to be held on the 30th of January.

"I shall be grateful if you could personally intervene in this matter and advise the concerned officials to provide adequate security till the culmination of the yatra and the function on the 30th January at Srinagar," the Congress president said in his letter to the home minister.

He said he is writing after the unfortunate security lapse during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

On the advice of the security officials in charge of the security detail of Rahul Gandhi, the Yatra had to be suspended, Kharge said.

"We appreciate the Jammu and Kashmir Police and welcome their statement saying they will continue to ensure complete security till the culmination of the journey," he said.

However, the leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha also said, "You will appreciate the fact that a large crowd of common people has joined and walked in the Bharat Jodo Yatra every day. It is difficult for the organisers to tell exactly how many people are expected over the day as it is a spontaneous gesture of the common people to join the yatra."

The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Gandhi started in Kanyakumari on September 7 and will culminate on January 30 in Srinagar after traversing through 12 states.

The 3500-km foot march is aimed at galvanising the Congress cadres across the country, but the party is claiming that the Yatra is not political and seeks to unite India in the wake of growing "hatred".
Booming: Shell is expected to say that annual profit more than doubled

Oil giant Shell is set to unveil record profits of more than 30 billion as households and businesses grapple with sky-high energy bills.

The corporate giant is expected to say this week that annual profit more than doubled as the war in Ukraine restricted supplies from Russia, sending the price of gas and electricity rocketing.

The FTSE100 behemoth and its arch rival BP have faced mounting criticism for cashing in. BP chief executive Bernard Looney famously described his company as resembling a 'cash machine' because of the amount of money it has made from elevated prices.

But, since he made those comments in 2021  three months before the invasion of Ukraine  the profits made by BP and Shell have continued to escalate rapidly.

In May, Rishi Sunak imposed a windfall tax on oil and gas producers operating in the UK and the North Sea. The levy was increased in the Autumn Statement from 25 per cent to 35 per cent, and extended until 2028  three years longer than originally planned.

It is set to raise 40 billion over six years. Critics argue the windfall tax deters investment in the North Sea.

But the scale of the profits at both Shell and BP, which reports next month, is likely to lead to calls for firms to pay more. Shell says it expects to pay windfall taxes in the UK and European Union of around 1.6billion  compared with an annual profit of around 31 billion, which is expected to be revealed by new chief executive Wael Sawan on Thursday.

Its windfall tax contributions will also be dwarfed by the 20 billion returned to investors in dividends and share buybacks last year alone.

BP has also had a blowout year and is expected to reveal it has more than doubled its profits to 23 billion. It expects to pay around 645 million in windfall taxes across the UK and Europe in 2022.

Wholesale gas prices have fallen in recent weeks, but remain at elevated levels. An energy support package for households ends in March.

Small firms also face a cliff-edge in April, when the Government energy support scheme is scaled back.

Tina McKenzie, policy chair of the Federation of Small Businesses, said it was important that any saving from falling wholesale prices is passed on by energy providers as soon as possible. 'With the Government energy rebate reducing in April, small firms need more support to power through this cost-of-doing-business crisis,' she added.

Groups representing more than 100,000 UK firms recently accused Ministers of taking a 'scattergun' approach to supporting businesses with their energy costs, amid fears the high bills will force many to close this year.

They want firms to be able to renegotiate contracts agreed when wholesale gas prices peaked last summer.
Ambition: Richard Walker says Iceland's annual sales will be 4 billion

Climbing frozen waterfalls in Norway might sound like a busman's holiday for a man who runs a frozen food chain. Richard Walker has just been on a short break in Rjukan, Norway, which boasts of being Europe's Mecca of ice climbing. His companion  and you couldn't make it up  was a mountaineer called Kenton Cool.

The increasingly vocal boss of frozen food chain Iceland is in high spirits. It is his first interview since officially taking the reins from his father Malcolm, the firm's founder, as chairman earlier this month.

Christmas was a record breaker for the 4 billion family firm. And, if all that were not enough, the 42-year-old is launching a bid to join Westminster's elite.

It has been a busy time for Walker.

His theory is that shoppers are more likely to flock to Iceland in hard times because its products store for longer in the freezer and are, therefore, less likely to be wasted.

'People are switching to frozen,' says Walker. 'It's the fastest growing category in the market.'

That has helped Iceland increase its share of the nation's frozen food spending, so it now rivals that of supermarket giant Tesco. The growth in demand could also be down to its reputation for keen prices. Around 20 per cent of its products are priced at 1 or less, he says.

Shoppers clearly haven't been put off by his father's recent admission on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs that 'a third of the population of Great Britain love us, a third don't care and a third of households wouldn't be seen dead in an Iceland'.

The chain began selling frozen produce more than 50 years ago. This has since been expanded to offer a variety of fresh produce from bananas to baked beans.

Walker says his shops are attracting more customers 'seeking value' and its price promotions  including a three-for-10 offer on a variety of products  are striking a chord. Attractions for those watching the pennies also include a 10 per cent discount for over-60s every Tuesday.

'On the Tuesday before Christmas, we had 300,000 customers taking advantage of that offer on a single day,' says Walker. 'It's helping pensioners who are feeling the pinch.'

This optimism is a far cry from his gloomy outlook only a few months ago. Back then, Walker told The Mail on Sunday he was shelving plans to open new stores after the chain's latest energy bill rose by 20 million.

But the recent drop in global wholesale gas prices means his shops, which rely so heavily on electricity to keep fridges and freezers running, are no longer fighting to keep the power on.

'We expect our fuel bill to be less this year. The price of energy is still uncomfortably high, and much higher than it was before Ukraine, but at least now we can plan.

'We're looking at being as energy efficient as possible. We're reducing the number of chilled products in our shops and including more on-shelf food such as tins and packets. We're also installing solar panels on the roofs of our shops and depots,' he says.

Iceland's confident start to the year may dampen concerns over the firm's 550 million debt pile, which have sparked rumours of a takeover.

But he is adamant the family will have a stake in the Iceland brand 'indefinitely'. He stresses that the firm will not face issues refinancing its debt when the time comes to do so, in 2025.

'There are no hedge funds circling and there's no debt battle looming,' he insists.

He has not been allocated a seat to contest at the next Election, but he is on the Conservative Party's candidate list.

His foray into politics has been another cause of speculation in the City, with some observers claiming it could cause an unnecessary distraction.

'That's laughable,' he says, insisting he has no plans to step away from the family firm. He argues that 'plenty of MPs have second jobs'  which is true, but not usually ones as demanding as being boss of a major supermarket.

'I think it is important that people know what the outside world is like  what it is like to pay the wages on a Friday,' he adds.

'I'll give it my all  but with regards to Iceland, nothing changes. It is important politics has people that aren't just inside the Westminster bubble.'

On top of the world: Iceland boss Richard Walker's pal, mountaineer Kenton Cool

Despite his privileged upbringing  with his family's fortune worth around 250 million  Walker says Iceland has provided him with an 'interesting barometer of Britain' through its five million customers.

'I have used the business to stand up and speak out on issues that are important to them,' says Walker  a Leave voter who urged former PM Boris Johnson to embrace business.

He describes his politics as One Nation Conservatism and has ambitions that include 'investing in our high streets' and 'making life as easy as possible for local businesses'.

But all of this begs a simple question, particularly given widespread disillusion with Westminster.

Would he not have a better chance of helping ordinary Britons by focusing purely on running one of the country's best-known supermarkets?

'I've already got a great platform without the public scrutiny,' he admits.

'And this is something I have thought to myself quite a lot. But I want to be a player  not a commentator.'
Disturbing footage has emerged of troubled bodybuilder Calum von Moger chopping up a dead kangaroo with a chainsaw.

The Australian former Mr Universe seriously injured his spine when he plunged from the second-storey window of his home in Geelong on May 6 last year.

Weeks earlier, he posted a series of concerning Instagram stories after running over a kangaroo in his 2005 Ford Ranger ute and throwing its body in the tray.

First he filmed himself zooming down the highway moments after mowing down the marsupial, before events took a darker turn when he got home.

Disturbing footage has emerged of troubled bodybuilder Calum von Moger chopping up a dead kangaroo with a chainsaw (pictured in 2017 with a different kangaroo)

One video showed the kangaroo's body in the tray with the caption 'poor kangaroo I accidentally hit him' over it.

Von Moger, 32, gently caressed the animal's face on the ute tray next to its nose.

The bodybuilder then manhandled the kangaroo around the back of the car, showing its bloodied wounds and a shard of bone from its shattered leg.

As he filmed the animal's injuries, he remarked 'it's a boy'.

Later a friend arrived in the driveway brandishing a chainsaw and flexing his bicep, asked by von Moger for help moving the kangaroo's body.

The camera panned to the front of the house where the marsupial's body was lying on the ground, missing its head and part of its tail.

'I've already chopped it up, just help me put it in the back [of the ute],' von Moger said.

One video showed the kangaroo's body in the tray before events took a darker turn

The camera panned to the front of the house where the marsupial's body was lying on the ground, missing its head and part of its tail

As his friend laughed at the sight of the body, von Moger added: 'Yeah I know. I'm keeping the head for a memento.'

The video was captioned 'roo tail treat for Astro', implying he planned to feed the kangaroo's severed tail to his dog.

The next video showed von Moger drag the kangaroo's body across the driveway by its leg, then pick it up and toss it in the back of the ute while his friend filmed.

The kangaroo chainsaw videos were some of numerous concerning incidents in the leadup to his near-fatal plunge from the window, and remerged recently on bodybuilding forums.

Von Moger, a three-time World Fitness Federation Mr Universe winner and actor who once played Arnold Schwarzenegger in a film, was also arrested for slashing a motorist's tyres with a knife during a terrifying Australia Day road rage incident.

He had returned to his hometown in October 2021, after spending seven years in Los Angeles pursuing his bodybuilding and acting career.

But his life quickly went off the rails with frequent bizarre videos posted to his social media, along with escalating legal woes.

The Aussie bodybuilder had pumped himself with so much testosterone over the years he can no longer produce it naturally

Von Moger played a young Arnold Schwarzenegger (pictured together) in the 2018 film Bigger and has been dubbed 'Arnold 2.0' in the bodybuilding world

Von Moger ploughed his Ford Ranger into the back of his victim's Kluger in Melbourne about 9.30pm on January 26 last year.

When his shocked victim got into a verbal stoush with von Moger, he pulled out a knife and stabbed the man's tyre before fleeing.

When police caught up with him a short time later, they found a trove of weapons including a tomahawk, an axe handle, knuckle-dusters and a hunting knife.

They also found a dodgy number plate that was covered in blood.

Von Moger escaped a conviction after an assault charge were dropped and he pleaded guilty to damaging property, weapons, and careless driving charges.

He was released on a good behaviour bond with a $2,500 fine when the case finally made it to court in November.

The court heard he had another vehicle crash in November 2021 when struck a car with his Harley Davidson motorbike in South Yarra and took off.

Von Moger leaves court in Melbourne with his mum Ingrid last month. Gone are the gigantic muscles that made him a star

Moger (pictured with a friend) released his own documentary titled Calum von Moger: Unbroken on Netflix in 2019

The home where Von Moger fell from the second storey of this home

During the same period, police found him with a stash of testosterone, needles, three containers of cannabis oil, another bag of white crystal powder and an assortment of prescription drugs, including Viagra.

The court heard he told police the meth wasn't his and must have belonged to a friend who left it in his car after he gave them a lift.

But he admitted to taking Viagra when he was competing, and had injected so much testosterone over the past decade he could no longer produce it naturally.

'I no longer produce it naturally and need to have it to be normal,' von Moger told cops.

'I use the testosterone weekly to keep my levels stable. I use the cannabis oil to help me settle and sleep.'

He pleaded guilty to possessing a variety of drugs, including testosterone, cannabis oil, and about two grams of meth.

Calum von Moger, 31, shared bizarre social media posts in the days before the incident (pictured)

Moger had an abseiling accident and severely injured his knee and bicep. Pictured: Just after the injury, and after rehabilitation

Suffering from depression, von Moger posted worrying videos online in the days before he plunged from the window.

In one, he confessed he 'messed up bad many times'.

'But I don't care about dwelling on negative thoughts of the past. All I care about is that I learn from my mistakes and become a better person,' he said.

'I'm trying my hardest to stay strong but I have my days too.'

Another featured a bizarre clip of him behind the wheel of his car with a parrot on his shoulder, saying 'catch ya later... alligator'.

Over the past five years, the gym junkie - once dubbed Arnold Schwarzenegger 2.0 - suffered a knee and bicep injury that incapacitated him for a year, found out he was the father of a little boy named Kairos, and his house in California burned down.

Those who follow him closely online also said he hadn't been the same since his bull terrier, Rex, choked to death on a chip in 2021.

Calum von Moger's beloved bull terrier Rex (pictured together) choked to death on a chip in 2021

The strongman explained in a YouTube video that tragedy struck when he briefly left the house after moving to Texas in early 2021.

'I left the house for 20 minutes to go to the store and I guess he got into one of the rooms and there was a bag of chips and he choked on a chip,' Moger said.

'I came back, looked for him and found him on the floor with his head in the chip bag - I thought it was a bad joke, and then I went down and I couldn't do anything.'

Von Moger tried giving Rex CPR, doing compressions, and raced him to the vet - but there was nothing anyone could do.

He described the situation as the worst thing that ever happened to him - including an abseiling accident in 2019 that took a year trying to recover from.

Just weeks earlier, his rescue dragon lizard, Baz, died during a three-day power outage following heavy snowfall.

A year earlier, the bodybuilder announced that he had learned he was the father of a little boy, Kairos, following a paternity test.

Von Moger said he was excited to be part of Kairos' life, but wanted nothing to do with the boy's mother. He frequently posts pictures of the toddler on Instagram.

His year from hell ended with a January 1 post, his first for many months, revealing he was back in the US and trying to turn his life around.

'For those who don't know, earlier this year I was in a bad accident and I really hurt myself,' he said.

'I had to take some time off to heal and recover and also I was going through a lot at the time.

'I'm doing so much better now - I got all the help I needed.

'I'm looking to get back into a good routine. I want to now just leave 2022 in the past - it was a very tough year for me.

'I've got some great new opportunities on this horizon.'

His year from hell ended with a January 1 post, his first for many months, revealing he was back in the US and trying to turn his life around

Von Moger's love for bodybuilding began at the age of 14 when he started training with his brother in Victoria

Von Moger grew up in a large family with his parents and five siblings near Geelong in regional Victoria.

In the documentary Calum von Moger: Unbroken, he described himself as a daredevil who was always trying to keep up with his brothers.

The film detailed von Moger's rise through the bodybuilding ranks to a point where he was dubbed 'Arnold 2.0' and how that came crashing down following a significant knee and bicep injury while abseiling.

'I was pretty broken - pretty heartbroken,' he recalled.

In the same year he nearly lost his home due to devastating fires in California.

'This year was the most challenging, I had these terrible injuries, the house, the fires, so many things that are trying to knock me off my feet - it's either going to make ya or break ya,' he said.

He started lifting weights at 14 and began entering competitions, but his big break came in 2017 when he was cast as young Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2018 movie Bigger.

Moger (pictured second left) started bodybuilding at 14. He has five siblings (pictured together with their father)

Von Moger quickly rose to fame after uploading videos of his physique and training online, amassing a following of more than 3 million on Instagram.

He tried a range of professions before pursuing bodybuilding full time, such as lifesaving, landscaping, touring adventure groups, skippering yachts and the army.

When Australia was devastated by bushfires in 2019/2020, von Moger launched a GoFundMe and raised more than $40,000 for the Wildlife Conservancy Fund.

'Even if you don't live in Australia, your contribution to this cause will mean so much to me, my friends and family,' he wrote.

'This is the sad reality of Australia in 2020. Any help is appreciated and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.'
An enquiry found an 'absence of policing' on child sexual abuse for decades

The police force that presided over decades of child sexual exploitation in Telford has seen a 75 percent drop in the proportion of sexual offence allegations, which result in a charge or summons, MailOnline can reveal.

New data from West Mercia Police (WMP) also shows a drop in the number of convictions and a 'concerning' increase in victims not supporting or withdrawing their support from investigations in the last five years.

West Mercia Police told MailOnline they have historically 'let victims down' and are 'concerned' by the statistics - but insist they are not 'letting perpetrators get away' with committing sexual crimes.

It follows an inquiry into child sexual exploitation in Telford which concluded in July that more than 1,000 children were sexually abused or raped in the town over a 30-year period, and West Mercia Police 'ignored' abuse over fears investigations into Asian men would 'inflame racial tensions'.

West Mercia Police were found to have ignored decades of child sexual exploitation in Telford (Pictured: Wellington, Telford)

Some of the worst abuse was centred in Welington, Telford, where there was a 'rape house' which young girls were taken to to be abused by multiple men.

Bars, restaurants and other establishments involved in abuse in the area would sometimes have 'abuse rooms' for young children to be taken into for the sex offences to take place.

Data obtained from WMP via Freedom of Information requests for the period 2016-2021 shows a downward trend in investigations ending in perpetrators being punished for all types of sexual offences.

The proportion of offences leading to further action dropped by three quarters although the number of offences recorded did not significantly change.

This is despite efforts to reform the force and increase sexual offence convictions after the enquiry into Telford highlighted a series of drastic failings by the force to protect children from sexual exploitation.

In the light of the statistics MP for Telford Lucy Allan told MailOnline she will continue to 'hold the Police and Home Office to account' in Parliament, even 'when it raises uncomfortable questions'.

But local sexual violence charities said they are 'not surprised' at the figures, pointing to long waits for justice and societal victim-blaming.

The proportion of all sexual offences recorded by the force which ended in a charge or summons fell to 3.6 percent in 2021, a 75 percent drop from its 2016 figure of 14 percent.

The proportion of West Mercia cases which ended due to a lack of victim support despite the perpetrator being identified rose to 35 percent by 2021

In the whole of West Mercia just 39 people were convicted of a sexual offence in 2021, despite 3543 offences being recorded in the same year

WMP is responsible for policing in Telford and Wrekin, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

The force categorises case outcomes, or OCs, by number and title. Two of these outcomes pertain to offences where the victim does not support the police investigation or has withdrawn support for the investigation.

Telford's child sexual exploitation inquiry findings: More than 1,000 Telford children were exploited 'over decades' Obvious signs of child sexual exploitation were 'ignored' Exploitation was 'not investigated because of nervousness about race' Information was not properly shared between agencies, with some bodies dismissing child exploitation as 'child prostitution' and even blaming the children instead of the perpetrators Teachers and youth workers were 'discouraged from reporting child sexual exploitation' Offenders were 'emboldened' and exploitation 'continued for years without concerted response' Police and the council scaled down specialist teams to 'virtual zero - to save money' Advertisement

In 2016, 24 percent of all offences recorded ended with no charge, summons or other consequences for the perpetrator despite their identity being known due to a lack of 'victim support'.

By 2021 this had risen by almost 50 percent to 35.2 percent.

A further 6.8 percent of cases recorded in 2016 by West Mercia Police were labelled as 'Evidential Difficulties Victim Based', with the full title explaining: 'victim either declines/or is unable to support further police investigation to identify the offender'.

In 2021 this figure had risen by around 85 percent to 12.6 percent.

This means that by 2021 47.8 percent of all sexual offences reported to WMP, involving both adults and children, were halted because of victims feeling unable to support investigations further.

Over the same period the number of convictions secured in court also fell significantly, from 124 in 2016, to 49 in 2017 and just 39 by 2021.

This is out of thousands of cases recorded by police in each year.

The number of cases in which defendants were not convicted also fell from 97 in 2016 to just eight in 2021.

There were 3,543 sexual offences recorded by police in 2021, up from 2,727 in 2016.

Experts point to multiple reasons why a victim may pull out of supporting an investigation or why cases may not end in a charge.

These range from police requiring the handover of a victim's personal devices, which can be detained for six months or more at a time when victims are most vulnerable, or conviction rate targets which may discourage prosecutors from taking cases where a conviction is not all but guaranteed.

Other factors include the often lengthy timescale of sexual offence investigations and the sensitive nature of the 'abhorrent crimes' victims have been subjected to.

Meanwhile a spokesperson for WMP admitted the force's past failings could play a role, particularly in the number of victims pulling out of supporting their cases.

Tom Crowther QC, Chair of the enquiry into Telford, also found victims were routinely threatened or told their families would be killed if they revealed the abuse or supported police investigations.

Sex abusers in the town frequently referred to the murder of 16-year-old Lucy Lowe and her family in 2000. Lucy was killed in a fire two years after she first fell pregnant aged just 14.

Lucy Lowe was just 16 and pregnant with her second child at the time of her death in 2000. Her diaries showed she was passed around multiple older men for sex from a young age

Murderer and 'boyfriend' Azhar Ali Mehmood, who was the father of her first child, was ten years older than Lucy. He was jailed for life in 2001.

In her diaries, which survived the blaze, Lucy wrote about being taken to perform sexual acts on multiple older men from a young age.

West Mercia Police (WMP) suggested victims may not feel supported in bringing cases to the force given the failures highlighted in recent years in Telford.

The force's Vulnerability and Safeguarding Superintendent, Jon Roberts, admitted: 'It is concerning the number of victims who have withdrawn their support has risen', adding the force would work with the CPS to try and understand factors behind it.

He acknowledged that the force had 'let victims down in the past' but had 'apologised unequivocally for this'.

He added that conviction rates remain 'lower than we would like' but insisted 'this does not mean we are letting perpetrators get away with committing such abhorrent crimes.'

WMP was strongly criticised in the report into child sexual exploitation in Telford after it found the force and local council were aware of sexual abuse issues 'in detail'.

The report stated: 'Failure by agencies to investigate emboldened offenders; failure to safeguard put children at risk.

West Mercia Police were slammed by the Telford enquiry for 'ignoring' sexual abuse for decades (Pictured: Telford Police Station)

Conservative MP for Telford Lucy Allan has promised to continued holding police and the Home Office to account on convictions of sexual offenders

'So far as both the council and WMP were concerned, a number of features appear to have contributed to this shocking failure to address CSE: a focus upon abuse within the family, at the expense of extra-familial exploitation; over-caution about acting in the absence of "hard evidence" - a formal complaint from a child - about exploitation; and a nervousness that investigating concerns against Asian men, in particular, would inflame racial tensions.'

After the release of the report West Mercia's PCC said: 'This report will no doubt have people questioning their confidence in policing.'

The inquiry's chairman said that in the absence of a police presence it is 'impossible... not to conclude that there was a real chance that unnecessary suffering and even deaths of children may have been avoided.'

A spokesperson for the West Mercia Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre, a charity which caters to victims of sexual offences within West Mercia Police's jurisdiction, told MailOnline the vast majority of survivors they encounter do not report offences to the police.

But they added: 'It is not a surprise to us that those that do are withdrawing their support from police investigations. Victims continue to be let down by the criminal justice system.'

The spokesperson continued: 'We are still a society that supports a whole range of myths and stereotypes around sexual violence.

'Victims face disbelief and blame for a crime that has been perpetrated against them, and then have to wait an increasingly long time for their cases to progress throughout the criminal justice process.

'This is unacceptable and adds to the trauma that has already been experienced.

'The increasing delays in the criminal justice process are having a further knock-on effect on our organisation's ability to provide timely support for new clients which compounds the trauma that these victims/survivors face.

'All services that provide support to victim/survivors of sexual abuse are chronically underfunded and clients are facing increasing delays in accessing specialised support.'

Meanwhile MP for Telford Lucy Allan said sexual offences are 'some of the most horrific crimes in society' as she promised to continue advocating for survivors.

She told MailOnline: 'Telford has had a troubled history of CSE crimes, and I will continue to hold the Police and Home Office to account on arrests, convictions and safeguarding.

'In my role as Telford's MP, I have worked with victims who have approached me directly and always encourage them to work with the Police to secure a prosecution.

'Often this is extremely challenging for the victims who have already been through so much, but it is crucial that they can rely on the system to prosecute perpetrators and keep the public safe.

Telford sex scandal: Timeline of abuse 1980s Girls in Telford are targeted by groups of mainly Asian men 1996 A resident goes to police with information about a key abuser selling underage girls for sex Late 1990s Social workers learn of the problem but do little to help 2000 Lucy Lowe, 16, is killed alongside her mother and sister in an arson attack by abuser Azhar Ali Mehmood 2002 Abuse victim Becky Watson, 13, is killed in a road accident described as a 'prank' 2010-2012 Police probe Operation Chalice identifies potential 200 abusers but only nine are jailed 2016 MP Lucy Allan calls for public inquiry but police and council officials in Telford write to Home Secretary Amber Rudd saying this isn't necessary March 2018 As many as 1,000 victims are believed to have been abused July 2022 Report into the scandal is published Advertisement

'I commend their bravery in doing so.

'In Parliament I have consistently argued for longer sentences for offenders and better support for victims.

'Victims need a voice in Parliament and I am determined to speak up, even when it raises uncomfortable questions for the authorities.'

Supt Roberts told MailOnline: 'Rape and sexual offences are some of the most sensitive and complex cases we deal with.

'Victims of these offences have suffered abhorrent crimes and it can often take great courage and bravery for individuals to come forward and report these to police, when they do they should be able to do so with the confidence we will listen with care and compassion.

'We know we have let victims down in the past and have apologised unequivocally for this.

'We are absolutely committed to continuing to develop our approach to tackling rape and sexual offences and ensuring victims have the support they need.

'Conviction rates are lower than we would like; we know this is not just the case for us but nationally and we are continuing to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Joint National Action Plan.

'It is concerning the number of victims who have withdrawn their support has risen and again, we work closely with the CPS to fully understand this.

'We must ensure the right outcome for the victim, and recognise for them this may not always be progressing the case through the courts.

'This does not mean we are letting perpetrators get away with committing such abhorrent crimes, where we can we will pursue victimless prosecutions but this does present challenges.

'We want victims to come forward and speak to us, but we know asking them to do so is not enough, they need to have the confidence they will be listened to and that they will be supported which is why we are working with survivors to understand how we can do this better.

'Also, as part of our drive to improve our response even more we are working with the national lead for Rape and Serious Sexual Offences to deliver Operation Soteria across West Mercia Police.'
The surging popularity of e-cigarettes threatens to overwhelm the hard-won gains made from decades of anti-smoking measures, while raising questions about whether the war on smoking has only fuelled a possibly worse substitute.

As the Albanese government makes new efforts to convince the still almost two million Australians stubbornly puffing away to quit tobacco, the rampant rise of vaping poses a whole new set of harms and challengers.

This is nowhere more so than in schoolyards where students are being hooked not just to nicotine in its new aerosol form, but also the easy cash of selling an addictive substance to schoolmates.

Even as the war on smoking is being fought with renewed measures, vaping has introduced a new generation to nicotine

Maurice Swanston, the recently retired CEO of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health, admitted the achievements made in kicking the national nicotine habit could vanish thanks to vapes.

'E-cigarettes are undermining the incredible progress that Australia has made in the last 40 years I have been working in reducing smoking,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Federal Minister Mark Butler signalled in early December that the Albanese government would look at cracking down on the e-cigarettes, also known as vapes, flooding into Australia.

Mr Swanston said it's the right approach.

'Our borders are leaking like a sieve, there are massive illegal imports of e-cigarettes and those cigarettes have been intentionally mislabeled, so that Border Force can't tell whether they contain nicotine or not,' Mr Swanston said.

Labor is planning on bringing in health warning labels on cigarettes. Pictured: Canadian cigarette warnings)

In October 2021, the Therapeutic Goods Administration made it illegal to buy e-cigarettes, which electronically heat a fluid mixture to produce an aerosol or vapour to be inhaled, without a doctor's prescription.

Mr Swanston said the prescription model of restricting use hasn't worked 'because importers got the manufacturers to change the labelling to blunt the Border Force enforcement'.

'We have a large number of grubby entrepreneurs who have coordinated these illegal imports,' he said.

'There are warehouses full of these e-cigarettes and they they marketed mainly through social media, word-of-mouth and personal marketing.'

Mr Swanston said Border Force needs broader powers.

'What they need is the ability to seize vapes whether they say they contain nicotine or not,' he said.

E-cigarettes are being freely sold in many schoolgrounds around Australia

'Until that is rectified they are just going to flood in because the financial incentive is too big for the crooks not to be involved.'

Sinclair Davidson, a professor of economics at Melbourne's RMIT University, also believes the prescription model is 'a failed policy' but for a different reason.

'It's one of those things that sound nice in theory but just doesn't work,' Prof Sinclair told Daily Mail Australia.

Prof Sinclair argued studies by Public Health England showed vapes were 95 per cent healthier than tobacco and should be encouraged as a substitute.

This claim fetched a pithy response from Mr Swanston who described it as 'bullsh*t'.

Mr Swanston said the effects of vaping were still largely unknown.

Although smoking has decreased by 5 per cent in the last decade almost 2million Australians still indulge the habit

'They may be (less harmful) but we don't know because they haven't been around long enough,' he said.

'There may be fewer chemicals from e-cigarettes but that doesn't mean those that are there are safe to inhale into your lungs and polluting your body with it.

'Not a single one of the 220 vape flavours has been approved for inhalation.'

Mr Swanston said evidence out of the US showed vaping harmed the heart and lungs, while an 18-year-old US vaper was recently diagnosed with tongue cancer.

Prof Sinclair argued that even if vaping was only 50 per cent safer than cigarettes it would still be a positive result.

He believed vapes would be made healthier by allowing over-the-counter sales as part of a regulated market.

Many vaping products are imported from overseas and have little or no labelling of what is in them (pictured a shop in Russia)

'If you had a company like (US vape-maker) JUUL registered and with all the quality controls selling vapes in Australia that would be a very different situation from what we have now, which is more or less a black market where anything goes,' he said.

'We have governments who are preventing companies from producing and selling a safer version of their own product.

'The regulated legal market doesn't suit the preferences of the anti-tobacco lobby.'

However, Mr Swanston accused those calling for the liberalisation of vapes of changing their tune.

'At the beginning of their campaign they argued very vehemently that they were doing so to help smokers quit,' he said.

'That was their moral position.

NSW Poisons Information Centre doctor Claire Turner (pictured) says there can be many dangerous chemicals in vapes being sold in Australia

'The evidence that e-cigarettes at a community level are an effective way to reduce smoking is very, very skinny indeed.

'They are talking about having them available in every store - why are they doing it? Simply for the profit they would make.'

Mr Swanston said difficulties with controlling the retail availability of cigarettes demonstrated it was a 'failed model'.

He argued tobacco companies push vapes as a 'gateway drug'.

'Children and teenagers who become addicted to nicotine through e-cigarettes have three times the likelihood to become regular smokers,' Mr Swanston said.

Some claim that vaping has been shown to be less harmful than traditional tobacco products while others say the health effects are largely unknown

'Every major transnational tobacco company having bought enormous shares in e-cigarette manufactures.'

A recent study on e-cigarette use by 14-17 year-olds in NSW illustrated how freely available vapes are.

It estimated more than 30 per cent of young people in the age group had tried vaping.

Seventeen-year-old Ruby Ellis told the study she had vaped for three years but had been trying to quit for nine months.

'I knew that it was addictive when I first started vaping, but you don't really think about it too much,' Ruby said.

'You don't fully realise what addicted means or how addictive it is until you become hooked'.

RMIT economics Professor Sinclair Davidson (pictured) argues that anti-smoking measures often have 'perverse' outcomes

Ruby said vaping was pervasive among her peers.

'All the time, it's everywhere you go,' she said.

'When somebody has a cup of coffee, or when they're studying, even in the toilets during breaks'.

Mr Swanston said children and teens were being sold vapes by classmates.

'The kids go to school with a bag full of e-cigarettes and return home with at night with a bag full cash,' he said.

Mr Swanston pointed to an ABC Four Corners program aired in May that showed vapes can be ordered from social media platform TikTok and delivered by Uber in 30 minutes.

'That's just a snapshot of one illegal route for these vapes and the mark-up on them is enormous,' Mr Swanston said.

It has been a decade since Australia introduced tobacco plain packaging laws, an idea taken up around the world

'The black market is most created by the disreputable retailers who are mostly selling them under the counter, taking the risk, breaking the law and selling them for cash so there is no record for purchasers.'

Mr Swanston accused tobacco giants of conspiring with retail groups, such as the Australian Association of Convenience Stores, to ensure the illicit trade in vapes was left largely untouched by authorities.

Illegally obtained vapes can range in price from $5 to $30 and a single e-cigarette can contain 0.7ml of nicotine, which is the equivalent of inhaling one pack of cigarettes, or 200 puffs.

Dr Claire Turner, Public Health Medicine registrar at the NSW Poisons Information Centre, said vapes were being marketed at children.

'The way they are marketed as something that's tasty and comes in a whole range of nice-smelling flavours - that seems a bit chilling,' she said.

'They are definitely appealing to kids.'

Retired CEO of the Australian Council on Smoking and Health Maurice Swanston says the government needs to crackdown on vapes flooding into Australia

She said the dangers of young people becoming addicted to nicotine were very real but perhaps even more worrying is that many vapes did not list ingredients.

'The toxicity is very well known for nicotine but some of the other chemicals in there, the long-term effects aren't known yet,' she said.

'They often contain heavy metals including lead, mercury and arsenic.

'There is a huge range of different chemicals in the different vapes. They have a whole range of effects.'

Prof Davidson said research showed the most effective ways to stop youth from using addictive substances was to raise the price and for adults to increase health awareness.

These have been twin pillars in Australia's war on smoking and Mr Butler vowed to pursue them with renewed vigour with a sweeping new set of anti-smoking measures.

Vape makers have been accused of marketing their products toward children with bright colours (generic vapes pictured)

These include putting health warnings on each individual cigarette (copying a Canadian approach), banning menthol cigarettes, putting new restrictions on marketing and raising the excise on roll-your-own smokes.

The measures were timed to coincide with the 10-year-anniversary of the introduction of cigarette plain packaging, an Australian idea that has now been adopted around the world.

Plain packaging was a particular area of interest for Prof Davidson and he did extensive research into its impact.

'Generally speaking the plain packaging legislation failed to meet its standard objectives,' he said.

'To a large extent it just meant the tobacco industry saved marketing expenses.

'People started substituting to the cheapest cigarettes they could find. More or less they only compete on price now. '

Health Minister Mark Butler (pictured) has promised to look into how to stop the flood of illegal vapes into Australia

He was skeptical of how effective the new warnings would be.

'Most people are very well aware of the danger of smoking, so to say to that "smoking kills", well consumers kind of know that already,' he said.

'So, it's kind of do something more because something needs to be done.'

Prof Sinclair believed governments don't just ban cigarettes 'because they can't afford to'.

'There's a very famous story that came out of the UK that they wanted to bring in an anti-smoking policy but they didn't do so because they would lose money on the excise,' he said.

'Tobacco excise is, I think, one of the top 10 sources of revenue for the Australian government.

'It would be very difficult for them to replace that revenue even over at 10 year period.'

Albo's war on smoking Menthol and other flavoured cigarettes are to be banned Cigarettes will be made a standard make and size New warnings will be placed on packets Individual cigarettes may also have health warnings and presented in 'ugly colours' Marketing words such as 'light' or 'organic' to be banned Health promotions are to be put in tobacco products Roll-your-own (rollies) tobacco will be made more expensive Advertising regulation to be reviewed and to include e-cigarettes (vaping) Major review to look at how to curb the spread of vaping, especially with young users Laws are set to ban the import of e-cigarettes with nicotine and may require labelling of ingredients Advertisement

Federal budget papers reveal that the Commonwealth expects to collect $13billion in tobacco excises, most of which will fall on the less wealthy where the smoking habit has proved the most difficult to dislodge.

'The kind of elites who make policy don't really care because they would say if they want to avoid that taxation they should stop smoking,' Prof Sinclair said.

'Most people who smoke do so because they enjoy it in full knowledge of the health consequences.

'Are we imposing our preferences on others?'

Excise, which goes up every year, makes up almost 70 per cent of the price of a packet of cigarettes but this has seen a flourishing black market in 'chop chop', tobacco illegally grown and distributed without the taxes.

In July British consulting firm KPMG estimated almost 20 percent of tobacco consumed in Australia is unregulated and untaxed.

Prof Sinclair said attempting to tax away bad behaviour, so called 'sin taxes', often had 'perverse' consequences.

Prof Sinclair argues that American vape makers such as JUUL should be allowed to market their products in a regulated way in Australia

'Criminals don't pay minimum wage, criminals don't employ people under legal conditions,' Prof Sinclair observed.

'Any time you have government policy that explicitly encourages people to break the law, you should look at that and say "that's a bad policy".'

In the last decade smoking has fallen from 16 percent of the population to just under 11 percent, and while that represents around a million Australians previous decades which saw much more rapid drops.

Mr Swanston claimed that because of a 'lack of political will', with tobacco companies sabotaging anti-smoking efforts.

'The pace is glacial because of the incredibly effective lobbying by the tobacco industry on governments,' he said.

It has been estimated that 'chop chop', illegal tobacco such as this crop in NSW, makes up about 20 per cent of the substance smoked in Australia

In contrast to the prohibition approach, Prof Sinclair believed there should be a consumer or health-oriented approach 'to regulating not just nicotine but almost all drugs'.

He argued the distinction between 'good nicotine and bad nicotine' should be abolished.

'If you go to a chemist and you buy Nicorette's, which is chewing gum that's considered to be good nicotine but you can't go and vape it,' Prof Sinclair said.

'You can buy nicotine gum, you can buy nicotine lozenges that are officially recognised as anti-smoking or transition from smoking products but vapes are not treated in the same way.'

Prof Sinclair said he 'would encourage people to vape as a mechanism of moving away from combustible cigarettes, while at the same time recognising some people prefer to smoke'.

'I wouldn't tax vapes to death,' he said.

'We saw this in Canada with marijuana they were taxing it so heavily that people were still buying from the black market.'
Neighbours who lived next door to a home where three children were allegedly tortured have told police they will never forgive themselves for brushing off their screams and tantrums.

Police were called to the property in Brisbane's south-east about 9.30pm on Saturday January 22, and found a five-year-old boy in a critical condition, and his older siblings - a girl, six, and boy, eight, in the garage with extensive non-life threatening injuries.

All three kids were taken to Queensland Children's Hospital for treatment, where they are now in a stable condition.

Daily Mail Australia understands police will allege neighbours heard screams coming from the home where the children's 29-year-old father was arrested.

He has since been charged with seven counts of assault occasioning bodily harm, three counts of torture, three counts of assault occasioning bodily harm while armed and one count of grievous bodily harm.

Previous court records reveal the father-of-three is a refugee who migrated to Australia more than a decade ago.

Detectives were scouring the two-storey property, which sits at the end of a strip of apartments within a gated community, for four days after the father's arrest.

Pictured: The Brisbane home where three children were allegedly tortured by their father

The backyard was desolate except for a couple of weathered chairs

The brick home appeared eerily desolate with no toys in the yard or other indicators that it had been ever been occupied by children - or anyone at all.

The barren backyard is a stark contrast to the one next door which is brimming with trampolines, bikes, and kids games.

The only signs of life were a padlock clamped through the front screen door, a couple of weathered chairs in the backyard and a stack of empty plastic containers piled on the grass by the entrance.

While the property appeared void of possessions, the father's car remains parked in a bay across from the house. Through the window, a single child's car seat could be seen fitted in the back.

A neighbour, who did not provide her name, said the family had moved into the townhouse between six and four months ago.

She said she never saw the kids playing outside but heard them screaming 'almost every night' and thought they must have been refusing to go to bed.

'The screams would happen at all hours, sometimes late into the evening. It was mainly the girl,' she told Daily Mail Australia, visibly devastated.

'And now to think they were [allegedly] being tortured.

'I will never forgive myself for thinking they were just playing up.'

She also said she was constantly kept awake by blaring music and house lights piercing through her windows.

Neighbours have told detectives they heard screams coming from the home which sounded like the children having tantrums (pictured above is a neighbour)

A second neighbour, who lives behind the family's home, also said she never saw the kids playing in the backyard.

She too heard screams but was shocked and upset to learn of the allegations when detectives knocked on her door.

'I've just been so busy lately. You hear noises but kids scream and cry - I just thought they were having a tantrum,' she said.

'I feel awful.'

Other local residents said they saw two women running out of the front gates with the children about 2am on Saturday - just 17 hours before the man's arrest.

A padlock could be seen clamped to the screen door on Wednesday, with a stack of plastic containers sitting under the front window

Another woman wiped away tears as she recalled never seeing anything unusual happening at the home.

She arrived home about 12.30am on Sunday, shortly after the children had been taken away, and heard a distressed woman wailing in the driveway.

'She was screaming "What have I done? How could I let this happen?"

'People were comforting her then an ambulance showed up and took her away.'

The incident has rocked the tight knit community, with residents devastated to learn the kids could have been being allegedly abused right under their noses.

Neighbours said the incident has taught them that the community needs to be 'more aware' of what is happening around them.

Emergency services rushed to the home on Saturday night after paramedics were called to reports a 5-year-old boy was injured.

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested at the scene and remanded in custody to face Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.

A single child's seat could be seen in the back, along with some Centrelink documents stuffed into the side of the door

He has an extensive criminal history in Queensland, which includes a conviction for leaving a child unattended and giving false or misleading information to authorities.

The Department of Home Affairs revoked his refugee status in 2017 due to his run-ins with the law and sought to have him deported.

However, the decision was later reversed and his visa was reinstated, allowing him to stay in Australia.

In assessing his visa status, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal was asked to take into consideration evidence that he cared for three children.

Submissions tendered argued that it was not in the children's 'best interests to be denied a father who is capable and willing to provide loving support'.

His bail application was refused in court on Monday and the matter adjourned until February 27.
Tim Willasey-Wilsey said Doomsday could begin with the collapse of Putin's army

The humiliating collapse of Vladimir Putin's invasion force in Ukraine could be the final flash point needed to trigger a nuclear Armageddon that kills millions, a top military expert has chillingly warned.

Ex-British diplomat Tim Willasey-Wilsey outlined how the Russian despot's barbaric war could descend into global carnage if his military collapses or mutinies in the face of unrelenting resistance from Kyiv's forces, triggering an apocalyptic scenario.

The retired Foreign and Commonwealth Office director's comments come after a threat from one of Putin's closest allies, former President Dmitry Medvedev, who warned if Russia was beaten in Ukraine it would spark a nuclear war with the West.

'It doesn't occur to any of the wretches to draw the following elementary conclusion: That the loss of a nuclear power in a conventional war could provoke a nuclear war,' Medvedev raged on Telegram. 'Nuclear powers have not lost major conflicts on which their fate depends. And this should be obvious to anyone.'

Ukrainian soldiers are seen riding on a T-72 Soviet-era tank, used widely in the ongoing conflict, in the Donetsk region, January 20

The Kremlin doubled down on Medvedev's threat, with Moscow confirming his incendiary remarks were in full accordance with Russia's nuclear doctrine in yet another hint President Putin was prepared to use weapons of mass destruction.

But top military bosses have told MailOnline this hellish outcome, although possible, would be highly unlikely, with the former head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Lord Alan West saying: 'If Ukraine suddenly smash the Russians and advance into Russia that really does increase the likelihood of nuclear weapons being used... [but] it's extremely unlikely.'

Here's how Mr Willasey-Wilsey claimed the Doomsday scenario could play out.

Step one: Russia's forces collapse or mutiny

The first stage in the nightmare scenario would be triggered with the mass collapse of Russian forces in Ukraine - through either overwhelming pressure from Ukrainian troops or widespread mutiny and descent in Putin's military. Pictured: A Russian soldier surrendering from his armoured fighting vehicle last year

When President Putin launched his barbaric invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many believed he would storm to a quick victory.

But fearsome Ukrainian opposition combined with military incompetency from Russian forces and hi-tech weapons donated by the West have thrown Putin's lofty ambitions of overthrowing Ukraine's government into disarray.

Ex-British diplomat Tim Willasey-Wilsey, served for 27 years with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, latterly as it's director. The defence and international relations expert has revealed how the humiliating collapse of Putin's invasion force could trigger a nuclear war

Now, after already suffering a series of embarrassing defeats, Putin's army appears to be at a stalemate, with unconfirmed estimates claiming it has seen 100,000 troops killed or wounded since the war began.

Mr Willasey-Wilsey (right) said such heavy losses could trigger a revolt among Putin's forces - which includes thousands of conscripts and prisoners.

'There may still be some Russian soldiers who believe their presidents myth about Ukraine being a Nazi state, but increasingly they must wonder why they are enduring considerable risk and awful conditions,' he wrote in an article for London-based defence think tank the Royal United Services Institute.

He claimed there had already been 'some evidence of near-mutiny' with the sudden evacuation of Kharkiv in the west bearing 'all the hallmarks of a rout, with troops abandoning their positions in a hurry and leaving equipment and personal effects behind'.

'For most of us in the West, a wholesale Russian collapse would be a cause for celebration, heralding a rapid end to the war and an alleviation of some of the economic effects which the conflict has engendered  in particular high energy and food costs. However, in reality, a mutiny would entail a few days of very significant risk,' he warned.

Step two: Ukrainian troops push to the edge of Donbas and Crimea

Phase two would see Ukrainian forces charging towards the edge of the Donbas in preparation to retake territory held by Russia - including Crimea, which was annex by Putin in 2014

And it would be these few days of 'very significant risk' where the fate of the globe could lie.

With Russian resistance collapsing, Mr Willasey-Wilsey said the door would be wide open for Kyiv to advance and try to retake the Donbas and Crimea.

In this scenario, the retired diplomat claimed Moscow would do what it could to slow the Ukrainian push - which would include ramping up threats to use tactical nuclear weapons against President Volodymyr Zelensky's military.

'The Moscow government would doubtless issue an ultimatum that Ukraine must not infringe into areas of Donbas under Russian control before February 24 and, above all, that it must not enter the Crimean Peninsula,' he added.

'Moscow would make plain its willingness to use nuclear weapons to protect its territorial integrity.'

Step three: Zelensky warned to go no further by Macron and Scholz

In the scenario leading to Doomsday, Mr Willasey-Wilsey predicts European leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron (centre) and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (left) will urged Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky (right) to hold back

But the Ukrainian advance could spook some western allies, warned Mr Willasey-Wilsey, whose career has seen him involved in the resolution of the civil wars in Angola and Mozambique, and the peace processes in the Middle East.

He predicts French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz would send 'urgent messages' to a confident President Zelensky, appealing for him not to retake territory previously in the Russian hands before it invaded.

This would include Crimea, annexed in 2014, and the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbas, where Russian-backed separatist forces have been battling for control for more than eight years.

Britain could take a more 'robust' stance - 'encouraging Zelensky to retake all of Donbas' but to stay out of Crimea, unless backed by Nato of G7 allies.

While US President Joe Biden would 'probably lean more towards' a similar position to the UK, 'conscious that Crimea is a much more sensitive issue' as the home of the Russian Black Sea Flee', added Mr Willasey-Wilsey,

Step four: Zelensky turns a 'Nelsonian' 96-hour blind eye to pleas

But in this scenario, the British diplomat believes Mr Zelensky would turn 'a Nelsonian blind eye' to Western leaders' pleas for up to 96 hours, while ordering his forces to try and retake both the Donbas and Crimea

So how could Zelensky react? Mr Willasey-Wilsey claims the Ukrainian leader might give his troops a 'tight deadline by which to secure both Donbas and Crimea', with the war-time leader already indicating he would not negotiate with Putin.

But the Ukrainian leader would need to buy time for his forces to continue with their advance.

In this case, he might look to plead with Paris and Berlin for the need for a 'day or two to halt the forward momentum of his army'.

'He might calculate that he could turn a Nelsonian blind eye to Western blandishments for 72 or 96 hours at the most,' added Mr Willasey-Wilsey, while also trying to bluff the Kremlin that he had no plans to push into the territories.

Step five: Putin is ousted in Moscow and replaced by FSB boss

With Russian forces in disarray. Putin (left) could be ousted out of government and potentially replaced by Alexander Bortnikov, the director of Russia's FSB security service (right)

Such a Ukrainian charge would throw Putin and his government into disarray, pushing the threat of nuclear war even closer.

'Moscow would be in turmoil following the mutiny and the loss of so much territory,' retired diplomat Mr Willasey-Wilsey said. 'Putin would doubtless blame and sack defence minister Sergei Shoigu and the Army Chief Valery Gerasimov, but his own fingerprints are too firmly on the war to avoid some consequences.'

After 12 years in power, this might be the moment when Alexander Bortnikov, the director of Russia's FSB security service or Nikolai Patrushev a previous FSB boss, might try and seize power and 'supplant Putin'.

'The strong probability is that any new leader would be from the same ex-KGB stable as Putin and equally or even more hawkish.'

Step six: Game over - Russia's new leader goes nuclear

Vladimir Putin's ally Dmitry Medvedev has threatened the West with nuclear war in Ukraine beats Russia on the battlefield. Pictured: A Sartmat ICBM test is seen in Russian footage (file)

With the mutiny in the military, a coup in the Kremlin, and chaos raging in the heart of Russia's political leadership, this would be the moment when 'bad or even disastrous decisions could be made'.

Among these bad decisions would be the Doomsday move to deploy nuclear weapons - something that has not been seen in 77 years since America bombed the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima to end the Second World War.

'This is when bad or even disastrous decisions could be made. The detonation of a nuclear device over the Black Sea or over central Ukraine as a warning shot to stop the Ukrainian advance might even be at the lower end of the spectrum of options presented to a Russian leadership in disarray.

'A new nationalist leader in Moscow might argue that Nato countries had enabled the Ukrainian success and should therefore be regarded as targets,' Mr Willasey-Wilsey concluded.

So what do top military chiefs and defence experts make of all this?

Shell-shocked residents in Hlevakha, near Kyiv, remove debris from a house of their neighbour damaged by a Russian military strike on January 26

Military experts and commanders have said that, although Russia has the capability to use nuclear weapons, it would be 'extremely unlikely' to do so.

'This is bluff and bluster from Moscow, they're just bloody furious,' said the Royal Navy's former head, Lord West, who was a British commander during the Cold War.

'It is saber-rattling to make people pause and think about things. But that wont be the case if Ukraine advances into Russia - it will be a different game.'

But he added: 'Nobody wants an Armageddon. That would be bloody mad.'

Former British Army Colonel Philip Ingram, who worked in military intelligence, said Russia would face huge international consequences if it deployed weapons of mass destruction.

And he warned if the Russian military was completely wiped out in Ukraine, it could lead to the total destablisation of the Russian Federation.

'The collapse of the Russian military could lead to the use of a nuclear weapon as a last resort - not for effect on the battlefield but to strong arm the Ukrainians into peace talks - however, it would be Russia's final act as they would instantly become international pariahs and China, India and Pakistan would have to come off the fence,' he told MailOnline.

Ukrainian soldiers are seen at their mortar position on the Donbass frontline yesterday

Admiral Lord Alan West was a former First Sea Lord and security minister. He felt a nuclear war being triggered - although feasibly possible - would be 'extremely unlikely'

'Western response would likely be the conventional destruction of every Russian piece of kit inside geographic Ukraine.'

But military expert Robert Clark, a defence analyst at the London-based think-tank Civitas, warned Putin would be the most likely person to use nuclear weapons, not any successor if the 70-year-old was ousted.

'Putin remains the most likely actor to launch a nuclear strike, and there has been enough bluster coming from Moscow to make the threat still credible,' the Army veteran told MailOnline.

'That being said, the idea that Russia will use a nuclear strike option in Ukraine, against its forces, or against Ukraine's international allies, I think is still highly unlikely.

'Though Putin remains somewhat unpredictable, London, Washington, and Kyiv would have all war-gamed and planned for a nuclear strike by Russia, and the deteriorating situation leading to that potential eventuality.

'At the strategic and political level, should there be regime change - far from certain - then priorities at that stage would almost certainly not involve launching a nuclear strike.

'If there is regime change, it will be orchestrated to ensure a semblance of stability, and a break from the ever unravelling political status quo in Moscow regards to the war.'

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council (pictured centre on January 10 inspecting a military repair plant in Saint Petersburg) has warned of nuclear war if Russian forces are defeated in Ukraine

Former armed forces minister Mark Francois (above) said the uncertainty over whether nuclear weapons would be used in Ukraine had prompted other nation's to row back on nuclear disarmament plans after Ukraine gave up its stash of nukes

Mark Francois, Britain's former Armed Forces Minister, said Western allies had been unmoved so far by Putin's radioactive rhetoric.

The Tory MP, who sits on Britain's influential Defence Committee in parliament, added the war had pushed nations away from relinquishing their nuclear arsenal, like Ukraine did in 1994 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

'Since Russia invaded Ukraine, its remarkable how few Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament badges you see around anymore,' he said.

'The Ukrainians gave up their nuclear weapons, which they must now clearly regret, and which is all the more reason to maintain our own independent nuclear deterrent, to make the Russians think twice about ever crossing the nuclear threshold.'

While one very senior military officer told MailOnline the threats made ex-Russian president Medvedev's were 'not surprising' but that the leader 'might just turn into a peace maker' should Putin lose his invasion.

'Only a madman would deploy nuclear weapons... This is plainly an attempt to deter Ukraines allies,' the top commander added.
Women are facing waits of up to a year for a procedure which can help prevent cervical cancer before it develops.

Smear tests save around 5,000 lives annually as changes in cells can be identified at an early stage.

But a backlog in appointments for a follow-up procedure, known as a colposcopy, is leaving some women anxiously waiting for up to a year to be seen.

Last night ministers said the delays were leaving patients in limbo, facing a 'ticking time bomb of health problems', while reducing the possiblity of early intervention.

Women are facing waits of up to a year for a procedure which can help prevent cervical cancer before it develops

Patients who need a colposcopy - a procedure which examines abnormal cells - should typically expect to be seen within eight weeks, according to NHS guidelines.

However, one health board is now advising women that they may not have an appointment for 12 months.

The NHS urged women to come forward for smear tests after uptake for the screening programme crashed to an all-time low during lockdown. But official figures show gynaecology waiting lists have more than doubled since the pandemic.

for smear tests after uptake for the screening programme crashed to an all-time low during lockdown. But official figures show gynaecology waiting lists have more than doubled since the pandemic.

Charlotte Clark, 36, faced an agonising 22-week wait between her smear and her colposcopy.

Fortunately Ms Clark, who has had annual smear tests ever since she tested positive for high-risk HPV five years ago, was told she did not require further treatment following the November procedure.

Ms Clark, who lives in Kirklees, said: 'This is the one thing that causes me perpetual anxiety, waiting for that it appointment  it kept me up at night.'

Meanwhile, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde  Scotland's largest health board  has told women they may have to wait up to 52 weeks for a colposcopy.

Katie Kerr is fast approaching a 12-month wait for the procedure following a smear test last February.

Initially Mrs Kerr, 51, was told she would have an appointment within eight weeks.

But it has now been more than 45 weeks since the mother-of-two had the smear test which revealed changes in her cells.

Mrs Kerr, a carer from Glasgow, said: 'The whole situation has made me really anxious, especially as there is cancer in my family.'

A Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokesman told the Mail 'urgent cases' will undergo the procedure within four to five weeks.

But Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour's health spokesman, said: 'These shameful waits are creating a ticking time bomb of health problems for women with abnormal smear tests, some of which may result in cancer.

'Not only do these delays prevent early intervention, but they leave women in limbo for months on end worried about their health.'

Millions of women put their smear test on hold during lockdown and urgent suspected gynaecological follow-ups are now 115 per cent up since 2019.

A spokesman for Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust said that while the 'majority' of screening services were 'running smoothly', there had been 'significant delays' in some areas.

Emma Hardy, Labour MP for Hull West and Hessle, accused the government of failing to offer any 'practical solutions' to combat waiting times.

She added: 'The disparity in gender health accessibility need to be addressed urgently.'

An NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board spokesman said it was 'experiencing pressures' like other healthcare services 'locally and nationally'.

An NHS England spokesman said the majority of patients with abnormal results are seen within six weeks and it was currently meeting the standard for urgent two-week referrals.

Spokesmen for both the UK and Scottish governments said they were focussed on reducing waiting times.
He was the man who entertained millions with his comedy genius - although his fondness for scantily clad women would likely see him get the boot today.

With his eponymous show that ran for nearly 35 years from 1955 until 1989, Benny Hill was a national treasure.

This week it was revealed that the late star is enjoying a revival in Spain, with a 2,000 word feature in a glossy supplement in El Pais getting attention as young Spaniards watch repeats of his show on Youtube.

But despite the enduring popularity, Hill suffered a sad decline later in his career and was accused of sexual assault decades after his death in 1992, when his body was found in his rented flat surrounded by dirty crockery and clutter.

Benny Hill entertained millions with his comedy genius - although his fondness for scantily clad women would likely see him get the boot today. Above: A scene from the Benny Hill show in 1983

This week it was revealed that the late star is enjoying a revival in Spain, with a 2,000 word feature in a glossy supplement in El Pais getting attention as young Spaniards watch repeats of his show on Youtube. Above: Hill leaving hospital in 1992, the year of his death

Born Alfred Hawthorne in 1925 in Southampton, Hill was remembered by his relatives and school friends as the 'class clown'.

How Benny Hill is big in Spain Last weekend, a glossy supplement in Spain's El Pais newspaper published a 2,000-word feature on Benny HIll, amid the ongoing popularity of the comedian in the country. The piece noted: 'Spaniards, we are a little strange sometimes. 'There are international cultural phenomena, like A-ha, that for some reason are big in Spain. 'And for some reason, Benny Hill is big in Spain.' The Benny Hill show was hugely popular in the country in the 1980s and 1990s, due to the fact it was broadcast on prime time television. Now, his episodes are watched on Youtube by younger generations. Advertisement

He dropped out of school when still a teenager and worked first as a milkman before serving as a mechanic in the British Army during the Second World War.

During the conflict, he entertained troops in variety shows and adopted his stage name in homage to comedian Jack Benny.

After the war, he performed in music halls in London and then his first appearance on TV came in 1950.

The Benny Hill show - which consisted of short, often risque sketches, aired for the first time in 1955 and continued on the BBC until 1968. Then, from 1969 onwards, it aired on ITV.

At his height of his fame more Britons tuned in to watch Benny Hill than the moon landing and the comedian won his first of many awards in 1954 when voted TV Personality of the Year.

The Benny Hill Show received a total of 11 awards during his time with ITV and his shows were exported to more than 140 countries.

But by the time his show came to an end - when Hill was sacked by production company Thames Television - the comedian's star had already been tarnished.

Former Page Three girl Stefanie Martin accused him in 1985 of forcing her to 'perform' while he pleasured himself. Hill had promised her a speaking part on his show.

Hill's agent also alleged that he squeezed her breasts during rehearsal, prompting her to slap his face.

And then in 2017, 1980s punk rocker Hazel O'Connor said she was sexually assaulted by the comedian.

Laughter until the end: Hill's health declined in the late '80s and he died in London on April 20 1992 aged 68, two months after suffering a mild heart attack. The cause of death was recorded as coronary thrombosis. Pictured in hospital

Benny HIll is seen with two 'Benny Girls' on his show in 1984, when he was still hugely popular

Cheapskate: Although he was worth millions thanks to royalties from The Benny Hill Show, the late actor was extremely frugal and had a phobia of spending money

Benny Hill is seen with his 'Benny Girls' - women who featured on his show - in 1978

The Benny Hill Show first aired in 1955 and ran until 1989, when it was cancelled by Thames Television

Benny Hill is seen on his show in 1985, four years before it was cancelled - much to the comedian's horror

O'Conner, who starred in and wrote the soundtrack for cult film Breaking Glass, said Hill demanded sexual favours from her in return for work

She claimed Hill would only let her work as one of his famous Benny Hill girls unless she agreed.

Hill added that she had to push the comedian off when he pounced on her one evening, trying to kiss her at his flat.

The star also never married, with the women he proposed to turning him down. He is said to have felt unattractive and unloved.

And although he was worth millions thanks to royalties from The Benny Hill Show, the late actor was extremely frugal and had a phobia of spending money.

He was so tight-fisted that he would wear the same clothes until they were threadbare and even glued the soles of his shoes back on when they became loose.

The comic would only buy groceries when they were on sale, and would walk to the BBC headquarters rather than pay for a taxi.

The news of Benny Hill's death made the front page of the Daily Mail on April 21, 1992

Owning a car or his own home was also out of the question, according to his close friend Sarah Kemp, because such a large expenditure would have upset him.

When his show was cancelled, the man responsible - John Howard Davies from Thames Television - said: 'Benny was all right when he was young, but when youre in your 60s, its a slightly different matter to leer at a pretty girl.'

Hill's health took a turn for the worse after the bad news about his show.

He suffered a mild heart attack in February 1992 and spent four weeks in hospital a month before his death, in April 1992.

The star was not found until two days after his death, with the cause of death being listed as coronary thrombosis.

His body was found by his press agent Dennis Kirkland after neighbours reported a smell coming from his home in Teddington, south-west London.
Ronna McDaniel began her fourth term as as chairwoman of the Republican National Committee with a call for unity, after a bitter, divisive campaign exposed divisions between the party establishment and its grassroots.

'The work to make Joe Biden a one-term president is already under way: it is time for our party to unite and re-dedicate ourselves to electing Republicans up and down the ballot,' she said on Friday, after the results were unveiled at a luxury hotel in California where the RNC held its winter meeting.

Her victory, by the decisive margin of 111 votes to Harmet Dhillon's 51 was never in doubt.

But finding unity will be harder, after a bitter campaign that set rival parts of Donald Trump's MAGA coalition against each other.

The three candidates for chair of the Republican National Committee put on a show of unity after the result on Friday. But victor Ronna McDaniel (left) may have a hard time healing divides after a bitter race against Harmeet Dhillon (center) and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell

It ended with accusations that the result represented a win for the establishment over the grassroots.

Populist conservatives were quick to complain about McDaniel's return for a fourth stint, after leading the party to disappointing midterm elections.

Dhillon, a lawyer who has represented Trump and who accused McDaniel of mismanaging RNC funds, pledged to heed the call for unity.

But she also offered a tacit threat.

'The results are not what we are our hundreds of thousands of supporters around the country are hoping for and I think the party is going to have to deal with that fallout,' shs said. 'Of being a disconnect from the grassroots.'

After disappointing midterms, when Democrats increased their hold on the Senate and only narrowly lost the House, the MAGA base is in the mood for blood.

McDaniel's campaign has for months said they had the support of more than 100 of the 168 committee members and were confident of victory on the first ballot on Friday

MyPillow chief executive and conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell secured enough support to make it on to the ballot but won just four votes in Friday's ballot

Florida Gov Ron DeSantis (left) on Thursday weighed in with supportive comments about Dhillon. Meanwhile, Donald Trump was quietly backing McDaniel exposing the party rift

Dhillon lobbed criticism that tens of millions of dollars had been wasted on consultants who had failed to deliver wins. She pointed to Federal Election Commission filings that showed $750,000 had been spent just on floral arrangements under McDaniels tenure.

And even the location of the RNC winter meeting, a luxury hotel where rooms usually cost more than $900-a-night, became a symbol for some that the party was out of touch.

The tensions came a matter of weeks after as members of Congress almost came to blows before finally electing Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker on the 15th vote.

With Trump privately backing McDaniel, the contest even turned into an early 2024 contest of strength when Gov. Ron DeSantis, fancied as an alternative 2024 Republican nominee, said he liked when he saw in Dhillon.

It was time for 'new blood' he said after disappointing election results in 2018, 2020 and 2022.

For some at the RNC winter meeting the cause was clear: the party had to move on from Donald Trump and his polarizing impact on politics.

Defeated candidate Dhillon talks to reporters on Friday afternoon soon after the vote

Donald Trump quietly offered support to McDaniel, but elements of his MAGA base lined up in favour of Dhillon, who offered herself as the candidate of the grassroots

Kari Lake, who ran for governor of Arizona last year, warned that the RNC would become a 'cadaver' under McDaniel if small, grassroots donors turned away in disgust

One attendee said he was the 'elephant in the room' during meetings that avoided discussing him even as members mulled just what went wrong in the midterms.

Trump dispatched his campaign managers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita to California to keep an eye on proceedings. And he will see the result as a victory.

But some of his allies are furious that McDaniel won, keeping her in charge of fundraising and building election infrastructure through 2024. They warn that the small-money donors who propelled Trump to power will not want to keep giving.

Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for governor of Arizona, said she hoped McDaniel heard the calls for change.

'We need a change and I hope that she can change course, because the way I see it is no-one wants to donate to the RNC,' she told DailyMail.com.

'It's really going to be just a cadaver, of an entity, with the consultants raising all the money and the grassroots saying screw you, we're not going to donate unless you change.'

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk, one of the most powerful voices in the party's restive hardline wing, went further, saying he would no longer encourage supporters to give money.

'The general sentiment is like, okay, you raise massive amounts of money . You spend it a time as questionably, and then what do you have to show for it like a four-seat majority in the House and you lose the Senate,' he said.

'And I think that's completely and totally unacceptable. I think the stakes have never been higher for our country.'

It marks a deep rupture in the Trump movement.

McDaniel was installed by Trump as chair in 2016. David Bossie, a close Trump ally seconded, her nomination this time around.

But the MAGA movement is fractured, and many of Dhillon's supporters, such as Lake and Kirk, said the grassroots wanted change.

Conservative broadcaster John Fredericks said small donors would turn away from the RNC. And Charlie Kirk said he would tell his supports not to give money

The RNC met at the Waldork Astoria Monarch Beach where rooms start at more than $820 plus a $55-a-night resort charge and taxes, which critics said showed it was out of touch

Broadcaster John Fredericks, who chaired Trump's 2016 and 2020 campaigns in Virginia, said McDaniel could only count on about 10 percent of the base.

'That's not enough to forward as legitimate party,' he said.

'This thing is going to starve. Nobody's gonna give it any money. It's not only the big donors ... what they are completely discounting is the small donors, the people that give $25, $50, $75 a month over and over and over.

'They're gone. So the money is going to completely dry up.'

The base, he said, would now look to replace the committeemen and women who had voted for the status quo.

'This is a hostile takeover that we've that we've attempted to do,' he said. 'And so we'll look around at these 168 people because in two years, half of them are going to be gone, because we're going to vote them out.'

The third candidate in the ballot was MyPillow chief executive Mike Lindell. He managed only four votes.

But he said the messy business on display in California was just the price of democracy.

'I think when we come out of here we're going to be better for it,' he said. 'It's going to be just like you see what happened with the speaker of the House where it was uniting process.'

As one of the country's most prominent election deniers, and a voting-machine skeptic, he even offered an optimistic note in promising not to challenge the outcome.

'There's no machines,' he said of the ballot. 'Of course, I'll accept the results.'
Andhra Pradesh DGP K.V. Rajendranath Reddy (DC image)

Kakinada: Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police K.V. Rajendranath Reddy on Saturday maintained that GO No. 1 does not ban political meetings or processions in the state.

"It imposes no unreasonable restrictions. However, the organisers have to take permission from police in the area, so that no untoward incidents occur," the DGP told media after reviewing the crime situation at a meeting in Bhimavaram of West Godavari district on Saturday.

He pointed out that even after issuing GO No. 1, police department has given permissions to political parties to organise their meetings. However, he said if anyone wants to undertake padayatra, permission for it must be taken from the respective district police headquarters.

Asked about complaints from opposition parties that they are being suppressed, Rajendranath Reddy maintained that the law is equal for all. Nobody will be spared if they cross the line. "Law and order must be protected. There is no question of bias in it," he observed.

On the crime front, the DGP said ganja being cultivated over 7,500 acres in the state has been destroyed. As regards to supply of ganja, he said other states too should take stringent measures against production of ganja. Transportation of ganja can then be stopped.

Rajendranath Reddy said there is special focus on Disha cases and charge-sheets are being filed in time. He underlined that accused in 40 Disha cases have so far been convicted in the district.

The DG advised police officials to take steps for reducing and preventing road accidents in the state, with special vigil on the Tanuku, Pedapadu and Tadepalligudem highways.

Eluru DIG G. Pala Raju and West Godavari superintendent of police U. Ravi Prakash were among those present at the review meeting.
It caused four buses to stop and 80 people to be evacuated

A father has faced court after calling in a bomb threat that caused morning peak hour chaos because he wanted to stop his wife from getting to her IVF appointment.

The Queensland dad walked free on probation despite about 80 people on four buses being forced to be evacuated as a result of his call in what the judge called a 'strange case'.

Jeffrey Owen Diprose, 39, from Redland Bay, in Brisbane's south-east, called bus operator Translink from a public phone box on October 28, 2021, claiming he had planted an explosive device on a bus on route 281.

Jeffrey Diprose has faced court after calling in a bomb threat causing buses to come to a stop all because he wanted to stop his wife Jalia from getting to her IVF appointment (pictured Jeffrey and Jalia Diprose)

In Brisbane District Court on Friday, Commonwealth prosecutor Sinead Butler said his wife was on her way to an IVF appointment, travelling on that bus route and he intended to stop her from arriving, reported the Courier Mail.

'He was effectively trying to prevent her from going to an appointment for IVF treatment,' Ms Butler said.

A psychiatrist's report was presented to the court in which Diprose disclosed the motive behind his bomb hoax.

'In my submission, the conduct was extreme and excessive, for what appears to be a marital dispute,' Ms Butler submitted.

'It's an offence which inspires fears in others.'

The hoax resulted in 80 people being evacuated from city buses in the morning peak hour, with the call made at 7.33am.

Judge Paul Smith said his actions caused the public to fear, all because he didn't want his wife to attend the appointment due to the expense associated.

Ms Butler said following the bomb hoax call all four buses on route 281 were evacuated and police had to sweep each one for bombs.

Diprose was identified from CCTV footage at the payphone and was charged after police swept his home on December 2, 2021, and found the clothes he was wearing in the CCTV vision.

Mr Diprose pleaded guilty to a single charge of a bomb hoax and walked free on probation despite 80 people on four buses being forced to evacuate as a result of his call in what the judge called a 'strange case'

The court heard the 39-year-old is still living with his wife Jalia Diprose, who is financially supporting him as he is unemployed, even writing a letter of support for her husband to the court.

As a result of IVF, the couple took out a credit card with a $50,000 limit and as a result find themselves in a financially bad position.

The couple has a seven-year-old son together, who is home-schooled, and Diprose has two other children from a previous relationship which he pays child support for.

Diprose pleaded guilty to a single charge of a bomb hoax.

Judge Smith convicted him and sentenced him to a two-year probation.

On sentencing, Judge Smith said Diprose was clearly 'very embarrassed' by what he had done and was suffering from depression at the time he made the call.
TV personality Carol Vorderman last night doubled down on allegations she made that Government Covid contracts funded the lifestyle of Michelle Mone's husband  as the former friends' extraordinary catfight turned bitter.

The two-time Rear of the Year winner launched into a tirade about the PPE scandal on ITV's This Morning breakfast show, ending by turning to the camera and addressing the embattled lingerie tycoon by saying: 'Sue me, Michelle.'

Baroness Mone is being investigated by National Crime Agency fraud experts and the House of Lords over claims she failed to declare an interest when lobbying for PPE Medpro to supply personal protection equipment to the Government and NHS for 203million during the Covid pandemic.

The peer, who denies claims she and her children pocketed 29million from the deals, has taken a break from the Lords to defend herself  while the Government sues PPE Medpro for supplying 25 million 'unusable' surgical gowns.

In a string of tweets, Miss Vorderman took further potshots at 'baroness bra', saying in one post: 'For some reason or other I feel obliged to reshare this article noting that after PPE firm linked to them received VIP lane contract MM/Husband/firm bought a jet & a boat & 3m in property for her children'.

Carol Vorderman launched into a tirade about the PPE scandal on ITV's This Morning breakfast show, ending by turning to the camera and addressing the embattled lingerie tycoon by saying: 'Sue me, Michelle'

Carol Vorderman and Michelle Mone in London on September 15, 2010

In a string of tweets, Miss Vorderman took further potshots at 'baroness bra', saying in one post: 'For some reason or other I feel obliged to reshare this article noting that after PPE firm linked to them received VIP lane contract MM/Husband/firm bought a jet & a boat & 3m in property for her children'

She wrote in another: 'Barrowman (husband) will be on trial in Spain in May for criminal fraud. Last yr police raided their homes & offices, charges pending? It's claimed that B & Mone illegally benefited from upwards of 58m from PPE Medpro through trusts. You get the gist...'.

A spokesperson for Baroness Mone declined to comment when approached by MailOnline.

Miss Vorderman earlier told This Morning viewers of her friendship with the baroness and that she 'dropped her like a stone as soon as I realised what kind of person she was'.

But Baroness Mone, 51, who denies wrongdoing, hit back through a friend, who said in response to Miss Vorderman's comments: 'What are the reasons  a hunger for publicity, or maybe her coming to the end of her TV career?' The friend added that Miss Vorderman's outburst had been 'outrageous', saying: 'I really don't understand why Carol has started this attack.'

And the friend disputed claims by Miss Vorderman on Twitter that money from the Government PPE contracts funded the baroness's business tycoon husband Doug Barrowman's luxury lifestyle, saying: 'Baroness Mone's husband has owned super yachts and a jet for many years.'

2010: Carol and Michelle at the Marion Rose Ball in aid of Children with Leukaemia at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London

2011: The pair hug after spending time together in central London

Clearly, the days when the glamorous pair were pictured together at the Cheltenham races, in 2012, and socialising in central London, are long gone. It emerged last month that the girls' nights out had come to an end 'some time ago', but only yesterday on This Morning was the full scale of the falling-out laid bare.

Speaking about recent scandals involving the purchase of unusable PPE for hundreds of millions, Miss Vorderman said: 'I cannot talk about useless PPE without also talking about Michelle Mone who was brought into the House of Lords, as a baroness, by David Cameron. We know she has taken leave of absence without losing the Tory whip to start with, because she was actively involved, as it goes, with a company called PPE Medpro.'

She added: 'Now Michelle Mone, I knew many years ago and then dropped her like a stone as soon as I realised what kind of person she was', before turning to the camera to say: 'Sue me, Michelle.'

This Morning host Alison Hammond said: 'Carol, can I just say she's not here to defend herself.'

But the former Countdown host pressed on, saying: 'No, she's not here to defend herself  but I'm repeating what has been said in the press and what has proven to be true.'

It was all so different in 2012 when Baroness Mone told how her friendship with Miss Vorderman had helped her get over her divorce from first husband Michael.
Around 200 properties up for sale in the town

Fears Alice Springs soon to be just a fly-in fly-out town

As youth crime sweeps Alice Springs sales data reveals locals are packing up and leaving town.

A map of recent properties up for sale shows that locals are fed up and fearing for their safety as alcohol-fuelled violence increases and even the mayor says he 'can't blame them'.

Approximately 200 properties are up for sale in the outback town which has a population of 26,000 as some residents express fears the region will become a fly-in fly-out town for workers.

For more than a decade there were intervention-era alcohol bans in Aboriginal communities which came to an end in July, with liquor becoming legal for the first time in 15 years in some areas.

Since that change in July, Alice Springs has seen a surge in crime and violence and locals have had enough.

As youth crime sweeps Alice Springs sales data reveals 200 properties are up for sale as locals are packing up and leaving town

The population of the outback town is 26,000 but the number continues to plummet with even the mayor saying 'he can't blame' locals for wanting to get out as youth crime runs riot

In the past year, property offences have risen by almost 60 per cent, assaults increased by 38 per cent and domestic violence assaults doubled.

During a brief visit to the town this week, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced new alcohol restrictions and promised $48.8m over two years for programs to address the crime problem.

Measures implemented included a ban on takeaway alcohol sales on Monday and Tuesday as well as limits on bottle shop opening hours.

Mr Albanese also didn't rule out a move to completely ban alcohol if the situation doesn't improve.

Toni Rowan from Alice Springs Realty told news.com locals are opting to leave town to move to safer areas as crime rates explode.

'The primary reason is young families are moving out because their children are getting to an age now where they want them in a safe environment. They've been moving for the last year,' Ms Rowan said

'I settled one in April last year, it was back under contract in December. As soon as they got it under contract they had a break-in.'

Toni Rowan from Alice Springs Realty said locals are opting to leave town to move to safer areas as crime rates explode. The population in Alice Springs is 26,000

Ms Rowan said she has lived on and off in the town since the 1990s and crime in Alice Springs is currently the worst she has ever seen it and says almost everyone is under emotional stress

Ms Rowan said she has lived on and off in the town since the 1990s and crime in Alice Springs is currently the worst she has ever seen it, noting almost everyone is under emotional stress.

She says the children are running free, breaking into homes, smashing windows and just stirring things up.

'I live in fear. People  have threatened to burn my house down, kill my dogs, to rape me. They're out of control. People come in from the community and yell and scream,' she said.

'You go out and say, 'can you please be quiet' and it escalates to 'You're a racist see-you-next-Tuesday'

'People are closing down businesses and leaving.'

Ms Rowan estimates she is seeing at least five people a week asking for appraisals on their homes as they are wanting to leave due to the current crisis in the region.

Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson urged the government to reintroduce the Stronger Futures Act alcohol bans to try to get on top of the problem.

'Lots of people are just saying that the perception of fear is the reason they're going  they're sick of being broken into, can't afford to continue replacing windows, can't continue to have their businesses broken into,' Mayor Patterson said.

Alice Springs Mayor Matt Paterson urged the government to reintroduce the Stronger Futures Act alcohol bans to try to get on top of the problem

Mayor Patterson understands why there is a mass exodus as he says locals can't stay 'when they're scared to sleep at night'.

Darren Clark, who runs the Action for Alice Facebook page, believes it is a matter of time until Alice Springs becomes entirely a fly-in, fly-out town.

'Some companies here are already fly-in, fly-out because their staff don't want to live here, and they don't want their staff to live here,' he said.

'But that's what the whole town will end up like. You won't have any cafes or anything like that.'
The CEO of San Francisco-based cloud computing company PagerDuty is coming under fire after she included an inspirational quote by black civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr while firing her co-workers.

Jennifer Tejada has been criticized for her insensitivity on social media after sending an email to employees announcing layoffs that included the quote.

In the email, Tejada announced that the company would be 'refining' its business structure by cutting 7 percent of its global workforce.

'We expect to finish the year strong  in fact, we have reaffirmed our guidance for FY23 today  and those results, combined with the refinements outlined above, put PagerDuty in a position of strength to successfully execute on our platform strategy regardless of what the market and the macroenvironment bring,' Tejada stated.

CEO of PagerDuty, Jennifer Tejada, who heads a cloud computing company, has been criticized on social media for sending an email announcing layoffs while also quoting MLK

CEO, Jennifer Tejada, ended her email to staff announcing layoffs with a quote from a sermon delivered by King, which was later included in the 1959 book The Measure of a Man

'I am reminded in moments like this, of something Martin Luther King said, that 'the ultimate measure of a [leader] is not where [they] stand in the moments of comfort and convenience, but where [they] stand in times of challenge and controversy,' Tejada wrote.

Tejada's communication, veers between corporate-speak such as calling the layoffs 'refinements' coupled with optimistic comments about the 'deeply talented individuals who #BringThemselves' to work, which comes after a string of tech layoffs that have been criticized as lacking compassion and humanity.

The 7 precent 'refinement' refers to the company firing 66 people out of the 950 it had employed a year ago.

The reaction to use of the quote in the email came think and fast with one Twitter user calling it 'the most tone-deaf layoff email' they had seen.

'The most tone-deaf layoff email I read so far ... comes from PagerDuty CEO Jennifer Tejada. The email is very long, and feels like it was written by an AI that took all the phrases that people usually say, and put it one long email,' wrote Gergely Orosz.

'All time classic bad layoff announcement: CEO of PagerDuty opens with 'Hi Dutonians,' takes 370 words to get to the layoffs bit, continues for another *1250 words*, and ends with 'I am reminded in moments like this, of something Martin Luther King said...' stated Tom Gara

One Twitter user posted a screenshot of a Google search which showed that Tejada's annual salary was $13.2 million

'Did Pagerduty seriously decide it was a good idea to quote MLK in a press release where they are laying off 7% of their workforce?' asked Pete Cheslock.

'Maybe don't quote MLK when firing 7% of your workforce?' suggested Noah Chestnut.

'Did Pagerduty seriously decide it was a good idea to quote MLK in a press release where they are laying off 7% of their workforce?' asked Pete Cheslock.

'Maybe don't quote MLK when firing 7% of your workforce?' suggested Noah Chestnut.

'All time classic bad layoff announcement: CEO of PagerDuty opens with 'Hi Dutonians,' takes 370 words to get to the layoffs bit, continues for another *1250 words*, and ends with 'I am reminded in moments like this, of something Martin Luther King said...' stated Tom Gara.

Tejada's annual salary of $13.2 million was also noted by some social media users.

The company had previously reported revenue of $94.2 million for the most recent quarter and a net loss of $32.8 million.

Twitter users disbelief continued as they noted the clash in the tone of Tejada's email and the values of MLK.

Twitter users disbelief continued as they noted the clash in the tone of Tejada's email and the values of MLK.

'Next time lay people off by Twitter and save even more time!' suggested Paula Des.

'Awww how inspiring & PC-esque lay offs, Classic Millenial tone deaf email,' mocked Trent Zent.

'Are you the lady that really had the never to quote MLK while you were firing 7 percent of your employees. Just curious why nobody said to you 'Hey Jen, I would lose the MLK quote. The hundreds of people you just fired probably won't appreciate that, or you. U tone deaf bonehead,'' advised Keyser McSoze.

'omg are you the woman who compared yourself to MLK's vision of leadership in order to fire a bunch of your employees? thank you for your bravery and leadership! MLK definitely would've chosen profit over ppl too,' mocked Gabriel Kahn.
Disgraced paedophile Gary Glitter will be released from prison within days, it was reported last night.

The shamed pop star, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was jailed for 16 years in 2015 for sex crimes against a girl under 13.

Glitter is set to be released 'within days', but will have three days to register his name with his local police station, it was claimed.

He must tell police seven days in advance of any foreign travel, and officers can veto any trip if they fear a risk of further offences taking place. The sex predator will also have to wear a tag and tell police if he enters into a relationship with someone who has a child under 18, The Sun reports.

Disgraced paedophile Gary Glitter will be released from prison within days, it was reported last night

The shamed pop star, whose real name is Paul Gadd, was jailed for 16 years in 2015 for sex crimes against a girl under 13

The Ministry of Justice told the paper that freed sex offenders are monitored by the police and Probation Service and may be jailed again if they breach strict conditions.

It follows reports that Glitter's 17-year-old daughter works gruelling 12-hour shifts in a poultry factory in Vietnam.

Truc Ly's mother Tran Thi Kim Oanh said: 'He should take responsibility and help her, but I don't think he ever will.'

Truc Ly said: 'I miss my school and my friends but it's too late for me to go back to school even if I wanted to. I just want to look after my mum now.'

Asked about pastimes, Truc Ly said: 'I don't have time. I'm always working. I get up, I work, I eat, I shower, then go to bed at 9pm.'

She works at an industrial complex near the Cambodian border, doing all the overtime she can and giving half her salary to her mother in child labour that was illegal until she turned 17 last month.

Glitter was freed in 2008 and returned to Britain, where he was jailed again in 2015 for child sex abuse dating back to the 1970s

Teachers said Truc Ly was destined for university but she dropped out at 12 when her family could no longer afford school fees.

She moved 300 miles to work alongside her mother at the factory, using a forged ID card to secure her job three years ago.

She sticks labels on packets of processed chicken, some for British stores, from 7am to 7pm daily. Her mother Oanh, a former bar girl, was Glitter's girlfriend before he was jailed in Vietnam in 2006 for molesting girls aged ten and 11.

He had been arrested after The Mail on Sunday confronted him and reported him to police. He was freed in 2008 and returned to Britain, where he was jailed again in 2015 for child sex abuse dating back to the 1970s.

He severed contact with heavily pregnant Oanh, then 24, when she asked him to pay her maternity bills weeks before his arrest, sending her home by bus with a bundle of banknotes worth 100.

He did not respond to her letters asking him to take a DNA test and pay for Truc Ly to stay at school.

Oanh had a Vietnamese boyfriend at the time she was sleeping with Glitter but he took one look at Truc Ly in hospital and walked out on her, saying: 'That's not my baby. She looks like a Westerner.'

After Glitter was jailed in Britain in 2015, Oanh wrote another unanswered letter asking him to pay for her to stay on in school, saying: 'You would be very proud of her.'

When he walks free from jail, Glitter faces compensation claims from the women he raped as young girls in Vietnam 18 years ago.

Glitter, born Paul Gadd, has property holdings including a 2 million central London flat which is nominally owned by a limited company controlled by a former associate.

He also receives digital streaming royalties adding up to thousands of pounds each month.
TJ Holmes and Amy Robach have been fired by ABC after bosses finally made a decision about their future - three months after DailyMail.com revealed their illicit off-screen affair.

The TV anchors were unable to reach an agreement with the network over their roles at Good Morning America and their GMA afternoon show but bosses say 'several productive conversations' were had with the pair.

The hosts were accused of having an affair by their respective partners, with Holmes officially filing for divorce in January.

The announcement of the pair's sacking from the network came in an email sent to all staff at the network on Friday night.

It began: 'I want to share with you that we've reached a decision about T.J. and Amy.'

Amy Robach and TJ Holmes have been fired by bosses at ABC News. Pictured in March 2022

An email was sent to all staff at the network detailing the bosses decision on Friday night

'After several productive conversations with Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes about different options, we all agreed it's best for everyone that they move on from ABC News. We recognize their talent and commitment over the years and are thankful for their contributions.'

The email also stated how decisions will be made later on who will co-anchor GMA3 and 20/20.

'I know that this has been a distraction for so many of us, but let's not forget all the great work that continues to make ABC News the #1 news network in America, and that's because of you. I want to thank you again for your patience and professionalism during this time.' the email stated.

Holmes officially filed for divorce from his wife in January, with news breaking as he was enjoying time with his new squeeze Robach (pictured together in Miami)

Robach, 49, and Holmes, 45, had been accused by bosses of not handling their romance appropriately and waiting too long to disclose it to executives.

Sources say the network felt that their 'behavior on set' was 'uncomfortable' for ABC staff.

T.J. and Amy came to an exit agreement after an 'extremely contentious' mediation continued through the night from Thursday into Friday morning.

Both were given compensation packages.

ABC also accused Robach of having alcohol in her dressing room. Some of the bottles were given to her as gifts by ABC bosses.

She was also accused of being at work drunk after attending the National College Football Championship game.

'They got what they deserved. It didn't help that they had few friends in the building to go to bat for either of them,' one staffer told TMZ.

After the affair was exposed by DailyMail.com, ABC initially backed their two stars saying that they had not broken any rules.

ABC had until now refrained from giving a public update on the decisions around the future of the hosts  with their on-air replacements continuing to say that they were just 'filling in'.

The co-anchors were suspended from the show after initially weathering the storm, after exclusive DailyMail.com photos showed them getting cozy in November 2022.

Initially they returned to the air on December 1, just one day after the scandal broke, and appeared to make subtle quips about their situation.

Robach, 49, and Holmes, 45, are accused of having an affair by their respective partners, with Holmes officially filing for divorce in January. The tried to keep a low profile on January 24

At first Robach and Holmes seemed determined to brazen it out  with TJ sparking disbelief when he appeared alongside Robach and made light of the scandal after their relationship became public

Four days later president of ABC Kim Godwin announced that they would not appear on air because their relationship was a 'internal and external distraction.'

Robach and Holmes were seen together at a New York City pub on Monday.

The two met up for drinks at The Full Shilling bar on Pearl Street, not too far from Holmes's Financial District apartment where Amy has been spending a lot of time in recent weeks, exclusive DailyMail.com photos show.

They arrived separately and once inside opted for the bar's very cozy and private seating area, also known as a 'snug' - a small enclosed room typically found at traditional old Irish pubs where patrons could drink discreetly.

ABC had refrained from giving a public update on the decisions around the future of the hosts  with their replacement continuing to say that they were just 'filling in'. Holmes is pictured earlier this week

Sources say that the network felt that their 'behavior on set' was 'uncomfortable' for ABC staff who witnessed it. Amy Robach is pictured earlier this week

Both Holmes and Robach have been married to their respective spouses since 2010. It is not known when or how Holmes's wife, 44-year-old attorney, Marilee Fiebig, (pictured together in 2012) and Robach's husband, former Melrose Place actor Andrew Shue, 55, (pictured right in March 2022) learned of the romance, but both couples are said to have split up in August this year

DailyMail.com revealed Holmes and Robach's friendly relationship on air has evolved into a full blown secret romance off-screen, in recent months. The two are pictured having flirty post-filming drinks at a New York City bar on Thursday November 10

The couple was seen having a relaxing break over Christmas together, and were pictured by DailyMail.com kissing as they went for lunch in Miami, Florida.

They had tried to keep their distance in the immediate aftermath of the story breaking, as sources questioned whether the relationship could survive the onslaught of attention.

After DailyMail.com revealed that both the married co-anchors were having an affair, both Holmes' and Robach's 12-year marriages were left in tatters  with both couples splitting after learning of the illicit romance.

Robach shares daughters Ava, 19, and Analise, 16, with ex-husband Tim McIntosh. The duo also divorced in 2008.

Just days before Christmas, they were seen enjoying a low-key lunch at the Capital Grill near Holmes's apartment in the Financial District.

Good Morning America co-hosts T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach spent a weekend shacked up in a cozy cottage in the Shawangunk Mountain region, checking out of their rental on Sunday November 13. Holmes was seen giving his lover a playful squeeze from behind as she packed up the car

The secret lovers did not spend Thanksgiving together, but wasted no time reuniting, when they were snapped traveling back and forth between each other's apartments in Manhattan on November 28

At first Robach and Holmes seemed determined to brazen it out  with TJ sparking disbelief when he appeared alongside Robach and made light of the scandal after their relationship became public.

Then, speaking on Friday December 2, he joked that it had been 'a great week' and that he wished it would 'just keep going.'

Their next move was to claim that they were 'openly dating' and speak about 'growing their relationship.'

When Holmes was first approached for comment by DailyMail.com, his knee-jerk reaction was a career-saving attempt to 'adamantly deny' the relationship existed at all.

Sources later told DailyMail.com that while the two have accepted the fate of their marriages, they don't want to 'jeopardize their futures with the network any more than they already have.'

DailyMail.com last week revealed Holmes had an affair with ABC script coordinator Jasmin Pettaway (left) who reached out to him for help as she settled into her new job. She was 24 at the time and Holmes is 13 years her senior

The fallout from the scandal has been especially damaging for Holmes, who has since been accused of engaging in extramarital affairs with two other women at the network.

Most recently DailyMail.com exclusively revealed last week that Holmes had a relationship with 24-year-old Jasmin Pettaway, an ABC script coordinator 13 years his junior, back in 2015 when he had been married to his now-estranged wife, Marilee Fiebig, for five years.

A well-placed source who spoke on condition of anonymity told DailyMail.com Pettaway had reached out to him as a prospective mentor but was left feeling uncomfortable and used after the relationship turned sexual.

The source, who knew Pettaway well at the time, said: 'He was a predator who took full advantage of his position, and he was reckless.

'It was Jasmin's first real job in television, and it was a big deal for her.

'She was looking for a mentor and she reached out to several people.

'T.J was someone who was responsive, but he absolutely abused the position of trust.'

Pettaway (pictured) and Holmes's sexual relationship went on for several months and included him visiting her at her apartment before, the source said, 'it fizzled out'

Holmes had been married to Marilee Fiebig (pictured) when the affair with Pettaway happened in 2015, a well-placed source tells DailyMail.com. The husband and wife look happy together in 2013

In an online interview with Voyage Ohio in 2021 she reflected on her departure from New York, saying that it came due to a 'mixture of insecurity, loneliness and some naivete.'

She also admitted ABC's 'toxic work environment really damaged my self-esteem.'

DailyMail.com previously revealed Holmes had a three-year affair with GMA producer Natasha Singh, 37, that began in 2016

DailyMail.com has been told that Pettaway was not the only female subordinate on whom Holmes put the moves as, according to the multiple sources, a young network intern described herself as 'stressed' and 'freaked out' by his unwanted advances.

The year after his relationship with Pettaway, Holmes began a three-year fling with GMA producer Natasha Singh, 37.

At the time she was married to movie producer Garrett Braren, whose credits include Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny.

She was also a close friend to Robach.

In fact, it was Robach who helped Holmes salvage his marriage after wife Marilee Feibig, 44, learned of his infidelity with Singh.

She and T.J. met in 2009 and married in Memphis in March 2010. Their daughter Sabine was born in January, 2013

Holmes' and Robach's 12-year marriages were left in tatters. The pair have both been married to their respective spouses since 2010; Pictured March 2022

But neither Robach's nor Holmes's 12-year marriages could survive the revelation of their affair, which began as a friendship fizzing with obvious chemistry and 'crossed the line' last year.

Holmes's wife filed for divorce shortly after Christmas.

Robach's divorce from her husband, former Melrose Place actor Andrew Shue, 55, is reportedly all but finalized.
More than 500 victims of the worst treatment disaster in NHS history have died during the long-awaited infected blood inquiry.

The Daily Mail can reveal the damning figure as the five-year probe  the largest inquiry in UK history  finally concludes next week.

The inquiry will sit for the last time next Friday before chairman Sir Brian Langstaff retires to consider the mountain of evidence. But it has come too late for those who have died without seeing justice.

According to the Haemophilia Society, more than 500 of those infected in the scandal have died since the inquiry was announced in 2017. With victims dying at a rate of one every four days, it is feared many more will be gone before the inquirys recommendations are implemented and full compensation issued.

More than 500 victims of the worst treatment disaster in NHS history have died during the long-awaited infected blood inquiry

The inquiry will sit for the last time next Friday before chairman Sir Brian Langstaff retires to consider the mountain of evidence

Society chief executive Kate Burt urged the Government to face up to past mistakes by acting quickly on the inquirys findings, which are expected to be published later this year. She said: Time is not on our communitys side.

Thousands were infected with HIV and hepatitis C via contaminated blood in the 1970s and 1980s amid claims of a cover-up. Among those to have died during the inquiry was campaigner Peter Mossman.

Mr Mossman died aged 78 after developing pneumonia, and was buried at 3pm on February 3, 2022. Sir Brian is due to deliver his closing remarks at 3pm on February 3.

My father was consumed by his need to get justice and battled for this inquiry for so long, Mr Mossmans son Gareth said.

It makes me emotional to think the inquiry is coming to an end on the anniversary of his funeral. Its massively upsetting that he is not here to see it.
Memphis cops on Friday night released footage showing the events leading up to the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols.

Horrific footage showed the moments he was stopped by police, him fleeing, then the vicious beating when they caught up and the lack of medical care.

Five officers involved in the January 7 incident have been charged with second-degree murder, and fired from the force.

CJ Davis, the well-respected Memphis police chief, said she had never witnessed anything so devastating in her policing career.

Meanwhile Benjamin Crump, an attorney representing the Nichols family, said Nichols was treated like 'a human pinata'.

The four clips - three from body cameras, one from a surveillance camera attached to a post - have shocked and angered America.

Here DailyMail.com breaks down the footage from start to finish - from the moment he was pulled over to him slumped next to a cop cruiser as EMTs watched on.

8:25PM - THE TRAFFIC STOP

At 8:20pm on January 7, Nichols, who was born in Sacramento and moved to Memphis in February 2020, was driving home from a suburban park, where he had taken photos of the sunset.

He was driving along East Raines Road in south eastern Memphis when he encountered the police. One officer said he was 'cutting through traffic'.

'So we just try to get him to stop. He don't stop,' an officer told his colleagues, in the body camera footage. 'Hit the siren. Stop stop stop.

'Then he drove around, swerved like he gonna hit my car. 'So then I'm like - goddamn.

'He pull up to the red light. Stop at the red light. He put his turning signal on. 'So we jump out the car. 'S*** went from there.'

At 8:24pm, two officers are seen confronting Nichols in the driving seat of his car, at the intersection between East Raines Road and Ross Road.

Nichols's car is seen being pulled over at 8:24pm in south eastern Memphis on January 7

One officer orders Nichols: 'Get the f*** out of the f****** car,' and wrestles him out.

Nichols can he heard protesting, telling the officer: 'Damn, I didn't do anything. Hey, I didn't.' The officer tells him: 'Turn your a** around.'

The officers attempt to push Nichols, father of a four-year-old son, to the ground.

Nichols can be seen objecting, but, when one officer threatens to 'tase your a**,' Nichols replies: 'Alright, I'm on the ground - I'm on the ground.'

He is sitting, and the officer instructs him: 'Lay down. Get on the f****** ground. I'm going to tase you. 'I'm going to break your s***.'

Nichols has the Taser prodded into his left thigh, and is told: 'B****, put your hands behind your back.'

Nichols can be seen wrestling with the two officers, who demand he lies down

The officers attempt to put him in handcuffs, telling him: 'I'm going to knock your hands the f*** out.'

Nichols replies: 'OK, you guys are doing a lot right now.' He tells them: 'I'm just trying to go home.'

Nichols lived with his mother, RowVaughn Wells, and stepfather Rodney Wells. He worked for FedEx, and was a passionate skateboarder.

The officers continue trying to push him to lie down. Nichols replies, with growing frustration: 'I am on the ground!'

'On your stomach!' an officer replies. 'I can't breathe,' Nichols said. At 8:25pm, there is a commotion, and pepper spray is deployed.

Nichols scrambles to his feet and runs. One officer yells: 'Taser, taser!' Nichols continues running, taking his t-shirt partially off as he runs

'What the f*** man?' says one of the officers. Nichols scrambles to his feet and runs. One officer yells: 'Taser, taser!'

Nichols continues running, taking his t-shirt partially off as he runs. 'Oh s***,' says one officer, and they both begin running after him, with pepper spray in their eyes.

At 8:26pm the officer radios for help: '2938, we're at Raines and Ross. Taser was deployed. 'Suspect is running down Ross.'

8:25PM - THE PURSUIT

The two officers do not chase Nichols for long. Both have pepper spay in their faces - one in both eyes, the other missing his eyes but getting in his eyebrows.

The body camera footage shows the pair of them walking back to their two patrol cars at 8:27pm, with one having to guide the other, who is having trouble seeing.

He fetches water from his colleague's patrol car, and begins pouring water into his eyes while he stands with his head tilted upwards, hands in his pockets.

The officer wearing the body camera tells him the taser shot caught Nichols. 'One of the prongs hit the b******,' he said.

The officer searches for his glasses, which have got knocked off in the chaos.

At 8:29pm, as they continue to catch their breath, and the officer repeatedly pours water into his colleague's eyes, another officer drives up in an unmarked car.

The driver rolls down his window and asks: 'Which way'd he run?' 'That way,' he replies, and points.

The driver switches on his sirens, floors the accelerator and roars off.

The officer proceeds to find his glasses, then wind in his taser wires, while his colleague recovers, and pours more water in his face.

At 8:31pm, a sheriff's patrol car arrives with its lights flashing. 'That way,' the officer tells him. 'Thin male, black, blue jeans and a plaid jacket.'

The sheriff drives off at speed, with his sirens blaring. At 8:32pm, the officer announces to his colleague: 'They found him.'

8:33PM - THE CAPTURE

His colleague, not hearing, says at 8:33pm: 'They got him.' The body camera officer tells his colleague: 'Martin and all them are over there chasing him.'

He appears to be referencing Emmitt Martin III, one of the five indicted officers. His colleague exclaims: 'I sprayed myself.'

'You sprayed me too! Luckily it didn't get in my eyes, just on my eyebrow.'

He adds: 'I hope they stomp his a**. I hope they stomp his a**. Smith has called for other cars because him and Martin are chasing him.'

Smith would appear to be Justin Smith, another of the five.

One minute before, at 8:33pm , other officers tell the Memphis Police dispatch that they are catching up with Nichols

At 8:34pm, the officer decides his eyes have recovered sufficiently, and puts his body armor back on. 'Are you sure?' his colleague asks.

He gets into the driving seat, telling the bodycam wearer: 'Stay right with the car.' 'OK, I gotcha,' he replies, and at 8:34pm the officer drivers away to catch up with Nichols.

One minute before, at 8:33pm, other officers tell the Memphis Police dispatch that they are catching up with Nichols.

'2930 we can see him. We're on foot pursuit southbound on Ross and Castlegate Lane,' says one officer, as heard on the body camera footage.

As he comes round the corner, behind a parked car, two officers can be seen kneeling over Nichols, who appears to be on the floor.

'I didn't do anything!' Nichols yells. The officer tells him: 'Shut the f*** up. Give me your hands.' The body camera officer says: 'You wanna get sprayed again?'

8:33PM - PEPPER SPRAYED

Nichols is on the floor, with at least three officers now pinning him down.

At the mention of the pepper spray, one officer exclaims: 'Woah, woah, woah!'

Nichols screams as pepper spray gets in his eyes, and writhes, trying to get away.

The officer walks away, after the pepper spray is deployed as the cops are forced to wash out their own eyes

One officer pushes him onto his back, yelling: 'Get on your knees.' Nichols is lying on his side, and yells: 'Mom!' The home he shares with his mother is nearby.

'Give me your hands. Give me your f****** hands,' the officer commands, and Nichols replies: 'Alright, alright.'

Another officer runs into sight, and someone says: 'Watch out. Spray' Pepper spray is deployed again, getting into the face of at least one officer.

'Ah, s***,' he says, walking away. 'Ah, s***.' The other officers can be heard yelling at Nichols to give them his hands. Nichols yells for his mother.

8:34PM - THE BEATING BEGINS

Two officers are now trying to get Nichols' hands behind his back. Nichols tries to push himself up on his right arm, leaning on his right side.

A third officer walks over, and, pausing to get full force, brings his right leg back and kicks him in the top half of his body. Nichols is now lying on his back.

The officer who kicked moves to the top of Nichols's body, and again kicks him with his right leg, this time in the head.

A third officer walks over, and, pausing to get full force, brings his right leg back and kicks him in the top half of his body. Nichols is now lying on his back

8:34PM - BATON DRAWN

At 8:34pm, an officer commands: 'Give me your hands! Turn around! Lay back!'

The officer with the body camera returns to the tussling men and Nichols, and pulls his baton out of its holder, clasping it in his right hand.

'Watch out - I'm going to baton the f*** out of you,' he tells Nichols. He beats him, then walks away at 8:35pm, baton still in his right hand.

The officer with the body camera returns to the tussling men and Nichols, and pulls his baton out of its holder, clasping it in his right hand

8:35PM - SIX SUCKER PUNCHES

Blows begin raining down on Nichols.

A fourth officer is now seen arriving, with his right arm raised. Nichols is still pinned to the floor by three officers, struggling and kicking.

The officer with the raised arm careful, deliberately and powerfully punches Nichols in the head, taking his time to get enough force.

At 8:35pm , Nichols is punched by the same officer a second time, and then dragged to his feet

At 8:35pm, Nichols is punched by the same officer a second time, and then dragged to his feet.

He appears unable to stand, and is wobbling around. Officers are holding his wrists behind his back.

An officer then takes a huge swing, and punches him, while he is held up, arms behind his back.

Nichols is reeling - he is still on his feet, but unsteady, and being held by the officers.

The officers punch him again, in the stomach - then the same officer punches him a second and third time. He has now been punched six times.

Nichols slumps to the floor - his right leg outstretched, left leg bent at the knee. Three officers are on him now; he appears to be kneeling.

At 8:36pm, another officer runs into view. He kicks Nichols in the ribs - a third kick, to go with the six sucker punches.

Officers wrestle with Nichols, lying on the ground

8:38PM - LEFT TO HIS FATE

The officers then seem to lose interest in Nichols. He is handcuffed, and at 8:38pm is dragged to sit up against the patrol car, his legs straight ahead of him.

Shattered, Nichols is unable to sit. He writhes and twitches, but the officers are uninterested. They seem pleased with themselves.

At 8:39pm, two of the officers fist-bump each other, by the hood of the patrol car.

Nichols is seen propped up against the car, bloodied and barely conscious

Nichols is seem propped up against the car, with no one checking on him

At 8:40pm, a different set of officers with exchange a congratulatory fist-bump.

As Nichols thrashes around - at times on the floor, at times propped up, writhing and flailing his legs - they ignore him.

They are more concerned with locating their missing equipment lost during the tussle.

'What the f*** is wrong with my radio, man?' asks one, at 8:41pm. 'You seen my flashlight?' another asks at 8:46pm.

The officers - there are by now at least a dozen on the scene - seem relaxed. At 8:49pm, one lights a cigarette.

The officers - many of them wearing the uniform of the Scorpions unit - stand around and chat while Nichols moans

Nichols lies on the ground - slumped against the car. By now the officers have largely lost interest

A few minutes later, still milling around, they stop to exchange stories, and laugh. At 8:52pm a group of around four are seen in animated, chuckling conversation.

They excitedly recap the incident, with one telling his colleague: 'You was running. You looking like Stevie Wonder, man.'

Nichols can occasionally be heard moaning in the background, when one of the officers passes by.

Two EMTs appear to be standing by, with bags of equipment, but chat among themselves, paying little attention to him.

The officers dismiss Nichols, repeatedly, as 'high as a kite'. The EMTs do not seem concerned with investigating further.

9PM - AMBULANCE ARRIVES

Twenty four agonizing minutes after the police beating stopped, an ambulance finally arrives at 9pm precisely.

It is not clear why it took almost half an hour for medical aid to arrive. Nichols is put on a stretcher and taken to hospital. He will die three days later.

Tyre Nichols, 29, was brutally beaten like a 'human pinata' by five Memphis, Tennessee, police officers , who were all African American, on January 7 and died three days later in the hospital from kidney failure and cardiac arrest

'They're just as guilty': Tyre Nichols' stepfather calls for charges against paramedics who failed to aid 29-year-old for 20 MINUTES before finally tending to him as he slumped on the ground - as two more cops suspended

Tyre Nichols' stepfather called for criminal charges against the paramedics

Two paramedics appeared to stand by for 20 minutes before rendering aid

One repeatedly asked Nichols if he was on drugs; Nichols was unable to speak

Cops milled about and cracked wise as Nichols twitched on the pavement

Nichols died of his injuries three days after the police beating in Memphis

The stepfather of Tyre Nichols has called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to stand by after he was savagely beaten by police, while two deputies who responded after the altercation also face investigation.

Released on Friday, video of the January 7 incident in Memphis shows at least 10 cops and two paramedics milling about casually for nearly 20 minutes as Nichols lies on the ground critically injured. He died in hospital three days later.

'Everyone -- the fire department, paramedics that came out that stood around and didn't do anything -- they're just as guilty,' Nichols' stepfather Rodney Wells told ABC News following the release of the video.

'Everyone that was active in the whole scene, the whole video, should be charged,' he added. Five Memphis cops have already been charged with second-degree murder.

Meanwhile, the sheriff of Shelby County, which includes Memphis, said that after viewing the video, he is suspending two deputies who responded to the scene following the beating, which began with a traffic stop.

Tyre Nichols' stepfather Rodney Wells (above) has called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to fail to render aid after he was savagely beaten by police

Two paramedics are seen standing over Nichols as he flops on the pavement, unable to speak or sit up, following the January 7 beating by police that began with a traffic stop

Timeline of medical aid for Nichols 8.36pm: The police beating concludes and Nichols is in handcuffs. 8.41pm: Paramedics arrive on the scene. 8.47pm: Paramedic asks Nichols what drugs he took. Nichols is unable to speak and gurgles in response. For another 10 minutes they stand by as he twitches on the pavement. 8.57pm: Paramedics begin rendering some kind of aid, appearing to bandage Nichols. 9pm: Ambulance arrives to transport Nichols Advertisement

Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said in a statement: 'Having watched the videotape for the first time tonight, I have concerns about two deputies who arrived on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tyre Nichols.'

Bonner said he had launched an internal investigation into the two deputies, adding that they had been relieved of duty pending the outcome of the probe.

The video raises disturbing questions about the apparent lack of action from first responders to treat Nichols after he was kicked and punched in the head, struck three times with a metal baton, and twice sprayed with pepper spray in the face.

Paramedics arrived on the scene about five minutes after the assault on Nichols concluded, at which point he was handcuffed and slumped against the side of a car.

The video shows a paramedic leaning over Nichols asking: 'What'd you have? We're trying to get you straight, what'd you have?'

Nichols is heard making a gurgling noise, but appears unable to speak, although he had been heard speaking clearly and relatively calmly before the assault.

Officers at the scene were heard remarking that Nichols was 'on something' and 'high as a kite' as they wisecracked after the assault.

Cops may have advised the paramedics that Nichols was on drugs, though no evidence that he was has emerged in the weeks following the assault.

Paramedics arrive on the scene about five minutes after the beating, but do not seem to render immediate aid to Nichols, after cops claimed he was high on drugs

A paramedic is seen leaning over Nichols asking, 'What'd you have? We're trying to get you straight, what'd you have?' He is unable to respond and makes a gurgling noise

Police and paramedics stand by as Nichols is sprawled handcuffed on the pavement

Aside from these inquiries about drugs, paramedics appeared to offer little aid as Nichols sprawled unresponsive on the pavement, unable to sit up on his own, and unable to speak.

The video does not appear to show the paramedics checking vital signs such as blood pressure, and as they left Nichols flopping on the pavement, his head struck the hubcap of the car at least once.

Finally, about 20 minutes after the assault concluded, and about 15 minutes after they first arrived on the scene, the paramedics can be seen removing some kind of equipment from their kits and leaning over Nichols to treat him.

About five later, an ambulance pulled up and removed a stretcher to transport Nichols.

Nichols died in intensive care on January 10 after suffering cardiac arrest and kidney failure as a result of his injuries.

In addition to the paramedics, sworn police officers have a duty to render aid, and the five officers charged in the incident were fired from the Memphis police department for their failure to do so.

Finally, about 20 minutes after the assault concluded, and about 15 minutes after they first arrived on the scene, the paramedics can be seen removing some kind of equipment from their kits and leaning over Nichols to treat him

Finally at 9pm, an ambulance pulled up and removed a stretcher to transport Nichols

The five cops who were fired and charged are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith.

They are charged with second-degree murder, assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

Memphis Police Director Cerelyn 'CJ' Davis has said other officers are under investigation for their part in the arrest.

Davis described the five officers' actions as 'heinous, reckless and inhumane.'

The video released on Friday night shows Nichols, 29, crying out for his mother multiple times during the brutal January 7 assault, which took place just a few blocks from his home.

'Mom! Mom!' screams Nichols as he is pinned to the ground by multiple officers, pepper sprayed in the face, kicked and punched in the head, and struck with a metal baton.

The video shows police rained at least nine blows down on the FedEx worker while screaming profanities throughout the nearly four-minute altercation.

Throughout the videos, officers make claims about Nichols that are not supported by the footage, or what the district attorney or other officials have said about the case.

Charged with second degree murder are (top, left to right) Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and (bottom, left to right) Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith

In one of the videos, an officer claims that during the initial traffic stop Nichols wrestled for his gun before fleeing. The video does not depict such an incident.

After Nichols is in handcuffs and leaning against a police car, several officers claimed that he must have been high.

Later, an officer says no drugs were found in his car, and another officer immediately counters that Nichols must have ditched something while he was running away.

The footage has been widely condemned by police departments and unions across the country.

The national president of the Fraternal Order of Police issued a scathing statement in response to the video of police beating Nichols.

Patrick Yoes said the officers' physical confrontation with Nichols 'does not constitute legitimate police work or a traffic stop gone wrong.'

Instead, Yoes called it a 'criminal assault under the pretext of law.'
A second pop-up urinal has been shut after a toilet worker was crushed to death in London's West End yesterday.

The urinal was at Cambridge Circus  on the junction between Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road  and outside the Palace Theatre where Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was shown last night.

Ticketholders were able to file into the 19th century venue by an alternative door.

The man had been 'trapped below street level underneath a hydraulic urinal', the London Fire Brigade confirmed.

Westminster City Council said it is temporarily shutting down the second of its UriLift toilets, on Villiers Street, as a 'precautionary measure'. A spokesman said: 'Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the friends and family of the worker who tragically died at this site in the West End.

The pop-up urinal that crushed a man to death in London's West End this afternoon was spotted being held up by a crane

Westminster City Council said that it was temporarily shutting down the second of its UriLift toilets, on Villiers Street, as a 'precautionary measure'

'We have been on site supporting our contractor and the emergency services and will assist all investigations in any way we can.'

The victim was performing maintenance on the pop-up urinal which rises from the pavement for those out in London at night.

The operation was watched by crowds of people enjoying a night out in the West Ends pubs, restaurants and theatres. They were held back by a police cordon.

The firm responsible for maintaining the UriLift lavatories for Westminster council told the Mail that they were waiting for further reports before they released a statement. The urinal is stationed below ground level during the day and pops up at night.

A man has been killed after being 'trapped' and 'crushed' by a 'telescopic' public urinal in Cambridge Circus in central London

Telescopic urinals are pop-up facilities that rise up from the pavement for those out in London at night

Four fire engines, 25 firefighters and multiple ambulances attended the scene. A police tent has been put up at the scene

Ambulance crews, an air ambulance and firefighters were dispatched at 1.05pm and police were called five minutes later. The man was freed earlier on Friday but was pronounced dead soon after.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: 'We're sorry to have to update that, despite the efforts of emergency services, the man who was critically injured in Cambridge Circus was pronounced dead at the scene.

'His next of kin have been informed. Cordons remain in place at the location.

'Police were called at around 1.10pm on Friday January 27, to a seriously injured man at Cambridge Circus, W1.

'The man is thought to have sustained crush injuries while working on a telescopic urinal at the location.'

A crane was brought to the scene in an attempt by rescuers to lift the entire device out of the ground

The incident has taken place near The Palace Theatre, which is where Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is performed

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'We were called today at 1.05pm to reports of an incident on Shaftesbury Avenue, Charing Cross.

'We sent a number of resources to the scene, including an ambulance crew, members of our hazardous area response team, members of our tactical response unit and a medic in a fast response car.

'We also dispatched London's Air Ambulance.

'Sadly, despite the best efforts of our crews, a man was pronounced dead at the scene.'

A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: 'Firefighters were called to a person trapped on Charing Cross Road in central London.

Firefighters tirelessly attempted to rescue the man, who was trapped under the device

An air ambulance was seen landing in Trafalgar Square while a large number of ambulances and fire engines attended the scene

London Ambulance Service dispatched an Air Ambulance

A crane was brought to the scene in an attempt by rescuers to lift the entire device out of the ground

'A man was trapped below street level underneath a hydraulic urinal.

'Firefighters worked with partner agencies and used a winch to free him.

'He was left in the care of London Ambulance Service and was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

'The brigade was called at 1.05pm and the incident was over by 3.41pm. Four fire engines and around 25 firefighters from Soho, Euston and Dowgate fire stations were at the scene.'

An air ambulance was seen landing in Trafalgar Square while a large number of ambulances and fire engines attended the scene.

A crane was brought to the scene in an attempt by rescuers to lift the entire device out of the ground.

Hydraulic, pop-up urinals were brought into use by Westminster City Council about 20 years ago in an attempt to discourage street urination.
State BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar and BJP state-in-chief Tarun Chugh felicitae students during 'Pariksha pe Charcha' at Hindu Public School, Sanath Nagar. (K. Durga Rao)

Hyderabad: Following the lead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who held a Pariksha pe Charcha' with students in New Delhi on Friday, Union minister G. Kishan Reddy, and state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday called on students to overcome the fear of examinations.

Addressing students at a private school in Banjara Hills, Kishan Reddy said that if every student followed the Prime Minister's advice, they would undoubtedly be successful.

"Self-confidence and punctuality are keys to success. By 2047, our country will celebrate the centenary of independence. It becomes our prime responsibility to work hard for the next 25 years for the success of oneself and the nation, to raise the dignity of India, eradicate corruption and poverty to make India a global leader," Kishan Reddy said.

Sanjay along with party general secretary Tarun Chugh attended the programme at another school in Sanatnagar and interacted with students there. Sanjay told the students that they should compete against themselves, and treat education not as something to learn things by rote but as an exercise in gaining knowledge. He also called on parents not to exert undue pressure on their children in the pursuit of ranks.
A coroner will not release the name of a 28-year-old woman who was mauled to death by dogs, despite a requirement to make her identity public.

The dog walker died after a frenzied attack by the canines at the Gravelly Hill beauty spot in Caterham, Surrey, on January 12.

Eight dogs were seized at the scene although police confirmed that there would be no individual prosecutions.

Surrey's Coroner's Court is refusing to release the name of the woman who died until Monday as the 'family do not give permission'.

The 28-year-old woman died after the frenetic attack on January 12 in Surrey. Eight dogs were seized by police

An inquest into the dog walker's death is scheduled for Tuesday but Surrey's Coroner's Court have refused to make her name public

An inquest into her death is scheduled for Tuesday.

Typically, the name and age of the deceased should be made public seven days before an inquest, according to the Ministry of Justice website.

Other details that should be included in the inquest listing include date, time and place of the inquest, the name of the coroner, whether it is a jury inquest and the date and place of death.

Another woman was hospitalised and eight dogs were recovered at the scene after police responded following the attack at 2.45pmon January 12

What is the council policy on dog walkers? Dog walkers in the Surrey district of Tandridge, where the woman died, must apply for a licence at 156.50 a year. The only exception is where the business is already licensed under the Animal Welfare Act for boarding and day care. There is no national limit on the number of dogs an individual can walk at one time. But Tandridge council has set the maximum at six  suggesting the tragic victim of Thursdays mauling may have exceeded the limit if she was running a commercial operation. Walkers are also required to have third-party liability cover for a minimum of 5million if they are using an outdoor council facility and a licence is required if a professional walker is using council-owned land. The council requires dog walkers to prove they are registered with a recognised body such as the National Association of Professional Dog Walkers. Advertisement

Beth Grossman, a barrister at Doughty Street Chambers, told The Telegraph that it was 'remarkable' that the identity of the dog walker had not been released.

She added that imposing arbitary restrictions impeded the investigation of serious incidents.

'Coroners courts dont operate to the same rules of procedure as other parts of the courts and tribunals system. For members of the public, including bereaved families who find themselves in this system, it can be difficult and bewildering.'

Other sources agreed that the refusal was 'unusual and strange'.

An expert on inquests said the only precedent for not revealing the name of the deceased was for children in care.

Independent Press Standards Organisation guidance says that the death of a person is a matter of public record.

'Journalists have a basic right to report the fact of a persons death, even if surviving family members would prefer for there to be no reporting and regard the death as private.'

Administrative staff at Surrey's Coroner's Court have confirmed that it is standard practice to publish names weeks or even months in advance.

There has been increased concern among dog walking communities since the attack, especially as none of the dogs involved were banned breeds.

The attack has also raised questions about differing council rules for the number of dogs one person can walk at a time. Most councils vary between four and six dogs.

It is understood that the victim had been walking a number of dogs at the time of her death.

A source close to the case told the Daily Mail: 'She just had too many dogs. You cannot be in control with that amount of dogs. If something happens, it's like having seven small wolves attacking you.

'The dogs were in a frenzy, acting as a pack, and going for whatever was in front of them.'

One of the dogs had moments earlier attacked and bitten another woman who was walking her own dog  and she fled, injured.

It is thought the dead woman may then have fallen under attack from the seven or eight dogs she was walking.

When two horsemen stumbled upon the graphic scene, she shouted: 'Go back, go back'.

The owners of dogs that kill someone can be jailed for up to 14 years or face an unlimited fine or both.

And even if there are no deaths, they can still face five years prison if the animal injures someone.
Finks motorcycle club members have defiantly taken part in their national run in Victoria after they were warned by police they would be closely watched.

Hundreds of outlaw bikies travelled to Wodonga, on the NSW and Victoria border, to start the 350km trip to the Finks clubhouse at Cranbourne, Melbourne, on Saturday.

A group of heavily tattooed associates were spotted driving into town and joining up with the rest of the riders gathered outside of Pie Face in the lead-up.

Skull patterned face masks and leather vests emblazoned with the club emblem were popular among the gathered members.

They conversed on their motorcycles before heading off in a neat formation towards their clubhouse in Cranbourne.

Police have put the riders on notice with motorcyclists expected to come from all over the country to take part in the national run.

Finks motorcycle club members have defiantly taken part in their national run in Victoria after they were warned by police they would be closely watched

Finks motorcycle club members begin the 350km journey from Wodonga to Cranbourne on Saturday

Attendees greet each other before the national run took off from Wodonga on Saturday

A Finks member wears a skull patterned face mask along with a club vest for his 350km ride to Cranbourne

Hundreds of motorcyclists are expected to travel from Wodonga, on the NSW and Victoria border, to their clubhouse at Cranbourne, in Melbourne

Chapter president Kosh Radford, also known as Koshan Rashidi, will lead the group on the 350km journey.

Victoria Police sergeant Julie-Anne Newman said officers would be heavily monitoring the motorcyclists.

'Echo and VIPER Taskforces along with local police and specialist units will be closely monitoring the run to ensure the safety of all road users,' she said.

'There will be an increased police presence in the relevant areas over the weekend.

'Police will be monitoring riders both in Victoria and interstate as they travel to Wodonga in the lead up to the run and will take immediate action where any criminal, road safety or public order offences are identified.

'Victoria Police will continue to work with other law enforcement agencies as part of a national approach to OMCG enforcement.'

Motorcycle gangs often hold runs to display the strength of the club and can be used as a form of intimidation against rival organisations.

A bearded Finks member and his face-mask wearing associate at the gathering in Wodonga

White shirts and black vests emblazoned with the Finks insignia were a popular sight

The Fink emblem is seen emblazoned across a vest on a heavily tattooed motorcyclist

Bikie members wearing outfits with the Finks emblem emblazoned on them gather before they set off for the ride

Motorcycle club members chatted with each other before heading off to Cranbourne

Finks bikies took off in a neat formation as they began their 350km journey to Cranbourne in Melbourne

Police have put the riders on notice with motorcyclists expected to come from all over the country to take part in the national run

The Finks motorcycle club has been attempting to expand its operations but the chapter was hit by a setback in November, 2022.

The club was looking to establish its presence in Bairnsdale, in east Gippsland, and set up a clubhouse in Lindenow.

Police shut down the operation with the gang understood to be looking to set up shop in other country towns.

Finks boss Kosh Radford was convicted in 2021 after he assaulted a man outside Centrefold Lounge, a strip club on King Street.

He was fined $6,000 after he pleaded guilty to the offence.

Radford was then denied entry to Bali while travelling with his family to the Indonesian island in 2017.

Victoria is one of the few states in the country where bikies can openly show their colours and associate in public without risking jail time.

A bald Finks bikie with head tattoos was spotted among the group that had gathered for the national run

The Finks associates cut an intimidating profile as they wore face masks and rode into town on their Harleys

Motorcyclists sported outfits with the Finks emblem emblazoned on them as they took part in the national run

Victoria is one of the few states in the country where bikies can openly show their colours and associate in public without risking jail time

Victoria Police sergeant Julie-Anne Newman said officers would be heavily monitoring the motorcyclists

Members of the Finks motorcycle gang gathered outside Pie Face before heading on their national run on Saturday

Finks motorcycle club members have begun turning up for their planned national run in Victoria as police keep a close eye on them

Western Australia has some of the toughest laws where it is illegal for a member to even show tattoos of their motorcycle club when they're out in public.

Queensland will send a bikie to jail for wearing gang colours, with the same prison sentence given to third time offenders.

Victorian Police have been working to limit the powers of bikies by issuing a firearm prohibition order (FPO) to almost every member.

An FPO restricts a person from possessing or using a firearm or ammunition and give police the power to conduct searches without a warrant.

A member who breaches the order risks five years imprisonment.

Finks associates wearing vests emblazoned with the phrase: 'The Sixty Sixers' while another wears one with the Finks logo

Heavily tattooed motorcyclists laugh and chat with each other before riding out of Wodonga

Two Finks members converse with each other wearing long-sleeved shirts as the mercury rose to a high of 36C
Nicola Sturgeon has been condemned for a disgusting and desperate attack on her gender reform critics after she called them homophobic and racist.

The First Minister claimed some politicians have used the issue of womens rights as a cloak to cover up their transphobia and claimed they are also misogynistic, often homophobic and sometimes racist.

Opponents accused her of using baseless attacks rather than engaging with those who oppose her Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill.

The legislation removes the need for a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria when applying for a gender recognition certificate, drops the minimum age for applications to 16 and reduces the time someone needs to live in an acquired gender first to three months for over-18s.

Nicola Sturgeon (pictured on The News Agents podcast yesterday) has been condemned for a disgusting and desperate attack on her gender reform critics after she called them homophobic and racist

Miss Sturgeon made the remarks after a screeching U-turn as she finally acted to ensure Isla Bryson, (pictured) who raped two women while living as a man, would be moved out of all-female Cornton Vale prison

Speaking to The News Agents podcast on the Global Player site, Miss Sturgeon said: Ive heard people, politicians, claiming to be defenders of womens rights who Id never heard defend womens rights in the past.

In fact, Ive heard some support policies... that run counter to womens rights. We have legislation looming later in this parliament on criminal justice reform to try to deal with issues of low conviction rates for rape and sexual assault.

Were likely to be dealing with legislation in months to come around abortion buffer zones.

And I think it will be interesting to see how many of the so-called defenders of womens rights in the context of the trans debate suddenly dont think that all womens rights are actually important.

And there are some people that I think have decided to use womens rights as a sort of cloak of acceptability to cover up what is transphobia. Now, again, thats not everybody who opposes this Bill, I want to be very clear about that.

But there are people whove have opposed this Bill that cloak themselves in womens rights to make it acceptable. But just as theyre transphobic youll also find they are deeply misogynist, often homophobic, possibly some of them racist as well.

Bryson, previously known as Adam Graham (pictured), was convicted this week of raping two women in 2016 and 2019 following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow

The scene at HMP Edinburgh Thursday night where Bryson arrived in time for dinner

Thought the rapist sent to a women's jail in Scotland was farcical? Click here to read about the killer who was born a man, became a woman and now identifies as a BABY Sophie Eastwood, (pictured) who was born as Daniel Eastwood, transitioned to a woman in 2018 but now identifies as a baby at Polmont prison in Falkirk Advertisement

Miss Sturgeon made the remarks after a screeching U-turn as she finally acted to ensure Isla Bryson, who raped two women while living as a man, would be moved out of all-female Cornton Vale prison.

Tory equalities spokesman Rachael Hamilton said: These are disgusting and desperate claims from Nicola Sturgeon.

She added: Instead of engaging with the criticism and admitting she was wrong, shed rather launch baseless attacks at those who disagree.

Author JK Rowling branded Miss Sturgeon Orwellian.

On social media, she said: Never forget, Sturgeon, her government and supporters have insisted it is ludicrous to imagine anyone would dress in womens clothes to get access to vulnerable women and girls. Wouldnt happen. Everyone is who they say they are. To question this is hate.

She quoted George Orwells 1984: The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.

The UK Government is making a section 35 order preventing the gender reform Bill from gaining Royal Assent because of concerns over its impact on reserved equalities law.

In the interview with host Lewis Goodall, Miss Sturgeon also claimed Labour under Sir Keir Starmer would be a pale imitation of a Conservative government.

She said he will be biting the hand off the SNP leader to do a deal in the event of a hung parliament.

On LBC, Sir Keir advised her to roll up her sleeves and concentrate on the health service in Scotland and an education system on its knees.

He added: I think Nicola Sturgeon may want to spend a bit of time fixing some of the problems that are actually under her control in Scotland.
The gong for best beach in Australia has gone to a little-known South Australian 'natural beauty' after it knocked out popular favourites vying for the top spot.

Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island edged out beaches in NSW and Queensland to become the state's first-ever beach to reach the number one position.

The picturesque and secluded Stokes Bay beat almost 12,000 beaches nationwide to be crowned Australia's best beach for 2023.

Stokes Bay on Kangaroo Island (pictured) edged out beaches in NSW and Queensland to become the state's first-ever beach to reach the number one position

The beach (pictured) is touted by locals as Kangaroo Island's 'hidden gem' and hailed for its family-friendly appeal

The secluded South Australian beach eclipsed more famous strips of sand such as Sydney's Balmoral Beach (pictured) and the sunshine state's Rainbow Beach, which came in at number 10 and three respectively

It eclipsed more famous strips of sand such as Sydney's Balmoral Beach and Rainbow Beach on Queensland's Cooloola Coast, which came in at number 10 and three respectively.

Tourism Australia's beach ambassador Brad Farmer compiled the list and gave his reasons why Stokes Bay went to number one.

'This is a sprawling island of immense natural beauty, brimming with wildlife on land and in sea,' Mr Farmer told Nine News.

It is also home to one of the most famous wine regions in the country and has been described as 'uniquely Australian'.

Touted by locals as Kangaroo Island's 'hidden gem' and hailed for its family-friendly appeal, Stokes Bay features a tidal swimming pool that makes it ideal for wading and snorkelling.

Apollo Bay (pictured) on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria made it to the top five at number four

Rainbow Beach on Queensland's Cooloola Coast took out number three position (pictured), with 4WD vehicles on the sand and sailing boats anchored in shallow waters)

Second place went to NSW's Boomerang Beach, near Forster on the mid-north coast (pictured)

Second place went to NSW's Boomerang Beach, near Forster on the mid-north coast.

Other less-known beaches made the list, with Christmas Island's Flying Fishing Cove coming in at number nine.

It has been described as the 'Galapagos of the Indian Ocean' and sits closer to Indonesia than Australia's mainland.

Little Bondi Beach in the Northern Territory featured at number seven, kicking its internationally-renowned namesake in Sydney out of the ballpark.

Federal Tourism Minister Don Farrell said Australian beaches were among the best in the world.

'Australia boasts the world's best coastline and many international travellers who are returning to our shores in growing numbers want to explore the idyllic beaches we have to offer,' he said.

Flying Fish Cove at Christmas Island (pictured) came in at number nine on the best beaches list

'Every beach on the 2023 list is not just among the best in Australia but the best in the world,' Federal Tourism Minister Don Farrell said (pictured, kangaroos on Stokes Island)

Little Bondi Beach in the Northern Territory (pictured) featured at number seven, kicking its internationally-renowned namesake in Sydney out of the ballpark

Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison said Australian coasts were a drawcard for tourists (pictured, Rainbow Beach in Queensland)

Boomerang Beach (pictured) on the NSW mid-north coast was pipped for the top spot, coming in at number two

'Every beach on the 2023 list is not just among the best in Australia but the best in the world.'

Tourism Australia managing director Phillipa Harrison said Australian coasts were a drawcard for tourists.

'There is no doubt Australia is globally renowned for its beaches and they are a major reason international travellers visit,' she said.

'With about 12,000 beaches to explore across our country, including many of the best in the world, it is not easy to name a top 10.'
Six British children under the age of five have been found living in an abandoned wine cellar in Austria, in an illegal hideout with a 54-year-old Austrian said to be obsessed with conspiracy theories, and his wife, 40.

The youngsters were discovered in the illegal hideout in the small village of Obritz after police broke in following an incident in which the man allegedly attacked social services with pepper spray.

Deputy local mayor Erich Greil said after the discovery that the man once told him he had ten children, and that he wanted 'a cellar for each child'.

The man is said to have been a 'Reichsburger', a group of right-wing extremists who believe the German empire still exists as it did prior to World War II, and the current German state is nothing more than an administrative construct.

The youngsters were found in the illegal hideout in the small village of Obritz (pictured) with a 54-year-old Austrian man and his wife

Many of the cellar's doors and windows were bricked up, images from the scene show

It is believed the family, comprised of the six children aged seven months to five years old, had been living in the cellar, which had been sold to an English company, for several months.

There had been complaints from concerned local residents who heard children's voices within the last few weeks, causing social services to get involved.

A statement from police stated the man attacked two social workers with pepper spray on Thursday at around 3pm.

The man is said to have then barricaded himself in the building. Police were called and the man was later arrested.

When police entered the cellar, they found the six children along with multiple guns.

The cellars had been renovated to have doors, windows, water, electricity and surveillance cameras but are said to have 'inadequate sanitation' and were deemed 'not suitable for children.'

The couple installed sophisticated CCTV cameras around the cellar, allowing them to see anyone approaching

Deputy local mayor Erich Greil said after the discovery that the man once told him he had ten children, and that he wanted 'a cellar for each child'

The village of Obritz only has around 500 residents and is a rural haven for its residents

The wine cellar had been adapted and multiple security cameras added, with local media reporting the man became more involved in conspiracy theories since the start of the war in Ukraine.

The 54-year-old was described as 'clever' by locals, but they also suggested he was linked to conspiracy theorist groups.

The children were reportedly not locked up or neglected, police sources told the Telegraph. There is no suggestion of sexual abuse.

They have since been taken into care due to concerns over a lack of proof as to the children's identity.

In Austria all births have to be registered by law with local authorities, but no records have been found for any of the children.

The parents reportedly claim all five of the children were born in the UK, where their father is said to have been working.

A group of Reichsburger were arrested in Germany late last year over a plan to stage a violent coup and overthrow the government.

During the German investigation, police found a list of 18 enemy politicians, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who the group are said to have planned to execute.

The group were said to have planned to install a former member of a German royal family - 71-year-old Heinrich XIII, Prince of Reuss - as national leader.
A British backpacker and her French friend have been blasted after asking for help to find work in Australia.

Annise Daisy Jane and her friend Sonia are currently living in Melbourne and searching for work to try and make some money.

The pair made a plea for help to find a job saying they had been unsuccessful after dropping off their resumes at numerous businesses.

A British backpacker and her French friend have been blasted after asking for help to find work in Australia

'We are both broke, jobless and homeless in a week. Not desperate but serious,' Annise wrote on Facebook.

'Available for work in Melbourne asap. Getting nowhere with applying for jobs or dropping off cvs.

'If anyone can help recommend any farm work, hospitality jobs or receptionist etc please let us know!!'

But the friends received unexpected backlash over the photo they decided to share along with their plea for help to find work.

The photograph showed the two friends dressed in skimpy outfits and hugging while attending a festival.

One social media user wrote the photo did not give prospective employers a good impression of the pair.

'As someone who employs lots of regional workers every year I believe the first impression is important,' he wrote.

Some social media users took issue with the photo with one claiming it did not give prospective employers a good impression of the pair

'As you are applying from your Facebook I recommend having a professional profile pic and locking up your Facebook so it doesn't show your lifestyle.

'Having a picture of you partying doesn't help your cause.'

The social media user recommended the friends look for work outside of the city.

'If you want opportunities you need to go remote,' he wrote. 'There's always an abundance of jobs with accommodation included.'

A second person suggested they replace the photo with something more professional.

'Maybe put up normal photos then because sorry to say these ones just make people think your party girls,' she wrote.

Most social media users were more than happy to help and suggested businesses they could try to apply to in their search for work.
The Memphis Police Department's elite SCORPION street crime unit is facing calls to disband, after several members were involved in the traffic stop that resulted in the beating and death of Tyre Nichols.

The unit was created to combat soaring violent crime, but critics say its aggressive tactics and lack of oversight are a recipe for tragedies like the fatal beating of Nichols, which was revealed in its full savagery in footage released on Friday.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Nichols' family, said such units can turn into 'a pack of wolves' and called for an end to the SCORPION unit.

'We believe that this was a pattern and practice, and Tyre is dead because that pattern and practice went unchecked by the people who were supposed to check that,' Crump said at a press conference.

Five officers have been charged with second-degree murder in Nichols' death, though it was unclear how many of them were part of the SCORPION unit, and MPD has not released that information.

An officer involved in the fatal traffic stop of Tyre Nichols is seen wearing a hoodie of the MPD's Organized Crime Unit, of which SCORPION is a part

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Nichols' family, said street crime units such as SCORPION can turn into 'a pack of wolves' and called to disband the unit

The newly released footage of the initial traffic stop that led to Nichols' death shows cops in the unmarked Dodge Chargers favored by the unit, wearing hoodies with the logo of the Organized Crime Unit, of which SCORPION is a part.

Founded in October 2021 due to pressure over rising crime, SCORPION, stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods. Its mandate is to stem homicides, assaults and robberies.

Memphis officials have said the unit comprises about 40 officers in four teams concentrating on crime hot spots.

Each team has members focused on car theft, gang investigations and 'crime suppression,' Mayor Jim Strickland said in a speech in January 2022.

A 2021 video about the unit's launch showed several dozen officers, mostly men, going through roll call before heading on patrols. Some wore plain clothes and drove unmarked cars.

In its first few months of existence, between October 2021 and January 23, 2022, SCORPION made 566 arrests.

Cops are seen next to the type of unmarked Dodge Charger favored by SCORPION teams, following the January 7 beating of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop

Founded in October 2021 due to pressure over rising crime, SCORPION, stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods

Of those, 390 were felony arrests, according to Strickland. Officers seized tens of thousands of dollars and over 250 weapons, the mayor said.

However, there have been prior complaints over SCORPION's alleged heavy-handed tactics.

Cornell McKinney told WREG-TV the same SCORPION team involved in Nichols' death stopped him on January 3, four days before the fatal Nichols beating.

'All I heard is a 'Freeze, get out the car. Put your MF hands up before I blow your heads off. Both of you get out the car. Put your hands up,'' he said, recalling the incident, which occurred as he was catching a ride home with a friend.

'So I put my hands up, and one of the officers proceeded to come to the car, and he physically pulled me out by my shoulder with a gun no more than a foot away from my head,' said McKinney.

McKinney said the cops accused them of having drugs in the car, demanding to know which of the two friends owned the drugs.

But he says the cops then admitted they hadn't found any drugs and let the two men walk free.

Later, seeing the officers charged in Nichols' death, he recognized the faces as the same cops that had pulled him over.

The five cops -- Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith -- have since been fired and charged with second-degree murder.

Charged with second degree murder are (top, left to right) Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and (bottom, left to right) Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith

Tyre Nichols is pictured in hospital after the incident. The 29-year-old from Memphis died on January 10 from cardiac arrest and kidney failure, three days after he was pulled over for reckless driving by police in unmarked cars

One former veteran Memphis police officer who said he knew each of the charged ex-cops, told CBS News that 'you have to be a go-getter, for the most part' to join the SCORPION unit.

'You have to be someone who wants to make a difference, who wants to catch the bad guy,' he said of the 'proactive' mindset of the unit.

'I never thought this would happen,' added the former officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Because at least some of the officers charged with murdering Nichols belonged to SCORPION, questions have arisen over whether they were acting as part of the unit when they pulled him over for purported reckless driving.

Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, died in the hospital three days after the violent January 7 physical confrontation with the five black officers.

The five officers have since been charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression and fired from their jobs.

The Nichols case has raised concerns that the unit strayed from its core mission, had inadequate oversight and used tactics that increased the risk of violence.

Crump, the attorney for Nichols' family, pointed out that Nichols' encounter with police began with a traffic stop, which does not fall under the unit's mandate to address violent crime

Crump, the attorney for Nichols' family, pointed out that Nichols' encounter with police began with a traffic stop, which does not fall under the unit's mandate to address violent crime.

Critics say such stops are excuses to search for weapons or drugs and can escalate into violence.

It is not the fist time such units have faced scrutiny. In 2020, following the police murder of George Floyd, New York City dismantled its Anti-Crime Unit, which operated with similar tactics and goals as SCORPION.

Last January, amid soaring violent crime, the Anti-Crime Unit was restricted weeks after Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, took office vowing to get tough on crime.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis this week announced a review of all of the police department's specialized units including SCORPION in response to Nichols' death. She called the incident 'heinous, reckless and inhumane.'

The department did not immediately respond to questions about SCORPION'S status, past complaints against the unit and whether all five officers were assigned to it.
Donald Trump is finally hitting the campaign trail Saturday as he heads to Salem, New Hampshire and Columbia, South Carolina in a one-day, two-state swing more than two-and-a-half months after announcing his third consecutive White House candidacy.

While some say the former president's 2024 campaign has been slow to start, others are refreshed by his approach this time around and say it's a better strategy to win favor with the party as he vies again for a second shot at the White House.

Before holding his first 2024 campaign rally, Trump is heading north Saturday morning to make an appearance at the New Hampshire GOP's annual winter meeting.

In the afternoon the former president will be joined at his rally at the South Carolina State Capitol by GOP Senator Lindsey Graham and Governor Henry McMaster  both key allies in the third primary contest state.

Former President Donald Trump is engaging in his first high-profile campaign events Saturday with a stop in early primary contest states of New Hampshire and South Carolina. Pictured: Trump announced in Mar-a-Lago on November 15 his third consecutive bid for the White House

The event Saturday has been branded as more lowkey than his massive rallies from the 2016 and 2020 campaign trail  with at least three advisers claiming the rally will be more 'intimate' than previously.

It's unclear if Trump is taking a new approach overall or if his team is just preemptively managing expectations as it appears excitement for Trump is waning within the GOP with several polls showing voters might prefer a different Republican candidate and their nominee in 2024.

Trump could pick up some legitimate primary challengers from South Carolina as the state's Former Governor Nikki Haley, who also served under Trump as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and Republican junior Senator Tim Scott have been named as potential 2024 candidates.

Once again, the presidential primary field is expected to be quite crowded with at least a few dozen names floating around.

At the rally in South Carolina, Trump will be joined by Senator Lindsey Graham and Governor Henry McMaster

'There's an openness to a new generation of Republican leaders  that's not to say that the president could not win. I do not think it's a foregone conclusion,' New Hampshire Republican Mike Dennehy told NBC News.

The onetime adviser to late presidential candidate Senator John McCain said that Trump isn't a shoo-in for the nomination this year.

'He's going to have to earn it,' Dennehy said.

Some say Trump engaging in more so-called 'retail politicking' would do him well  advice he appears to be taking after balking that approach in 2016 and 2020.

Retail politics is a term that references national candidates attending local events to target voters on a smaller, more individualized-basis.

This form of campaigning would signal to party leaders  and those who have moved away from Trump in recent years, that the former president respects the voters and the political process.

Trump could pick up some legitimate primary challengers from South Carolina as the state's Former Governor Nikki Haley (left), who also served under Trump as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and Republican junior Senator Tim Scott (right) have been named as potential 2024 candidates

'He broke the mold a little bit,' Dennehy said. 'He wasn't a candidate who would hold town hall meetings or walk the streets talking to small businesses.'

'If he's smart, I think he takes it down a notch, takes it down to the people more, walking main streets, holding some smaller house parties.'

But Democrats aren't convinced that Trump has changed his stripes overnight, and claim his radical ideology is facilitating a party where more level-headed candidates can't succeed.

'In his bid to consolidate support and scare off competitors, Donald Trump is reminding everyone of just how extreme the MAGA agenda was - from paving the way for the most extreme abortion bans, gifting tax giveaways to the ultra-wealthy and biggest corporations, and embracing the most fringe policies and divisive rhetoric,' Democratic National Committee spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in a statement Friday.

'The rest of the GOP 2024 field is tripping over itself to be just as extreme and this is just the beginning in their race for the MAGA base,' he added.

Trump's rally at the South Carolina State Capitol is expected to be more 'intimate' that the famous 2016 and 2020 'mega-rallies'

New Hampshire and South Carolina are both key states for those politicians looking to clinch that party's nomination for president  and are among the states where politicians head when they kick off their campaigns every four years.

The first-in-the-nation state where a primary contest is held is the Iowa caucuses, followed by the primary election in New Hampshire, the elections in South Carolina and then another caucus in Nevada.

All four states are closely-watched and serve as indicators of how well a primary candidate may fare in the rest of the nation.

In 2020, President Joe Biden performed poorly in the crowded Democratic primary race in both New Hampshire and Iowa, but was later able to gain ground in South Carolina when Representative Jim Clybrun threw his backing behind the now-president.

Despite Trump winning South Carolina by 14.9 percent to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and by 11.7 points in the general electron against Biden in 2020, it appears support for the former president is dropping.

A South Carolina Policy Council poll released this week shows that 37 percent of Republican voters in the state want to see Trump as the GOP nominee compared to the 47 percent who want to see someone else win the spot.

Additionally, a head-to-head matchup with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis showed Trump losing by nearly 20 points.
Two other men were rushed to hospital, one in a critical condition

A swimmer has died at a popular Sydney beach with his two male swimming partners rushed to hospital, one in a critical condition.

The three men got in to trouble around 1.50pm at Shelley Park Beach near Cronulla in Sydney's south on Saturday.

NSW Police say two men were unconscious in the water when lifeguards arrived on jet skis and rescued them to nearby Cronulla Beach.

The other man managed to get himself back to shore.

A man, whose age is currently not known, died, while the other two men were taken to hospital.

A swimmer has died at a popular beach in Cronulla with two others rushed to hospital, one in a critical condition

The three men got in to trouble around 1.50pm at Shelley Beach on Saturday, with two needing to be brought to shore by jet ski

It's understood a man in his 40s was underwater for three minutes and was unconscious when lifeguards arrived.

He was taken by ambulance to St George Hospital in a critical condition.

The third man, aged in his 20s, is conscious and was taken to the same facility for treatment.

It is understood a rescuer also required medical treatment after suffering from exhaustion.

Officers from Sutherland Shire Police Area Command are conducting inquiries and will prepare a report for the Coroner.

More to come.

A man in his 40s was underwater for three minutes and was unconscious when lifeguards arrived. He was taken by ambulance to St George Hospital in a critical condition
Some 75,000 passengers have been directly impacted by Flybe's announcement it had fallen into administration - including 2,000 who were due to fly out today.

And 277 of the 321-strong workforce are also now out of a job, after the regional carrier cancelled all flights effective immediately.

The announcement sparked travel misery for 2,000 passengers preparing to board a flight today. Many only received emails in the early hours this morning, while others learned of the decision while they were already en route to the airport.

A Flybe spokesperson and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said would-be travellers should not make their way to the airport if they have a flight scheduled.

'Please do not travel to the airport unless you have arranged an alternative flight with another airline,' the spokesperson said.

The airline will not arrange alternative flights or travel plans for impacted passengers.

Of the 321 staff who had jobs just yesterday, only 44 have been retained to assist administrators with duties.

This is one of the last Flybe planes to take off - flying out of Heathrow on Friday night

Regional carrier Flybe has cancelled all flights into and out of the UK this morning - sparking travel misery for passengers as the airline is plunged into administration

It took several hours for flight status trackers to catch up with the announcement, prompting even further confusion as early Flybe flights were listed as 'scheduled on time' this morning.

But the CAA urged ticket-holders to instead check its website for the latest information.

Blindsided customers feel as though they've been left in the lurch this morning.

A spokesperson for the insolvency firm confirmed to MailOnline that customers were able to book flights and services as late as 11pm last night - just four hours before joint administrators were appointed.

One woman said she purchased luggage for her Flybe flight shortly before the announcement, while another only purchased her flight yesterday.

Another said: 'My daughter due to fly back to university today. You allowed me to book extras yesterday and take my money. The second time this has happened. What utter, utter scumbags.'

The spokesperson defended this situation, while acknowledging customers would no doubt 'feel angry and frustrated about this'.

'Unfortunately, this is a conundrum faced by many businesses faced with possible insolvency,' the spokesperson said.

Three early Flybe flights from Belfast, two from Birmingham and two from Amsterdam were all showing as 'scheduled on time' on Flybe's online flight status live tracker at 5am. But the CAA urged ticket-holders to instead check its website for the latest information

On 28 Jan 23 David Pike & Mike Pink were appointed Joint Administrators of Flybe Limited. Flybe has now ceased trading. All Flybe flights from & to the UK are cancelled & will not be rescheduled. Further information can be found @ https://t.co/VbCQW2SmGn & https://t.co/bcNJz3Cthq pic.twitter.com/DhLb8UhwXk  Flybe  (@flybe) January 28, 2023

'Due to the ongoing discussions that were taking place with interested parties regarding a potential sale of the business, it was not possible to inform customers of the potential insolvency proceedings before the appointment of administrators.

'Any announcement about the possibility that the sales process might not ultimately be successful and thus imply the potential for insolvency proceedings would have been both premature and, unavoidably, self-fulfilling. Making such a statement would also have irreparably harmed trading and risked exposing the fleet to arrest by creditors.'

It comes after Flybe returned to the skies in April following an earlier collapse.

The airline first announced it would cease in March 2020, costing 2,400 employees their jobs as the Covid pandemic ravaged the tourism sector.

It returned with a plan to operate up to 530 flights per week across 23 routes, serving airports such as Belfast City, Birmingham, East Midlands, Glasgow, Heathrow and Leeds Bradford.

Customers have been blindsided by the sudden announcement

CAA consumer director Paul Smith said: 'It is always sad to see an airline enter administration and we know that Flybe's decision to stop trading will be distressing for all of its employees and customers.

'We urge passengers planning to fly with this airline not to go to the airport as all Flybe flights are cancelled. For the latest advice, Flybe customers should visit the Civil Aviation Authority's website or our Twitter feed for more information.'

The airline also confirmed the 'sad' move, noting that administrators had been brought in.

'We are sad to announce that Flybe has been placed into administration,' Flybe tweeted.

'David Pike and Mike Pink of Interpath have been appointed administrators. Flybe has now ceased trading. All Flybe flights from and to the UK are cancelled and will not be rescheduled.'

Today, a Flybe spokesperson and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said would-be travellers should not make their way to the airport if they have a flight scheduled

Before it went bust it flew the most UK domestic routes between airports outside London.

Its business and assets were purchased in April 2021 by Thyme Opco, which is linked to US hedge fund Cyrus Capital.

Thyme Opco was renamed Flybe Limited. It had been based at Birmingham Airport.

The Government said that its 'immediate priority' would be to support anyone trying to get home and those who have lost their jobs.

'This remains a challenging environment for airlines, both old and new, as they recover from the pandemic, and we understand the impact this will have on Flybe's passengers and staff.

'Our immediate priority is to support people travelling home and employees who have lost their jobs,' a spokesperson said.

'The Civil Aviation Authority is providing advice to passengers to help them make their journeys as smoothly and affordably as possible.

'The majority of destinations served by Flybe are within the UK with alternative transport arrangements available.

'We recognise that this is an uncertain time for affected employees and their families.

'Jobcentre Plus, through its Rapid Response Service, stands ready to support any employee affected.'

Matthew Hall, chief executive of Belfast City Airport, said: 'First and foremost, our thoughts are with Flybe employees and passengers affected by this disappointing and unexpected news.

'Passengers booked on Flybe flights should not travel to the airport and should seek further advice from the Civil Aviation Authority.

'Flybe operated 10 flights to and from Belfast City, eight of which are currently served by other carriers from our airport.'
TD state president Kinjarapu Atchannaidu had lost his temper and used an un-parliamentary word against police for not providing the minimum security at Nara Lokesh's programme. (Photo: Twitter: @katchannaidu)

Anantapur: Kuppam police have registered a case against TD state president Atchannaidu for his abusive comment against police while addressing a public meeting during the launch of Nara Lokeshs Yuva Galam padayatra on Friday from Kuppam.

Kuppam circle inspector Sridhar said the case has been registered against Atchannaidu based on a complaint by Kuppam sub-inspector B. Shiva Kumar who was on duty and felt hurt with the ugly speech of the leader.

"The TD leader insulted and hurt police department as well as state government employees. A case has been registered against the TD state unit president under Section 153 for insulting and hurting police and government employees," the CI stated.

Incidentally, Atchannaidu had lost his temper and used an un-parliamentary word against police for not providing the minimum security at Nara Lokeshs programme. Though police department had announced that 500 cops will be on duty, no uniformed men could be seen.

The abusive word is, however, all over on social media. YSRC minister Seediri Appalaraju has also countered using similar words against the TD leader on Saturday.

Srikakulam MP Ramanaidu, who accompanied Nara Lokesh, observed his uncle Atchannaidu had reacted as few police officers were there and they ignored their duties. "He made comments only after witnessing worst situation at the padayatra spot," Ramanaidu maintained.
The stepfather of Tyre Nichols has called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to stand by after he was savagely beaten by police, while two deputies who responded after the altercation also face investigation.

Released on Friday, video of the January 7 incident in Memphis shows at least 10 cops and two paramedics milling about casually for nearly 20 minutes as Nichols lies on the ground critically injured. He died in hospital three days later.

'Everyone -- the fire department, paramedics that came out that stood around and didn't do anything -- they're just as guilty,' Nichols' stepfather Rodney Wells told ABC News following the release of the video.

'Everyone that was active in the whole scene, the whole video, should be charged,' he added. Five Memphis cops have already been charged with second-degree murder.

Meanwhile, the sheriff of Shelby County, which includes Memphis, said that after viewing the video, he is suspending two deputies who responded to the scene following the beating, which began with a traffic stop.

Tyre Nichols' stepfather Rodney Wells (above) has called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to fail to render aid after he was savagely beaten by police

Two paramedics are seen standing over Nichols as he flops on the pavement, unable to speak or sit up, following the January 7 beating by police that began with a traffic stop

Timeline of medical aid for Nichols 8.36pm: The police beating concludes and Nichols is in handcuffs. 8.41pm: Paramedics arrive on the scene. 8.47pm: Paramedic asks Nichols what drugs he took. Nichols is unable to speak and gurgles in response. For another 10 minutes they stand by as he twitches on the pavement. 8.57pm: Paramedics begin rendering some kind of aid, appearing to bandage Nichols. 9pm: Ambulance arrives to transport Nichols Advertisement

Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said in a statement: 'Having watched the videotape for the first time tonight, I have concerns about two deputies who arrived on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tyre Nichols.'

Bonner said he had launched an internal investigation into the two deputies, adding that they had been relieved of duty pending the outcome of the probe.

The video raises disturbing questions about the apparent lack of action from first responders to treat Nichols after he was kicked and punched in the head, struck three times with a metal baton, and twice sprayed with pepper spray in the face.

Paramedics arrived on the scene about five minutes after the assault on Nichols concluded, at which point he was handcuffed and slumped against the side of a car.

The video shows a paramedic leaning over Nichols asking: 'What'd you have? We're trying to get you straight, what'd you have?'

Nichols is heard making a gurgling noise, but appears unable to speak, although he had been heard speaking clearly and relatively calmly before the assault.

Officers at the scene were heard remarking that Nichols was 'on something' and 'high as a kite' as they wisecracked after the assault.

Cops may have advised the paramedics that Nichols was on drugs, though no evidence that he was has emerged in the weeks following the assault.

Paramedics arrive on the scene about five minutes after the beating, but do not seem to render immediate aid to Nichols, after cops claimed he was high on drugs

A paramedic is seen leaning over Nichols asking, 'What'd you have? We're trying to get you straight, what'd you have?' He is unable to respond and makes a gurgling noise

Police and paramedics stand by as Nichols is sprawled handcuffed on the pavement

Aside from these inquiries about drugs, paramedics appeared to offer little aid as Nichols sprawled unresponsive on the pavement, unable to sit up on his own, and unable to speak.

The video does not appear to show the paramedics checking vital signs such as blood pressure, and as they left Nichols flopping on the pavement, his head struck the hubcap of the car at least once.

Finally, about 20 minutes after the assault concluded, and about 15 minutes after they first arrived on the scene, the paramedics can be seen removing some kind of equipment from their kits and leaning over Nichols to treat him.

About five later, an ambulance pulled up and removed a stretcher to transport Nichols.

Nichols died in intensive care on January 10 after suffering cardiac arrest and kidney failure as a result of his injuries.

In addition to the paramedics, sworn police officers have a duty to render aid, and the five officers charged in the incident were fired from the Memphis police department for their failure to do so.

Finally, about 20 minutes after the assault concluded, and about 15 minutes after they first arrived on the scene, the paramedics can be seen removing some kind of equipment from their kits and leaning over Nichols to treat him

Finally at 9pm, an ambulance pulled up and removed a stretcher to transport Nichols

Tyre Nichols is pictured in hospital after the incident. The 29-year-old from Memphis died on January 10 from cardiac arrest and kidney failure, three days after he was pulled over for reckless driving by police in unmarked cars

The five cops who were fired and charged are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith.

They are charged with second-degree murder, assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

Memphis Police Director Cerelyn 'CJ' Davis has said other officers are under investigation for their part in the arrest.

Davis described the five officers' actions as 'heinous, reckless and inhumane.'

The video released on Friday night shows Nichols, 29, crying out for his mother multiple times during the brutal January 7 assault, which took place just a few blocks from his home.

'Mom! Mom!' screams Nichols as he is pinned to the ground by multiple officers, pepper sprayed in the face, kicked and punched in the head, and struck with a metal baton.

The video shows police rained at least nine blows down on the FedEx worker while screaming profanities throughout the nearly four-minute altercation.

Throughout the videos, officers make claims about Nichols that are not supported by the footage, or what the district attorney or other officials have said about the case.

Charged with second degree murder are (top, left to right) Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and (bottom, left to right) Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith

In one of the videos, an officer claims that during the initial traffic stop Nichols wrestled for his gun before fleeing. The video does not depict such an incident.

After Nichols is in handcuffs and leaning against a police car, several officers claimed that he must have been high.

Later, an officer says no drugs were found in his car, and another officer immediately counters that Nichols must have ditched something while he was running away.

The footage has been widely condemned by police departments and unions across the country.

The national president of the Fraternal Order of Police issued a scathing statement in response to the video of police beating Nichols.

Patrick Yoes said the officers' physical confrontation with Nichols 'does not constitute legitimate police work or a traffic stop gone wrong.'

Instead, Yoes called it a 'criminal assault under the pretext of law.'
A Rhode Island high school's assistant principal allegedly sent out an email asking staff to send donations to pay a human smuggling cartel for trafficking a student over the Mexican border.

'Coyote' fees are paid to people who help sneak immigrants into the United States to match the risk of illegally entering the country.

Stefani Harvey, the assistant principal at Mount Pleasant High School in Providence, sent an email obtained by reporters Thursday asking for donations for the student's 'coyotes,' who she claimed are 'a group that helps people.'

There was some dispute as to the veracity of the email - the school told the Daily Caller it was 'fake' and said they don't have a student who is being human trafficked - but it appears to have been proven real by both the president of the teachers' union and the principal, who sent out an email calling it 'not appropriate.'

A Rhode Island high school's assistant principal allegedly sent out an email asking staff at the school to send donations to pay 'coyote' fees to help smuggle them into the United States

Maribeth Calabro, President of the Providence Teachers Union, told WPRO she had confirmed the legitimacy of the email with members who teach at the high school.

'I was a little taken aback by the content,' she said, 'I engaged the district, I called leadership in the district and I said 'hi folks, what's going on here' and they were aware and they said that when they were made aware they went into immediate investigatory mode and that once the investigation was concluded that there would be correspondence.'

Calabro said that some of her members thought it was a scam to try and trick members out of their social security money and said her members were 'concerned.'

Tiffany Delaney, Mount Pleasant High School Principal, both confirmed and condemned the email Friday in a letter to staff.

'I appreciate the faculty and staff contributing to a cause that supports a student, but the nature of the request is not appropriate,' she wrote.

'All funds contributed will be returned and we will seek more appropriate methods to support our students.'

The school has an enrollment of about 1,100 and has enough Spanish-speaking students that it publishes a version of its welcome letter to parents in Spanish.

Mount Pleasant High School in Providence Assistant Principal Stefani Harvey sent an email obtained by reporters Thursday asking for donations for the student's 'coyotes,' who she claimed are 'a group that helps people'

Maribeth Calabro, President of the Providence Teachers Union, told WPRO that she had confirmed the legitimacy of the email with members who teach at the high school

Tiffany Delaney, Mount Pleasant High School Principal, both confirmed and condemned the email Friday in a letter to staff

Mount Pleasant's mission statement reads: 'Mount Pleasant High School provides all learners with a meaningful and purposeful education through a wealth of opportunities to be connected to and feel secure within their school community.

'They are engaged in high level and rigorous programming to be prepared for college and career success. We celebrate the diversity of our community by validating and supporting students and their interests.'

'Coyotes' are a high-risk, often high-yield business estimated to generate $6.6 billion a year for smugglers along Latin America's routes to the U.S., according to a 2010 United Nations report.

'Smugglers use lies to lure the vulnerable into a dangerous journey that often ends in removal or death,' Chris Magnus - then the US CBP Commissioner - said of the illegal activities in May.
An investigation has been launched after a man was found dead shortly after running away from police.

Officers had been called to the southwest Rockhampton suburb Allenstown, central Queensland, at about 11.30pm on Friday.

They had received a report of an allegedly stolen car, which had travelled about 100km from nearby town Gladstone.

A tyre deflation device was successfully deployed and they brought the car to a stop shortly before midnight.

The body of a man who was driving an allegedly stolen car from Gladstone, central Queensland, was found on the bank of Rockhampton's Fitzroy River on Saturday (pictured, the embankment between Col Brown Park and the river)

Officers had been called to the southwest Rockhampton suburb Allenstown, central Queensland, at about 11.30pm on Friday

The male driver of the car then fled from the car on foot into the park where police where unable to locate him.

Police resumed the search for the man on Saturday morning but a member of the public found his body in the river at the bottom of a steep embankment.

The State Coroner has been advised of the incident and the Ethical Standards Command will investigate.

The investigation is subject to independent oversight by the Crime and Corruption Commission.
Russia is planning a 'new pre-emptive strike' in Ukraine according to satellite photos which show Putin's forces building up fortifications.

Moscow is said to be preparing for a new offensive ahead of the first anniversary of their invasion on February 24.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's national security and defence council, said: 'Now they are preparing for maximum activation, and they believe that by the anniversary they should have some achievements.'

'There is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave by February 24, as they themselves say,' he told Radio Svoboda.

He also said that the Russian military has been 'scouting' the defence capabilities of Ukrainian troops in the Zaporizhzhia region for a week.

While analysis from Brady Africk, an open-source intelligence analyst, shows Russian new fortifications all along the front in Luhansk, from the Russian border down to Donetsk, and throughout Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

It comes as a video captured a single Russian tank being destroyed by a mine near Donetsk, in what may have been part of a spoiling attack tactic 'to disperse and distract Ukrainian forces' ahead of their counter-offensive.

A satellite image from March 2022 (left) and January 2023 (right) shows that Russia is building new lines of defence (trenches in picture on the right) as it reportedly prepares for an offensive next month

A high-ranking Ukrainian official said it is 'no secret' that Russia are preparing for a new wave by February 24 - the first anniversary of their invasion

The video begins with a single tank driving down a nearly destroyed roads as an artillery shell lands ahead of it

Shortly after the second explosion another blast is seen, possibly from the tank itself

The satellite imagery of Moscow's new fortifications may also show that Putin is concerned about a new Ukrainian counteroffensive - following the news of modern tanks being sent from the West.

'They're trying to basically consolidate their gains and keep the parts that they've held on to thus far,' Africk, who works at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Daily Beast.

'I think it's definitely both a message to soldiers in Ukraine, and to everyone who might be watching, that they're going to at least try and stay.'

The news follows a video capturing the moment a Russian tank drives straight into a minefield while taking artillery fire in Ukraine.

The vehicle is seen driving down an empty road, thought to be outside Donetsk, that is surrounded by hundreds of craters from shelling.

The footage shows an artillery shell exploding about 20m ahead of the tank as it continues forward.

The tank disappears behind the cloud of smoke before it drives over a mine and sets of another explosion.

Just a second later another explosion takes place and a fireball erupts from the tank, forcing the soldiers inside to flee.

Four soldiers escape the burning wreckage of the tank and run off into the field next to the road as the video ends

The drone footage ends by showing four soldiers running away from the wreckage off into the cratered fields to the side.

The video comes as Ukrainian troops were locked in a 'fierce' confrontation with Russian fighters on Friday for control of the town of Vugledar southwest of Donetsk as the two sides battle along the southern front.

Both sides claimed success in the small administrative centre of apartment blocks surrounded by flat fields, a short distance from the strategic prize of the village of Pavlivka.

'The encirclement and subsequent liberation of this city solves many problems,' said Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-appointed leader of the Donetsk region.

'Soon, Vugledar may become a new, very important success for us,' he was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

But Kyiv said the town, which had a pre-invasion population of around 15,000 people, remained contested.

'There is fierce combat there,' Ukrainian military spokesman Sergiy Cherevaty told local media.

'For many months, the military of the Russian Federation... has been trying to achieve significant success there,' he said.

A woman walks near a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile attack in the town of Glevakha, Kyiv region

A burned tank sits next to a road in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen take cover as they fire a mortar load on the Donbass frontline

Ukrainian soldiers are seen on their ways to the frontlines with their armored military vehicles as the strikes continue on the Donbass frontline

Moscow's push for Vugledar is part of its effort to seize control of the entire Donetsk region, which it has already declared a part of Russia.

Ukraine said this week that Russian troops had stepped up their attacks in the east, particularly on Vugledar and Bakhmut.

While the Ministry of Defence said that Russia is highly likely to have suffered more than 300 casualties in a strike on troop accommodation at Makiivka near Donetsk City on January 01

In a rare admission, Russia's defence ministry said 89 soldiers had died in the fiery blast which destroyed the temporary barracks in a former vocational college.

The MoD assessed that the majority of troops were likely killed or missing, rather than wounded.

Rubble is strewn across the ground in Russian-occupied Makiivka, in the eastern Donbas region, in the aftermath of the strike. The missiles hit a vocational school which had been turned into a barracks for Russian forces

The MoD tweeted: 'Russian officials likely assessed that it was not viable to avoid comment in the face of widespread criticism of Russian commanders over the incident.

'The difference between the number of casualties Russia acknowledged and the likely true total highlights the pervasive presence of disinformation in Russian public announcements.

'This typically comes about through a combination of deliberate lying authorised by senior leaders, and the communication of inaccurate reports by more junior officials, keen to downplay their failings in Russia's "blame and sack" culture.'

According to a White House National Security Council assessment, Russia is currently using the cold winter months to regroup, retrain, re-equip, and prepare for next steps in the war.

The United States is helping Ukraine prepare to go on the counteroffensive against Russia, according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

Russia test launches the feared Sarmat 'Satan 2' missile in April last year, as the nuclear threat remains high

The European Unions defence chief said yesterday that Russia is now engaged in a war against Nato and the West as Canada became the 12th country to commit tanks to Ukraine.

Stefano Sannino, the secretary general of the EUs external action service, suggested Vladimir Putin had moved beyond his initial special military operation and was moving the war into a different stage.

Mr Sannino was speaking as Canada became the latest country to pledge tanks and Poland said it would give an additional 60 to the 14 it has already committed to the war effort.

Spain and Norway are expected to announce how many Leopard 2s they will send to Ukraine in the coming days.

The Kremlin test launches an 'unstoppable' nuclear Zircon hypersonic missile from the Admiral Gorshkov

Stefano Sannino (pictured), the secretary general of the EUs external action service, suggested Vladimir Putin was moving the war into a different stage

Belgium announced a new package of military aid, promising cash, missiles, machineguns and armoured vehicles, but had to admit it has no main battle tanks to match the offers from its Nato allies.

Ukraine is also seeking Western fourth-generation fighter jets such as the US F-16, although this remains an unlikely prospect.

Mr Sannino said Ukraines allies had been forced to increase and upgrade their military support to Kyiv in response to Moscow shifting the focus of the war to the West.

Addressing reporters in Tokyo, he said: I think that this latest development in terms of armed supply is just an evolution of the situation and of the way Russia has started moving the war into a different stage.

Putin (pictured yesterday) has stepped up attempts to break through Ukraine's defences with heavy fighting in the east of the country

The spectre of nuclear war looms over the world after the West supplied state-of-the-art tanks to Ukraine to the fury of Vladimir Putin

He added that Russia was making indiscriminate attacks on civilians and cities. The country was desperate to gain momentum on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine before the Western tank squadrons arrive.

In the past 48 hours, Moscows forces have been attempting to break through Ukraines frontlines in the Donbas region. From Thursday night into yesterday morning Russia also subjected Ukrainian cities to more bomb attacks.

Some 47 of the 59 missiles were intercepted but 11 people are understood to have been killed in explosions caused by the Russian ordnance which penetrated Ukraines air defence systems. Russia also launched 37 air strikes.
A dangerous radioactive capsule was missing for two weeks before anybody realised, officials have admitted.

An investigation has been launched to determine how the tiny but potentially deadly capsule got lost as it was transported from a West Australian Rio Tinto mine to Perth.

The eight by six millimetre unit is believed to have fallen off the back of a truck on its 1400 kilometre journey from Newman to a depot in the Perth suburb of Malaga between January 10 and 16.

However, in a disturbing twist on Friday, Department of Fire and Emergency Services Superintendent Darryl Ray admitted no one had noticed the capsule was missing for more than two weeks.

Rio Tinto said it contracted an expert radioactive materials handler to package the capsule and transport it 'safely' to the depot and was not told it was missing until Wednesday.

An urgent search continues for an eight by six millimetre radioactive capsule that is believed to have fell off the back of a mining truck sometime between January 10 and January 16 (pictured, authorities searching for the missing unit)

WA Authorities said the capsule (left) is similar to the size of an Australia 10 cent coin (right)

Authorities are using the truck's GPS data to determine the exact route the driver took and where it stopped after it left the mine on or about January 10.

But there are concerns the solid capsule may have already become lodged in another vehicle's tyre and potentially be hundreds of kilometres away from the search area.

It is believed a screw worked loose inside the large lead-lined gauge it was contained in and the unit fell through a hole left by the missing fastener.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has deployed teams with handheld radiation detection devices and metal detectors along 36km of the busy freight route.

Superintendent Ray said they were concentrating on populated areas north of Perth and strategic sites along the Great Northern Highway.

'What we're not doing is trying to find a tiny little device by eyesight' he told reporters on Saturday.

'We're using the radiation detectors to locate the gamma rays.'

Emergency services claim they are hampered in their efforts to find the capsule by a lack of equipment and have called on the Commonwealth and other states to provide more, including units that can be fitted to a vehicle.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has deployed teams with handheld radiation detection devices (above) and metal detectors along part of the truck's route

Authorities warned contact with the capsule could result in skin damage, burns and radiation sickness, including impacts to the immune and the gastrointestinal systems (pictured, authorities searching for the capsule)

Chief Health Officer Andrew Robertson defended the WA government's decision to wait two days to inform the public on Friday, saying the mine and depot had to be searched and excluded, and the route confirmed.

He said the capsule was packed in accordance with the radiation safety transport and regulations inside a box bolted onto a pallet.

'We believe the vibration of the truck may have impacted the integrity of the gauge, that it fell apart and the source actually came out of it,' he said.

'It is unusual for a gauge to come apart like this one has.'

An investigation will look at the handling of the gauge and capsule at the mine site, the transport route used and the procedures at the depot in Perth after it arrived on January 16.

It is believed a screw worked loose inside the large lead-lined gauge that contained the radioactive capsule and the unit fell through a hole left by the missing fastener (pictured, the search for the 10 cent-sized radioactive capsule)

Superintendent Darryl Ray admitted the capsule was missing for two weeks before authorities were notified (pictured, the search for the capsule)

Police have determined the incident to be an accident and no criminal charges are likely.

Authorities has also ruled out theft at the depot before the box was opened on Wednesday, saying there was anti-tampering tape on the box.

The small silver cylinder is a 19-gigabecquerel caesium 137 ceramic source commonly used in radiation gauges.

Dr Robertson previously said the unit emits the equivalent of having 10 X-rays in an hour and members of the public should stay at least five metres away.

Contact could result in skin damage, burns and radiation sickness, including impacts to the immune and the gastrointestinal systems.

Long-term exposure could also cause cancer, however, experts say the capsule cannot be weaponised.

'Our concern is someone will pick it up, not knowing what it is, think this is something interesting (and) keep it,' Dr Robertson said.
Prince Andrew appeared carefree today as he rode around the grounds of Windsor Castle after Ghislaine Maxwell's family said the disgraced royal couldn't have had bath sex with Virginia Giuffre because the tub was too small.

The Duke of York, 62, has been frequently spotted on horseback trotting through the greenery near the Royal residence and flashed a broad smile as he drove his Range Rover in the grounds.

Andrew allegedly slept with Virginia Roberts, now known as Virginia Giuffre, when she was just 17 years old on March 10, 2001.

The allegations ultimately destroyed the Prince's reputation and he was stripped of his public duties, titles and patronages.

Prince Andrew appeared carefree today as he rode around the grounds of Windsor Castle

The Duke of York, 62, has been frequently spotted on horseback trotting through the greenery near the Royal residence and flashed a broad smile as he drove his Range Rover in the grounds

It comes after Ghislaine Maxwell 's family said the disgraced royal couldn't have had bath sex with Virginia Giuffre because the tub was too small

The allegations ultimately destroyed the Prince's reputation and he was stripped of his public duties, titles and patronages

At the centre of Ms Giuffre's claims was a bathroom - specifically the bathtub - in the Maxwell's mews house in London's Belgravia.

She alleges she had sex with Prince Andrew in the bathroom of the property, one of three occasions in 2001 she claims that she was forced to have sexual relations with him on the orders of the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein and Maxwell.

The three double bedroom property was also said to be where Andrew was photographed with his arm around the bare waist of Roberts, one of convicted paedophile Epstein's victims.

However, the Maxwell family say the bathtub was too small for the Duke and Ms Giuffre to engage in sexual activity, The Telegraph reported.

They revealed the dimensions of the bath to the newspaper - the base of the tub measures 1,359mm by 380mm.

The family also created a mocked up photograph of what two people around the size of Prince Andrew and Ms Giuffre would look like in the bathtub.

In her memoir, The Billionaire's Playboy Club, recalling her visit to Maxwell's Belgravia house, Ms Giuffre wrote: 'I turned on the taps for the tub and the heat from the water began to steam up the small room . . . Trying to do the best of my youthfulness to try and act seductive, I gradually began to strip off my clothing, piece by piece . . . He loved every second of it as I went over to where he was waiting and watching, then began to undress him.'

She also described the bath as being a 'Victorian-style bathtub in the middle of the room which was on a beige marble tiled floor'.

Ms Giuffre claimed that after being with Andrew at Tramps nightclub, where he was 'raining sweat' over her, they returned to Maxwell's Belgravia home to have sex.

It comes as Prince Andrew claimed to friends that a 'mystery development' will restore his disgraced reputation within the coming months.

Prince Andrew allegedly slept with Virginia Roberts, now known as Virginia Giuffre, when she was just 17 years old on March 10, 2001

At the centre of Ms Giuffre's claims was a bathroom in the Maxwell's mews house in London 's Belgravia

The Maxwell family say the bathtub was too small for the Duke and Ms Giuffre to engage in sexual activity (stock image)

The Duke of York is regularly voted the least popular member of the Royal Family.

The King's brother has been assuring friends there is about to be a development which will restore his reputation.

If not quite back up to the heroic status he enjoyed as a helicopter pilot in the Falklands War, then at least to what it was before he was photographed in New York's Central Park talking to Epstein, shortly after the latter's release from prison in 2009 after serving a puzzlingly short sentence for sex offences.

It is when out shooting that the Duke of York tends to talk most freely. 'He says that details are about to be made public which will change people's perceptions of him.'

'He says that it will happen next month.'

Although Andrew, 62, does not elaborate further, the Mail on Sunday reported at the weekend that he is to launch a dramatic bid to overturn the multi-million-pound settlement he struck with the woman who accused him of sexual assault.

It is understood Andrew has consulted lawyers in an attempt to get Ms Giuffre to retract her allegations and possibly secure an apology.

He was inspired to act after Ms Giuffre dropped her lawsuit against another man she accused of sexual assault, admitting that she 'may have made a mistake' in identifying him.

But Ms Giuffre has always maintained her case against the duke was valid.

Andrew's relationship with Epstein was raised once again in a bombshell interview with Ghislaine Maxwell on TalkTV.

Speaking from prison, Maxwell said Prince Andrew was a 'dear friend' and said the accusations against him were unfounded.

In her first TV interview since she was jailed for child sex trafficking, the British socialite also claimed the infamous photo of her, Andrew and Ms Giuffre was a 'fake'.

Andrew is expected to claim that he never met Ms Giuffre and to argue that the photo is fake in his future legal action.

The Duke of York is consulting with lawyers in an attempt to get Ms Giuffre to retract her allegations against him

However, several high-profile forensic experts who have examined the photo, in which Andrew has his arm around a young Ms Giuffre, have said they believe it to be real.

Ms Giuffre alleges she was groomed by pedophile Epstein and his associate Maxwell, and forced to have sex with him on several occasions.

Prince Andrew denied ever meeting Ms Giuffre in a disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019.

He famously claimed he was at a Pizza Express in Woking at the time of one of the incidents mentioned by his accuser.

The son of the late Queen Elizabeth has suffered a series of humiliations since his car crash Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis in November 2019, as institutions have severed ties with him.

Fears are also growing that King Charles' coronation could be overshadowed by Ms Giuffre's memoir.

Multiple reports claim that Ms Giuffre has signed a book deal worth millions and it may be released just weeks before the historic ceremony.

Plans have been drawn up to 'maxmise' the book release with a publishing insider alleging: 'There will be no bigger occasion for her book than the crowning of the king.' Virginia Giuffre and lawyer David Boies are pictured in August 2019 at Federal Court in New York

She and Andrew, who has consistently denied the allegations, are said to have agreed to a gag clause which will expire in March, a year after they settled her civil rape claim against him.

Publishing insiders have said that Ms Giuffre's memoir could be released just weeks before Charles' coronation, telling The Mirror: 'There will be no bigger occasion for her book than the crowning of the king.'

'All eyes will be on the royal family in the weeks leading up to Charles's coronation,' the insider alleged, noting that 'book releases are all about timing.'

Ms Giuffre's publisher wants to capitalise on the fact that a global audience will be talking about the May 6 coronation and what royal festivities Andrew will be invited to partake in.

The insider added that Ms Giuffre's memoir, which is said to have been 12 years in the making, may not be able to directly repeat her allegations about the Prince but will still 'pour further embarrassment on Andrew, the royals and the biggest day of his own brother's life.'

Ms Giuffre's book deal is said to be worth 'millions,' multiple sources told the New York Post.
A Moroccan man said to have been planning to machine gun tourists on a Benidorm beach has been arrested in Spain in an operation involving the FBI.

The 26-year-old, described by police as being in an 'advanced state of jihadist radicalisation', was held in the Catalan city of Girona.

A judge who remanded him in prison yesterday pending an ongoing investigation said in his jail ruling the terror suspect had expressed an interest in acquiring weapons to carry out a potential attack on beaches in the famous Costa Blanca resort loved by British tourists.

Local reports said he had been planning to film the machine gun attack and post it on social media networks run by ISIS, which is better known in Spain as Daesh.

A Moroccan man said to have been planning to machine gun tourists on a Benidorm beach has been arrested in Spain in an operation involving the FBI

The 26-year-old, described by police as being in an 'advanced state of jihadist radicalisation', was held in the Catalan city of Girona

Pictured: The Moroccan man is escorted away by police officers. Local reports said he had been planning to film the machine gun attack and post it on social media networks run by ISIS, which is better known in Spain as Daesh

He is also said to have been seeking information on the Dark Web about the components needed to make TATP, a peroxide-based explosive known as Mother of Satan found in the ruins of a bomb factory used by the terrorists behind the murderous attacks in Barcelona's Las Ramblas and nearby Cambrils in August 2018.

Spanish Interior Ministry sources also said the suspect, named locally as Fath Allah Benhachem Grarrass, had regularly viewed videos of Islamic extremist attacks in Europe, including a stabbing on a train he watched 18 times to allegedly 'improve his technique.'

He was arrested two hours before another Moroccan injured a priest and killed a church sexton in Algeciras on Wednesday evening after attacking them with a machete.

Police only went with the new detention early today following his remand in prison.

The man was arrested two hours before another Moroccan injured a priest and killed a church sexton in Algeciras on Wednesday evening after attacking them with a machete

Police only went with the new detention early today following his remand in prison

The man is also said to have been seeking information on the Dark Web about the components needed to make TATP, a peroxide-based explosive known as Mother of Satan found in the ruins of a bomb factory used by the terrorists behind the murderous attacks in Barcelona's Las Ramblas and nearby Cambrils in August 2018

Pictured: The suspect and police officers. Spanish Interior Ministry sources also said the suspect, named locally as Fath Allah Benhachem Grarrass, had regularly viewed videos of Islamic extremist attacks in Europe, including a stabbing on a train he watched 18 times to allegedly 'improve his technique'

A spokesman for Spain's National Police, revealing the FBI had played a vital role in identifying the suspect and they had worked in conjunction with the Civil Guard in making the arrest, said: 'An individual of Moroccan origin with Spanish nationality has been arrested in Girona for his alleged links to terrorist crimes.

'He was in an advanced stage of jihadist radicalisation and had a very violent and aggressive profile.

'He maintained active profiles on different social media platforms and used the Dark Web to advance his terrorist plans.

'He also used internet to show his support for Daesh and to obtain self-teach manuals about the use of weapons and explosives and to acquire weapons.

'Investigators also confirmed he viewed Islamic extremist attacks in Europe.

'The same day of his arrest he carried out online searches on how to carry out stabbings and other attacks with bladed weapons.

'International cooperation has been essential in this investigation with the FBI playing a vital role in identifying and neutralising this suspected terrorist.'
A County Lines drug dealer was jailed for nine years after police found pictures of him on his phone posing with guns.

JJ Logan Cross, 22, was arrested after a cardboard box full of firearms and ammunition were found at a garage in Beeston, Nottingham, in December 2021.

A court heard the young drug dealer's fingerprints was on two of the guns and when he was arrested officers searched his mobile phone.

They found damning evidence of the brazen thug posing for photographs while brandishing a revolver and a sawn-off shotgun.

JJ Logan Cross, 22, pictured above, was jailed for nine years after police found photographs of him posing with a revolver and a sawn-off shotgun

The drug dealer's fingerprints were found on two guns inside a box of firearms the police found

Cross, of Bilborough, Nottingham, went on to be linked to a string of organised criminality involving firearms, Class A drugs and money laundering.

Detectives had found he had been using a dedicated mobile phone line to sell Class A drugs within Nottinghamshire and across county borders.

They later found the stash of guns, which included a Russian Baikal 27E-1C bore shotgun, a Webley Mk VI revolver, a Smith and Wesson revolver, and a Colt DA.

A further lock-up garage in Wollaton, Nottingham, had already been linked to him and was searched in February last year.

Detectives found the stash of guns, which included a Russian Baikal 27E-1C bore shotgun, a Webley Mk VI revolver, a Smith and Wesson revolver, and a Colt DA

Inside, cops found 80,000 worth of heroin, 5,000 worth of cocaine, 7,000 in cash and a stolen motorbike.

Cross was charged with possession of firearms and ammunition, possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to supply and possession of the criminal property.

He pleaded guilty to the charges in December last year and was jailed at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (26/1).

Detective Inspector Nikki Smith, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'This was a great piece of investigative work by two police teams working closely together.

'The officers' skill and dedication have resulted in us taking potentially lethal firearms and large quantities of drugs off the streets.

'After today's sentencing, it has also allowed us to put this individual behind bars for a significant amount of time.

'The hefty sentence handed down to Cross sends a clear message to other organised criminals operating in the area and causing misery in our communities.

'The severity of his offences should not be underestimated, and the quantities of drugs we are talking about here are substantial.

'The fact that Cross also possessed lethal firearms shows his complete disregard for public safety.

'We continue to work relentlessly to crack down on weapon-enabled and drug-related crime and to reduce the availability of firearms and drugs in our neighbourhoods.

'We treat all such reports with the utmost severity and will always do everything in our power to keep people safe and take action against anyone found to be breaking the law.'
Shocking CCTV footage showed a doughnut shop getting burgled for the second time in three weeks.

The two thugs smashed through the Royal Doughnuts' glass door in Grangetown, Cardiff at 2.41am on January, 24, 2023.

To the burglar's disappointment when they jumped over the counter to find the cash register empty, they went on to steal a tray of doughnuts worth just 45.

The footage shows the two people arriving on two white bicycles dressed in dark clothing.

The pair wore hooded jackets which hid their faces from the CCTV cameras. One thus kept watch outside while the other smashed through the door and lept over the counter.

Once the thug realised the till was empty they proceeded to steal a tray of six doughnuts which they then add an extra three to.

The person jumps back over the shop counter and returns to their accomplice outside. The two walk off down Clare Road holding their bicycles and and the steel tray of doughnuts at their side.

The shop till was empty this time but this was sadly not the case three weeks ago.

Royal Doughnuts was also targetted on 2, January, when two burglars stole 200 which had been left in the till overnight and another tray of doughnuts.

The pair dressed in hooded dark clothing smashed Royal Doughnut's glass door in Grangetown, Cardiff at 2.41am on January, 24, 2023

One accomplice waits outside while the other jumps over the counter to check the till

When the thug realises the till is emty they then head for the doughnuts and steal nine in total

The pair make off with the food and walk down Clare Road holding the steel tray of doughnuts and the bicycles

Steve Ibrahim, 26, opened this German dessert chain store on December 17.

Steve told the Cardffian: 'I feel disappointed, I worked really hard to get where I am now opening this shop,

'The licence for the franchise was very expensive and I spent a lot of money on the design and everything else and to know that twice it's been broken into in the space of less than a month is just very disappointing.

'A couple more break-ins and I could close (permanently).

'Which means the couple of staff I have could lose their jobs, I lose my job, and the community loses a nice treat shop that they can come to.'

Steve is not alone in being targeted. South Wales Police are investigating three other reported burglaries on the same morning.

There were 262 crimes reported surrounding Grangetown, Cardiff, Cymru / Wales in November 2022, according to UK Crime Statistics.

Most crimes occurred on or near Leckwith Road just 1.8 miles from the doughnut shop.
A British father who died during a trip to Disney World from a fentanyl overdose may have obtained the drug by mistake.

Officials believe Philip Weybourne, 40, likely did not intend to buy fentanyl and could have thought it was something else.

Mr Weybourne, director of an international IT company from West Malling in Kent, was holidaying in Florida with his wife and young son when he suddenly collapsed in May last year.

He'd been drinking alone in a bar at the resort prior to falling ill.

According to police and autopsy reports seen by The Times, Mr Weybourne had taken a taxi in which officers found a bag 'that appeared to be packaged as an unknown type of illicit drug'.

Philip Weybourne died after ingesting a fatal amount of fentanyl while on holiday in Florida

The bag contained a powder substance which police believe Mr Weybourne may have acquired in the American Boulevard area of Orlando, Florida - not far from his resort.

An inquest held at Maidstone County Hall earlier revealed a blood test conducted after his death found fatal levels of fentanyl in his system  a powerful synthetic opioid similar to morphine which requires only two milligrams to prove potentially fatal.

The drug, which killed pop star Prince, is thought to have been responsible for the deaths of nearly one million people in the United States since 1999.

Fentanyl is 100 times more potent than morphine and started off as a cheap and potent alternative to heroin used by only the most hardcore drug addicts in the US, who mainly injected it or smoked it through a pipe.

The 40-year-old had been to the Boathouse restaurant in Orlando with his wife and young son for lunch on the day of his death, and left feeling well

Now, it is often used to lace virtually every other street drug, making an already dangerous practice of buying illicit substances infinitely more dangerous.

What is fentanyl and why is it so dangerous? Fentanyl was originally developed in Belgium in the 1950s to aid cancer patients with their pain management. Given its extreme potency it has become popular amongst recreational drug users. Overdose deaths linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl jumped from nearly 10,000 in 2015 to nearly 20,000 in 2016 - surpassing common opioid painkillers and heroin for the first time. And drug overdoses killed more than 72,000 people in the US in 2017  a record driven by fentanyl. It is often added to heroin because it creates the same high as the drug, with the effects biologically identical. But it can be up to 50 times more potent than heroin, according to officials in the US. In the US, fentanyl is classified as a schedule II drug - indicating it has some medical use but it has a strong potential to be abused and can create psychological and physical dependence. Advertisement

Because it is cut into other popular drugs, many people who die of overdoses do not know they are taking fentanyl.

Dr Joshua Stephany, who performed the autopsy, determined there were no other illegal substances in Mr Weybourne's system at the time of his death.

'Like any unknown substance bought illicitly, you don't know what you're buying or taking,' the publication reported him as writing in his findings.

Mr Weybourne's death was officially ruled an accident.

According to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration: 'Fentanyl is the single deadliest drug threat our nation has ever encountered. No community is safe from this poison.'

In a statement read at the hearing, his wife Dorlyn Weybourne said: 'On May 23, we woke up late and had no theme parks to attend on that day.

'It was just going to be a relaxing day. We had the best lunch, we drunk champagne like we did when we lived in Dubai.

'Afterwards we went on an amphibious car ride and to end our day we headed back to the hotel at about 5.30pm.'

Mrs Weybourne explained that her husband, the Middle East director of Excis Compliance Limited, wanted to continue drinking and went to the Yacht Club hotel at Epcot Resorts Boulevard alone.

Two hours later she heard a knock at her hotel room door and she was told that her husband had been taken in an ambulance to hospital.

Mrs Weybourne said: 'I asked them if it was heat stroke or a heart attack.

'When I got to the hospital I didn't see my husband. I just remember the doctor telling me his time of death, 8:06pm.'

The doctors told Mrs Weybourne that her husband had died from a cardiac arrest. After the autopsy it was revealed that he had fatal levels of fentanyl in his system.

Assistant coroner Catherine Wood said: 'He had no underlying health issues and I am content, after the findings of the autopsy, that his death was caused by fatal levels of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid used as a pain medication.'
TD general secretary Nara Lokesh on the second day of his pada yatra 'Yuva Galam'. (Photo: Twitter: @naralokesh)

Anantapur: On the second day of his pada yatra 'Yuva Galam', Lokesh interacted with women and local farmers at Ganeshpuram Crossroads near Kuppam. The farmers and women narrated to Mr Lokesh that their lives have become very burdensome with the steep hike in the prices of essential commodities.

The farmers explained that metres are being fixed forcibly for the motors and the taxes too have been hiked. "On the one hand the State Government is paying us just Rs 10 and on the other they are grabbing Rs 100 from us," they told Lokesh. Mr Lokesh said that there is a huge scam in the purchase of metres and these metres are fixed only to loot the farmers.

The TD general secretary also visited the community halls of Kurubas and Valmikis and members of these communities told Mr Lokesh that the YSRC Government deliberately stalled the construction of these halls. Even the land allotted to these community halls are illegally occupied by the local YSRC leaders while belt-shops are being run in the half-built community halls, they informed the TD general secretary.

He said that the lone Chief Minister in the country who brought down the reservations percentage for BCs is Jagan Mohan Reddy. "As the percentage of quota for BCs has been brought down by 10 per cent, thousands of leaders have lost their posts in the local bodies," Lokesh observed.

Later, the students of the Government Degree College also met him and informed him that they are not getting their scholarships. "Though there are reports that schemes like Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Deevena are being implemented, we are not receiving any benefits. New courses are introduced in the college but there are no facilities," they informed Lokesh.

The students said that buse services were withdrawn and no drinking water facility for them on the college campus. "Once the TD is back in power, all these problems will be resolved immediately," Lokesh said and added that all the industries in Kuppam were set up during the Chandrababu Naidu regime.

Later, Lokesh met farmers couple, Rajamma and Muniratnam, who were working in their agricultural fields. They informed Lokesh that they suffered huge losses with tomato crop as not even Minimum Support Price (MSP) is not being paid.

"The Agricultural Minister is against whom a theft case is pending and this Minister forgot the farmers with making rounds to the CBI," he said. Lokesh promised to pay the MSP for all the crops once the TD is back in power. Jagan chased out the Britania company which set up its unit here during the TD rule, he added.

Teja, who sustained grievous injuries in a road accident and got monetary benefit of Rs 16 lakh during the Chandrababu Naidu regime, walked to Lokesh to thank him for the assistance. "I am able to walk now only with the help extended by Chandarbabu," Teja said and even broke down after hugging Lokesh.
A Palestinian attacker in his early teens has wounded at least two people after opening fire in east Jerusalem this morning.

Police said they shot and overpowered the 13-year-old attacker, wounding him. He was taken to a hospital, they said, and there was no further word on his condition.

The shooting took place in the Palestinian neighborhood of Silwan in east Jerusalem, and wounded at least two men, aged 23 and 47, in their upper bodies.

Paramedics said they were fully conscious and in moderate to serious condition in the hospital.

Yesterday another assailant killed seven outside a synagogue in the deadliest attack in the city since 2008.

A man on a stretcher, suspected to be attacker, is brought to a Police van by Israeli police officers at the scene of a shooting near the Old City in Jerusalem

Israeli security forces gather in Jerusalem's predominantly Arab neighbourhood of Silwan, where an assailant reportedly shot and wounded two people

Israeli police officers and rescue services at the scene of a shooting

The scene of the attack was taped off while emergency vehicles and security forces swarmed the area.

Saturday's events raised the possibility of further escalation in one of the bloodiest months in Israel and the occupied West Bank in several years.

On Friday, a Palestinian gunman killed at least seven people in a Jewish settlement with a large ultra-Orthodox population in east Jerusalem.

Police said the gunman arrived at around 8.15 pm and opened fire, hitting a number of people before he was killed by police.

TV footage showed several victims lying in the road outside the synagogue being tended to by emergency workers.

Israeli emergency service personnel and security forces stand near a covered body at the site of a reported attack in a settler neighbourhood of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, on January 27, 2023.

Israeli forces work near the scene of a shooting attack in Neve Yaacov

The attack, which police described as a 'terrorist incident', underlined fears of an escalation in violence after months of clashes in the West Bank culminating in an Israeli raid in Jenin on Thursday that killed at least nine Palestinians.

A police spokesman said the death toll stands at seven, with others injured. The gunman was shot and killed at the scene.

The Magen David Adom emergency response service reported a total of 10 gunshot victims, including a 70-year-old and a 14-year-old boy.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir - leader of one of the hardline nationalist parties in Netanyahu's new government - visited the site of the attack and were greeted with a mixture of cheers and boos.

The events pose pivotal test for Israel's new far-right government. Its firebrand minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has presented himself as an enforcer of law and order and grabbed headlines for his promises to take even stronger action against the Palestinians.

Israeli police had launched a security crackdown early on Saturday following the attack near the synagogue.

Victims of a shooting attack are covered on the ground near a synagogue in Jerusalem, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023.

Security forces fanned out into the gunman's neighborhood of At-Tur in east Jerusalem and arrested 42 family members, neighbors and others close to him for questioning. Police Chief Kobi Shabtai beefed up security forces and instructed police to work 12-hour shifts, the statements said, urging the public to call a hotline if they see anything suspicious.

The earlier Friday attack, which occurred as residents were observing the Jewish sabbath, came a day after an Israeli military raid killed nine Palestinians in the West Bank. Friday's shooting set off celebrations in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, where people fired guns into the air, honked horns and distributed sweets.

The burst of violence also included a rocket barrage from Gaza and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes and also cast a cloud over a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region Sunday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had held a security assessment and decided on "immediate actions." He said he would convene his Security Cabinet on Saturday night, after the end of the sabbath, to discuss a further response.
A takeaway chef has customers flocking to an Oldham restaurant after mimicking Salt Bae's trademark sprinkling move.

The restaurant in Greater Manchester has gained more than 20,000 followers as its head chef took to TikTok in a copy-cat act of the celebrity butcher.

Razu Kamali - known as 'Salt Bahi' on social media - is often styled wearing black gloves and shades much like Salt Bae, while copying his signature seasoning technique.

The TikToks often feature the cooking process of Bank Grill's meals with Salt Bahi's extra touches as staff occasionally dance in the kitchen.

'The only Salt Bahi you need in your life' - one video is captioned.

Salt Bahi, 44, translating to 'salt brother' in Bengali, uses sesame seed to season steaks rather than salt while mimicking the Turkish chef.

Takeaway boss, Tayyab Ali, 27, told The Sun that their online presence has helped to 'attract new customers' and 'more than 20 million views'.

Takeaway chef 'Salt Bahi' has customers flocking to his restaurant after mimicking Salt Bae's trademark sprinkling move

He added: 'When customers come in, he will put his glasses on and get into character and have a picture with them.'

The Oldham restaurant offers a variety of food including steak meat, with their 'mix mashup' dish priced at 15.95 - a far cheaper deal than Salt Bae's Nusr-Et Steakhouse in Knightsbridge.

Salt Bae - whose real name is Nusret Gokce - has previously been criticised for serving overpriced food at the Kensington venue.

In his video 'Life of Salt Bahi', Razu Kamali, is captured in circular shades and black gloves

He takes viewers through the cooking process at the Bank Grill in Oldham, Greater Manchester

Gokce's gold-coated steaks have drawn in online attention - with snaps captured in 2022 of meat wrapped in 24 karat gold.

The chef has also found himself in hot water for boasting about the prices at his eatery last year, with one party paying 140,000.

Nusret Gokce rose to viral fame back in 2017 for his unusual meat seasoning technique where he lets salt run down his elbow.

The Oldham restaurant offers a variety of food including steak meat, with their 'mix mashup' dish priced at 15.95 - a far cheaper deal than Salt Bae's Nusr-Et Steakhouse in Knightsbridge

He was reported to have made 7million in sales in the first four months of his chain restaurant Nusr-Et.

It has been a hit with Instagrammers who have flocked to Knightsbridge, posing with the steakhouse's standout stairs and showcasing the expensive dishes.
An American tourist has been hit with a 500 fine this week after attempting to cross the famous medieval Ponte Vecchio bridge in Italy in a rented Fiat Panda.

The Californian man, who has not been identified, was reportedly searching for a parking spot.

He told police he was unaware he was even on the famous bridge, which is generally heaving with tourists and one of the most famous sites in Florence.

An American tourist has been hit with a 500 fine this week after attempting to cross the famous medieval Ponte Vecchio bridge in Italy in a rented Fiat Panda

Ponte Vecchio bridge Ponte Vecchio was once the only bridge crossing the Arno and the sole bridge left standing after World War II. It is lined with charming stores and a tourist hotspot for the region. The bridge is considered one of the most romantic spots in all of Florence. Advertisement

The Ponte Vecchio is a 98ft landmark crossing the Arno River, famously narrow and the cobblestoned walkway is lined with shops.

The original bridge was built in 996 and finished in 1345, but has since been swept away by floods and rebuilt several times over.

A City of Florence spokesperson told CNN the man was also fined for driving without an international driver's permit.

The man, 34, attempted to cross the bridge on the afternoon of January 26 in a rented Fiat Panda.

He was swiftly stopped by police, and reportedly told them he had bee planning to explore Florence by car.

The bridge is the only one in the entire city which was left standing after World War II, narrowly escaping the bombing.

It is about to undergo a renovation project worth 2 million.
Hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders have been warned to stay at home with more dangerous weather on the way after horrific flooding devastated Auckland.

Three lives have been claimed by the floods, two in Wairau Valley and one in Remuera, following torrential rain on Friday.

Authorities admitted the death toll could soon rise and the New Zealand meteorology centre Met Service warned more severe rain is on the way on Sunday.

'Our team are tracking a number for intense thunderstorms to the east of Auckland,' it tweeted Saturday night.

'We may issue a red thunderstorm warning for localised areas if they are intense.'

In light of the forecast for Sunday, Auckland officials have urged residents to stay home and minimise travel.

Photos show hundreds of residents have been displaced across the city with the rain set to continue through to the end of the week (pictured, residents in floodwater)

Aucklanders have been urged to stay home if they're safe to do so with more rain set to hit the flood-stricken city on Sunday (pictured, the rain radar for Auckland on Saturday night)

Major roads have been blocked by the devastating floods, causing long traffic queues on highways (above)

The widespread flooding across Auckland has taken three lives with authorities warning that number could soon rise (pictured, a flooded Auckland worksite)

'This has been an incredibly challenging 24 hours for our communities and recovery will take some time,' says Auckland Emergency Management duty controller Rachel Kelleher.

'We want people to keep themselves safe, keep an eye on upcoming weather reports and to stay home if it is safe to do so.'

Kelleher also urged people to stay home overnight and to avoid any unnecessary travel.

Residents across the city have been evacuated, with severe damage to homes and buildings.

Auckland recorded its wettest ever day on Friday with more than 150mm of rain falling in just three hours.

The sudden deluge saw Auckland's Mayor Wayne Brown declare a state of emergency on Friday night due to the extent of the 'damage, displacement and disruption' caused by the weather.

Elton John's concert in the city, which was expected to by attended by about 40,000 people, was cancelled on Friday due to the floods.

Major roads have also been blocked by the floods, causing long traffic queues on highways.

The wet weather is set to hang over the city for the rest of the week but the heaviest rain is expected to fall further south.

Three people are dead and several are missing as a record amount of rain, wild floods and landslides battered Auckland

Floods have caused extensive damage to major infrastructure around Auckland (pictured, a damaged road)

The Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Taupo have all been placed under severe thunderstorm watch with localised falls up to 40mm per hour forecast.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins issued a plea on Saturday for all residents who are safe to stay home to do so.

'The levels of devastation in some areas is considerable,' the PM said, 1News reports.

'Our priority is to ensure that Aucklanders are safe, that they are housed and that they have access to the essential services that they need.

'The loss of life underscores just the sheer scale of this weather event and how quickly it turned tragic.'

Mr Hipkins also told Aucklanders to refrain from 'panic buying' with many supermarkets still open around the city, saying 'there is no need'.

Travellers have been left stranded at Auckland international and domestic airports as floodwater rises (pictured Friday night)

A state of emergency was declared in Auckland on Friday due to devastating floods fuelled by torrential rain (pictured, an emergency worker and residents wade in through flood in Auckland)

Fire and Emergency crews have responded to 719 weather related-calls between Friday morning and 7.30am on Saturday, Nine News reports.

Those calls include 126 rescues for people trapped in cars or houses, 84 'priority one' incidents where people were at high risk and 237 'priority two' incidents where people were at a possible risk.

A total of 2,242 calls were put through to the Fire and Emergency Communications Centre staff.

Photos and footage online shows hundreds of residents have been displaced around the city - though the actual number has not yet been determined.

Images show significant damage to homes, cars and major infrastructure around Auckland with people fleeing their submerged homes.

Fortunately, international flights are set to resume Sunday morning with departures to leave at about 5am and the airport accepting arrivals from 7am.

Both the international and domestic airports were suddenly closed on Friday night after flood water inundated check-in areas and terminals.

New Zealand meteorology centre Met Service said 154mm of rain fell over the airport (above) between 9am and 8pm on Friday - the 12-hour record for the area is 161.8mm

Auckland Emergency Management Andrew Clark anyone without a safe place to evacuate or in need of assistance to head to the Civil Defence Centre that's been set up in Kelston (pictured, residents in floodwater)

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins issued a plea on Saturday for all residents who are safe to stay home to do so (pictured, residents on a flooded Auckland street)

International flights will resume Sunday morning after flooding closed the domestic and international airports (pictured, airport on Friday night)

Domestic flights began operating again on Saturday.

However, the continued delay means stranded internationals travellers are facing another night trapped in the flooded airport.

'We know this is extremely frustrating but the safety of passengers is our top priority,' Auckland Airport tweeted on Saturday afternoon.

Sydney man Mark Andrews - who was due to fly home at 6.15pm on Friday - said about 1,000 displaced passengers left to sleep on the airport floor.

To make matters worse, Mr Andrews said blankets weren't handed out until 5am on Saturday with people unable to leave due to customer regulations on top of the floods.

'A lot of people were cold,' he told Nine, describing the airport as a 'zomebieland'.
Regional carrier Flybe today revealed it had suspended all operations and fallen into administration.

Travel plans for 75,000 passengers have been plunged into chaos, while devastated staff learned they'd lost their jobs in the early hours this morning.

Customers were able to book flights and pay additional fees for luggage just six hours before the announcement was made.

Here, MailOnline answers some of the burning questions in the aftermath of the administration announcement.

Regional carrier Flybe has cancelled all flights into and out of the UK this morning - sparking travel misery for passengers as the airline is plunged into administration

What is happening to flights?

All Flybe flights have been grounded immediately, and will not be rescheduled.

Today, a Flybe spokesperson and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said would-be travellers should not make their way to the airport if they have a flight scheduled.

'Please do not travel to the airport unless you have arranged an alternative flight with another airline,' the spokesperson said.

The airline will not arrange alternative flights or travel plans for impacted passengers.

However, if flights have been booked through a third party or a travel agent, it is worth contacting them directly.

Will I get a refund?

Some insurance policies should cover for refunds, however it does depend n the protection taken out.

Passengers who paid for their tickets on a credit or debit card and booked direct with the airline may also find it easier to secure a refund.

Flybe has not yet released any details surrounding refunds, and the nature of the closure indicates there may not be any money left to offer.

Customers already awaiting refunds from previously cancelled flights have reported struggling to get in contact with the airline.

If tickets cost 100 or less, passengers should attempt to use chargeback to recuperate funds.

Today, a Flybe spokesperson and the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said would-be travellers should not make their way to the airport if they have a flight scheduled

Am I entitled to compensation?

The government is unlikely to step in to offer compensation because most Flybe flights are not ATOL protected.

Flybe has not announced any compensation packages to the 75,000 impacted passengers.

If insured, customers should contact their insurer.

Will I need to book a new flight?

British Airways is offering discounted flights for impacted Flybe customers.

The airline said in a statement: 'Following the suspension of services, we're supporting affected customers by offering discounted one-way fares of 50/60 plus taxes, fees and charges, including hold luggage of 23kgs on selected routes.'

Matthew Hall, chief executive of Belfast City Airport, said: 'First and foremost, our thoughts are with Flybe employees and passengers affected by this disappointing and unexpected news.

'Passengers booked on Flybe flights should not travel to the airport and should seek further advice from the Civil Aviation Authority.

'Flybe operated 10 flights to and from Belfast City, eight of which are currently served by other carriers from our airport.'

And LoganAir said in a statement: 'The collapse once more of Flybe is a sad day for the industry, adversely impacting their staff, who will lose their jobs, and customers.

'Our Manchester to Newquay service will relaunch 10 Feb and we would encourage customers to book early to avoid any disappointment.'

British Airways is offering discounted flights for impacted Flybe customers

How did this happen?

The announcement comes after Flybe returned to the skies in April following an earlier collapse.

The airline first announced it would cease in March 2020, costing 2,400 employees their jobs as the Covid pandemic ravaged the tourism sector.

It returned with a plan to operate up to 530 flights per week across 23 routes, serving airports such as Belfast City, Birmingham, East Midlands, Glasgow, Heathrow and Leeds Bradford.

A spokesperson for the insolvency firm confirmed to MailOnline that customers were able to book flights and services as late as 11pm last night - just four hours before joint administrators were appointed.

The spokesperson defended this situation, while acknowledging customers would no doubt 'feel angry and frustrated about this'.

'Unfortunately, this is a conundrum faced by many businesses faced with possible insolvency,' the spokesperson said.

'Due to the ongoing discussions that were taking place with interested parties regarding a potential sale of the business, it was not possible to inform customers of the potential insolvency proceedings before the appointment of administrators.

'Any announcement about the possibility that the sales process might not ultimately be successful and thus imply the potential for insolvency proceedings would have been both premature and, unavoidably, self-fulfilling. Making such a statement would also have irreparably harmed trading and risked exposing the fleet to arrest by creditors.'

For further information customers are advised to contact flybecustomers@interpathadvisory.com
A Tennessee sheriff has suspended two deputies and ordered a new investigation into Tyre Nichols' death after personally reviewing the sickening video.

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said he had 'concerns' about the two deputies who arrived after Nichols was beaten, putting them on leave as he launches an internal review over the officers' conduct.

A street cam video of the altercation, which began over a traffic stop, shows two officers, who have not been identified, arriving at the scene after five had beaten and pinned Nichols, 29, to the ground.

The group of officers could be seen standing around the injured man, first bumping each other as he lays twitching on the ground before an eighth officer appears and paramedics arrive.

The video shows two more officers arriving at the scene of Tyre Nichols brutal beating, as the group of cops just stand around ignoring the man writhing in pain

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. has suspended two deputies who responded to the scene after reviewing the video that left him 'sad and angry'

Nichols died in the hospital after he was tased, kicked and punched in the head, struck three times with a metal baton, and twice sprayed with pepper spray in the face

In his full statement, Bonner said: 'Having watched the videotape for the first time tonight, I have concerns about two deputies who arrived on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tyre Nichols.

'I have launched an internal investigation into the conduct of these deputies to determine what occurred and if any policies were violated,' he added. 'Both of these deputies have been relieved of duty pending the outcome of this administrative investigation.'

The brutal beating caught on police body camera and a street surveillance camera show the group of officers delivering brutal kicks and sucker punches to Nichols as he lies on the ground.

After they handcuff and pin him to the ground, three other officers arrive and the group can be seen standing by as Nichol is left dragged and propped up to sit.

The injured man, however, is unable to keep himself sitting and writes and twitches, but the officers do not tend to him, and two are seen fist-bumping each other by the hood of the patrol car.

Another pair is also seen congratulating each other with a fist-bump, continuing to ignore the flailing Nichols.

Nichols' family attorney - Antonio Romanucci, told MSNBC that the two suspended deputies could face criminal charges like the five who were caught on camera beating the 29-year-old.

'I will not be at all surprised when more criminal charges come against police officers, Romanucci said. 'Am I surprised it's taking this long?

I've been around long enough, I've had to wait six months, a year to two years or not at all for charges to come so the fact that at least the administrator part of it is coming.

'I think we know what's coming next. They're going to be looked at criminally also,' he added. 'These officers who failed to render aid who did not intervene - they should be looked at administratively and also criminally.'

Nichols is seen propped up against the car, bloodied and barely conscious as the police ignored him, with at least four officers seen fist-bumping each other

Bonner has condemned the attack that left Nichols dead after he was tased, kicked and punched in the head, struck three times with a metal baton, and twice sprayed with pepper spray in the face.

'I am a second-generation law enforcement officer, and I am troubled by what we all saw captured on video,' Bonner said in a statement. This horrible incident tarnished the badge that I wear, and many other good officers wear every day.

'I will do everything in my power to prevent another parent from having to bury their child in such a senseless and tragic way.

'My heartfelt condolences are expressed to the family and friends of Tyre Nichols. I am sad and angry about his tragic death,' he added.

As the investigation continues over Nichols death, his stepfather Rodney Wells and his lawyer, famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump, said the video demonstrates that other first responders should be reprimanded.

Tyre Nichols' stepfather Rodney Wells (above) has called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to fail to render aid after he was savagely beaten by police

Wells called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to stand by after his stepson was savagely beaten, while Crump questioned by a white officer who was present at the beginning of Nichols' traffic stop hasn't been charged yet.

'Everyone - the fire department, paramedics that came out that stood around and didn't do anything - they're just as guilty,' Wells told ABC News following the release of the video.

'Everyone that was active in the whole scene, the whole video, should be charged,' he added.

The five cops who were fired and charged over Nichols' death are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith.

They are charged with second-degree murder, assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

Memphis Police Director Cerelyn Davis has said other officers are under investigation for their part in the arrest.

Davis described the five officers' actions as 'heinous, reckless and inhumane.'

Charged with second degree murder are (top, left to right) Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and (bottom, left to right) Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith

The video released on Friday night shows Nichols crying out for his mother multiple times during the brutal January 7 assault, which took place just a few blocks from his home.

'Mom! Mom,' Nichols yells as he is pinned to the ground by multiple officers who proceed to beat him.

The video shows police rained at least nine blows down on the FedEx worker while screaming profanities throughout the nearly four-minute altercation.

One of the videos released by Memphis Police shows the moment Nichols was pepper sprayed in the face after yelling for his mother.

The spraying officer appeared to get himself and another as they jumped away from the scene of the arrest, cursing and yelling in pain.

'Ah s***,' the officers could be heard saying as one wiped his face and walked back to Nichols, who was on his feet..

'Watch out! I'm going to baton the f*** out of you,' the officer said as he swings his baton while another sucker punches Nichols.

After all five officers appear at the scene, they can be heard saying: ''Ah, you motherf***** made me spray myself.'

One Memphis officer could be seen crying in pain as he needed to get his eyes washed after pepper spraying Tyre Nichols

Another video shows one of the Memphis officers pacing back and forth in pain as a fellow officer pours water into his eye to flush out the mace.

As he asks repeatedly for each of his eyes to be cleaned, the assistings officer says: 'I can't see jack s***. My glasses, when he was fighting me.'

The officer eventually finds his glasses and notes that he almost got pepper spray in his own eye.

When he's told that Nichols has been caught and detained by other officers, one of them comments: 'I hope they stomp his a**. I hope they stomp his a**.'

At the scene of the arrest, where Nichols was ignored after being left writhing in pain, one of the officers could be seen smoking a cigarette while others just stood around

At the arrest scene, a street camera captured the moment a group of officers beat Nichols, pinning him to the ground and arresting him.

The 29-year-old is then left writhing in agony as seven officers could be seen standing over him, with four fist-bumping each other and ignoring the dying man.

One of them eventually pulls out a cigarette and enjoys a smoke while conversing with his fellow officers before the paramedics arrive.

Throughout the videos, officers make claims about Nichols that are not supported by the footage, or what the district attorney or other officials have said about the case.

In one of the videos, an officer claims that during the initial traffic stop Nichols wrestled for his gun before fleeing. The video does not depict such an incident.

Paramedics arrive on the scene about five minutes after the beating, but do not seem to render immediate aid to Nichols, after cops claimed he was high on drugs

After Nichols was handcuffed and leaning against a police car, several officers claimed that he must have been high, but officers found no drugs at the scene.

The footage has been widely condemned by police departments and unions across the country.

The national president of the Fraternal Order of Police issued a scathing statement in response to the video of police beating Nichols.

Patrick Yoes said the officers' physical confrontation with Nichols 'does not constitute legitimate police work or a traffic stop gone wrong.'

Instead, Yoes called it a 'criminal assault under the pretext of law.'

The latest case of alleged police brutality has led to a wave of protests around the country, with violent demonstrations breaking out after the videos were made public.

One protester was seen standing over a clearly smashed police car front window in New York City

Police officers take a smiling demonstrator, who smashed the window of a police car, into custody during the protest against the police assault of Tyre Nichols at Times Square in New York, United States on January 27, 2023

One demonstrator was spotting hurling a firework at an LAPD cruiser during a huge march in the city

One demonstrator was spotting hurling a firework at an LAPD cruiser during a huge march in the city.

Meanwhile in New York City a man was photographed standing atop a smashed in police vehicle windshield.

Officers quickly dragging him down and arrested him. At least three have been taken into custody in the Big Apple as part of the protests, according to NBC New York.

Another stood over a cop car with a tattered American flag. Antifa has issued a call to arms for protestors to light up New York City on Friday night.

In Memphis, protesters chanted: 'Say his name! Tyre Nichols!' and several dozen protesters blocked a heavily traveled bridge on Interstate 55 that is one of two main spans connecting Arkansas and Tennessee over the Mississippi River.

Many more protests continued into the weekend in Memphis, Atlanta and Boston as demonstrators demanded justice for the 29-year-old.

Video of Nichols' arrest spawned a wave of protests on Friday carrying into the weekend

Protesters called for justice as they slammed the American criminal justice system

Protesters called for justice as they condemned the police killing as a 'War on Black America'
A 15-year-old girl has died after being stabbed in Northumberland yesterday evening.

The teenager was fatally wounded in Hexham at about 5:10pm on Friday, and a 16-year-old boy was also injured.

Both were taken to hospital where the girl later died. The boy's injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Both of their families are being supported by specially-trained officers.

Northumbria Police said another 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder having initially been arrested on suspicion of assault.

The attack took place at approximately 5.10 on Friday evening. Police attended the scene with ambulance crews

A police search squad arrives in Hexham, Northumberland, this morning after a 15-year-old girl was stabbed to death

A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of murder having initially been arrested on suspicion of assault

Northumbria Police tweeted: 'Our thoughts are with all loved ones at this awful time, and we are supporting them in every way we can.

'We are determined to find out what happened & bring anyone involved to justice.

'Officers are in the area to carry out enquiries & offer reassurance.

'We believe those involved are known to each other & would ask people not to speculate.'

Derek Kennedy, mayor of Hexham, told PA: 'It's an absolute tragedy, the town is in complete shock, to lose one of our children who attends a local high school is just horrendous.

'Parents are really anxious for the health of their children because they're all a part of this community, the schools are all really anxious that their children are really feeling the pain and suffering and shock of such an awful incident.

'In the Hexham community we have a very low crime rate, generally, it's a community that looks after one another, we were awarded the happiest place to live in Great Britain last year.

'It's a very warm and loving community so for a tragedy such as this to happen, we always find it much more difficult and it's knocked everyone for six.

'To happen to such a young person and the alleged perpetrator to be a young person, in the high street at 5pm, is just shocking, everyone is just shocked and struggling to come to terms with it, it will ruin so many lives.'

Police believe that the victims of the attack knew their assailant, who has been arrested on suspicion of murder

A large police cordon has been set up in central Hexham and police will remain in the area throughout the weekend

Police were spotted at the location of the attack alongside ambulance crews last night

Police were seen at the location of the attack alongside ambulance crews last night.

Detective Superintendent Aelf Sampson, of Northumbria Police, said last night: 'This is clearly a serious incident and a full investigation is under way.

'While our investigation is at an early stage, we do believe all those involved are known to each other.

'We are determined to find out what has happened and bring anyone involved to justice.'

The town centre has been cordoned off by police and there will be a significant police presence throughout the weekend, the superintendent confirmed.

'There is a high police presence in the area and a cordon in place which will remain this way into the weekend.

'We would like to thank the public for their cooperation while officers carry out enquiries.

'If you did see something or have information in relation to what has happened, please report it to police as soon as possible.'
A top American air force general has predicted that the US and China will likely go to war by 2025 amid heightening tensions over the Taiwan Strait.

The ominous warning was delivered Friday in a memo from General Mike Minihan, who oversees the service's fleet of transport and refueling aircraft.

Sent to officers responsible for roughly 107,000 service members under Minihan's command, the communication instructs soldiers to prepare for the conflict by firing 'a clip' at targets - and to 'aim for the head.'

The message is the most dramatic yet from a military officer of the looming likelihood of a war over Taiwan, a crucial 'choke point' in the South China Sea that is of strategic interest to both Beijing and Washington.

The ominous warning was delivered Friday in a memo from Air Force General Mike Minihan, who oversees the service's fleet of transport and refueling aircraft. The four-star general, responsible for roughly 50,000 soldiers, is seen at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland 2012

The internal memorandum - dated February 1 of this year - was first reported by NBC News, and contains several pointers for servicemen in case of the prospective conflict

'I hope I am wrong,' Minihan wrote in the concerning correspondence, which has been circulating on social media and has since been confirmed to be genuine by the Pentagon.

'My gut tells me we will fight in 2025.'

The internal memorandum - dated February 1 of this year - was first reported by NBC News and has been seen by DailyMail.com.

It contains several pointers that servicemen and women under his command should take to ready themselves for the prospective conflict, which the 56-year-old four-star general said is increasingly likely due to a series of circumstances that will embolden Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The internal memorandum - dated February 1 of this year - was first reported by NBC News and has been seen by DailyMail.com

Minihan wrote that since both Taiwan and the US will have presidential elections in 2024, both countries will be 'distracted,' giving Jinping an opportunity to move on the country.

Minihan wrote: 'Xi secured his third term [as Communist party general secretary] and set [sic] his war council in October 2022. Taiwans presidential elections are in 2024 and will offer Xi a reason.'

Minihan said that the 2024 presidential elections in the US - which will likely see current President Joe Biden faceoff with an as-of-now-unknown GOP candidate - would create a 'distracted America' that would benefit Xi's administration.

The memo warns that a conflict will likely surface due to a series of circumstances that will embolden Chinese President Xi Jinping, including upcoming elections in both US and Taiwan

Minihan said that the 2024 presidential elections in the US - which will likely see current President Joe Biden faceoff with an as-of-now-unknown GOP candidate - would create a 'distracted America' that would benefit Xi's administration

'Xis team, reason, and opportunity are all aligned for 2025,' he wrote.

The four-star general further declared that the US's main goal should be to 'deter' a conflict with China, but proceeded to list several pointers, including ones titled 'end state' and 'risk', on how to 'defeat' the country.

To prepare, Minihan - who joined the Air Force as an officer in 1990 - directs airmen who are qualified to use a weapon to 'fire a clip into a 7-meter target with the full understanding that unrepentant lethality matters most.'

'Aim for the head,' he specified.

The memo then urges the tens of thousands of troops under his command to prepare for war in other regards by reconsidering 'their personal affairs' and being more aggressive about their training.

Minihan wrote that both countries will be 'distracted,' giving Jinping an opportunity to move on the country. President Biden and Xi had their first in-person meeting in November at a leader's summit in Indonesia

'Run deliberately, not recklessly,' wrote Minihan, who assumed his current post over the Air Force's Mobility Command Unit in 2021. He added: 'If you are comfortable in your approach to training, then you are not taking enough risk.'

And as tensions between the two countries over the self-governing Island nation remain high, the veteran general said that he seeks to build 'a fortified, ready, integrated, and agile Joint Force Maneuver Team ready to fight' - 'and win' in air and sea skirmishes before Taiwan can be taken.

The memo comes as tensions remain extremely high over Taiwan, a country born after China's communist revolution - and one that Beijing has long since claimed sovereignty over as a part of the Chinese mainland.

Aligned with the West's free-market values, the Democratic country has since managed to cultivate one of the globe's strongest economies, spurred by its $115billion semiconductor industry.

However, despite insisting its independence from mainland China, the country has found itself increasingly at odds with its nemesis across the Taiwan Strait, due its status as the last, non communist-controlled bastion in the chain of islands cutting off China from the Pacific Ocean - and crucial lanes for maritime trade.

Meanwhile, China has continued to send processions of warplanes and battleships near Taiwan, in an apparent, and continued show of force amid the burgeoning conflict. On January 10, China's People's Liberation Army flew 57 warplanes and four ships towards Taiwan

The area also offers a point of entry into the country for US forces in case of a conflict, meaning if it were to be taken over by Chinese forces, Beijing would gain a strategic foothold over the US in its ongoing stalemate over the important strait.

Moreover, the general's warning comes just one week before secretary of state Antony Blinken is set to become the first cabinet secretary from President Joe Bidens administration to visit China, after Biden met Xi for the first time in Indonesia in November.

Meanwhile, China has continued to send processions of warplanes and battleships near Taiwan, in an apparent and continued show of force amid the burgeoning conflict.

Earlier this month, China's People's Liberation Army flew 57 warplanes and four ships towards Taiwan, Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense said in a statement Monday morning.

A Chinese PLA J-16 fighter jet flies in an undisclosed location (file photo) on January 9, 2023, one of several war planes and navy vessels towards Taiwan amid rising tensions between the US and China

Twenty-eight of those planes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial boundary that both sides had previously stood by.

China said the drills' 'primary target was to practice land-strikes and sea assaults,' according to a statement from Shi Yi, a spokesperson for the PLA's Eastern Theater Command.

Days earlier, the U.S. Navy sent a destroyer sailing through the sensitive Taiwan Strait in a show of force.

In a statement, the US military said the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer Chung-Hoon carried out the transit.

'Chung-Hoon's transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the United States' commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific,' the statement added.

It said the entire operation was performed in compliance with international laws.

Over the summer, Chinese military officials further fanned flames to incite a potential conflict by conducting large-scale exercises in Taiwanese air space - including firing missiles in response to then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visiting Taipei, Taiwan's capital.

Adding to the tension is the fact that Biden, since assuming office in 2020, has repeatedly said he would order a military intervention if China attacked Taiwan.

The assertions came as a surprise to some, as they conflicted with the US' longstanding policy of 'strategic ambiguity' in regards to China and Taiwan's ongoing cold war, under which officials in Washington do not disclose any plans about the two countries' conflict.
The lawyer representing the only suspect in the brutal slayings of four University of Idaho students in the town of Moscow in November has multiple ties to the victims' parents.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that Cara Northington, the mother of victim, Xana Kenodle, 20, was represented by Bryan Kohberger's lawyer Anne Taylor on drugs charges until January 5, the same day the suspect was extradited to Idaho.

Court records obtained by Inside Edition now show that Taylor, the Chief of Kootenai Public Defender's Office, represented Madison Mogen's stepmother, Korie Hatrock, on drugs charges as recently as June 2022. Taylor also oversaw a case in involving Mogen's father, Benjamin, in 2020.

On December 30, police arrested Kohberger, a PhD student in criminology at Washington State University in Pullman, eight miles from the Moscow residence.

He's accused of viciously stabbing Kenodle and Mogen, as well as Kaylee Goncalves and Ethan Chapin. The suspect was arrested on December 30 in his parent's home in Pennsylvania and was extradited to Idaho on January 5.

Court records obtained by Inside Edition now show that Anne Taylor, the Chief of Kootenai Public Defender's Office, shown here, represented Madison Mogen's stepmother previously

Madison Mogen's father, Ben, and stepmother, Korie Hatrock, pictured together in August 2020

Ben Mogen was sentenced to 90 days in prison after pleading guilty to charges in 2020. While Hatrock pleaded guilty to possession of an illegal substance but it's unclear if she served any prison time.

Some speculate that Taylor's appointment to represent Kohberger was one of necessity because in the small county, there was not an abundance of qualified public defenders.

Taylor is one of just 13 public defenders in Idaho approved by the state's public defense commission to lead a capital punishment case. She's also the only one in all of North Idaho.

The chief public defender's role is responsible for planning, implementing, coordinating, directing, and evaluating activities and programs of the Public Defenders Office, according to a previous job advertisement for the role in Idaho.

Bryan Kohberger is the only suspect in the slayings of Madison Mogen and her three friends in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13

Taylor has been in the role since June 2017. At the time of her appointment, she told the Couer d'Alene Post Falls Press, 'It's such necessary work. It's important to make sure Constitutional rights apply to everybody. You help people who are facing horrible times. I love the work.'

The piece mentions that Taylor was a graduate of Idaho State University and the University of Idaho. Following graduation, Taylor spent five years working in the Kootenai County Prosecutor's Office.

California Appellate and litigation lawyer Matthew Barhoma told DailyMail.com that Taylor seems to want to work on the case with Kohberger  describing it as an 'odd and unique' situation.

He said, 'Taylor had many prior dealings with the mother on multiple occasions and that heightens the conflict. You have to assume she received no confidential information from the mother that could bleed into this case.

'And then you have to question if you can do the job impartially, and it could affect Bryan who may not have a replaced attorney.

'It is an inherently difficult issue with no clear-cut answer and is a gray area. However if it were me, I would recuse myself from the case.'

Taylor is seen with her 28-year-old client on January 5. He was a PhD criminology student at Washington State University, eight miles from the murder scene

Victims: pictured, the four Idaho students who were stabbed to death during the early morning hours of November 13. Ethan Chapin (center right), Xana Kerndole (right), Kaylee Goncalves (lower left) and Madison Mogen (upper left)

Taylor is seen with Kohberger on January 5 - the day Taylor stopped representing Northington

Xana Kenodle's mother has claimed that she gave Taylor power of attorney during her legal troubles because of her drug addictions and is unsure what happens next in her case.

Northington says that she 'trusted' the lawyer to help her, and is unsure if she even has new representation.

She added that she feels 'betrayed' by Taylor, and felt that she had been 'abandoned by prosecutors' who knew Kohberger studies at WSU  where Xana's sister Jaszzmin attends.

Northington, who has long battled addiction, said she only found out that Taylor was representing her daughter's accused killer when a friend saw it on social media and told her.

It was unclear why a liaison officer from the Victim and Witness Coordinator team had not gotten in touch.

Barhoma explained that it is 'plausible' that Taylor only became aware of the conflict after taking the case  but believes that it 'would have come out earlier'.

He added: 'There is a substantial conflict of interest, despite removing herself from the mother's case, she should get herself off Bryan's case too.'

Kohberger was arrested on December 30 by a SWAT team at his parents home in Pennsylvania as they moved to search his apartment at Washington State University.

He has previously indicated that he believes he will 'be exonerated', with his family unable to pay for him to have private representation.
Vladimir Putin is set on a 'big war' with NATO to try and bring back the Iron Curtain, a Russian expert has warned, as it is revealed Russia is planning a 'new pre-emptive strike' in Ukraine.

Moscow is said to be preparing for a new offensive ahead of the first anniversary of their invasion on February 24, and satellite photos show Putin's forces building up fortifications.

Putin aims to start by swallowing both Ukraine and Moldova, then subjugate eastern Europe restoring an Cold War-style Iron Curtain across the continent, according to Professor Grigory Yudin.

He sees 'the entire eastern Europe' as his 'fiefdom', the professor told YouTube show CivilNet in a chilling forecast.

A high-ranking Ukrainian official said it is 'no secret' that Russia are preparing for a new wave by February 24 - the first anniversary of their invasion

Putin aims to start by swallowing both Ukraine and Moldova, then subjugate eastern Europe restoring an Cold War-style Iron Curtain across the continent, according to Professor Grigory Yudin (Pictured)

Dr Yudin, a professor at the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences, does not believe major Western countries will fight to save the likes of Poland and Lithuania.

'We must free ourselves of the illusion that this is a war between Russia and Ukraine from [Kremlin] leadership's point of view,' he said.

'The Russian leadership doesn't believe Ukraine exists. It is impossible to fight what doesn't exist. [To them] the war in Ukraine is really against the West.'

Putin allegedly plans for NATO to be pushed back from countries such as Poland and Lithuania which were once in the USSR or its sphere of influence.

'The entire eastern Europe - Vladimir Putin considers his fiefdom. Already in the current military operation's plan is the taking of Moldova.'

Predicting Putin's readiness for a 'big war', he said: 'They cannot reach it yet due to not being technically prepared. But Moldova is there [in the plans] without any doubt.'

He stressed in an interview with presenter Arshaluis Mgdesyan that if the Russian leadership continues according to its scenario 'we will inevitably see the war in all these territories [of eastern Europe] - and possibly even further.'

It is a war he says 'was long considered inevitable by Russian military and political leadership'.

The video begins with a single tank driving down a nearly destroyed roads as an artillery shell lands ahead of it

A satellite image from March 2022 (left) and January 2023 (right) shows that Russia is building new lines of defence (trenches in picture on the right) as it reportedly prepares for an offensive next month

Shortly after the second explosion another blast is seen, possibly from the tank itself

He previously predicted Putin would order a general mobilisation for 'the most senseless war in history'.

And he has claimed the Russian dictator is surrounded by 'Hitler fans' in his entourage.

Meanwhile Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's national security and defence council, said: 'Now they are preparing for maximum activation, and they believe that by the anniversary they should have some achievements.'

'There is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave by February 24, as they themselves say,' he told Radio Svoboda.

He also said that the Russian military has been 'scouting' the defence capabilities of Ukrainian troops in the Zaporizhzhia region for a week.

While analysis from Brady Africk, an open-source intelligence analyst, shows Russian new fortifications all along the front in Luhansk, from the Russian border down to Donetsk, and throughout Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

It comes as a video captured a single Russian tank being destroyed by a mine near Donetsk, in what may have been part of a spoiling attack tactic 'to disperse and distract Ukrainian forces' ahead of their counter-offensive.

The satellite imagery of Moscow's new fortifications may also show that Putin is concerned about a new Ukrainian counteroffensive - following the news of modern tanks being sent from the West.

'They're trying to basically consolidate their gains and keep the parts that they've held on to thus far,' Africk, who works at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Daily Beast.

'I think it's definitely both a message to soldiers in Ukraine, and to everyone who might be watching, that they're going to at least try and stay.'

The news follows a video capturing the moment a Russian tank drives straight into a minefield while taking artillery fire in Ukraine.

The vehicle is seen driving down an empty road, thought to be outside Donetsk, that is surrounded by hundreds of craters from shelling.

The footage shows an artillery shell exploding about 20m ahead of the tank as it continues forward.

The tank disappears behind the cloud of smoke before it drives over a mine and sets of another explosion.

Just a second later another explosion takes place and a fireball erupts from the tank, forcing the soldiers inside to flee.

Four soldiers escape the burning wreckage of the tank and run off into the field next to the road as the video ends

The drone footage ends by showing four soldiers running away from the wreckage off into the cratered fields to the side.

The video comes as Ukrainian troops were locked in a 'fierce' confrontation with Russian fighters on Friday for control of the town of Vugledar southwest of Donetsk as the two sides battle along the southern front.

Both sides claimed success in the small administrative centre of apartment blocks surrounded by flat fields, a short distance from the strategic prize of the village of Pavlivka.

'The encirclement and subsequent liberation of this city solves many problems,' said Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-appointed leader of the Donetsk region.

'Soon, Vugledar may become a new, very important success for us,' he was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

But Kyiv said the town, which had a pre-invasion population of around 15,000 people, remained contested.

'There is fierce combat there,' Ukrainian military spokesman Sergiy Cherevaty told local media.

'For many months, the military of the Russian Federation... has been trying to achieve significant success there,' he said.

A woman walks near a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile attack in the town of Glevakha, Kyiv region

A burned tank sits next to a road in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen take cover as they fire a mortar load on the Donbass frontline

Ukrainian soldiers are seen on their ways to the frontlines with their armored military vehicles as the strikes continue on the Donbass frontline

Moscow's push for Vugledar is part of its effort to seize control of the entire Donetsk region, which it has already declared a part of Russia.

Ukraine said this week that Russian troops had stepped up their attacks in the east, particularly on Vugledar and Bakhmut.

While the Ministry of Defence said that Russia is highly likely to have suffered more than 300 casualties in a strike on troop accommodation at Makiivka near Donetsk City on January 01

In a rare admission, Russia's defence ministry said 89 soldiers had died in the fiery blast which destroyed the temporary barracks in a former vocational college.

The MoD assessed that the majority of troops were likely killed or missing, rather than wounded.

Rubble is strewn across the ground in Russian-occupied Makiivka, in the eastern Donbas region, in the aftermath of the strike. The missiles hit a vocational school which had been turned into a barracks for Russian forces

The MoD tweeted: 'Russian officials likely assessed that it was not viable to avoid comment in the face of widespread criticism of Russian commanders over the incident.

'The difference between the number of casualties Russia acknowledged and the likely true total highlights the pervasive presence of disinformation in Russian public announcements.

'This typically comes about through a combination of deliberate lying authorised by senior leaders, and the communication of inaccurate reports by more junior officials, keen to downplay their failings in Russia's 'blame and sack' culture.'

According to a White House National Security Council assessment, Russia is currently using the cold winter months to regroup, retrain, re-equip, and prepare for next steps in the war.

The United States is helping Ukraine prepare to go on the counteroffensive against Russia, according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

Russia test launches the feared Sarmat 'Satan 2' missile in April last year, as the nuclear threat remains high

The European Union's defence chief said yesterday that Russia is now engaged in 'a war against Nato and the West' as Canada became the 12th country to commit tanks to Ukraine.

Stefano Sannino, the secretary general of the EU's external action service, suggested Vladimir Putin had moved beyond his initial 'special military operation' and was 'moving the war into a different stage'.

Mr Sannino was speaking as Canada became the latest country to pledge tanks and Poland said it would give an additional 60 to the 14 it has already committed to the war effort.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said ahead of an EU-Ukraine summit next week that Ukraine had unconditional support from the bloc and that the country needed to prevail against Russian attacks to defend European values.

'We stand by Ukraine's side without any ifs and buts,' von der Leyen said in a speech on Saturday at an event of her party, the Christian Democrat CDU, in Duesseldorf, Germany.

Ukraine 'is fighting for our shared values, it is fighting for the respect of international law and for the principles of democracy and that is why Ukraine has to win this war', she said.

Spain and Norway are expected to announce how many Leopard 2s they will send to Ukraine in the coming days.

The Kremlin test launches an 'unstoppable' nuclear Zircon hypersonic missile from the Admiral Gorshkov

Stefano Sannino (pictured), the secretary general of the EU's external action service, suggested Vladimir Putin was 'moving the war into a different stage'

Belgium announced a new package of military aid, promising cash, missiles, machineguns and armoured vehicles, but had to admit it has no main battle tanks to match the offers from its Nato allies.

Ukraine is also seeking Western fourth-generation fighter jets such as the US F-16, although this remains an unlikely prospect.

Mr Sannino said Ukraine's allies had been forced to increase and upgrade their military support to Kyiv in response to Moscow shifting the focus of the war to the West.

Addressing reporters in Tokyo, he said: 'I think that this latest development in terms of armed supply is just an evolution of the situation and of the way Russia has started moving the war into a different stage.'

Putin (pictured yesterday) has stepped up attempts to break through Ukraine's defences with heavy fighting in the east of the country

The spectre of nuclear war looms over the world after the West supplied state-of-the-art tanks to Ukraine to the fury of Vladimir Putin

He added that Russia was making 'indiscriminate attacks' on civilians and cities. The country was desperate to gain momentum on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine before the Western tank squadrons arrive.

In the past 48 hours, Moscow's forces have been attempting to break through Ukraine's frontlines in the Donbas region. From Thursday night into yesterday morning Russia also subjected Ukrainian cities to more bomb attacks.

Some 47 of the 59 missiles were intercepted but 11 people are understood to have been killed in explosions caused by the Russian ordnance which penetrated Ukraine's air defence systems. Russia also launched 37 air strikes.
Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam mass contact programme. (Photo: Twitter: @NallapareddyR)

Vijayawada: The innovative Gadapa Gadapaku Mana Prabhutvam mass contact programme, a brainchild of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, is yielding good results. MLAs, who had once been reluctant to visit houses fearful of public ire, are now actively participating in the door-to-door programme.

Ruling party legislators have received nearly 26,000 complaints and requisitions during the GGMP in the 175 assembly constitutions. Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed departments concerned to resolve the complaints swiftly, if necessary by completing works sought quickly.

MLAs are confident that they will be able to achieve Mission 175  Election 2024, with YSRC emerging victorious from all the 175 assembly constituencies.

Gadapa Gadapaku had been launched on May 11, 2022. Initially, many legislators had been reluctant about going door to door, as people had started questioning them about their problems. Nearly five dozen legislators fared poorly in GGMP evaluations commissioned by the YSRC government.

With the Chief Minister warning and pulling them up, the reluctant MLAs started listening to problems of their constituents and began resolving them. This led to people making additional complaints and seeking various welfare programmes. The legislators responded positively, and this brought them closer to voters.

YSRC regional coordinator and Rajya Sabha MP Alla Ayodhya Rami Reddy said Gadapa Gadapaku is the first of its kind mass contact programme by any political party in India. It involves MLAs themselves going to voters asking the latter about the amenities they are receiving and in case they have any problems. The legislators then resolve most of the problems. Ayodhya Rami Reddy maintained that GGMP will surely benefit YSRC in the 2024 elections.

Housing minister Jogi Ramesh admitted that initially MLAs never went to every voters house. But Jagan has made legislators climb every doorstep and knock every door, something that is creating new history. "Now, MLAs are habituated to walking from house to house and remaining with masses. This has increased their confidence in facing the forthcoming elections without fear," the minister remarked.

YSRC MLAs say officials are uploading issues raised during GGMP, getting approval from government and are resolving the issues on priority basis. There is a dashboard that lets the Chief Minister know instantly the visits made by each MLA.

Officials said nearly 26,000 issues have been uploaded on the portal. Government has given permission to resolve 23,845 of these issues. Of them, 813 works have been completed and the rest are under progress.
Memphis officers were worried about getting pepper spray off their own eyes first and even enjoyed a smoke while Tyre Nichols lay dying on the ground.

Shocking footage of Nichols' encounter with police over a traffic stop shows the moment cops pepper sprayed the 29-year-old, with one officer appearing to accidentally pepper spray himself and another.

The officers cry out in pain and one beats Nichols with a baton afterwards. A cop was later seen asking another officer to flush his eyes with water, while the assisting officer complained about losing his glasses in the initial traffic stop.

After the five officers beat and handcuffed Nichols, who was unable to sit up straight and lay slumped on the ground, one of the officers could be seen lighting a cigarette and smoking as paramedics arrived.

The videos surrounding Nichols death continue to be scrutinized as Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. issued a new internal investigation after suspending two deputies who stood around as Nichols was left writhing in pain.

One Memphis officer could be seen crying in pain as he needed to get his eyes washed after pepper spraying Tyre Nichols

At the scene of the arrest, where Nichols was ignored after being left writhing in pain, one of the officers could be seen smoking a cigarette while others just stood around

One of the videos released by Memphis Police shows the moment Nichols was pepper sprayed in the face after yelling for his mother.

The spraying officer appeared to get himself and another as they jumped away from the scene of the arrest, cursing and yelling in pain.

'Ah s***,' the officers could be heard saying as one wiped his face and walked back to Nichols, who was on his feet.

'Watch out! I'm going to baton the f*** out of you,' the officer said as he swings his baton while another sucker punches Nichols.

After all five officers appear at the scene, they can be heard saying: 'Ah, you motherf***** made me spray myself.'

Another video shows one of the Memphis officers pacing back and forth in pain as a fellow officer pours water into his eye to flush out the mace.

As he asks repeatedly for each of his eyes to be cleaned, the assisting officer says: 'I can't see jack s***. My glasses, when he was fighting me.'

The officer eventually finds his glasses and notes that he almost got pepper spray in his own eye.

One of the officers hit by their own pepper spray paced back and forth in pain as another poured water into his eyes. The assisting officer complained about losing his glasses, and when the group learned about Nichols' arrest, one commented that they hope he was beaten

The arrest scene reveals officers standing around, with one smoking, as Tyre lay dying

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. has suspended two deputies who responded to the scene after reviewing the video that left him 'sad and angry'

When he's told that Nichols has been caught and detained by other officers, one of them comments: 'I hope they stomp his a**. I hope they stomp his a**.'

At the arrest scene, a street camera captured the moment a group of officers beat Nichols, pinning him to the ground and arresting him.

The 29-year-old is then left writhing in agony as seven officers could be seen standing over him, with four fist-bumping each other and ignoring the dying man.

One of them eventually pulls out a cigarette and enjoys a smoke while conversing with his fellow officers before the paramedics arrive.

Sheriff Bonner has condemned the attack that left Nichols dead after he was tased, kicked and punched in the head, struck three times with a metal baton, and twice sprayed with pepper spray in the face.

'I am a second-generation law enforcement officer, and I am troubled by what we all saw captured on video,' Bonner said in a statement. 'This horrible incident tarnished the badge that I wear, and many other good officers wear every day.

The sheriff has since suspended two deputies and ordered a new investigation into Tyre Nichols' death after personally reviewing the sickening video.

Bonner said: 'Having watched the videotape for the first time tonight, I have concerns about two deputies who arrived on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tyre Nichols.

'I have launched an internal investigation into the conduct of these deputies to determine what occurred and if any policies were violated,' he added. 'Both of these deputies have been relieved of duty pending the outcome of this administrative investigation.'

Nichols died in the hospital after he was tased, kicked and punched in the head, struck three times with a metal baton, and twice sprayed with pepper spray in the face

Nichols' family attorney - Antonio Romanucci, told MSNBC that the two suspended deputies could face criminal charges like the five who were caught on camera beating the 29-year-old.

'I will not be at all surprised when more criminal charges come against police officers,' Romanucci said. 'Am I surprised it's taking this long?

'I've been around long enough, I've had to wait six months, a year to two years or not at all for charges to come so the fact that at least the administrator part of it is coming.

'I think we know what's coming next. They're going to be looked at criminally also,' he added. 'These officers who failed to render aid who did not intervene - they should be looked at administratively and also criminally.'

The five cops who were fired and charged over Nichols' death are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith.

Charged with second degree murder are (top, left to right) Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and (bottom, left to right) Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith

Tyre Nichols' stepfather Rodney Wells (above) has called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to fail to render aid after he was savagely beaten by police

They are charged with second-degree murder, assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

As the investigation continues over Nichols death, his stepfather Rodney Wells and his lawyer, famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump, said the video demonstrates that other first responders should be reprimanded.

Wells called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to stand by after his stepson was savagely beaten, while Crump questioned by a white officer who was present at the beginning of Nichols' traffic stop hasn't been charged yet.

'Everyone - the fire department, paramedics that came out that stood around and didn't do anything - they're just as guilty,' Wells told ABC News following the release of the video.

'Everyone that was active in the whole scene, the whole video, should be charged,' he added.

The latest case of alleged police brutality has led to a wave of protests around the country, with violent demonstrations breaking out after the videos were made public.

One protester was seen standing over a clearly smashed police car front window in NYC

Video of Nichols' arrest spawned a wave of protests on Friday carrying into the weekend

Protesters called for justice as they condemned the police killing as a 'War on Black America'

Pictured: Mourners placing items at a memorial site where Nichols was arrested and beaten

One demonstrator was spotting hurling a firework at an LAPD cruiser during a huge march in the city.

Meanwhile in New York City a man was photographed standing atop a smashed in police vehicle windshield.

Officers quickly dragging him down and arrested him. At least three have been taken into custody in the Big Apple as part of the protests, according to NBC New York.

Another stood over a cop car with a tattered American flag. Antifa has issued a call to arms for protestors to light up New York City on Friday night.

In Memphis, protesters chanted: 'Say his name! Tyre Nichols!' and several dozen protesters blocked a heavily traveled bridge on Interstate 55 that is one of two main spans connecting Arkansas and Tennessee over the Mississippi River.

Many more protests continued into the weekend in Memphis, Atlanta and Boston as demonstrators demanded justice for the 29-year-old.
Oregon police have warned the public to look out for a man who is accused of torturing and attempting to murder a woman in her home after he used dating apps to lure new victims.

Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, of Wolf Creek - located 60 miles north of the California border - is being sought by police for allegedly binding and nearly beating Justine Siemens, of Grants Pass, to death on Tuesday.

Siemen's name has not been publicly released by the Grants Pass Police Department, but her identity was confirmed by friends on Facebook and GoFundMe. Siemens, who was also a bodybuilder, remains in the ICU in critical condition.

Foster, who is still at large, allegedly 'bound and severely beat' Siemens until she was unconscious inside her home on Shane Way. Police believe she was kidnapped between Monday and Tuesday evening.

On Tuesday, a male friend arrived at Siemen's home after he was unable to contact her and 'interrupted' the torture, according to The New York Times.

Lieutenant Jeff Hattersley told the Times that Foster then fled in his 2008 Nissan Sentra and later 'escaped into the wilderness' on foot. Foster's car was found at Tina Marie Jones' house on Sunny Valley Loop in Wolf Creek, which is surrounded by a wooded area.

Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, of Wolf Creek - located 60 miles north of the California border - is being sought by police for allegedly binding and nearly beating Justine Siemens, of Grants Pass, to death on Tuesday

Siemen's name has not been publicly released by the Grants Pass Police Department, but her identity was confirmed by friends on Facebook and GoFundMe . Siemens remains in the ICU in critical condition

Jones had followed Foster in a vehicle earlier on Thursday as he drove to a remote location in Wolf Creek, according to AP, then intentionally drove his 2008 Nissan Sentra over an embankment, according to court documents. Jones then gave Foster a ride to the property that was raided Thursday night and where Foster had been hiding while police searched for him, according to Josephine County Circuit Court records, viewed by AP.

The 68-year-old was arrested on Thursday on two counts of hindering prosecution for allegedly hiding Foster.

After serving a search warrant, Grants Pass Police, sheriff's deputies, Oregon State Police SWAT team, and federal agents found Foster's car at her residence and evidence that he was using dating apps to commit his crimes.

'The investigation has revealed that the suspect is actively using online dating applications to contact unsuspecting individuals who may be lured into assisting with the suspect's escape or potentially as additional victims,' the Grants Pass Police Department wrote on Facebook.

Jones is currently being held at the Josephine County Jail.

Police dogs had searched the heavily wooded area behind the home but were unable to find him on Friday. Police believe the assailant befriended the 68-year-old because they lived in a similar area, Hattersley told the Times.

'We suspect that just from him living in the area, he had somehow gained a friendship with [Jones],' he said.

On Tuesday, a male friend arrived at Siemen's home after he was unable to contact her and 'interrupted' the torture. Foster then fled in his 2008 Nissan Sentra and later 'escaped into the wilderness' on foot. Foster's car was found at Tina Marie Jones' house on Sunny Valley Loop in Wolf Creek, which is surrounded by a wooded area

Hattersley also believed that if Siemen's friend had not shown up to her residence on Tuesday, 'we'd have a completely different investigation.'

'It's clear that his intent was to kill her,' he told The New York Times. 'I've been in law enforcement for 32 years, and this is one of the most heinous, terrible cases I've ever seen.'

Siemen's friend Jacqueline Frankel said she saw the pair at the Corvette's Bar and Grill in Grants Pass a few weeks before the alleged attack, although they were not hanging out. Siemens appeared to work at the restaurant, according to her Facebook page.

Foster is also a bartender in Grants Pass. It is unclear if he worked at Corvette's, but police said he did know Siemen's prior to the attack. DailyMail.com has contacted the restaurant for comment.

Frankel said Foster 'just looked like a normal guy' at the time but didn't see him 'hanging out' with Siemens.

Police said it was 'clear that his intent was to kill her' and that he kidnapped her sometime between Monday and Tuesday evening

Police believe that if Siemen's friend had not shown up to her residence on Tuesday, 'we'd have a completely different investigation'

Police served a search warrant to a residence on Sunny Valley Loop in Wolf Creek, where his car (pictured) was found. Police also found evidence that he was using dating apps to aid his crimes

The home was owned by Tina Marie Jones, 68, of Wolf Creek, (pictured) who was arrested on two counts of hindering prosecution for allegedly helping him hide

This is not the first time Foster has faced similar allegations, as he was convicted in 2019 of holding his girlfriend captive in Las Vegas, where he was attending university.

He reportedly held his girlfriend captive inside her own apartment for two weeks, and brutally tortured her.

That victim, whose name was redacted from court records, received a shaved head, seven broken ribs, two black eyes, and chemical burns from lye, which Foster also allegedly forced her to eat, over the course of 16 days.

He initially was charged with five felonies, including assault and battery, and faced decades in prison upon conviction. But, in August 2021, Foster reached a deal with Clark County prosecutors that allowed him to plead guilty to one felony count of battery and a misdemeanor count of battery constituting domestic violence.

A judge sentenced him to up to 2.5 years in a Nevada prison. The 729 days he had spent in jail awaiting trial were factored into his punishment, leaving Foster with fewer than 200 days to serve in state custody.

Authorities say Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 33, forced his girlfriend to eat lye while holding her captive in her Las Vegas apartment for 16 days before she escaped in 2019

Siemens was also a bodybuilder at one point (pictured)

She also worked at a bar, where her friend said she saw Foster at, as well, but they were not 'hanging out' together. Foster also works as a bartender, but it is unclear if they worked in the same place

The woman also told police she was choked to the point of unconsciousness.

She escaped when Foster let her out of his sight during a trip together to a grocery store and gas station.

After spending several months in prison, Foster returned to Oregon, where 'unfortunately, he found another woman to victimize in a very similar way,' Hattersley told The New York Times.

Siemen's friend said Foster 'just looked like a normal guy' at the bar just weeks before the beating

She was found inside her home (pictured) in Grants Pass

Court records show, Foster was out of custody at the time on a suspended jail sentence for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. He also was awaiting trial in another 2018 case involving domestic violence. But Foster's plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 settled the domestic violence case, a copy of the agreement shows, and he was 'sentenced to credit for time served.'

Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman told AP on Thursday that it is 'extremely troubling' that Foster was out and able to prey on other women instead of still being behind bars for the Nevada crimes.

Grants Pass Police are now warning the town of 40,000 that Foster is believed to be armed and 'extremely dangerous.' Foster is 'trained in mixed martial arts,' according to Siemen's friend Ashley, who started the GoFundMe, which has raised more than $700 of its $100,000 goal.

'We are using every piece of technology available to locate this man,' Hensman said.

Police are offering a $2,500 reward for anyone with information regarding the case and have set up a tip-line at 541-237-5607.
A police exhibits officer who stole 15,000 of seized cash from an evidence store to fund her online shopping addiction and then blamed it on being menopausal has been jailed.

Lisa Arnold, 52, started stealing money from the safes at Dorset Police headquarters in 2018.

Over the next four years she used her position to plunder wads of notes on 17 separate occasions - totalling 14,494.

She targeted envelopes containing uncounted cash, carefully slicing the bottom open to remove wads of notes before resealing them with Sellotape.

Lisa Arnold (pictured), 52, stole 14,494 of seized cash over four years and blamed it on the menopause

She would often visit the stores at the HQ at Winfrith, near Dorchester, outside of working hours.

Despite two investigations into money going missing from the station Arnold didn't stop stealing from the evidence stores until she was caught on March 19, 2022.

Her colleagues found that cash had gone missing from 17 envelopes which had previously been counted, while 41 others had been tampered with.

Officers searched her home in Swanage, Dorset, and found 15,000 worth of cash piled in the bottom of her wardrobe.

When she was arrested, Arnold admitted to using the money to pay off debt for an online shopping addiction which she developed after her marriage broke down.

Arnold appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court having pleaded guilty to a charge of theft by an employee at a previous hearing.

In jailing her for two years, Judge Susan Evans KC said her actions had a 'devastating impact' on public confidence in police which warranted an immediate custodial sentence.

Despite two investigations into money going missing from the station Arnold (pictured) didn't stop stealing from the evidence stores until she was caught on March 19, 2022

Stuart Ellacot, prosecuting, said Arnold had stolen a 'minimum sum' of 14,494 - but that the actual amount paid into her bank account and credit card during the period was far higher.

He said: 'The background to this case is that the defendant was an employee of Dorset Police in the exhibits department

'The theft relates to cash exhibits which had been seized by Dorset Police during investigations.

'Initial concerns were raised in June 2018 when officers found that a bag had been tampered with. Further bags were found in February 2021.

'An audit was carried out and they found a number of bags which had been tampered with.

'There was an investigation into the finances of staff who could have access to the property store.

Arnold started stealing money from the safes at Dorset Police headquarters (pictured) in 2018

'That revealed that Mrs Arnold appeared to be paying large sums of cash into her credit card and bank account in excess of her monthly salary.

'The payments far exceed the missing money counted.

'Each member of staff was issued a pack key identifiable to themselves to access the property store. It would require your own pack key and another. There was a spare on the premises.

'In August of 2021 to January 2022 there had been access made by Mrs Arnold outside of her working hours which coincided with the use of the spare pack key.'

Mr Ellacot explained that police officers then searched Arnold's home where they found bundles of cash in her wardrobe along with the spare pack key which had gone missing.

He added: 'She was interviewed and made full admissions to taking cash.

'She said she was saving because she said that at the time she was thinking of leaving her husband.'

Arnold appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court (pictured) having pleaded guilty to a charge of theft by an employee at a previous hearing. She was jailed yesterday for two years

Christopher Pix, defending, said Arnold had been 'sucked into' a shopping addiction to cope with her marital strife.

He said: 'She gave a full account at interview. She has been taking steps to address the ongoing issues that brought this about.

'She is currently menopausal. Her marriage was in a crisis and the time and she developed a shopping addiction that sucked her in.

'Her marriage, which was partly a catalyst to these incidents, is back on track.'

In jailing her, Judge Evans said: 'On October 2018 to March 2022 you carried out a theft of some 14,000.

'You were in a trusted position. Seventeen exhibits had cash probably taken from them. A further 41 bags had been tampered with. Some 15,000 cash was recovered from your wardrobe.

'You were using online shopping as escapism and quickly fell into debt.

'High standards are expected of those who work in the police force. These offences have a devastating effect on confidence in the police.

'Appropriate punishment can only be achieved through immediate custody.'

Afterwards, Sam de Reya, the Dorset Police Deputy Chief Constable, said: 'I hope this investigation demonstrates that we will robustly investigate suspected wrongdoing by members of our organisation and undertake swift action.

'Our officers and members of staff are expected to execute their duties with integrity.

'On this occasion a staff member has fallen short of those standards and been found guilty of a criminal offence.

'We will pursue and deal with those who seek to undermine the trust that is placed in us by the public and let down colleagues and the police service.'
Footage from a fierce ongoing battle around Vuhledar, southwest of Donetsk, shows Russian soldiers retreating after their five vehicles were hit by Ukrainian artillery.

The Russian troops were forced to run away and leave their wounded crawling behind them after being struck by airburst ammunition.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called the situation on the frontline 'acute', with heavy fighting in the Donetsk region.

Moscow's appointed leader of the Donetsk region, Denis Pushilin, said: 'The encirclement and subsequent liberation of this city [Vuhledar] solves many problems.'

But Kyiv said the town remained contested, Ukrainian military spokesman Sergiy Cherevaty insisted: 'There is fierce combat there'.

The Ministry of Defence said on Friday that Russian forces had probably conducted probing attacks near Orikhiv and in Vuhledar, but were unlikely to have achieved 'substantive advances.'

Footage from a fierce ongoing battle around Vuhledar, southwest of Donetsk, shows Russian soldiers retreating after their five vehicles were hit by Ukrainian artillery

The soldiers were laying down for cover beside their vehicles while being targeted by Ukrainian artillery

One injured soldier was seen crawling by himself after his comrades had fled

An aerial view shows damaged buildings, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Vuhledar

A house burns after a Russian military strike, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the city of Vuhledar

Russia is said to be planning a 'new pre-emptive strike' in Ukraine according to satellite photos which show Putin's forces building up fortifications.

The new offensive will reportedly take place ahead of the first anniversary of their invasion on February 24.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's national security and defence council, said: 'Now they are preparing for maximum activation, and they believe that by the anniversary they should have some achievements.'

'There is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave by February 24, as they themselves say,' he told Radio Svoboda.

He also said that the Russian military has been 'scouting' the defence capabilities of Ukrainian troops in the Zaporizhzhia region for a week.

While analysis from Brady Africk, an open-source intelligence analyst, shows Russian new fortifications all along the front in Luhansk, from the Russian border down to Donetsk, and throughout Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

It comes as a video captured a single Russian tank being destroyed by a mine near Donetsk, in what may have been part of a spoiling attack tactic 'to disperse and distract Ukrainian forces' ahead of their counter-offensive.

A satellite image from March 2022 (left) and January 2023 (right) shows that Russia is building new lines of defence (trenches in picture on the right) as it reportedly prepares for an offensive next month

A high-ranking Ukrainian official said it is 'no secret' that Russia are preparing for a new wave by February 24 - the first anniversary of their invasion

The video begins with a single tank driving down a nearly destroyed roads as an artillery shell lands ahead of it

Shortly after the second explosion another blast is seen, possibly from the tank itself

The satellite imagery of Moscow's new fortifications may also show that Putin is concerned about a new Ukrainian counteroffensive - following the news of modern tanks being sent from the West.

'They're trying to basically consolidate their gains and keep the parts that they've held on to thus far,' Africk, who works at the American Enterprise Institute, told The Daily Beast.

'I think it's definitely both a message to soldiers in Ukraine, and to everyone who might be watching, that they're going to at least try and stay.'

The news follows a video capturing the moment a Russian tank drives straight into a minefield while taking artillery fire in Ukraine.

The vehicle is seen driving down an empty road, thought to be outside Donetsk, that is surrounded by hundreds of craters from shelling.

The footage shows an artillery shell exploding about 20m ahead of the tank as it continues forward.

The tank disappears behind the cloud of smoke before it drives over a mine and sets of another explosion.

Just a second later another explosion takes place and a fireball erupts from the tank, forcing the soldiers inside to flee.

Four soldiers escape the burning wreckage of the tank and run off into the field next to the road as the video ends

The drone footage ends by showing four soldiers running away from the wreckage off into the cratered fields to the side.

The video comes as Ukrainian troops were locked in a 'fierce' confrontation with Russian fighters on Friday for control of the town of Vugledar southwest of Donetsk as the two sides battle along the southern front.

Both sides claimed success in the small administrative centre of apartment blocks surrounded by flat fields, a short distance from the strategic prize of the village of Pavlivka.

'The encirclement and subsequent liberation of this city solves many problems,' said Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-appointed leader of the Donetsk region.

'Soon, Vugledar may become a new, very important success for us,' he was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.

But Kyiv said the town, which had a pre-invasion population of around 15,000 people, remained contested.

'There is fierce combat there,' Ukrainian military spokesman Sergiy Cherevaty told local media.

'For many months, the military of the Russian Federation... has been trying to achieve significant success there,' he said.

A woman walks near a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile attack in the town of Glevakha, Kyiv region

A burned tank sits next to a road in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine

Ukrainian servicemen take cover as they fire a mortar load on the Donbass frontline

Ukrainian soldiers are seen on their ways to the frontlines with their armored military vehicles as the strikes continue on the Donbass frontline

Moscow's push for Vugledar is part of its effort to seize control of the entire Donetsk region, which it has already declared a part of Russia.

Ukraine said this week that Russian troops had stepped up their attacks in the east, particularly on Vugledar and Bakhmut.

While the Ministry of Defence said that Russia is highly likely to have suffered more than 300 casualties in a strike on troop accommodation at Makiivka near Donetsk City on January 01

In a rare admission, Russia's defence ministry said 89 soldiers had died in the fiery blast which destroyed the temporary barracks in a former vocational college.

The MoD assessed that the majority of troops were likely killed or missing, rather than wounded.

Rubble is strewn across the ground in Russian-occupied Makiivka, in the eastern Donbas region, in the aftermath of the strike. The missiles hit a vocational school which had been turned into a barracks for Russian forces

The MoD tweeted: 'Russian officials likely assessed that it was not viable to avoid comment in the face of widespread criticism of Russian commanders over the incident.

'The difference between the number of casualties Russia acknowledged and the likely true total highlights the pervasive presence of disinformation in Russian public announcements.

'This typically comes about through a combination of deliberate lying authorised by senior leaders, and the communication of inaccurate reports by more junior officials, keen to downplay their failings in Russia's 'blame and sack' culture.'

According to a White House National Security Council assessment, Russia is currently using the cold winter months to regroup, retrain, re-equip, and prepare for next steps in the war.

The United States is helping Ukraine prepare to go on the counteroffensive against Russia, according to White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

Russia test launches the feared Sarmat 'Satan 2' missile in April last year, as the nuclear threat remains high

The European Union's defence chief said yesterday that Russia is now engaged in 'a war against Nato and the West' as Canada became the 12th country to commit tanks to Ukraine.

Stefano Sannino, the secretary general of the EU's external action service, suggested Vladimir Putin had moved beyond his initial 'special military operation' and was 'moving the war into a different stage'.

Mr Sannino was speaking as Canada became the latest country to pledge tanks and Poland said it would give an additional 60 to the 14 it has already committed to the war effort.

Spain and Norway are expected to announce how many Leopard 2s they will send to Ukraine in the coming days.

The Kremlin test launches an 'unstoppable' nuclear Zircon hypersonic missile from the Admiral Gorshkov

Stefano Sannino (pictured), the secretary general of the EU's external action service, suggested Vladimir Putin was 'moving the war into a different stage'

Belgium announced a new package of military aid, promising cash, missiles, machineguns and armoured vehicles, but had to admit it has no main battle tanks to match the offers from its Nato allies.

Ukraine is also seeking Western fourth-generation fighter jets such as the US F-16, although this remains an unlikely prospect.

Mr Sannino said Ukraine's allies had been forced to increase and upgrade their military support to Kyiv in response to Moscow shifting the focus of the war to the West.

Addressing reporters in Tokyo, he said: 'I think that this latest development in terms of armed supply is just an evolution of the situation and of the way Russia has started moving the war into a different stage.'

Putin (pictured yesterday) has stepped up attempts to break through Ukraine's defences with heavy fighting in the east of the country

The spectre of nuclear war looms over the world after the West supplied state-of-the-art tanks to Ukraine to the fury of Vladimir Putin

He added that Russia was making 'indiscriminate attacks' on civilians and cities. The country was desperate to gain momentum on the battlefields of eastern Ukraine before the Western tank squadrons arrive.

In the past 48 hours, Moscow's forces have been attempting to break through Ukraine's frontlines in the Donbas region. From Thursday night into yesterday morning Russia also subjected Ukrainian cities to more bomb attacks.

Some 47 of the 59 missiles were intercepted but 11 people are understood to have been killed in explosions caused by the Russian ordnance which penetrated Ukraine's air defence systems. Russia also launched 37 air strikes.
Tyre Nichols' brother told a California television station that he wishes death upon the five Memphis police officers accused of beating his brother to death.

Jamal Dupre told Fox's Sacramento affiliate, 'You want my truth? ... I hope they die.' Nichols was a former resident of Sacramento, his brother and sister still live in the city.

The interview came prior to the release of the shocking footage showing the arrest and assault of Nichols following a traffic stop on January 10. He succumbed to his injuries three days later. Nichols was 29 years old.

During his interview, Dupree said, 'It doesnt really mean nothing at this time until theyre actually found guilty for the actual charges. Theres a good chance they can walk free from this.'

He added, 'My brothers last words were screaming for my mom, and they didnt care.' In the released video, Nichols could be heard calling for his mother.

Jamal Dupree, Tyre Nichols' brother, said that he hoped for death for the cops involved in his brother's case

The interview came prior to the release of the shocking footage showing the arrest and assault of Nichols following a traffic stop on January 10

The five officers involved in the case, Justin Smith, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmit Martin III, Demetrius Haley and Tadarrius Bean, have all since been fired from the force. On Thursday, they were indicted by a grand jury and are currently in custody.

In a separate interview with KCRA, Dupree said that his stepfather explained to him what could be seen in the video after it was shown privately to the family in Memphis.

He said, 'The thing that bothers me the most [is that], out of all five officers, nobody decided to say, '"Hey, this is not cool. Let's back up here.'"

Dupree told the station, 'Hopefully, they get charged. Murder one. That's what my family wants so that my brother can actually rest in peace.'

While Nichols' sister, Keyana Dixon, said in the same interview, 'For this to happen to him, in this way. The pain is just ... I have no words.'

Tyre Nichols, 29, was brutally beaten like a 'human pinata' by five Memphis, Tennessee, police officers , who were all African American, on January 7 and died three days later in the hospital from kidney failure and cardiac arrest

Jamal Dupree speaks as family members and activists held a rally for Tyre Nichols at the National Civil Rights Museum on January 16 in Memphis

Tyre Nichols' stepfather Rodney Wells (above) has called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to fail to render aid after he was savagely beaten by police

Following the video's release, Nichols' stepfather, Rodney Wells, called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to stand by while the beating occurred.

'Everyone -- the fire department, paramedics that came out that stood around and didn't do anything -- they're just as guilty,' Nichols' stepfather Rodney Wells told ABC News.

'Everyone that was active in the whole scene, the whole video, should be charged,' he added. Five Memphis cops have already been charged with second-degree murder.

Paramedics arrived on the scene about five minutes after the assault on Nichols concluded, at which point he was handcuffed and slumped against the side of a car.

Timeline of medical aid for Nichols 8.36pm: The police beating concludes and Nichols is in handcuffs. 8.41pm: Paramedics arrive on the scene. 8.47pm: Paramedic asks Nichols what drugs he took. Nichols is unable to speak and gurgles in response. For another 10 minutes they stand by as he twitches on the pavement. 8.57pm: Paramedics begin rendering some kind of aid, appearing to bandage Nichols. 9pm: Ambulance arrives to transport Nichols Advertisement

The video shows a paramedic leaning over Nichols asking: 'What'd you have? We're trying to get you straight, what'd you have?'

Nichols is heard making a gurgling noise, but appears unable to speak, although he had been heard speaking clearly and relatively calmly before the assault.

Officers at the scene were heard remarking that Nichols was 'on something' and 'high as a kite' as they wisecracked after the assault.

Cops may have advised the paramedics that Nichols was on drugs, though no evidence that he was has emerged in the weeks following the assault.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. of Shelby County, which includes Memphis, said that after viewing the video, he is suspending two deputies who responded to the scene following the beating, which began with a traffic stop.

Bonner said he had launched an internal investigation into the two deputies, adding that they had been relieved of duty pending the outcome of the probe.

A lawyer for Nichols' family earlier likened it to the notorious footage of Los Angeles police officers beating black motorist Rodney King more than 30 years ago.

The five officers, who are all black, were each charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

They range in age from 24 to 32 and each served on the department for about 2 1/2 to five years.

Charged with second degree murder are (top, left to right) Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and (bottom, left to right) Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith

The police officers involved in the assault were taken into custody on Thursday

Protesters gathered for mostly peaceful demonstrations in multiple cities, including Memphis, where several dozen demonstrators blocked the Interstate 55 bridge that carries traffic over the Mississippi River toward Arkansas.

Semitrucks were backed up for a distance. In Washington, dozens of protestors gathered in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House and near Black Lives Matter Plaza.

Other cities nationwide braced for demonstrations, but media outlets reported only scattered and nonviolent protests.

Demonstrators at times blocked traffic while they chanted slogans and marched through the streets of New York City, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon.

Nichols relatives urged supporters to protest peacefully.

'I dont want us burning up our city, tearing up the streets, because thats not what my son stood for,' Nichols mother, RowVaughn Wells, said Thursday. 'If you guys are here for me and Tyre, then you will protest peacefully.'

Protesters gathered for mostly peaceful demonstrations in multiple cities, including Memphis, following the release of the video

Christopher Taylor was one of the protesters at the Interstate 55 bridge on Friday. He said he watched the video. The Memphis native said it was horrible that the officers appeared to be laughing as they stood around after the beating.

'I cried,' he said. 'And that right there, as not only a father myself but I am also a son, my mother is still living, that could have been me.'

Speaking at the White House, President Joe Biden said Friday that he was 'very concerned' about the prospect of violence and called for protests to remain peaceful.

Biden said he spoke with Nichols mother earlier in the day and told her that he was going to be 'making a case' to Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act 'to get this under control.'

The legislation, which has been stalled, is meant to tackle police misconduct and excessive force and boost federal and state accountability efforts.
Several couples' weddings are reportedly being upended by Alex Murdaugh's ongoing murder trial, which is currently being held across the street from a small-town South Carolina venue housing the processions.

Compounding the issue is the fact that the multipurpose Waterboro event hall - set 45 miles from Charleston - is being used as a makeshift media center, where dozens of journalists have convened.

Among those to raise concerns this week was Ashlyn DeLong, who has claimed staffers at the Walterboro Wildlife Center did not notify her about the arrangement ahead of her wedding to fiance Josh.

Slated for 5pm Saturday, the wedding has been in the works for more than a year, said Delong, but is now at risk of being hampered, just as another had been on Thursday.

Couples' weddings are reportedly being upstaged by Alex Murdaguh's ongoing murder trial, currently being held across the street from this small-town South Carolina venue

Among those to raise concerns this week over the arrangement was Ashlyn DeLong, who has claimed staffers at the center did not notify her about the trial ahead of her wedding to fiance Josh

The couple's complaints, aired this week to The Daily Beast, come as the small South Carolina town of roughly 5,000 has been largely overrun by members of the media tasked with covering the high-profile case.

Murdaugh, once a prominent attorney in the area, faces 30 years in prison for the June 2021 murders of his wife and son if convicted, with the trial expected to persist for the next several weeks.

Speaking to The Beast, Delong, 28, said that she and her soon-to-be husband had not been made aware that the venue volunteered itself to house the journalists, nor were they notified of the venue's proximity to Colleton County Courthouse, situated directly across the street.

'I couldnt believe it,' DeLong told publication shortly after the Murdaugh trial kicked off Monday, adding, 'I did know about the courthouse being across the street.'

DeLong, who, like her 33-year-old fiance, is from the area, went on to recall how she had come to choose the event hall for the pair's big day, due to its stellar reputation and central location in the small town.

'It was one of my top choices,' she said. 'It was more convenient due to the weather and location in town.'

Compounding the issue is the fact that the multipurpose Waterboro event hall is being used as a makeshift media center, where dozens of journalists have convened

However, after seeing a Facebook post from city officials last month that besieged food truck vendors to travel to the courthouse in anticipation of the trial, DeLong said she 'instantly got concerned.'

Familiar with the town's geography, the bride-to-be said that that disquiet stemmed from the fact that 'food trucks would be set up in the public parking lot' directly next to the Walterboro Wildlife Center.

At the time, DeLong recalled how she immediately thought how she and her fiance 'would need that space for our guests.'

Anxious over the realization, DeLong said she immediately reached out to the Walterboro Wildlife Center - a multipurpose venue that doubles as a museum showing off the region's native wildlife - to air her concerns.

The couple's complaints, aired this week to The Daily Beast, come as the small South Carolina town of roughly 5,000 has been largely overrun by members of the media tasked with the trial, which could see South Carolina legal scion Alex Murdaugh (pictured) put away for 30 years

It was only after speaking with staffers at the center, the South Carolina woman said, that she learned of the trial, and that she would be competing for space not only with several food trucks, but scores of reporters and lawyers called to the town.

'I basically had to figure it out for myself,' the future wife told the Beast.

She went on to describe how it's been a 'circus' trying to figure out how her vendors and guests should enter and exit the venue amid the outflow of foot and car traffic across the street.

DeLong added: 'I had been super excited and now I am pretty stressed out. Everything has been surprisingly smooth planning-wise until this. This has been my trying moment throughout the entire process.'

The woman described how it's been a 'circus' trying to figure out how her vendors and guests should enter and exit the venue amid the outflow of foot and car traffic across the street

Delong complains that she and her soon-to-be husband had not been made aware that the venue volunteered itself to house the journalists, nor were they notified of the venue's proximity to Colleton County Courthouse (pictured)

After seeing a Facebook post from city officials last month that besieged food truck vendors to travel to the courthouse in anticipation of the trial, DeLong said she 'instantly got concerned'

While court will not be in session for the couple's big day on Saturday, she said that the presence of the press can still be felt, and is incensed over the venue and town's decision not to notify her about the situation until the 11th hour, only after being asked.

That said, the couple is not the only pair whose celebrations have been interrupted by the procession of press that has plagued the town, with another bride and groom whose nuptials were on Thursday - Day 4 of the bombastic trial - forced to share the venue with journalists.

Social media posts show that the couple had been much more open to the unusual arrangement than DeLong and her partner, going as far as to offer members of the press leftover cake and food from their own ceremony.

Another unspecified event is also scheduled to be held in the coming days during Murdaugh's double homicide trial.

Social media posts show that the couple had been much more open to the unusual arrangement than DeLong and her partner, going as far as to offer members of the press leftover cake and food from their own ceremony

Walterboro's tourism Director Scott Grooms, meanwhile, asserted earlier this week that the town has taken steps to ensure that all three events t will not be impacted by the trial - despite the venue's arrangement with journalists and it being set directly across the street.

'Nobody attending any of these events should see reporters at all, because they are in a completely different part of the building,' Grooms told The Beast.

He added that reporters are being guided from the event space downstairs to a separate entrance at the front of the facility, which also features an outdoor amphitheater.

'There are other venues, but we cant move the media six miles away from the trial.'

DailyMail.com has reached out to the Walterboro Wildlife Center for comment.

Murdaugh, once a prominent attorney in the area, faces 30 years in prison for the June 2021 murders of his wife and son if convicted, with the trial expected to persist for several weeks
Russian war bloggers are said to be trying to track the movements of the tanks

A video shows German Leopard-2 tanks and 'Marder' Infantry Fighting Vehicles being transported on a train, reportedly heading to Ukraine.

The footage is said to show the train carrying the military vehicles into Poland, having come from Germany.

At least three of the German tanks can be seen in the grainy video that was posted today, after Chancellor Olaf Scholz finally agreed to send the vehicles on January 25.

The exact location of the video in unclear with some claiming Poland, while others believe it's in east Germany.

Russian war bloggers are said to be unhappy and are trying to track the location so they can be hit as soon as they reach Ukraine.

German Leopard-2 tanks have been filmed heading east out of Germany today

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz finally agreed to send the vehicles on January 25

It has also been suggested that the tanks are destined for Lithuania, where NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force exercises are taking place.

At the start of the year Germany took the lead of NATO's highest-readiness military force, placing thousands of troops on standby and ready to deploy within days.

The VJTF was created in 2014 at the core of a strengthened NATO Response Force, following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.

VJTF land forces comprise around 11,500 thousand troops, with the Panzergrenadierbrigade 37 at its core.

In total, nine NATO Allies (Belgium, Czechia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia) will contribute.

Tanks have been pledged by several countries, including the US, as Russia is said to be planning a 'new pre-emptive strike' in Ukraine.

The new offensive will reportedly take place ahead of the first anniversary of their invasion on February 24 - according to satellite photos which show Putin's forces building up fortifications.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's national security and defence council, said: 'Now they are preparing for maximum activation, and they believe that by the anniversary they should have some achievements.'

'There is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave by February 24, as they themselves say,' he told Radio Svoboda.

Germany's 55-ton Leopard 2 tank combines aspects of firepower, protection, speed and maneuverability - making it adaptable to many types of combat situations.

Germany's 55-ton Leopard 2 tank combines aspects of firepower, protection, speed and maneuverability - making it adaptable to many types of combat situations

A high-ranking Ukrainian official said it is 'no secret' that Russia are preparing for a new wave by February 24 - the first anniversary of their invasion

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.

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.
Steve Hilton is host of The Steve Hilton Show and served as director of strategy for the British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Republican Congressman George Santos is rightly in the middle of a media and political storm over his astonishing series of lies about everything from his career experience to his family history. It surely cant be long before this ludicrous fabulist is booted out of public life for good.

But theres another congressional fabulist whose lies are far more serious and who isnt facing nearly the same level of scrutiny: Adam Schiff.

Schiff is the Santos of the Democratic Party - only much more dangerous. His deceptions are part of a far-reaching, left-wing establishment scheme to corrupt Big Tech and Americas intelligence and law enforcement agencies to serve the Democrats.

This has all been confirmed by the Twitter Files, a series of reports from independent journalists, who were given exclusive access to the companys internal communications

Schiff, his party, and their media puppets lecture everyone endlessly about our democracy. Turns out, theyve been the ones undermining it.

The Twitter revelations have come so thick and fast that Americans have barely had time to process them. As a result, one of the biggest scandals in U.S. history seems to be slipping by with zero accountability for the guilty parties.

Until now.

Schiff is the Santos of the Democratic Party - only much more dangerous. His deceptions are part of a far-reaching, left-wing establishment scheme to corrupt Big Tech and Americas intelligence and law enforcement agencies to serve the Democrats

This week, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ejected Schiff from the powerful House Intelligence Committee, which oversees the FBI and other federal agencies with the ability to peer into the private lives of Americans.

Predictably, the mainstream media has characterized Schiffs ousting as political vengeance. The New York Times called it, a much-anticipated tit-for-tat.

Of course, they would.

Schiffs removal is not only justified, it is imperative if government is to restore any semblance of trust with the American people after years of deception.

It started in 2016.

This week, Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ejected Schiff from the powerful House Intelligence Committee, which oversees the FBI and other federal agencies with the ability to peer into the private lives of Americans.

We now know, thanks to Special Counsel John Durham, that the FBI worked in close coordination with Hillary Clintons presidential campaign to create a false narrative of Trump/Russia collusion. When cracks in the Russia hoax began to emerge, Schiff intervened to paper them over.

In 2018, Republican Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes submitted to Congress a memo laying out the FBIs abuses in the creation of the Russia Collusion narrative. He exposed the agency for repeatedly relying on, politically motivated or questionable sources to obtain a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant to spy on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page in 2016.

Subsequent investigations by the Department of Justice Inspector General, as well as the Durham Inquiry, have validated the memo as truthful and accurate. But Schiff tried to block its release.

After initial reports on the memo, and before it was made public, there were demands for it to be published - including a viral Twitter hashtag #ReleaseTheMemo.

Schiff immediately claimed that this hashtag was being pushed by Russian bots and trolls in an attempt to manipulate public opinion.

In reality, Schiff was the true source of misinformation.

In Twitter Files, #14, we can see that Twitter investigated the claims of Russia manipulation and found it to be 100%false.

Despite being told this, Schiff and other top Democrats continued to make the claim. Twitter did nothing to correct the record, and so the mainstream media simply amplified false information. Nunes was discredited and the revelations he unearthed largely ignored.

But Schiffs nefarious influence didnt end there.

The Twitter Files have also revealed that he attempted to leverage his authority to compel Twitter to censor accounts that mocked President Biden and ban journalists Schiff didnt like.

On Wednesday, former secretary of State and CIA director Mike Pompeo said that Schiff leaked classified information shared with the Intelligence Committee during the Trump Administration. (Schiffs office has called this claim, patently false and defamatory.)

Is this really a man whom America wants to have oversight over the nations domestic spying apparatus?

All of this adds up to a crisis  the least of it is Adam Schiff.

Thankfully, his non-stop lies and corrosive misinformation have been rewarded by his expulsion from the Intelligence Committee. But now Schiff wants a promotion to become U.S. Senator for California. This would be totally unacceptable.

Just like his Republican fellow-fantasist George Santos, Adam Schiff should have no place in our politics.

The real crisis, however, is the attack on our democracy itself.

The Twitter revelations have come so thick and fast that Americans have barely had time to process them. As a result, one of the biggest scandals in U.S. history seems to be slipping by with zero accountability for the guilty parties

The Twitter Files have also revealed that Schiff attempted to leverage his authority to compel Twitter to censor accounts that mocked President Biden and ban journalists Schiff didnt like

As Michael Shellenberger reported in Twitter Files #7, during 2020 the FBI and other law enforcement agencies repeatedly primed Twitters head of security to dismiss any reports of Hunter Bidens laptop as a Russian hack and leak operation. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg told Joe Rogan that similar warnings were given to Facebook.

Both Twitter and Facebook executives have subsequently said that warnings from U.S. intelligence about a hack and leak operation drove their decision to censor the New York Post when it broke the Biden corruption story. This was despite the FBI itself failing to find evidence of Russian manipulation.

Worse still, the FBI knew for a fact that the laptop was real, and nothing to do with Russia - because they themselves had the laptop in their possession! In December 2019 the FBI seized the laptop, via a subpoena, from the owner of the computer repair shop where Hunter left it.

How is this possible in America? This is techno-totalitarianism of the kind we thought only existed in China. It is a far greater threat to our way of life than 9/11and January 6th combined.

Lets hope Speaker McCarthys punishment of Schiff and a new House committee investigating Weaponization of the Federal Government not only get to the bottom of all this - but clearly and compellingly lay out, for every American to see, the extent to which their own government has been turned against them.
Police have seized a terrifying arsenal of weapons including samurai swords, daggers and hand axes during a raid in south west London.

Wandsworth Police descended on the property in Putney yesterday and recovered a huge array of weapons, totalling 15 types of swords following a warrant to search the property.

Officers are yet to confirm where the property is. An investigation is ongoing.

Police tweeted an image of the weapons lined up alongside an image of police entering the property on Friday.

Police tweeted an image of the weapons lined up alongside each other after the raid on Friday

Wandsworth Police shared images online of them entering the property in Putney, south-west London

It comes as statistics show that London had more reports of bladed weapons than any other city in 12 months in 2022, with 13,405 reports.

The Office for National Statistics crime survey data showed that between October 2021 and June 2022, 49,991 non-fatal crimes using knives were recorded across England and Wales - equivalent to 136 incidents every single day.

In that period, knife offences recorded by the Metropolitan Police increased from 10,605 to 11,232, to a rate of 125 incidents per 100,000 population.

Of the 679 homicides investigated in England and Wales during that time, 38 per cent (258) were a result of an assault using a knife or sharp instrument.

But that data period does not include the recent spate of high-profile murders and attacks which have gripped the city in recent months.

MailOnline can reveal between June and November this year, Met Police recorded a further 6,843 knife crimes, with 1,973 resulting in injury or death. In the 12 months to November, a total of 13,405 separate incidents were investigated.

Met Police responded to 13,405 incidents involving knives in just 12 months, in a further sign Lawless London has become the knife crime capital of the country

August proved the most dangerous month across the board with 1,125 offences alone, compared to 850 in Februar

The central borough of Westminster has the highest rate of offences by population with 253 since June, accounting for about one incident per 1,000 people, while Bromley, Kingston upon Thames and Richmond upon Thames have the lowest rates in London.

Kensington and Chelsea recorded 89 incidents, with 273 in Southwark, 113 in Greenwich and 120 in Islington.

August proved the most dangerous month across the board with 1,125 offences alone, compared to 850 in February.

Nearly a quarter of all killings and more than half of shootings in London are linked to gangs, mayor Sadiq Khan revealed earlier this year.

But he warned knife crimes are not solely a gang issue and affect the wider community.

Mr Khan first implemented a knife crime strategy in 2017 in an effort to tackle the epidemic, vowing to 'divert young people at highest risk of offending and victimisation away from a life ruined by crime'.

'Our communities are sick and tired of the damage being done by knife crime,' he said.
Donald Trump's first high-profile 2024 campaign event had him sounding more like a politician than he did during any of his 2016 or 2020 rallies  showing the ex-president may be ready to 'play ball' in his third presidential campaign.

He also said that Joe Biden running the country makes every day feel like April Fools Day.

While Trump did resurrect some of his greatest hits during remarks at the New Hampshire Republican Party's annual meeting on Saturday afternoon, he mostly stuck to the script.

He did, however, make sure to reassure voters that he is still 'angry' and still invested in winning and promised the rallies are coming 'soon.'

'The rallies, which are starting very soon, even though it's very early,' Trump said. 'They're almost forcing me into the rallies. 'Why isn't he doing rallies two years early?'

Donald Trump defended himself against claims he has been slow to start his 2024 campaign for president in his first high-profile event with a speech in first-in-the-nation primary election state of New Hampshire

Trump was speaking to the New Hampshire Republican Party at their annual meeting in Salem, New Hampshire. The first-in-the-nation primary election state is vital for those seeking the presidential nomination every four years

'But we're going to do them soon. I think we should do a big one up here. Let's do a big one. They love our rallies,' Trump said in previewing a future rally in New Hampshire.

Some strategists and politicians have pointed to Trump's slow-to-start campaign to back claims that he's lost the spark or drive to get a second term in the White House  but the former president rebuked those claims.

'The fake news said when I announced that I just wanted to put my cards on the table. Like you know, when playing that very big game right now, the biggest game of all because it involves the country and the survival of the United States of America,' Trump said to a group of New Hampshire Republicans in Salem.

'But when I put the cards on  and then I said, 'alright let's go.' They said, 'he's not campaigning.' This is like about a month ago when I announced. I said, well, you know, 'I've got two years.'

'They said, 'he's not doing rallies, he's not campaigning, maybe he's lost that step.' Well, I'm more angry now and I'm more committed now than I ever was,' he insisted.

At his speech in the first-in-then-nation primary election state, Trump announced that outgoing chairman of the New Hampshire GOP Stephen Stepanek will come on as the senior advisor for his campaign in the Granite State.

With Stepanek on board, Trump says he actually has a chance to flip New Hampshire red.

Trump also said that if he isn't successful in 2024, 'that's going to be the end' and the 'communists and Marxists' would have won and will now rule the United States.

Trump announced at the event that he is brining on outgoing chairman of the New Hampshire GOP Stephen Stepanek (right) as the senior advisor for his campaign in the Granite State

"We need a President who is ready to hit the ground running on day one."



Former President Donald Trump speaks about his 2024 presidential bid at a kickoff event in New Hampshire.



MORE: https://t.co/dvonA1A5hD pic.twitter.com/MfG245SXXc  NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) January 28, 2023

'He's going to help us make sure we have a win in the Granite State in 2024,' Trump said of Stepanek. 'We stopped the communists, we stopped the Marxists, if we don't stop them this time, I think that's going to be the end.'

'Everyone in this room shares the one key mission  we're going to defeat Joe Biden and the radical Democrats,' the former president said. 'These are radical left people. I think in many cases they are Marxists and Communists. I used to say that seldom, and now I say that all the time.'

Trump spent a considerable amount of time pointing to Biden's failures, and said it makes him feel like every day is the April 1 jokester holiday April Fools.

Among the listed failures included the disastrous mishandling of the troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, which was widely criticized. He also mentioned the Defund Police movement leading to massive crime spikes, as well as migrant policies allowing drug smuggling and human trafficking to pour over the border.

'We have people in the midst of the greatest crime wave in history that want to defund the police. That's April Fools, isn't it, right?' Let's defund the police.' You can't even get your car  you go to New York, nobody ever gets prosecuted,' Trump accused.

'I'm the only one they go after. It's true,' he said to massive laughter. 'Nobody gets prosecuted, they go after me.'

As part of his attack lines against the current president, Trump brought his son Hunter Biden into his remarks.

Specifically, Trump questioned when President Biden would finally 'get mad' at his son for dropping off a laptop at a repair shop that had 'every crime you've ever committed' on it.

'At what point does the father [Biden] get angry? Like, 'this kid is not working out for me,' Trump said in reference to Hunter, 52.

When reimagining a hypothetical conversations between the Biden father-son duo, Trump said that the president would say: 'What's on the laptop son?'

To which Hunter would reply: 'Every crime you've ever committed, pa,' according to the former president.

Trump urged Americans to 'be careful' with the 'fragile' United States.

'It's crazy  this is a crazy world we're living in,' Trump said. 'And we have to be very careful because we have a very fragile country  this is a very fragile place.'
Chinese Narnia: Mesmerizing rime scenery in NE China's Jilin

CGTN) 09:42, January 28, 2023

Rime decorated towering trees in silvery crystal white in northeast China's Jilin Province.The mesmerizing scenery resembling jade engravings and sculptures lasted for hours before rising temperatures closed the gates to the "Chinese Narnia."

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
M.K Stalin PTI

Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin launched a website  www.ccfms.tn.gov.in  for the Companies Compliances and Financials Monitoring Systems that would help keeping track of the functioning of the public sector companies in the State and also launched the Tamil Nadu Emerging Sector Seed Fund on Friday.

At the official event in the Secretariat, Stalin also issued orders for making investments in five companies under the new seed fund, which is expected to be raised to Rs 500 crore by 2023-24. As of now the government had pooled in Rs 50 crore and TIDCO and TIDEL Park another Rs 50 crore.

The companies that received seed fund were E-Sandai (Rs 1 crore), Kaigal (Rs 2 crore), Planytics (Rs 2 crore), Surinova (Rs 5 crore) and Mr Med (Rs 3.40 crore).

As far as the website is concerned, it would help gather information on the public sector companies and also identify violations committed by them. Through an automated messaging system, the director of the companies would be alerted of the violations for necessary action, an official press release said.
Tommy Robinson has appeared at a Muslim protest outside the Swedish embassy in London, which was organised following a series of Koran-burning stunts by a far-right activist last week.

The English Defence League founder, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was flanked by police officers and other observers as he spoke to a handful of protestors among the large crowd standing behind metal barriers, on Saturday.

Hundreds turned out for the protest, which was prompted by far-right activist Rasmus Paludan burning a Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, last Saturday, after being granted permission by authorities.

English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson was spotted at a protest outside the Swedish embassy in London on Saturday afternoon

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was seen taking a video at the protest

Robinson claimed to be there as an observer and later posted a video to his Twitter account

The convicted extremist vowed to continue this action until Sweden is admitted to NATO.

He repeated the stunt outside a mosque in Copenhagen on Friday, further infuriating the Muslim world.

The provocative demonstration is said to have endangered Sweden's bid to join the security organisation after Turkey postponed planned accession talks.

Far-right journalist Chang Frick, who runs the populist site Nyheter Idag and previously worked for Russia Today (RT), is alleged to have paid the fee for the demonstration outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm last week.

His involvement has led to unproven claims that Russia could be behind the row to prevent Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

Hundreds turned out for the protest, which was prompted by far-right activist Rasmus Paludan burning a Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, last Saturday, after being granted permission to do so by authorities

Robinson stood on the other side of metal barriers holding back hundreds of protestors

Robinson observed in his video, which was later posted to social media: 'They are angry about the Koran burning. I've come to ask them a couple of questions.'

At today's protest in London, Robinson took a video of a large crowd shouting outside the Swedish embassy in London, which he posted to his Twitter account.

He said: 'They are angry about the Koran burning. I've come to ask them a couple of questions.'

The protestors chanted in unison while holding up placards inscribed with: 'Burning our Koran is not a freedom of expression. It is a message of hatred and racism.'

This latest protest in London follows similar ones in predominantly Muslim countries held this week to denounce the recent desecration of the Koran.

Protests have been held in Pakistan, Iraq, Iran and Lebanon.

In Pakistan's capital Islamabad, police stopped some demonstrators trying to march towards the Swedish embassy.

Far-right politician Rasmus Paludan burns a copy of Kuran in front of the Turkish embassy in Copenhagen on Friday

The activist is pictured burning another Koran outside a mosque in Noerrebro, Copenhagen, on Friday

The convicted extremist repeated the protest today in Denmark and has vowed to do so every day until Sweden is admitted to NATO

About 12,000 Islamists from the Tehreek-e-Labiak Pakistan party rallied in Lahore, the capital of the eastern Punjab province, to denounce the desecration of the Koran in the two European countries.

In his speech to the demonstrators, Saad Rizvi, the head of the TLP, asked the government to lodge a strong protest with Sweden and the Netherlands so that such incidents do not happen again.

Similar rallies were also held in the southern city of Karachi and in the north west.

In the Iranian capital Tehran, hundreds of people marched after Friday prayers during which they burned a Swedish flag.

People react as far-right politician Paludan burns a Koran copy in front of a mosque in Copenhagen

Police secure the area in front of the Turkish embassy in Copenhagen ahead of Friday's protest

In Beirut, about 200 angry protesters burned the flags of Sweden and the Netherlands outside the blue-domed Mohammed Al-Amin mosque in central Martyrs Square.

Small protests over the Koran burning also took place in Bahrain.

Following the initial Koran burning, the Danish ambassador was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry where Turkish officials 'strongly condemned the permission given to this provocative act which clearly constitutes a hate crime', Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said.

Iranians burn Sweden's flag during an anti-Sweden rally after the Friday prayer ceremony in Tehran

In Pakistan, thousands took to the street to protest Sweden's decision to allow the demonstration

Taliban security forces stand guard as Afghans shout slogans during a protest against the burning of the Koran

The ambassador was told that 'Denmark's attitude is unacceptable' and that Turkey expected that the permission be revoked, according to Anadolu.

Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told Danish media that the incident would not change Denmark's 'good relationship' with Turkey, adding that Copenhagen intended to talk to Ankara about Denmark's laws upholding freedoms.

'Our task now is to talk to Turkey about how the conditions are in Denmark with our open democracy, and that there is a difference between Denmark as a country - and our people as such - and then about individual people who have strongly divergent views,' Mr Lokke Rasmussen said.

Paludan's action last week caused fury in Turkey, which criticised Swedish authorities for allowing the demonstration to take place outside the Turkish embassy.

Turkey's president cast serious doubt on NATO's expansion, warning Sweden not to expect support for its membership bid in the military alliance.

The nation also indefinitely postponed a key meeting in Brussels that would have discussed Sweden and Finland's NATO's membership, saying such a meeting would have been 'meaningless'.

Sweden and Finland abandoned their long-standing policies of military non-alignment and applied for NATO membership after Russian forces launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Protesters hold up a bloodstained effigy of Paludan during a protest in Karachi, Pakistan

His burning of the Quran sparked counter-protests in Turkey, where demonstrators burned his photograph and a Swedish flag

Rasmus Paludan is pictured burning the Koran outside of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm last week

NATO member Turkey, which is pressing the two countries to crack down on Kurdish militants and other groups it considers terrorists, has not yet endorsed their accession, which requires unanimous approval from all existing alliance members.

Paludan, a Swedish-Danish activist who has already been convicted for racist abuse, provoked rioting in Sweden last year when he went on a tour of the country and publicly burned copies of the Koran.

The action has caused international outrage, with Morocco saying it was 'astonished' the authorities had allowed it to take place 'in front of the Swedish forces of order'.

Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also condemned it, as did the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Jakarta said 'the act of blasphemy against the holy book has hurt and tarnished religious tolerance', adding that 'freedom of expression must be exercised in a responsible manner'.
Two men and a woman were shot dead in an upscale Los Angeles neighborhood just one week after 18 were killed in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, as California sees its sixth Mass Shooting in a month.

The three victims who died were reportedly found inside a car outside a $3 million home.

Four others were injured in the shooting outside the home on Ellison Drive in ritzy Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles around 2.30am on Saturday.

Two took themselves to the hospital before police arrived, while two others were transported by emergency services, according to ABC 7. All four are in critical condition.

LAPD Sergeant Bruce Borihanh said the shooting happened outside of the home, which is believed to have been used as a short-term rental.

It is unclear what led up to the shooting and the suspect remains at large.

Two men and a woman were shot dead outside of a home on Ellison Drive in ritzy Benedict Canyon area of Los Angeles around 2.30am on Saturday. The three deceased victims were reportedly found inside a car

Four others were also shot and left critically injured. The shooter remains at large and it is unclear what started the deadly incident

The shooting occurred outside a home (pictured) on Ellison Drive. It is believed to have been rented as a short-term property

The fatal shooting is the sixth mass shooting in California this month.

The early Saturday morning shooting comes on top a massacre at a Monterey Park dance hall last week on the Lunar New Year that left 11 dead and nine wounded, as well as shootings at two Half Moon Bay farms that left seven dead and one wounded.

Huu Can Tran, 72, had been banned from the ballroom about five years ago for pestering women and being too 'argumentative,' prior to the shooting in Monterey Park.

Tran shot 42 rounds into the ballroom on Saturday night, before driving to the nearby club where he was disarmed.

Police on Thursday also revealed the weapon he used in the mass shooting was a Cobray model CM11-9 while a .308 caliber bolt action rifle was found at his home.

A day later, Chunli Zhao, 66, a Chinese farm worker, shot seven of his fellow workers dead.

The shootings took place at two separate locations in Half Moon Bay, with four shot at a facility run by Concord Farms, and three at Mountain Mushroom Farms two miles away. Officials are unsure which was attacked first.

Despite this being the sixth mass shooting in a month in California, crime is down 13 percent overall in Los Angeles, compared to the same time last year

Children were present at the time, because some of the workers lived on-site with their families.

An eighth person was shot and injured and airlifted to Stanford Medical Center.

Zhao is expected 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 shooting comes shortly after 18 people were killed in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay by Huu Can Tran (left) and Chunli Zhao (right), respectively. Tran killed 11 people at a ballroom, while Zhao killed seven of his coworkers

In another unrelated mass shooting in California earlier this month, six people were shot dead at a home in central California in what police described as a 'horrific massacre'.

The victims included a teen mother and her infant, who were both shot execution style. The infant was found cradled in the arms of his mother as she attempted to flee with her infant son.

Authorities are searching for at least two suspects in what appeared to be a gang-related murders, sheriff's officials said.

The consecutive killings have dealt a blow to the state, which has some of the nation's toughest firearm laws and lowest rates of gun deaths.

For the third straight year, the US in 2022 recorded over 600 mass shootings in which at least four people were killed or injured, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Despite the increase in mass shootings this month, crime is down 13 percent overall in Los Angeles, compared to the same time last year.
A veteran librarian in western Michigan has seen her place of work become a lightening rod for a group of radical conservatives seeking to ban books they believe promote pornography or LGBTQ causes.

Jean Reicher, who became a librarian at Patmos Library in the Jamestown Township two and a half years ago, went viral in December 2022 following her appearance at a library board meeting.

She said in her impassioned speech that in recent months signs have been erected in the town calling her a 'pedophile.' Reicher added that she has been photographed by strangers and received threatening phone calls.

Reicher told the board, 'I moved to this town 2 years ago, and I regret it every day for the last year. This has been horrible.'

Jean Reicher, who became a librarian at Patmos Library in the Jamestown Township two and a half years ago, went viral in December 2022 following her appearance at a library board meeting

The library historically relied upon the millage, the number of dollars of tax assessed for each $1,000 of property value. Donald Trump won 60 percent of the vote in Ottawa County, where Jamestown is located, in 2016 and 2020

Peter Bromberg, a board member for the library resource center EveryLibrary, told the Los Angeles Times this week that librarians nationwide are under a great degree of stress amid the book banning furor as 'neighbors talk about them being an arm of Satan.'

A 2021 national survey found that 27 percent of public libraries have let staff go due to budget cuts.

In November, a group known as the Jamestown Conservatives won a victory when the library lost 84 percent of its $245,000 annual budget after the millage renewal was defeated in a general election with 55 percent of voters polling against the proposal.

The library historically relied upon the millage, the number of dollars of tax assessed for each $1,000 of property value. Donald Trump won 60 percent of the vote in Ottawa County, where Jamestown is located, in 2016 and 2020.

Reicher said at the meeting in December, 'We have been threatened. We have been cursed. How dare you people. You dont know me. You dont know anything about me. You have said Ive sexualized your children. Im grooming your children.'

According to her LinkedIn page, Reicher previously worked at the Woodridge Public Library in Woodridge, Illinois.

She told the board, 'I wasnt raised this way. I believe in God. Im a Catholic. Im a Christian. Im everything you are.'

Reicher is far from alone.

The anti-censorship group PEN America says censors have been busy in Texas, Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and Georgia

The banned books were often young adult novels dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer themes or featuring queer protagonists

PEN America, a non-profit writers' group, says books dealing with LGBTQ and racial issues are most frequently targeted

Conservative attacks against schools and libraries have proliferated nationwide over the past two years, and librarians themselves have been harassed and even driven out of their jobs.

A middle school librarian in Denham Springs, Louisiana, has filed a legal complaint against a Facebook page which labeled her a 'criminal and a pedophile.'

At the time when the Patmos Library's budget was cut, the Board of Trustees President Larry Walton said about 90 of its 67,000 materials in circulation 'could be relative to LGBTQ.'

While the Jamestown Conservatives maintained that the library was 'grooming' children with books containing explicit material and LGBTQ themes.

A local teacher, Jay Milkamp, told WOOD-TV in November, 'Were very upset that our community doesnt want to support the library. Were Americans. We recognize freedom of speech.

'Theres 67,000 books in this library, I read. Ninety of them are objectionable. I think thats no reason to vote down the millage.'

Americas 5 most banned titles: Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe was banned by 41 school districts. The illustrated text charts the authors journey of self-identity and what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, according to promotional material. All Boys Arent Blue, a series of personal essays by George M. Johnson, was banned in 29 districts. The memoir-manifesto narrates the childhood, adolescence, and college years of its black, queer author Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez is a novel about teen love between a Mexican-American girl and a black boy in Texas in the 1930s. It was banned in 24 districts. The Bluest Eye was banned in 22 districts. The first novel by celebrated author Toni Morrison tells the story of a black girl growing up in the 1940s, and her sense of inferiority due to her skin color. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas was banned in 17 districts. It was inspired by the Black Lives Matter protest movement, deals with the police violence against minorities, and was turned into a 2018 movie. Advertisement

Following the loss of funding, a GoFundMe page for the library raised $12,000, author Nora Roberts donated $50,000 and a private family gave $100,000, according to the Huffington Post.

The American Library Association documented 681 challenges to books through the first eight months of 2022, involving 1,651 different titles.

In all of 2021, the ALA listed 729 challenges, directed at 1,579 books. Because the ALA relies on media accounts and reports from libraries, the actual number of challenges is likely far higher, the library association believes.

The number of books banned in the first nine months of 2022 was higher than the amount of books banned during 2021, which was the highest number in decades.

Texas accounted for the most bans, with 801 in 22 districts, followed by Florida and Pennsylvania.

Just this week, a Florida school board made headlines when it became 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'.

Jessica Brassington of Mama Bears Rising, a group that says they're fighting for more oversight in education, told the LA Times that they're not seeking to harm librarians or to shut down libraries.

She said, 'We want to protect our children. Weve seen the dark side of what can happen beyond the book. Suicide. Alienation.'

Brassington added, 'We want to know what books are available to our children. ... The parents are being bypassed.'
The Mail on Sunday today reveals crucial evidence that the infamous picture of Prince Andrew with his alleged teenage sex victim is genuine  demolishing claims by the Duke and his supporters that it could be fake.

The photograph of Andrew with his arm around 17-year-old Virginia Roberts has dogged him since it was first published by The Mail on Sunday 12 years ago and ultimately led to his downfall.

Since then, the 62-year-old Prince has suggested the devastating photograph could have been altered with digital trickery, while his former friend, jailed sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, claimed just last week that it is a fraud.

But this newspaper can prove the picture was an ordinary printed photograph developed at a one-hour photo lab that would have been virtually impossible to doctor.

The original print of the now infamous picture taken in London on March 10, 2001

A bombshell picture of the back of the original photograph showing a date stamp that proves it was developed on March 13, 2001  three days after it is alleged Miss Roberts was forced to have sex with Andrew

The MoS can today exclusively reveal:

A bombshell picture of the back of the original photograph showing a date stamp that proves it was developed on March 13, 2001  three days after it is alleged Miss Roberts was forced to have sex with Andrew;

That the original, taken on a Kodak disposable camera, was developed at a branch of Walgreens, a major US pharmacy chain;

That the store where it is understood the photograph was processed is just a two-minute drive from Miss Roberts' former home in West Palm Beach, Florida;

Newly unearthed camera data which proves Miss Roberts showed the original picture to professional photographer Michael Thomas, who took 39 copies of the image, both front and back, before the MoS was involved in taking it to the FBI;

Mr Thomas branded claims by Andrew and Maxwell that the original photograph could be fake as 'ridiculous' and 'absurd', saying he wants people to 'stop dealing in conspiracies'.

Our sensational evidence undermines the Duke's dramatic bid, revealed exclusively in last week's MoS, to overturn the multi-million pound settlement he struck with Miss Roberts and restore his battered reputation.

This newspaper first published the photograph showing Andrew, then 41, grinning with his arm around Miss Roberts at Ghislaine Maxwell's mews house in Belgravia, London, on February 27 2011.

The picture, which shows Maxwell in the background, had been taken nearly a decade earlier by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein using Miss Roberts' camera.

In devastating legal testimony, Miss Roberts, now 39 and using her married name Giuffre, claimed the picture was taken the night she had sex with Andrew at Epstein and Maxwell's bidding, after the pair had danced at Tramp nightclub in London.

Andrew has repeatedly and strenuously denied the allegations and during an interview with BBC Newsnight in 2019 attempted to cast doubt on the photo's authenticity. 'Nobody can prove whether or not that photograph has been doctored but I don't recollect that photograph ever being taken,' he said.

Last week, in a televised prison interview Maxwell - who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking  declared: 'It is a fake. I don't believe it's real for a second, in fact I am sure it's not. There has never been an original and further there is no photograph.'

Miss Roberts first showed the picture, which had been taken on a yellow Kodak camera, to MoS reporter Sharon Churcher and photographer Michael Thomas at her modest bungalow on Australia's Central Coast in February 2011.

Ms Churcher was investigating a mysterious civil writ filed in a Florida court in 2009 by a woman identified only as 'Jane Doe 102' who claimed she had been sexually exploited by friends of financier Epstein 'including royalty'.

After meticulously piecing together a string of clues, Ms Churcher discovered that the writ had been filed by a woman named Virginia Roberts and that she had moved to Australia. The picture featuring Prince Andrew had been kept with more than a dozen others from Miss Roberts' time with Epstein in a white envelope that was stuffed in a bookcase.

The Walgreens where the photograph was developed, just two minutes from Virginia Giuffre's then Florida home

The type of 'fun' camera Virginia says she used

Realising its enormous significance, the journalists met Miss Roberts the following day at a Crowne Plaza hotel in the nearby town of Terrigal where she allowed Mr Thomas to take photographs of the original print  standard practice for newspaper photographers handling sensitive pictures.

So where IS the original now? Mystery still surrounds the whereabouts of the original photograph of Prince Andrew with his sex accuser, Virginia Roberts. In February 2011, Mail on Sunday reporter Sharon Churcher and photographer Michael Thomas drove Miss Roberts to the US consulate in Sydney, Australia, where she met two FBI agents. She handed them a collection of snaps, including the print showing her with Ghislaine Maxwell and Andrew, and they gave it back to her after making a scan. It appears, however, to have then gone missing. When quizzed by attorney Laura Menninger during a legal deposition in 2016, Miss Roberts said: 'I probably still have it. It's not in my possession right now.' When pressed, she added it was 'probably in some storage boxes' in Sydney and suggested it could have been at a relative's house in the Australian city. Last year, a source connected to Miss Roberts told the Daily Beast website: 'The picture is not in Virginia's possession.' The website claimed that no one on Roberts' legal team knew where the photograph was nor, indeed, had any of them ever seen it. Advertisement

'She handed me the photograph and I put it on the table in the hotel room and I copied it,' Mr Thomas, a photographer of 37 years' experience, told the MoS last night.

'I think I took more than 30 frames, which is overkill for copying one photo but I didn't want to get it out of focus or get it wrong because I knew how important it was.'

He was in no doubt the photo was genuine. 'I was holding the original photo in my hand. It was a normal 6x4 inch print that you would have got from any developer at the time.

'It looked like it was ten years old. It wasn't crisp because it had been developed in 2001. She had held on to it for ten years by the time I saw it. For Ghislaine Maxwell to come out and say it was fake is ridiculous. I held the photo. It was a normal photograph. It was a physical print. It exists. I saw it and that's what I photographed and that's what you see now.'

Since then, the set of duplicates have sat on a hard drive in the office of Mr Thomas's home near Queenstown in New Zealand. But last Monday, while driving home from a DIY store, he was infuriated to hear a report on the radio in which Maxwell insisted the photograph was fake. 'I thought, 'here we go again'. When they say it's fake, they are saying that I'm involved. They are basically accusing someone of faking it and me being party to it. It's not fake  and it never has been.'

Determined to kill the conspiracy theory once and for all, Mr Thomas examined his pictures from more than a decade ago and, to his surprise, realised that as well as taking 36 separate shots of the front of Ms Roberts' photograph he had also turned the picture over and taken three shots of its reverse. Those images  published exclusively for the first time today  reveal a stamp that contains crucial new information. The stamp reads: '000 #15 13Mar01 Walgreens One Hour Photo'.

Experts say this proves the original photo was developed at Walgreens  a huge pharmacy chain similar to Boots  in one hour on March 13, 2001.

Last week, the MoS visited the Walgreens store in West Palm Beach which is most likely to have developed the photograph.

Photographer Michael Thomas holds a reprint of his photographed copy

The large shop on Royal Palm Beach Boulevard opened in 1988 and is less than a two-minute drive from Miss Roberts' home at that time in Bent Oak, a development of flats where she lived with her then boyfriend Tony Figueroa.

Joel VanHemel, a Florida-based photographic expert and court witness, who was shown the back of the print last week, was unequivocal in saying it was genuine.

'It was definitely produced in a Walgreens, for sure, probably using a Noritsu or Fuji machine.

'The 000 number would be the order number, presumably because it was their first order that particular day. And the #15 is the negative number  it was the 15th picture in the film roll.'

Mr VanHemel, who has been working in photographic development since 1986, added: 'Then you have the date  13Mar01  and it states it was Walgreens One Hour Photo. It's on Kodak paper like the standard print you'd get from any Walgreens.'

A veteran photo developer who works in a different printing shop in West Palm Beach said he thought Miss Roberts' original print was on Kodak RA-4 paper, which was used by Walgreens around that time.

DENIAL: The Duke said he had 'absolutely no memory' of the photograph being taken

Prince Andrew's accuser Virginia Giuffre signs book deal worth millions: READ MORE Plans have been drawn up to 'maxmise' the book release. Virginia Giuffre and lawyer David Boies are pictured in August 2019 at Federal Court in New York Advertisement

Crucially, the date displayed on the picture perfectly fits with the known timeline of Miss Roberts' movements. Flight logs obtained by the Daily Mail in 2019 show that Miss Roberts arrived in London on March 9, 2001, and departed for the US two days later. The photograph of Andrew and Miss Roberts is believed to have been taken on March 10.

Quizzed under oath, Miss Roberts has said that while she cannot remember exactly where she got the photograph developed, she believed it was 'when I got back to America'.

A top forensic imaging expert consulted by this newspaper last week said he believed our evidence showed the picture was unlikely to have been faked. 'The original image is likely to be genuine,' he said. 'Film grain is visible so the original print will most likely be taken on a film camera and printed onto photographic paper rather than be a digital image.'

And renowned US digital forensic expert Bryan Neumeister, who gave evidence during last year's Johnny Depp and Amber Heard defamation trial, said he could find no evidence of forgery from his preliminary assessment of one of Mr Thomas's duplicates.

'With more than 42 years of film, video and digital photography professional experience, and having worked more than 1,000 legal cases, It is my initial opinion that the photo in question is not a composite,' he said.

A photograph of Virginia Roberts, taken by Michael Thomas during their meeting

For Mr Thomas, the discovery of the image of the back of the photo is documentary proof that he saw  and held  the original print.

'People are now saying it was just a copy and there was no original photo. Well, I saw the photo. And it was a photo with the information of when and where it was processed on the back.'

Mr Thomas is not the only person who saw the original print. Miss Roberts showed the photo soon after it was developed to her friend Carolyn Andriano, who was also abused by Epstein and Maxwell when she was 14.

Last week, her husband John told the MoS that Andrew and Maxwell were 'wrong' to claim the photo had been doctored, adding: 'My wife only tells the truth, she ain't no liar. If she said that's what she saw then that's all there is to it.'

Tony Figueroa, Miss Roberts' ex-boyfriend, has also said that he also saw the photo in 2001 when she first told him about Andrew. Quizzed under oath in 2016 about whether he saw a photograph with Miss Roberts with the Duke, he replied: 'Yes'.

ACCUSER: Virginia Roberts holds a photo of herself at age 16, when she says Palm Beach multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein began abusing her sexually

An analysis of the 'meta-data' embedded in each of Mr Thomas's 39 images of the original photograph, also provides proof of his account. They show that he took the images with a Canon EOS-1D Mark IV camera on February 17, 2011. He took the final picture of the front of the original image at 1.04pm, before turning it over and photographing its reverse.

Mr Thomas said the idea that the photo could have been doctored before he saw it is also fanciful.

'Virginia lived in a basic bungalow in pretty rural New South Wales. She wasn't massively computer literate  I don't think she even had a computer at the house. We didn't get anything computerised from Virginia. You've got to remember that this was 2011. If at any stage someone had faked it, they would have had to fake the front and the back of the photo.'

'They throw out this line that it's been faked but have three different people been put in the photo? How was it done? What's fake about the picture?

'If you look at the original print there's a thumbprint in shot and there's a flash bouncing back off the back window. It's not exactly the most technically perfect picture.

'I'd like this all to be put to bed. I don't want every six months to get emails from people saying it's fake. Hopefully people can stop dealing in conspiracies.'

So, Ghislaine - still think it's doctored?

Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell have for years questioned the authenticity of the photograph showing the Duke with Virginia Roberts  but have failed to produce any evidence that it is fake.

Attempts to undermine its credibility began in 2019 when 'friends' of the Duke told a newspaper that the photo may not be real because his hands were too slender. In reality, Andrew's fingers were 'quite small and chubby', one said.

Then in November 2019, during his BBC Newsnight interview, Andrew himself suggested it could have been fake, adding: 'From the investigations we've done, you can't prove whether or not that photograph is faked or not because it is a photograph of a photograph.'

Speaking from a US jail in an interview last week, Maxwell said: 'It is a fake. I don't believe it's real for a second'

He won support this month from former girlfriend Lady Victoria Hervey, who suggested an 'Irish body double' may have been used.

Last week, speaking from the US jail where she is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, Maxwell, 61, claimed: 'It is a fake. I don't believe it's real for a second. I am sure it's not. There has never been an original... there is no photograph.'

Her allegation of forgery contrasts with comments she made in 2015. Lawyer Alan Dershowitz emailed her: 'Do you know whether the photo of Andrew and Virginia is real? You are in the background.'

Maxwell replied 11 minutes later: 'It looks real. I think it is.'

Following the MoS's revelations, a forensic image expert now plans to make a computer reconstruction of the photograph and simulate the lighting and shadow positions.

A source said: 'A great deal of what has been written in the past about this image is utter tosh.'
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said teachers must tell their heads if they plan to strike next week during the industrial action which could hit 23,000 schools.

The National Education Union is planning seven days of strike action in England and Wales, with the first on February 1 coinciding with walkouts by 70,000 university staff, thousands of train drivers and 100,000 civil servants.

In a letter from Keegan to union chiefs, she said that staff informing headteachers of their plan to walk out would help avoid 'unnecessary disruption'.

'I am enormously grateful for all the work school leaders and teachers are doing to keep schools open next week,' she wrote.

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said teachers should tell their heads if they intend to strike next week during the industrial action

'The flexibility your members have shown is critical in minimising disruption to the education of children.

'I recognise that many headteachers are facing difficult decisions about what is possible in their school in these complicated circumstances.

'I know that they are making every effort to keep their schools open and protect children's learning, especially for disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils, children of critical workers and those taking exams later this year.'

Around 4.5million youngsters will be affected during next week's industrial action.

Kevin Courtney, the joint general secretary of the NEU, accused Keegan of trying to make a 'cheap political point'

Keegan added: 'I understand the importance of maintaining teachers' right to strike, but I hope this important right can be protected whilst minimising the impact on children, especially in the context of the disruption they have faced due to Covid.

'With that in mind, I am calling on the National Education Union to encourage their members to alert their headteachers if they intend to take strike action on Wednesday.

'Doing so, will allow headteachers to take important operational decisions to protect children's learning.

'You will be aware that there is no obligation for your members to alert their headteachers, and they cannot be required to do so, but your cooperation would help ensure our dispute does not cause additional and unnecessary disruption.'

In a series of tweets today, Keegan said: 'I am disappointed the NEU is taking action despite our continued engagement'

In a series of tweets today, Keegan said: 'I am disappointed the NEU is taking action despite our continued engagement.

'I've written to teacher unions calling on them to ask their members to inform schools if they intend to go on strike.

'Not informing school leaders means our head teachers will be less able to minimise disruption to children's learning.

'I hope union members will help us keep our schools open.'

Union officials are set to meet Keegan on Monday for further talks, described by the NEU as the 'last chance' to avoid Wednesday's strike action.

Kevin Courtney, the joint general secretary of the NEU, accused the Education Secretary of trying to make a 'cheap political point'.

'We are meeting Gillian Keegan at 2pm on Monday with all the education unions. This is the last chance to avoid the strike on Wednesday,' he said.

'This is what the Secretary of State should be focusing on. However on Friday the Department of Education failed to meet the deadline to submit its evidence to the School Teachers' Review Body.

'Instead at one minute to five she sends her letter seeking to score a cheap political point.

'We hope the Secretary of State will bring forward concrete proposals to end this dispute and avert the strike action.'

Strikes across the UK will begin on Wednesday in what experts fear is effectively the first general strike since 1926.
Embattled First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been plunged into another transgender prison row.

The SNP leader is facing calls to stop a transgender pervert who stalked a 13-year-old girl while identifying as a man being transferred to a women's prison after the Isla Bryson debacle.

Tiffany Scott, who followed the girl while known as Andrew Burns, has reportedly requested to be moved to a women's prison. The Daily Record reported this request has been rubber-stamped after previously being refused.

Earlier this week, Isla Bryson was initially taken to Cornton Vale after being convicted of two rapes which took place while the criminal was known as Adam Graham. Bryson was later transferred to a prison on the male estate, understood to be HMP Edinburgh, after Ms Sturgeon was forced into a humiliating U-turn following public fury.

It is understood that no transfer is imminent in Scott's case.

Tiffany Scott, who followed the girl while known as Andrew Burns, has reportedly requested to be moved to a women's prison

Nicola Sturgeon took a U-turn on her decision to allow transgender rapist Isla Bryson into a women's prison after she faced public pressure to remove her

Scottish Conservative equalities spokeswoman, Rachael Hamilton, said Scott has also attacked female staff while in a men's prison.

She said: 'The fact that such a violent and dangerous criminal is set to be transferred to a women's prison is absolutely appalling.

'It is clear that Tiffany Scott continues to present a grave risk to the safety of any women that come in contact with them - even trained prison staff.

'Nicola Sturgeon has repeatedly tried to reassure the Scottish public that the Scottish Prison Service's risk assessment would protect women from predatory men, yet the process is clearly not fit for purpose if this dangerous offender has been approved for transfer to a women's jail.

Isla Bryson, 31, was taken to Cornton Vale - a women's prison - after being convicted of two rapes which occurred while known as Adam Graham

Bryson, who was born Adam Graham (pictured), was convicted of raping two women while a man

'Women's safety must not take a backseat to the wishes of violent criminals.

'Nicola Sturgeon has already U-turned under public pressure to belatedly remove double rapist Isla Bryson from a women's jail, she must now intervene to block the transfer of this violent individual before it takes place, or knowingly risk the safety of some of Scotland's most vulnerable women.'

A Scottish Prison Service (SPS) spokesman said: 'We do not comment on individuals.

'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 spokeswoman said: 'The placement of prisoners is an operational matter for the Scottish Prison Service who use comprehensive individualised risk assessments to inform decisions, such as the appropriate location of transgender people in custody.

'SPS is reviewing their policy on managing transgender prisoners in partnership with the Scottish Government and that process is nearing completion.'
Pope Francis has said that people who criminalise homosexual acts are 'wrong' in a letter published on Saturday.

The letter written to a Jesuit priest comes after the Pope said earlier this week that homosexuality is 'not a crime' but that 'it's a sin'. It was written to clarify his comments in the interview with the Associated Press news agency on Wednesday.

The letter aims 'to clarify that it (homosexuality) is not a crime, in order to stress that criminalisation is neither good nor just', it reads.

'When I said it is a sin, I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching, which says that every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin,' he wrote.

Pope Francis, 86, (pictured) has said that people who criminalise homosexual acts are 'wrong'

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The 86-year-old was responding to a letter from US priest James Martin, who asked for clarity following the interview. Written in Spanish, it read: 'I would tell whoever wants to criminalise homosexuality that they are wrong.'

The letter was translated into English and published by the website Outreach, a Catholic LGBTQ resource of which Mr Martin is editor.

In the interview on Wednesday, Pope Francis said: 'It's not a crime ... but it's a sin'. He added: 'It's also a sin to lack charity with one another.'

In his letter to Martin, Francis said his comments about 'sin' were referring to overall moral teaching within the Catholic Church.

'When I said it is a sin, I was simply referring to Catholic moral teaching, which says that every sexual act outside of marriage is a sin,' he wrote.

'Of course, one must also consider the circumstances, which may decrease or eliminate fault.'

'As you can see, I was repeating something in general. I should have said 'It is a sin, as is any sexual act outside of marriage.'

The issue of homosexuality has caused a rift in the Catholic Church between modernisers and conservatives.

Pope Francis has stirred controversy since his appointment in 2013 with his relatively liberal attitude towards sexual orientation.

Although he has often received gay people and instructed they must be welcomed into the Church, he remains in line with Catholic teaching on marriage - that it is between a man and a woman in order to procreate.

Pope Francis has stirred controversy since his appointment in 2013 with his relatively liberal attitude towards sexual orientation

In a June 2021 letter to Mr Marin, Pope Francis thanked the priest for his work in reaching out to LGBTQ people writing that God 'loves each of his children'.

Just months beforehand, the Vatican had reaffirmed that it considered homosexuality 'a sin' and that gay people were unable to receive the sacrament of marraige.

His latest comments come ahead of a trip to Africa next week, where the criminalisation of homosexuality is commonplace. He plans to visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan during a six-day visit.
For help, call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org

He said he had 'really dark days' but talked to his wife to help cope with illness

Former Conservative Party chairman Sir Jake Berry has opened up about his mental health struggles sparked by the death of his brother.

The MP for Rossendale and Darwen and former minister admitted he has suffered with depression and that it 'will come back'.

In an interview with Gloria De Piero, set to be broadcast on GB News tomorrow, he said his battles with poor mental health came after a series of tragedies including the death of his brother which led to 'really dark days'.

Sir Jake added that talking about his mental health with his wife and others helped him cope with his depression.

Former Tory Chairman Sir Jake Berry (pictured) admitted that he has suffered with depression and that it 'will come back'

Sir Jake (right) told Gloria De Piero (left) that his biggest barrier to coping with his mental ill health was 'saying that I had a problem' - but he said the best thing was to talk to his closest family and friends

'Don't suffer alone. Talk to people.'



Conservative MP @JakeBerry speaks to @GloriaDePiero about his battle with depression.



Watch Gloria Meets tomorrow from 6pm on GB News. pic.twitter.com/OY35F0x9uu  GB News (@GBNEWS) January 28, 2023

Sir Jake said he struggled 'quite badly with depression' while at university but 'sort of got that sorted' when he was in his early 20s.

But after several challenges - the death of his brother, giving up his job as Northern Powerhouse Minister and his mother dying shortly - he found it 'really hard just to cope with the day-to-day'.

He said his biggest barrier to coping with his mental ill health was 'saying that I had a problem' - but he said the best thing was to talk to his closest family and friends.

'It's only the point at which you sort of sit down and say, "Actually, I do think I've got an issue with this. I think I should seek a remedy",' Sir Jake said.

'Whether that's talking to people or whether it's medication, that is when you can start to make that journey back to the person that you were.'

Sir Jake (pictured) said his battles with poor mental health came after a series of tragedies including the death of his brother which led to 'really dark days'

Sir Jake said that his depression can and will come back, but thinks he will be well prepared when it does as he has got through it before.

He said he learned to not 'suffer in silence' but to instead talk to other people as you 'won't be the only person who's had that experience, and you may free, and enable, other people to talk about it'.

He said that his wife opened up to him about her own struggles with post-natal depression, so they were able to healthily discuss each other's experiences.

Sir Jake said a 'key message' was to not suffer alone with mental health as 'there is a bright sunny day on the other side and you come out of it'.

The politician also shared his experience in the last days of Liz Truss' premiership after the 'mini budget', where the flailing PM asked him to set up a 'war room' in No 10.
He was seen boarding a 158 bus on Blackhorse Road, E17 towards Chingford

Nathan Cole, 32, was last in contact with his family on 21 January, a week ago

Fears are growing for a missing man who was last seen a week ago after he told family he was going to a gig in north London.

Nathan Cole, 32, from the Notting Hill area was last in contact with his family at 9.33pm on January 21.

He told them that he was going to KOKO in Camden, but he never arrived.

CCTV footage shows Mr Cole's last sighting on January 21 at 10.46pm. He was last seen boarding a 158 bus on Blackhorse Road in east London that was heading north towards Chingford.

Nathan Cole, 32, from Notting Hill was last in contact with his family at 9.33pm on 21 January

Before getting on the bus, Mr Cole was recorded buying four cans of larger in a local shop

Before getting on the bus, Mr Cole was recorded buying four cans of larger in a local shop.

He is 5ft 10in, of a slim build with brown short hair and wears glasses.

Mr Cole was last seen wearing a light green khaki jacket, red scarf and black top, trousers and shoes. He was also carrying a dark rucksack.

He has not been to work or been in touch with his family, and there has been no activity on his bank account or phone.

The University of Bath graduate had just started a job at the London School of Economics in the finance department.

Mr Cole's father Eamonn told MyLondon: 'He's a highly intelligent guy and the family are, needless to say, hugely concerned and pretty devastated that he's been missing for this period of time.'

Detective Sergeant Julie Morrow of the Central West Missing Person Unit, said: 'This is totally out of character for Nathan and both his family and officers are extremely concerned for his welfare.

'If anyone has any information, or saw Nathan, please contact police.

'Any small bit of information could be vital and may save hours of police work by directing officers to where Nathan was last seen.

'Lastly my appeal is to Nathan, if you are well then please contact your family who are so very worried about you, or contact officers, you are not in any trouble and we just want to know you are okay.'

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting 23MIS002577
The Associated Press (AP) has issued an apology for its 'inappropriate' tweet advising writers not to use 'dehumanising the labels,' including 'the French.'

AP on Thursday took to Twitter issuing guidance to avoid using generic 'the' labels such as 'the poor, the mentally ill, the French, the disabled, the college-educated' when writing.

The news agency, whose English language stylebook is the gold standard for American journalism, was mocked over the remark and yesterday clarified its intent.

AP said it 'did not intend to offend' French citizens and reiterated that using 'the' terms when describing people can 'sound dehumanizing' and 'imply a monolith.'

The Associated Press, whose English language stylebook is the gold standard for American journalism, issued guidance on Thursday to avoid using generic 'the' labels in writing

Writers were told to avoid using phrases such as 'the poor, the mentally ill, the French, the disabled, the college-educated'. The remark about French citizens prompted online mockery

'We recommend avoiding general and often dehumanizing "the" labels such as the poor, the mentally ill, the French, the disabled, the college-educated,' AP's stylebook account tweeted on Thursday.

The post quickly went viral, amassing more than 20 million views in less than a day - before it was ultimately deleted.

Social media users rushed to offer 'alternatives' to 'the French' including 'people who are French' to 'people experiencing Frenchness.'

The French embassy in the US also participating in the mockery by sharing a photo of its newly proposed Twitter bio that read: 'Embassy of Frenchness in the U.S.'

The account captioned the screenshot: 'I guess this is us now.'

AP has since denied that it was targeting French citizens and issued a somewhat lacklustre apology yesterday, alleging the remark was 'inappropriate and has caused unintended offense'.

The post quickly went viral, amassing more than 20 million views in less than a day. The French embassy in the US also participating in the mockery by sharing a photo of its newly proposed Twitter bio

AP has since denied that it was targeting French citizens and issued a somewhat lacklustre apology yesterday, alleging the remark was 'inappropriate and has caused unintended offense'

AP still advises that writers avoid 'often dehumanising the labels' and encouraged 'people with' descriptions to be used 'only when clearly relevant'

'We did not intend to offend. Writing French people, French citizens, etc., is good,' the AP stylebook account tweeted.

'But 'the' terms for any people can sound dehumanizing and imply a monolith rather than diverse individuals.

'That is why we recommend avoiding general 'the' labels such as the poor, the mentally ill, the wealthy, the disabled, the college-educated.

'Instead, use wording such as people with mental illnesses or wealthy people.'

The account added: 'Use these descriptions only when clearly relevant and that relevance is made clear in the story. Be specific when possible and relevant, such as people with incomes below the poverty line.'
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a series of punitive steps against the Palestinians, including plans to beef up Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, in response to two shooting attacks that killed seven Israelis and wounded five others.

The announcement cast a cloud over a visit next week by US secretary of state Antony Blinken and threatened to further raise tensions following one of the bloodiest months in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in several years.

Mr Netanyahu's Security Cabinet approved the measures in the wake of two shootings, including an attack outside an east Jerusalem synagogue on Friday night in which seven people were killed.

Mr Netanyahu's office said the Security Cabinet agreed to seal off the attacker's home in preparation ahead of its demolition.

It also plans to cancel social security and health benefits for the families of attackers, make it easier for Israelis to obtain weapons and step up efforts to collect illegal weapons.

Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed a 'strong and swift' response to a string of deadly terror attacks in Israel

Palestinian gunman shot dead seven people on the outskirts of Jerusalem, and another shooting attack in the city on Saturday wounded two people

The announcement said that in response to public Palestinian celebrations over the attack, Israel would take new steps to 'strengthen the settlements' this week. It gave no further details.

There was no immediate response from Washington. The Biden administration, which condemned the shooting, opposes settlement construction in east Jerusalem and the West Bank - lands sought by the Palestinians for a future state.

The topic is likely to be high on the agenda as Mr Blinken arrives on Monday for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

The weekend shootings followed a deadly Israeli raid in the West Bank on Thursday that killed nine Palestinians, most of them militants.

In response, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired a barrage of rockets into Israel, triggering a series of Israeli air strikes in response.

In all, 32 Palestinians have been killed in fighting this month.

It remains unclear whether the Israeli steps will be effective.

The attackers in the weekend shootings, including a 13-year-old boy, both appear to have acted alone and were not part of organised militant groups.

In addition, Mr Netanyahu could come under pressure from members of his government, a collection of religious and ultranationalist politicians, to take even tougher action.

Such steps could risk triggering more violence and potentially drag in the Hamas militant group in Gaza.

'If it's even possible to put this violent genie back into the bottle, even for a little while, this would require the reinforcement and proper deployment of forces ... and carefully managing the crisis without being guided by the widespread calls for revenge,' wrote Amos Harel, the defence affairs commentator for the Haaretz newspaper.

Friday's attack outside a synagogue was the deadliest in the Jerusalem area since 2008

Friday's shooting, outside a synagogue in east Jerusalem, left seven Israelis dead and three wounded before the gunman was killed by police.

It was the deadliest attack on Israelis in 15 years.

Authorities published the names of four of the victims.

They included 14-year-old Asher Natan; Eli Mizrahi, 48, and his wife Natali, 45; and Rafael Ben Eliyahu, 56.

Ella Sakovich, an aunt of Natali Mizrahi, said that her niece had been celebrating the Jewish sabbath with her husband and his father when they heard gunfire outside on Friday night.

'While eating, she and her husband wanted to help and went out of the house to treat the wounded; they shot both of them,' Ms Sakovich said in a statement released by Hadassah Hospital, where Natali Mizrahi worked serving food to patients.

In response to the shooting, Israeli police beefed up activities throughout east Jerusalem and said they had arrested 42 people, including family members, who were connected to the gunman.

But later on Saturday, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy opened fire elsewhere in east Jerusalem, wounding an Israeli man and his son, aged 47 and 23, paramedics said. Both were fully conscious and in moderate to serious condition in hospital, the medics added.

As police rushed to the scene, two passers-by with licensed weapons shot and overpowered the 13-year-old attacker, police said. Police confiscated his handgun and took the wounded teenager to hospital.

The Biden administration condemned Friday night's shooting and has called for calm on all sides, but given few details on how it expects to promote these goals.

The attacks pose a pivotal test for Israel's new far-right government.

Both Palestinian attackers behind the shootings on Friday and Saturday came from east Jerusalem.

Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem hold permanent residency status, allowing them to work and move freely throughout Israel, but they suffer from subpar public services and are not allowed to vote in national elections.

Residency rights can be stripped if a Palestinian is found to live outside the city for an extended period or in certain security cases.

Israel captured east Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Middle East war.

The Palestinians seek all three areas for a future independent state.

Israel has annexed east Jerusalem in a step that is not internationally recognised and considers the entire city to be its undivided capital.

Israel's new firebrand minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has presented himself as an enforcer of law and order and grabbed headlines for his promises to take even stronger action against the Palestinians.

Speaking to reporters at a hospital where victims were being treated, Mr Ben-Gvir said he wanted the home of the gunman in Friday's attack to be sealed off immediately as a punitive measure and hit out at Israel's attorney general for delaying his order.

'In my opinion this is awful. In my opinion, it can't be like that,' he said.

Overhauling the justice system in the country, including the attorney general's office, has been at the top of the agenda of the new government, which says unelected judges and jurists have overwhelming powers.

The divisive issue helped fuel weekly protests by Israelis who say the sweeping proposed changes would weaken the Supreme Court and undermine democracy.

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the central city of Tel Aviv on Saturday evening for a new protest.

Some raised banners describing Mr Netanyahu, Mr Ben-Gvir and other members of the government as 'a threat to world peace'.

The marchers also held a moment of silence in memory of the Jerusalem shooting victims.

The Israeli army said it had deployed another battalion to the West Bank on Saturday, adding hundreds more troops to a presence already on heightened alert in the occupied territory.

The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank, meanwhile, upheld its decision to halt security co-ordination with Israel to protest over the deadly raid in Jenin.

After a meeting headed by President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, the Palestinian Authority called on the international community and the US administration to oblige Israel into stopping its raids and operations in the West Bank.

Last year, as the Israeli military intensified its arrest raids following a string of deadly Palestinian attacks within Israel, at least 150 Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem.

It was the highest annual death toll for more than a decade-and-a-half.

More than 30 people were killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis last year, according to Israeli figures.

Israel says most of the dead were militants.

But youths protesting against the incursions and others not involved in the confrontations have also been killed.
Moscow branded the strike, which has not been verified, as a 'war serious crime'

Russia has accused the Ukrainian military of killing 14 people in a 'deliberate' strike on a hospital in Kremlin-held territory today.

Russia's Defence Ministry claims Kyiv launched a 'deliberate missile strike' on a 'known functioning civilian medical facility' using US-made HIMARS rockets.

The alleged attack, which has not yet been independently verified, is said to have left at least two dozen patients and medical staff wounded.

Moscow branded the attack a 'serious war crime' and vowed to hold all involved accountable. Ukraine has not immediately responded to the allegations.

The strike comes as it was revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning a 'new pre-emptive strike' in Ukraine ahead of the first anniversary of their invasion on February 24 last year.

Moscow has accused the Ukrainian military of killing 14 people in a 'deliberate' strike on a hospital in Russian-held territory today

Russia's Defence Ministry claims Kyiv launched a 'deliberate missile strike' on a 'known functioning civilian medical facility' using US-made HIMARS rockets

'A deliberate missile strike against a known functioning civilian medical facility is without doubt a serious war crime by the Kyiv regime,' Russia's defence ministry said today.

'All those involved in the planning and execution of this crime will be found and held accountable.'

Civilian and military medics had been working in the hospital in Novoaidar for many months, treating local people and soldiers, it said.

Novoaidar is located in Luhansk province, which is almost entirely under the control of Russian forces or Russian-backed separatists.

The Russian Defence Ministry claimed the hospital was deliberately targeted, however the strike could not be immediately verified.

Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russian forces of frequent war crimes in the conflict in which thousands of civilians have been killed and cities and towns pounded by artillery and air strikes. Russia denies targeting civilians.

The alleged attack, which has not yet been independently verified, is said to have left at least two dozen patients and medical staff wounded

Civilian and military medics had been working in the hospital in Novoaidar for many months, treating local people and soldiers, the Russian Defence Ministry said

Moscow branded the attack a 'serious war crime' and vowed to hold all involved accountable. Ukraine has not immediately responded to the allegations

The strike comes as it was revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning a 'new pre-emptive strike' in Ukraine ahead of the first anniversary of their invasion on February 24 last year

A view shows a Ukrainian army tank on a road, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk region today

Putin 'plans new pre-emptive strike' ahead of invasion anniversary: Click here to read more Four soldiers escape the burning wreckage of the tank and run off into the field next to the road as the video ends Advertisement

News of the alleged strike followed the release of satellite photos showing Putin's forces building up fortifications.

Moscow is said to be planning a 'new pre-emptive strike' and preparing for a new offensive ahead of the first anniversary of their invasion.

Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine's national security and defence council, said: 'Now they are preparing for maximum activation, and they believe that by the anniversary they should have some achievements.'

'There is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave by February 24, as they themselves say,' he told Radio Svoboda.

He also said that the Russian military has been 'scouting' the defence capabilities of Ukrainian troops in the Zaporizhzhia region for a week.

Analysis from Brady Africk, an open-source intelligence analyst, shows Russian new fortifications all along the front in Luhansk, from the Russian border down to Donetsk, and throughout Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

It comes as a video captured a single Russian tank being destroyed by a mine near Donetsk, in what may have been part of a spoiling attack tactic 'to disperse and distract Ukrainian forces' ahead of their counter-offensive.

A satellite image from March 2022 (left) and January 2023 (right) shows that Russia is building new lines of defence (trenches in picture on the right) as it reportedly prepares for an offensive next month

Shortly after the second explosion another blast is seen, possibly from the tank itself

Meanwhile, Ukraine and its Western allies are engaged in 'fast-track' talks on the possibility of equipping the invaded country with long-range missiles and military aircraft, a top Ukrainian presidential aide said today.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukraine's supporters in the West 'understand how the war is developing' and the need to supply planes capable of providing cover for the armoured fighting vehicles that the United States and Germany pledged at the beginning of the month.

However, in remarks to online video channel Freedom, Podolyak said that some of Ukraine's Western partners maintain a 'conservative' attitude to arms deliveries, 'due to fear of changes in the international architecture.'

Russia and North Korea have accused the West of prolonging and taking a direct role in the war by sending Kyiv increasingly sophisticated weapons.

'We need to work with this. We must show (our partners) the real picture of this war,' Podolyak said, without naming specific countries.

'We must speak reasonably and tell them, for example, "This and this will reduce fatalities, this will reduce the burden on infrastructure. This will reduce security threats to the European continent, this will keep the war localized." And we are doing it.'

Remains inside a building damaged by a Russian military strike are seen, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region today

A view shows a tree smashed by shell fragments during a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region today

The US and Germany agreed on Wednesday to share advanced tanks with Ukraine along with the Bradley and Marder vehicles promised earlier, a decision that led to criticism not only from the Kremlin but from the prime minister of NATO and European Union member Hungary.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban asserted yesterday that Western countries providing weapons and money to assist Ukraine in its war with Russia have 'drifted' into becoming active participants in the conflict.

Orban has refused to send weapons to neighbouring Ukraine and sought to block EU funds earmarked for military aid.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it would summon Hungary's ambassador to complain about Orban's remarks.

A ministry spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, said Orban told reporters that Ukraine was 'a no-man's land' and compared it to Afghanistan.

'Such statements are completely unacceptable. Budapest continues on its course to deliberately destroy Ukrainian-Hungarian relations,' Nikolenko said in a Facebook post.

A woman walks near a residential building destroyed by a Russian missile attack in the town of Glevakha, Kyiv region yesterday

A burned tank sits next to a road in Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine yesterday

Ukrainian servicemen take cover Thursday as they fire a mortar load on the Donbass frontline

READ MORE: Russia will consider deployment of German Leopard 2 tanks as use of nuclear 'dirty bomb' if shells contain uranium core A Leopard 2 main battle tank fires during exercises in Germany. Russia claims the tanks could be armed with uranium-core shells Advertisement

President Joe Biden's announcement that the US would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine reversed months of arguments by Washington that they were too difficult for Ukrainian troops to operate and maintain.

The US decision persuaded German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had expressed concern about a unilateral action drawing Russia's wrath, to agree to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks from Germany's stocks and to allow European countries with tanks to send some of theirs.

Western weapons have proven essential to Ukraine's defence while stoking ever-higher tensions with Moscow.

Amid the news of the Western pledges of heavy tanks, Russia bombarded Ukraine with missiles, exploding drones and artillery shells this week.

The attacks continued today, when Russian missiles struck the city of Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk province.

The missiles fell in a residential area, killing three civilians, wounding 14 and damaging four high-rise apartment buildings, a hotel and garages, Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

'Kostyantynivka is a city relatively far from the front line, but still, it constantly suffers from enemy attacks. Everyone who remains in the city exposes themselves to mortal danger,' he said.

Rubble is strewn across the ground in Russian-occupied Makiivka, in the eastern Donbas region, in the aftermath of the strike. The missiles hit a vocational school which had been turned into a barracks for Russian forces

Ukrainian soldiers are seen on their ways to the frontlines with their armored military vehicles as the strikes continue on the Donbass frontline on Thursday

Kyrylenko added: 'The Russians target civilians because they are not able to fight the Ukrainian army.'

In a separate Telegram post earlier today, Kyrylenko reported that Russian attacks in the province killed four civilians in all and wounded seven others in 24 hours.

Russian rockets hit a residential area the Donestsk town of Chasiv Yar yesterday night, killing of two people and wounding five more, the governor said.

Photos attached to Kyrylenko's post showed a three-story school building on fire.

Donetsk province, where the territory is roughly split between Russian and Ukrainian control, has become the battle epicentre of the war as Moscow tries to jump-start a months-long, grinding offensive to capture the city of Bakhmut.

Chasiv Yar lies on a hill strategically located for the defence of Bakhmut, and has come under intensified Russian shelling.

Capturing Bakhmut would allow Russian troops to disrupt Ukrainian supply lines and potentially pave the way for them to threaten Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the largest remaining Ukrainian-held cities in the country's east.

A view shows an apartment building damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region today

Local resident Yevheniia Yepifanova, 83, stands next to her house damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk region today

A local resident stands at the window of her apartment building damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region today

Anatolii, a local resident, walks inside his apartment destroyed by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region today

Russian forces continued ground attacks around Bakhmut and Avdiivka, another Donetsk city to the south, while Ukrainian troops were on the offensive in southern and northeast Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said in an update this morning.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that Russian troops 'are defending themselves' near Lyman in Luhansk and Kharkiv provinces north of Donetsk, as well in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces in the south.

The fighting has largely been deadlocked over the past months, with winter conditions slowing down ground operations and neither side reporting significant progress.

In the same update, the military reported that Russian forces launched 10 missile strikes, 26 air strikes and 81 shelling attacks on Ukrainian territory between yesterday morning and this morning.

The shelling killed two civilians in Kherson, another province that is partly Russian-occupied.

Podolyak, the presidential adviser, said Ukraine needs supplies of Western long-range missiles 'to drastically curtail the key tool of the Russian army' by destroying the warehouses where it stores cannon artillery used on the front line.
One of the five Memphis officers charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols was the president of the Mississippi branch of a scandal-ridden fraternity.

Tadarrius Bean, 24, who was fired over his role in Nichols' brutal beating, served as the head of the Omega Psi Phi's Eta Zeta chapter at the University of Mississippi, according to his LinkedIn.

Although the fraternity boasts its more than 100 year history as a haven for black college students, it has been at the center of several hazing incidents in recent years.

One chapter in Virginia was suspended after members were found beaten and forced to pour hot sauce on their genitals, while two other members in a New York chapter were arrested for paddling a man's testicles up to 200 times.

Bean and the four other officers involved in Nichols' death continue to be scrutinized after a series of videos revealed the extent of their actions when arresting the 29-year-old and ignoring his twitching body as lay dying.

Tadarrius Bean, one of the Memphis officers charged with the murder of Tyre Nichols, served as the head of the Omega Psi Phi's Eta Zeta chapter at the University of Mississippi

Although the frat champions itself as a beacon for black college students, it has been embroiled in controversies over brutal hazing rituals

Nichols died in the hospital after he was tased, kicked and punched in the head, struck three times with a metal baton, and twice hit with pepper spray in the face by five officers

Founded in 1911 at Howard University, a historically black college, Omega Psi Phi champions itself as a fraternity 'on the front line, leveraging its power, influence and more than 100 years of commitment to the uplift of our people and our communities.'

But like many frats, Omega Psi Phi has been plagued with several scandals regarding abuse and hazing towards new members.

In 2019, a Virginia chapter at Old Dominion University was suspended for five years following an investigation into disturbing hazing incidents.

Members of the Tau Lambda chapter were found to have beaten prospective members, forced them to drink hot sauce and pour it on their genitals to simulate having Sexually Transmitted Disease, The Virginian Pilot reported.

The investigation said that members were forced to take part in a 'crucifixion' where they hang pledges on a board while they're slapped in the face, back, chest and ribs.

School administrators noted that at least one pledge needed to be taken to the hospital to treat his injuries over the beatings.

A year prior to the Virginia investigation, two Omega Psi Phi members at its Brooklyn chapter were arrested for the brutal hazing of a 45-year-old pledge.

Steve Liverpool was arrested after he and another Brooklyn Omega Psi Phi member struck a 45-year-old pledge on his body, chest, back, buttocks and testicles between 150-200 times. Pictured: Liverpool attending a fraternity event

The victim of the fraternity, which Liverpool (above) and Keston Frank led, was later diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a condition where muscle breaks down and releases a protein into the blood that can damage the kidneys

Kindergarten teacher Steve Liverpool, and city employee Keston Frank, who head the Alpha Upsilon chapter, were charged with assault and hazing of Tory Gates.

Gates was struck on his body, chest, back, buttocks and testicles between 150-200 times, by hand and with a fraternity paddle, leaving him hospitalized, authorities charged in the 2018 complaint.

The victim was later diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis, a condition where muscle breaks down and releases a protein into the blood that can damage the kidneys, as well an inability to urinate following the attack.

Liverpool, who taught kindergarten in the Bronx, was reassigned to a position where he doesn't oversee children, city Department of Education officials said.

Back in 2001, the fraternity's branch at Tennessee State University was also suspended for five years after a pledge died during a hazing ritual.

Joseph T. Green, 25, collapsed on the lawn of the White Greek High School when he was pushed to complete various physical activities for the Omega Psi Phi chapter, CBS reported.

The medical examiner's office said Green had a temperature of 103.7 when he passed out, noting that he also suffered an acute asthma attack.

No criminal charges were ever filed against the frat.

While the Omega Psi Phi has faced scrutiny in the past, Bean has never been charged in connection to any form of hazing.

After graduating college, he worked in the fast-food industry and then for AT&T in Memphis before joining the force.

Charged with second degree murder are (top, left to right) Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and (bottom, left to right) Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith

The five cops who were fired and charged over Nichols' death are Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith.

They are charged with second-degree murder, assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

Harrowing video of Nichols arrest showed how the officers tased him, kicked and punched him in the head, struck him three times with a metal baton, and twice sprayed him with mace in the face.

Memphis Police Director Cerelyn Davis has said other officers are under investigation for their part in the arrest.

Davis described the five officers' actions as 'heinous, reckless and inhumane.'

Tyre Nichols' stepfather Rodney Wells (above) has called for criminal charges against the paramedics who appeared to fail to render aid after he was savagely beaten by police

As the investigation continues over Nichols death, his stepfather Rodney Wells and his lawyer, famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump, said the video demonstrates that other first responders should be reprimanded.

'Everyone - the fire department, paramedics that came out that stood around and didn't do anything - they're just as guilty,' Wells told ABC News following the release of the video.

'Everyone that was active in the whole scene, the whole video, should be charged,' he added.

The videos of Nichols' arrest has sparked outrage nationwide, with many protests continuing into the weekend in Memphis, Atlanta and Boston demanding justice for the 29-year-old.

Video of Nichols' arrest spawned a wave of protests on Friday carrying into the weekend

Protesters called for justice as they slammed the American criminal justice system
A Jamaican man has been charged with the murder of his British brother while he visited the island for his mother's funeral.

Michael Brown, from Waterford in Hertfordshire, was shot dead in Mike Town earlier this month.

The Mirror reports that his brother Lemone Brown, a carpenter from Jamaica's Manchester parish, has been arrested and charged with his brother's murder and is due to appear in court.

The 38-year-old brother of Michael Brown, 48, from Waterford in Hertfordshire, (pictured) has been charged with his murder

Michael is said to have been involved in a long-running and 'bitter' family feud over properties left to him by his late mother on the Caribbean isle

Michael Brown died just four days after he and his brother buried their mother.

According to police, the siblings were involved in a a long-running and 'bitter' family feud over properties left to Michael by his late mother.

Superintendent Shane McCalla, commander of the Manchester police, said the dispute had been ongoing since 2015 and the community authorities had tried to help resolve the issues.

He said: 'It is really sad, what occurred, and what is even sadder is that the persons, even the deceased, would have been at the Mandeville Police Station where members of the community safety and security arm and the restorative justice would have tried to get the parties to come to some form of agreement in their disputes over the properties.'

According to police reports, Brown - who went by the street name 'Jimmy' - was killed at approximately 12.20am last Thursday in an unfinished house he was building in the community just four days after burying his 74-year-old mother.

The 48-year-old sustained gunshot wounds to his upper body. He was rushed to the Mandeville Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A police report said that Brown was set upon by gunmen who opened fire on him as he entered the house he was building in the Caribbean isle.

Citing 'community sources', Jamaican radio station Nationwide 90FM said Brown had been involved in a 'bitter' family feud over several properties his recently deceased mother had left to him in her will in the island nation.

The 48-year-old sustained gunshot wounds to his upper body following the shooting last Thursday and was rushed to Mandeville Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead

The station reported the dispute escalated on Wednesday between Brown and his relatives, and a heated argument took place.

Police immediately opened an investigation into the shooting and are continuing to collect statements.

A local resident said that there are lots of land and property disputes in Jamaica which sometimes end tragically.

She said: 'This young man came over from England to bury his mother and to take care of the house he was building and he will be getting buried himself. That is so awful and sad.

'Coming all this way and you will not be returning. This can't be easy.'
Hundreds of Extinction Rebellion protestors waved banners outside The Hague and declared 'this is a dead end' as they blocked the road near Dutch parliament.

In their latest climate change stunt, the protestors waved coloured flags adorned with the Extinction Rebellion symbol as they gathered on the A12.

About an hour after the blockade began, officers started arresting demonstrators who refused to leave the road.

Earlier this week six Extinction Rebellion activists were detained by authorities on suspicion of sedition linked to calls to stage the protest.

Hundreds of Extinction Rebellion protestors waved banners outside The Hague declaring 'this is a dead end' as they blocked the road near Dutch parliament

Officers began arresting demonstrators who refused to leave the road. Activists were cut loose after they chained themselves to one another

A judge on Friday upheld an order banning another activist from the area for 90 days.

But the arrests and exclusion order sparked unrest among activists, who argued it infringes their right to peaceful protest.

Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Anne Kervers said the large number of participants 'shows what society thinks of fossil fuel subsidies and of the intimidation and criminalization of nonviolent climate activism'.

Prosecutors defended their actions, saying the suspects were calling for supporters to take part in the 'dangerous and disruptive blockade' of the road.

The arrests sparked unrest among activists, who argued it infringes their right to peaceful protest

Other activists joined the protest which blocked the road out of solidarity

'Calling for a criminal offense - such as blocking a public road - amounts to sedition,' prosecutors said in a statement.

They said that the blockade of the busy road leading into The Hague was a danger to motorists and protesters.

'Demonstrating is a fundamental right and is facilitated by the municipality of The Hague,' prosecutors said.

'There are hundreds of demonstrations in The Hague every year that go off without a hitch. But a demonstration is not a license to commit criminal offenses.'

'Calling for a criminal offense - such as blocking a public road - amounts to sedition,' prosecutors said in a statement

Extinction Rebellion activists, however, vowed to continue with the protests - in which they demand an end to government tax breaks for companies linked to fossil fuels.

'It is essential that citizens can demonstrate against this in a place that matters. For Extinction Rebellion, this includes the A12, between the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate,' the group said in a statement.

'Any nuisance for traffic, for example, will have to be tolerated.'

Other activists joined the protest out of solidarity.

'We are very concerned that the right to protest is being increasingly restricted in the Netherlands. We stand firmly behind peaceful activists who exercise their right to protest,' Andy Palmen, of the Dutch arm of Greenpeace, said in a statement ahead of the demonstration.
The Chinese government has reversed its rigid stance on Covid-19 lockdowns, implicitly conceding its earlier policy was causing more harm than good after an outbreak of protests. Now, public health officials in Beijing have tentatively increased their official death toll from this ghastly pandemic after the gap between their claimed figures and reality risked public ridicule.

These adjustments are also a reminder of how Chinas position on the origin of this virus that emerged within its borders should not be accepted at face value. Many Chinese scientists, doctors and health officials feel unable to freely disclose data or share stories.

And in any nation with restricted free speech, those who seek to analyse or probe events are handicapped if so many facts are disputed or even dismissed as imaginary by the authorities.

Sadly, the crucial debate over Covids origins has been shackled  but not only in China. And this refusal to discuss openly what everyone suspects to be true  or at the very least strongly possible  has the disastrous consequence of eroding public trust in science.

Meanwhile, the risk of a laboratory-associated pathway leading to the pandemic  the lab leak theory  has been significantly under-played despite growing circumstantial evidence

We live in Orwellian times  as we have seen for ourselves investigating these issues. In early 2020, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) commissioned two extensive reports into the causes, consequences and implications of the pandemic.

UNEPs primary focus is environmental, not health. But it considered Covid worthy of exploration since there were strong suggestions from the start that the pandemic arose as a consequence of humanitys abuse of nature.

One possible pathway to Covid-19 was suggested to involve the illegal importation into China of pangolins, which are in demand there as meat, for use in traditional medicine and the fashion industry. Another was the sale of legally-dubious animals in food markets and consumption of caught or farmed wild animals.

The 2002 SARS epidemic was sparked by a bat virus passing to humans who ate meat from civet cats in Guangdong province.

UNEP asked each of us to lead these reports. We have both worked for decades at the intersection of human and animal epidemiology with environmental change, while we also had extensive previous experience with the UN system.

Now, however, we are so concerned by a cover-up that we are writing this joint statement calling for a re-evaluation of the likely pathways that caused this pandemic. We accept natural origin is possible with zoonotic transmission from nature to humans  yet strangely, there remains no sign of any evidence to support this theory.

They say a pall of suspicious secrecy, deceit and conflicts of interest shrouded high-risk experiments being carried out in Wuhan

Meanwhile, the risk of a laboratory-associated pathway leading to the pandemic  the lab leak theory  has been significantly under-played despite growing circumstantial evidence.

Worse, we fear some prominent British and American scientists, funding bodies and decision-makers have played a key and self-serving role in suppressing greater consideration of this possibility  assisted by leading medical and scientific journals.

Most journalists, politicians and many other scientists followed the lead set by these influential conductors of public opinion.

The reticence to consider fairly a laboratory pathway extended to UNEP. In the first report (led by Professor Randolph, who has extensive experience working in high and low biosecurity laboratories, with several co-authors), the possibility of a non-natural origin is not discussed at all, despite being actively considered in the drafting. But even in early 2020, it appeared that UNEP was averse to including anything so controversial as the lab-leak theory in the report. Maybe its concerns were understandable, given the political and public health climate as the pandemic spread around the planet.

Additionally, there was very limited solid, circumstantial evidence to support a laboratory pathway at that point beyond the curious coincidence that Chinas most secure laboratory for virological experiments was in Wuhan, the city where the pandemic emerged.

For the second report, the sole author (Professor Butler) was sceptical initially about a lab link. But as circumstantial evidence in support of a laboratory pathway grew, thanks to the work of a few brave scientists, internet detectives and journalists, he concluded that it would be highly misleading to gloss over this controversial possibility.

Staff members work in a laboratory in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province

His determination was strengthened by criticism of initial drafts by some reviewers who argued that discussion of a lab pathway was still too rudimentary. Some internal UNEP reviewers seemed reluctant to permit such discussion at all.

Nevertheless, by late 2021, the second report was almost finalised and contained serious discussion of both main causal routes. However, his fears grew that publication was being deliberately stalled.

The first report was published within weeks of completion, but the second one took ten months  and only appeared after an increasingly alarmed author contacted influential figures, including the reports Norwegian chief funder. It was eventually released with little publicity three months ago.

These two reports are substantial with a combined length of 152 pages, citing 387 scientific publications and with 94 reviewers. They cannot be dismissed as scientifically lightweight, nor the product of biased or naive authors. Unlike some key players in the Covid origin debate, neither of us has been involved in gain of function work that includes manipulation of virological structures to increase virulence. Nor do we have any history of collaboration with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV).

Neither of us has received funds from the US National Institutes of Health, the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency or EcoHealth Alliance  all of which have been involved with funding work at WIV that falls within the definition of gain of function.

Nor have either of us been financially rewarded for work with the Wellcome Trust  one of the worlds largest science funding bodies whose director Sir Jeremy Farrar was, we believe, a key figure alongside US funding chiefs in the scandalous suppression of debate on this issue.

In early 2020, Professor Farrar admitted to being torn between the two leading hypotheses on the pandemics cause. An email that February, released through Freedom of Information, also revealed he described research conditions in Wuhan as Wild West.

Yet, in the same month, Farrar, with 26 others, co-signed an influential statement in The Lancet that said: We stand together to strongly condemn conspiracy theories suggesting that Covid-19 does not have a natural origin. The central role in this letter of his fellow signatory, Peter Daszak, head of EcoHealth Alliance, was intentionally disguised. Incredibly, Farrar has been appointed chief scientist for the World Health Organization.

We should make clear that each of us has links with EcoHealth, the official journal of EcoHealth Alliance as a co-editor for three years (Prof Butler) and as a current review editor (Prof Randolph).

Yet neither of us had any idea of EcoHealth Alliances vigorous involvement in such controversial gain of function research, nor that it was collaborating so closely with WIV. The conflicts of interest of Daszak and some of his co-authors were undeclared. Some of them still are, sadly.

The Our World in Data graph shows the daily confirmed Covid cases in China. The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention stopped reporting daily cases last month, without providing a reason. It reported around 5,000 cases per day at the end of the month and a small number of deaths

The toll of Covid fatalities is approaching that of the cumulative death toll from influenza over the past half a century, officially standing at almost seven million but probably substantially higher. It is by far the most lethal recent emerging disease after HIV/AIDS. And the end is not in sight.

This is why it is so important to understand the causes to prevent similar pandemics. Most recently discovered pathogens burn out in human populations. Some are then held in laboratories, including in Wuhan  which also holds the worlds largest collection of bat coronaviruses. Are some of these being experimented upon? Almost certainly, yes.

Yet a pall of suspicious secrecy, deceit and conflicts of interest shroud this work, enforced not only by China but by some Western funding bodies and influential Western scientists.

We can see incompetence, too. A new report by the US Office of Inspector General found fault with both the National Institutes of Health, the worlds biggest public funder of biomedical research, and EcoHealth Alliance, which it was supposed to help monitor.

This report damningly noted that each organisation failed to understand the nature of the research conducted, identify potential problem areas and take corrective action. It is of critical importance that these risks are better understood, that scientists accept the dangers and that this field is better regulated. Our view is that, on current balance of evidence, a laboratory pathway seems the most likely cause of the pandemic although, like any good scientists, we are happy for our theories to be challenged by fresh or firm evidence. Irrespective of the origin of the pandemic, however, this debate has exposed that self-regulation of gain of function research has been a dismal failure.

We have good role models on risk reduction in nuclear technologies. These are urgently needed in biotech. Supporters of the natural origin hypothesis like to claim nature is the most imaginative and lethal creator of pathogens. But if Covid emerged through human-assisted evolution in a laboratory, we would have to blame human hubris for this deadly wave of disease.

IAN BIRRELL: UN experts say lab leak was the 'most likely' cause of Covid-19 and accuse top British and American scientists of helping China to suppress debate on the issue

By Ian Birrell

The authors of two United Nations reports into the origins of the pandemic say they believe a laboratory leak was the most likely cause of Covid-19, accusing top British and American scientists of helping China deliberately to suppress debate on the issue.

The distinguished professors hit out at the cover-up in a damning joint article for The Mail on Sunday that calls for re-evaluation of the likely pathways that caused this pandemic.

They say a pall of suspicious secrecy, deceit and conflicts of interest shrouded high-risk experiments being carried out in Wuhan, the Chinese city where Covid first appeared, and argue that it was enforced not only by China but by Western funding bodies and influential Western scientists. The dramatic intervention comes from epidemiologists Colin Butler (based at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health in Canberra, Australia) and Delia Randolph (of the University of Greenwich, London).

Last week, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the worlds biggest public funding body for science, was criticised by an official watchdog for failing to keep tabs on US-sponsored virus experiments in Wuhan

READ MORE: China admits its Covid deaths are 'huge' and 70% of Shanghai's 25m residents have been infected as Beijing threatens retaliation against Western nations over restrictions on air passengers Pictured: Patients on stretchers at Tongren hospital in Shangha Advertisement

I realise speaking out may be unpopular, even reducing my work opportunities, but the scale of this pandemic is far more important than any personal considerations, Professor Butler said yesterday.

He added that it was vital to restore trust in science  and that his investigations for the report led him to conclude that gain of function experiments, which can boost the infectivity of lethal viruses, could rival nuclear weapons in their potential for harm.

The two public health experts were commissioned, soon after the virus emerged in China, by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to study the causes and consequences of Covid amid suggestions at the time that its origins lay in a wild animal market in Wuhan.

Professor Randolph, lead author of the first report, admits that she was concerned by the possibility of a lab pathway but felt that the agency was averse to including anything so controversial in the study that she led.

Prof Butler was initially sceptical about a lab leak, but he fought to include mention of the theory in his report as evidence began to emerge about hidden data, controversial gain of function experiments and the risky research environment in Wuhan.

He believes publication was deliberately stalled for ten months until its eventual release last autumn with minimal publicity only after his personal appeal to the reports funder.

The professors two reports are substantial and they stress that, unlike some key actors in the Covid origin debate, they have no financial or scientific ties to Wuhan or gain of function research.We accept natural origin is possible with zoonotic transmission from nature to humans  yet, strangely, there remains no sign of any evidence to support this theory, they write.

Last week, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the worlds biggest public funding body for science, was criticised by an official watchdog for failing to keep tabs on US-sponsored virus experiments in Wuhan or understand the nature of the research conducted.

The MoS revealed last year that Sir Jeremy Farrar, head of the Wellcome Trust, a leading research charity, had criticised biosecurity in Wuhan laboratories as the Wild West in emails to the NIH director discussing possible origins of the coronavirus.

Profs Butler and Randolph single out Sir Jeremy  who has since been appointed chief scientist at the World Health Organisation  as among the key figures in suppressing this debate.

UNEP declined to comment on these issues yesterday.
Military operatives were part of an operation that targeted politicians and high-profile journalists who raised doubts about the official pandemic response

A shadowy Army unit secretly spied on British citizens who criticised the Government's Covid lockdown policies, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Military operatives in the UK's 'information warfare' brigade were part of a sinister operation that targeted politicians and high-profile journalists who raised doubts about the official pandemic response.

They compiled dossiers on public figures such as ex-Minister David Davis, who questioned the modelling behind alarming death toll predictions, as well as journalists such as Peter Hitchens and Toby Young. Their dissenting views were then reported back to No 10.

Documents obtained by the civil liberties group Big Brother Watch, and shared exclusively with this newspaper, exposed the work of Government cells such as the Counter Disinformation Unit, based in the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and the Rapid Response Unit in the Cabinet Office.

Military operatives in the UK's 'information warfare' brigade were part of a sinister operation that targeted politicians and high-profile journalists

But the most secretive is the MoD's 77th Brigade, which deploys 'non-lethal engagement and legitimate non-military levers as a means to adapt behaviours of adversaries'.

According to a whistleblower who worked for the brigade during the lockdowns, the unit strayed far beyond its remit of targeting foreign powers.

They said that British citizens' social media accounts were scrutinised  a sinister activity that the Ministry of Defence, in public, repeatedly denied doing.

Papers show the outfits were tasked with countering 'disinformation' and 'harmful narratives... from purported experts', with civil servants and artificial intelligence deployed to 'scrape' social media for keywords such as 'ventilators' that would have been of interest.

The information was then used to orchestrate Government responses to criticisms of policies such as the stay-at-home order, when police were given power to issue fines and break up gatherings.

It also allowed Ministers to push social media platforms to remove posts and promote Government-approved lines.

Former Cabinet Minister David Davis, a member of the Privy Council, said: 'It's outrageous that people questioning the Government's policies were subject to covert surveillance'

The Army whistleblower said: 'It is quite obvious that our activities resulted in the monitoring of the UK population... monitoring the social media posts of ordinary, scared people. These posts did not contain information that was untrue or co-ordinated  it was simply fear.'

Last night, former Cabinet Minister Mr Davis, a member of the Privy Council, said: 'It's outrageous that people questioning the Government's policies were subject to covert surveillance'  and questioned the waste of public money.

Mail on Sunday journalist Mr Hitchens was monitored after sharing an article, based on leaked NHS papers, which claimed data used to publicly justify lockdown was incomplete. An internal Rapid Response Unit email said Mr Hitchens wanted to 'further [an] anti-lockdown agenda and influence the Commons vote'.

Writing today, Mr Hitchens questions if he was 'shadow-banned' over his criticisms, with his views effectively censored by being downgraded in search results.

Military operatives compiled dossiers on journalists including the Mail's Peter Hitchens

He says: 'The most astonishing thing about the great Covid panic was how many attacks the state managed to make on basic freedoms without anyone much even caring, let alone protesting.

Now is the time to demand a full and powerful investigation into the dark material Big Brother Watch has bravely uncovered.'

The whistleblower from 77 Brigade, which uses both regular and reserve troops, said: 'I developed the impression the Government were more interested in protecting the success of their policies than uncovering any potential foreign interference, and I regret that I was a part of it. Frankly, the work I was doing should never have happened.'

The source also suggested that the Government was so focused on monitoring critics it may have missed genuine Chinese-led prolockdown campaigns.

Silkie Carlo, of Big Brother Watch, said: 'This is an alarming case of mission creep, where public money and military power have been misused to monitor academics, journalists, campaigners and MPs who criticised the Government, particularly during the pandemic.

'The fact that this political monitoring happened under the guise of 'countering misinformation' highlights how, without serious safeguards, the concept of 'wrong information' is open to abuse and has become a blank cheque the Government uses in an attempt to control narratives online.

'Contrary to their stated aims, these Government truth units are secretive and harmful to our democracy. The Counter Disinformation Unit should be suspended immediately and subject to a full investigation.'

A Downing Street source last night said the units had scaled back their work significantly since the end of the lockdowns.

This snooping was wrong, it hangs over my proud Army career like a black cloud By Anonymous (Ex-77th brigade officer) I was serving in the British Army in March 2020 when I was seconded to 77th Brigade, on the basis I would be helping root out foreign state misinformation on social media. We were told what was legally allowed  such as 'scraping' online platforms for keywords  and what was illegal. This included repeatedly looking at a named UK individual's account without authorisation, although some people would do that from their own accounts after their shift. We would take screenshots of tweets from people expressing dissatisfaction with the UK Government's action against Covid. The project leader would then gather these screenshots and send them to the Cabinet Office. Feedback from the Cabinet Office would direct us over what to look for the next day. To skirt the legal difficulties of a military unit monitoring domestic dissent, the view was that unless a profile explicitly stated their real name and nationality they could be a foreign agent and were fair game. But it is quite obvious that our activities resulted in the monitoring of the UK population the social media posts of ordinary, scared people. These posts did not contain information that was untrue or co-ordinated  it was simply fear. We learned from the feedback that the Government were very keen on hearing what the public thought of their Covid response. I entered this role believing I would be uncovering foreign information warfare. Instead, I found the banner of disinformation was a guise under which the British military was being deployed to monitor and flag our own concerned citizens. There may have actually been social media campaigns from China to promote lockdown policies but because we were directed to monitor sentiment towards the success of lockdown, we would have completely missed them. I had the impression the Government were more interested in protecting the success of their policies than uncovering foreign interference, and I regret that I was a part of it. Recently, I looked over my medals and thought of all I have done in my career  things I am proud of, in the defence of the people of this country  except my work on 'disinformation' in 77, which hangs over my career like a black cloud. It was about domestic perception, not national security. Frankly, the work I was doing should never have happened. This domestic monitoring of citizens seemed not to be driven by a desire to address the public's concerns, but to identify levers for compliance with controversial Government policies. I do not doubt that the activities I participated in were conceived for good reasons, but they were undemocratic, wrong, and should not be allowed to happen again. Advertisement

PETER HITCHENS: How shadowy censors tried to remove my 'unhelpful' Covid views from YouTube

I have been annoying people for decades. It is my job as a journalist to do so. And when I look back on my career, I only regret that I did not annoy more of them. News is what powerful people want to keep out of the media. Interesting commentary strays outside the mainstream and challenges conventional wisdom. That is why it so often wears better, over time, than the standard official opinion.

We'll have to wait and see how the Ukraine war goes, which almost everyone currently thinks is a good thing. But the near-unanimous view of the Covid crisis back in 2020 is now beginning to look a bit threadbare.

Did we really do the right thing, squandering all that money we didn't have on making people stay at home? Now we're deep underwater in unpayable debt, the currency is shrivelling, multitudes have given up regular work patterns and a terrifying number of businesses are in permanent trouble because their customers have melted away. And we absolutely did not save the NHS. In fact, we made it much, much worse.

A terrifying number of businesses are in permanent trouble because their customers have melted away

I was almost alone in criticising these measures when they began. In fact, for the first few days I was totally alone  except that The Mail on Sunday, upholding the proper tradition of a free press  allowed me to dissent and gave me generous space to do so. That was absolutely proper. I was responsible for what I said. The newspaper did not have to agree with me, but it took the civilised view that open debate favours the truth, or as Milton put it in his great defence of free speech, Areopagitica: 'Who ever knew Truth put to the worse, in a free and open encounter?'

Someone had fiddled with the algorithms which guide web searches

After a few weeks, it became clear that not everyone was as enlightened as The Mail on Sunday.

Invitations from broadcasters, who had previously been friendly and reasonably generous with their time, stopped arriving, with a few heroic exceptions such as Mike Graham on Talk Radio.

Various people went on to Twitter and elsewhere to ludicrously accuse me of 'denying' Covid or of having caused the deaths of people by expressing doubts about the restrictions, a very nasty slander.

Despite having been vaccinated myself, I was simultaneously denounced as an 'anti-vaxxer' by Covid zealots, and became the object of fury from genuine anti-vaxxers who decided madly that I was a traitor even though I had never adopted their cause (one of these pursued me on to a train to shout at me, only the other day).

We absolutely did not save the NHS. In fact, we made it much, much worse

But the deeper effect was harder to pin down. For it was on the internet, the most vital forum of all. Here, you can never be sure.

I use Twitter a lot, but are others seeing my tweets? I have no idea, and will never know whether I was 'shadow-banned'  a form of censorship in which your impact is reduced but not actually obliterated, so hard to measure or spot.

But at two points it was clear beyond doubt that something very creepy was going on. I give quite a few interviews which appear later on YouTube, sometimes getting more than 100,000 viewers.

In June 2020, I gave an interview about the virus farce to two clever young men, Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster, who run a popular web broadcast called TRIGGERnometry. I said what I have been saying here  that the crashing of the economy and the stifling of personal liberty were utterly out of proportion to the danger from Covid-19. I gave evidence for my view and quoted eminent experts. I do not think I said anything that was false or abusive. But, within a couple of hours of launching the interview, Konstantin and Francis noticed a very strange thing. It was almost impossible to find, even if you knew where to look. Usually, their programme quickly garners large numbers of viewers, and it had done so on a previous occasion when I'd been interviewed by them on another matter.

I am pretty sure (but cannot prove) I was the victim of shadow-banning. Someone had fiddled with the computer algorithms, which guide the searches everyone makes on the World Wide Web. A lot of people kindly protested. And as mysteriously as it had been applied, the ban evaporated, albeit too late. The audience for the interview was irretrievably reduced. That's not all  on January 25, 2021, YouTube posted a version of a conversation I had had with Mike Graham on Talk Radio. But 75 seconds of the original broadcast were missing.

A few weeks before, YouTube had suspended the entire Talk Radio station from its output. The ban was ended after a major public fuss. I have never really got to the bottom of what happened to my censored words, but I think I can say that someone deliberately cut them because they did not like the opinions I was expressing.

I mention these things because we now have an even more worrying connection. The report from Big Brother Watch probably only touches the surface of what Government agencies were up to during the closedown of the country. We know they were at one stage interested in what I was up to, but I suspect there was a lot more than this that we will never find.

Suppression can flourish like bindweed if it is not cut back

But the key is Whitehall's special access to the giant internet companies, which, of course, include YouTube and Twitter. These shadowy monitors clearly had hotlines to the web monsters, which allowed them to 'flag' things they did not like. Did someone whose salary was paid by you and me, with the special powers given to government, dislike what I said? Was someone else afraid that the popularity of TRIGGERnometry would give me and my unwelcome views a new, wider audience? I can only guess, and so can you.

But the circumstantial evidence is strong. And I believe that this is the way censorship will reappear among us, as governments grow less tolerant of opposition.

To me, the most astonishing thing about the great Covid panic was how many attacks the state managed to make on basic freedoms without anyone much even caring. This was partly because of the fear the Government had deliberately spread (as SAGE minutes reveal).

So now is the time to demand a full and powerful investigation into the dark material which Big Brother Watch has bravely uncovered  and to stand against the tendency towards censorship and suppression which flourishes like bindweed if it is not ruthlessly cut back.
Poll What's your favorite TJ item? Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips TJ's Hashbrowns Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend Chocolate Croissants What's your favorite TJ item? Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips 41 votes

TJ's Hashbrowns 49 votes

Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings 59 votes

Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend 69 votes

Chocolate Croissants 77 votes Now share your opinion





For the 14th year in a row, Trader Joe's has asked its cult following what their favorite items are in categories that include everything from their favorite snack to best cheese.

The popular grocery chain tallied 18,000 votes, leaving no uncertainty about what customers can't leave without.

Unlike this year's real Oscar's ceremony - where film To Leslie is be investigated by the Academy for an 'aggressive' and 'illegal' campaign to snag star Andrea Riseborough a nomination - there's no doubt these nine items are award worthy (and worth the long checkout line).

The company threw in a twist this year, knocking out five super popular products that have won countless times in the past - including the mandarin orange chicken and soy chorizo.

DailyMail.com takes a look at this year's winners.

The overall winner is 'irre-zest-tible' (and also won best snack)!

Grab your salsa, because the big winner of the 14th Annual Customer Choice Awards was the Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips. It also won best snack

Grab your salsa, because the big winner of the 14th Annual Customer Choice Awards was the Chili & Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips.

The 'spicy little scrolls' is a fun (and spicy) twist - pun intended - on the traditional corn chip as it is dusted with hot chili & lime flavored seasoning.

It beat out other fan favorites: TJ's Hashbrowns, Steamed Chicken Soup Dumplings, Everything but the Bagel Sesame Seasoning Blend, and 4 Chocolate Croissants for the top honor.

Add a little sparkling to your life... and your taste buds with this year's favorite drink!

The three-ingredient blend of 100 percent Honeycrisp apple juice, water, and bubbles was a 'sweet apple daydream' for Trader Joe's customers

Trader Joes Sparkling Honeycrisp Apple Juice Beverage - a seasonal item - is a fun take a classic fall beverage.

The three-ingredient blend of 100 percent Honeycrisp apple juice, water, and bubbles was a 'sweet apple daydream' for Trader Joe's customers.

'Its so crisp and juicy, you might confuse the crack of the can with the crunch of the first bite,' the company wrote.

The sparkling drink beat out: Triple Ginger Brew (seasonal), Sparkling Peach Black Tea with Peach Juice, Sparkling Cranberry & Ginger Beverage (seasonal), and Non-Dairy Brown Sugar Oat Creamer.

When it comes to cheese, there's nothing better than a nice slice of cheddar!

A fresh take a classic cheddar won the best cheese this year

Trader Joes Cheddar Cheese with Caramelized Onions won the battle of the cheeses this year.

The 'sweet-savory bite' beat out: Syrah Soaked Toscano, Baked Lemon Ricotta (seasonal), Blueberry & Vanilla Chevre, and Brie (various).

The best entree is a classic chicken and rice dish

A classic Indian dish, butter chicken and basmati rice, won the best entree

Trader Joes Butter Chicken took home the trophy with its 'authentic Indian recipe that showcases tender chicken chunks in a silky, mouth-watering curry with crushed tomatoes, rich cream, onions, garlic,[and] ginger.'

'Its mildly spiced and partnered with delicate, fragrant grains of Basmati rice,' the company wrote.

It beat out: Chicken Tikka Masala, Kung Pao Chicken, Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese (seasonal), and BBQ Teriyaki Chicken.

What's not to love about the best produce option, which will only cost you 25 cents

It hard to pick just one, so why not pick a bunch? The banana won the best produce item

Who doesn't love a good piece of fruit, especially when this item only costs a quarter! The banana won this year's produce category.

It beat out: Teeny Tiny Avocados, Honeycrisp Apples, Brussels Sprouts, and Organic Carrots of Many Colors.

Hold the Cone! These mini ice creams had a grip on TJ customers this year, and last!

Nothing is better than an ice cream cone, especially one that comes in so many flavors

In all its glorious flavors, Trader Joes Hold the Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones won best dessert.

The 'small in stature' cone has 'enormous' satisfaction!

'Each crunchy cone is lined with smooth chocolate and filled with creamy ice creamthen dipped in a rich, chocolatey (or a white confectionary) coating, depending on which seasonal cone youre holding,' the company wrote.

It beat out: Danish Kringle (various), Sublime Ice Cream Sandwiches, Chocolate Lava Cakes, and the Brookie.

Nothing makes a sandwich like a healthy amount of pesto!

Grab your nearest sandwich bread, this pesto has won the best vegan item

Among the vegan and vegetarian crowd, the Vegan Kale, Cashew & Basil Pesto won best dressed.

The 'creamy, green condiment' is made with kale, cashew, basil, lemon juice, and garlic.

It beat out: Vegetable Fried Rice, Beefless Bulgogi, Palak Paneer, and Cauliflower Gnocchi.

Nothing says comfort like a good ole candle

The most popular household item was the scented candles that come in mango tangerine, vanilla pumpkin, and honeycrisp apple, among others

Trader Joes Scented Candles won the best household item at the grocery chain.

It's paraben-free, soy-wax blend is unbeatable and includes many scents, including: Peony Blossom, Cedar Balsam, Honeycrisp Apple, Vanilla Pumpkin, and more.

It beat out: Daily Facial Sunscreen, Ultra-Moisturizng Hand Cream, Tea Tree Tingle Shampoo & Conditioner, and Shea Butter & Coconut Oil Hair Mask.
A man is fighting for his life in hospital after plunging eight metres from the roof of a Sydney apartment on Saturday night.

The 20-year-old man was on the roof of his Ebley St apartment, in the eastern Sydney suburb of Bondi Junction, around 11.30pm when he fell to the ground.

NSW Ambulance said the man suffered critical injuries to his chest and head with intensive care paramedics needing to call a specialist medical team, including a critical care doctor, to the scene.

A specialist team from Bankstown, in Sydney's west, rushed to the apartment where the doctor was forced to perform a bilateral thoracotomy - a surgical procedure to gain access to a patient's chest - on the street to save his life.

The man was sedated on scene by a specialist medical team and was given a blood transfusion.

NSW Ambulance Commander Michael Corlis said emergency services were still investigating how the young man fell but it appeared he was 'attempting to get into a unit'.

A man is in a critical condition after falling from a height of eight metres in Sydney on Saturday night. He is pictured on a stretcher being taken into hospital

Officers held up a white blanket (pictured) as the man was placed into an ambulance

The man was rushed to nearby St Vincent's Hospital where he is expected to undergo surgery.

A NSW police spokesperson said that at 'about 11.30pm, emergency services were called to Ebley Street near Hollywood Avenue, Bondi Junction, after reports a man had fallen from a rooftop.

'The man was treated at the scene, before being taken to St Vincents Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

'A crime scene was established and officers from Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command commenced inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident.'

The man in Bondi Junction is reported to have been with friends at the time of the incident.

Pictures from the scene show more than a dozen emergency service personnel, including ambulance and police officers.

Officers held up a white blanket as the man was placed into an ambulance.

Pictures from the scene show several police and ambulance vehicles (pictured)

A distraught witness is pictured being comforted by a woman at the scene in Bondi Junction

Shocked and distraught friends of the man are seen comforting each other on the street, while plain clothes and uniformed police officers are seen speaking to potential witnesses.

It was a busy night for NSW Ambulance with paramedics called to a second fall from a building less than one hour later.

Mr Corlis said paramedics rushed to Glebe, in Sydney's innerwest, just after 12.15am, to reports a 42-year-old man had 'fallen from one balcony to another'.

'We ask that people who are trying to get into their units when they forgot their keys or are locked out, think of other alternatives rather than trying to climb over walls or balconies,' he said.

'It's a very dangerous thing to do, especially if you've consumed some alcohol.

'There are other ways. Call a locksmith - there are 24-hour services available. It's better to wait, take that little bit extra time and get into your unit safely.'

Police officers are pictured speaking to potential witnesses at the scene in Sydney's eastern suburbs

More than a dozen police and ambulance officers (pictured) attended the scene in Sydney

The man is pictured being treated on a stretcher on the street in Bondi Junction

A NSW Ambulance doctor had to perform a bilateral thoracotomy - a surgical procedure to gain access to a patient's chest - on the street to save his life
Prince Harry (left, last year, and right in his last event before moving to US in 2020) delayed replying to the invitation to the Coronation because he was 'preoccupied' by where he would have to sit, sources have indicated. It was one of the reasons he was so late in confirming his decision to attend the crowning of his father King Charles III at Westminster Abbey on May 6. Neither Buckingham Palace nor a legal representative for the Duke of Sussex responded to a request for comment yesterday. But more than one source has confirmed to the Mail that there have been 'extensive discussions' between London and California over the issue. One said: 'Harry's side was keen to find out, presumably because they wanted to rubber-stamp it, what the seating plan at the Abbey is. There's been extensive back and forth about who they [Harry and Meghan] would be sitting behind if they came. And who would be behind them.' Harry was apparently quite preoccupied by this particular detail, the source said.
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
Cabinet members have been accused of openly jostling for Nadhim Zahawi's job as Tory Chairman amid claims that Rishi Sunak will decide within days whether to sack him over his controversial tax affairs.

The Mail on Sunday was told that three Cabinet Ministers appeared to be 'auditioning' for the role at last week's Cabinet away-day at Chequers.

The claims  disputed by allies of the Ministers  come as the report that will decide the Tory Chairman's fate is expected to be presented to the Prime Minister imminently.

Cabinet members have been accused of openly jostling for Nadhim Zahawi's job as Tory Chairman

Sources said Sir Laurie Magnus, the PM's ethics adviser, was poised to deliver his report into whether Mr Zahawi broke the ministerial code over settling a reportedly multi- million-pound tax dispute when he was Chancellor last year.

The report is expected to focus on whether Mr Zahawi should have told Mr Sunak about the settlement  said to be worth 4.8million including a 30 per cent penalty  before he was re-appointed to the Cabinet later last year.

No10 denied reports yesterday that Mr Sunak was warned in October when drawing up his Cabinet about Mr Zahawi's tax affairs. But despite the Tory Chairman's insistence that he had done 'the right thing' over the tax settlement, party insiders predict that the Chairman will almost certainly be replaced.

At last week's Cabinet away-day at the PM's country retreat sources said Penny Mordaunt, Andrew Mitchell and Grant Shapps appeared to be openly setting out their credentials to succeed Mr Zahawi.

One said: 'They spoke as if they were already chairman  like an audition for the job.'

The source said that in a discussion about the party's future tactics and Labour's poll lead, Commons Leader Ms Mordaunt appeared to risk a dig at Mr Sunak, saying: 'We need to be less managerial.' Development Minister Andrew Mitchell was said to have hinted at his credentials by reminding colleagues of his long experience since being elected in 1987.

No10 denied reports yesterday that Mr Sunak was warned in October when drawing up his Cabinet about Mr Zahawi's tax affairs

Penny Mordaunt (pictured) is said to be one of three ministers vying for Mr Zahawi's job

Finally, Business Secretary Grant Shapps  a former Tory co-chairman  spoke of how David Cameron had overcome big Labour poll leads before 2015 to lead the party to victory in the election that year.

Last night, Ms Mordaunt said 'many Cabinet members made contributions' on how they would deliver 'the public's priorities', adding: 'It was a productive and positive day.'

Allies of Mr Shapps, who was co-chairman between 2005 and 2010, said he would never accept the post again, adding: 'Once was enough!' Friends of Mr Mitchell also denied he coveted Mr Zahawi's job, saying people knew his 'great passion' was for the international development brief he had now.

The row over Mr Zahawi is understood to centre on a shareholding in YouGov, the polling firm he co-founded in 2000 before he became an MP.

At last week's Cabinet away-day at the PM's country retreat sources said Grant Shapps (pictured) Penny Mordaunt and Andrew Mitchell appeared to be openly setting out their credentials to succeed Mr Zahawi

Andrew Mitchell (pictured) has been at the PM's country retreat where witness said he appeared to make his case for a new role

He has not confirmed the amount repaid or any penalty but he has insisted that HMRC had concluded he had made a 'careless and not deliberate' error. But last week HMRC boss Jim Harra told MPs there were 'no penalties for innocent errors' in tax affairs. The Observer reported last night that Mr Sunak was informally warned in October when he appointed Mr Zahawi that his tax affairs could damage the Government. But No10 said: 'These claims are not true. The PM was not informed of these details, informally or otherwise.'

Friends of Mr Zahawi suggested he paid more tax than necessary, having declined his accountant's advice to challenge HMRC's initial demand.

Last week he said that he had chosen to 'pay what they said was due, which was the right thing to do'.

Last night, one senior Tory MP warned that anyone harbouring hopes of replacing the party chairman would be accepting 'the proverbial poisoned chalice'.

The MP said: 'It's pretty obvious that if we get a hammering in the May local elections - and that sadly looks likely - Rishi's first move will probably be to sack the party chairman - whoever he or she is at the time.'
Friends of Virginia Roberts last night poured scorn on a bizarre stunt said to prove Prince Andrews innocence of alleged sex crimes against her.

A photograph on the front page of the Daily Telegraph showed a man and a woman lying fully clothed in a bath in the former London home of convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, wearing makeshift masks bearing the faces of the Prince and his accuser.

It was published under the headline: The photo that clears Duke over bath sex and was said to disprove Ms Robertss story that the Prince had engaged in intimate acts with her in its confined space. Ghislaines brother Ian told the newspaper that the image, posed by two of his sisters acquaintances, show[s] conclusively that the bath is too small for any sort of sex frolicking.

Ms Roberts has claimed that in 2001, the Duke licked her toes in the bath before they had sex in the bedroom, when she was 17.

A photo on the front page of the Daily Telegraph showed a man and a woman lying fully clothed in a bath in the former London home of convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell , wearing makeshift masks bearing the faces of the Prince and his accuser

She alleged she was forced to have sex with Andrew by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein  who died in 2019 awaiting trial for child sex trafficking offences  and his close friend, Ghislaine Maxwell. The Duke has repeatedly and vehemently denied Ms Robertss claims.

One source connected to Ms Roberts, who now goes by her married surname Giuffre, told The Mail on Sunday last night: If this shameful stunt is the best Maxwells side can do in defence of Prince Andrew then its laughable.

Its a disgusting attempt to discredit a victim of sexual abuse and would be risible if it were not so offensive. Plus they have their facts totally wrong. Virginia never said they had sex in the bath. Lawyer Lisa Bloom, who represented several victims of Epstein and Maxwells sex trafficking web, added: What a surreal, bizarre photograph. It proves nothing.

Virginia Roberts (right) has claimed that in 2001, the Prince Andrew (left) licked her toes in the bath before they had sex in the bedroom, when she was 17

Virginia said that she and Andrew were in the bath. The photo shows that two full-sized humans can fit in the bath. Virginia said that Andrew began by playing with her feet in the bath. The photo shows that would certainly be possible.

Virginia said that she and Andrew then moved into the bedroom where the sexual activity occurred. Nothing in the photo disproves that.

Ghislaine and her supporters must be getting desperate. Instead of continuing to attack victims, she should be apologising for the pain she has caused to so many.

And lawyer Spencer Kuvin, who also represented victims of Maxwell and Epstein, said: Its absurd. If they want to know how two people can have sex in a bathtub they need to merely google it on the internet. This half-hearted attempt [to discredit Virginia] is laughable.

In a 2011 interview, Ms Roberts claimed she and the Duke got into the bath where he started licking my toes before moving to the bedroom, a story she repeated in a 2019 interview with BBCs Panorama, saying: There was a bath and it started there and then led into the bedroom.

In a 2011 interview, Ms Roberts claimed she and the Duke got into the bath where he started licking my toes before moving to the bedroom, a story she repeated in a 2019 interview with BBCs Panorama

In her unpublished memoir, The Billionaires Playboy Club  which she admitted was partly fictionalised  she wrote about entering the bath: We kissed and touched each other before submersing into the hot water he was adoring my young body, particularly my feet, caressing my toes and licking my arches.

After drying off they moved into a nearby bedroom for the longest ten minutes of my life.

A longtime friend of Ms Roberts said: The memoir was never accepted into evidence by the judge because it was never presented by Virginia as a factual account of her experiences. Some of it is fictionalised.

But that is besides the point. This is an attempt at victim-shaming at its worst. How arrogant do you have to be to think a photograph like this will in any way help your case?

Last night, Ms Robertss lawyers declined to comment but a source close to her said: This feels like a coordinated attempt to try to discredit her but the truth is the truth. Virginia has consistently told the truth about Prince Andrew and no amount of stunted-up photographs will change that.

Meanwhile, a smiling Prince Andrew, 62, was photographed driving a Range Rover in the grounds of Windsor Castle yesterday and appeared carefree as he later rode through the castle grounds on horseback.

Last week, it emerged he has been telling friends that a mystery development will restore his disgraced reputation in the coming months, and that he intends to challenge the multi-million pound settlement he struck with Ms Roberts last year.
Memphis Police Department has said it will permanently abolish its Scorpion unit after several members were involved in the traffic stop that killed Tyre Nichols.

The elite unit was created to combat soaring violent crime, but critics say its aggressive tactics and lack of oversight are a recipe for tragedies like the fatal beating of the 29-year-old.

The decision came after Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn 'CJ' Davis met with members of the unit on Saturday 'to discuss the path forward for the department and the community in the aftermath of the tragic death of Tyre Nichols.'

Officials came to the conclusion it was 'in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the SCORPION Unit,' the statement read.

Scorpion officers agreed 'unreservedly' with the decision, the department later added.

An officer involved in the fatal traffic stop of Tyre Nichols is seen wearing a hoodie of the MPD's Organized Crime Unit, of which SCORPION is a part

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Nichols' family, said such units can turn into 'a pack of wolves' and led calls for an end to the Scorpion unit.

'We believe that this was a pattern and practice, and Tyre is dead because that pattern and practice went unchecked by the people who were supposed to check that,' Crump said at a press conference on Friday.

Five officers have been charged with second-degree murder in Nichols' death, though it was unclear how many of them were part of the Scorpion unit, and MPD has not released that information.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Nichols' family, said street crime units such as SCORPION can turn into 'a pack of wolves' and called to disband the unit

The newly released footage of the initial traffic stop that led to Nichols' death shows cops in the unmarked Dodge Chargers favored by the unit, wearing hoodies with the logo of the Organized Crime Unit, of which SCORPION is a part.

Founded in October 2021 due to pressure over rising crime, SCORPION, stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods. Its mandate is to stem homicides, assaults and robberies.

Memphis officials have said the unit comprises about 40 officers in four teams concentrating on crime hot spots.

Each team has members focused on car theft, gang investigations and 'crime suppression,' Mayor Jim Strickland said in a speech in January 2022.

A 2021 video about the unit's launch showed several dozen officers, mostly men, going through roll call before heading on patrols. Some wore plain clothes and drove unmarked cars.

In its first few months of existence, between October 2021 and January 23, 2022, SCORPION made 566 arrests.

Cops are seen next to the type of unmarked Dodge Charger favored by SCORPION teams, following the January 7 beating of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop

Founded in October 2021 due to pressure over rising crime, SCORPION, stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods

Of those, 390 were felony arrests, according to Strickland. Officers seized tens of thousands of dollars and over 250 weapons, the mayor said.

However, there have been prior complaints over SCORPION's alleged heavy-handed tactics.

Cornell McKinney told WREG-TV the same SCORPION team involved in Nichols' death stopped him on January 3, four days before the fatal Nichols beating.

'All I heard is a: 'Freeze, get out the car. Put your MF hands up before I blow your heads off. Both of you get out the car. Put your hands up,'' he said, recalling the incident, which occurred as he was catching a ride home with a friend.

'So I put my hands up, and one of the officers proceeded to come to the car, and he physically pulled me out by my shoulder with a gun no more than a foot away from my head,' said McKinney.

McKinney said the cops accused them of having drugs in the car, demanding to know which of the two friends owned the drugs.

But he says the cops then admitted they hadn't found any drugs and let the two men walk free.

Later, seeing the officers charged in Nichols' death, he recognized the faces as the same cops that had pulled him over.

The five cops - Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith - have since been fired and charged with second-degree murder.

Charged with second degree murder are (top, left to right) Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, and (bottom, left to right) Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith

Tyre Nichols is pictured in hospital after the incident. The 29-year-old from Memphis died on January 10 from cardiac arrest and kidney failure, three days after he was pulled over for reckless driving by police in unmarked cars

One former veteran Memphis police officer who said he knew each of the charged ex-cops, told CBS News that 'you have to be a go-getter, for the most part' to join the SCORPION unit.

'You have to be someone who wants to make a difference, who wants to catch the bad guy,' he said of the 'proactive' mindset of the unit.

'I never thought this would happen,' added the former officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Because at least some of the officers charged with murdering Nichols belonged to SCORPION, questions have arisen over whether they were acting as part of the unit when they pulled him over for purported reckless driving.

Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, died in the hospital three days after the violent January 7 physical confrontation with the five black officers.

The five officers have since been charged with second-degree murder, assault, kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression and fired from their jobs.

The Nichols case has raised concerns that the unit strayed from its core mission, had inadequate oversight and used tactics that increased the risk of violence.

Crump, the attorney for Nichols' family, pointed out that Nichols' encounter with police began with a traffic stop, which does not fall under the unit's mandate to address violent crime

Crump, the attorney for Nichols' family, pointed out that Nichols' encounter with police began with a traffic stop, which does not fall under the unit's mandate to address violent crime.

Critics say such stops are excuses to search for weapons or drugs and can escalate into violence.

It is not the fist time such units have faced scrutiny.

In 2020, following the police murder of George Floyd, New York City dismantled its Anti-Crime Unit, which operated with similar tactics and goals as SCORPION.

Last January, amid soaring violent crime, the Anti-Crime Unit was restricted weeks after Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD captain, took office vowing to get tough on crime.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis this week announced a review of all of the police department's specialized units including SCORPION in response to Nichols' death. She called the incident 'heinous, reckless and inhumane.'
Prince Andrew is ready to launch a $100 million lawsuit against his accuser Virginia Roberts if she repeats sex claims against him in her upcoming memoir.

Legal sources close to the Prince  who has consulted US lawyers in a bid to overturn a settlement he reached with Ms Roberts last year  say he will go on the attack should she repeat the allegations.

The Duke of York has hired high-powered LA lawyers Andrew Brettler and Blair Berk for an attempt to get Ms Roberts to retract any claims and possibly secure an apology. Last night, a source familiar with the case told this newspaper: The minute she writes anything that repeats the original claims against him she will be hit with a $100 million (81 million) defamation lawsuit. Andrew and his lawyers are ready to go on the attack. Then her claims will be put under scrutiny for the first time in a court of law.

Prince Andrew is ready to launch a $100 million lawsuit against his accuser Virginia Roberts if she repeats sex claims against him in her upcoming memoir

The Duke of York has hired high-powered LA lawyers for an attempt to get Virginia Roberts (right) to retract any claims and possibly secure an apology

Lawyers for Ms Roberts declined to comment last night, but a source close to her insist her settlement with the Duke does not preclude her from writing about him, saying: She will be able to discuss Prince Andrew.

Ms Roberts, now 39 and going by her married name of Giuffre, claimed she was forced to have sex with the Prince when she was 17, having been trafficked by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

In the out-of-court settlement reached last February, Andrew accepted no blame and continues to strenuously deny any wrongdoing. He reportedly paid her 12 million but insiders say the figure was closer to 3 million.

His mood is said to have been buoyed by a settlement reached between Ms Roberts and US lawyer Alan Dershowitz in November in which she admitted she may have made a mistake in accusing Mr Dershowitz of abusing her.

Mr Dershowitz said last night: Virginia Giuffre has now finally recognised that she may have made a mistake and I hope that this can help bring out the truth about other accusations, including the Prince.
This follows a century's old pattern of monarchs turning to the lead Bishop

For centuries, Archbishops of Canterbury have been entrusted with helping members of the Royal Family tackle some of the trickiest issues of the day.

Perhaps most famously, Henry VIII and Thomas Cranmer wrestled with the King's demand to divorce Anne Boleyn.

Cranmer succeeded. But the task facing his modern-day successor, Justin Welby, may prove just as challenging a commission. This week, Welby will join the Pope on a peace mission to war-torn Sudan, a venture they undertake knowing 'the Holy Spirit has the power to transform hearts'.

And the Archbishop will need to be similarly optimistic in restoring the peace between the King and Prince William and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ahead of the Coronation  now less than 100 days away.

The Archbishop of Canterbury (pictured) will need to be optimistic in restoring the peace between the King and Prince William and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ahead of the Coronation

Charles, William and Harry at a 2017 military memorial event

Catherine Pepinster, Author Of 'defenders Of The Faith'

Welby can rest assured, at least, that should his intervention fail, Charles will not take against him as Henry VIII did against one of his Archbishop predecessors, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who, before Cranmer's involvement, failed to secure the Pope's agreement to the annulment of Henry's marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.

Wolsey was accused of treason, and had his palace, Hampton Court, confiscated by the King. He died before he could be tried.

A more successful intervention in family matters was carried out by Thomas Tenison, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1694 to 1715, who helped persuade William III to end his bitter enmity with his sister-in-law Anne, as it had weakened the authority of the Crown.

William, married to Anne's older sister Mary, had no children  and without Anne in the picture, there was a risk the Crown would pass to a more obscure branch of the family.

Thanks to Tenison, relations were restored and Anne succeeded the throne upon William's death in 1702.

In the early 20th Century, interventions by an Archbishop in personal Royal matters were more concerned with taking a tough line on doctrine.

When, in 1936, Edward VIII announced he intended to marry the American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Cosmo Lang, warned the King it was impossible for there to be a clear dividing line between his private life and being consecrated before God at the Coronation.

Another Archbishop, Geoffrey Fisher, played a role in persuading the late Queen Elizabeth II's sister, Princess Margaret, not to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend, a divorce.

When Margaret eventually went to Lambeth Palace to tell Fisher she had decided not to marry Townsend because of the Church's teaching on the indissolubility of marriage, Fisher replied: 'What a wonderful person the Holy Spirit is!'

King Charles has also appealed to the wisdom of previous Archbishops of Canterbury. He turned to Robert Runcie, who had presided over his wedding to Diana in 1981, when the marriage began to unravel.

Runcie later recalled that Charles thought Diana needed 'a bit of instruction' and so he met her several times, saying of those meetings: 'What I quickly saw was that she needed some encouragement, and some 'Are you all right, girl?'

Times  and attitudes  have slowly changed.

Henry VIII (pictured) and Thomas Cranmer wrestled with the King's demand to divorce Anne Boleyn

A painting of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in Shakespeare's Henry VIII

Thirteen years after a furious Charles had to make do with marrying Camilla in a Windsor register office, followed by a blessing in St George's Chapel, divorcee Meghan Markle was allowed to stand before the altar of the same church to wed Prince Harry.

Now, the Archbishop of Canterbury's unique power is being called upon again to reconcile the King and his two warring sons ahead of the Coronation.

We must wish him well.
Locals will point out filming locations to visitors from the UK and overseas

On TV, it's plagued by drugs, rape and murder, but in real-life, the main location for the Happy Valley series  Hebden Bridge in the Upper Calder Valley  has a crime rate so low that they've shut the local police station.

In fact, with the most serious misdemeanours recently logged being a spot of random graffiti and some youths smoking cannabis, it is one of the quietest areas for the West Yorkshire force to police.

So the 'cop shop' was turned into an antiques centre and the local police officer patrols the market town on his bicycle.

But while crime may be low, visitor numbers have rocketed. The hordes of tourists flocking to Hebden Bridge to see the filming locations and gawp at the show's actors recording scenes has prompted some locals to make no secret of their exasperation at the town's new-found fame. A blunt message in graffiti on scaffolding around a shop reads: 'Move back to London.'

Tranquil: Hebden Bridge, where many Happy Valley scenes are filmed

In real-life, the main location for the Happy Valley series  Hebden Bridge in the Upper Calder Valley (pictured)  has a crime rate so low that they've shut the local police station

This type of hostility to outsiders  known as 'offcumden' by locals  is perhaps fuelled by the rise in holiday lets pushing up house prices, forcing families to move to cheaper towns nearby.

There are currently more than 1,000 listings on Airbnb and Booking.com and it can cost up to 150 per night to stay in the area.

In fact, the double-fronted Victorian terraced house just outside the town centre that's used as Sgt Catherine Cawood's home has doubled in value from 200,000 to 400,000 in the nine years since Happy Valley first hit our screens.

Perhaps predictably the house is the most popular tourist attraction, with its residents and their neighbours regularly having inquisitive Happy Valley fans knock on their doors. Despite the antagonism shown by some locals to the town's celebrity status, most residents have welcomed the spotlight that Happy Valley has shone on their close-knit community and the boost provided by the influx of paying visitors from all over the world.

Locals will happily point out filming locations to visitors from all over the UK and the growing number from overseas, with fans now coming from as far afield as the USA, Sweden and China.

Some locals don't like the new-found fame

Even on a cold, grey, drizzly January day a steady stream of visitors could be seen taking selfies with Sgt Cawood's house in the background and of the backyard where she's often seen smoking cigarettes to relieve stress.

There is, according to locals, an uptick in visitor numbers when filming is taking place or when the series goes on air. Sharon Slade, a Hebden resident for the past 36 years, is a big fan of the show  some of the filming took place close to her home  but says while the plot is good it is not a true reflection of life in this quiet corner of the Calder Valley.

Jenny Lunt, manager of The Shoulder Of Mutton pub, said that the show's star Sarah Lancashire (pictured) was a regular there during filming

'Hebden Bridge is a lovely peaceful place to live. It's a crime-free place apart from someone doing the odd bit of weed maybe,' she said.

Car park attendant Robert Taylor, 59, added: 'Hebden is such a nice place to live and not like it's been portrayed on the telly. We haven't even got a cop shop.'

Picturesque and charming, the attractions of Hebden Bridge, with its welcoming shops, cafes, restaurants and pubs, have clearly not been lost on the Happy Valley cast.

Jenny Lunt, manager of The Shoulder Of Mutton pub, said that the show's star Sarah Lancashire was a regular there during filming. 'She came in here for her local grub and a bit of local hospitality. She even brings her husband and her little dog with her,' she revealed.

My beloved Trouser Town  by Mrs Thatcher's pugnacious aide

By Sir Bernard Ingham, Margaret Thatcher's chief press secretary

Life in Hebden Bridge before the Second World War was idyllic.

I was born in 1932, in the hospital in nearby Halifax. Our stone-built terraced house, on Albion Terrace, had a lovely view looking down the valley. I used to wake up in the morning looking across what in Norman times had been a deer park.

My brother always said that Hebden Bridge was the best place to be brought up during the war, because we were so deep in the valley, the enemy couldn't find us.

Planes flew over, but the nearest we came to a bomb was Halifax.

Back then, Hebden was a small industrial town, very hard-working, full of chapels and churches; I went to the Baptist chapel and Sunday school. There were a lot of choirs  male voice choirs, especially.

There was also a large number of pubs, although you didn't see many people drunk. And fish and chip shops  the place was running with them.

Back then, Hebden was a small industrial town, very hard-working, full of chapels and churches; I went to the Baptist chapel and Sunday school

I don't think I could have been brought up in a better place. There was a lot of unemployment in the 1930s, but we didn't experience it.

But, over time, the textile industry on which the town depended  it was named Trouser Town as it made up to a million pairs a year  began to falter. When the mills started to close, a lot of the small terraced houses became vacant.

In the 1970s, hippies moved in and made a bit of a mess of the place. That didn't go down well with the house-proud locals.

It also became the lesbian capital of Britain, with more women couples than any other town.

While making a film for the BBC about Hebden Bridge, I met a group of women in a lesbian bar.

I asked how many lesbians there were in town and was told 'at least a hundred'. But, I said that considering Hebden had a population of 25,000 people lesbian capital my foot!

Over time, various incomers have made Hebden their home. And now it's popular with modern trendies, Hebden is something of an alien place to me.

The Hebden Bridge I remember could never have been accused of being trendy!
A Ukrainian teacher who was blinded in a missile attack at the start of Russias invasion has had her vision restored thanks to Mail on Sunday readers.

Shocking photographs of Olena Kurylos blood-streaked face were seen around the world after a missile exploded outside her flat near Kharkiv just hours after Vladimir Putins troops marched in last February. The 53-year-old mother was left with glass lodged in her right eye and hundreds of tiny shards embedded in her skin.

The MoS helped her get to Poland, where she had three operations to preserve her eye and prevent a potentially fatal infection. Polish doctors pinned her detached retina and filled the eye with silicone oil, but later struggled to remove the oil without the retina coming loose.

Photographs of Olena Kurylos bandaged face were seen around the world in the early days of Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine

Thanks to the incredible Mail Force donations, the money for Olena's eye surgery was raised within 24 hours

READ MORE Ukrainian teacher blinded in missile attack suffers online abuse from pro-Putin trolls who claim she faked her injuries Olena, who was warned there was a one in ten chance that the surgery could fail, wept upon hearing it had succeeded Advertisement

In August they concluded the vision in her right eye could not be saved. But the MoS refused to give up and secured 10,000 in donations from our Mail Force charity to fund treatment for Olena with consultant eye surgeon Tom Williamson at the world-leading Centre For Sight in London.

Her vision has now been restored following a 45-minute operation in which Professor Williamson removed the oil without detaching her retina.

She hoped for 50 per cent vision in that eye, but has 75 per cent  enough to take a UK driving test. Prof Williamson said: Olena has really good vision, considering the trauma she had. Much better than I expected. She will not need further operations and can live without limitations.

Olena, who was warned there was a one in ten chance that the surgery could fail, wept upon hearing it had succeeded. Hugging Prof Williamson, she said: You cannot understand the joy you have given me.

It means she can now start planning her future. Speaking from her hosts home in North London, organised by the charity Refugees At Home, Olena said she was hoping to teach nursery children.

This weekend, British Airways flew her to Poland, where the MoS had rented a flat, to recover. Thanks to British legal firm Mishcon de Reya, which worked for free to get a visa through the Homes For Ukraine scheme, she can teach in the UK.

Olena Kurylo with Eye Surgeon Professor Tom Williamson at her final appointment after successful eye surgery

Ukrainian teacher Olena Kurylo was blinded during a missile attack

I have been given my life back. The Mail on Sunday has given me this chance, she said. I want to thank the newspaper and every reader who donated money. I cant imagine what I would look like now if The Mail on Sunday did not save me.

She plans to set up a charity matching Ukrainian orphans with parents whose own children have been killed.
From the mighty bellow of Jupiter to the gusty howl of Mars' surface, our celestial neighbours are anything but noiseless.

So what do the planets sound like? To reveal the elusive 'sounds', scientists converted the radio emissions collected across the various missions into sound waves.

Hear the chilling cacophony of plasma waves and every other planet in our mammoth solar system in the video below.

The collection includes everything from the roaring warble of lightning on Jupiter to the eerie boom of starlight.

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From the mighty bellow of Jupiter to the gusty howl of Mars' surface, our celestial neighbours are anything but noiseless

The collection includes everything from the roaring warble of lightning on Jupiter to the eerie boom of starlight

SOUND WAVES IN SPACE? A researcher from Queen Mary University of London explains that space is never completely empty - there are a few particles and sound waves floating around. Sound waves around Earth are vital to our continued technological existence. Fundamentally, sound waves are oscillations in pressure which travel through the medium that they're in. There are magentosonic waves in space, which are pressure waves. You would need an eardrum the size of Earth to hear them. These waves can also transfer energy around the protective magnetic bubble we live in that largely protects us from various dangerous forms of space radiation. However, if we can predict when, where and why these waves occur in the space around the Earth, then we could forecast when our satellites might be in trouble and put them into a safe mode. Advertisement

NASA's Perseverance rover has been recording the 'eerie sounds of Mars' since it arrived in February 2021.

Sounds from the Red Planet have been made possible thanks to a pair of microphones on the rover that make it like 'you're really standing there,' NASA said.

The rover has been trundling in the Jezero crater for eight months, searching for signs of ancient life, while also taking stunning photographs and recording sound.

Perseverance is the first craft to record the sound of the Red Planet, and as well as letting us hear wind on another world, it provides information on the atmosphere.

Analysing the sounds of Mars revealed it has 'strong bass vibrations,' say researchers from L'Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planetologie in Toulouse, France.

Audio recordings have also helped NASA engineers monitor the engines, wheels and general running of both Perseverance and the Ingenuity helicopter.

NASA also captured haunting sounds coming from the upper atmosphere of Venus during a close flyby of the Parker Solar Probe launched to study the sun.

The natural radio signal is helping scientists study the atmosphere of 'Earth's less hospitable twin,' according to the NASA team responsible for the probe.

The space agency captured the sounds while the Parker probe was making its 'closest-ever flyby' of the planet, travelling at just 517 miles above the surface.

NASA's Goddard space centre is running the solar probe, which made its third flyby of Venus on July 11, 2020, when it detected the radio signal and its eerie soundtrack.

In 2019 astronomers have recorded for the first time the eerie warbling 'song' sung by the Earth's magnetic field when hit by a storm of charged particles sent from the Sun

The 'tune' is a sonic version of the stunning aurora light show that can be seen near the poles when charged particles interact with the Earth's atmosphere

In 2019 astronomers have recorded for the first time the eerie warbling 'song' sung by the Earth's magnetic field when hit by a storm of charged particles sent from the Sun.

The 'tune' is a sonic version of the stunning aurora light show that can be seen near the poles when charged particles interact with the Earth's atmosphere.

The 'song' was made audible by experts from the European Space Agency (ESA), who analysed the magnetic waves produced as these 'solar winds' buffet the Earth.

They turned the results into audible frequencies, producing an unusual noise they described as being more like 'the sound effects of a science fiction movie than a natural phenomenon.'

The psychedelic song was identified after the team sent four spacecraft through the so-called 'foreshock' region of the Earth's magnetic field, which faces the Sun and is the first part to be impacted by incoming solar storms.

Normally, the constant flow of charged particles that makes up the solar wind causes the foreshock to emit simple magnetic waves that  when converted into audio waves  sound something like a single, low musical note.

When a solar storm strikes the Earth, however, the impact of it against the magnetic field's foreshock causes this 'music' to rise in pitch  and become far more complex.

In the same year NASA released a chilling compilation of the 'sounds' of space, bringing to life the radio emissions captured by its spacecraft as they journey across the solar system.

The space agency released its 'Spooky Sounds from Across the Solar System' playlist ahead of Halloween.

The compilation included 22 snippets of 'space sounds,' revealing a stunning new perspective on the planets and other mysterious objects in our solar system.

'Soaring to the depths of our universe, gallant spacecraft roam the cosmos, snapping images of celestial wonders,' NASA said.

'Some spacecraft have instruments capable of capturing radio emissions. When scientists convert these to sound waves, the results are eerie to hear.'

The list includes a clip from when the Juno spacecraft crossed the boundary of Jupiters magnetic field on June 24, 2016, capturing its remarkable encounter with the bow shock over two hours.

It also reveals the surf-like roar of plasma waves rippling across space, captured EMFISIS instrument aboard NASAs Van Allen Probes.

And, the playlist contains numerous examples of Saturns radio emissions, gathered by its now terminated Cassini spacecraft.
MailOnline reveals five bona fide Titanic mysteries - some of which may never be solved

More than 1,500 people were killed and the wreck is deteriorating off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada

Titanic famously sunk in the early hours of April 15, 1912 when she hit an iceberg, leading to tragic loss of life

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More than 100 years after she sank while crossing the Atlantic on her maiden voyage, RMS Titanic is still widely regarded as the most famous ship in history.

The luxury ocean liner  owned and operated by British company White Star Line  tragically sank in the early hours of April 15, 1912 after a collision with an iceberg, killing an estimated 1,517 of the 2,224 people on board.

Her remains now lie on the seafloor about 350 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, although the delicate wreck is deteriorating so rapidly underwater that it could disappear completely within the next 40 years.

Although many theories surrounding the circumstances of the sinking verge into conspiracy, here are five bona fide Titanic mysteries - some of which may never be solved.

Photograph of RSM Titanic leaving Southampton at the start of her maiden voyage on April 10, 1912. Five days after this photo was taken the ship was on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean

Titanic: Basic facts Constructed by Belfast-based shipbuilders Harland and Wolff between 1909 and 1912, RMS Titanic was the largest ship afloat of her time. Owned and operated by the White Star Line, the passenger vessel set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York on April 10, 1912. The liner made two short stops en route to her planned Atlantic crossing - one at the French port of Cherbourg, the other at Cork Harbour, Ireland, where smaller vessels ferried passengers on and off board the Titanic. On April 14, Titanic struck an iceberg at around 23:40 local time, generating six narrow openings in the vessel's starboard hull, believed to have occurred as a result of the rivets in the hull snapping. The ship sank two hours and 40 minutes later, in the early hours of April 15. An estimated 1,517 people died. Advertisement

WHY WAS TITANIC GOING SO FAST?

It's well known that Titanic was almost at full speed when look-outs spotted the iceberg late on April 14, 1912.

The 'unsinkable' liner was going at around 22.5 knots or 25 miles per hour, just 0.5 knots below its top speed of 23 knots.

Titanic's captain Edward Smith powered the ship through the Atlantic even though there had been ice warnings from neighbouring ships.

So why was it going so fast, through a known iceberg field at night when visibility was low?

In James Cameron's 1997 film 'Titanic', White Star Line chairman Bruce Ismay is depicted urging Captain Smith to increase the speed to get into New York ahead of schedule and 'make the headlines'.

This scene was based on a genuine conversation overheard by first-class passenger and survivor Elizabeth Lindsey Lines, who testified after the sinking.

Her testimony suggests Ismay wanted to beat a record set by Titanic's sister ship, the RMS Olympic, on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York the year before.

Olympic set sail from Southampton on June 14, 1911, calling at Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown, Ireland (the same route as Titanic) before reaching New York six days later, on June 21 that year.

Mrs Lines said: 'I heard him [Ismay] make the statement: "We will beat the Olympic and get in to New York on Tuesday."'

However, Royal Museums Greenwich claims stories of the captain trying to make a speed record are 'without substance', despite the testimony from Mrs Lines.

Another theory posited in 2004 by a US engineer was that a smoldering coal fire in the depths of Titanic meant the ship had to get to New York faster than originally planned.

Captain Edward Smith (pictured) powered RMS Titanic through the Atlantic even though there had been ice warnings from neighbouring ships. Smith went down with the ship and perished at the age of 62

The grandest ship: RMS Titanic departing Southampton on April 10, 1912. She would never return from this maiden voyage. Her remains now lie on the seafloor about 350 nautical miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada

'The most appalling disaster in maritime history': Titanic is depicted in this sketch among the icebergs prior to its foundering

James Cameron says he's conducted a scientific experiment to disprove Titanic film theory - read more Titanic director James Cameron has conducted a scientific study to end the debate as to whether Leonardo DiCaprio's character could have survived Advertisement

According to Robert Essenhigh at Ohio State University, Titanic's records show there was a fire one of Titanic's coal bunkers, forward bunker #6.

Increasing the rate at which the coal in this bunker was removed and put into the boilers would have allowed the ship's workers to control the fire, but this would have sped the ship up, he said.

Essenhigh claimed the crew of the Titanic couldn't have been trying to break any records crossing the Atlantic because the ship was built for comfort, not speed  and was advertised as such before its voyage.

The theory was repeated in the 2017 documentary 'Titanic: The New Evidence' by Irish journalist Senan Molony, who said Titanic 'should never have been put to sea' because the fire supposedly weakened her hull, which took the impact from the iceberg.

WHY DID SS CALIFORNIAN IGNORE TITANIC'S DISTRESS CALLS?

After Titanic hit the iceberg and it became clear the ship was sinking, Captain Smith had his crew send up flares and transmit radio messages to nearby ships in the hope of receiving assistance.

The nearest vessel in Titanic's vicinity when she foundered was the SS Californian, a smaller steamship bound for Boston, Massachusetts, captained by Stanley Lord.

It wasn't carrying any passengers and would have had plenty of space for the people on Titanic.

Due to the threat of 'field ice'  large and flat expanses of ice in the ocean  Lord had halted Californian for the night late around 10:20pm on April 14, about 80 minutes before Titanic hit the iceberg.

At the time, Californian's position was logged as about 19 miles northeast of Titanic, although the British inquiry into the disaster later judged it was much closer than that  six miles away.

Pictured, the SS Californian. While captained by Stanley Lord, this steamship was on her way to Boston, Massachusetts when Titanic sank

The Californian was also closer than the RMS Carpathia, which heroically sailed 58 miles through the treacherously icy waters to rescue Titanic's survivors.

Unfortunately, Carpathia arrived two hours after Titanic sank, but Californian could have arrived before  so why didn't it?

Well, earlier that evening, before Titanic's collision, California's wireless operator Cyril Furmstone Evans had contacted Titanic with an ice warning.

Photo shows Cyril Furmstone Evans, the wireless operator aboard the SS Californian that night

The message was received by Titanic's on-duty wireless operator, Jack Phillips, who told Evans to 'shut up' because it was drowning out messages for passengers from Cape Race, a relay station 800 miles away.

Perhaps offended by the rude rebuke, Evans switched off his wireless equipment and went to bed, so it couldn't receive the urgent radio messages from Titanic that followed.

However, this doesn't account for why the Californian crew didn't investigate the flares that they saw being fired into the air  especially seeing as they knew Titanic was nearby.

Californian's second officer Herbert Stone said he saw several flares and informed Captain Lord, but at this point in the story, evidence from the inquiry as to why this was is often vague and contradictory.

A concerned Stone allegedly said at the time 'a ship is not going to fire rockets at sea for nothing', yet he later told the inquiry: 'I thought that perhaps the ship was in communication with some other ship, or possibly she was signaling to us to tell us she had big icebergs around her.'

Stone relayed information about the rockets to Captain Lord, but ultimately no action was taken by the captain  a decision that surely cost lives.

The role SS Californian played that night was not portrayed in James Cameron's 1997 epic blockbuster, but it features prominently in the 1958 British film, 'A Night to Remember'.

A reproduction of the Titanic's Marconi Room at the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration in Mystic, Connecticut. Marconi Room was where Titanic's wireless operators Jack Phillips and Harold Bride held communication with ships and shore over a Marconi transmitter. Communication over the wireless worked using 'dots and dashes'

HOW DID THE BAKER SURVIVE?

One of the most intriguing survival stories from the Titanic is that of 33-year-old Cheshire-born Charles Joughin, the chief baker on board.

Charles Joughin (August 3, 1878 - December 9, 1956) was a British chef, known as being the chief baker aboard the RMS Titanic. He survived and became notable for having survived in the frigid water for an exceptionally long time

Joughin  who had ordered his staff to equip the lifeboats with bread as provisions  was on Titanic right until the moment it went below the water's surface.

He had climbed to the very back of Titanic (the stern), getting hold of the safety rail so that he was on the outside of the ship, as it went down by the head.

He told the British inquiry: 'I do not believe my head went under the water at all. It may have been wetted, but no more.'

In Cameron's film, he's portrayed standing on the stern's railings, right next to the fictional protagonists Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet), riding it down like an elevator.

Astonishingly, Joughin managed to survive despite being in the water for about two hours, even though the temperature was below freezing (28F or -2C).

Most people who entered the water died of hypothermia within 30 minutes, so how did he survive?

The baker later said he had been drinking liqueur before the ship went down, and one theory is that this helped him keep warm in the water later on  but a 2018 study suggests this is unlikely.

Although commonly believed to warm the body, alcohol consumption has been shown to lower body temperature in cold weather, thereby exacerbating hypothermia risk, it says.

Sinking of the Titanic: Lifeboats row away from the still lighted ship on April 15, 1912, as depicted in this British newspaper sketch

It's also thought Joughin keeping a calm head and constantly moving in the water increased his survival chances.

After about two hours of, in his words, 'paddling and treading water', Joughin was pulled onto the overturned Collapsible B lifeboat with no ill effects except swollen feet.

Collapsible B and the other lifeboats were later picked up by RMS Carpathia, and Joughin later emigrated to the US before his death in 1956, aged 78.

WHY WERE THERE NOT ENOUGH LIFEBOATS?

Famously, Titanic did not have enough lifeboats to hold the 2,224 souls on board. If it had, many more hundreds  if not all  of the lives that were lost that night could have been saved.

Titanic had a total of 20 lifeboats, which all together could accommodate 1,178 people, just over half of the total (although two of these boats weren't launched when the ship went down).

There are several suggestions as to why there weren't more. Firstly, it was said that Titanic's designers felt too many lifeboats would clutter the deck and obscure views of the sea for first class passengers.

Looking at a plan of Titanic, the lifeboats were mostly kept on the officers' promenade towards the front and the second class promenade towards the back.

Plan of Titanic's boat deck from above, showing the location of the lifeboats. The main lifeboats are marked in green, while the two smaller 'emergency' wooden boats are highlighted in red. Two of the collapsible lifeboats are marked in purple. The other two collapsible lifeboats (not on this diagram) were situated on the roof of the officers' quarters behind the wheelhouse. Note the lifeboat-free space in the first class promenade in the centre

Titanic speed that fatal night was 'excessive', inquiry ruled The judge who led the British inquiry into the Titanic disaster, John Charles Bigham, 1st Viscount Mersey, wrote in his journal that the ship was travelling at 'excessive speed' and there was 'no reduction of speed' in the icy environment. However, Mr Maltin said that 'every captain' who testified at the inquiry said they would have 'done the same thing'. 'The night the Titanic sank it was actually extremely clear and they were keeping a very sharp lookout,' he said. 'They knew they were getting into the ice region, but critically they believed they could see the ice in time.' Mr Maltin also said that Captain Smith was the Commodore of the White Star Line and had captained all their flagship vessels. Smith was popular with crew who 'loved sailing under him'. Instead of seeking a lifeboat for himself, he chose to help women and children get to safety, Mr Maltin said. Advertisement

The first class promenade, meanwhile, was almost completely free of lifeboats, meaning the first class passengers could stroll and admire clear views of the Atlantic on either side.

Although it seems unthinkable now, Titanic's selling point was clearly its grandeur and luxury, not its safety.

Additionally, it wasn't anticipated that Titanic would need its lifeboats to hold all passengers at the same time.

Instead, if Titanic were to encounter any trouble, its lifeboats were to be used to ferry passengers off Titanic and onto a rescue ship.

Tragically, many of Titanic's lifeboats that did launch weren't filled to capacity, because certain crew members mistakenly thought they couldn't hold the weight.

It's worth bearing in mind that Titanic's dangerously old-fashioned safety regulations regarding lifeboats originated nearly 20 years earlier, when the largest passenger ships weighed 10,000 tons.

At just over 46,000 tons, Titanic was more than four times that amount.

Perhaps more than anything, Titanic was just not expected to founder; a White Star Line publicity brochure of 1910 said of Titanic and sister ship Olympic: '...these two wonderful vessels are designed to be unsinkable'.

Captain Smith himself had said: 'I cannot imagine any condition which could cause a ship to founder. I cannot conceive of any vital disaster happening to this vessel. Modern shipbuilding has gone beyond that.'

WHAT HAPPENED TO CAPTAIN SMITH?

Captain Edward Smith died the night the Titanic went down, but what exactly happened to him is much more of a mystery.

Smith  who had planned to make the Titanic his final voyage before retiring  'went down with the ship', which was the maritime tradition at the time.

But there were several different accounts from survivors of where he was last seen and how he died.

In Cameron's 1997 film, Smith, played by English actor Bernard Hill, is shown shutting himself in the wheelhouse on Titanic's bridge as it fills with water, allegedly based on testimony from some survivors.

Launch of the White Star liner RMS Titanic, Belfast, May 31, 1911. Over the next year, her engines and funnels were installed and her interior was fitted

One of which, first-class passenger Robert Williams Daniel, said: 'I saw Captain Smith on the bridge. My eyes seemingly clung to him.

'The deck from which I had leapt was immersed. The water had risen slowly, and was now to the floor of the bridge. Then it was to Captain Smith's waist. I saw him no more. He died a hero.'

Other survivors, including wireless operator Harold Bride, said they'd seen him jump off certain parts of the ship, while others still said Smith had swum to lifeboats holding an infant.

As author Wyn Craig Wade wrote in his 1992 book 'The Titanic: End of a Dream', Captain Smith 'had at least five different deaths, from heroic to ignominious'.

However he perished, Smith's body was never found.
From Apple to Coca-Cola, many of the world's biggest brands have logos that are instantly recognised by people around the world.

But what if these logos had been designed by famous artists?

Tech company Gnatta has used artificial intelligence (AI) to reimagine a number of logos in the styles of artists such as Banksy, Picasso and Monet.

The system pieces together a completely new logo based on the artist's previous creations - can you guess what famous logos they are?

Using AI communication tech company Gnatta has reimagined a number of company's logos from Nike to Toblerone in the styles of artists such as Banksy, Picasso and Monet - can you guess what brands these are based on?

Rolls Royce - in the style of Damien Hirst

The luxury car firm's logo dates back to 1906, and was redesigned by AI as though English artist Damien Hurst had created it.

Ditching the classic silver logo and replacing the RR with a singular letter, the Hirst inspired logo is much more colourful.

It also manages to embody the cyclical power of a Roller engine found within the prestigious cars.

The luxury car firm Rolls Roce had its logo redesigned by AI as though English artist Damien Hurst had created it

The original logo for the luxury car firm Rolls Royce, as seen at its Seletar campus in Singapore

Burberry - in the style of Banksy

Burberry's AI logo was created as though it had been designed by the secret artist Banksy.

The England-based street artist is known for their work on streets around the world, which often have political messages and undertones.

Here, the AI incorporates Burberry's signature Burberry check pattern, first seen on its trench coats, but uses darker colours, like blue and navy.

Burberry's AI logo was created as though it had been designed by the secret artist Banksy

The Burberry logo is very simple and quite different from the AI's imagined logo in the style of Banksy

Movistar - in the style of Pablo Picasso

Movistar is Spain's largest internet provider and has a very simple logo, with little design or varying colour.

Instead, the AI service redesigned the logo as if they were Pablo Picasso.

Using block colours and taking inspiration from the cubism used by arguably the world's greatest artist, the logo looks completely different, brighter and more interesting.

Movistar - in the style of Pablo Picasso. Using block colours and taking inspiration from the cubism used by arguably the world's greatest artist, the logo looks completely different, brighter and more interesting

Movistar is Spain's largest internet provider and has a very simple logo, with little design or varying colour

Zara - in the style of Salvador Dali

Replacing Zara's simple logo, the AI-constructed logo takes Salvador's Dali's trademark moustache and incorporates it into the design.

Gnatta said: 'Dali's AI-constructed take on the fashion brand's logo is chic, eye-catching and on-trend, and exactly the sort of emblem we could picture on a swing tag or two.

'Sure, there are no melting clocks or long-legged creatures, but the appearance of Dali's trademark moustache gives us plenty of clues as to the logo's origins.'

Replacing Zara's simple logo, the AI-constructed logo takes Salvador's Dali's trademark moustache and incorporates it into the design

The original Zara logo

Louis Vuitton - in the style of Claude Monet

The luxury French brand's simplistic logo was spruced up by AI taking inspiration from French artist Claude Monet.

Blues, greens and reds dominate the impressionist-style logo, although it also features darker tones, which Monet was known to avoid.

The AI technology has not picked up on his subtle brushstrokes, making the design seem much clunkier than a real Monet design.

Louis Vuitton - in the style of Claude Monet

Louis Vuitton's original logo

Chanel - in the style of Henri Matisse

Chanel's logo is perhaps one of the most famous in the world, known for its simplistic design featuring two intersecting Cs.

The AI technology, however, has renovated it, using bright pinks, yellows and oranges to give it a completely different look in the style of Henri Matisse.

The French artist was known for his use of bright colours and expressive drawings.

The AI technology has renovated Chanel's logo, using bright pinks, yellows and oranges to give it a completely different look in the style of Henri Matisse

Chanel's original logo

Starbucks - in the style of Keith Haring

American artist Keith Haring emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture, becoming known for his colourful works, sometimes resembling cartoons.

Here, AI has taken the traditional Starbucks logo, turning The Siren to look like other people Haring drew, such as the Radiant Baby.

It has kept elements of the crown from the original logo, as well as the signature white lines.

AI has taken the traditional Starbucks logo, turning The Siren to look like other people Haring drew, such as the Radiant Baby.

The original Starbucks logo

Apple - in the style of Grant Wood

American artist Grant Wood is known for creating humorous scenes of rural people, Iowa cornfields and mythical subjects from American history.

Taking the simplistic Apple logo, it has incorporated Wood's rural themes and undertones.

'His AI logo may be simple, but we can totally see it appearing on Apple products  particularly if the tech giant ever released a dedicated kids' line,' Gnatta said.

Apple - in the style of Grant Wood

The original Apple logo

Nike - in the style of Jackson Pollock

Nike's tick logo has been restyled as though American artist Jackson Pollock recreated it using bright splashes of colour.

Gnatta said: 'Pollock was, of course, regarded for his trademark 'drip' technique, which saw him flinging paint at the canvas in a frenetic style.

'And while our AI version didn't quite get nail the Pollock aesthetic, it's a playful and colourful effort that could maybe, just maybe, make it onto a Nike T-shirt.'

Nike's tick logo has been restyled as though American artist Jackson Pollock recreated it using bright splashes of colour

The iconic Nike tick was incorporated into the AI design

Stella Artois - in the style of Rene Magritte

Known for his work on bowler hats and apples, Rene Magritte had a huge impact on surrealist art and minimalism, and later on pop art.

In the past, his art inspired a number of iconic logos including Apple Corps - a multimedia company formed by The Beatles.

Using his artwork, the AI design has added lots of new elements to the Belgian beer, Stella Artois, design.

Belgian beer Stella Artois was redesigned as though Belgian surrealist artist Rene Margitte created the logo

The original Stella Artois logo

Gucci - in the style of Leonardo da Vinci

Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, known for creations such as Mona Lisa and Salvator Mundi, is known for his dramatic and expressive artwork.

AI made the Gucci logo in his style simple but effective, 'with a subtle nod to the artist and the brand's Roman ancestors', Gnatta said.

'Whether it would be fit for use on a Gucci handbag, however, is another matter,' it added.

AI has made the Gucci logo, in his style, simple but effective, 'with a subtle nod to the artist and the brand's Roman ancestors', Gnatta said

The original Gucci logo

Ferrari - in the style of Michelangelo

Michelangelo, the famous Italian painter and sculptor, is known for his works such as The Creation of Adam in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

AI has taken Ferrari's well-known horse logo and transformed it into a sculpture, releasing it of its famous red background.

Gnatta said: 'Ferrari's prancing horse is arguably the world's most famous brand logo, so giving it a fresh spin is no mean feat.

'Still, if anyone can give it more pizazz it's definitely Michelangelo, whose works include the likes of and the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Not bad company for a carmaker's badge.'

AI has taken Ferrari's well-known horse logo and transformed it into a sculpture, releasing it of its famous red background

Gnatta said: 'Ferrari's prancing horse is arguably the world's most famous brand logo, so giving it a fresh spin is no mean feat'

UNIQLO - in the style of Hokusai

Gnatta decided to pair fashion brand UNIQLO with artist Hokusai, whose famous works include The Great Wafe off Kanagawa.

'Undeniably the artist's best-known work, it's become synonymous with Japanese culture, making it a great fit for one of the country's biggest brand exports,' Gnatta said.

Gnatta decided to pair fashion brand UNIQLO with artist Hokusai, whose famous works include The Great Wafe off Kanagawa

Uniqlo's original logo

Nintendo - in the style of Yoshitomo Nara

Yoshitomo Nara's whimsical, childlike works made him an 'obvious candidate to reimagine the Nintendo logo', Gnatta said.

'As for this AI version, we're not convinced the 'Nintendo' typeface would make it into print, but Mario sure looks cute,' it added.

'With a few tweaks here and there, it could be an effective collab.'

Yoshitomo Nara's whimsical, childlike works made him an 'obvious candidate to reimagine the Nintendo logo', Gnatta said

Nintendo's original logo

Toblerone - in the style of Paul Klee

Paul Klee mastered a range of artistic styles during his lifetime, including expressionism, cubism, surrealism.

And as it happen, it appears that Klee could have also turned his hand to logos.

'Klee's reimagined Toblerone logo is modern and understated, while still featuring that all-important pyramid that has become synonymous with Switzerland's favourite chocolate,' Gnatta said.

Paul Klee mastered a range of artistic styles during his lifetime, including expressionism, cubism, surrealism. And as it happen, it appears that Klee could have also turned his hand to logos

Toblerone's original logo

Nestle - in the style of Max Bill

Swiss-born artist Max Bill was an architect, artist, painter, typeface designer and graphic designer.

According to Gnatta, this made the 'perfect candidate' to redesign the logo of one of Switzerlands biggest brands: Nestle.

'Our AI version may look simple, but it has some of the hallmarks that made Bill such a prolific designer: lots of angles, contrasting colours, and a mixture of straight and curved lines that instantly grab your attention,' it explained.

Swiss-born artist Max Bill was an architect, artist, painter, typeface designer and graphic designer. According to Gnatta, this made the 'perfect candidate' to redesign the logo of one of Switzerlands biggest brands: Nestle

Nestle's original logo
The views from the top of Ambuluwawa Tower in Sri Lanka are heavenly, but some may find the climb up there pure hell, as a traveller's footage of her ascent shows.

Ambuluwawa Tower looks innocent enough from a distance  but get up close and visitors will see that wrapped around the outside is an extremely narrow spiral staircase that winds its way to the top, with a stone handrail that's barely waist high. To enjoy the spectacular views from the 157ft (48-metre) summit, visitors must brave these stairs, which towards the top are barely wide enough for two people.

Janet Newenham, who runs a tour company called 'Janets Journeys', filmed herself conquering the 'crazy narrow' staircase, with her nerve-shredding clip showing that the climb is definitely not an experience anyone with a fear of heights or who suffers from claustrophobia would enjoy.

Janet, 36, told MailOnline Travel: 'I've actually climbed this tower five times on various trips, and it's been different each time. The busier the tower, the more claustrophobic one can feel. It can get a bit scary, especially if you're scared of heights.'

Janet Newenham, who runs a tour company called 'Janets Journeys', filmed herself conquering the 'crazy narrow' staircase of Ambuluwawa Tower in Sri Lanka. Janet is pictured at the top of the tower in the still above with her friend Veronica

Janet, 36, told MailOnline Travel: 'It can get a bit scary, especially if you're scared of heights'

Ambuluwawa Tower is located on the summit of Ambuluwawa mountain, 3,567ft (1,087m) above sea level

Any moments of panic?

'Not for me,' she said, 'but many of my friends refused to go up and some definitely had their moments as we got higher and higher. The wall isn't very high, so it can feel very daunting the higher you get.'

The ordeal, however, is worth it.

Irish travel blogger Janet continued: 'The view is absolutely spectacular, and it gets better the higher you get. You get 360-degree views of the surrounding countryside. You can see down to nearby towns and villages, rivers and rolling hills.'

Janet made her video during a 20-day tour of Sri Lanka with her friend Veronica and described climbing the tower as 'one of the highlights', adding that 'driving a Tuk Tuk up to the base point is an adventure in itself'.

The view from the top of the tower is described as being 'absolutely spectacular'

Those who suffer from claustrophobia may not find ascending the tower terribly enjoyable

From the top visitors can gaze upon nearby towns and villages, and rivers and rolling hills

Cone-shaped Ambuluwawa Tower houses a pagoda of a Buddhist temple, reveals Visit Sri Lanka, and is located on the summit of Ambuluwawa mountain, 3,567ft (1,087m) above sea level.

The nearest major city is Kandy, which lies around an hour's drive to the north.

For more on Janet's tours visit janetsjourneys.com. For more videos from Janet visit www.youtube.com/@JanetNewenham.
Following Tommy Lee Royce's wild escape from the courtroom, Ryan's ever growing relationship with his criminal father and Faisal's murderous turn, Happy Valley fans have been theorising about how the epic drama will conclude.

As the BBC series reaches its penultimate episode, viewers will tune in to watch Tommy on the run, which writer Sally Wainwright has revealed will mean one final showdown between the murderer and resident police hero Catherine.

While some theories have been running throughout the series, others have been added into the mix after episode four aired, as fans query the reason for Alison Garrs' return and whether Rob Hepworth will be framed for his wife's murder.

Drawing to a close: Happy Valley viewers have speculated what will happen in the final two episodes as they share their wild theories

This week viewers have surmised that many of characters have murder in mind, including Ryan who they believe is getting close to his dad in order to avenge his mother's death.

Sunday's episode will pick up where it left off and viewers are all wondering the same thing - who will make it out alive?

Here we take a look at this week's top six theories:

1. Catherine will die and won't make her retirement

It hasn't gone unnoticed by viewers that Sargent Cawood's impending retirement has been mentioned more than once throughout earlier episodes.

Her retirement do has also been noted more than once, as well as the pot of money that has been raised for her present, currently standing at more than 2,000.

On no! It hasn't gone unnoticed by viewers that Sargent Cawood's impending retirement has been mentioned more than once throughout earlier episodes

And they are worried the repeated mention of her happy ending means that she definitely won't be getting the well earned rest she deserves.

With convicted killer Tommy on the loose after he was arrested by Catherine, there is no chance he will be letting their very chequered past lie.

Show bosses have already teased the showdown of all showdowns as the series comes to a conclusion, and there is no doubt it will involve Tommy and Catherine.

Viewers are just hopeful that Catherine will be able to walk away from the fight unscathed.

'If bad things happen to Catherine at the end of this series I'm not sure I will be able to forgive Sally Wainwright and co.' tweeted author JoJo Moyes.

'#Happyvalley Calling it now.. That retirement collection pot will be used at her funeral. Her and Tommy both getting killed off in the last episode,' the viewer decided.

2. Alison Garrs will kill Tommy

Alison has popped up in series 3 on a couple of occasions following her release from prison, following the manslaughter of her son Daryl.

The crime of passion took place when she learned that her son was responsible for the death of Tommy Lee Royce's mother and several other local sex workers.

Alison fatally shot her son in the head over fears he would not be able to survive prison once Catherine learned of his crimes.

Murder on her mind? Alison has popped up in series 3 on a couple of occasions following her release from prison, following the manslaughter of her son Daryl

However fans have now speculated that her return in the new series must be significant, with some suggesting she will be the one to take Tommy's life.

One person has speculated: 'Perhaps Tommy Lee Royce comes after Catherine and Catherine fights back, but is overcome.

'Alison saves the day by shooting Tommy Lee Royce, as she did her son in series 2.'

Another viewer shared: 'Just leaving a tweet here to say I think Alison will have a big part in this story.

Hard watch: Viewers have watched in horror has Ryan's relationship with his villanous father blossoms thanks to prison visits aided by his aunt Clare's boyfriend Neil

Ey up! How to talk Yorkshire-style Born and bred in Yorkshire, Happy Valley's Sergeant Catherine Cawood is renowned for her colourful one-liners. The best of them, 'I'm going to strangle a few more prostitutes and stick some bottles where the sun don't shine', 'Obviously I was trying to shoot him in the chesticles, not the family jewels' and 'Man up princess, use your initiative' prompt much amusement from viewers. As well as the Yorkshire elongated vowels, particularly with words such as 'take' and 'make', the police officer is constantly heard using Yorkshire's famous local slang. There are three ways to say hello, 'Ow do,' 'Nah then', and 'Ey up'.' 'Chuffin' 'eck' is used to express surprise, a 'ginnel' or a 'snicket' is an alleyway or a narrow passage between buildings and 'cocker' is a term of endearment. 'Offcumden' certainly isn't, it is a person who has arrived from somewhere else. If you're 'maddled', you're confused; if you're 'middlin', you're average. 'Reyt' can either mean really or very and is placed in front of an adjective to emphasise it, while 'shunt' and 'wunt' are shorter versions of the contractions shouldn't and wouldn't. 'Ge-ore' is give over, 'summat' translates to something and 'mither' is used when you are irritating someone. Advertisement

3. Ryan is plotting to kill Tommy

Viewers have watched in horror has Ryan's relationship with his villanous father blossoms thanks to prison visits aided by his aunt Clare's boyfriend Neil.

Episode four even saw Ryan bunk off school to go and watch Tommy stand trial for the murder of Gary Gogoski, who was discovered during episode one.

Fans have guessed that now he is free from his prison shackles, Tommy will come for Ryan and take him away, willingly or unwillingly.

Clues in previous episodes have hinted that Tommy is headed for Spain, after he was seen listening to a Learn Spanish In 7 Days dvd.

However it has now been suggested that Ryan's closeness with his father has nothing to do with getting to know him and everything to do with seeking revenge.

Noting his repeated catchphrase about revenge, one person said: 'I predict the ending: After realising what happened between his mum and Tommy, Ryan kills Tommy saying 'Revenge is a dish best served cold.'

Another said: 'C'mon Ryan, if revenge is a dish best served cold, you have to save your gran from him. You're his only weakness.'

Many others guessed that Ryan would be the one to save Catherine if and when Tommy comes for her.

4. Richard's research of the Knezevices spells trouble

Local journalist Richard has been looking into the gang that casts a dark shadow over the valley throughout the third series of the show.

Catherine's ex-husband has been investigating the criminal ring and was in the courtroom when Tommy escaped the dock.

Richard managed to stop Ryan before he could follow his father, but with his fingers stuck in many criminal pies, it spells trouble for Richard.

Be careful! Local journalist Richard has been looking into the gang that casts a dark shadow over the valley throughout the third series of the show

No doubt the Knezevices will not take kindly to Richard pushing his nose into their business and Tommy won't be happy that he is trying to keep Ryan away from him.

After being put on the radar of some of the nastiest criminals in Yorkshire, it can only mean trouble for Richard.

One person said: 'Tommy's going to kill or at least hurt Richard when he escapes with Ryan, isn't he?'

5. Neil is Tommy's father

It was discovered earlier in the series that Clare's boyfriend Neil was to blame for Ryan's prison visits to his father Tommy in prison.

Viewers were left scratching their heads over why he would take Ryan to visit Tommy, whose crimes include murder, rape and kidnap.

When quizzed by Catherine, Neil explained that he took Ryan to the Sheffield prison because he believed Ryan would have only gone anyway.

What's going on? Some have suggested that Neil was planted in the family by Tommy so that he could get close to Ryan while in prison

Family link: They have even gone as far as to suggest that the strong link between the pair is due to the fact that Neil is Tommy's father and that is the only viable reason for him putting Ryan at risk by taking him to Sheffield prison for visits

However fans are insistent that there must me more to it than Neil is letting on.

Some have suggested that Neil was planted in the family by Tommy so that he could get close to Ryan while in prison.

They have even gone as far as to suggest that the strong link between the pair is due to the fact that Neil is Tommy's father and that is the only viable reason for him putting Ryan at risk by taking him to Sheffield prison for visits.

But will the link be revealed during the finale two episodes of the show?

6. Faisal will frame Tommy for Joanne's murder

Joanne Hepworth's lifeless body was horrifically discovered stuffed in a suitcase by her husband Rob in their garage during Sunday's episode.

She had been murdered by pill-pushing pharmacist Faisal Bhatti when she threatened to expose his secret drug dealing.

To the rest of the community, Joanne is currently 'missing' after her parents reported her absence to the police.

After appearing totally unbothered by her absence, Rob later discovered his wife's body in a suitcase following a visit from two officers.

Omg! Joanne Hepworth's lifeless body was horrifically discovered stuffed in a suitcase by her husband Rob in their garage during Sunday's episode

It is unclear how Rob will deal with the discovery, as while he isn't a murder, he has proved an abusive bully - and all fingers will certainly point to him.

Faisal has perhaps committed the perfect crime by leaving Joanne in her own home with her husband, whose abuse has been noted by Catherine.

But will he ultimately be set up for murder?

Prime suspect: It is unclear how Rob will deal with the discovery, as while he isn't a murder, he has proved an abusive bully - and all fingers will certainly point to him

Read MORE about Happy Valley

Happy Valley continues on Sunday at 9pm on BBC One.
Sharon Stone has revealed she has worked with 'a lot of misogynists' in Hollywood who 'told her what do' in a candid new chat.

The actress, 64, also spoke about the megastars she had worked with who had treated her with respect in the interview with Variety, which took place following her surprise cameo on Saturday Night Live January 21, joining Sam Smith on stage.

The Emmy winner who put in a silent, emotive performance said Sam 'trusted' her to come through for them, unlike some people she's worked with over her 40-plus year career.

Candid: Sharon Stone has revealed she has worked with 'a lot of misogynists' in Hollywood who 'told her what do' in a candid new chat (pictured December 2022)

She said: 'Ive worked with some of the biggest stars in the business, who will literally talk through my close-up, telling me what they think I should do. Theyre so misogynistic.'

The Oscar nominee was quick to point out that her Casino co-stars Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci were not in that category.

'That is not Robert De Niro. that is not Joe Pesci, that is not those guys,' she explained.

Surprise cameo: The actress, 64, also spoke about the megastars she had worked with who had treated her with respect in the interview with Variety , which took place following her surprise cameo on Saturday Night Live January 21, joining Sam Smith on stage

Misogynists: The actress contended, 'Ive worked with some of the biggest stars in the business, who will literally talk through my close-up, telling me what they think I should do. Theyre so misogynistic' (pictured December 2022)

Not DeNiro: The actress was quick to point out that her Casino co-stars Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci were not misogynistic. 'That is not Robert De Niro. that is not Joe Pesci, that is not those guys,' she explained (pictured 1995)

Longtime friends: Sharon has remained friends with her co-stars since they starred together in the 1995 crime drama

The veteran actress also described an interaction she had with late George C Scott, with whom she worked on 1999's Gloria.

'He said to me, I want to give you the greatest compliment I could possibly give to someone, honey, and he put his hand on my face and said, Youre the best listener Ive ever worked with except for my wife.'

The astonished star said she was so touched by the compliment, she cried.

Sharon was candid about how her outspokenness may have affected her reputation in Hollywood.

'I am not the most popular actor in town, because people dont want to hear my, as they say, f***ing opinions maybe because of my devotion, maybe because Im just kind of a weirdo. But Im just in it to be present.'

The versatile actress will be seen next in the romantic drama, What About Love with Andy Garcia.
Bradley Cooper was a doting dad as he held hands with his adorable daughter Lea, five, on an outing in NYC on Thursday,

The actor, 48, who shares Lea with Russian model Irina Shayk, chatted with his daughter and carried her backpack as they strolled.

He was dashing as ever as he bundled up against the winter chill in a midnight blue pea coat layered over an open flannel top and a grey undershirt.

Off they go: Bradley Cooper was a doting dad as he held hands with his adorable daughter Lea, five, on an outing in NYC on Thursday

The Hangover heartthrob accessorized with a pair of aviator sunglasses.

The sighting comes after a swirl of rumors last year that he had rekindled his romance with supermodel Irina, 37.

Bradley and Irina further fueled the rumor mill at the end of November when they were spotted spending Thanksgiving together with Lea.

The previous week Bradley and Irina were seen exchanging affectionate glances as they took a stroll together without their child.

Cute: The actor, 48, who shares Lea with Russian model Irina Shayk, chatted with his daughter and carried her backpack as they strolled

Bradley and Irina retained a famously close co-parenting equation since their split in 2019 after a relationship that reportedly lasted four years.

Reunion rumors went into overdrive late last year when they were spotted getting affectionate during a stroll in New York.

The dashing movie star wrapped an arm around the Soviet-born supermodel, who was seen with her hand on his rear end.

Irina and Bradley previously set the rumor mill churning over the summer when they reportedly took Lea De Seine on vacation together.

Dapper: The Hangover heartthrob accessorized with a pair of aviator sunglasses

At that time there was even speculation that Bradley and Irina were mulling the prospect of having another baby.

Pouring fuel on the fire, a Page Six insider alleged: 'It was a real family getaway and they are considering getting back together.'

The source asserted that Irina 'would like her daughter to have a sibling,' and Page Six reported Bradley was amenable to the idea.

The way they were: Rumors are now raging again that Irina Shayk is back on with Bradley, whom she is pictured with at a L'Oreal party in Paris in 2016

Although Bradley at the time was rumored to be dating Hillary Clinton's confidante Huma Abedin, Page Six reported they were only ever casually involved.

Meanwhile Irina's dating history includes Cristiano Ronaldo and last year she was briefly linked to Kanye West in the wake of his split from Kim Kardashian.

She and Bradley were first linked in 2015 before going public as a couple in 2016, welcoming their little girl in 2017 and then going their separate ways two years later.

Shortly after their breakup TMZ reported they had decided to split custody and to both remain based in New York in order to make joint parenting easier.

In fact she and Bradley are such close co-parents that they have made sure to live just blocks apart in Greenwich Village in order to raise their daughter.

'He's a full-on, hands-on dad - no nanny,' Irina told Highsnobiety last year. 'Lea went on holiday with him for almost two weeks - I didn't call them once.'
Sophie Dillman has been open about her struggle with the pains and side effects of suffering with endometriosis.

But the 29-year-old actor said she's managed to find the rare positives through her portrayal of Ziggy Astoni in Home and Away.

Speaking with the Herald Sun on Saturday, she said Ziggy's confidence helped her adjust to the symptoms and see herself as a representation for other women.

Sophie Dillman, 29, (pictured) has been open about her struggle with the pains and side effects of suffering with endometriosis

'It was a really hard adjustment,' the former nurse confessed when discussing her nerves about appearing on TV with the extreme bloating her condition caused.

'And then I would keep trying to say to myself that Ziggy would never care what she looks like. Ziggy loves herself 100 per cent and that gave me a lot of comfort.

'Secondly, I also think that when I was younger and first suffering from those symptoms, that if I had seen someone on television with the same thing that I would feel seen.'

But the actor said she's managed to find the rare positives through her portrayal of Ziggy Astoni in Home and Away

Dillman went on to say she hopes her appearance on the small screen 'can help one person feel less alone'.

The confession follows rumours Dillman and her on-and-off screen partner, Patrick O'Connor, are leaving the show.

A new group photo posted by Lynne McGranger teasing next season did not include the couple.

Speaking with the Herald Sun on Saturday, she said Ziggy's confidence helped her adjust to the symptoms and see herself as a representation for other women

McGranger, who plays Irene on the Channel Seven show, told fans on her Instagram that the loved-up pair filmed their last scenes in August.

The actress was responding to comments after eagle-eyed followers noticed Dillman and O'Connor were 'missing' from the cast photo.

Sharing the picture to her stories, McGranger could be seen posing with the show's regulars and newcomer Kyle Shilling, who will be playing Mali Hudson.
Anjali Rao has spoken out about her time on Real Housewives of Melbourne, detailing her 'horrific' experience.

The former reality star, 49, was recently cast in the upcoming Survivor: Heroes v Villains series that was filmed in Samoa.

But she said the gruelling and challenging show will be no match to her time on season five of Housewives back in 2021.

Anjali Rao has spoken out about her time on Real Housewives of Melbourne, detailing her 'horrific' experience

'I've already done the most horrific and sadistic series,' she told the Herald Sun, referring to her stint on the Foxtel show.

Anjali sensationally quit the series during an episode that aired in December 2021 while verbally eviscerating her co-stars.

The news anchor added that quitting Housewives was the best decision she'd ever made for her career.

'Quitting and getting all the headlines is what got me the attention,' she added.

'There's nothing as traumatic as Housewives was but it got me exactly what I wanted.'

'It was emotional and exhausting but in the end I got a good outcome. It was good for me and my reputation, other than a bit of trolling here and there.'

Ahead of her appearance on Survivor: Heroes v Villains, which will premiere on Channel 10 on Monday, January 30, Anjali said she's got her sights set on becoming the 'biggest villain' in the history of Australian Survivor.

Former CNN news anchor and Real Housewives of Melbourne alum Anjali Rao has set her sights on becoming the 'biggest villain' in the history of Australian Survivor

'Newsrooms are a cut-throat environment; I can be savage,' she said

In a new promo for the upcoming season, the former CNN news anchor taunts her fellow contestants while they participate in a series of physical challenges.

'Newsrooms are a cut-throat environment; I can be savage,' she said.

'[As] villains, we don't really care about rules, we love the taste of blood... hero blood is our favourite.'

Anjali is best remembered for firing off a string of insults at her Real Housewives frenemies - including Janet Roach and Gamble Breaux - before quitting the show.

Anjali is best remembered for firing off a string of insults at her Real Housewives frenemies - including Janet Roach and Gamble Breaux - before quitting the show

She started by saying Janet was 'more toxic than Chernobyl', before stating that 'Gamble has more characters than the Chinese alphabet'

Although, she did it behind their backs during a final sit-down with Kyla Kirkpatrick and Cherry Dipietrantonio.

As Kyla and Cherry begged her to reconsider and stay on the show, the acid-tongued Anjali unleashed on the other women.

She started by saying Janet was 'more toxic than Chernobyl', before stating that 'Gamble has more characters than the Chinese alphabet'.

'I've already done the most horrific and sadistic series,' Anjali told the Herald Sun, referring to her stint on the Foxtel show. Pictured: Anjali with her Real Housewives co-stars

She added: 'I was starting to think that she was demonically possessed, but then I was like, "No, actually, Satan would take one look at you and say, 'Oops, this one's occupied.'"'

Anjali went on to call the pair 'soul suckers' before turning her attention towards fellow newbie Simone Elliott.

'You've got Janet and Gamble, insane, and Simone, inane. They're perfect for each other!' she quipped.

'For god's sake, a fax machine would laugh at how irrelevant Simone is!'

The award-winning journalist then blasted Gamble and Janet's finances, claiming their only claim to fame was marrying into money

The award-winning journalist also blasted Gamble and Janet's finances, claiming their only claim to fame was marrying into money

'Janet and Gamble have achieved nought point nought per cent of the square root of bugger all of note in their lives,' she snapped.

'I don't consider pulling a couple of old rich dudes to be notable and that's all they've got,' she added.

Hours after her shock departure aired, Anjali took to Instagram to share a parting message for the rest of her castmates as she turned her back on the reality show once and for all.

Alongside a picture of the on-screen subtitles which confirmed she was leaving the franchise, Anjali wrote: 'RIP to me. I leave behind a trail of seemingly unintelligible words, a truckload of sequins, and six widows.'

'I don't consider pulling a couple of old rich dudes to be notable and that's all they've got,' she said of Janet and Gamble
Kim Kardashian posed with a group of former prison inmates as she continued her justice reform work this week.

The 42-year-old law student flashed a peace sign as she posed with the men - who had all been given life sentences, but have since turned their lives around by helping their communities.

The prison reform advocate noted in the caption, 'They all were given life sentences in prison and served decades inside before being paroled by the parole board or commuted by the Governor.'

New post: Kim Kardashian posed with a group of former prison inmates as she continued her justice reform work this week

The mother-of-four began the caption by introducing the collective as she wrote, 'Meet Jacob, JMel, Dominique, Phil, Earlonne, Abraham, Serafin, and David.'

She gave her followers background info as she added, 'They completely changed their lives and have dedicated the rest of their lives to giving back to youth and work at ARC [Anti-Recidivism Coalition] and Smart Justice.'

Her caption continued, 'Scott Budnick organized a trip to Pelican Bay prison which has been known as one of the most dangerous prison in California.'

It comes less than one week after the multihyphenate shared another social media post discussing her criminal justice work; pictured with attorneys Jessica Jackson and Erin Haney

'But these days the men at Pelican Bay are getting college degrees, making incredible art, training rescued dogs, becoming computer programmers and are doing self help and programming with victims of crime,' she explained.

It comes less than one week after the multihyphenate shared another social media post discussing her criminal justice work.

Days ago the businesswoman gave her fans a look inside a trip to Ohio in which she visited inmate Kevin Keith and spoke on a panel about his case.

Dressed in sharp gray trousers and a matching trench coat, she wrote online, 'Yesterday I had the honor of visiting Kevin Keith in prison in Ohio after meeting his whole family and speaking at a justice reform panel about his case.

'We discussed his case on my @spotify podcast The System: The Case of Kevin Keith. God this is so unfair that hes been locked up for 29 years for a crime he did not commit. I wont stop fighting for you Kevin!'

The good fight: Days ago the businesswoman gave her fans a look inside a trip to Ohio in which she visited inmate Kevin Keith, met his family, and spoke on a panel about his case

Kim's advocacy work dates back to 2017 when she got involved with fighting for clemency for Alice Johnson.

She first reached out to Ivanka Trump about the case, and later met with former President Donald Trump to campaign on Johnson's behalf.

It led to Trump pardoning Alice for a non-violent drug trafficking offense, and her release from prison in summer 2018.

Since then, Kardashian has gone on to fight for others in similar situations, including Kevin Cooper and Julius Jones.

How it started: Kim's advocacy work dates back to 2017 when she got involved with fighting for clemency for Alice Johnson; Kardashian pictured with Johnson in 2018

Recently speaking on the Angie Martinez IRL podcast, Kim noted about her first White House trip: 'I hated how I felt when I went into the White House for the first time and I didnt know half of anything that they were saying  like all of the clemency talk, and all the attorney lingo and everything that they were talking about.'

'With Alice, I was really naive to how this all worked,' she said. 'It's a lot of work that goes behind it.'

Kardashian said her late father, attorney Robert Kardashian, would love that she has followed his career path into the legal world, and that they had talked about her pursuing it.

With her continued efforts, the SKIMS founder successfully helped overturn Jones' death sentence.

Moving forward: Following the clemency maneuver, Kim spoke passionately about criminal justice reform at the White House in June 2019

And last May, on the first season of her family's Hulu's show The Kardashians, Kim documented the moment she learned she had passed the 'baby bar' law exam.

While in her car with friend and publicist Tracy Romulus, the media personality logged into an online account where she learned the results of her third attempt at the test.

'Everyone told me this was the impossible way and there was no way I would ever pass this test, and I did,' she later said in an interview confessional.
Timothee Chalamet looked ready to perform while walking the New York City streets on Friday afternoon.

The 27-year-old actor donned a black leather jacket and a pair of jeans, with a thick matching scarf wrapped around his neck.

Chalamet carried a large guitar case in his right hand as he treaded through the streets of The Big Apple.

Ready to perform: Timothee Chalamet looked ready to perform while walking the New York City streets on Friday afternoon

He walked in clean white sneakers, and a green hat was pulled over his long, curly brown hair.

The Dune star reportedly sang to himself with his big headphones blaring music on his quick jaunt down the street.

Chalamet may be practicing with an acoustic guitar to prepare himself for his role as the legendary Bob Dylan.

Leather look: The 27-year-old actor donned a black leather jacket by Alexander McQueen with a pair of jeans. A thick matching scarf wrapped around his slender neck

Guitar: Chalamet carried a large guitar case in his right hand as he treaded through the streets of The Big Apple

Practicing: Chalamet may be practicing with an acoustic guitar to prepare himself for his role as the legendary Bob Dylan

The Bones and All star told Variety back in November that the Bob Dylan biopic Going Electric is still in the works.

'I havent stopped preparing, which has been one of the greatest gifts for me,' he told the publication at the time.

'Its been a wonderful experience getting to dive into that world, whether we get to make it or not,' he continued. 'But without giving anything away  because I dont want to beat anyone to the punch, and obviously things have to come together officially  the winds that are blowing are blowing in a very positive direction.'

Moving forward: The Bones and All star told Variety back in November that the Bob Dylan biopic Going Electric is still in the works (pictured 1965)

Singing voice: The New York native has already been honing his singing voice for his role in the upcoming movie musical Wonka

The New York native has already been honing his singing voice for his role in the upcoming movie musical Wonka.

Though specifics of the film aren't out yet, the movie will reportedly follow 'a young Willy Wonka and how he met the Oompa-Loompas on one of his earliest adventures,' according to the film's IMDb page.

Wonka, based on the famed Roald Dahl character of the same name, is set for release in December of this year.

Early adventures: Though specifics of the film aren't out yet, the movie will reportedly follow 'a young Willy Wonka and how he met the Oompa-Loompas on one of his earliest adventures,' according to the film's IMDb page (Chalamet pictured 2021)

Reprisal: Chalamet has one other film in post-production, Dune: Part Two, in which he will reprise his role as Paul Atreides

The Little Women star will headline the film alongside Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, comedian Keegan-Michael Key and Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson.

Chalamet has one other film in post-production, Dune: Part Two, in which he will reprise his role as Paul Atreides.

The first film was a commercial and critical success, grossing more than $400 million worldwide and taking home 10-Oscar nominations and winning six of the awards.
Sir Paul McCartney had a near miss with a passing car as he posed on the iconic Abbey Road zebra crossing from The Beatles' album cover of the same name.

The musician, 80, was seen larking about on the designated pedestrian walkway as he filmed a video and had his picture taken.

His daughter Mary, 53, recently revealed the near-miss happened when she wanted to recreate the moment her father crossed the road with the famous band in 1969, when he was also almost knocked down by a car.

Mishap! Sir Paul McCartney, 80, had a near miss with a passing car as he posed on the iconic Abbey Road zebra crossing from The Beatles' album cover of the same name

Sir Paul could be seen dressed in a blue shirt and a pair of darker trousers as he waled over the crossing.

He could be seen waving his arms in the air and posing for the camera as a blue Toyota Prius passed nearby.

Mary was filming the scene for her new documentary, If These Walls Could Talk.

On location: The musician was seen larking about on the designated pedestrian walkway as he filmed a video and had his picture taken

Family affair: His daughter Mary, 53, recently revealed the near-miss happened when she wanted to recreate the moment her father crossed the road with the famous band in 1969

Oh no! Sir Paul McCartney was nearly hit by a car on the iconic crossing from his Abbey Road album cover during his time in the Beatles

In a recent interview with the Mirror, Mary recalled: 'The bit where the car nearly ran him over on the zebra crossing, that was so funny.

'As we were leaving [the studio], I said, 'I'll film you [on the crossing],' and he went over and this car totally didn't stop for him!'

'As we were leaving [the studio], I said, 'I'll film you [on the crossing],' and he went over and this car totally didn't stop for him!'

Keeping it casual: Sir Paul could be seen dressed in a blue shirt and a pair of darker trousers as he waled over the crossing

Near miss: He could be seen waving his arms in the air and posing for the camera as a blue Toyota Prius passed nearby

It comes weeks after Sir Paul revealed that he 'couldn't talk about' his friend and bandmate John Lennon's death after his murder in 1980.

He said he found it 'so difficult' after his former Beatles bandmate was gunned down outside his New York City apartment.

Sir Paul detailed how he returned home from the studio the day of his friends death and turned on the TV to see people reflecting on 'what John meant' to them.

Amused: In a recent interview with the Mirror , Mary recalled: 'The bit where the car nearly ran him over on the zebra crossing, that was so funny'

Sir Paul admitted he was not able to do the same due to the loss being 'too deep' and he was not able to 'put it into words'.

He said: 'When John died it was so difficult. It had hit me so much that I couldn't really talk about it.

'I remember getting home from the studio on the day that we'd heard the news he died. Turning the TV on and seeing people say, "Well, John Lennon was this" and "What he was, was this" and "I remember meeting him".

Family: The anecdote was shared by Sir Paul's daughter Mary (pictured), 53, who revealed her father was almost knocked down at the area where the 1969 cover was shot

'I was like, "I can't be one of those people. I can't go on TV and say what John meant to me." It was just too deep. I couldn't put it into words.'

Sir Paul added how he managed to express his grief about losing John in his 1982 song Here Today.

The artist revealed her 'sat on the wooden floor in the corner with my guitar' and came up with the opening chords to the track.

Sir Paul also added that the line "the night we cried" referred to when he and his late pal, who was killed over 40 years ago, had a drunk heart-to-heart and 'told each other a few truths' and how much they loved each other.

Mark David Chapman killed John Lennon on the night of December 8, 1980, as he and Yoko Ono were returning to their Upper West Side apartment.
Ben Affleck looked every inch the cool dad as he was spotted heading to a meeting in Los Angeles on Friday.

The Accountant star wore his hair short and messy and donned a well-groomed beard as he held a large cup of black coffee instead of his usual Dunkin' Donuts.

The 50-year-old Oscar-winning Argo director added a bit of flare to his all-black outfit with a colorful pair of trendy Nike Dunk sneakers.

Cool dad: Ben Affleck, 50, rocked an all black outfit with colorful Nike Dunk sneakers on Friday

The Good Will Hunting actor wore a coordinated black button-up over a T-shirt with matching jeans.

This comes after his wife, Jennifer Lopez, recently gushed about becoming a stepmother to the his three children while speaking with Extra at the premiere of her new romantic comedy Shotgun Wedding.

The new Mrs. Affleck sounded over the moon while speaking about combining her family with Ben's.

'It's going really, really well, it's amazing, we have five beautiful, beautiful children, blessings' she said.

Hollywood hunk: The Accountant star wore his hair short and messy and donned a well-groomed beard as he held a large cup of black coffee

Small, private ceremony: On Wednesday, Jennifer Lopez admitted she finds large wedding ceremonies 'very stressful,' which is why they eloped in Vegas

Family time: Last week, Jennifer said this was her 'best year' in a long time as all their children are together under one roof

Ben and Jennifer Garner share three children - Violet, 17, Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, 10 - whom they co-parent amicably.

J-Lo meanwhile welcomed her own 14-year-old twins Max and Emme with her third husband, ex Marc Anthony.

During an appearance on Today last week, Jennifer said this was her 'best year' in a long time since all their children are together under one roof.

'We moved in together, the kids moved in together. So it's been, like, a really kind of emotional transition. But at the same time, like, all your dreams coming true and it's just been a phenomenal year. Like, my best year, I think, since my kids were born,' gushed.

Opening up: The hitmaker is set to release her ninth studio album, This Is Me ... Now, later this year. It's a successor to 2002's This Is Me ... Then, which dealt with her first relationship with new husband Affleck; the couple is pictured last Wednesday

Her kids: J-Lo shares her 14-year-old twins with her third husband, ex Marc Anthony - pictured with her mother and children Emme and Max

Hilarious: Jlo recently gushed about her new family writing: 'We have blended families, doubled the people, doubled the fun, doubled the love, doubled the presents and tripled the chaos!'

On Wednesday Lopez admitted she finds large wedding ceremonies 'very stressful,' which is why Affleck suggested a small secret wedding in Las Vegas.

'You have all these expectations you can't control and that's why Ben and I decided to get married a month before in Vegas,' she told Sunrise's showbiz correspondent Steve Hargrave.

'It was his idea and I thought it was brilliant. It took all the pressure off about the big wedding we were going to have with our families,' she added.

The New York-born star said her reservations about hosting a big wedding led to Ben Affleck (left) suggesting they elope in a small ceremony in Las Vegas

Ben was first engaged to JLo in 2002, and after their split he was married to Jennifer Garner for a decade until 2015.

Years after his divorce, Ben and JLo rekindled their romance in 2021 and officially tied the knot in Las Vegas last July.

After the small Vegas wedding, they honeymooned in Paris before throwing a massive affair in August at a plantation-style estate in Georgia.
German citizens have mixed reactions to Germany's sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Before this, Berlin resisted any attempts to send these tanks, and Scholz relented.

Ukraine Gets Leopard Tanks From Germany

The decision by the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to finally allow the battle tanks as its western allies and Kyiv forced the decision. Most of the public's reaction is mixed to this controversial decision, reported Anadolu.

One of these comments from Lydia Stratmann, a retired teacher, says that it will worsen the military conflict. Citing that the Chancellor and his policy are better but deciding on this move left her perplexed. The silence is very disconcerting. She expressed dismay at what Berlin has committed to do. Adding the government should make it clear to let people know what happens next. Why it took longer to decide to send the heavy weapons, some were aghast at the slow response.

Stratmann mentioned that despite the nation's risks, Germany still sends support to Kyiv to protect their country. It took many months for the US to squeeze Scholz with other allies' intent on supporting Washington, noted DW.

From the start, the Leopards were constantly asked for, but fear of reprisal from Moscow stopped it, but now it's different. The stakes were known to the Chancellor as not allowing the transfer of heavy weapons or tanks to Kyiv. Knowing that Vladimir Putin won't hesitate to smash NATO if they did so. Last Wednesday, it was decided by Berlin and its partners to work in close concert.

One Berlin resident stated that it would cause Europe to get involved in the US proxy war as the main threat to greater Europe.

Read Also: Germany, France Meet To Discuss Mutual Issues Concerning 2 Countries

Reasons why German leaders allowed the tanks to be sent to Kyiv and what information they utilized to make their final decision. Like Stratmann, Wolfgang that an escalation will result from NATO's reckless decision, which Russia sees as a serious threat.

Mixed Reactions Divide the German Public

Berlin remarked that it would send 14 Leopards and teach Ukrainians not to misuse the system and the tank. Other things like licenses to give tanks from their stockpiles, CNN.

Moscow saw that Berlin decided on something leading to worse consequences. Called an escalation that will impact the Ukraine conflict, Sergey Nechayev, Russia's ambassador in Berlin, commented in a statement.

The Kremlin spokesman clarified that Western countries could stop saying they are not part of the war. By sending this equipment, they are now at war with Moscow.

Another resident of Kassel said that Putin is to blame though sending Leopards makes the instance worse. He called the Ukraine government making excessive demands. He added that Zelensky was the one who started it and should have left Kyiv. He is the alleged case of death and destruction, especially making Ukrainian cannon fodder for Russian arms.

Polls in Germany indicate that it is divisive how Scholz allowed the sending of tanks and heavy arms to Kyiv. Based on a poll by Forsa said, 53% of the public support the move to give the tanks, with 39% against it. However, only 41% of the respondents said it would help Ukraine win the war.

Germans are suffering from mixed reactions to the impact of Leopard tanks sent to Ukraine, often seen as a negative, and many want to drop Zelensky.

Related Article: Russia Cites US Reluctance in Sending Abrams Tank to Ukraine

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Lily-Rose Depp was noticeably dressed down on Friday as she got her nails done with a friend in West Hollywood.

The 23-year-old model - who stars in the upcoming HBO show The Idol - rocked a black crew neck and pale blue jeans, ripped at the knees.

Her dirty blonde locks were parted in the middle and just barely brushed the top of her slender shoulders.

Casual-cool: Lily-Rose Depp was noticeably dressed down on Friday as she got her nails done with a friend in West Hollywood

Dark sunglasses covered her eyes, and she walked in midnight black shoes.

The King actress was joined by a friend who wore a black and green jacket and a pair of black pants.

Depp's appearance out came after she shared a saucy behind-the-scenes snap from her upcoming show The Idol.

The daughter of Johnny Depp, 59, appeared to go fully nude, covering her modesty with an emoji, while getting her hair done on set.

The 23-year-old model - who stars in the upcoming HBO show The Idol - rocked a black crew neck and pale blue jeans, ripped at the knees

Long locks: Her dirty blonde locks were parted in the middle and just barely brushed the top of her slender shoulders

Stunner: Lily-Rose set pulses racing on Thursday, as she shared a topless snap of herself to Instagram while getting her hair done on the set of her upcoming show The Idol

The French-American actress stars as up-and-coming pop star, named Jocelyn, in the series, along with The Weeknd, who plays her mentor. The Idol is set to release on HBO sometime in 2023, but an exact date is currently unknown.

The beauty had her blonde tresses styled into bouncy curls, and was picture-perfect with glam that included a lovely pink blush and black winged eyeliner.

Set against the backdrop of the music industry, The Idol centers on a self-help guru and leader of a modern-day cult, who develops a complicated relationship with an up-and-coming pop idol.

The series, which was co-created by Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, The Weeknd and Reza Fahim, also stars Suzanna Son, Troye Sivan, Dan Levy, Moses Sumney, Jane Adams, Jennie Ruby Jane, Eli Roth, Rachel Sennott, Ramsay, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Hari Nef, Mike Dean and Hank Azaria.

Coming up: The actress stars as up-and-coming pop star, named Jocelyn, in the series. The Idol is set to release on HBO sometime in 2023, but an exact date is currently unknown

There's also a long list of actors and actresses with recurring roles that includes the late Anne Heche.

After original director Amy Seimetz left the project, with multiple episodes already been shot, due to a change in creative direction, Levinson took over and the show went through a complete reshoot that was completed in July.

Depp began her acting career with a cameo role in the horror-comedy film Tusk (2014), and has since gone on to start making a name for herself in the period drama The Dancer (2016) and the French-Belgian drama film Planetarium (2016), alongside Natalie Portman.

No nepo baby: Despite having famous parents  father Johnny Depp, 59, and mother Vanessa Paradis, 50  the actress slammed any notion of nepotism last year, saying she did not land her roles due to family connections but because of her talent; Pictured 2021

In 2021, she stepped up her output, starring in no less than four films: Crisis, Voyager, Silent Night and Wolf.

Depp is set to reprise her Tusk and Yoga Hosers role in Moose Jaws, and she also has two upcoming movie projects including French sci-fi drama The Empire and A24's erotic drama The Governesses.

Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, which is just west of Paris, Depp calls Los Angeles home a good part of the year.

On her own merit: In an interview with Elle she shared: 'Nothing is going to get you the part except for being right for the part'; Pictured in New York City in 2022

The rising star actress and her brother Jack, 20, split their time growing up between their mother Vanessa Paradis', 50, native country of France and the United States.

Depp and Paradis  an actress and model  were together for 14 years before calling it quits in 2012.

Despite having famous parents, the model and actress slammed any notions of nepotism last year, saying she did not land her roles due to family connections but because of her talent.

Helpful: However she did admit that who she is helped her 'get her foot in the door' but that she still has to work hard; Pictured with mother Vanessa in 2020

In an interview with Elle she shared: 'Nothing is going to get you the part except for being right for the part.'

However the model did admit that who she is helped her 'get her foot in the door' but that she still has to work hard.

'The internet cares a lot more about who your family is than the people who are casting you in things. Maybe you get your foot in the door, but you still just have your foot in the door. There's a lot of work that comes after that.'
Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher stepped out in casual ensembles in Los Angeles on Friday.

The 39-year-old actress and the 44-year-old actor cracked big smiles while spending time together.

The couple's appearance out came after they made a cameo appearance in the first episode of That '90s Show, which came out on January 19.

Looking relaxed: Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher stepped out in casual ensembles in Los Angeles on Friday.

Kunis wore a black jacket with a blue and white striped hood over a white shirt with black lettering sprawled across the front.

She added gray jeans, and her dark brown hair was pulled back into a tight bun.

Kutcher wore a gray sweater and jeans. He carried a large black backpack slung over her right shoulder.

Bundled up: Kunis wore a black jacket with a blue and white striped hood over a white shirt with black lettering sprawled across the front

Sweater and jeans: Kutcher wore a gray sweater and jeans. He carried a large black backpack slung over her right shoulder

Reprisal: The real life married couple, who met on the set of That '70s Show which aired its first season in 1998, recently reprised their roles as Jackie Burkhart and Michael Kelso for the Netflix spin-off That '90s Show

The real life married couple, who met on the set of That '70s Show which aired its first season in 1998, recently reprised their roles as Jackie Burkhart and Michael Kelso for the Netflix spin-off That '90s Show.

The pair only appeared in a small sliver of the first episode, returning to the famous set where they filmed for nearly a decade of their lives.

Their characters - who played on-again, off-again lovers on the show - told Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) that they had just been married for the third time earlier in the day.

One scene: The pair only appeared in a small sliver of the first episode, returning to the famous set where they filmed for nearly a decade of their lives

Remarried: Their characters - who played on-again, off-again lovers on the show - told Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) that they had just been married for the third time earlier in the day

Main character: A character playing their son Jay Kelso (former Nickelodeon star Mace Coronel) served as one of the main characters in the show's first season which came out last week

A character playing their son Jay Kelso (former Nickelodeon star Mace Coronel) served as one of the main characters in the show's first season which came out last week.

Despite not being in the series much, one of the That '90s Show creators, Terry Turner talked about how great of a nostalgic moment their appearance was.

'When Ashton and Mila came in together in that scene, I thought that was really the icing on the cherry on the sundae of this show,' he told Buzzfeed.

Nostalgic: Despite not being in the series much, one of the That '90s Show creators, Terry Turner talked about how great of a nostalgic moment their appearance was

Stars; Many of the main stars of That '70s Show also made an appearance in the spin-off including Orange Is the New Black actress Laura Prepon, Home Economics actor Topher Grace and Encanto voice actor Wilmer Valderrama (L to R: Danny Masterson, Prepon, Kutcher, Grace, Kunis, Valderama)

And though she's been in a number of projects since leaving That '70s Show, Mila told Access Hollywood last year that acting alongside her now-husband Ashton Kutcher was nerve-wracking for her.

She said she was 'more nervous doing that than anything else' in her career.

Many of the main stars of That '70s Show also made an appearance in the spin-off including Orange Is the New Black actress Laura Prepon, Home Economics actor Topher Grace and Encanto voice actor Wilmer Valderrama.

Danny Masterson, who played fan-favorite Steven Hyde in the original series, did not reprise his role because he is facing a retrial on multiple counts of rape.

Watch the Iconic Series, That '70s Show, only on Stan in Australia.
Lindsey Knickerbocker, the daughter of former Real Housewives Of Orange County star Tammy Knickerbocker, has reportedly gone missing.

Her family has taken to social media to ask anyone with information to contact them immediately regarding the young woman's whereabouts.

The Knickerbocker family say they last had contact with Lindsey over two weeks ago, and that they have contacted authorities to issue a missing persons report.

Family worried: Lindsey Knickerbocker, the daughter of former Real Housewives Of Orange County star Tammy Knickerbocker, has reportedly gone missing

Lindsey's sister Megan Knickerbocker has posted several photos, including the most recent one of Lindsey, on Facebook.

'Has anyone seen her? Last contact was January 9th and she was scared for her life. No one has heard from her since. Absolutely gone without a trace.... her name is Lindsey and she's 5'5 and 110lbs, brown eyes and blonde hair and 34yrs old,' she wrote in the caption.

Tammy Knickerbocker, 59, has also taken to social to spread the word.

Tammy starred as a main cast member on RHOC in seasons two and three, beginning in 2007, and as guest star most recently in season 10 in 2015.

'Worried about Lindsey, she is missing somewhere in Vegas, Henderson. Any knowledge of her please contact me. Thank you,' she wrote in the post.

Social media search: Lindsey's sister Megan Knickerbocker has posted several photos, including the most recent one of Lindsey, on Facebook

Family search: Megan claimed that her mother filed a missing persons report when responding to questions on social media

One person, named Chrystal Ricciardo, responded to Megan's post and asked, 'Have you filed a missing persons report? Where was she last seen? City/State? Was she known to be with someone?'

Megan Knickerbocker responded that her mother, Tammy, 'drove out there a few days ago and filled one,' in reference to the missing persons report.

'The worried sibling added, 'She was with a man, but didn't know who he was and she sounded scared and hung up mid conversation. The last thing my mom heard was her crying saying he was going to kill her if she didn't do what he wanted. It's horrible.'

Current star of The Real Housewives Of Orange County, Tamra Jude, posted a photo of Lindsey Knickerbocker on her Instagram page that's captioned: 'Missing in Nevada area @tammyknickerbocker.oc'

Worried mother: Tammy Knickerbocker confessed that she is 'worried about Lindsey' and that she is missing somewhere in the Vegas, Henderson area of Nevada

Current star of The Real Housewives Of Orange County, Tamra Jude, posted a photo of Lindsey Knickerbocker on her Instagram page that's captioned: 'Missing in Nevada area @tammyknickerbocker.oc'

Just last year, Lindsey Knickerbocker was arrested in Arkansas on February 12 for alleged drug possession and forgery, according to Pix 11.

According to court documents, Knickerbocker was booked into the Crittenden County Jail on multiple charges including possession of methamphetamine, cocaine, or heroin (less than 2 grams), possession of a forgery device and forgery in the first degree.

News sources also report that Lindsey was arrested for DUI in 2013 in an incident where she allegedly rammed several parked cars and punched a police officer.

Reality world: Tammy Knickerbocker made her first appearance on RHOC in season two in 2007 she is pictured with Vicki Gunvalson, Bravo executive and star Andy Cohen, Jeana Keough (standing), Jo De La Rosa, Quinn Fry; Tamra Barney; Lauri Waring (seated)
Pip Edwards has officially bowed out of the high profile spat between ex-boyfriend Michael Clarke and his girlfriend Jade Yarbrough.

Speaking at the Australian Open on Saturday, the P.E. Nation founder, 42, said it was the last thing on her mind, and she was done with the scandal.

'It is definitely not my circus and I would like to say the carnival is over,' Edwards told The Herald Sun.

Pip Edwards (pictured) has officially bowed out of the high profile spat between ex-boyfriend Michael Clarke and his new girlfriend Jade Yarbrough

'The carnival is over and to be honest the focus for me is on the global expansion of P.E. Nation. The carnival is done.'

Pip said she is now focussing on her business, as well as her mental and physical health.

'I work on my body. It is part of my mental health, it is part of my stability, it is part of how I conquer my day' she said.

Speaking at the Australian Open on Saturday, the P.E. Nation founder, 42, said she was done with the scandal. 'It is definitely not my circus and I would like to say the carnival is over,' Edwards told The Herald Sun

Pip clearly looked like she had put all the drama all behind her as she beamed in delight at the Australian Open.

The designer showed off her gym-sculpted physique in a school-uniform inspired look.

Slicking her blonde hair back into a smooth bun with a silk scarf, the fitness guru paired a pleated black mini skirt with a $2050 Prada white shirt and lace up Doc Marten style boots.

'The carnival is over and to be honest the focus for me is on the global expansion of P.E. Nation. The carnival is done' she added

Showing off her flair for fashion, Pip appeared to have mini bag attached to the boots while she pulled up her zebra print socks so the trendy hosiery was on show.

Adding another edgy touch to the monochrome ensemble, Pip's shirt featured contrasting black raincoat style sleeves.

She accessorised with a $7000 black leather Chanel bag, large silver wrist watch and golden earrings and jewellery.

Pip clearly looked like she had put all the drama all behind her as she beamed in delight at the Australian Open as she strolled alongside a female pal at the Open

Edwards was dragged into the public stoush between her ex Michael Clarke and his girlfriend Jade Yarbrough which also involved Karl Stefanovic and his wife Jasmine.

Extraordinary footage emerged earlier this month of a heated exchange between Clarke and Yarbrough while they were on holiday in Noosa, Queensland.

In the video, which was filmed by an onlooker on January 10 and sold to The Daily Telegraph for a reported $10,000, Yarbrough accused the former Test captain of cheating on her with his former flame Edwards on December 17.

Pip slicked her blonde hair back into a smooth bun with a silk scarf, the fitness guru paired a pleated black mini skirt with a $2050 Prada white shirt and lace up Doc Marten style boots

Others in the group, including Stefanovic, his wife Jasmine - Yarbrough's older sister - and celebrity accountant Anthony Bell, tried to defuse the fracas.

The dramatic footage showed a shirtless Clarke being screamed at and slapped by his hysterical girlfriend.

'I'm wrong? I'm f**king wrong! You're a f**king liar. I can see everything. You called her,' Yarbrough screams.

Adding another edgy touch to the monochrome ensemble, Pip's shirt featured contrasting black raincoat style sleeves

Clarke tries to reassure Yarbrough he didn't cheat on her and swears on his young daughter Kelsey Lee's life he was with Bell on the night in question last month.

'Baby you're wrong, you're wrong,' he insists.

'Baby, baby, Belly was at the house. I swear on my life, I swear at my life That's not true, it's not true.'

Pip looked animated as she posed for photographers at the star-studded event

But Yarbrough doesn't believe his protests and claims she spoke to Edwards.

'You're f**king lying to me. You are a piece of s**t. I just spoke to her. What is wrong with you?' she screams.

Clarke replies: 'It's not true, it's not true.'

Michael Clarke was seen for the first time on Wednesday (pictured) since footage of the Noosa brawl emerged

Stefanovic's wife Jasmine eventually steps in, grabs her distressed sister by the arm and walks her away.

'Get away with Karl, go with Karl,' Jasmine tells Clarke as he unleashes his fury on Stefanovic.

'Karlos, I can tell you now c**t, don't you f**king walk away. She can, she can punch me, but you, you c**t,' Clarke says.

Edwards was dragged into the public stoush between her ex Michael Clarke (left) and his girlfriend Jade Yarbrough (right) which also involved Karl Stefanovic and his wife Jasmine

This comment sparks fury from Jade, who defends her brother-in-law before slapping Clarke in the face.

'You piece of s**t, don't you f**king speak to him,' she yells.

Bell is heard telling the couple to stop, which falls on deaf ears.

In the video, which was filmed by an onlooker on January 10 and sold to The Daily Telegraph for a reported $10,000, Yarbrough accused the former Test captain of cheating on her with his former flame Edwards on December 17

'Go, hit me hit me do it again, you're wrong, you're f**king wrong,' Clarke tells his girlfriend.

Yarbrough screams: 'Oh am I wrong? You f**ked her [Edwards] on December 17, you f**ked her you're a f**king dog I'm going to show her every f**king message you ever f**king sent me.'

She then makes reference to a text she saw on Clarke's phone inviting Edwards to come to India with him.

'Oh yeah, 'You're the love of my life Pip, come to India,'' Yarbrough snarls.

Clarke responds: 'Don't ever talk to me again.'

The two-minute clip ends with Jasmine and Bell separating the feuding couple.

'Stop, Jade, stop,' Jasmine pleads, to which Bell adds: 'Let it go Jade.'

Yarbrough and Clarke, who was limping in the footage after hurting his hamstring, have since been slapped with 'public nuisance' fines.

Stefanovic is yet to make a statement on the matter, but was asked about the footage during an event at the Australian Open last Thursday.

According to The Herald Sun, he smiled when asked if he wanted to comment but refused to say anything. 'You know what the answer is going to be,' he replied.

Edwards also issued a statement on the night the footage was released

A remorseful Clarke has since taken full responsibility for what happened.

'I'm absolutely gutted I've put people I hold in the highest regard in this position. My actions in the lead-up to this altercation were nothing short of shameful and regrettable,' he said.

'I am shattered that because of my actions I've drawn women of class and integrity, and my mates, into this situation.'

Edwards also issued a statement on the night the footage was released.

'This is not my circus. Yet again, Michael in his true nature has not taken responsibility for his actions and I was blatantly lied to,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
Maria Thattil has revealed she's in a relationship for the first time since coming out as bisexual, sharing how she wished she'd seen more interracial same-sex couples in the media growing up.

The former Miss Universe Australia, 29, spoke to Stellar Magazine about her romance with girlfriend Jorgia O'Hare, 29, - who goes by Jorgee Rae online - and how the couple hit it off almost immediately.

'It was lust at first sight and it was obsession at first sight,' she said of the Melbourne mental health professional.

Maria Thattil has revealed she's in a relationship for the first time since coming out as bisexual, sharing how she wished she'd seen more interracial same-sex couples in the media growing up. Pictured with girlfriend Jorgia O'Hare in this week's issue of Stellar Magazine

'After that first date, I ended up spending the night and the next day, I went off on a work trip to the Gold Coast with my brother and I was secretly referring to her as my girlfriend. I hadn't felt that way in a long time'.

Maria, who is of Indian heritage, added: 'Growing up, if I had seen an interracial same-sex female couple in the media  open, visible, living truthfully  that might have shaped my own experience a little bit more positively'.

Jorgia has found fame on social media platform TikTok, racking up 86,000 followers.

The former Miss Universe Australia, 29, spoke to Stella Magazine about her romance with girlfriend Jorgia O'Hare, 29, - who goes by Jorgee Rae online - and how the couple hit it off almost immediately

The pair sparked rumours they were dating after fans spotted them exchanging flirty messages online.

Photos on Jorgee's Instagram account show the duo looking cosy together.

Maria, a model and 9Honey columnist, has tellingly commented 'Dream girl' and 'wowweeeeeee' on several of Jorgee's posts.

Her sexuality is no secret, as she regularly uses the hashtag #LesbiansofTikTok when posting on the popular social media app.

Maria, who is of Indian heritage, added: 'Growing up, if I had seen an interracial same-sex female couple in the media  open, visible, living truthfully  that might have shaped my own experience a little bit more positively'

In April, Maria revealed she was no longer scared of dating women in public, after previously admitting she was worried how it might be perceived

Maria came out as bisexual in January last year while a contestant on Channel 10's I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! and has since defined herself as pansexual.

She reflected on this milestone moment on National Coming Out Day in October.

'If I could be closeted a year ago and 365 days later be comfortable talking about strap-ons, then I believe in you,' she told her fans.

The pair sparked rumours they were dating after fans spotted them exchanging flirty messages online

'I see you, I love you. Happy Coming Out Day to all the girls, gays and theys.'

In April, Maria revealed she was no longer scared of dating women in public, after previously admitting she was worried how it might be perceived.

'I'm no longer scared of the narrative being taken out of my hands,' she told Who.

'I've been dating casually for about a year, some men and some women, and I don't care anymore who sees or what they say.'
BBC Breakfast viewers slammed host Naga Munchetty on Saturday for her 'poorly-put' comment about children's safety during teachers' strikes.

The journalist, 47, and co-host Charlie Stayt, 60, discussed the upcoming industrial action that is due to take place in England and Wales next week.

However viewers branded the segment 'biased' after Naga described schools merely as 'alternative childcare' while others accused the show of 'vilifying' teachers.

Hitting out: BBC Breakfast viewers slammed host Naga Munchetty, 47, for her 'poorly put' comment about teachers strikes on Saturday (pictured with co-host Charlie Stayt, 60)

Raising the issue of safety about the number of teachers taking industrial action, she asked education journalist Grainne Hallahan: 'Do the schools have an obligation to tell you whether they will be open or not?'.

She continued: 'The issue is it is massive disruption for parents and for children obviously, their education being disrupted.

'And for vulnerable children, those breakfast clubs, after school clubs for those who school is an escape and place of safety?'.

Picket line: Viewers branded the segment 'biased' after Naga described schools merely as 'alternative childcare' while others accused the show of 'vilifying' teachers

Taking to Twitter one viewer wrote: '@BBCBreakfast Naga talking about the impact of strikes on parents with them having to make alternative 'childcare' arrangements. I'm all teachers are happy to be seen by #BBCBreakfast as merely childcare'.

Before adding: 'Poorly put.'

While another said: 'It looks like BBC Breakfast got the memo to vilify teachers for going on strike today sop are pushing the story about how it impacts parents. It causes disruption, that's entirely the point of strikes'.

Unhappy: The journalist and co-host Charlie Stayt discussed the upcoming industrial action that is due to take place in England and Wales next week

A third added: 'Alternative' childcare? Really? we are educators not childcare providers. Yes parents will need to find childcare in the event of strike action but it will not be ;'alternative'. Please consider your narrative'.

While a fourth commented: 'Not sure I like the phrase teachers ar enot turning up from Charlie Stayt which makes it sound more casuyal rather than a difficult decision to fo on strike'.

And another accused the show of an 'incredibly & shockingly biased account of teachers strikes'.

Unhappy: Taking to Twitter one viewer wrote: '@BBCBreakfast Naga talking about the impact of strikes on parents with them having to make alternative 'childcare' arrangements. I'm all teachers are happy to be seen by #BBCBreakfast as merely childcare'

Thousands of teachers will strike in February and March in a row over pay, leaders of the National Education Union (NEU), the country's largest teaching union, will launch strike action after balloting its 300,000 members.

Nine out of 10 teacher members of the NEU voted for strike action and the union passed the 50 per cent ballot turnout required by law.

The first day of strikes will be on February 1, with more than 23,000 schools in England and Wales are expected to be affected. Further industrial action will take place on February 14, March 15 and March 16. Teachers in a number of regions will also walkout on February 28 and March 1 and 2.

Strike! Thousands of teachers will strike in February and March in a row over pay, leaders of the National Education Union (NEU), the country's largest teaching union, will launch strike action after balloting its 300,000 members

Exit: Naga was later spotted making her exit from the studio in Manchester

Braving the cold: Naga donned a black The North Face jacket which she teamed with black leggings and knee-high boots

But while school leaders in Wales are set to also strike over pay and funding, headteachers in England will not stage walkouts after the NAHT union ballot turnout failed to meet the legal threshold.

Meanwhile, the NEU says seven days of walkouts will take place across February and March, but it added that any individual school will only be affected by four of the days.

In England, 90 per cent of NEU teacher members who voted in the ballot backed strikes, with a turnout of 53 per cent. In Wales, 92 per cent of NEU teacher members who voted in the ballot backed strikes, with a turnout of 58 per cent.

Freezing: She also wore a pink scarf and pulled a small back suitcase behind her

Off she goes: Naga headed off from the studio into the busy city

But the Children's Commissioner has warned that a walkout would hurt vulnerable pupils still recovering from the impact of the pandemic.

Dame Rachel de Souza said children 'cannot afford' to have yet more class time distributed, just as they were getting back into school following Covid closures.

Overall, 300,000 teachers and support staff in England and Wales were asked to vote in the NEU ballot.

Support staff in schools in Wales are also set to go on strike in the dispute over pay after 88 per cent of balloted members backed action, with a turnout of 51 per cent.
A TV legend and maths whizz, she is also truly the epitome of ageless beauty.

And Carol Volderman, 62, once again wowed her 302,000 Instagram followers, posting some sizzling snaps that highlighted her perfect curves before her BBC Radio Wales appearance.

The former Countdown presenter wore skintight high-waisted black jeans that hugged her incredible figure.

Hourglass beauty: Carol Vorderman, 62, wowed her 302,000 Instagram followers with some sizzling snaps that highlighted her perfect curves before her BBC Radio Wales appearance

She paired the jeans with a tucked-in cream jumper tat clung close to her torso.

She accessorised the outfit with a thick black leather belt with a silver buckle, drawing attention to her tiny waist.

In a picture added to her story caption 'Happy Scruff again today', Carol finished the ensemble with a pair of chunky black high heeled ankle boots.

Perfect ten: The former Countdown presenter flaunted her peachy posterior in skintight black jeans as she posed for the collection of racy images

Still got it: The bombshell finished off the sexy outfit with black chunky boots

Sensational! While she showed off her form-fitting outfit, Carol kept her brunette tresses styled in a slight wave and opted for smoky eyeshadow and thick eyeliner

The sexagenarian bombshell let her blonde locks down, styled in a slight wave and opted for smoky eyeshadow and thick eyeliner.

Carol used the post to give a shout out to her appearance on BBC Radio Wales, alongside her 'radio wifey' presenter Nathan Sussex.

She wrote: 'Hoorayyyy. Back on with my radio wifey [Nathan Sussex] from 1130-2pm. Tune in on BBC RADIO WALES or via'

She added: 'See you there you beautiful humans'.

Excited: The broadcaster shared she was looking forward to her BBC Radio Wales appearance with 'radio wifey' Nathan Sussex

'See you there beautiful humans': Carol called for her fans to tune into the show

Her post comes a day after she shocked This Morning viewers with an outburst aimed at former friend Michelle Mone, 51.

The TV star used her appearance to discuss the scandal currently engulfing Baroness Mone over government PPE contracts

She reignited her vicious feud with the bra baronness as she claimed 'I dropped her like a stone as soon as I realised what kind of person she was' before staring into the camera and saying 'sue me, Michelle'.

Speaking out: Her post comes a day after she shocked This Morning viewers with an outburst aimed at former friend Michelle Mone, 51

The TV star used to be friends with the embattled Michelle, with the pair regularly having 'great fun' on nights out together before Baroness Mone married billionaire businessman Doug Barrowman.

It emerged last month that Vorderman, 62, had called a halt to their friendship 'some time ago', but today was the first time she had addressed the issue on national television.

However, a source close to the entrepreneur today hit back against Carol, branding her 'publicity hungry' and calling the comments 'outrageous'.

They added: 'I really don't understand why Carol has started this attack.'

Friends turned enemies: Carol said she 'dropped' her former friend Michelle (left) 'like a stone' due to her involvement in the government's PPE scandal (pictured at Cheltenham in 2012)

Earlier this week, Carol candidly discussed her sex life during an appearance on Monday's This Morning and admitted they often start off as friends before an 'extra frisson' occurs.

She admitted her lovers 'all know about each other' and said life has changed since she dreamed of being married to one man when she was in her 20s.

Carol, who divorced second husband Patrick King in 2000, went on to gush about the arrangement revealing she doesn't get jealous as she 'never asks' about her partners personal lives.

She said: 'They do know about each other now. We all have to be on the same page. They have their lives and I don't need to know about that'.

Going on to reveal that her one rule is always to 'do no harm'.

She said: 'It was interesting I talked about it [multiple partners] off the cuff but the reaction was almost all positive.

'When I was in my 20s I wanted to get married and have children. In my 60s I have a full life and I live with my children.

'I don't want to settle with anybody, I love my job, the business of education, a busy home. People don't want just one partner, were all single. There's one rule do no harm'.

Candid: The TV legend candidly discussed her sex life during an appearance on Monday's This Morning and admitted they often start off as friends before an 'extra frisson' occurs

She continued: 'Societies rules were very different and if a woman had a child without being married it was awful.

'I went to Cambridge [University] at 17 and my mum sat me down and told me I need to think about settling down to get married.

'I think age 50 plus you have to think do you want another man to live with you or do you want the nice bits'.

Admitting that she 'doesn't need to know' about her partner's personal lives or has no idea even if they have their own friends.

'I'm only talking about it because there was such a reaction to it and a lot people are shamed by society so why not talk about'

'Love can be very unhappy and isn't the goal to just be happy.'
Gordon Ramsay is heading Down Under.

The British celebrity chef will film the new series of his reality show, Future Food Stars, in Melbourne, Australia.

The 56-year-old is believed to be arriving 'in the coming months' and the trip is likely to be a 'whirlwind', reports The Herald Sun.

Gordon Ramsay (pictured) is heading Down Under. The British celebrity chef will film the new series of his reality show, Future Food Stars, in Melbourne, Australia

Ramsay launched the new series last year, which sees 12 entrepreneurs compete for a GBP 150,000 (AUD $261,474) investment of the restaurateur's own money to start a food business.

Australian business guru Janine Allis will join Ramsay on the Aussie leg of the show as a mentor to the teams.

Earlier this month, Lord Sugar blasted Ramsay accusing the TV chef of 'ripping off' The Apprentice with his show Future Food Stars.

Ramsay launched the new series last year, which sees 12 entrepreneurs compete for a GBP 150,000 (AUD $261,474) investment of the restaurateur's own money to start a food business

The tycoon, 75, told MailOnline that Gordon should 'stick to his day job'.

He insists the format of Gordon's show that returns to BBC One with a second series later this year is a 'virtual rip-off' of The Apprentice and says he doesn't understand how lawyers allowed it to go ahead.

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Lord Sugar said: 'I think broadcasters, Channel 4, Channel 5, and ITV have tried for many years at least for 17 years to try and replicate the elimination process of The Apprentice. I say this with great respect to them but they've failed.

Earlier this month, Lord Sugar (pictured) blasted Ramsay accusing the TV chef of 'ripping off' The Apprentice with his show Future Food Stars

The tycoon, 75, told MailOnline that Gordon should 'stick to his day job'

'Last year, Gordon Ramsay had some cockamamie idea I like Gordon and I think he's very good and should stick to what he should do, cooking and all that stuff.

'He had some thing, which was like, I don't know how the lawyers allowed it because it was a virtual rip-off of The Apprentice. No disrespect to Gordon but stick to your day job mate that's all I would say.'

Gordon Ramsay's Future Food Stars aired for the first time in 2022 on BBC One and the second series will begin later this year.
Paul Mescal cut a casual figure as he arrived at the Almeida Theatre in London for rehearsals of A Streetcar Named Desire on Saturday.

The actor, 26, kept a low profile as he arrived to the venue where he is gearing up for the next week of shows where he stars as lead Stanley Kowalski.

The Oscar-nominated star sported a black bomber jacket along with a dark green shirt as he strolled through the city centre.

Show: Paul Mescal cut a casual figure as he arrived at the Almeida Theatre in London for rehearsals of A Streetcar Named Desire on Saturday

The Normal People star also wore a pair of blue jeans, a dark brown cap and black and white striped trainers.

A Streetcar Named Desire opened to critical acclaim this month, with Paul citing it as his favourite play.

He praised the 'formidable cast and creative team, led by the exceptionally talented [director] Rebecca Frecknall' and added: 'It's wonderful to be able to share it with a wider audience'.

On Tuesday Paul was nominated in the Best Actor category for the Oscars which will take place in March.

Rehearsals: The actor, 26, kept a low profile as he arrived to the venue where he is gearing up for the next week of shows where he stars as lead Stanley Kowalski

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!'

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.

Casual: The Oscar-nominated star sported a black bomber jacket along with a dark green shirt as he strolled through the city cente

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.

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.

Talent: Paul's career has gone from strength to strength culminating in an Oscar nomination for his role in Aftersun (pictured)

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 of his nomination 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.

Watch Normal People exclusively on Stan in Australia.
Harrison Ford praised Ke Huy Quan this week when he reacted to his former Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom co-star receiving an Oscar nomination for Everything Everywhere All at Once.

The legendary actor, 80, lauded his former sidekick at the Los Angeles premiere of his first-ever TV series called Shrinking.

'I'm so happy for him,' Ford told ET, saluting the Hollywood comeback of 51-year-old Quan. 'He's a great guy.'

Great guys: Harrison Ford, 80, praised his Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom co-star Ke Huy Quan, 51, this week when he reacted to Quan getting an Oscar nomination for Everything Everywhere All at Once

A former child star, Ke Huy Quan made a lasting impression in the second Indiana Jones film when he played a precocious orphan named Short Round.

But after starring in the classic 1985 film The Goonies, Quan's acting prospects gradually dried up.

He transitioned into roles behind the camera, working as a stunt coordinator and assistant director.

'He's a wonderful actor,' Ford told ET. 'He was when he was a little kid, and he still is. I'm glad. I'm very happy for him.'

And the Hollywood icon would love to work with Quan again in the future.

When asked about the potential of a reunion on-screen, Ford replied: 'That'd be great.'

The ultimate sidekick: A former child star, Ke Huy Quan made a lasting impression in the second Indiana Jones film when he played a precocious orphan named Short Round. 'I'm so happy for him,' Ford told ET, saluting Quan's Hollywood comeback. 'He's a great guy'

Major talent: 'He's a wonderful actor,' Ford told ET. 'He was when he was a little kid, and he still is. I'm glad. I'm very happy for him' (Pictured with their Temple of Doom co-star Kate Capshaw)

Quan has been dominating the awards circuit for his stellar performance as a naive husband in Everything Everywhere All at Once, repeatedly winning the category for Best Supporting Actor.

He recently took home a Critics' Choice Award after winning a Golden Globe, cementing his frontrunner status in the race for Oscar glory.

Right before awards seasons, Quan had an emotional encounter with Ford in September when the pair ran into each other during Disney's D23 Expo.

Describing their reunion to The New York Times, Quan approached the superstar with a 'pounding' heart and wondered: 'Is he gonna recognize me? The last time he saw me, I was a little kid.'

Hanging in there: After starring in the classic 1985 film The Goonies, Quan's acting prospects gradually dried up. He transitioned into roles behind the camera, working as a stunt coordinator and assistant director

Comeback vehicle: Quan has been dominating the awards circuit for his stellar performance as a naive husband in Everything Everywhere All at Once, repeatedly winning the category for Best Supporting Actor (Pictured in a still from the film with co-stars Stephanie Hsu and Michelle Yeoh)

Looking at Quan with his 'classic, famous, grumpy Harrison Ford look,' the 1923 star asked: 'Are you Short Round?'

'Yes, Indy,' Quan replied.

'Come here,' replied Ford, giving his former sidekick 'a big hug.'

Quan said that the moment 'transported [him] back to 1984, when [he] was a little kid.'

He later posted a picture of their reunion on Instagram, writing in the caption: 'I love you Indy. Indiana Jones and Short Round reunited after 38 years.'

In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Quan detailed his reaction to learning about his Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

'When I heard my name announced. I jumped and I screamed so loud.' Quan went on to add: 'I just cannot believe it. For so many years, I've always loved watching the Oscars.'
The mother of Tyre Nichols, the Black man who died days after an encounter with Memphis police officers, criticized law enforcement personnel for their actions that led to her son's death.

RowVaughn Wells made the remarks during an interview on Friday, her very first after five police officers involved in the death of her son were criminally charged. She said that the law enforcement personnel "put their own families in harm's way."

Tyre Nichols' Death

She added that their actions brought shame to their families and the entire Black community. Speaking through tears, Wells said that she felt sorry for the police officers because they did not have to do such a heinous act.

The law enforcement personnel involved in the death of the 29-year-old were identified as all Black men; Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin, and Desmond Mills, Jr. All five officers were fired from the Memphis Police Department on Jan. 20, 2023.

Following the incident, they were also charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, two charges of aggravated kidnapping, two charges of official misconduct, and one charge of official oppression, as per CNN.

Police authorities said the victim was pulled over by law enforcement personnel on Jan. 7, 2023, for suspected reckless driving. At that time, a "confrontation" occurred between the two sides. Three days after, on Jan. 7, 2023, Nichols' death was announced by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation due to injuries sustained during the encounter.

Officials added that the injuries were received in a "use-of-force incident with officers." In a statement on Friday, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis said that police had yet to find substantial probable cause for reckless driving by the victim before his fatal encounter with the five police officers.

The 29-year-old Black man was allegedly overpowered and abused by the police officers, said Wells, saying they beat her son like a pinata. She noted that if you combined all of the suspects' weight, it was well over 1,000 pounds, which beat her 150-pound son to death.

Read Also: Los Angeles Apartment Complex Fire Origin

Body Camera Footage

The Nichols family's lawyers said that video footage from body cameras of the police officers involved in the case has yet to be released to the public. They said that the video showed that the victim was beaten by law enforcement personnel during the stop, calling not only violent but savage, according to the New York Times.

The representative of the victim's family is civil rights attorney Ben Crimp, who said nobody should ever lose their life from a simple traffic stop. He added that body camera footage was the only way to properly discern the true narrative of why and how the horrific crime happened to Nichols.

While the footage of the victim's arrest has not yet been made public, the family of Nichols was given a copy to review. According to BBC, some people who saw the encounter in the recording used the words "sickening" and "appalling" to describe the encounter.

Related Article: Will Tyre Nichols Arrest Video be Released?

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Rebel Wilson fired up her Insta Stories on Saturday and showered love on her girlfriend Ramona Agruma, who was turning 39.

The Pitch Perfect star posted a string of pictures of her and her ladylove cuddling up to one another, gushing: 'You're the cutest.'

Over a photo of them enjoying a churro, Rebel gushed that Ramona was: 'My Disney Princess forever' - reprising a phrase she used when she announced their romance to the public and thereby came out of the closet.

Lovebirds: Rebel Wilson fired up her Insta Stories on Saturday and showered love on her girlfriend Ramona Agruma, who was turning 39

Rebel and Ramona were at the private members Club 1901 on the Disneyland Resort, standing in front of a romantic pair of chairs that had Walt Disney and his wife Lillian's names splashed across the backs.

Her latest posts come days after Rebel was slammed online for lending her showbiz luster to the star-studded opening of the luxe Atlantis The Royal hotel in Dubai.

Critics were aghast that Rebel, while romantically involved with another woman, would promote tourism to the United Arab Emirates, where Sharia is on the books.

Ramona was with Rebel during her Dubai trip, and the pair appeared on social media together daringly holding hands.

Having a ball: The Pitch Perfect star posted a string of pictures of her and her ladylove cuddling up to one another, gushing: 'You're the cutest'

Loved up: Over a photo of them enjoying a churro, Rebel gushed that Ramona was: 'My Disney Princess forever' - reprising a phrase she used when she announced their romance

Meanwhile less than three months ago Rebel shocked her fans with the announcement that she had welcomed a daughter via surrogacy.

The Bachelorette star revealed that she is the proud mother of a bouncing baby girl, whom she has named Royce Lillian.

'I cant even describe the love I have for her, shes a beautiful miracle!' Rebel effervesced in her Instagram post breaking the news.

'I am forever grateful to everyone who has been involved, (you know who you are), this has been years in the makingbut particularly wanted to thank my gorgeous surrogate who carried her and birthed her with such grace and care. Thank you for helping me start my own family, its an amazing gift. The BEST gift!!'

Stylish as ever: Her latest posts come days after Rebel was slammed online for lending her showbiz luster to the star-studded opening of the luxe Atlantis The Royal hotel in Dubai

Rebel froze her eggs years ago, and in the process of preparing for motherhood a fertility doctor remarked: 'You'd do much better if you were healthier.'

The advice, she told People, prompted her to embark on a 'Year Of Health' that saw her drop nearly 80lbs and shed her previous public image.

Meanwhile Ramona is based in Los Angeles and heads up a sustainable fashion brand called Lemon Ve Limon, which she founded in 2021.

She and Rebel had already been dating for months before the Australian actress announced the relationship and came out of the closet this past June.

Side-by-side: Ramona was with Rebel during her Dubai trip, and the pair appeared on social media together daringly holding hands

'I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince... but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess,' wrote Rebel on social media.

It then emerged that she took the romance public in order to beat the Sydney Morning Herald to the punch after they found out about Ramona and gave Rebel two days to comment before they published a story outing her.

Andrew Hornery, a gossip columnist for the paper, wrote a piece slamming her for deciding to 'gazump' his scoop by coming out of the closet herself.

The columnist, who is gay himself, found himself facing a deluge of backlash and subsequently apologized for the 'tone' of his article.

Brickbats: Critics were aghast that Rebel, while romantically involved with another woman, would promote tourism to the United Arab Emirates, where Sharia is on the books

'As a gay man I'm well aware of how deeply discrimination hurts,' he wrote. 'The last thing I would ever want to do is inflict that pain on someone else.'

Rebel has since remarked on social media that the newspaper's 'actions did cause Ramona and I a lot of distress, and while weve remained classy, there are still pains from having to rush this news publicly which we are dealing with.'

However she noted: 'We moved on, focusing on all the absolutely amazing new things in our life, though! Sending love to everyone.'
Emily Atack has insisted she will continue to be sexy and flaunt her figure - despite her critics and the harassment she has faced online from men.

The actress, 33, who had her breakthrough role in The Inbetweeners as Charlotte Hinchliffe, said she has come to rely on being a pin-up, even though she never initially set out to be one.

Emily says she loves her 'big boobs' and blonde hair after years of being constantly asked to change, with past managers advising her to dye her hair brown so that she will be 'taken more seriously'.

Not changing: Emily Atack has insisted that she will continue to be sexy and flaunt her figure despite her critics and the harassment she has faced online from men

In an new interview, Emily said she went through puberty earlier than others and her curves are became something she is quite proud of.

'I used that to my advantage in terms of owning who I was a bit more, I'm not trying to be a sexy pin-up going, "Hey boys, here I am". But Im single as well, Im on the dating scene  so thats up to me,' she told Florence Given, on her podcast Actually.

'Feeling sexy to me has become something I've relied on  it's my little support blanket. I grew boobs before everybody else, I got my period before everybody else, and I used that to my advantage in terms of owning who I was a bit more.

Beauty: Emily, who had her breakthrough role in The Inbetweeners as Charlotte Hinchliffe, revealed she has no plans to adapt

'I was kind of like, "OK, well this is who I am, Im the girl with the boobs and the long hair". There was a sense that I was quite proud of that.'

Emily explained that she never flaunts her curves for sexual reasons, which has been hard for some people to comprehend and that she was just enjoying building her career, celebrating her youth and her body.

The star also said she has had conversations with her mother Kate Robbins about how things have changed because she wants her to cover up to protect herself.

Her words come after the actress spoke out about the barrage of explicit messages she receives on a daily basis in the first trailer for her new BBC Two show Emily Atack: Asking For It?

Emily has had to put up with online sexual harrassment since her teens and in the trailer and admitted she is 'nervous' about going public with them.

The comedian admitted she sometimes worries if the messages are 'her fault' because she shares snaps of herself in bikinis and other revealing clothing online.

In the trailer, Emily says: 'Every morning when I wake up, I see a man's penis I haven't asked to see.'

The former Inbetweeners actress is seen in her kitchen, scrolling through her phone, as she counts the number of messages she's received.

She says: 'This morning, I've had... Does, I want to see your t**s count?... 37. This man sends me pictures of him doing handstands all the time.

She adds: 'Eight o'clock this morning, this lovely, big, veiny penis there. That actually did put me off my scrambled eggs to be fair.'

Candid: Emily has had to put up with online sexual harrassment since her teens and in the trailer admitted she is 'nervous' about going public with them

Several sexually explicit messages Emily has received online appeared on screen as she can be heard saying: 'It's the ultimate disrespect.

'It's the ultimate thing of going, 'I think you're easy access and you're up for it.'

'It was in lockdown when things got really, really bad. I felt sick knowing what I was about to see. And I started to put up these messages on my Instagram.

'I wanted to know how many other people were receiving them. It made me realise it's happening to so many people.'

Show: The comedian admitted she sometimes worries if the messages are 'her fault' because she shares snaps of herself in bikinis and other revealing clothing online

Emily is then seen speaking to several other women - including a teenage girl - who have been subjected to online sexual harassment.

At the conclusion of the trailer, she says: 'I want it to stop. It's about catching these people before they do the worst thing. This is what people have to understand.

'I'm nervous about going public about all of this because I put bikini photos up on my Instagram. You know, I talk about sex in my shows and I'm very cheeky and flirty.

'There'll be people saying, 'you asked for this negative attention, what do you expect?' You do sit there and go, 'is this my fault? Is this something I'm putting out there?' '

Documentary: At the conclusion of the trailer, she says: 'I want it to stop. It's about catching these people before they do the worst thing. This is what people have to understand'

In April last year, Emily hit out at her male fans who bombard her with unsolicited pictures of their penises on social media.

The actress said she's likely to receive 'about 10 penises I have not asked to see' before breakfast.

She told the Mirror at the time: 'If someone sends me a sexually explicit message, I'm like, 'Why have they said that to me?'

'It makes you question who you are and why you're single.'

Speaking about her love life, she also joked: 'I try and stay away from things that aren't good for me.'

Emily Atack: Asking For It? airs from January 31 on BBC iPlayer.
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Olivia Wilde and her ex-fiance Jason Sudeikis appeared on good terms when they were spotted together in Los Angeles this week, over two years after they ended their seven-year engagement in 2020.

Sudeikis, 47, and Wilde, 38, emerged from a meeting together and were seen chatting on the sidewalk, before gathering each other into an embrace and going their separate ways.

The pair have waged an ugly custody battle over their children Otis, eight, and Daisy, six, overlapping with Wilde's relationship with Harry Styles, whom she directed in last year's film Don't Worry Darling.

Affection: Olivia Wilde and her ex-fiance Jason Sudeikis appeared on good terms when they were spotted together in Los Angeles this week, over two years after they ended their seven-year engagement in 2020

History: The pair have waged an ugly custody battle over their children Otis, eight, and Daisy, six, overlapping with Wilde's relationship with Harry Styles, whom she directed in the recent film Don't Worry Darling

Styles, whose involvement with Don't Worry Darling was at the center of dramatic rumors in the run-up to the film's release, split from Wilde in November after a romance that spanned nearly two years.

Wilde and Sudeikis were glimpsed the following month having what appeared to be a tense conversation after they left a two-hour meeting together in Hollywood.

However they appeared more at ease with one another during their sighting this week, chatting with one another and indulging in an affectionate hug.

They expressed goodwill as they walked away from one another, with Sudeikis throwing a peace sign into the air and Wilde smiling cheerfully while strolling across the parking lot.

Backdrop: Styles, whose involvement with Don't Worry Darling was at the center of dramatic rumors in the run-up to the film's release, split from Wilde in November after a romance that spanned nearly two years

Changing times: Wilde and Sudeikis were glimpsed the following month having what appeared to be a tense conversation after they left a two-hour meeting together in Hollywood - a far cry from their latest sighting there (pictured)

However: They appeared more at ease with one another during their sighting this week, chatting with one another and indulging in an affectionate hug

Off they go: They expressed goodwill as they walked away from one another, with Sudeikis throwing a peace sign into the air and Wilde smiling cheerfully while strolling across the parking lot

The drama between them during their legal battle has seeped out into public view multiple times, including when she was infamously served with custody papers while onstage at CinemaCon last April.

Wilde called the incident 'an attack on her workplace', but said she was not surprised at it happening because there was a 'reason' she left her relationship with Sudeikis.

In court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, she argued that the decision to serve her onstage in front of an audience was a bid to 'threaten' and 'embarrass' her.

Sudeikis filed suit against his ex in New York City Family Court in October 2021, and the dispute has largely revolved around where the children would live.

Remember when: The drama between them during their legal battle has seeped out into public view multiple times, including when she was infamously served with custody papers while onstage at CinemaCon last April

History: Wilde called the incident 'an attack on her workplace', but said she was not surprised at it happening because there was a 'reason' she left her relationship with Sudeikis

While he wanted them to live in Brooklyn, Wilde was hoping to have them stay in Los Angeles and possibly relocate to London, where her then-boyfriend Harry Styles was living.

In a legal filing signed August 5 last year, a judge ruled 'New York was not the home state of the subject children' and that rather 'California was the childrens home state.'

'Therefore, for the reasons stated on the record on July 15, 2022, respondents motion to dismiss the custody petitions filed on October 21, 2021 is granted,' the filing, which was reviewed by Page Six, stated.

The court determined that 'New York does not have jurisdiction to hear the custody petitions' because it is not Otis and Daisy's home state.

Looking back: Sudeikis filed suit against his ex in New York City Family Court in October 2021, and the dispute has largely revolved around where the children would live

Hashing it out: While he wanted them to live in Brooklyn, Wilde was hoping to have them stay in Los Angeles and possibly relocate to London, where her then-boyfriend Harry Styles was living

Wilde filed a petition to 'determine parental relationship in Superior Court of California, in LA' in May, the filing noted. Her legal team moved to legally dismiss Sudekis' custody case on May 18.

Experts alleged at the time that the custody battle was likely to proceed in California.

In Wilde's motion to dismiss Sudeikis' suit, the actress claimed she and he had initially agreed to send their kids back to school in Los Angeles for the upcoming school year because Sudeikis was due to wrap up the final season of Apple TV series Ted Lasso, which had required him to be in London.

'Recently, however, Jason decided that he wanted to go to New York for the next year while he is not working, and wanted the children to be with him there during this time off,' the actress said in the filing. 'When I did not agree, since the children have not lived in New York for several years, Jason filed these papers.'

Jurisdiction: In a legal filing signed August 5 last year, a judge ruled 'New York was not the home state of the subject children' and that rather 'California was the childrens home state'

Looking ahead: Experts alleged at the time that the custody battle was likely to proceed in California

Wilde, who began dating Styles in January 2021, argued that the children have spent most of the last four years in Los Angeles or London, attending schools in both cities.

Wilde was famously served the court documents on April 26 in the middle of a presentation for 4,100 film industry executives about her thriller Don't Worry Darling when she was awkwardly handed a manila envelope by a court process server.

The bizarre moment sparked furious speculation among attendees and reporters at the annual gathering of cinema owners and Hollywood studios about the envelope's contents.

Sudeikis has maintained that he did not know Wilde would be served the papers in such a public and humiliating way.
What do you get your mother for her 60th birthday? A special piece of jewellery or a designer handbag, perhaps?

Well, Dame Emma Thompson's daughter, Gaia Wise, has revealed that she celebrated by having a tattoo inked on her own body  of her mother's footprint.

'The tattoo was taken from a print that my parents did when I was born and shows my mum's big foot next to my baby foot,' the aspiring actress told The Daily Mail's Richard Eden at a red-carpet event, where she showed off the unique design.

Fresh ink: Dame Emma Thompson's daughter, Gaia Wise, has revealed that she celebrated her mothers birthday by having a tattoo inked on her own body  of Emma's footprint

'It was very painful because I got it on the ribs. It was the first one I had done, and, obviously, the more tattoos you have the less adrenaline your body produces, so it's more painful.'

Gaia, 23, whose father is the Oscar winner's second husband, Strictly star Greg Wise, adds: 'I do remember lying there and the tattoo artist kept on asking if I wanted to stop, but I just said, 'Carry on, I have to get this done.' It's very special to me and my mum loves it.'

Emma, who shares Gaia with thespian husband Greg, hasn't always been a fan how closely her daughter has followed in her footsteps.

'The tattoo was taken from a print that my parents did when I was born and shows my mum's big foot next to my baby foot,' the aspiring actress told The Daily Mail's Richard Eden at a red-carpet event

The Love Actually star revealed in August she had tried to subtly put her daughter off acting, joking that she could 'run a restaurant' instead.

She told the Daily Mail's Eden Confidential: 'I keep saying, 'I know you like acting, but, you know, perhaps running a restaurant can be as exciting.''

Despite other ideas from the Oscar winner, Gaia pursued her acting dreams, making her TV debut in the 2022 series of BBC drama Silent Witness.

Support: Emma, who shares Gaia with thespian husband Greg, hasn't always been a fan how closely her daughter has followed in her footsteps

In the series Gaia played university student Jo Reynolds whose mother, the controversial health secretary, is assassinated  sparking the interest of forensic pathologists.

Gaia has also previously revealed to the Daily Mail's Richard Eden that she's prepared to follow her mother's example and disrobe on screen, which the dame did in her film Good Luck To You, Leo Grande.

Gaia said: 'If it's professionally prepared, and you've got the right kind of protection around you, then that's absolutely fine.'

Gaia shared a close bond with both are parents and has previously credited her parents for saving her life by staging an emergency intervention.

Anorexia is a serious mental illness where a person restricts their food intake, which often causes them to be severely underweight. Many also exercise excessively.

The aspiring actress developed anorexia aged 16 which left her so thin she was unable to even sit on a chair without it being painful. She was later admitted to rehab in 2017.

Speaking out about her illness for the first time with The Sun on Sunday, Gaia spoke of how Greg, Emma, and her family, including brother Tindy, 36, and best friend gathered together for an intervention, with Gaia agreeing to a three-month rehab stint after Greg said: 'I don't know where my child is any more.'

Adding that it was a 'kick in the teeth' she added: 'I had to listen to the people I loved most in the world who, at the time, I'd really forgotten about, tell me what I was doing.'

She said: 'That's when I said I'd go to rehab. I went on December 29, 2017, and stayed for three months. Since then I've had a lot of therapy  and I'll always be grateful for that, because it saved my life.'
Kelly Brook has revealed her wedding day was a total washout and memories from the day still 'haunt her'.

The model and presenter, 42, finally tied the knot with fiance Jeremy Parisi in Italy last July but Kelly refuses to watch the video back.

Speaking on The Secret To podcast with Vicky Pattison, Kelly claimed: 'We all got pretty wet.'

'We all got pretty wet': Kelly Brook has revealed her wedding day was a total washout and memories from the day still 'haunt her'

She continued: 'It rained five to ten minutes before we said our vows. We got ushered into this tower and it was like something out of a sitcom.

'There was a woman trying to carry a harp up five flights of stairs in this ancient tower. It haunts me still.

'It was like biblical rain, you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. It had not rained in that region for eight months and I don't think it has since.'

Wedding: The model and presenter, 42, finally tied the knot with fiance Jeremy Parisi in Italy last July but Kelly refuses to watch the video back

'I look completely stressed and with straggly hair. Jeremy watches the wedding video all the time but I can't face it yet.'

Kelly, who had been engaged three times before, said: 'From someone who never thought they would get married it was magic  the best thing I have ever done.

'We were winging it the whole way. It made it so much fun. And it gave it the essence and authenticity of it being Italian and that is what I really wanted. You can't have the rainbow without the rain.'

Kelly finally married her long-term boyfriend Jeremy Parisi in his native Italy on Saturday afternoon.

The bride exchanged vows with Parisi in Italian port town Civitavecchia, a popular holiday destination famed for its historic architecture.

Speaking on The Secret To podcast with Vicky Pattison, Kelly claimed: 'We all got pretty wet.'

Walking hand in hand with her new husband following the ceremony, Kelly looked stunning in a traditional ivory white bridal gown with sheer lace detail.

She was seen holding its floor-length hemline away from the rough terrain surrounding Torre di Cicero - the 19th century villa that served as their wedding venue.

Her long brunette locks were styled in soft waves and she let them cascade down her shoulders, and added a delicate tiara and veil on top of her head.

Jeremy cut a very handsome figure, as he held hands with his bride, in a black tailored three-piece suit, and tie with a flower pinned to his lapel.

The ceremony had originally been planned as an outdoor event in an area some 1,500 metres high, but an unexpected rainstorm prompted a last minute change of plans.

Consequently, the bride, groom and an assortment of friends and family members celebrated the ceremony within the walls of Torre di Cicero.

It's understood that Kelly pulled out all the stops for the day, with the bride-to-be paying for funfair rides and inviting A-list guest Kylie Minogue , according to The Sun.

The publication reported that the former Big Breakfast host has thrown 'the kitchen sink' at her wedding to give her and Jeremy the day to remember, with the plans turning into an 'extravagant affair'.

The model is said to have splashed out up to 500,000 for her big day.

Big day: After earning her fortune following a successful 25 year career as a model, actress and media personality, it appears there was no expense spared when it came to making Kelly's wedding dream come true

A source told The Sun: 'Kelly has thrown the kitchen sink at her wedding and it's turning into quite an extravagant affair. She has booked the Villa Nota Pisani in central Italy for the ceremony and reception.

The insider added that the villa is a 'beautiful location' and the couple 'fell in love with it' immediately after setting eyes on it.

They went on: 'Kelly has invited all her friends and stars like Kylie are on the guestlist. The ceremony is going to be really romantic but Kelly wants to give her family and pals a real party afterwards. She has been in talks with a company to put on a funfair for everyone  and the drinks will be flowing all night.'

After earning her fortune following a successful 25 year career as a model, actress and media personality, it appears there was no expense spared when it came to making Kelly's wedding dream come true.

The source added: 'Kelly knows Jeremy is her soulmate and this is going to be her only wedding so she's going all out. All in it is looking to cost her between 300,000 and 500,000  but to her it is money well spent.

The insider continued to say that it is 'Kelly's dream wedding' and that 'everything she ever wanted' is now 'becoming a reality.'

Kelly and Jeremy recently celebrated their seventh anniversary - which marks the day he packed up his French abode and moved in with her in Kent.

Opening up about her romance with her 'best friend and soulmate', Kelly told The Mirror : 'I've found someone who can keep up with me and the lifestyle that I love.

'It's the combination of having a very exciting life but also having moments where it's nice to stay home, watch Netflix and walk the dog. It's getting that balance.'
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Ireland United States Minor Outlying Islands United States of America Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe
Samsung might be charging more for its latest upcoming smartphone.

The South Korea-based tech giant is reportedly planning on charging more for its Galaxy S23 smartphone in some parts of the world, with a few possible exceptions.

Samsung may soon release its Galaxy S23 smartphone on Feb. 1, during its upcoming "Unpacked" event, according to CNET.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Price Increase Details

Reliable leaker Roland Quandt revealed on his Twitter account some pricing details for the Galaxy S23 and their Euro conversions in some parts of Europe. Based on his tweets, Samsung seems to be planning to sell its Galaxy S23 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage in the Czech Republic for Kc 23.490 or 986.

Meanwhile, Samsung, based on Quandt's tweets, would be selling the same model in Spain for 959 and Kr. 7999 for Denmark, or 1075.41 as of press time.

According to The Verge, these prices are greater than the price Samsung asked for in its current offering, the Galaxy S22, which it released in Feb. 2022. Case in point, the base Galaxy S23 is roughly 63 more expensive than the Galaxy S22, while the base Galaxy S23 is Kr. 1,300 more expensive than the Galaxy S22's base model at release.

Samsung may have increased its prices to offset the price cuts it made in its earlier phones, including the Galaxy S22.

Read More: Hacker Puts LoL 'Source Code' Into Auction Following Riot Games' Refusal To Pay Ransom

According to 9to5Google, Samsung previously dropped the prices of its Galaxy S21 phones after the dismal sales of its Galaxy S20 smartphone. The company retained these lowered prices with the release of its Galaxy S22 smartphone despite some camera upgrades on the S22, S22+, and the Note-ification of the S22 Ultra.

Should Samsung also include the US in its list of countries that will get price increases for the galaxy S23, people living in the US may soon see as much as a $100 price hike for the new phone.

Fortunately, the base Galaxy S23 model starts at $799 - the same price as its Galaxy S22 counterpart. Meanwhile, a Galaxy S23 Plus will cost $999, while a Galaxy S23 Ultra will have a price tag of $1,199.

Why Is Samsung Increasing Prices?

There is a good reason for the price increase, though. The company found its profits significantly slowed down in recent months, with its quarterly operating profit falling by 69% year-over-year. Additionally, Samsung shipped 15.6 percent fewer phones in Q4 2022 than it did in Q4 2021.

This decrease in shipping could be a probable effect of the lower demand caused by the ongoing recession and economic downturn that forced many people to be efficient with their money and spend more on necessities rather than gadgets, per CNBC.

Additionally, many people have a lower appetite to spend more on gadgets due to them having relatively new gadgets that they bought during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Related Article: Samsung Might Extend Its TV Plus App to Other TV Brands
According to a recent report, Valve leadership allegedly obstructed internal diversity initiatives and prevented the company from publicly supporting Black Lives Matter.

In-depth discussions of Valve's infamously unorthodox organizational structure and how it might impede diverse hires, according to overt political opinions provided by current and former staff.

Stunted Internal Support Has Resulted In Lack Of Diversity

In an effort to understand Valve's murky workplace culture and decision-making, the YouTube channel People Make Games spoke with 16 current and former employees.

After that, the video examines the company's workplace culture and how it affects the company's diversity, Game Spot reports.

On paper, Valve has a system that is unstructured, in which there are no real bosses or supervisors and where employees are free to make their own choices.

Additionally, Valve employs its own stack-ranking system, which allows staff members to assess one another's performance and, in a secret manner, determine each employee's annual compensation and bonus.

The company, according to several respondents, lacks diversity, even by the norms of the frequently homogeneous games sector.

According to a former employee, there were more women and/or people of color among contractors and lower-level employees.

Additionally, the workplace flexibility that Valve promotes is not possible for the growing number of women who work in finance and human resources. because they are constrained by more rigid positions.

Moreover, those interviewed claimed that stack-ranking can also reinforce the studio's biases and hierarchy.

Part of the problem stems from Valve's usage of stack ranking, an employee rating technique that a Blizzard employee recently protested.

Every year, the Valve team evaluates one another in a series of meetings that produce an aggregate ranking of every employee.

It is important to note that based on that ranking, the employees who will be paid more the next year are chosen, PC Gamer writes.

Without managers to specify how decisions should be made or how pay adjustments will be made, the impacts on employee behavior appear to be rather pronounced.

Read More: Valve Adds Highly-Requested Component Lookup View in Steam Deck's Latest Client Beta Update

The Issue Came To Light Due To The Wave Of Diversity Initiatives From Other Companies

Diversity initiatives may not receive the attention they deserve because stack ranking encourages individuals to perform work that the organization and other employees deem valuable.

Although recruiting decisions can involve employees from throughout the organization, the article alleges that Valve is biased against employing people who look like them.

This is because the majority of its general staff and long-term employees are all white men, according to a Game Spot report.

After George Floyd's murder and the start of the statewide Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020, these issues reached a boiling point.

According to allegations, some employees lobbied for Valve to publicly endorse BLM, while others were adamantly opposed to doing so.

Those interviewed said that senior employees of the business eventually decided against making any statement.

However, instead of issuing a company statement in support of the movement, staff members were given $10,000 to donate to any cause they chose.

Related Article: Valve's Steam Deck Repair Centers Are Now Operational - Here's What You Need To Know
Sudheer Babu, Srikanth starrer 'Hunt' released on January 26. (Photo: Twitter)

"A police officer suffers amnesia as a result of an accident moments before he reveals the identity of a murderer" - the set-up alone is enough to put one on the edge of the seat. In this ambitious thriller - a remake of the 2013 Mumbai Police starring Prithviraj Sukumaran - we open to sufficient intrigue with our protagonist, ACP Arjun (Sudheer Babu) reeling in from the realisation that the answers to his friends murder may forever be lost if he doesnt report the identity of the killer to his superiors in 48 hours.

Commissioner of Police, Mohan Bhargav (Srikanth) is the only one who knows the impact the accident has had on Arjuns ability to fully solve the case. However, knowing Arjuns amnesia could cost him the case, Mohan resolves to keep it a secret from everyone else and buy time for Arjun to retrace his steps. When Arjun is attacked at his apartment as soon as Mohan drops him off, the duo have reason to believe that it was instigated by the murderer. Following the three suspects and their motives through intertwined sequences that occur in flashbacks, Arjuns alienation from his surroundings echoes heavily as he questions what he can trust. Scenes of Arjuns friendship with Aryan (Bharath Niwas) play out as we sympathise with Arjuns relentless pursuit of his friends killer. Part investigative thriller, part procedural, this movie pulls together Arjuns story and the drive behind his single-minded quest for Aryans killer along with clues to his own character. As he goes down the rabbit hole, he comes to realise that he might not be ready to face the reality of either.

Like it or not, remakes evoke comparisons. Prithviraj Sukumaran is a tough act to follow as it were and Sudheer Babu barely looks comfortable on screen at places in comparison. Sudheer Babu unfortunately is unable to translate the range of his predecessors performance and falls short of delivering what could have been a career-defining performance. A lot more can be said about the supporting cast, though, who are well-cast and impress with subtle performances.

The cinematography is possibly its most laud-worthy aspect. The raw look of the original has been traded in for glossy, neon-lit scenarios, which have been handled excellently by Arul Vincent. The protagonist lives in a swanky, upscale apartment straight out an avant-garde home catalogue and the movie gets the switch in tone right aesthetically. However, had the performances been better, perhaps the upgrade would have had its intended effect. The action scenes are engaging and this is where Sudheer Babus dedication shows.

A major complaint, however, is that the movie suffers from the loss of an organic sound. Somehow, the movies score and sound design fail to impress entirely. In quite a few key sequences, the absence of elevation even felt jarring when the sequence played out at another pace altogether. The dialogue, too, is quite inorganic in places. The staging is underwhelming and even takes away from the tension built into the scenes.

Overall, as a remake, the movie fails to hold the appeal of the original. However, the movie warrants a watch for the excellent cinematography and well-thought-out action scenes which are a refreshing change of pace from the usual fare. While not as good as the original, and guilty of being unable to fully grasp the depth of its own central mystery (which perhaps could have benefited from an updated look at its resolution in the 2022 remake), there is enough for the audience to enjoy along the runtime.

Director: Mahesh Surapaneni

Cast: Sudheer Babu, Srikanth Meka
Narvik' might be one of those few movies wherein the battle sequences are not unnecessarily mounted on a large scale, yet they are worth watching.(Photo: Twitter)

Both World Wars have been extensively documented and we have lots of movies chronicling these catastrophic events. However, such big turning points WWI and WWII are in human history, that every year we keep getting newer takes exploring hitherto unheard angles.

One such latest attempt is Narvik, a Norwegian movie. After Troll, its another interesting movie from Norway.

Narvik is a small town in Norway that was neutral when WWII broke out. Sweden was the main source of iron ore the Germans required and it was shipped out from Narvik. As it was strategically important to Germans, the German troops wanted to conquer it. On the other hand, British and French troops also wanted it. Caught in this crossfire are the Norwegian army and the people of Narvik. They no longer could afford to be neutral and are forced to take sides.

Narvik tells the moving story of one such family - corporal Gunnar Tofte (Carl Martin Eggesb), his wife Ingrid (Kristine Hartgen), and their son, Ole. Circumstances pitch the husband and wife on opposite sides. Ingrid is proficient with the German language and hence the soldiers living in the hotel she is working in, draft her as an interpreter. At the same time, she also helps two British representatives hide. However, when her son gets injured in a bombing and needs immediately to be operated upon by a German doctor, she is forced to grass up the location of British representatives to Germans. Meanwhile, Gunnar and his team recapture Narvik and make Hitler taste his first defeat in what is today known as the Battle of Narvik. Gunnar returns home victorious but is shattered to know his wife was helping the Germans all along as he was risking his life to throw them out.

Kristine Hartgen delivers a memorable performance as a mother and a forced double agent. She brilliantly portrays Ingrids vulnerability and steely resolve. Carl Martin Eggesb as a soldier also shines.

Director Erik Skjoldbjrg has managed to keep the pace and scale of the movie plausible. The battle scenes shown are sleek.

Narvik might be one of those few movies wherein the battle sequences are not unnecessarily mounted on a large scale, yet they are worth watching. Be it the tunnel scene, wherein Gunnar has to blow up the bridge on which a train carrying his wife and kid are traveling, or the one in which we see Ingrid rushing to provide her kid medical care even as the bombing is going on make viewers sit up and marvel at the directors hold over his craft.

Even though its a war film it is not densely populated. There are only a few characters and it works as the focus on the main plot never wavers. Essentially, Narvik is not an out-and-out war movie but an emotional saga of a mother who can do the unthinkable for her child when she is left with no choice.

The vast fjords, snowy terrain as the backdrop, and a haunting background score heighten the tension in this movie which is a fictionalized account of events that actually occurred.

Narvik is a decent piece of work highlighting the toll war takes on innocent people and what one can do when left with no choice. It has an emotional hook. Its both plucky and poignant. You can watch this battle being fought on Netflix.
In this article, you will learn about the route starting from London. (Photo by arrangement)

Planning the perfect road trip around Europe can be a daunting task. With so many countries and places to explore, it can be hard to decide on the best route. Fortunately, there are some great routes that will provide an unforgettable experience, no matter where your final destination may be. Whether you're looking for breathtaking sights, unique culture, or a combination of both, a road trip around Europe has something for everyone. The two best known routes are to take a driving tour in Europe starting in Amsterdam or to start in London. In this article, you will learn about the route starting from London.

The Best Route for a Road Trip Around Europe

Start in London

If youre planning a road trip around Europe, theres no better place to start than London. With its cosmopolitan culture, bustling energy, and abundance of world-famous sights, its the perfect launching point for your adventure. No visit to London is complete without seeing some of its most iconic attractions, such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, and the Tower of London. Other must-see stops include the National Gallery and Tate Modern, which are both renowned for their impressive collections of artwork. The city also offers plenty of nightlife opportunities, from traditional pubs to posh cocktail bars. Once youve had your fill of London life, the next step is to hop on the Eurostar and take a train to Paris. This route takes just over two hours and is a great way to get a taste of continental Europe before setting off on your road trip. Enjoy the sights of the French countryside as you make your way to Paris, the City of Light.

Drive through France

With its stunningly beautiful countryside, charming towns and cities, and delicious food and wine, its the perfect place to kick off your European adventure. Starting in Paris, Frances capital city, you can explore some of the worlds most iconic monuments like the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, and the Arc de Triomphe. From there, you can head south to enjoy the incredible beaches of Normandy or take a tour of the magnificent Chateau de Versailles. Continue your journey through the stunning French countryside, taking in picturesque villages, rolling hillsides, and miles of vineyards. Stop in at local wineries for a tasting or simply enjoy the views from the car window. Dont forget to make time for exploring some of Frances many historic sites like Mont St Michel and the D-Day Beaches.

Head to Spain

From there you can head to Spain. There are a variety of beautiful cities and stunning landscapes to explore, making it the perfect place to begin your journey. The first stop on your Spanish adventure should be Barcelona. This vibrant city is home to some of the best tapas in the world, as well as iconic attractions like the Sagrada Familia and the La Rambla street market. Spend a few days soaking up the sun and experiencing Catalan culture before heading west. Next, head to the Andalusian capital of Seville. Here youll find plenty of picturesque plazas, ancient churches and grand monuments. For an extra dose of culture, be sure to check out one of the citys many flamenco shows. Afterwards, continue west to the Costa del Sol, where you can spend some time lounging on sandy beaches and exploring charming seaside towns. Once youve had your fill of relaxation, make your way to Granada and the stunning Alhambra palace. This former Moorish stronghold is one of Spains most popular tourist attractions and a must-see for any traveller. Finally, round out your Spanish adventure with a visit to Madrid. Spend a day or two wandering the cobblestone streets and soaking up the local culture before continuing your road trip across Europe.

Explore Italy

From Spain make your way to Italy. Exploring Italy by car is a great way to experience the country's diverse and vibrant culture. Whether youre seeking culture and history, breathtaking views, or simply want to indulge in some delicious Italian cuisine, Italy has something for everyone. With so much to see and do, it can be difficult to decide which places to visit on your Italian road trip. Fortunately, there are plenty of incredible routes to choose from that will give you an unforgettable experience. One of the most popular is the Grand Tour route, which takes you through five Italian cities: Rome, Florence, Pisa, Siena, and Venice. This route will allow you to soak up the culture and history of each city, as well as sample some of Italy's famous gastronomy. No matter which route you choose, you'll be sure to experience the true spirit of Italy.

End in Greece

Travelling around Europe by road can be an incredibly rewarding experience, offering the chance to explore some of the most iconic cities and sites in the world. And with so much to see and do, its hard to decide where to begin and end your journey. One great way to finish off a European road trip is in the beautiful country of Greece. Here, you can enjoy the unique culture, stunning architecture, and incredible food. From picturesque beaches to ancient ruins, theres something for everyone to explore. Start your journey in Athens, the capital of Greece and home to many of its most iconic sites. Take some time to wander through the city and visit the Acropolis, the Parthenon, and the Agora. Then, head out on the road to explore some of the other cities and towns that make up this remarkable country. From Delphi to Meteora and Olympia to Thessaloniki, each destination has something different to offer.

Disclaimer: No Deccan Chronicle journalist was involved in creating this content. The group also takes no responsibility for this content.
DRI detected 18 non-indigenous animals in checked-in baggage with 3 passengers from Bangkok on their arrival at the Bengaluru airport. PTI

Bengaluru: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has arrested seven passengers, including a woman, for allegedly smuggling 18 endangered animals in their baggage at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru a few days ago.

Initially, three people were arrested. Their interrogation resulted in the arrest of four more people, the DRI said in a statement on Friday.

The recovered animals include extremely rare and threatened species like the Yellow and Green Anaconda, Yellow Headed Amazon Parrot, Nile Monitor, Red Foot Tortoise, Iguanas, Ball Pythons, Alligator Gar, Yaki Monkey, Veiled Chameleon, Racoon Dog, White Headed Piones, etc. which were handed over to Bannerghatta Biological Park, according to the DRI.

The passengers had arrived from Bangkok (Thailand) at the airport on January 22 when their baggage was checked following a tip-off and the animals were found in it, the DRI said.

"Upon examination of their checked-in baggage, it resulted in the recovery of 18 non-indigenous animals (four primates and 14 reptiles) with the assistance of Karnataka Forest Department officials," the statement said.

The import of wild animals, including their parts and products as defined in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 is prohibited.

The quick follow-up action with the assistance of Forest Department officials and an officer from Chennai, resulted in the recovery of another 139 animals belonging to 48 different species, including 34 CITES-listed species from a farmhouse in Bengaluru used as a place of storage of similarly smuggled wildlife, the DRI said.

"Those in possession of these animals neither had any documents of the wildlife items nor any filings under Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (Wildlife Division), Voluntary Disclosure Scheme till its extended deadline of March, 2021 were available," the statement read.

However, evidences of financial transactions to source non-indigenous wildlife through the route of smuggling, transactions on WhatsApp and other social media platforms have been unearthed, it added.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with others during Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Qazigund, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023.(Photo: PTI)

ANANTNAG: There was no security lapse at the Bharat Jodo Yatra, a senior Jammu and Kashmir police official said on Friday while stressing that the organisers had not informed the police about a large crowd joining the march from Banihal.

"The Jammu and Kashmir police was not consulted before the Bharat Jodo Yatra was discontinued. We will provide foolproof security (to the yatra)," Additional Director General of Police Vijay Kumar, who is in charge of security in Kashmir Valley, said in a statement.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said he had to call off his walk on Friday because police arrangements "unfortunately completely collapsed" when the yatra crossed Banihal into Qazigund in the Valley through the Jawahar tunnel.

"Only authorised persons as identified by organisers and frisked crowd were allowed inside towards the route of the yatra. Organisers and managers of the BJY did not intimate about large gathering from Banihal joining the yatra," Kumar said.

Crowds, he said, were thronging Qazigund.

"Full security arrangements were in place... JK Police was not consulted before taking any decision on discontinuation of the yatra," he added.

"The rest of the yatra continued peacefully. There was no security lapse at all," Kumar said in the statement.




The White House emphasized the need to enhance cybersecurity Friday, highlighting cyber thefts committed by North Korean actors.







It said poor cybersecurity has allowed North Korea to steal over $1 billion in cryptocurrency.







"Some cryptocurrency entities ignore applicable financial regulations and basic risk controls  practices that protect the country's households, businesses, and economy," it said in a press released, titled, "The Administration's Roadmap to Mitigate Cryptocurrencies' Risks."







"And there is poor cybersecurity across the industry that enabled the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to steal over a billion dollars to fund its aggressive missile program," it added.







Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor at the White House for cyber and emerging technologies, earlier said Pyongyang is believed to finance some 30 percent of its illicit weapons programs with proceeds from illegal cyber activities.







"North Korean malicious cyber activity is of significant concern. You saw we attributed a number of North Korean cyberattacks against cryptocurrency infrastructure that we believe netted North Korea vast sums of money," Neuberger said.







The U.S. has said a North Korean hacker group, Lazarus, stole nearly $620 million from online game Axie Infinity in one of the single largest cyber theft cases in 2022. (Yonhap)


Union Minister G/ Kishan Reddy speaks at the G20 Startup inception meeting on Saturday in Hyderabad on Saturday. DC

HYDERABAD: Union minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday called for the creation of an international network of mentors, investors and entrepreneurs to strengthen the global start-up ecosystem while his Cabinet colleague G. Kishan Reddy said todays youth wanted to be job creators instead of job-seekers.

They were speaking at the inaugural session of Startup20  the newest engagement group of G20 India presidency  which began in the city on Saturday with keynote addresses by Kishan Reddy, Piyush Goyal and Som Parkash, who talked up the scenario for start-ups in India.

Saturday was the first day of the two-day event. After the inception meeting in Hyderabad, there will be three track meetings in Sikkim, Andaman and Nicobar and Bengaluru. The summit meeting would be held in Gurugram.

Kishan Reddy said India was the ideal location for the start-up engagement group. "We have close to 85,000 registered start-ups with 100 plus unicorns at a combined valuation of $350 billion," he said. He invited start-ups to help governments find innovative solutions and new ideas in preserving the rich cultural heritage, and to use new technologies to providing an immersive experience to tourists.

The Startup20 inception meeting aspires to start a series of events to create a global narrative for supporting start-ups and enabling synergies between start-ups, corporates, investors, innovation agencies and other key ecosystem stakeholders. The primary objective is to harmonise the global startup ecosystem through a collaborative and forward-looking approach.

The purpose of this group is to provide a common platform for start-ups from G20 member countries to come together to develop actionable guidance in the form of building of enablers capacities, identification of funding gaps, enhancement of employment opportunities, and growth of an inclusive ecosystem.

Addressing the gathering online, commerce minister Goyal said the international network of investors and entrepreneurs must support and inspire start-ups, act as a team to facilitate exchange of ideas, best practices and funding mechanisms and promote collaborations in research and development. Supporting innovation should be the collective responsibility of nations, he said.

He gave the mantra of 'Sense  Share, Explore, Nurture, Serve and Empower  for growth of start-ups. "Growing participation from Tier 2 & 3 markets that are swiftly embracing latest technology has pushed the envelope for local start-ups in India," he pointed out.

Indias G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, joint secretary of the department of promotion of industry and internal trade Shruti Sinha and Startup20 chair Dr Chintan Vaishnav also spoke at the event. The delegates also visited T-Hub on Saturday where principal secretary, IT, Jayesh Ranjan gave his keynote address.
Pilots being rescued from the crash site after a Su-30MKI and Mirage 2000 fighter planes crashed during an exercise, in Morena district, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Two Indian Air Force fighter jets crashed Saturday, killing one pilot, in an apparent mid-air collision while on exercises in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh on Saturday

The crash involved a Russian-made Sukhoi Su-30, carrying two pilots, and a French-built Mirage 2000, operated by a third.

Both aircraft had taken off in the morning from the Gwalior air base, around 50 kilometres east of where they came down.

"The aircraft were on routine operational flying training mission," the Air Force said in a statement, adding that one of the three pilots had sustained fatal injuries.

An investigation was underway to determine the cause of the crash, it added.

Police officer Dharmender Gaur told AFP from the scene of the crash that another pilot had been found alive but injured in the forests of Padargarh around 300 kilometres.

"We have located the wreckage of one of the planes," the officer said. "The other plane has likely fallen further away from the site and we have sent teams to locate it."

Local authorities had been instructed to assist with the air force's rescue and relief work, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted.

"I pray to god that the pilots of the planes are safe," he added.

The crash is the latest in a string of aviation accidents involving India's military air fleet.

Five army soldiers were killed last October when their helicopter crashed in Arunachal Pradesh.

It was the second military chopper crash in the state that month, coming weeks after a Cheetah helicopter came down near the town of Tawang, killing its pilot.

Defence chief, General Bipin Rawat, was among 13 people killed when his Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter crashed while transporting him to an air force base in December 2021.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is grappling with the urgent task of overhauling India's outdated armed forces.

Its military establishment is fretting over a growing assertiveness by China along its vast Himalayan frontier, which in 2019 sparked a lingering diplomatic freeze after a deadly high-altitude confrontation between troops of both countries.

India unveiled its first locally built aircraft carrier last year as part of government efforts to build an indigenous defence industry and reduce reliance on Russia, historically its most important arms supplier.

An effort to reform military recruitment to trim down India's bloated defence payroll stalled last year after a backlash from aspiring soldiers, who burned train carriages and clashed with police in fierce protests.
G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region addressing the inaugural session of two-day inception meeting of the Startup 20 Engagement Group in Hyderabad. (ANI)

Hyderabad: The two-day inception meeting of the Startup 20 Engagement Group, set up under India's G20 presidency has begun at Hyderabad on Saturday. During the inaugural session of the meeting, G Kishan Reddy, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region said, "Today, India has 3rd highest number of startups in the world. Our youths want to become job creators instead of job holders.

G-20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, Startup-20 Chair Chintan Vaishnav, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, secretary Anurag Jain and G-20 Secretariat JS Asish Sinha JS have attended the session. As many as 180 delegates from G-20 member countries and nine special invitee countries besides stakeholders have participated in the inaugural meeting.

Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal also addressed the delegates through a video message.

While addressing the session G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant said that startups of today are solving problems of education, health, agricultural productivity etc for one billion people for India and also for the world. "Earlier, opening a bank a/c in India took 8-9 months whereas today, it's possible within a minute using biometrics. Since last 4 years, we do more fast payments compared to US, Europe and China," he added.

Startup20 aspires to create a global narrative for supporting startups and enabling synergies between startups, corporates, investors, innovation agencies and other key ecosystem stakeholders, an official release said.

The purpose of this group is to provide a common platform for startups from G20 member countries to come together to develop actionable guidance in the form of building of enabler's capacities, identification of funding gaps, enhancement of employment opportunities, achievement of SDG targets and climate resilience, and growth of an inclusive ecosystem, it said.

Startup 20 is an important engagement group and Hyderabad has a culture of innovation, G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant told reporters on Friday.
Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police K V Rajendranath Reddy (DC)

VIJAYAWADA: Andhra Pradesh has topped a survey in the country in terms of public trust, efficiency and honesty in the police department.

Making the announcement, AP director general of police (DGP) K.V. Rajendranath Reddy said the survey had been commissioned by Government of India and private agencies.

"It is a moment of pride for Government of Andhra Pradesh and the police department," he declared, saying a series of initiatives taken during the last year by AP police have yielded best results.

Giving details, the DGP said in public trust, AP stood first followed by Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Gujarat and Delhi. In efficiency, Telugu states Andhra Pradesh and Telangana came first and second, with Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand following in that order. In honesty, Andhra Pradesh topped with Uttarakhand, Telangana, Gujarat and Delhi following.

Rajendranath Reddy said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah participated in a conference with DGPs of various states from January 20 to January 22, 2023 in New Delhi, where performances of various states had been reviewed.

The union government communicated about the ranks various states had achieved in the survey, which has turned out to be the happiest thing for AP police, he stated.

The DGP maintained that the initiatives of AP police like 1.7 crore registrations of Disha application, shifting to conviction-based investigations, people friendly policing, quick police response through use of technology, and inculcating a sense of discipline within the police has helped achieve results as revealed by the survey.

Rajendranath Reddy thanked Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy government for its support that enabled the police department to achieve results at the national level.
Telangana High Court. (DC Photo)

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Friday directed the Hyderabad central crime station (CCS) police to furnish the status report of their investigation against Sahiti Infratech Ventures India Private Limited and its chairman and directors, who had cheated around 1,200 customers of Rs 1,500 crore with free launch offers for apartments in their real estate ventures.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N. Tukaramji directed the police to submit the report by February 10.

Last year, the victims of Sahiti Infratech Ventures had approached the High Court, seeking a direction to the police to register separate cases on their complaints. The police had refused to file multiple cases against the directors of Sahiti Infra. The victims' contention was that they had paid the amounts individually.

A single judge of the Telangana High Court had disposed of all the petitions and directed the police to register the petitioners' complaints and transfer the FIRs to the Hyderabad CCS, detective department, for joint investigation.

Boodati Parvathi, director of Sahiti Infratech Ventures, filed an appeal before the division bench challenging the single judge's orders, for filing 42 FIRs at multiple police stations for the same cause of action.

Counsel for the victims on Friday argued before the division bench that the appellants were defrauded under the guise of allotting flats and residential units in the projected projects at a very low price. He stated that all of the complainants were distinct individuals.

Considering this, the division bench observed that the single judge had correctly stated that after registering the FIRs, all FIRs should be sent to CCS for investigation and declined to intervene.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Saturday arrived at Karnataka's Hubballi airport to attend various events. (Twitter/@AmitShah)

Hubballi: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Saturday arrived at Karnataka's Hubballi airport to attend various events.

The home minister is likely to attend a road show, a public meeting and a series of other public programs in Karnataka today as the southern state is expected to witness Assembly elections in mid-April or the beginning of May.

The Home Minister will participate in the roadshow near Brahma Devara Temple in Dharwad's Kundgol area, mentioned an official engagement plan.

Home minister Amit Shah was received by Karnataka's Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.

Shah will also attend a public meeting at M.K. Hubballi Belagavi in Karnataka's Belgaum district, the plan pointed, adding that both events will be held on Saturday evening.

The Home Minister will start his day-long visit to Karnataka by attending the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of B.V. Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology at 10.30 am in KLE Technology University, Hubballi city of the state.

The Minister will further lay the foundation stone of National Forensic Sciences University (Karnataka Campus) around noon in National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Dharwad, a city located in the north-western part of Karnataka.

Shah will also offer prayers at Shambulingeshwara Temple in Dharwad's Kundgol and visit Sri Basavanna Devara Mutt in the area on Saturday afternoon.

The Home Minister's visit to Karnataka has been organised at a time when Assembly elections are scheduled here this year along with eight other states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.

These Assembly elections are said to be the semi-finals ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections scheduled to be held in 2024. The elections in Karnataka are likely to be held in mid-April or the beginning of May. Ahead of the assembly polls, the focus of political parties has shifted to the state. Among the other significant seats, one is the Mangalore City South assembly constituency.
The team is expected to not only study the Union budget but also examine state budgets and formulate data points on how the Centre assists states, it is learnt (representational image)

HYDERABAD: The Bharatiya Janata Party has set up a nine-member team, comprising party leaders and those representing its affiliated organisations, to study the Union Budget after its presentation on February 1, and to brief and guide state units on how the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government was addressing the needs of the people through budgetary provisions.

The team includes former MP G. Vivek Venkatswamy from Telangana, party general secretary Sunil Bansal, who incidentally the the partys in-charge for Telangana affairs, Bihar former deputy chief minster Sushil Kumar Modi, Dr Ashok Lahiri, former chief economic adviser at the Centre, and BJP MP Tejaswi Surya. They are expected to have a virtual meeting on Sunday and will discuss the broad outlines of the plan to disseminate Union budget highlights and people-friendly decisions.

The team is expected to not only study the Union budget but also examine state budgets and formulate data points on how the Centre assists states, it is learnt
A Maheshwar Reddy questioned the fate of the TRS 2014 manifesto of setting up 30-bedded hospitals at the Mandal level, 100-bedded hospitals at the constituency level, and a super-specialty hospital on par with NIMS in each district headquarters. (Representational Image: DC Images)

HYDERABAD: The Congress on Saturday released its second chargesheet as part of Haath se Haath Jodo Abhiyan, highlighting the TRS governments alleged failure and its unfulfilled promises in the health sector.

Monitoring committee convener A. Maheshwar Reddy conducted a review meeting at Gandhi Bhavan before releasing the chargesheet.

"After having come up with an overall chargesheet, we will now release a department-specific chargesheet. The Congress is ready for a debate with the ruling party or at least they should come up with clarification if our charges are wrong," said Maheshwar Reddy, while briefing the media later.

The chargesheet recalls how the state government drew condemnation for the inept handling of the Covid crisis. The government not only failed to take serious steps to prevent the spread of the pandemic but also helped corporate companies mint money.

Speaking about the TRS 2014 manifesto, the Congress wanted to know the fate of 30-bed hospitals at the Mandal level, 100-bedded hospitals at the constituency level, and a super-specialty hospital on par with NIMS in each district headquarters.

"To make matters worse, the government withdrew rules mandating doctors stay in villages because of which quality healthcare took a beating in rural areas. Supply of medicines has been short and hospitals are understaffed," he pointed out.

Referring to the CAG report, he questioned the status of the partys promises on strengthening emergency services like 108 and 104 and creating individual health profile records.

"With around `800 crore arrears pending, Arogyasri network hospitals have threatened to stop services," Maheshwar Reddy added.
Victims of a shooting attack are covered on the ground near a synagogue in Jerusalem , Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

JERUSALEM: A Palestinian gunman opened fire outside an east Jerusalem synagogue Friday night, killing seven people, including a 70-year-old woman, and wounding three others before he was shot and killed by police, officials said. It was the deadliest attack on Israelis in years and raised the likelihood of more bloodshed.

The attack, which occurred as residents were observing the Jewish sabbath, came a day after an Israeli military raid killed nine Palestinians in the West Bank. Fridays shooting set off celebrations in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, where people fired guns into the air, honked horns and distributed sweets.

The burst of violence, which also included a rocket barrage from Gaza and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes, has posed an early challenge for Israels new government, which is dominated by ultranationalists who have pushed for a hard line against Palestinian violence. It also cast a cloud over a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the region Sunday.

Addressing reporters at Israels national police headquarters, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had held a security assessment and decided on "immediate actions." He said he would convene his Security Cabinet on Saturday night, after the end of the sabbath, to discuss a further response.

Netanyahu declined to elaborate but said Israel would act with "determination and composure." He called on the public not to take the law into their own hands.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the U.S. strongly condemned the attack and was "shocked and saddened by the loss of life," noting it came on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

U.S. officials said later Friday that President Joe Biden spoke with Netanyahu to offer U.S. support to the government and people of Israel, calling the shootings "an attack against the civilized world." "The President stressed the iron-clad U.S. commitment to Israels security," the White House said of the call.

Israeli police said the shootings occurred in Neve Yaakov, a settlement with a large ultra-Orthodox population, and that the gunman fled in a car. Police said they chased after him and after an exchange of fire, killed him.

Jerusalem police chief Doron Turjeman confirmed seven deaths, in addition to the shooter, and said three people were wounded.

Police identified the attacker as a 21-year-old east Jerusalem resident who apparently acted alone. Turjeman promised an "aggressive and significant" effort to track down anyone who helped him.

Police also released a photo of the pistol it said was used by the attacker.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant huddled with Israels military chief and other top security officials and instructed them to assist police and strengthen defenses near Jerusalem and for Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

"Israels defense establishment will operate decisively and forcefully against terror and will reach anyone involved in the attack," Gallant said.

Israels MADA rescue service said that those killed included five men and two women, among them several who were 60 or older. Jerusalems Hadassah Hospital said a 15-year-old boy was recovering from surgery.

The attack was the deadliest on Israelis since a 2008 shooting killed eight people in a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem, according to the Foreign Ministry. Given the location and timing, it threatened to trigger a tough response from Israel.

Overnight Thursday, Gaza militants fired several rockets into southern Israel, with all of them either intercepted or landing in open areas. Israel responded with airstrikes on targets in Gaza. No casualties were reported, and calm had appeared to be taking hold before Friday nights shooting.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. In Gaza, Hazem Qassem, spokesman for the ruling Hamas militant group, said the attack was "a revenge and natural response" to the deadly military raid Thursday.



At several locations across the Gaza Strip, dozens of Palestinians gathered in spontaneous demonstrations to celebrate the Jerusalem attack, with some coming out of dessert shops with large trays of sweets to distribute.

In downtown Gaza City, celebratory gunfire could be heard, as cars honked and calls of "God is great!" wafted from mosque loudspeakers. In various West Bank towns, Palestinians launched fireworks.

The attack escalated tensions that were already heightened following Thursdays raid in the West Bank refugee camp of Jenin, where nine people, including at least seven militants and a 61-year-old woman, were killed. It was the deadliest single raid in the West Bank in two decades. A 10th Palestinian was killed in separate fighting near Jerusalem.

Angry Palestinians marched Friday as they buried the last of those killed a day earlier.

Scuffles between Israeli forces and Palestinian protesters erupted after the funeral for a 22-year-old Palestinian north of Jerusalem and elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, but calm prevailed in the contested capital and in the blockaded Gaza Strip for most of the day.

That suddenly dissolved with the east Jerusalem shooting, described as "horrific and heartbreaking" by Yair Lapid, the opposition leader and former prime minister.

Neve Yaakov is a religious Jewish settlement that Israel considers to be a neighborhood of its capital. Israel claims all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital, while the Palestinians seek east Jerusalem, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as a capital of their future state.

Blinkens trip will probably now focus heavily on lowering tensions. He is likely to discuss the underlying causes of the conflict, the agenda of Israels new far-right government and the Palestinian Authoritys decision to halt security coordination with Israel in response to the Jenin raid.

The Biden administration has been deeply engaged with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in recent days, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said, underscoring the "urgent need here for all parties to deescalate to prevent the further loss of civilian life and to work together to improve the security situation in the West Bank."

Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and several smaller skirmishes since the militant group seized power in Gaza from rival forces in 2007.

Tensions have soared since Israel stepped up raids in the West Bank last spring, following a series of Palestinian attacks.

Nearly 150 Palestinians were killed in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in 2022, making it the deadliest year in those territories since 2004, according to leading Israeli rights group BTselem. Last year, 30 people were killed in Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

So far this year, 30 Palestinians have been killed, according to a count by The Associated Press.

Israel says most of the dead were militants. But youths protesting the incursions and others not involved in the confrontations also have been killed.

Israel says its raids are meant to dismantle militant networks and thwart attacks. The Palestinians say they further entrench Israels 55-year, open-ended occupation of the West Bank, captured along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war.
Senior Vice President of the PML-N Maryam Nawaz returned to Pakistan on Saturday to strengthen her party ahead of the crucial assembly elections, nearly four months after she flew to London to meet her father and former premier Nawaz Sharif.

Maryam, who has been appointed as the party's chief organiser, landed at Allama Iqbal International Airport here from Abu Dhabi after a one-hour delay in her flight due to a medical emergency on the plane.

"Long live Pakistan," she tweeted after her return to Pakistan.

Also Read | PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, daughter Maryam could return to Pakistan soon

She left Pakistan for London in October last year after she was acquitted in a corruption case. At the time, she had said she was eager to see her father Nawaz, whom she hadnt met since 2019.

The 49-year-old senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, on her return to Pakistan, told Geo News that she would utilise all her energy to strengthen the party.

Earlier, party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said Maryam was returning to begin the reorganisation of the party.

Maryam is likely to have a more significant role in the political happenings of the country after her appointment as the PML-N's chief organiser earlier this month.

PML-N supremo Nawaz has authorised Maryam, along with Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, to lead rallies and hold meetings ahead of the upcoming elections in Punjab.

Her elevation in the party is a clear message from Nawaz to the camp led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that she, and not the incumbent premier, would succeed him, a PML-N leader from Punjab told the Dawn newspaper.

Eventually, Maryam will head the party as this is the wish of the supreme leader of PML-N (Nawaz). The new positions, especially that of chief organiser, have already empowered her to run the affairs of the party according to her wishes.

The influence of Shehbaz Sharif and his son, Hamza Shehbaz, in party matters will diminish in the days to come. She will be the ultimate boss in the party, the report quoted him as saying.

Maryam is also said to be keen on taking over the partys affairs in Punjab, especially after it faced a humiliating defeat in the by-polls last year at the hands of rival Imran Khans Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party.




Elizabeth Salmon, the U.N. special rapporteur for North Korea's human rights, will visit South Korea next week, diplomatic sources here said Saturday.







The sources said Salmon will be here for about five days from Sunday to attend a conference on North Korean human rights and meet related activist groups.







During the conference, Monday and Tuesday, she will speak about the human rights situation of women and children in the reclusive country and host a session.







She is also scheduled to meet families of six South Korean citizens detained in North Korea early next month to share opinions on the U.N.'s efforts to have them returned to their country







"I understand her visit this time is focused on the issues of North Korean women's rights and South Korean detainees," one of the sources said.







Salmon reportedly has no plan yet to meet ranking South Korean government officials during the visit. (Yonhap)


Sri Lankas overall economic growth in 2022 was minus 11 per cent and it could be - 3.5 to - 4 per cent this year, President Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday, as the island nation tried hard to overcome its worst economic crisis since independence.

Wickremesinghe, who also holds the finance ministry portfolio, said that 2022 overall economic growth was larger than the expected at - 8 per cent and in 2023 the growth rate could hover somewhere around - 3.5 per cent to - 4 per cent.

The growth rate of the economy in 2022 was - 11 per cent. It could be - 3.5 to - 4 per cent this year, Wickremesinghe told a gathering in the north central district of Anuradhapura.

Also Read | Sri Lanka thanks India for backing its $2.9 billion bailout package; issuing guarantees to IMF

During mid 2022 Sri Lanka faced the worst economic crisis which led to months long public protests leading to a political crisis.

Shortages of essentials due to the forex crisis forced people onto the streets demanding the resignation of president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Last year in April, Sri Lanka declared its first-ever debt default in its history as the economic crisis triggered by forex shortages sparked public protests.

On Wednesday, Governor of Sri Lankan Central Bank Nandalal Weerasinghe told reporters that the overall negative growth in 2022 would be around 8 per cent.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had projected the 2022 growth to be minus 8 per cent.

Wickremesinghe criticised his predecessors tax concessions offered in 2020.

He said that in 2019 around 1.6 million tax files existed which came to be drastically reduced to 400,000 files by December 2021.

The decrease in government revenue due to this is the primary cause of the economic crisis, Wickremesinghe said.

Wickremesinghe said the current negotiations with the global lender IMF for the bail out of 2.9 billion was crucial.

If the IMF programme is disrupted in any way, no one can prevent the country from falling into a crisis again similar to May and June last year, he said.

Until Sri Lanka approached the IMF for the bail out, it was credit lines from India which helped Sri Lanka import its essentials.

Indias economic assistance package totalled $4 billion.
Last months attack on Chinese nationals at a hotel in Kabul has rattled Beijing. For it had hoped to overcome the graveyard of empires and reap the benefits of its resources as well as fill the geopolitical vacuum in Afghanistan.

The December 12 attack by the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP) on Longan Hotel, which housed scores of Chinese nationals, left five Chinese national seriously injured and four militants dead. This followed a series of attacks on Pakistani and Russian missions and on the airport.

It took more than a month for the new Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang to call his Taliban counterpart Amir Khan Muttaqi to urge strong measures to protect Chinese personnel, institutions, and projects in the country.

Also Read | India expects more clashes with Chinese troops in Himalayas

The ISKPs renewed focus on China comes as the Taliban is seen moving close to Beijing. China has also been close to the Talibans interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and his faction in the Taliban over the past two decades. However, Beijing has not officially recognised the Taliban regime.

The Taliban has promised not to allow terrorist attacks on others from Afghan soil, but it is unable to keep its word at a time when Afghanistan is teeming with terrorist and militant groups -- the ISKP, Al Qaeda, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Balochistan Liberation Army and others  and all of them are attempting to recruit or poach cadres.

The violent attacks at Dasu hydro-electricity dam, Karachi Confucius Centre, Gwadar port and other areas signal the rise in militancy in Pakistan-Afghanistan. Chinas gambit of softening the leaders in these countries through investments is thus not working.

Nevertheless, China is enticing Kabul to link up with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor by proposing to build cross-border railway networks from Peshawar to Kabul and Quetta to Kandahar. Beijing is also using the trilateral cooperative arrangement with Afghanistan and Pakistan since 2017 to extend CPEC to Afghanistan.

However, with India opposing CPEC projects, Afghanistan has been circumspect about them. The June 2004 attack on Chinese railway workers at Had Bakshi, when 11 of them were killed, is fresh in Chinas memory.

China signed in June 2012 a strategic cooperative partnership with Afghanistan. It also signed an MoU with Afghanistan on the Belt and Road Initiative in May 2016. In April 2019, Beijing signed a BRI energy cooperation agreement with Afghanistan. Last year, Xinjiang Central Asia Petroleum and Gas Co and the Afghan government signed a $540 million agreement to drill for oil in the Amu Darya basin and to create an oil reserve in Sar-e Pul province.

Several Chinese companies are keen to invest in Afghanistan. The 14th Bureau of China Railway, the 19th Metallurgical, Huawei, ZTE and Zhengtong Construction Engineering have all participated in the construction of Afghanistans telecoms, power transmission, water and road projects. Chinas Shuangdeng Group has signed a 5.5-MW photovoltaic project contract in Daikondi province.

But several factors, such as lack of connectivity to the resource-producing areas, scarcity of water and power, and the high operating costs for Chinese companies, hamper Chinas efforts. The rise in militancy means that these companies have to pay protection money to different central and local governments, militants and warlords. Life is scary for Chinese workers in the eight most vulnerable provinces in Afghanistan.

China is taking countermeasures to counter the slide in the security situation. It has begun construction of the crucial $5-million road through Wakhan Corridor that connects to Xinjiang. It is also financing a military base in the bordering Badakhshan province, hoping to create a buffer zone.

China also intends to tie down Afghanistan in a mesh of multilateral arrangements such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation dialogue mechanism on Afghanistan; Himalayan Quadrilateral with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nepal, or in a quadrilateral with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. However, none of these initiatives have helped Beijing make much headway.

China provided military equipment and training to the Mujahideen during the anti-Soviet days of the 1980s. In post-Soviet Afghanistan, Beijing kept the Taliban, Al Qaeda (specifically, the Hekmatyar group) and the Pakistani ISI close, with the bottom line that they would not aid the Uighur insurgency in Xinjiang. It also helped Taliban and Pakistans efforts in the Panjshir attacks.

However, as the surge in attacks on Chinese interests shows, Beijings efforts seem to be faltering. The Longan Hotel attack in Kabul last month could be the harbinger of a new type of militancy in the region. Beijings myopic view and double standards on terrorism may be backfiring.
Earlier this month, a Russian cargo ship was forced to set sail towards China after the Indian government refused to let it dock at Haldia port in West Bengal to offload its goods. Heres the back story to it: In mid-December, the ship had, after unloading some cargo at the Kochi port in Kerala, set sail for Bangladeshs Mongla port to offload some equipment for the construction of the Rooppur nuclear plant, which is being built by Russias State-owned Rosatom. But when the US embassy in Dhaka told Bangladesh that the Russian ship was on its sanctions list, the Sheikh Hasina government did not allow it to dock.

Reports then suggested that India had no issues with letting the Russian ship dock. In end-December, foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told the BBC that he had no information about the Russian ship being denied permission to port at Mongla but that it would not be an issue if the ship arrived in India. The ship was to unload the cargo at Haldia, from where it would be transported to Bangladesh. But by January 20, the Modi government had developed cold feet and the ship was returning with the cargo on board.

Also Read | Need to help India find alternatives to Russian military equipment: Biden admin tells lawmakers



As the Indian decision came immediately after the visit of David Lu, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, to Bangladesh and India, Bangladeshi media reports suggest that the US official compelled New Delhi to adhere to American sanctions, which the Modi government couldnt resist. This is, of course, not the only instance of western sanctions impacting India-Russia ties.

Sergey Chemezov, CEO of Russias military-industrial group Rostek, was in New Delhi last month to discuss the vexed issue of pending Indian payments for Russian defence supplies. He reportedly told his Indian interlocutors that the payments problem could affect future supplies of Russian military equipment, including the highly coveted S-400 air defence system. The Indian Air Force has received one S-400 system from Russia so far but the delivery of other systems has been delayed after the Ukraine war.

The S-400 deal was signed in 2018. Because of the threat of US CAATSA sanctions, India had got Russia to agree to receive the payment in rupees. But after the Ukraine war, as Indian crude imports from Moscow have shot up by 400 per cent , the widening trade imbalance in Russias favour has further complicated the payment issue. The Modi government was keen on conducting the trade in rupees through Vostro accounts in certain banks, but the Russian side is not keen on collecting rupees. It prefers the Chinese yuan, with which it can pay for its imports from China.

Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande recently conceded that one of the major lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war was We realised that there were sustenance issues. In his annual press conference, he said that there has been an impact on Soviet- and Russian-origin equipment and the army is trying to identify alternative sources for spares and ammunition. While the army has 40 such cases, the situation is likely to be more critical for the IAF and Indian Navy. The serviceability of the Mig29K, the Russian naval fighter jets flown from the aircraft carrier, has been poor even before the recent crisis. Similar questions have been raised about the serviceability of the Russian Su30MkI fighters that form the bulk of IAFs combat fleet.

The US officials are aware of the opportunity, and they want to seize it. Speaking at Indo-Pacific Forecast 2023, the White House coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, Kurt Campbell said, We have stated clearly our interest to help India diversify away from its reliance largely on Russian military supplies. We work closely with a number of other nations, like-minded nations, that also seek that goal.

That is at odds with Indian public opinion. A recent survey of 1,000 Indians by Morning Consult showed that 48 per cent of them see Russia as the preferred source of military equipment, compared to 44 per cent for the US. Public opinion places Russia as a stronger ally than the US. In the same survey, while 38 per cent believed that Russia is to blame for the war in Ukraine, 26 per cent blamed the US, 18 per cent the NATO and 10 per cent blamed Ukraine. More worryingly, 22 per cent Indians said the US represents the greatest military threat to India after China (43 per cent ). Russia and Pakistan shared the next spot at 13 per cent each.

This public opinion of friendly and strong ties with Russia is also reflected in the narrative propagated by foreign minister S Jaishankar in his acerbic retorts in western capitals. Often couched in self-interest, he portrays India as pursuing a principled policy of multilateralism. The Modi government also confirms a lot of western biases when it sends a military contingent to Russia for an exercise or grants the visiting Russian foreign minister audience with PM Modi. A joint production facility to make AK203 rifles in India or a deal to lease a nuclear submarine is bound to give further credence to many American prejudices about Indias undying love for Russia.

The narrative of this rhetoric is stronger than the reality. Of course, India does not wish to antagonise Russia, but the thin strand of Delhis ties with Moscow is becoming thinner by the day. Russias attractiveness as a military supplier has been on a downward curve, a process likely to be accelerated in the future. With France keen to step in, Moscows strategic importance at diplomatic forums has diminished in Delhis eyes. Modi cancelled his trip to Moscow for the annual summit with Putin last year.

India still needs Russia for military supplies, fuel and fertiliser and to prevent Moscow from allying fully with Beijing. Delhi is not working to fulfil the Wests desired state of Russia-India ties, but the future of the relationship doesnt look bright. Let no one mistake the superficial for the real.
Two recent developments in the broad sphere of Indian education threw light on the paradoxes in its thought processes. One revealed the status of school education and the other, the aspirational strains of higher learning.

At one end of the education spectrum, the recently published Annual Survey of Education Report, 2022, found marginal improvement in school enrolment but underlined the sorry state of infrastructure and underscored how schoolchildren in many states showed a decline in basic features of learning like reading.

Also Read: DH Exclusive | 37 lakh students didn't make it to college in Karnataka

At the other end of the education horizon, the country saw the recent UGC proposal to allow foreign universities to set up campuses in India. Of course, these two phenomena were disparate. The former was a set of unsettling facts about our education and the other was an entreaty of our aspirations. Their apposition showed how out of joint our thinking about education is.

Why would top-line global universities invest in an environment where primary education is poor and whose existing higher education itself has needed augmenting? And why would they, when the number of Indian students going abroad keeps increasing every year? The UGC seems muddled over the way forward for higher education.

Still, lets examine some cases from elsewhere, where something similar transpired. Universities, especially from the US and UK, set up some campuses in the richer countries of West Asia, South-East Asia, and the Far East. Some have prospered while some have shut down. Its a chequered record but those investments took place with many cultural and political restrictions in place (especially in West Asia) and, more importantly, where a general level of standard quality existed in all tiers of education there. The existing systems ought to be robust for top-line global educators to feel invested.

So, allowing foreign campuses into India might look promising, but its arriving in a climate, with mostly wearied educators often struggling for career advancement and stability in their existing workplaces. As recently as December 2022, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan stated in the Lok Sabha that 11,000 assistant professor and associate professor positions were vacant in our central universities and the many IITs and IIMs combined. This is uninspiring and hurtful for Indian educators and academics, many of whom have been alumnae of these institutions and aspire to work there.

The second aspect is even more fundamental. Our education ministry proposes a fillip for international universities to set roots in India, but what if we considered international primary and secondary education in the same way? Yes, we have international schools and school systems in India, but they tend to be elitist enclaves. Is there a way to democratise primary and secondary education even more? Imagine, the kind of high-calibre input in terms of infrastructure, pedagogy, learner and educator empowerment for lakhs of schools in India? Imagine partnerships over a long period between our schools and those abroad finding a beautiful meeting ground to bolster our primary and secondary education.

Really, in our situation, should paving the way for foreign universities to collaborate in higher education in India be the priority or should it be taking up the much more challenging work of strengthening existing primary education systems and consolidating existing higher education institutions?

The third point: As per our Constitution, education is a subject within the purview of the states. How much of a say do they have in conversing with a central body like the UGC over framing the entry of foreign universities? Has there been a discussion? It looks increasingly like Indian education has misplaced its fundamental priorities.
The world is increasingly seeing India as a major consumption market. This view is based on Indias middle-class as avid consumers with sizeable spending capacity and disposable income. This is what attracts global businesses, and investors to set up shop to cater to this segment.

In such a booming consumer market, India needs adequate and speedy solutions to its consumers grievances. An average consumer is not aware of where to go, and whom to complain to. Even when they know, they have little confidence that complaining would address the problem. It could be a grievance about rash driving, or chain snatching, or losing money to digital fraud, or issues with poor road conditions, or hospital overbilling, or telecom issues, etc.

The common framework  the Consumer Protection Act 1986  mandates the disposal of consumer grievance cases within 45 days. Unfortunately, at the current rate, the disposal of the pending cases itself could take decades to clear! Are you as a consumer ready to wait that long?

This is not to say that progress has not been made  it is that more needs to be done to match the pace at which the market has grown, and has the potential to grow.

Enter Ombudsman

It is into this milieu that the ombudsman enters. An ombudsman (from Swedish word ombudsmand, which means a representative, a proxy) is usually an appellate body to whom customers can escalate their complaints if a company fails to address their complaint, or address it in a satisfactory manner, within a certain timeframe. Ombudsperson usually are independent, and the decisions they take are legally valid.

One would assume that it would be in the interest of the companies to provide their customers with good service, and being responsive to complaints would attract loyal customers. Alas, if only that was the case. The sectoral regulators and businesses seem to have their grievance mechanism in their posters and events, and that one special annual day to celebrate consumer grievance redressal rather than in their service culture.

Sadly, the regulations currently dont even require companies to state the number of consumer complaints they have received in each financial year, and how many have been resolved, and in what timeframe.

Most of the sectoral regulators have an ombudsperson scheme, or at least a framework to resolve consumer grievance. But their ability to process and solve consumer woes in a quicker time period has been a disappointment. The processes at many of these ombudsperson schemes are often not-simple-to-follow. Many of the complaints go unheard due to technicalities and browbeating procedures.

Simplify the Process

How can an ombudsperson be known to almost all consumers?

If only regulations mandate mentioning the existence of the sectoral grievance redress mechanism and contact information in every product pack and service delivery documentation! Like the statutory warning on cigarette packs.

Imagine the increased confidence for the consumers: if each consumer, upon purchase of a product or service, gets an automated SMS or email from the sectoral regulator/ombudsperson providing a digital link to raise a complaint if required. This would simplify the process, which currently is a deterrent against filing a complaint.

The biggest influence on the ombudsperson ideology is the hope that it would solve the complaint within a fixed time period, and that one would not have to run from pillar to post for filing a complaint. Currently, in addition to the difficulty in filing a complaint, consumers also fear retribution from brands which have deep pockets, a battery of lawyers, and market clout.

Social Media to the Rescue

Given things as they stand, it is not surprising that consumers have turned to social media platforms to express their frustration about poor service. Be it on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. people have started tagging multiple handles, especially of influential people or those in power, probably with a hope that someone will help.

Government officials are usually tagged in the hope that the grievance is brought to their attention. The Prime Minister social media handle, one assumes, would be the most tagged one for consumer grievances. It is done so in the hope that the other officials who are supposed to work on the complaint would do so at least then.

This reflects how broken the current grievance redress mechanism is, one which needs an urgent revamp. Merely having various framework and grandiose announcements wont solve consumers pain.

If the Indian consumer market is to continue growing, this kernel problem needs to be addressed  now. Even otherwise, isnt it time the Indian consumer got a better deal.

(Srinath Sridharan is a corporate advisor and author. Twitter: @ssmumbai.)

The views expressed are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.
More puzzling than the timing of the airing of the two-part BBC documentary, 'India: The Modi Question', is that it triggered the Narendra Modi government to ask social media platforms, Twitter and YouTube, to delete tweets and block uploads.

Does the government fear it would dent the PM's image as the country prepares to host the G20 summit, or might it hurt the BJP, especially among the youth - too young or not born in 2002 to remember the events in Gujarat - in the Lok Sabha elections in 2024?

On January 21, India's External Affairs Ministry termed the documentary biased, lacking objectivity, and exemplifying continuing colonial mindset. A statement by 302 former bureaucrats, judges and veterans said the documentary symbolised the British imperialist hangover. Hindutva votaries had exulted in October when Rishi Sunak, a practising "proud Hindu", took oath as UK's prime minister on the Bhagavad Gita. After the documentary was released, they quickly dug up past instances of BBC's "colonial mindset" on social media. If anything, the BBC documentary, and the subsequent comments on immigration from India by his ministers, have helped Sunak.

Also Read | An era of e-Emergency?

When Pakistani-origin Bradford East MP Imran Hussain asked Sunak if he agreed with claims in the BBC programme that some UK Foreign Office diplomats believed that "Modi was directly responsible", the British PM sought to placate Muslims and Hindus. "The UK government's position on that is clear and long-standing, and it has not changed. Of course, we do not tolerate persecution anywhere, but I am not sure that I agree at all with the characterisation that the hon. gentleman has put forward," he said.

Also Read | Limiting access to BBC documentary on Modi: A self-goal for BJP govt

The other inference that Sangh Parivar is concerned with the documentary is unconvincing. On November 26, while campaigning for the Gujarat assembly polls, Union home minister Amit Shah, in reference to Muslims, said that "such a lesson was taught in 2002" to "those engaging in communal riots" in Gujarat that it led to "akhand shanti" (eternal peace) in the state under the BJP. In the aftermath of the riots, Modi emerged as the "Hindu hridaya samrat", the emperor of Hindu hearts, pitchforking him to the national stage within a decade.

Government officials said the Centre blocked the documentary on social media since it was an attempt to cast aspersions on the authority and credibility of the Supreme Court, which has given the PM a clean chit, sow divisions among various Indian communities, and make unsubstantiated allegations regarding the actions of foreign governments in India.

But BJP insiders attributed the response to assuaging the anger among Modi's supporters who believe the documentary is an attempt to insult him. They also pointed to the relatively benign treatment meted out to those who have attempted to screen the documentary publicly by the law and order machinery. They hinted how this was in contrast to the anti-CAA agitation. "It is an easy assumption for those who do not understand the Sangh Parivar that only a couple of people are omnipotent to take final and binding decisions. Such an assessment ignores that a cadre-based party, which we are, is also democratic where it should heed the sentiment of its rank and file," a party leader explained.
In my late 20s, having read a bit too much of Lorca, taken some Spanish language courses, and made my way through Almodovars cinematic output and a lot of Bunuel for good measure as well, I thought it would be a fine thing to save up some money and go spend some time in the Spanish countryside. Preferably somewhere near Cordoba or Seville, where I could soak in the Andalusian sunlight, the Moorish architecture and the pleasures of flamenco music. While eating a blood orange or two.

As the years passed by, there never seemed to be a good enough bank balance or a large enough chunk of time when I was free and had the money to put this plan into action. So I had to experience the dream through the lives of people like Gerald Brenan who moved to a village in Andalusia after the first world war and wrote a biographical account of the many years he spent there. South from Granada was published in 1957 and its more an anthropological study of the fertile rural areas of the Alpujarras, on the southern side of the Sierra Nevada.

When Brenan first went to the Alpujarras, it was 1919. All he had as his worldly possessions were thousands of books and an army pension. His intention was to find a quiet village and settle down there to read. It seems a wild ambition these days  but somehow Brenan managed to do exactly that with just a few pounds in his pocket. After walking the area and many miles on foot, eating dodgy food and staying in a posada (an inn), he finally ends up in Yegen, a small village. He managed to find a small house for himself and rented it from the owner, a rancher named Don Fadrique.

While Brenan (who came from an upper-class Anglo-Irish family) occasionally let slip the prejudices of his era when narrating his experiences and interactions with the residents, he found much to admire. He wrote with a poets sensibility of the landscape:

The general impression that the place gave was of being at a great elevation above the rest of the world. There was a total isolation, a silence, broken only by the notes of the village and by the burble of running water  a feeling of air surrounding one, of fields of air washing one that I have never come across anywhere else.

Unspoilt by modern technology or development (the village didnt even have electricity or phone lines even though most of the rest of Spain did), life in the early years of the 20th century in these parts was pretty much like it had been when the Moors were driven out in the 15th century. Outside these valleys and mountains, the great world had gone to war and thousands had died, but for the villagers of Yegen, those events might as well have been happening on Mars.

As a member of the Bloomsbury group (though very much on its outer periphery), Brenan was friends with Lytton Strachey and Virginia and Leonard Woolf. They make appearances in South From Granada, visiting Yegen and suffering through the arduous journey to the place and food that upsets delicate digestive systems. Brenan continued to read and travel around the region and he would eventually write a seminal study of the Spanish Civil War titled The Spanish Labyrinth. By the time he left Yegen and eventually Spain during Francos era, Brenans love and affection for the place and its residents had only grown in feeling, inspiring him to write South from Granada and capture a world that was well on its way to disappearing for good.

The author is a writer and communications professional. When shes not reading, writing or watching cat videos, she can be found on Instagram @saudha_k where she posts about reading, writing, and cats.

That One Book is a fortnightly column that does exactly what it says  it takes up one great classic and tells you why it is (still) great.
Allstate NIs Stephen Lomas has been appointed chair of the Contact Centre Network Northern Ireland (CCNNI).

Stephen, who leads Allstate NIs global service desk from Derry and Strabane, takes over as chair of the industry body from Danske Banks Joanne Wilson, who has led the organisation since 2021.

Established in 2018, CCNNI is a non-profit membership organisation supporting the contact centre and customer service industry, which employs over 15,000 people across Northern Ireland.

Stephen is a senior manager at the Allstate Technology Support Centre, which provides technical support to 54,700 Allstate employees around the world. He brings over 18 years of industry experience to the role, having joined Allstate NI when the technical support desk first opened in 2004.

As chair of the CCNNI Advisory Board, Stephen hopes to promote the industry as an employer of choice and develop initiatives to share best practices, working with the organisations 45-plus members, including BT, Firstsource Solutions, Santander, Concentrix, Danske Bank, BNP Paribas Personal Finance and Power NI.

The appointment follows Stephens recognition as Contact Centre Manager of the Year at the UK National Contact Centre Awards 2021 and Contact Centre Manager of the Year at the Contact Centre Network NI Awards 2020.

Allstate NI Senior Manager and CCNNI Chair Stephen Lomas said: I am thrilled to begin my term as chair of the CCNNI Advisory Board after many years engaging with colleagues in the industry via the organisation.

Working in the sector, I have had the opportunity to build and progress my career within a large organisation and have watched the industry expand in line with Northern Irelands growing reputation as an active technology hub.

The CCNNI is an important vehicle for collaborating with others and sharing new initiatives, and I look forward to working with the rest of the Board as we support the industrys continued expansion across the evolving landscape of contact centres as multi-channel centralised services.

CCNNI Managing Director Jayne Davies added: We are delighted to welcome Stephen as chair and look forward to implementing his ideas and initiatives. He will be a strong asset to the organisation as we work together to promote the contact centre industry.
SDLP Foyle MLA Sinead McLaughlin has highlighted concerns regarding student access to the 600 energy support payment. It follows concerns that not all students are aware of the process for accessing the funding.

A recent survey from the national Students Union found that 60% of students were concerned about their ability to manage financially during the cost-of-living crisis.

The Foyle MLA said: From the cost of rising rents to spiralling energy bills, more and more students are finding it difficult to make ends meet during this cost-of-living crisis.

"The figures released by the national student representative bodies detailing the scale of these challenges are shocking and show how students are finding it difficult to pay for basic living expenses while undertaking their education.

"Postgraduate students and students who undertake placements are clearly finding it particularly difficult to cope, as they struggle to meet the costs of out-of-pocket expenses.

We need to do everything possible to ensure that the 600 payment reaches the people that it is intended to help, including students.

"However, I am not convinced that all students are aware of their eligibility for this support and how to access it. Where a student pays for their energy bills as part of their rent, its important that the relevant intermediary, including student accommodation managers, make arrangements to pass on the benefit of the 600 payment and clearly outline to students how this has been achieved.

"Where a student pays for their energy via keypad, its important that they aware of this scheme and its delivery. Many students will live in shared flats and the onus will be on the students themselves to ensure the 600 is fairly split between all tenants.

Students deserve the financial support they need to thrive at university. The problems that they are facing during the cost-of-living crisis are really just symptomatic of the wider funding issues facing higher and further education.

"I am pleased that the previous Minister announced a review of higher education funding.

"It must represent an opportunity to address the inequalities in the system and ensure all students can achieve their potential, regardless of financial circumstance.
Facts about Russia-Ukraine conflict: 1 killed, 2 injured in missile attack in Ukrainian capital

Xinhua) 09:46, January 28, 2023

MOSCOW/KIEV, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments in the Ukraine crisis:

At least one person was killed and two others injured as a result of a missile attack in the Ukrainian capital on Thursday, Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

The casualties occurred as remnants of the missile fired by the Russian forces hit a non-residential building in the southern Holosiivskyi district, Klitschko said, adding that explosions also occurred in the eastern Dniprovskiy district.

The attacks also hit energy infrastructure in the southern Odesa region, causing blackouts, the head of the Odesa military administration Maksym Marchenko said on Telegram.

Western arms supplies to Ukraine testify to their direct involvement in the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday after Germany approved sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

"There are constant statements from European capitals and Washington that the supplies of various weapon systems, including tanks, to Ukraine in no way mean the involvement of these countries or the alliance (NATO) in the hostilities that are taking place in Ukraine," Peskov told a daily briefing.

"We categorically disagree with this ... Everything that the alliance ... does is perceived as direct involvement in the conflict. And we see that this involvement is growing," he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday welcomed Germany's decision to supply its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

After a phone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Zelensky said they also discussed a further broadening of defense support and training missions for Ukraine.

The armed forces of Ukraine have withdrawn from the Donetsk region's town of Soledar, Serhiy Cherevaty, the spokesman of the Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, was quoted by the government-run Ukrinform news agency as saying on Wednesday.

He said that after months of intense fighting, the Ukrainian army withdrew to pre-prepared defense lines in the outskirts of the city. "The defenders of Soledar performed a real feat despite the enemy's superiority," he said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Jan. 13 that the country's forces had fully controlled the city of Soledar in Donetsk on Jan. 12, adding that this was important for "the continuation of successful offensives in the Donetsk direction."

Russian forces killed about 90 Ukrainian servicemen in the past day in the Kupyansk and Krasny Liman directions, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a daily briefing on Thursday.

Russian troops also downed two Ukrainian Su-25 fighters in Donetsk, he added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Participants of the Cambodia-Korea Business and Investment Forum pose for a photo at InterContinental Seoul COEX in southern Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy





By Kwon Mee-yoo







The Korea-Cambodia free trade agreement (FTA) went into effect last December, marking a new phase in the relationship between the two countries. To promote the new FTA and raise awareness of opportunities in Cambodia, the Embassy of Cambodia in Korea organized a forum at a hotel in southern Seoul, Friday.







The bilateral FTA signals a higher level of market liberalization compared to the existing Korea-ASEAN FTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a multilateral trade pact covering 10 ASEAN states and five partners of Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and Korea.







There are high expectations for the FTA between Korea, known for its advanced technology, and Cambodia, a rapidly developing country with political and economic stability in the ASEAN region. Approximately two months after its implementation, the FTA has already begun to have a tangible effect, such as a rise in the number of certificates of origin being issued.







Ambassador of Cambodia to Korea Chring Botum Rangsay said she was involved in the negotiations for the FTA, which holds a special significance for her.







"One of my ambitions is to kick start this FTA by doing this forum to share information and gather interest from the public of both sides. And hopefully in response, we will build a network to continue to execute this trade and investment deal," Chring said.







From Cambodia, Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak and Minister Attached to the Prime Minister and Secretary General of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) Sok Chenda Sophea led the delegation to the forum.







The ambassador said that trade and investment should be intertwined in the relationship between Korea and Cambodia, as Korean investment in Cambodia will decrease production costs and be mutually beneficial for both countries, explaining why both minister-level officials are visiting Korea.







The Cambodian minister of commerce, told The Korea Times that the FTA would establish a more organized approach between Korea and Cambodia, building on the existing friendship that has existed for decades.







"We believe that the two countries have a different kind of level of development and they complement each other in the economy and development," he said.







"Cambodia is a developing country and we have plenty of natural resources, which need to be explored, whereas Korea has high technologies and is very advanced in many sectors  agricultural processing, automobiles and electronics. Cambodia can offer natural resources that need to be processed by Korean companies and exported throughout the country and the world."







Pan also noted that Cambodia could play a key role in the regional supply chain with a geographical centrality.







"We are promoting regional supply capacities and supply chain resiliency. ASEAN is integrated as ASEAN Economic Community and Korea doing trade with Cambodia is actually a part of a greater supply chain," he said.







"Korea has investments in, let's say, Vietnam and Thailand, which are our neighbors. So we can work and supply as part of the whole big supply chain amongst ASEAN Korean companies could use Cambodia as a hub to work with other countries in ASEAN."







The CDC director general introduced the new Cambodian Law on Investment, which aims to create a more favorable environment for foreign investors in the country in light of the ongoing global challenges such as geopolitical tension, climate change, supply chain disruptions and the fourth industrial revolution.







"All this brings us to think about a new law that will fit the new situation. Although the situation is changing, evolving every day, but at least our new law tries to respond to the new landscape," Sok told The Korea Times.







The new investment law in Cambodia offers a high level of openness, allowing foreign investors to participate in all sectors and providing the freedom to move capital, including the ability to repatriate all profits.







It also emphasizes capacity building and training of the labor force, offering a 150 percent tax deduction for expenses related to this and includes incentives for key industries such as electronics, green energy and automotive.







"Compared to the former law, which gives incentives for production activities, the new law gives incentives for service such as logistics, which has been considered as a weak point of Cambodia," Sok explained.







Sok said the amicable relations between Korea and Cambodia could prompt more Korean companies to invest in Cambodia and vice versa.







"If there is the problem between two governments, it will not encourage nationals from one country to go to do business with the other country. (Korea and Cambodia) have gotten closer and closer over the years. Cambodia is the No. 1 recipient of Korean ODAs (official development assistance) and it tells you that the government of Korea pays attention to and contributes to the development of Cambodia," the director general said, adding that he Cambodia-Korea FTA also sends a strong message to the Korean business community.







The director general emphasized that Cambodia is creating a favorable environment for Korean businesses to invest in, with a young and skilled labor force as well as access to the ASEAN market.







"We anticipate that Korean companies that have experienced disruptions because of COVID and geopolitical reasons may consider to relocate and I ask them to take a look at Cambodia," Sok said.







"In December 2022, the government adopted the roadmap for the development of the automotive and electronic sectors and we wish Korean companies in those sectors to consider that Cambodia has prepared the grounds for their activities."


Political leaders, including Sir Jeffrey Donaldson and Michelle ONeill, gathered for the funeral of the parents of Northern Ireland Assembly member Alex Easton in Co Down.

Mr Eastons mother and father died following a fire at a property in the Dellmount Park area of Bangor, on Monday morning.

Alec and Ann Easton, who were aged in their 80s, were treated for their injuries but both died at the scene.

Speaking at a service of thanksgiving in Bangor Abbey, Alex Easton said the emergency services would always have a place in the hearts of his family for their efforts in trying to save his parents.

A number of politicians, including North Down MP Stephen Farry, the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, Alex Maskey, and TUV leader Jim Allister also attended the funeral service.

Several members of the DUP, of which Alex Easton was formerly a member, were in the congregation.

The two wooden coffins were side by side at the front of the church for the funeral.

Opening the service, the rector of Bangor Abbey Canon Ronnie Nesbitt welcomed those who had attended the funeral.

He said: For their family, especially for Chris, Lorraine and Alex, it has been a grievous loss indeed but one that is perhaps made a little bit more bearable by your presence here today and the many expressions of love and care they have been receiving over these past days.

Before reading a prayer, Alex Easton expressed words of thanks for those who had tried to save his parents.

He said: I want to say thank you to the emergency services, the PSNI, the fire service, for all they did.

You will forever be in our hearts for what you tried to do for us.

I want to say thank you to my mum and dads carers. I know it wasnt always easy for you.

I want to say thank you to everybody who sent me and my family such kind messages.

Canon Christopher Easton, the rector of Armoy, delivered a reflection on the lives of his mother and father.

He said: This is not at all how I ever imagined this day would be.

Mum and dad met and married in their late teens and they were together ever after that.

Dad had been sent from his father from South Africa, where he was born, to Belfast to Harland and Wolff on an apprenticeship as an engineer.

Mum worked in the Ulster Bank in Belfast and they met quite literally over the counter in the bank.

It wasnt long before they fell in love and they began a journey which was long and eventful together and has just ended.

Or perhaps, I would prefer to say, this chapter has ended and another has begun for them because they were believers in Jesus.

Hymns played at the service were The Lords My Shepherd, Amazing Grace and In Christ Alone.
Have you found yourself wishing for a streaming service that can let you watch Anime all day long? Well, weve got some great news for you. Crunchyroll is a top-notch streaming service o watch older anime like the original Dragonball series or the latest episodes of Attack on Titan. Keep reading to learn more about the service and its cost below.

What is Crunchyroll?

Crunchyroll is a streaming service for anime fans, similar to Netflix or Amazon Prime. However, Crunchyroll is exclusively focused on anime content. The platform has a wide variety of anime titles available and also allows users to read Japanese manga comics. While the service has a narrow focus on anime, it is a great choice for fans of the genre as most of the anime they want to watch will probably be available on the platform.

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Crunchyroll offers a free ad-supported subscription that allows users to watch a large collection of anime in 1080p. For those who want unlimited access to anime and the ability to watch episodes as soon as they release, the premium subscription may be a better option.

In India, the premium subscription starts at Rs 79 per month for the "Fan" tier, which includes an ad-free interface, unlimited access to the service's complete catalogue in the country and access to Crunchyroll's manga collection in English. However, users are restricted to streaming on only one device at a time with this tier.

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All you need to do is visit the official Crunchyroll website and sign up to start watching anime!

For more technology news, product reviews, sci-tech features and updates, keep reading Digit.in or head to our Google News page.
The stalling of a research program by Twitter, which many experts viewed as crucial for compliance with Europes new regulations, could mean trouble.Former employees from the organization recently mentioned their concerns about the news to Reuters and how the company may find it hard to fulfill all the requirements set forth in the new European legislation.The DSA by the EU is one of the harshest regulations seen across different internet forums and thats why such news might not be in the firms best interest. The whole point is to have tech giants scrambling to meet the new requirements regarding content moderation, right before such a law arrives by 2024.The company signed a series of voluntary agreements that arose in June when the EU came forward to the DSA and started to commit to the likes of empowering the whole research community via the likes of dataset sharing on disinformation among researchers.The whole goal here is to make the web a safer place for all and also have the right mechanism in place to make sure companies are accountable for their actions. Meanwhile, the firms ex-safety in charge says this research group, Twitters Moderation Research Consortium, used to be a huge part of data compilation through manipulation of the app and gave details to researchers. And during that time, they made sure the platform was positioned in a very unique manner.Around 10 to 15 workers that were busy working on consortiums ended up leaving the firm since Elon Musk took over in October of last year. This law would ensure platforms having more than 45 million European Union users were about to respond to the likes of research proposals across the EU.When a firm fails to comply with the likes of the DSA, it could end up causing fines equivalent to 6% of revenue generated globally or a ban across operations seen in the EU. Reuters says it could not determine if the company made alternative plans or wished to comply with the likes of the DSA.There was one email where the firms current lead for trust and safety says theyre fully ready to comply with the new rules in place. She also shed light on how the app currently has an entire team of workers for this.However, she failed to put out comments on any detailed queries regarding the current status of the consortium and how many workers were busy working on such things, or how the firm would be working to comply with such rules of the DSA.Read next: Twitter Struggles To Solve Reduced User Reach And Engagement Issues While Testing Verified Views
Police officers hold a protestor on a police vehicle in New York, Jan. 27, the day of the release of a video showing police officers beating Tyre Nichols, the young Black man who died three days after he was pulled over while driving during a traffic stop by Memphis police officers. Reuters-Yonhap





Authorities released video footage Friday showing Tyre Nichols being beaten by five Memphis police officers who held the Black motorist down and repeatedly struck him with their fists, boots and batons as he screamed for his mother.







The video is filled with violent moments showing the officers, who are also Black, chasing and pummeling Nichols and leaving him on the pavement propped against a squad car as they fist-bump and celebrate their actions.







The footage emerged one day after the officers were charged with murder in Nichols' death. The chilling images of another Black man dying at the hands of police renewed tough questions about how fatal encounters with law enforcement continue even after repeated calls for change.







Protesters gathered for mostly peaceful demonstrations in multiple cities, including Memphis, where several dozen demonstrators blocked the Interstate 55 bridge that carries traffic over the Mississippi River toward Arkansas, leaving semi-trucks backed up for a distance. In Washington, dozens of protesters gathered in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House and near Black Lives Matter Plaza.







The recording shows police savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes while screaming profanities at him throughout the attack. The Nichols family legal team has likened the assault to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.







After the first officer roughly pulls Nichols out of a car, Nichols can be heard saying, ''I didn't do anything,'' as a group of officers begins to wrestle him to the ground.







One officer is heard yelling, ''Tase him! Tase him!''







Nichols calmly says, ''OK, I'm on the ground.''







''You guys are really doing a lot right now,'' Nichols says. ''I'm just trying to go home.''







''Stop, I'm not doing anything,'' he yells moments later.







Nichols can then be seen running as an officer fires a Taser at him. The officers then start chasing Nichols.







Other officers are called, and a search ensues before Nichols is caught at another intersection. The officers beat him with a baton, and kick and punch him.







Security camera footage shows three officers surrounding Nichols as he lies in the street cornered between police cars, with a fourth officer nearby.







Two officers hold Nichols to the ground as he moves about, and then the third appears to kick him in the head. Nichols slumps more fully onto the pavement with all three officers surrounding him. The same officer kicks him again.







The fourth officer then walks over, draws a baton and holds it up at shoulder level as two officers hold Nichols upright, as if he were sitting.







''I'm going to baton the f- out you,'' one officer can be heard saying. His body camera shows him raise his baton while at least one other officer holds Nichols. The officer strikes Nichols on the back with the baton three times in a row.







The other officers then appear to hoist Nichols to his feet, with him flopping like a doll, barely able to stay upright.







Tyre Nichols is seen propped up against a car after a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers in Memphis, Tenn., Jan. 7, in this screen capture from a video released Jan. 27, by the City of Memphis. AP-Yonhap





An officer then punches him in the face, as the officer with the baton continues to menace him. Nichols stumbles and turns, still held up by two officers. The officer who punched him then walks around to Nichols' front and punches him four more times. Then Nichols collapses.







Two officers can then be seen atop Nichols on the ground, with a third nearby, for about 40 seconds. Three more officers then run up, and one can be seen kicking Nichols on the ground.







As Nichols is slumped up against a car, not one of the officers renders aid. The body camera footage shows a first-person view of one of them reaching down and tying his shoe.







It takes more than 20 minutes after Nichols is beaten and on the pavement before any sort of medical attention is provided, even though two fire department officers arrived on the scene with medical equipment within 10 minutes.







Throughout the videos, officers make claims about Nichols' behavior that are not supported by the footage or that the district attorney and other officials have said did not happen. In one of the videos, an officer claims that during the initial traffic stop Nichols reached for his gun before fleeing and almost had his hand on the handle, which is not shown in the video.







After Nichols is in handcuffs and leaning against a police car, several officers say that he must have been high. Later an officer says no drugs were found in his car, and another officer immediately counters that Nichols must have ditched something while he was running away.







Authorities have not released an autopsy report, but they have said there appeared to be no justification for the traffic stop, and nothing of note was found in the car.







The video raised questions about the role and possible culpability of the other officers at the scene, in addition to the five who were charged. The footage shows a number of other officers standing around after the beating.







Memphis Police Director Cerelyn ''CJ'' Davis has said other officers are under investigation for their part in the arrest.







Davis described the five officers' actions as ''heinous, reckless and inhumane.''







During the traffic stop, the video shows the officers were ''already ramped up, at about a 10,'' she said. The officers were ''aggressive, loud, using profane language and probably scared Mr. Nichols from the very beginning.''







''Police are trained to understand that people might flee just because they are scared,'' said Geoffrey Alpert, a criminologist at the University of South Carolina who studies use of force.







Cities across the country braced for demonstrations. Protests were planned Friday night in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York City and Portland, Oregon.







Nichols' relatives urged supporters to protest peacefully.







''I don't want us burning up our city, tearing up the streets, because that's not what my son stood for,'' Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, said Thursday. ''If you guys are here for me and Tyre, then you will protest peacefully.''







Christopher Taylor, one of the protesters at the Interstate 55 bridge Friday, said he watched the video. The Memphis native said it was horrible that the officers appeared to be laughing as they stood around after the beating.







Tyre Nichols is seen during a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers in Memphis, Tenn., Jan. 7, in this screen capture from video released by the City of Memphis, Jan. 27. AP-Yonhap





''I cried,'' he said. ''And that right there, as not only a father myself but I am also a son, my mother is still living, that could have been me.''







Speaking at the White House, President Joe Biden said Friday that he was ''very concerned'' about the prospect of violence and called for protests to remain peaceful.







Biden said he spoke with Nichols' mother earlier in the day and told her that he was going to be ''making a case'' to Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act ''to get this under control.'' The legislation, which has been stalled, is meant to tackle police misconduct and excessive force and boost federal and state accountability efforts.







Court records showed that all five former officers  Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith  were taken into custody.







The officers each face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Four of the five officers had posted bond and been released from custody by Friday morning, according to court and jail records.







Second-degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison under Tennessee law.







Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said in a statement late Friday that two deputies who appeared on the scene after the beating have been relieved of duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation.







Patrick Yoes, the national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, condemned the alleged actions of the Memphis officers.







''The event as described to us does not constitute legitimate police work or a traffic stop gone wrong. This is a criminal assault under the pretext of law,'' Yoes said in a statement.







As state and federal investigations continue, Davis promised the police department's ''full and complete cooperation.'' (AP)


A Polish man who sent over 270 text messages to a woman in which he used explicit language towards her and graphic racial terms towards her partner, went on to threaten to kill the victim in Poland where he said there are many skinheads and friends of Adolf Hitler, Dundalk Circuit Court heard last week.

Sebastian Nowicki (44) with an address at Mill Road, Saggart, Co. Dublin has been jailed for three years, having pleaded guilty to harassing the woman on dates between December 10th 2014 and January 30th 2015 and making a threat to kill at Drogheda Garda Station on July ninth 2021.

The investigating Garda told the court the victim, whose family knew the defendant's family in Poland, had moved in with him and his family in Saggart in November 2013, but around New Years in 2014, he began to insult her and her partner who is from East Africa.

The couple moved and the woman received phone calls and texts from the defendant.

She reported the harassment to gardai in 2016, hoping he would stop contacting her, but the court heard it continued and 271 text messages were downloaded from two mobile phones seized in a search of his home.

They were sexually derogatory towards the victim and racially so towards her partner while seven postcards and a letter were also sent to the womans family home in Poland.

While before the court charged with harassment, a bench warrant was issued for the defendant, who made a threat in the gardas presence.

He was cautioned that that was an offence and he replied "I will kill her.

Not here...in Poland. There are many skinheads in Poland and many friends of Adolf Hitler in Poland. SiegHeil".

The Defence barrister said his client had a disproportionate reaction to a grievance he had about being owed money for Christmas presents.

He added hes been in Ireland for almost 17 years working as a panel beater, but he began drinking heavily when he lost his job during Covid.

Judge Patrick Quinn imposed a four and half year sentence for the harassment with the final 18 months suspended and a consecutive 18 months for the threat to kill offence which he suspended in its entirety.

The judge also directed that Mr. Nowicki does not communicate by any means with the complainant or any member of her family for 10 years.
Soldiers holding a Taiwanese flag are seen during a preparedness enhancement drill simulating a defense against a Chinese military intrusions, ahead of the Lunar New Year in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, Jan 11. AP-Yonhap



A four-star U.S. Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025  most likely over Taiwan  and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year.



In an internal memorandum that first emerged on social media Friday, and was later confirmed as genuine by the Pentagon, the head of the Air Mobility Command, General Mike Minihan, said the main goal should be to deter "and, if required, defeat" China.



"I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025," Minihan said.



Laying out his reasoning, Minihan said Taiwan's presidential elections next year would offer Chinese President Xi Jinping an excuse for military aggression, while the United States would be distracted by its own contest for the White House.



"Xi's team, reason, and opportunity are all aligned for 2025," he added.



The memorandum also calls on all Mobile Command personnel to go to the firing range, "fire a clip" into a target and "aim for the head."



A Pentagon spokesperson responded to an AFP email query about the memo saying, "Yes, it's factual that he sent that out."



Senior U.S. officials have said in recent months that China appears to be speeding up its timeframe to seize control of Taiwan, a self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing.



China staged major military exercises in August last year, seen as a trial run for an invasion after a defiant visit of solidarity to Taipei by then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who at the time was second in line to the White House.



The United States switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 but sells weapons to Taiwan for its self-defense.



A growing number of U.S. lawmakers have called for ramping up assistance, including sending direct military aid to Taiwan, saying that Russia's invasion of Ukraine underscores the need for early preparation. (AFP)


National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby answers questions during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Jan. 25. Reuters-Yonhap



The United States has secured a deal with the Netherlands and Japan to restrict exports of some advanced chip-making machinery to China in talks that concluded Friday, Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter.



The agreement would extend some export controls the United States adopted in October to companies based in the two allied nations, including ASML Holding, Nikon Corp and Tokyo Electron, the report said.



Officials from the Netherlands and Japan were in Washington discussing a wide range of issues in talks led by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.



John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, said earlier that the officials were talking about issues that are "important to all three of us."



"And certainly the safety and security of emerging technologies is going to be on that agenda," he told reporters.



A source familiar with the talks said restricting exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China was among the topics.



Getting the Netherlands and Japan to impose tighter export controls on China would be a major diplomatic win for President Joe Biden's administration, which in October announced sweeping restrictions on Beijing's access to U.S. chipmaking technology to slow its technological and military advances.



When asked about the Bloomberg report, the White House declined to comment beyond Kirby's earlier remarks.



The Dutch foreign ministry and a spokesperson at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry also declined to comment.



A spokesperson at Nikon declined to comment, saying the company could not speak about something that had not been officially announced. Officials at Tokyo Electron were unavailable for comment when Reuters contacted them outside regular business hours.



The Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte said earlier that it was unclear whether his government would disclose the results of talks with the United States over new export restrictions in the semiconductor industry.



Japanese firms would still be able to sell non-advanced products to China under U.S. regulations, and any dip in shipments to China could be covered in the medium-to-long term by increasing exports to regions such as the United States, Germany and India said Akira Minamikawa, an analyst at research company Omdia.



But the Japanese government and firms may object to the restrictions if it includes measures such as a ban on sending engineers to their equipment customers, Minamikawa said, adding, "That would bring too large an impact on their businesses." (Reuters)




IF January seems to have lasted for 50 days already, and the cold, dark days are taking their toll, then perk up - the first bank holiday of the year is just around the corner.

Monday week, February 6, will see Ireland mark its first St Brigids Day bank holiday, and very timely it is too, as we usually have to wait until March 17 for the first one of the year. Its also the first of our ten bank holidays that celebrate the life of a woman.

The occasion is marked in the documentary Finding Brigid on RTE1 on Tuesday January 31, at 10pm, as Cork actor Siobhan McSweeney, of Derry Girls fame, goes in search of the real Brigid.

The programme is being shown the day before St Brigids Day, which falls on February 1 and traditionally heralds the first day of spring in Ireland.

Cork actor Siobhan McSweeney with Pat Storey, Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath and Kildare, filming Finding Brigid for RTE1

The new bank holiday in her honour will take place on the first Monday in February each year, except where it falls on a Friday, in which case that Friday will be a public holiday.

In Finding Brigid, 1.500 years after her death, Siobhan, of Ovens, unravels the tangled threads of fact and folklore, to reveal the truth about this elusive goddess and saint, and asks why, in an increasingly secular and diverse Ireland, her popularity appears to be on the rise.

Siobhan gathers a mnasome, in a stone circle in Galway, with Herstory activist Melanie Lynch and Laura Murphy, poet and daughter of a mother and baby home survivor, who candidly reveal their motivation behind the mission to make St Brigids day a national holiday. Siobhan also talks to Pat Storey, Church of Ireland Bishop of Meath and Kildare, and feminist scholar Mary Condren (pictured on the cover of TV Week) about Brigid.

The process towards the bank holiday began in 2021, when Minister of State Martin Heydon submitted it as a proposal to Government. He said it would be a welcome boost for the tourism sector in a quiet time for visitors, bridging the length of time between existing public holidays on January 1 and March 17.

Brigid is considered a patron saint of Ireland and was a pupil of St Patrick. She became famous for her kindness, her mercy, and her miracles.

In addition, she founded Irelands most famous mixed (male and female) monastery in Kildare. At the same time, legends about her echo the myths and legends about the three-faced Celtic fertility goddess Brigid - the goddess of war, poetry, crafts, and healing.

It is worth noting that before the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, the feast of the goddess Brigid was also celebrated on February 1.
The owners of two of Cork's old traditional businesses Shandon Sweet Factory and Angela's Shop and Coffee Dock have been announced as Cork Persons of the Year at the annual awards.

The awards took place at Rochestown Park Hotel on Friday afternoon.

Known to generations of corkonians, Shandon Sweet Factory and Shop has been trading since 1928 in the Shandon Quarter of old Cork city.

Angela's Shop and Coffee Dock in Fountainstown has served ice cream, buckets and spades, fishing nets and anything you would need for a day out at the seaside, and is well known to Cork families for decades.

The award judges, Ann Doherty, Chief Executive of Cork City Council and Tim Lucey Chief Executive of Cork County Council said they were struck by the perseverance, adaptability and quality of these two businesses and their contribution to the fabric of Cork through the generations - these two are some of the ingredients that make Cork so special and great".

Shandon Sweets is Ireland's last remaining traditional shop and sweet factory, run by father and son duo Tony and Dan Linehan.

Winners Tony and Dan Linehan of Shandon Sweet factory with Ministers Michael McGrath and Simon Coveney after the announcement of The 30th Cork Person of the Year Awards, at the Rochestown Park Hotel on Friday 27th January 2023. Pic Larry Cummins

The duo have overcome many obstacles over the years, including a major fire. The sweets are all handmade using traditional methods.

Tony Linehan said he was absolutely shocked to receive the award.

I cant believe it, especially when I saw who I was up against. This is just unbelievable, he said.

A shop with a similar legacy is Angela's in Fountainstown.

Angela Cantwell has owned her shop for more than 30 years and has been a staple for visitors and locals alike in Fountainstown.

Speaking as she received the award, she said she was very proud to be honoured with the award and acknowledged her lovely, wonderful elderly customers who she said she loves meeting when they visit the shop.

Speaking about the winners, awards organiser Manus O'Callaghan said: Shandon Sweets is Cork's own Willy Wonka Factory. Operating in a competitive industry, up against confectionary giants, the local and export successes of three generations of Linehan's is amazing.

Angela's iconic little business by the sea brings back many happy memories for cork families and it's great to know that this is one tradition that continues on.

This year marked the 30th anniversary of Cork's premier award scheme and extra awards were presented at the event.

Veteran broadcaster Mike Murphy was made an Honorary Corkman, celebrating his 60 years of top programmes on TV and Radio.

The founder of the Cork Sexual Violence Centre Mary Crilly was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

International tenor Finbar Wright received the Cork Supreme Award for representing Cork in such a distinguished way in concert halls around the world.

Rachael Blackmore, the first female jockey to win the Aintree Grand National, Cheltenham Gold Cup and leading jockey at Cheltenham was bestowed with an Honorary Corkwoman title.

An award was also presented to Barry Woods, retired director from the then Cork Examiner, to mark his work as a founding member of awards organising team.

Appreciation Awards went to retiring members of RTE, long standing award scheme partners, Director General of RTE Dee Forbes and RTE Commercial Director Geraldine O'Leary who both retire from RTE later this year.

All the awards at the lunch function were presented by the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Deirdre Forde and the Deputy Mayor of Cork County Cllr Deirdre O'Brien.
A man from Meath staying at Blarney Woollen Mills Hotel caused so much trouble that gardai had to be called to the scene after midnight.

Sergeant Gearoid Davis said at Cork District Court that Garda Sean Duggan went to Blarney Woollen Mills after a call from the night porter that a resident was causing trouble being loud and abusive and demanding drink inside the hotel.

Garda Duggan testified at Cork District Court that on arrival he saw the accused was in the car park outside Christys bar on the grounds of the woollen mills.

Garda Duggan believed the man was clearly intoxicated as he was stumbling and shouting in a slurred voice. He was running behind large bushes to evade gardai.

When gardai eventually located him he refused to give his details and told Garda Duggan to f*** off. When asked his name, he replied, Wide and hairy.

When Garda Duggan made another request for his name and address he became volatile and raised his hand to Garda Duggan.

The officer administered pepper-spray but James Gill continued to resist, flailing at gardai. He then caught Garda Duggan by the arm and would not let go.

When he would not let go, Garda Duggan extended his official ASP with his other hand and struck him on the leg three times and he did desist in his behaviour. He was arrested just before 1am.

The accused man said in court:

I lost my car and I was trying to get back I was not abusive. I dont give abuse.

Judge Olann Kelleher said to the accused: You heard what the guard said that you said.

James Gill replied: I heard that. But it is not even something I would say.

The judge asked how he did not have a memory of what occurred on the night. The defendant said this was due to an injury he sustained in an accident.

Eddie Burke, solicitor, said the defendant had done a lot of rehabilitation since being injured in an accident and that he was back getting some work again now.

While Gill denied the two charges, Judge Kelleher convicted him. The judge said he would fine the accused 300 for being threatening and abusive and 150 for being drunk and a danger, concluding the case saying: I will leave it at that today.

28-year-old James Gill is from Kilrathmurray, Clonard, Enfield, County Meath.
I IMAGINE if a middle-aged Queen Elizabeth II had confessed in the 1960s to snorting cocaine as a teenager, there would have been uproar and disbelief.

Or if Prince Charles in the 1980s had fessed up to smoking weed while he chatted to his plants, there would have been an equal sense of outrage.

But we live in different, supposedly enlightened times.

So Prince Harry, in his explosive new book Spare, can make a raft of confessions about drug-taking in his younger days, and it barely merits a headline amongst all the tittle-tattle about frozen willies and frosty relationships with his brother Willie.

Which is odd, when you think about, because his admissions amounted to criminal offences at the time.

A member of the royal family breaking the law - and brazenly boasting about it - is not something you hear every day.

But the muted reaction to it is not odd at all, when you consider how society now views drugs and the people who take them - with a shrug, or even a pat on the back.

Among the public, whether its royals or politicians, rock stars or supermodels, drug-taking appears to be de rigueur and universally accepted - it even offers a sheen of kudos - while being ignored by the media, the law, and the courts.

And sure, Harry was talking about his younger years when he revealed he took cocaine as a teenager, smoked marijuana and later tried magic mushrooms, at a party in the home of - bizarrely - Friends actor Courteney Cox.

He writes: Of course, I had been taking cocaine at that time.

But of course! A man with far too much money and time on his hands, mixing with the great and good, is bound to have been sucked into the drugs and party lifestyle. We cant expect any different. I mean, what was he supposed to do, say No?! Crazy idea...

Harrys confession may not have been an attempt to make him look down with the kids, but it certainly will do him no harm among the people who decide what and who is cool these days.

It may also, inadvertently, encourage other young people to take drugs, since Harry admitted that, although cocaine didnt make him feel fun, it did make him feel different, which was the effect he was craving as he tried to deal with the loss of his mother.

There you go, kids, if you feel messed up and want to feel different, Prince Harry has just the solution for you.

His Royal high-ness indeed...

But, at the risk of sounding ike a po-faced square here, Im baffled by the tolerance and laxity with which drugs generally are viewed in western society.

After all, we live in the age of the nanny state, where alcohol is frowned upon and has been raised to such a high price, that it makes a tipple of an evening an extravagantly expensive treat.

Snorting cocaine though?

Ah, youre only young once. (Or, if youre sad and middle-aged, you can pretend youre only young twice).

We also live in an age where talking about your mental health is not just encouraged, it is virtually forced out of you by myriad media and celebrities.

Protect your mental health.

Look after your mental health.

Talk about your mental health.

Such is the constant barrage, it would make anyone blessed to not have mental health issues start wondering if they actually do!

Yet, at the same time, study after study shows that so-called soft drugs can have terrible effects on a persons mental health. And yet, cannabis seems to get a free pass from all the nannying.

For the record, a study has shown young people who smoke cannabis regularly are three times more likely to attempt suicide than people who never use it. Long-term cannabis users are more likely to report thoughts of suicide than non-users.

And many influential people want to legalise it?

It strikes me that one of the best ways we can reduce what has been described as a mental health epidemic in this country is to clampdown on cannabis dealers and users, and have a zero tolerance attitude in prosecuting those who take the drugs.

We can certainly take a helpful stride in the right direction by at least not being impressed by people who take such drugs, and putting them in some kind of cool, prosecution-free zone.

This brazen attitude to drugs is not just an Irish thing, but extends to all western societies.

Its worth noting that the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was fined 100 last week for briefly not wearing a seat-belt in the back of a car while filming a video. Zero tolerance shown there.

Ah, thats not a historic offence like Harrys, you might say.

But his uncle, Prince Uncle, was shown no such leniency when it came to his historic alleged offence, while the media are also chasing down the UKs former chancellor for alleged taxation anomalies from his past, and Paschal Donohoe has similarly felt the heat here about historic queries over election expenses.

So, previous alleged crimes and misdemeanours can he pursued by the law, if there is a willingness.

Do you think Prince Harry will face similar retrospective actions for his confessions of criminal offences? No, because.... drugs.

Lets be clear: Drugs wreck lives, they wreck livelihoods, the most vicious criminals in our nation buy and sell them to make vast, tax-free fortunes. The drugs trade is built on misery. Taking drugs facilitates this misery.

Drugs are illegal too. Under Irish law, it is an offence to be in possession of a controlled drug and doing so could mean a fine or a a year in prison.

Having a glass of wine at night is not illegal (yet).

Having a fiver bet on a GAA match is not an offence (as long as youre not playing in it).

But it is an offence to cultivate, import, export, produce, supply and possess cannabis, except in accordance with a Ministerial Licence.

We simply have to change this lax attitude, we have to get away from this sense that the people who take drugs are cool, man, and even beyond prosecution.

Taking drugs isnt a rite of passage for young people, its a conscious decision to break the law and possibly embark on a slippery slope that so often ends in crime, destitution, homelessness, jail, and mental health issues.

Influential celebrities in our societies have long played a role in making drugs appear cool.

For too long, the bad boys of rock have been in competition over the epic quantities of drugs they ingest, while the likes of, say, Cliff Richard are pilloried as goody two-shoes.

How we turn that ship around is a tricky one, sincd nobody wants to be Cliff. But we can start by, as a society, treating drugs use as the offence and dangerous pastime it really is.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

Could New York Citys largest fossil fuel powered generator be reimagined as renewable energy infrastructure?

Queens-based developer Rise Light & Power, LLC (Rise) unveiled a proposal Tuesday to repower its Ravenswood Generating Station in Long Island City using offshore wind energy, a conversion that would mark a national first.

Americas first renewable repowering of a fossil-fuel burning plant can happen right here in Long Island City, Queens, home to the citys largest power generating facility. This project would greatly advance our states climate goals and be a win for environmental justice communities living nearby, U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) said in a press release. 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.

NEW: Rise acquired a stake in an offshore wind project that will be proposed to New York State. If approved, offshore wind will replace fossil fuel generation at NYC's largest power plant. The #RenewableRavenswood coalition gathered today in celebration! pic.twitter.com/HOxbVoqP2c  Rise Light & Power (@RiseLight) January 24, 2023

The 2,480-megawatt (MW) Ravenswood Generating Station currently provides New York City with a fifth of its power, according to Electrek. However, this has come at the expense of the lungs of the people of Western Queens, where 50 percent of the citys power is generated, according to the Astoria Post. Ravenswood itself has four generators that are usually powered with gas, according to the Long Island City Post. Pollution from this and other plants has led to higher asthma rates in the area, which has earned the moniker Asthma Alley, according to Electrek.

The chance to remove some of that air pollution is one reason why Rises proposal has won wide support from local political and community leaders as well as environmental justice advocates.

Score one for environmental justice here in #Queens.



Great to be with @RiseLight today to announce a historic clean energy transformation that will not only retire Big Allis, but also retire pollution and asthma that disproportionately impact Ravenswood families. pic.twitter.com/Ncq80eD8rr  Queens Borough President Donovan Richards (@QnsBPRichards) January 24, 2023

Turning Asthma Alley into a renewable energy corridor is a powerful statement that puts environmental justice at the forefront, New York City Environmental Justice Alliance Executive Director Eddie Bautista said in the press release. 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.

Others see the proposal as an example of a just transition to renewable energy, since Rise plans to train existing Local 1-2 Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) union workers to rework the plant.

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, UWUA Local 1-2 President Jim Shillitto said in the press release.

The proposal was sent to New York States Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Thursday in response to the states offshore wind solicitation, a periodic call for proposals to deliver offshore wind to the state grid.

To make the plan possible, Rise also announced Tuesday it had acquired a stake in an offshore wind project. The site it had selected would host a number of turbines in a section of New York coast not visible from land and would be able to deliver more than 1,000 MW to the plant, the Long Island City Post reported. In the press release, Rise also said it submitted an Article VII application late in 2022 to the New York State Public Service Commission for a submarine electric system called the Queensboro Renewable Express to move power between offshore wind installations and the power plant.

If approved, the project will work towards New Yorks legally set goal of generating 70 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040, according to the Long Island City Post. Rise said it would transform the 27-acre Ravenswood site into a renewable hub by the end of the decade.

The renewable repowering of Ravenswood will serve as a model of how to work with communities and repurpose transmission infrastructure to save ratepayers money, Chief Executive Officer of Rise Light & Power Clint Plummer said in the press release. 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.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

As awareness grows of the spread and health impacts of the toxic forever chemicals known as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), more and more U.S. states are taking steps to regulate them.

The latest is Pennsylvania, which published a legal limit for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS)two of the most widespread types of PFASin drinking water on Jan. 14.

This final-form rulemaking will protect public health by setting State MCLs [Maximum Contaminant Levels] for contaminants in drinking water that are currently unregulated at the Federal level, the rule reads. With this final-form rulemaking, the Commonwealth has moved ahead of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in addressing PFOA and PFOS in drinking water and joins a small group of states that have set regulatory limits for select PFAS in drinking water.

PFAS are a class of chemicals that have been used by industry since the 1940s in products such as firefighting foam, non-stick cookware and stain- or water-resistant items. They are called forever chemicals because they do not break down in the human body or the environment and have been found everywhere from rainwater to umbilical cord blood. They have also been linked to a number of health impacts including cancer , developmental problems and immune suppression.

PFOA and PFOS have both been phased out from active use in the U.S. but continue to persist in the environment. PFOA has been linked with liver, testicle, breast and pancreas tumors and PFOS with birth defects and cancer.

Pennsylvanias new regulation limits PFOA in drinking water to 14 parts per trillion (PPT) and PFOS to 18 PPT. The rule will apply to the states 3,117 water systems, which include community, bottled, bulk and retail drinking water, according to the rule. The new regulation also sets standards for testing drinking water, reporting results and cleaning contaminated water, Patch reported.

Pennsylvania has struggled with PFAS contamination in the past. In 2021, its Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said around one third of more than 400 sites assessed tested positive for one PFAS chemical, AP News reported. The federal government has been slow to act on PFAS regulation, so Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed an Executive Order in 2018 creating a multi-agency PFAS Action Team to study and address contamination, as the rule explained. The new limit comes out of that work.

Since Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order in 2018, DEP has been committed to protecting Pennsylvanians from the adverse impacts of PFAS. We are still learning more about these chemicals, and these new MCLs are a step in the right direction, DEP Acting Secretary Ramez Ziadeh said, as Patch reported.

In 2022, 14 states adopted 33 policies related to PFAS, according to Toxic-Free Future. The new rule noted that seven other states had set drinking water limits for at least one of the chemicals: Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Vermont and Washington.

While there is no enforceable drinking water limit for PFAS on the federal level, the EPA did update its safety guidance for PFOA and PFOS from 70 ppt to near zero in June 2022. It also proposed regulating both chemicals under the Superfund law.
Delhi University (DU) formed a 7-member committee today, January 28, to investigate the unrest that unfurled outside the Faculty of Arts building on January 27 over the attempted screening of the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Modi, stated an ANI report.



According to a notification released by DU, the panel, which is presided over by DU Proctor Rajini Abbi, has been formed to enforce discipline and preserve law and order on campus. The committee has been further instructed to submit its report to Vice Chancellor, Yogesh Singh, by January 30, 5 pm.



The ANI report quotes from the notification, "The Committee may specifically look into the incident of the 27th of January, 2023 which occurred outside the Faculty of Arts and opposite gate No. 4, University of Delhi."



The notification lists other members of the committee and they include Professor Ajay Kumar Singh of the Department of Commerce, Professor Manoj Kumar Singh, Joint Proctor, Professor Sanjoy Roy of the Department of Social Work, Professor Rama, Principal of Hansraj College, Professor Dinesh Khattar, Principal of Kirorimal College, and Gaje Singh, Chief Security Officer.



On Friday, January 27, unrest unfurled on the campus of DU in front of the Faculty of the Arts building ahead of the call for the screening of the controversial BBC documentary on PM Narendra Modi by the National Student's Union of India-Kerala Student's Union (NSUI-KSU) were detained. Additionally, section 144 of the Code Of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) was imposed at the Faculty of the Arts and a heavy security force was stationed outside the North campus.



The administration maintains that the police were called to restore law and order as outsiders were trying to screen the controversial documentary.




Cambodia exported over 160,000 tonnes of corn in first 11 months of 2022

Cambodia's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said the country's official exports of dried red corn kernels totaled 163,673.96 tonnes in the first 11 months of 2022, a decrease of 8.08% from the 178,069.34 tonnes booked in the same period of 2021, The Phnom Penh Post reported.

The corn was exported to Thailand, Vietnam, and China.

The ministry reported that 921.66 tonnes, or just 0.56% of the total 5,222,056.19 tonnes of official agricultural exports logged for January to November 2022, were sold to China. Dried red corn kernels made up 3.13% of those exports. There were no separate Vietnam or Thailand figures provided.

Red corn is typically processed as livestock feed, and it is harvested twice a year in Cambodia in the months of June and August, and again in the months of October and February of the following year. The precise dates can vary significantly depending on the weather, the state of the fields, and maintenance.

Kim Hout, director of the Battambang provincial department of commerce, said the province's red corn kernel exports to Thailand decreased slightly in 2022 compared to 2021.

But he also said farmers' profit margins increased as high demand from Thailand drove up grain prices by about 20% year-on-year.

He said traders typically export about 80% of the red corn grown in Battambang and other provinces near the Thai border to Thailand, leaving almost no corn for local producers of livestock feed.

The cultivation area of all corn varieties, red or otherwise, in the province was reported by the Battambang provincial Department of Agriculture to be 116,699ha in 2022, of which 5,331ha or 4.57% was materially damaged, compared to the 2021 total area of 53,352ha, with 3,388ha or 6.35% being materially damaged.

Department statistics showed Battambang's total corn production increased by 127.5% to 649,328 tonnes in 2022, from 285,414 tonnes the previous year.

Hout was unable to provide estimates when asked how much land was planted in corn in various communities, but he said that widespread cassava crop rotation makes it challenging to even get approximations for any given period.

- The Phnom Penh Post




Philippines' feed millers renew calls for corn development programme

The Philippine Association of Feed Millers Inc (Pafmi) a group composed of more than 30 feed milling companies in the Philippines, have renewed calls for an industry-based corn farming development programme to be implemented in the country, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported.

Pafmi said a long-term development strategy for the local corn industry should provide an incentive to modernise corn farming, and establish much-needed harvest and post-harvest infrastructure.

The group said that a national corn development programme that covers the entire value chain, from the farm until the produce reaches the market and industrial users, will enable the country to reduce its dependence on imports.

Pafmi said a yellow corn development roadmap had been created two years prior. In that plan, stakeholders acknowledged the need for an effective and stable supply chain of industry inputs like seeds, fertiliser, and other inputs; quality corn produced in effective production systems for food, feed, and industrial uses by empowered, business-oriented farmers in the face of climate change challenges; effective post-harvest systems for quality corn, and reduced cost and losses.

The group also advised pursuing science- and data-based policy decision-making and data collection/analytics, clustering and consolidating corn farms to achieve economies of scale in production and post-harvest linkages, improving vertical integration of yellow corn producers with the livestock and poultry industry, and increasing short-term corn availability to support value chains.

The Philippines' Department of Agriculture (DA) said the country's corn sufficiency level was 59% in 2022, and imports were still used to make up the shortfall in supply.

Pafmi said that imported corn volumes have continued to rise over the last decade, adding that the supply sufficiency gap between imported and domestic corn needs to be substantially reduced to single digits to insulate the Philippines from the adverse effects of any tight global grain supply. This will ultimately impact the Philippines' food security and leaves the country vulnerable to global supply imbalances.

Pafmi also said the local corn production for livestock feed will reach 7.56 million metric tonnes this year, of which 6.35 million metric tonnes will go to livestock feed mix, according to the National Corn Program's 20222023 Corn Supply Outlook. They said even in the absence of any typhoons that may affect harvest, domestic production would still be insufficient.

- Philippine Daily Inquirer
Flybe ceases all trading and cancels scheduled flights

Flybe has ceased trading and cancelled all scheduled flights to and from the UK with immediate effect.



The British airline's announced that it's gone into administration - almost three years on from a previous collapse before it was then saved by Thyme Opco in April 2021.

In a statement posted on its Twitter account Flybe said: "We are sad to announce that Flybe has been placed into administration.

"David Pike and Mike Pink of Interpath have been appointed administrators.

"Regretfully, Flybe has now ceased trading.

"All Flybe flights from and to the UK are cancelled and will not be rescheduled."

The airline had planned to relaunch routes between the Isle of Man and London and Belfast last October but cancelled its winter schedule.
The Biden administration has reportedly reached an agreement with the Netherlands and Japan to restrict Chinas access to advanced chipmaking machinery. According to Bloomberg, officials from the two countries agreed on Friday to adopt some of the same export controls the US has used over the last year to prevent companies like NVIDIA from selling their latest technologies in China. The agreement would reportedly see export controls imposed on companies that produce lithography systems, including ASML and Nikon.

Bloomberg reports the US, Netherlands and Japan dont plan to announce the agreement publicly. Moreover, implementation could take months while the countries work to hammer out the legal details. Talks are ongoing, for a long time already, but we dont communicate about this. And if something would come out of this, it is questionable if this will be made very visible, said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday, responding to a question about the negotiations.

According to Bloomberg, the agreement will cover at least some of ASMLs immersion lithography machines. As of last year, ASML was the only company in the world producing the extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines chipmakers need to make the 5nm and 3nm semiconductors that power the latest smartphones and computers. Cutting off China from ASMLs products is an effort by the Biden administration to freeze the countrys domestic chip industry. Last summer, Chinese state media reported that SMIC, Chinas leading semiconductor manufacturer, had begun volume production of 14nm chips and had successfully started making 7nm silicon without access to foreign chip-making equipment. China has said SMIC is working on making 5nm semiconductors, but its unclear how the company will do that without access to EUV machines.
In a recent classroom interaction, for a course on gender and media, I showed some clips of a popular news channels coverage of the Hyderabad gang rape and the murder of a young woman. The news reporter (a young woman herself) began the coverage by pointing out to her viewers a red two-wheeler. She shows that it was this kind of a red two-wheeler that the victim was riding on that fateful evening. The reporter then went on to cover the victims footsteps twice (once during the daytime and then in the evening), retracing her movement on a major road in Hyderabad, complete with time stamps. I asked my class how they read this news media script. With a little hesitation, they could identify that the reporting was going into too much detail, and it was trying to make their viewership empathise with the victim. I pushed them a little more, and they identified that the emphasis on the red scooty stood out. The obsession with time stamps seemed to create a sense of unease.

What the class was able to identify with a little bit of a nudge was problems with the news media coverage of crimes against women. We discussed how crimes against women are always shown as stand-alone individual incidents instead of being situated against a pattern of gendered crimes. The stand-alone incident is the culturally agreed upon news media framework of covering crimes against women, which naturally leads to the incidents being unpacked in excruciating details (like chats, time stamps, phone calls of the victims), the sheer brutality of violence inflicted upon the victim (step-by-step description of violation/violence, for how long, how was she murdered and often disposed of, sometimes crude crime scene re-enactments), a more sophisticated obsessing about the victim in that instead of blaming the victim, we reconstruct her life as a series of naive bad choices. When the victims movements were being re-enacted in the most insensitive way, the symbols that were emphasised were the city road, the darkness of the night time, the scooty and her mobile phone. At this point, I asked, who do you think is the target audience for this kind of coverage?! One student confidently declared, Our dad(s)!
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT - The Israeli military was sending more troops into the occupied West Bank a day after a Palestinian gunman killed seven people on the outskirts of Jerusalem and another shooting attack in the city wounded two people.
Los Angeles, CAFor a short time the Kindle version of the biography of serial killer Bill Bonin, Without Redemption: Creation & Deeds of Freeway Killer Bill Bonin, His Five Accomplices & How One Who Escaped Justice, is on sale for 99 cents.

Using official investigative documents, and Bonin's jailhouse diaries and written confessions, the authors were able solve two 40-year-old murder mysteries and identity how one day, during the murder spree, changed everything to follow. Unlocking why March 24, 1980 is so important in the Bill Bonin story was a tedious aspect of the complicated task to create an amazingly detailed serial killer historical biography. The events chronicled in a flow chart can be seen at http://bit.ly/3ZDDKPG, it constitutes a road map of a story with an infinite number of twists and turns, what ifs and "can you believe that really happened?"

One startling and tragic fact they uncovered: During the ten-month murder spree Bonin was arrested and in custody THREE TIMES, then let go on legal technicalities and bureaucratic missteps which cost many lives.

Without Redemption in Kindle on Sale for 99 Cents Till March 31, 2023

Without Redemption: Creation & Deeds of Freeway Killer Bill Bonin, His Five Accomplices & How One Escaped Justice, is tailor made for a movie, mini-series or docudrama. Co-author Vonda Pelto, Ph.D., a Clinical Psychologist who had extensive dealings with Bonin before and during his LA trial, brings to light a number of aspects that readers will find startling.

Radio Show Video of Vonda Pelto on Gary Nolan Radio Show







What is Without Redemption:

The book was written on a number of parallel tracks that constantly intersect:

First, it is the most detailed historical biography ever written about Bill Bonin, the notorious Freeway Killer responsible for murdering 22 teenage boys over ten-months in 1979-80.



Second, it is a psychological roadmap which charts the evolution of Bonin's personality from abused child to sexual predator to serial killer. This is accomplished using documents from his childhood, war service, multiple California government mental health and penal institutions, witness testimony and the expertise of Clinical Psychologist Vonda Pelto, Ph.D., who had many sessions with Bonin and two of his accomplices while working in Los Angeles Men's Central Jail.



Third, it is a narrative which, using long hidden documents, reveals the inner workings of Bonin's mind, showing how he thought, felt, planned and viewed the world. The narrative displays Bonin, an abused high school dropout, cleverly manipulating lawyers, judges, doctors, social workers, friends, family, probation officers, government bureaucrats, detectives, journalists and, most tragically, the innocent victims of his rage.



Fourth, Without Redemption reveals the complex story of what happened after Bonin's final arrest, when so much was in flux and so many moving parts were swirling about. Archived investigative documents, collected from a variety of sources, brings to light a number of surprising, shocking, sad and even funny events from those ten tumultuous months from June 1980 to March 1981.



Finally, it is a book which solves two 40-year-old murder mysteries and unlocks how one day of crossroads and coincidences, in the midst of the murder spree, profoundly impacted many lives and future events.

Without Redemption Book Trailer









The most detailed bio of serial killer Bill Bonin ever written using previously hidden documents.

How childhood abuse & Vietnam War service helped create what followed.

How Bonin manipulated California judicial, mental health & prison systems for nine years before the killings.

Interviews of Bonin, Miley & Munro with Vonda Pelto, Ph.D. before, during & after his Los Angeles trial.

Bonin's jailhouse writings offer new perspective on his brutality, methods, thoughts and personality.

How & Why Bonin covered for accomplice Eric Wijnaendts, who helped him with two murders.

How & Why March 24, 1980 is a key date in the Bill Bonin story.

Without Redemption: Creation & Deeds of Freeway Killer Bill Bonin, His Five Accomplices & How One Escaped Justice, Paperback ISBN: 979-8841931249, Hard Cover ISBN: 979-8844477775. For more info go to www.WithoutRedemption.com and purchase copies at Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Media Contact: For interviews or to request review copies contact Flotsam PR at 213--534-7292 or writerb@pm.me.

About the Authors: Vonda Pelto, Ph.D., author of Without Remorse and co-author of Without Redemption, was born and raised in the small town of Needles, California, in the barren desert. Brought up in a strict Southern Baptist household, her sheltered childhood and family life meant Vonda was in for a rude awakening when she was hired for a unique job. After the unexpected January 1981 jailhouse suicide of Freeway Killer Vernon Butts, the Los Angeles County Mental Health & Sheriff's Departments needed a new strategy to prevent this from happening with any other high-profile inmates awaiting or standing trial.

Michael B. Butler, author of A World Flight Over Russia, is a professional photographer who has worked extensively in book, travel and corporate PR. His assignments documenting the 50th Anniversaries of Pearl Harbor and D-Day, flying around the world across Russia on the World Flight in July 1992, documenting a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land with 700 Christians in 2013 and multiple PR junkets to Ireland and Tahiti added ample materials to his media library.


The Slovenian Minister for Economic Development and Technology, Matjaz Han, has said the country should not be afraid from establishing a new national airline and subsidising the flag carrier. In an interview to the Vecer daily, Mr Han said, If we subsidise rail and bus passenger transport, we shouldn't be afraid to start our own airline and subsidise it as well. Public transport is much more than economic logic. He added, A new national carrier is being considered, but before we get to that, we cannot stand idly by. That is why we are trying to improve Slovenias connectivity by subsidising routes". The newly appointed Minister for Infrastructure, Alenka Bratusek, said earlier this month the government would decide by mid-2023 whether a new national carrier could be established. The Slovenian Minister for Economic Development and Technology, Matjaz Han, has said the country should not be afraid from establishing a new national airline and subsidising the flag carrier. In an interview to the Vecer daily, Mr Han said, If we subsidise rail and bus passenger transport, we shouldn't be afraid to start our own airline and subsidise it as well. Public transport is much more than economic logic. He added, A new national carrier is being considered, but before we get to that, we cannot stand idly by. That is why we are trying to improve Slovenias connectivity by subsidising routes". The newly appointed Minister for Infrastructure, Alenka Bratusek, said earlier this month the government would decide by mid-2023 whether a new national carrier could be established.





The Slovenian Parliament passed a bill yesterday aimed at boosting Slovenia's air connectivity. The scheme, under which 5.6 million euros in subsidies will be provided each year over the next three years to airlines, in order to cover 50% of their airport fees on new routes, is subject to approval by the European Commission. The aim is to improve air connectivity "with destinations that hold great importance for Slovenia, its citizens, tourism and the economy", the Ministry for Economic Development and Technology said. Jointly with the Ministry for Infrastructure it will select which routes should be subsidised. EU-registered airlines, as well as those from the European Common Aviation Area, will be eligible to take part in a public call, which will be organised once the scheme is approved by the EU. Funding will be provided only for routes that are not served by a high-speed rail service from Slovenia or another airport within a 100-kilometre radius from the destination.





Commenting on the subsidy scheme, Mr Han said, Financial assistance for new routes will be available from all three international airports in Slovenia, meaning Portoroz and Maribor, in addition to Ljubljana. Both Portoroz and Maribor have potential. I don't know why we haven't been able to use these two airports in the last three decades". The Slovenian government recently launched tender procedures in a bid to find an interested concessionaire for Maribor Airport, which has become the former Yugoslavias least busy with under 4.000 passengers handled in 2022. Interested parties have until February 20 to submit their bids.




Sen. Bob Fuller, R-Kalispell, testifies in favor of his Senate Bill 99 on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The bill aims to deny gender-affirming care to transgender youth and penalize medical professional who support and perform those procedures. (Photo by Blair Miller, Daily Montanan)

A woman who testified in opposition to a Republican measure that seeks to deny gender-affirming care to transgender youth in Montana and penalize doctors and nurses who support those efforts  the third such bill over the last two sessions  said she thought about killing herself every day for 50 years before she finally transitioned at age 62.

She was one of more than 90 opponents of Senate Bill 99 who testified Friday the bill is unconstitutional, a threat to health care practitioners and would lead to more suicides among an already vulnerable group.

Dr. Lauren Wilson, a pediatric hospitalist at Community Medical Center in Missoula, said if the bill passes, it could effectively defund all Montana hospitals because the measure says public funds cannot be provided to institutions that offer or subsidize gender-affirming care.

SK Rossi, a lobbyist representing Bozeman, said the bill, sponsored by Sen. John Fuller, R-Kalispell, if signed into law, could put Montanas Medicaid program at risk as well because the Affordable Care Act affirms gender as a protected class and the measure would have the state deny coverage under Medicaid and other means of funding.

Forty-four proponents of the measure testified at the hearing too, including several from out-of-state, people representing religion-linked think tanks, an OB/GYN who said her views were not popular within the medical community, and lead proponent Walt Heyer, an activist from California whose nationwide work is focused on detransitioning after he did so himself in 1991.

I think this bill is not only very powerful, its very necessary. I think the way to reduce regret is to tackle the underlying issues before we introduce them to hormones and surgical procedures that they will regret, Heyer said.

Fuller, who had two similar bills related to the trans community die in the 2021 session, said in his opening statements that his bill was about protecting children from what he called a purely cosmetic and irreversible procedure when they are not mentally able to make those choices.

He called the hours of testimony that was to come from opponents about the bill being discriminatory and unconstitutional red herrings designed to deflect attention away from a very real issue.

But the slate of opposition  including many trans adults and children, medical doctors, pediatricians, public employee representatives, psychologists and parents of trans children  for more than three hours pleaded for lawmakers to table Fullers latest attempt because of the sweeping harms they say it will cause to Montana and its residents.

Less terrible versions of this bill have died twice. Im not sure why were back here now, Rossi said.  Honestly, it insults the values that most Montanans hold dear.

Opponents: Bill would penalize providers of gender-affirming care

Amendments for the bill have already been introduced but will not be voted on until the bill sees executive action at a later date. But as introduced, the measure says public funds cant be used or paid to anyone who provides medication or surgery tied to gender dysphoria, nor can any advocacy be done for any children under age 18 who are experiencing it.

It would prohibit treatments including hysterectomies, voice surgery, mastectomies, testosterone doses and other hormones, puberty blockers, genital reconstruction and more for any minors.

If the Senate does not table this, we will fight like hell for you in the House.  Rep. Zooey Zephyr, Missoula Democrat

The measure, as introduced, would also subject any providers of those treatments to civil liability until the person they treated is 43 if that person decides they suffered any physical, psychological, emotional or physiological harm. It would also allow the state attorney general to bring actions.

Further, the measure would prohibit liability insurance for health care workers against those liabilities and subject the providers to a minimum one-year license suspension if they provide anyone with gender dysphoria treatments.

To make this mistake as an adult is a travesty, said Jeff Laszloffy, the president of the Montana Family Foundation. But to be allowed to make this mistake as a child, with all the adults around you telling you youre doing the right thing, and figure out later it was the greatest mistake of your life, is a travesty beyond words.

Several other proponents said they or their children fit in better with boys or were tomboys when they were young and believed they would have been forced to transition. Others pointed to their Christian values as reason for backing the measure.

Some said they believed school or psychological counselors were trying to actively convince children they should transition. And many said that children were not mentally prepared to make decisions about their gender identity when they are teenagers, saying they feared those children would regret their choices.

Heres the dirty little secret. There is no reliable scientific evidence this improves the long-term mental health of these minors, let alone that the benefits outweigh the regrets, said Jay Richards with the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing think tank.  This is emotional blackmail.

These decisions are not impulsive; they are life-saving

Many of the opponents said most of those claims were wrong based on their own experiences. They also called Fuller and the Republicans on the committee who seemed to favor the bill hypocrites.

Dr. William Gallea, a Helena-based physician, said the bill would have unprecedented effects on Montanans privacy and would be a gross intrusion by the government into medicine and medical practices.

He read aloud the Republican Party of Montana platform adopted last year in which the party said it believes the government should limit its scope of activity, avoid infringing on lawful activities of citizens, protect individual privacy and free will and give parents the sole right to all reproductive decisions.

Rossi said not only did the bill and proponent testimony put Montanas children in jeopardy, it ignored and attacked the medical community and experts in gender-affirming care at the same time the halls of this building are filled with cries for parental rights, and protecting medical freedom, autonomy and privacy.

This bill runs afoul of all three of those principles, Rossi said, adding that if it passes, the state would see a battle in court. It is also the most blatant and most obvious attempt weve seen thus far this session to intimidate and erase transgender people in Montana.

Several Montanans, including multiple transgender and nonbinary teenagers, testified how they or their children had been on the verge of committing suicide until they worked with counselors, medical professionals and their parents  even when it was difficult for both sides to understand  to begin hormonal treatments after years of gender dysphoria.

Susan Howard told the committee she had felt like she was born a girl, but in the 1960s, treatments were not a widespread option. She attempted suicide as a teenager and waited 52 years, she said, until she transitioned.

I dont think there were too many days that went by from [age 10] until I turned 62 that I didnt feel like killing myself, she said.

Several parents said the bill was an attempt to undo their parental rights and the vast improvements their children have seen since beginning to transition.

If you have not witnessed the brutal reality of the suffering, or the freedom and relief that comes on the other side of gender-affirming care, you cannot possibly know whats best for my son or any other transgender child, said Jaime Gabrielli of Butte, whose now-18-year-old son transitioned. These decisions are not impulsive; they are life-saving decisions. And they do not belong in the hands of uninformed strangers who do not understand the type of help and support that my child needs to thrive and survive.

Physicians say health care field could be crippled under measure

Dr. Eric Lowe, an emergency physician based in Bozeman, provided letters to the committee signed by more than 350 Montana health care providers opposing the bill. He and other medical professionals said lawmakers had no place legislating patient care.

He said not only would many doctors  especially pediatric endocrinologists who are often involved in gender-affirming care treatments  leave the state, Montana would struggle to recruit other doctors and medical professionals amid an existing shortage.

And specialists like those who perform gender-affirming care also do important work like treating pediatric diabetes, he said, which could force children who have other medical needs to transfer to emergency rooms outside of Montana.

Others refuted claims from proponents about gender-affirming care. Multiple medical organizations, including the American Medical Association, have deemed hormone therapy and surgeries medically necessary in certain cases. Some opponents wondered why Montana should then decide they are not only illegal but punishable by law.

These are the result of research and careful consideration. Lawmakers should not use their authority to override the consensus of the medical community, said Dr. Heather Zaluski of Shodair Childrens Hospital in Helena. More broadly, this bill is problematic because it would drive away the doctors. Doctors do not want to practice in a state that criminalizes evidence-based treatments.

Dr. Kathryn Brogan, a psychiatry specialist at Shodair, said the measure would force doctors to choose between their sworn oath of do no harm or adhering to law outsourced from the medical community to non-medical lawmakers.

Two Montana state representatives testified in opposition as well  Missoula Democrats SJ Howell and Zooey Zephyr. Howell is nonbinary and Zephyr is the first elected transgender lawmaker in Montana.

Howell said they believed the task of lawmakers was to make Montanans lives better through their shared values of privacy, freedom, fairness and protection from government overreach.

This bill does not do that, Howell said.

Zephyr said she specifically ran for office because of the measures Fuller introduced last session.

Im here because I believe when we are going to talk about trans people, when we are going to draft legislation that is going to directly impact trans people, we need to hear and listen from trans people in our community, she said.

Zephyr said she took issue with the description of gender-affirming surgery that proponents gave as mutilation because she has undergone the surgery. She said shes heard from constituents who say their children or grandchildren who are trans feel scared to come back to Montana or want to leave because of measures like SB99 and that she would stand up on behalf of the trans community.

If the Senate does not table this, we will fight like hell for you in the House, she said.

During questions from lawmakers, some Republicans seemed to trivialize the discussion at hand. Sen. Daniel Emrich, R-Great Falls, tried to get a psychiatrist to say gender dysphoria was a dissociative disorder. She declined. Sen. Chris Friedel, R-Billings, repeatedly conflated gender-affirming care with a hypothetical suicide affirming care, asking the psychiatrist why if his son was set on killing himself he could not find a facility to provide such care.

No, sir, you should seek help for your son, the psychiatrist said.

By the end of the five-hour hearing, doctors and representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana had agreed that the bill was unconstitutional and would put funding of hospitals, care providers and clinics at risk of losing funding altogether and subject practitioners to financial ruin, as Dr. Timothy Mitchell testified.

Dr. Mary Anne Guggenheim, a pediatric neurologist and former House representative, told lawmakers all the evidence showed they should table the bill and keep it there.

This is absurd. It will not only hurt children and families, it will harm the state of Montana. Some physicians and health care providers and customers will likely leave. Many others will never consider coming to a state where they are prevented from giving appropriate medical care, she said.

The stain on Montanas reputation will be long-lasting.

The post Opponents of Montana transgender bill say it could cripple health care, lead to more suicides appeared first on Daily Montanan.
The vast majority of visitors to last year's Open Farm Sunday (OFS) event said they now have more trust in British farming, according to a survey.

Organisers Linking Education and Farming (LEAF) have unveiled the results of the impact that last year's OFS had on the public.

On 12 June 2022, over 250 farms opened their gates, welcoming over 175,000 people onto farms across Britain.

Farms of all enterprises and sizes took part to stand up and showcase the work farmers do to produce food whilst also enhancing the environment.

LEAF then asked visitors what they took away from visiting a farm, with the vast majority (85%) saying they now had more trust in British farming.

A clear majority (79%) said they learned something new about farming, while 72% said they felt the industry was doing something to help combat climate change.

Almost half (49%) of visitors said that OFS 2022 had inspired someone in their group to consider a career in the agri-food sector.

And nearly all (98%) of visitors said they had a better understanding of what 'sustainably produced' food meant.

Reflecting on the significant change since OFS was launched in 2006, Annabel Shackleton, OFS manager, highlighted the industry's growing trends.

We are seeing an increasing number of farmers opening their farm gates at various points in the farming year, from lambing events to pumpkin patches and PYO Christmas trees," she noted.

"The recent pandemic, environmental concerns, and events such as COP26 in Glasgow, have developed a more conscious consumer, who is seeking factually correct information to support their decisions.

She said this year's OFS, taking place on Sunday 11 June 2023, was a way for farmers and growers to inform and inspire the British public.

Long established as the farming industrys annual open day, OFS offers a huge support network to assist farmers on their journey to welcoming the public on farm.

"There is a team of OFS ambassadors who are on hand and happy to chat through their experiences and offer guidance so each farming business runs the event they feel is manageable and appropriate for their setup.

We also offer a whole host of free resources to help prepare farmers for the event, including guidance for promotion, templates, activity ideas and resources to use on the day itself, to help inform and entertain visitors.

LEAF has also announced free farmer training events for 2023, taking place between February and April.

At the events, farmers can learn more about the steps involved in opening their farm and pick up ideas from other hosts.
The city of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh makes for the perfect gateway for a number of interesting excursions

Varanasi, one of Hinduisms holiest cities and one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, offers visitors a smorgasbord of experiences. Known across the world for the holy River Ganga and the Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, it is also hailed as a centre for learning (due to the Banaras Hindu University) and is counted among the UNESCO Cities of Music. Theres plenty to see and do in Varanasi, from spending time by the holy River Ganga, walking the many ghats, being part of the morning and evening aartis at Assi Ghat and Dashashwamedh Ghat respectively, and paying ones respects at the iconic Kashi Vishwanath Mandir. Culture enthusiasts can also wander the fascinating streets and see artisans working in generations-old workshops, marvel at how Benaras silk is made, visit an akhada (wrestling arena) and eat delicious street food alongside the locals.

But thats just in the city; Varanasi is also a great take-off point for a number of day trips to little-known tourist attractions around it. Here are some you can explore when you are in Varanasi

Sarnath (main image)

10 kilometres away from Varanasi

The Buddhist site of Sarnath is just a half-hours drive away from Varanasi. Visiting it is an unforgettable experience. This is a site that is of great significance for Buddhists because it is where the Buddha is believed to have given his first sermons after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, according to Buddhist texts and historical accounts.



In Sarnath, you will find the Dhamekh Stupa (in main image) built by Emperor Ashoka (about BCE 265-BCE 249), the Chaukhandi Stupa, the Sarnath Archaeological Site, and the Sarnath Museum, which showcases the legends and history of the region.
Bangladesh commerce minister Tipu Munshi recently urged apparel brand Primark to ensure fair prices for his countrys readymade garment (RMG) items to help the industry survive. When a delegation of Primark and Associates met him, he requested them to buy more RMG items from his country, which can now supply any quantity of products as per clients' demands.

Bangladesh is the second largest garments exporter in the world and more than 40 lakh people are engaged by this industry out of which 65 per cent are women, he told the delegation.

"We are working to establish 100 special economic zones across the country. Bangladesh will graduate from the least developed countries (LDC) status in 2026. We are working to make trade agreements like PTA or FTA to get trade benefits from different countries after the post-LDC period," Munshi was quoted as saying by a domestic news agency.

Bangladesh commerce minister Tipu Munshi recently urged apparel brand Primark to ensure fair prices for his country's readymade garment (RMG) items to help the industry survive. When a delegation of Primark and Associates met him, he requested them to buy more RMG items from his country, which can now supply any quantity of products as per clients' demands.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 27, 2023) - Carlyle Commodities Corp. (CSE: CCC) would like to cordially invite you to visit us at Booth #712 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 Stephan 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:

Morgan Good

CEO

6047154751

morgan@carlylecommodities.com

www.carlylecommodities.com
Chicago-based luxury shoemaker, Robert August, has released a new collection of made to order men's saddle shoes.

Chicago, Illinois--(Newsfile Corp. - January 27, 2023) - Robert August's new men's saddles shoes are handmade in their boutique artisan workshop in Almansa, Spain, a town with a legacy of shoemaking dating back to the early 18th century. The new saddle shoes have been designed and released as the flagship model in their upcoming Spring 2023 season.

More information is available at https://augustapparel.com/product-category/mens/mens-dress-shoes/saddle-shoes.





Luxury Made to Order Goodyear Welt Saddle Shoe Line Released by Robert August

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/152687_0700e915a4179adf_001full.jpg

The new collection is available in warm and spring-appropriate hues like brown, burgundy, cognac and navy blue.

Because all of their new saddle shoes are made to order, shoppers can also customize the colors and finish of their preferred shoe, with a softly two-toned artisan hand patina look available.

One popular new pair from Robert August's Spring 2023 collection is their The Lincoln Ave. Saddle Shoe No. 8011. This pair features a golden sand luxe suede upper with a warm terracotta red full grain leather saddle and a versatile heeled rubber sole in a shade called brick.

Robert August's new saddle shoes will all be handmade from the finest Spanish and Italian leathers, and accented with hand-spun French fabrics. They will also be made using the Goodyear welt method. Therefore, offering greater form-fitting comfort and durability.

Robert August can make their new saddle shoes in all men's sizes, including from a US 5 to 17 in length and in a D, EE or EEE width.

Robert August states: "The Lincoln Ave. Saddle Shoes are the perfect way to add a touch of style to any outfit. Their distinct two-color look is a timeless classic that looks great with both casual and formal styles. Part of our Iconic Chicago collection, these versatile shoes get their name from the saddle-shaped piece that goes across the lace area."

More details can be found at https://augustapparel.com/product-category/mens/mens-dress-shoes/saddle-shoes.

Contact Info:

Name: Robert Baum

Email: robert@augustapparel.com

Organization: Robert August

Address: 1 E Erie St. Suite 525-4647, Chicago, IL 60611, United States

Website: https://augustapparel.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152687
Internet City, Dubai--(Newsfile Corp. - January 28, 2023) - LBank Exchange, a global digital asset trading platform, has listed Global Digital Cluster Coin (GDCC) on January 27, 2023. For all users of LBank Exchange, the GDCC/USDT trading pair is now officially available for trading.





Global Digital Cluster Coin (GDCC) Listing Banner

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8831/152835_ad7f4ef2540f0beb_001full.jpg



With its new-age protocol and peer-to-peer network, Global Digital Cluster Coin (GDCC) restructures the concept of money and assets with cutting-edge technologies that have the potential to transform various industries and allow people to adapt crypto assets. Its native token GDCC will be listed on LBank Exchange at 8:00 UTC on January 27, 2023, to further expand its global reach and help it achieve its vision.

Introducing Global Digital Cluster Coin

Global Digital Cluster Coin (GDCC) is a new-age protocol that caters to web3.0 services and community-driven technology, allowing users to build their dApps and serving as a hub for digital assets, international payments, and applications. Because the protocol is open to all, anyone in the world with an internet connection can access the system at any time.

As a peer-to-peer network that allows users to conduct transactions directly with the person in question, GDCC eliminates the need for intermediaries. Because no entity or institution controls it, no one can impose restrictions on the process of receiving payments or using on-chain services.

On Global Digital Cluster Coin, blockchain developers can create a wide range of applications, including decentralized applications and wallets. Utility applications have unlimited privileges because the network allows them to deploy and execute smart contracts.

Global Digital Cluster Coin will also launch its own decentralized exchange, to provide direct custody of funds to users. Hopium, GDCC's decentralized exchange, will provide a seamless and hassle-free crypto trading experience to its community as a protocol developed by the community for the community. Because of the non-custodial nature, users will be fully responsible for all of their funds/transactions, and the platform will not interfere at any cost.

The platform uses the Automated Market Maker model, which is made up of self-executed protocols capable of managing the liquidity pool on its own. These pools will be supported by liquidity providers, who will provide the tokens used to create the pairs. These liquidity providers will be compensated with "liquidity tokens" based on their contribution to the liquidity pool. These liquidity tokens can also be redeemed for the underlying shares.

The GDCC's Muzella platform, as a creator-centric marketplace, provides opportunities for creators by acknowledging their masterpieces. Users will be able to mint NFTs, and the marketplace gives users immutable ownership rights to the NFTs they hold. The platform also enables users to trade NFTs instantly, ensuring a high level of liquidity for holders. The marketplace will have an exclusive collection of rare and branded NFTs. In addition, users can connect to different blockchain networks with the help of cross-chain functionality.

Last but not least, as a compatible network, GDCC enables users to create tokens. To create their own token, issuers must provide a token name, total token supply, the exchange rate to GDCC, market cap, circulation duration, description, website, frozen token quantity, and so on. The GDCC-20 standard is the technical standard for smart contracts that generate tokens that are compatible with the GDCC virtual machine. This standard is compatible with the GDCC-20 token standard used by GDCC.

About GDCC Token

Global Digital Cluster Coin (GDCC) is a blockchain-powered platform with its own cryptocurrency, GDCC. This distributed ledger technology makes the platform secure, transparent, and immutable.

GDCC has a maximum supply of 7 million (i.e. 7,000,000), total supply of 1.9 million (i.e. 1,900,000) tokens. 50 % of GDCC Miner fee is distributed to Locked staking holders and 50% will be for the development of the ecosystem Pool. From Ecosystem Development Pool up to 10 % will be burnt when the total supply reaches 1.2 million (I.e. 1,200,000) GDCC. It will be the First Blockchain to be managed by the public with no individual entity, company or group holding any coins.

GDCC token has been listed on LBank Exchange at 8:00 UTC on January 27, 2023, investors who are interested in the Global Digital Cluster Coin investment can easily buy and sell GDCC token on LBank Exchange now.

Learn More about GDCC Token:

Official Website: https://www.gdccoin.io/

Explorer: https://www.gdccscan.io

Telegram: https://t.me/GDCC_official

Twitter: https://twitter.com/cluster_coin

About LBank

LBank is one of the top crypto exchanges, established in 2015. It offers specialized financial derivatives, expert asset management services, and safe crypto trading to its users. The platform holds over 7 million users from more than 210 regions across the world. LBank is a cutting-edge growing platform that ensures the integrity of users' funds and aims to contribute the global adoption of cryptocurrencies.

Start Trading Now: lbank.com

Community & Social Media:

l Telegram

l Twitter

l Facebook

l LinkedIn

l Instagram

l YouTube

Contact Details:

LBK Blockchain Co. Limited

LBank Exchange

marketing@lbank.info

business@lbank.info

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/152835
When it comes to jobs for those with disabilities, the opportunities are very limited.

In fact, less than 19% of people with disabilities are employed in the United States, according to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor.

Thats a statistic Desiree and John McMullan of Bethlehem want to change.

They launched Seth & Co. Special Brew in late 2020, a nonprofit coffee company thats dedicated to employing adults with disabilities and creating an inclusive working environment. Their second location opened earlier this month at 13 S Bank St., Easton.

My focus is on kids with mental and physical disabilities, Desiree McMullan said. When they are in high school they get all kinds of support but once they graduate those supports are gone and they struggle.

They launched Seth & Co. Special Brew to fill this need, naming the company in honor of their 20-year-old son, Seth, who has Down syndrome. Their flagship location is in the Palmer Mall, sharing a space with Pretzels Plus.

McMullan said the response to that first location was so strong they knew they could open a second location.

We were outgrowing the space in the Palmer Mall and were looking for something small, she said.

They opened earlier this month in shared space with Love Blossoms, which opened several months ago and is owned by Miyo Holt.

Of course, while the focus is offering much-needed job training and opportunities, Seth & Co. Special Brew also has great, ethically sourced coffee, including specialty coffee drinks such as lattes, cappuccinos and macchiato as well as bags of coffee beans to take home and brew.

Info: The newest location of Seth & Co. Special Brew is at 13 S Bank St., Easton, and the original is in the Palmer Park Mall, 2455 Park Ave. www.sethandcocoffee.com/

More in the flock

Wingstop  the popular national chain known for its cooked-to-order traditional and boneless chicken wings and strips  is adding yet another location to its flock.

The newest restaurant is at 3926 Nazareth Pike in Bethlehem Township, near the Giant. It will be the fifth in the Lehigh Valley.

The Wingstop menu features cooked-to-order classic and boneless chicken wings, crispy tenders and the new Wingstop chicken sandwich. You can choose your sauce such as mango habanero, lemon pepper, garlic Parmesan and original hot. You can also get hand-cut, seasoned fries and scratch-made ranch.

The new location will be the third in just a few months. In December, the chain opened at 1824 Airport Road in Hanover Township, Lehigh County, and in October opened at 1328 Chestnut St., Emmaus.

Wingstop also has locations on Liberty Street in Allentown and Nazareth Road in Palmer Township.

Merchant Square Mall saying goodbye

As reported by my colleague Evan Jones, the owners of the Merchant Square Mall are shutting it down and converting the property to industrial use, according to a brochure from SVN Imperial Realty.

Rebranded the Merchants Commerce Center, SVN Imperial is looking for businesses to lease space in the 116,502-square-foot-building at 1901 S. 12th St. that sits on 8.49 acres. The two-level building that featured a popular model train display and hosted such events as Great Allentown Comic Con will soon have a different look.

More to come on this story for sure.

News from MacArthur Road

Great news for Five Guys fans: The newest location in the Valley is expected to open by early spring in the 2400 block of MacArthur Road, in a shopping center that now hosts SaladWorks, China Hunt, Pizza Hut, Health Network Labs and Pretzel Factory, said Nirav H. Shah of Tenant Managers, the projects developer.

Five Guys has 63 restaurants in Pennsylvania, including in Allentown; Hanover Township, Lehigh County; Lower Nazareth Township; and Quakertown. Its known for its fresh, hand-formed burgers, shakes and boardwalk-style fries.

Shah said that the shopping center also has several new tenants including:

My Medicare Life, which is scheduled to open on Feb. 1. Shah said its owned and operated by a local financial planner, Derrick Brickhouse, and helps educate and facilitate financial planning services during retirement including but not limited to Medicare options.

Tobacco 2Go, which is expected to open in the spring.

Foreless Wireless, which is scheduled to open Feb. 1 and sells mobile phones, cellular services plans, and, cell phone accessories for an affordable price.

Along with those new tenants, theres a FedEx location that opened in October.

Loss of a local theater

Regal Cinemas, the nations second-largest theater chain, is closing nearly 40 more theaters, including one near the Lehigh Valley.

Among the theaters set to close is the Pohatcong Stadium 12 in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. The chains owner, Cineworld, plans to close the theaters beginning Feb. 15.

Cineworld filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September, citing the difficult pandemic conditions for movie theaters, as well as debt from its $3.6 billion purchase of Regal. Shortly after the filing, the chain closed 12 theaters around the country, including one in Quakertown.

About 500 theaters remain for the company, which is second only to AMC Theaters.

From pizza to pasta

If you love Italian cuisine favorites such as eggplant parm, manicotti and veal marsala, theres a new option to enjoy.

Annabels Italian Restaurant has opened at 224 Stockton St., Phillipsburg, New Jersey, in the former site of Mariannas Restaurant. The new restaurant held its official grand opening last week and is now welcoming diners.

The restaurants menu is extensive and includes all the Italian classics including mussels marinara, sausage and peppers, veal saltimbocca alla romano and antipasto. But Annabels also has hot and cold subs as well as salads.

If you are looking for a new spot to get pizza, Annabels has that too. Youll find more than a dozen varieties for traditional pizza as well as a dozen options for Sicilian (or square) style. You can also get dessert items such as cannoli and New York cheesecake.

Info: annabelsitalian.com/

Tips and more

Keep sending me those tips on new businesses and restaurants and those that have closed. Email me at jsheehan@mcall.com and put Retail Watch in the subject line.
The 11th Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on the China-Bhutan Boundary Issues was held in Kunming city, China from January 10th to 13th, 2023. The Chinese delegation was led by H.E. Mr. Hong Liang, Director-General of the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. The Bhutanese delegation was led by Dasho Letho Tobdhen Tangbi, Secretary of the International Boundaries of Bhutan.

The two sides, in a frank, cordial and constructive atmosphere, had an in-depth exchange of views on implementing the MOU on the Three-Step Roadmap for Expediting the China-Bhutan Boundary Negotiations, and reached positive consensus. The two sides agreed to simultaneously push forward the implementation of all the steps of the Three-Step Roadmap.The two sides also agreed to increase the frequency of the Expert Group Meetings and to keep contact through diplomatic channels on holding the 25th Round of China-Bhutan Boundary talks as soon as possible at mutually convenient dates.

In a show of good will and friendship, the Chinese government had donated a batch of supplies to Bhutan, and the Bhutanese side expressed appreciation. The two sides held a brief handover ceremony during the meeting.
Google introduces MusicLM, which is a new AI tool that generates high-quality music from text descriptions. It can understand phrases such as a calming violin melody backed by a distorted guitar riff and convert them into corresponding musical compositions.

This is a major advancement in AI-generated music and could greatly impact the way music is created and consumed. Google recently announced that Google Meet hardware users could join Zoom Meetings.

MusicLM: Generating Music From Text

The tool is user-friendly and easy to use, making it accessible to a wide range of users. It uses a hierarchical sequence-to-sequence modeling approach to generate music at 24 kHz, which stays consistent over several minutes.

The experiments show that MusicLM outperforms previous systems in terms of both audio quality and adherence to the text description. It can also take both text and an existing melody as input, allowing it to transform whistled and hummed melodies according to the style described in a text caption. To support future research, the developers have publicly released MusicCaps, a dataset of 5.5k music-text pairs, with rich text descriptions provided by human experts.

It features several key capabilities, including:

Audio Generation From Rich Captions: MusicLM can generate complex and nuanced compositions from simple text descriptions.

MusicLM can generate complex and nuanced compositions from simple text descriptions. Long Generation: MusicLM can generate music that remains consistent over several minutes.

MusicLM can generate music that remains consistent over several minutes. Story Mode: It allows the users to generate music that tells a story, it can be used for music scoring for movies, series, and other media.

It allows the users to generate music that tells a story, it can be used for music scoring for movies, series, and other media. Text and Melody Conditioning: MusicLM can take both text and an existing melody as input, allowing it to transform whistled and hummed melodies according to the style described in a text caption.

MusicLM can take both text and an existing melody as input, allowing it to transform whistled and hummed melodies according to the style described in a text caption. Painting Caption Conditioning: It generates music based on the emotion and style depicted in a painting caption.

Additionally, MusicLM can detect various Musician Experience Levels, Places, Epochs, Accordion Solos and Generation Diversity while keeping the conditioning and/or the semantic tokens constant, Same Text Prompt and Same Semantic Tokens, and much more.

Source
I had an experience a few years ago that for me was unusual. To attend some meetings in Indonesia, I flew east out of JFK in New York, and, when I returned, I flew into JFK from the west. I had literally traveled around the world.

Traveling long distances is possible today in ways unimaginable at the opening of the last century, three years before the Wright Brothers made their historic flight at Kitty Hawk. Travel has not only shrunken the world but access to travel has expanded enormously, even if, in a global sense, it remains restricted to the economically privileged.

The systems we have created for air travel are not without problems, as any who suffered through the recent holiday snarls could attest. Yet we move from one place to another swiftly and safely, even if not always smoothly. From the skies we see the world and can, if the itinerary is just right, travel around the world.

As peoples travel nightmares from the recent holidays continue to fade, we do well to remember there are different ways to think about travel, and travel is important to everyone. Broadly speaking, travel is what we do to experience the world and the people in it. We associate travel with excursions to faraway places but we should include in our travels those little visits next door to beg a cup of sugar. To be human is to be on the move. Travel is movement with a purpose, and we are engaged in it all the time.

So, travel can include more than ticketing and carbon footprints. It can also involve a step across the street to see a neighbor or even point toward the spiritual journeys that are so much a part of our lives.

Travel journeys are familiar in religious traditions. They can be dreamlike and dramatic, like that of the Prophet, whose night journey to Jerusalem is remembered in Islam. They can appear in stories as aimless meanderings that await deeper understanding. One thinks of the people of Israel wandering in the Saini for 40 years, moving in ways that were purposeful even as the meaning of their travel seemed at times obscure or elusive.

One can think of Jesuss 40 days in the desert  a move into the dry places of retreat where one experiences confrontation with oneself and ones demons. St. Paul traveled the Mediterranean sharing the tenets of a new faith, and faithful people everywhere find reasons for pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is a form of travel, a serious spiritual practice in almost all religious traditions. The hajj journey to Mecca that all Muslims are commended to undertake once in their lifetimes constitutes one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

The small movements of encounter with self and world so important to spiritual travel was articulated well by Henry David Thoreau, the quirky 19th century Massachusetts writer who penned the American literary classic Walden. His most famous travel quote was this: I have traveled a great deal in Concord.

Thoreau wrote about his travels to Cape Cod and the Maine Woods, but Concord proved a worthy locale for contemplating travel. This village was the residence of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott, site of the Old North Bridge of Revolutionary War fame, and it was home to a large community of former slaves as well as to the original Concord grape. Thoreau traveled extensively in Concord, opening the unfamiliar through encounters with what is most familiar  ones home and all the things close to us we learn not to see when we stop traveling.

Thoreau wrote, There is hardly anything that shows the short-sightedness or capriciousness of the imagination more than traveling does. With change of place, we change our ideas; nay, our opinions and feelings.

Travel writer Tim Patterson has commented that, Thoreau understood something that many of us modern day nomads would do well to recognize; Travel is a matter of perspective, not location. With curiosity, an open mind and a broad horizon of free time, its possible to travel in your own backyard.

The spiritual life requires us to question assumptions, open ourselves to change and find the courage to change perspective. It is also about learning to pay attention, to find wonder through the familiar and surprise in the commonplace. Travel is important to spirituality because when traveling, we are most likely to be paying attention. Not paying attention prompts dullness and can even be dangerous  as a matter of personal safety, first-time travelers to London had better learn to look right first when stepping into a street.

The question is how do we learn to travel in the familiar  where the challenge is not distance but location, and not location but perspective? Can we learn to travel in our Concords, even if we know that village by a different name  Easton, Allentown, Bethlehem?

Travel awakens us to new possibilities for wonder. Even if many of our travel experiences are aggravating and test our patience, travel still satisfies the need all of us have to see anew, to question and to explore. By becoming travelers open to new experiences and able to change perspective, we discover new ideas and form new opinions, seeing what we could not see before, and leaning things we did not know about ourselves and our world.

Lloyd Steffen is university Chaplain and professor of religion studies at Lehigh University.
A Bethlehem teenager charged with trying to rape and murder a Lehigh University student in her off-campus apartment is mentally ill and should not be tried as an adult, his defense attorney said during a hearing Monday.

Bryan Sanchez-Osorio, 17, will be evaluated Tuesday by a psychologist and had been hospitalized in Puerto Rico for past psychological issues, according to attorney Anthony Rybak.

On Monday, Sanchez-Osorio gave up his right to a preliminary hearing on charges that he attacked the woman on July 16, choking her until she turned blue, and then trying to rape her.

Sanchez-Osorio, who was living with his sister in south Bethlehem, told police that he feared the victim was dead when officers arrived.

At the hearing, District Judge Nancy Matos Gonzalez admonished Sanchez-Osorio for smiling as she explained the proceedings.

Are you nervous? Because you are almost smiling, Matos Gonzalez said. This is anything but a comical proceeding. This is a very important proceeding that will affect numerous lives.

Rybaks paperwork includes mental health records from Puerto Rico that show Sanchez-Osorio has been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, hyperactivity and severe depression, and had been prescribed three psychotropic medications to treat his disorders. Rybak also noted that Sanchez-Osorio turned 17 two months before his arrest.

Rybak said Sanchez-Osorio has expressed concern for the victim, saying it was one of the reasons he wanted to give up his right to the preliminary hearing.

We didnt want [the victim] going through any more stress, Rybak said. We know shes been through enough and hope she is doing well.

Rybak said Monday he hopes for a plea deal in the case.

The bid to move the case to juvenile court will be opposed by prosecutors, and District Attorney John Morganelli has said he would be shocked if a judge would allow it, given the seriousness of the allegations.

As the woman screamed and fought, Sanchez-Osorio wrapped his hands around her throat and used a pillow to smother her until she passed out, police said.

Hearing her cries, the womans roommates called 911, police said. Officers encountered Osorio-Sanchez coming out of the womans bedroom, police said.

The woman was discovered unconscious and partially nude on her bedroom floor. Her face was blue and she had marks consistent with strangulation, police said.

Several of Sanchez-Osorios family members attended the hearing, including his sisters and his mother from Puerto Rico, Rybak said.

Sanchez-Osorio is being held under $100,000 bail. Charged as an adult, he faces counts that include attempted murder, attempted rape, aggravated assault and burglary.

pamela.lehman@mcall.com

Twitter @pamelalehman

610-820-6790
Ceremonies held to welcome God of Wealth across China

Xinhua) 10:07, January 28, 2023

A staff member in the costume of the God of Wealth takes part in a parade at Sanfangqixiang (Three Lanes and Seven Alleys), an ancient block in downtown Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 26, 2023. Ceremonies were held to welcome the God of Wealth as a tradition on the fifth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Thursday this year. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

A staff member in the costume of the God of Wealth interacts with tourists at Sanfangqixiang (Three Lanes and Seven Alleys), an ancient block in downtown Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 26, 2023. Ceremonies were held to welcome the God of Wealth as a tradition on the fifth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Thursday this year. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

A staff member in the costume of the God of Wealth takes part in an event at a historic street in Nanning, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Jan. 26, 2023. Ceremonies were held to welcome the God of Wealth as a tradition on the fifth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Thursday this year. (Photo by Yu Xiangquan/Xinhua)

A staff member in the costume of the God of Wealth poses for photos with tourists at a scenic spot in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 26, 2023. Ceremonies were held to welcome the God of Wealth as a tradition on the fifth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Thursday this year. (Photo by Hang Xingwei/Xinhua)

People take part in a parade welcoming the God of Wealth at Sanfangqixiang (Three Lanes and Seven Alleys), an ancient block in downtown Fuzhou, southeast China's Fujian Province, Jan. 26, 2023. Ceremonies were held to welcome the God of Wealth as a tradition on the fifth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Thursday this year. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)

A staff member in the costume of the God of Wealth takes part in a parade along waterways at an ancient town in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 26, 2023. Ceremonies were held to welcome the God of Wealth as a tradition on the fifth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Thursday this year. (Photo by Zhu Guigen/Xinhua)

People take part in a parade welcoming the God of Wealth along waterways at Digang Village in Huzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Jan. 26, 2023. Ceremonies were held to welcome the God of Wealth as a tradition on the fifth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Thursday this year. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

People take part in a parade welcoming the God of Wealth along waterways at Digang Village in Huzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, Jan. 26, 2023. Ceremonies were held to welcome the God of Wealth as a tradition on the fifth day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Thursday this year. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The first time David Good trekked through the Venezuelan jungle, the river was high enough for him and a guide to shoot through the rapids. Even then, though, the voyage to the remote Amazon village was grueling. On his last trip, in 2016, the Orinoco riverbed was dry from drought, making the trip a five-day slog through the tropical heat.

As his shoulders blistered, he regretted not bringing sunscreen. As his skin grew raw, he lamented stepping on a nest of biting ants. His foot throbbed where he cut it on a rock and his arms ached from pulling the boat he had intended to ride.

An adjunct biology instructor at Northampton Community College, Good didnt make the arduous journey to his ancestral home for the adventure. While he expected to conduct some research in and around the village of Irokai-teri, that wasnt his main mission.

He just wanted to see his mother, who is part of the indigenous Yanomami tribe of the Amazon. So when he and a guide arrived to find the village burned to the ground, they pushed through the jungle until Good was reunited with his mother, Yarima.

She left the New Jersey home she shared with Good, his brother and sister, and their father  famed anthropologist Kenneth Good  in 1992, to return to the traditional life of the Yanomami. Just as they did during his first trip in 2011 and his second in 2013, the villagers welcomed David Good with affection. And in his mothers embrace, the years and miles melted away.

David Good, an adjunct biology instructor at Northampton Community College, and his mother, Yarima, in her native village in the Amazon jungle. David is the son of anthropologist Kenneth Good, who lived among the Yanomami Irokai-teri tribe for 12 years.

As dusk set one evening and Good rocked in a hammock with Yarima, she confided in him, saying, Moka, which is the Yanomami word for son, New Jersey-teri [meaning land] is good. Florida-teri is good. Pessi-teri [Pennsylvania] is good. I love pizza and French fries. I want apples. You take me there.

After loneliness pushed Yarima to return to the isolated tribe that eschews modern living, Good wasnt sure hed ever see her again. To hear her speak so openly about returning to the United States was a little shocking, in part because the last time he heard her use English he was a young boy. Then he realized what was motivating her.

She wants to see her children and her husband, who she is still legally married to and hasnt seen in 26 years, Good said.

So he has launched a campaign to raise the $130,000 needed to get Yarima here and to enable her to bring a few friends, so she wont be too lonely. Hes doing it through a nonprofit called The Good Project that he started in 2013 to raise money for education, health care and the cultural preservation of the Yanomami and Cabecar, an indigenous tribe in Costa Rica. Good travels the United States telling his mothers story, which has prompted articles on the BBC and NPR.

Good, 32, hopes to spend Christmas with Yarima in his East Stroudsburg home.

David Good socializes with the Yanomami in Irokai-teri, the village in Venezuelas Amazon jungle where his mother lives.

Moving to New Jersey

Kenneth Good was a doctoral candidate in cultural anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania in 1975 when he traveled to Venezuela to live and study among the Yanomami, whose way of life completely contrasts with modern culture. The Yanomami, who number around 350,000 today, live in 200-250 villages deep in the Amazon in the southern Venezuelan jungle, hunting, fishing and cultivating plants. The jungle and the Guajaribo Rapids on the Orinoco River have kept the Yanomami isolated from other people. They live much as they did thousands of years ago, without clothing, technology or modern medicine.

The burnt remains of the Yanomami village in Venzuela that David Good came across when he was looking for his mother in 2016. It is believed the village burned down because of a fire sparked by drought.

At the time of Kenneth Goods arrival, the Yanomami were the subject of the best-selling book, Yanomamo: The Fierce People by Napolean Chagnon. Instead of a group of fierce people, however, Kenneth Good discovered a close-knit society. Fieldwork that was supposed to last 15 months stretched into 12 years, and Kenneth Good left only occasionally, to renew a visa or apply for new research funding.

After a couple of years, a village leader approached Kenneth Good, who was then 34, to offer his younger sister as the anthropologists wife. He presented Yarima, who was believed to be about 12, though the Yanomami dont keep track of age  their counting system doesnt go beyond 1, 2 and many. The offer wasnt unusual. Early marriages are common and are not consummated for some time. Its expected that by the time a girl reaches puberty, she will already have a husband and protector.

Yarima continued to stay with her family in the shapono  the extended communal roof under which a whole village takes shelter. Occasionally, she brought Kenneth Good food. As the years went on, their relationship blossomed from affection to romance. And when she was about 16, their marriage was consummated.

Kenneth Good, who now lives in New Jersey, was becoming well-known for his work, and his marriage to a child bride caused quite a stir. He told NPR in a 2014 interview that the relationship was hard for him to grasp at first, too.

You know, how can a Ph.D. candidate from a Western culture marry an Amazonian native woman who has never been out of the jungle and thought the whole world was an Amazon jungle, he said in the interview. I couldnt conceptualize it. Thats the way it went. But things changed. It was totally unexpected. Sometimes emotions are difficult to describe. I just fell in love with her.

In 1986, he decided to bring Yarima to the United States after she was attacked  which sometimes happens to women without a protector  while he was detained for months during a trip down river. She was carrying their first child when they made the trip. David was born in Bryn Mawr Hospital on Nov. 2, 1986, a week after they arrived.

Assimilation proved difficult. Yarima was so terrified by mirrors, Kenneth Good had to cover one in a hotel room with blankets. She thought cars were animals because they growled when a key turned the ignition. And she didnt understand why she had to be draped in layers of clothing. Daily life in New Jersey couldnt have been more foreign to Yarima, who wasnt accustomed to doors and windows, much less cars and supermarkets.

As Janet Chernela, an anthropology professor at the University of Maryland, explained, there was a lot Yarima was giving up, things that we could learn to incorporate in our own lives.

The proximity to sources of ones food; the intimacy of living among a small group of people; the emphasis on sharing; the abhorrence of being in the limelight; the pride and delight of fathers in being with their children; the importance of physical touch, in feeling a member of the group; the delight in humor  are all things that make up Amazonian daily life, Chernela said.

Kenneth Good and Yarima were officially married in Pennsylvania in 1986 and were featured in a People magazine story the next year. The American Museum of Natural History in New York City featured an exhibit about her. In 1991, National Geographic made a documentary about David and his family, following one of their return trips to the Amazon.

She was treated like a rock star, David Good said: Shes mom, but shes also a very brave, powerful Yanomami woman from the Amazon.

He had a happy childhood in New Jersey with his mother, dancing to Michael Jackson and Gloria Estefan, walking to Dunkin Donuts, going to the beach and riding on roller-coasters with her. He always remembers his parents being playful and affectionate with each other.

Goods childhood also included visits to the Amazon, where in 1988 his sister, Vanessa, was born in the jungle on a banana leaf.

Three years later, little brother Daniel came along. And so did the publication of his fathers famous book: Into the Heart: One Mans Pursuit of Love and Knowledge Among the Yanomami, a best-seller that has been translated into many languages.

It was the lack of social contact that prompted Yarimas decision to leave, David Good said. She was used to being surrounded by peers who spoke her language. In New Jersey, David spoke some Yanomami words but Kenneth Good was the only one who could really communicate with Yarima and he was at work most of the day.

The family made a return visit to the Amazon in summer 1992, but Good said only he, Vanessa and their father came home to New Jersey. Yarima remained in the Amazon with baby Daniel for another three months. Just before Christmas, Kenneth Good went to bring them back but returned to New Jersey with only Daniel.

It wasnt definite at the time that we would never see her again, Good said.

Aerial view of the Venezuelan jungle, with a surface of about 114,000 square miles, in southern Venezuela, where the Yanomami make their home.

As time slipped by, however, Good began to realize his mother was never coming back.

As a teenager, he struggled to understand why his mom left and resented his Yanomami heritage. If people inquired, he would tell them he was Hispanic.

My blood connection to my Yanomami heritage was my mother, but I had internalized as a young child her absence and abandonment. Hence, I renounced my Yanomami heritage, Good said.

When Good was 21, he watched the National Geographic documentary for the first time and it stirred in him many emotions, including a longing to see his mom again and learn more about his heritage.

That prompted his 2011 trip and return visits in 2013 and 2016, and the hoped-for reunion at Christmastime.

Bringing Yarima back to the United States is Goods attempt to bridge the chasm of two distinct parts of his life and identity, said Chernela, who is acquainted with Good.

That hes drawn to Irokai-teri doesnt surprise Chernela.

When an outside visitor leaves such a village, they do experience a longing to return. Because of his personal connections to the villagers and memories, David has felt this longing more deeply than most, she said.

Hes also interested as a scientist, because the Yanomami present an opportunity to for him to study microbiomes, the microorganisms that live on our skin and in our digestive systems and are thought to be tied to why humans develop  or dont develop  certain diseases. The Yanomamis microbiomes are much more diverse than is typical, providing scientists with much research fodder.

While allergies, asthma, celiac and Crohns disease may be common here, the Yanomami do not suffer from any of those conditions. Nor do they develop diabetes, and even cancer is unusual, said Good, who holds bachelors and masters degrees in biology from East Stroudsburg University and is working toward a doctorate in epidemiology at Rutgers University School of Public Health. Even stress, loneliness and depression are somewhat foreign to the culture, he said.

Its thought that a Western lifestyle including overuse of antibiotics, extreme sanitation and limited interaction with other biomes (Good says people need to get outside and dig their toes in the dirt) has contributed to the prevalence of disease in Western cultures.

Chernela notes Good has a foot in both worlds, which puts him in a unique position to bridge the gap.

Goods siblings dont have as strong a connection to Irokai-teri. Vanessa, 30, and Daniel, 26, havent seen their mother since they were about the same ages as David Goods children: Naomi, 4, and Kaleb, 3 months.

So far, The Good Project has raised about $3,000 for Yarimas return trip.

The expenses include the services of about a dozen people such as an immigration lawyer, an anthropologist, a merchant to help deliver supplies needed during the trek into the jungle, as well as native guides, fuel and a boat up the Orinoco River.

Good plans to go to Irokai-teri in July and bring his mother back home with him. Hes hoping she and her friends will stay for at least nine months. Of course, Yarima is completely unaware of her sons plans because he cant just call or email her about them. Still, Good knows she expects to see him  she told him not to wait too long before coming back.

I lost my mother around Christmas 1992, so it only seems fitting to try to bring her back around Christmas 2018, said Good, hopeful that hell meet his goal.

YANOMAMI WORDS

pehe: tobacco

ya ohi: Im hungry

moka: a term of endearment a mom would say to son

nohi: friend

weti wa tai: what are you doing?

irokai-teri: village of Irokai

mahu: one

porakapu: two

pruka: many

Spellings have been modified to fit English vernacular.

Courtesy of David Good.

TO HELP THE YANOMAMI

The Good Project is a nonprofit dedicated to the education, health and cultural preservation of indigenous groups in South and Central America.

Info: jointhegoodproject.com

ctatu@mcall.com

Twitter @ChristinaTatu

610-820-6583
Two people have been arrested in the robbery of Santander Bank in Palmer Township, one of two major crimes that took place at the same time at different banks Wednesday afternoon.

Cleon Harrison Edwards of Easton and Jalissa Cummings of Allentown were both charged in the robbery at the bank at 3120 William Penn Highway.

According to Palmer Township police: Edwards walked into the bank at about 3:40 p.m. and demanded money but did not show a weapon. Once he got the cash, he fled on foot, running to a neighboring street where Cummings was waiting in a car.

A Good Samaritan who was not identified followed the car and called 911 with details, police said. The Good Samaritan also saw Edwards jump out of the car at around 25th Street near LA Fitness running into Wilson Borough. Police continued to follow the car and detained and arrested Cummings on Wednesday. Easton police arrested Edwards in the city on Thursday.

Both have been arraigned and are in Northampton County Prison.

The Santander Bank incident was one of two simultaneous major crimes Wednesday afternoon at banks in Palmer Township.

According to Palmer police: a man came into TD Bank, 2417 Park Ave., at 3:40 p.m. and tried to use a fraudulent ID to access bank account information. The suspect was wearing a COVID-mask and a beanie pulled far down his face. Bank employees, who have been on high alert due to a rash of such fraudulent attempts, contacted police.

The suspect became impatient, left the bank and was confronted by a responding police officer, the police said. The suspect swung a cane at the officer and a scuffle ensued. A get-away vehicle described as a black sedan with black tinted windows and New Jersey registration pulled up next to the suspect and the suspect quickly got in.

A chase ensued north on Route 248, then north on Route 33 exiting onto Main Street, south onto Tatamy Road and east onto Hackett Avenue. Police ended the pursuit due to concerns over safety. No accidents or injuries occurred.
The Lebanon couple accused of killing their 17-months-old child after she drowned likely will see jail time.

Police assert John and Kaitlyn Hutchings daughter Jaelyn drowned Sept. 23, 2021, at a home in Albany while her parents failed to watch the girl and her two minor siblings.

Defense attorneys formally reached an agreement with a prosecutor Friday, Jan. 27 that keeps John, 29, and 24-year-old Kaitlyn Hutchings out of trial and clear of a possible lengthy prison sentence under the states minimum sentencing guidelines.

I dont think there was a basis for the manslaughter charge, said Michael Lowry, the public defender who represented John Hutchings.

Albany police arrested the pair May 15, 2022, charging John and Kaitlyn Hutchings each with second-degree manslaughter, first-degree criminal mistreatment, three counts of second-degree child neglect and three counts of endangering a minor child.

Defense attorneys had debated whether severe charges are warranted in a death, Lowry said, that could happen to anyone.

But ultimately, you dont know who youre going to get on a jury, Lowry said.

John and Kaitlyn Hutchings both entered no-contest pleas to the charges of manslaughter in the death of Jaelyn.

They both pleaded no contest to one count of endangering a minor child for each of the girls two siblings who were allowed to be in a place where people were using or keeping controlled substances.

It was pleading to those charges or risk taking a case to trial that could see the Hutchingses convicted for crimes carrying mandatory sentences of six years and three months under Oregon Measure 11.

Its the great sword of Damocles, Lowry said, referring to the ancient Greek parable used to illustrate imminent peril.

John Hutchings plea bargaining nets him 18 months in prison.

John Hutchings also pleaded guilty in 2020 to misdemeanor second-degree child neglect after he left Jaelyn unattended for a period of time long enough to endanger the child.

She was about 6 months old at the time. A judge had ordered John Hutchings to 18 months of court supervision.

Kaitlyn Hutchings' deal is for 30 days in jail and a $200 fine. Shes barred by the court from caring for other peoples children.

Its devastating for my client, for this family. The loss of a child is tragic, said Drew Anderson, Kaitlyn Hutchings' defense attorney.

Linn County Circuit Court Judge Brendan Kane accepted the agreement. The defendants are scheduled to appear before Kane on March 3 for sentencing.

The Hutchingses will be allowed contact with each other after the court removed a stipulation that had barred the couple from communicating.

A judge had allowed John Hutchings to contact Kaitlyn Hutchings during a state Department of Human Services-supervised visit with the pairs children to observe Christmas.

Kaitlyn Hutchings was granted contact with the children at DHS discretion after June 16. It's unclear who has current custody of the children.

Related stories:
Sweet Home officially has more than 10,000 people, a landmark in city history and governance that trips state housing rules to pump up housing in midsize communities.

Because Sweet Home is technically midsized.

By Dec. 21, the city must adopt changes to the citys code allowing duplexes on all residential lots inside city limits, a requirement under an Oregon law passed in 2019 requiring more, and more dense housing.

Meeting in the middle

State senior housing planner Ethan Stuckmayer confirmed Friday, Jan. 27 that Oregon and Sweet Home officials will meet the week of Jan. 30 to sketch out what, exactly, the city will do to fall in line with housing production rules under Department of Land Conservation and Development.

Weve been pretty clear we feel those middle housing steps cities are taking is part of that housing production strategy, Stuckmayer said.

Cities with populations up to 9,999 are exempt from rules enacted after the Legislatures passage of House Bill 2001, the middle housing law  designed to serve those who don't qualify for low-income housing but often can't afford market rates  and part of a larger package of bills meant to remedy the states chronic housing shortages.

At 10,000 and more people, cities fall under the Land Conservation departments edict to do what it takes to remedy housing shortages.

Broadly, thats allowing two distinct family dwellings on one lot.

They can be stacked, separate, side-by-side, but Oregon says cities over 10,000 have to include duplexes. Those cities no longer can restrict areas zoned residential to only the construction of single-family detached homes.

Part of the meeting next week is ensuring theyre in full compliance, Stuckmayer said.

An easier process for developers

Another requirement passed in the same suite of laws requires cities over 10,000 to manage the process, from a developers application to signing off on a new construction, to ensure housing is easily created.

Cities must not only identify steps they can take, like expanding sewer and water lines or streamlining paperwork, but come up with a schedule to roll out those changes in a housing production strategy.

They become subject to both House Bill 2001 and 2003 is the short answer, Stuckmayer said.

Theres no question after December findings by the states population forecaster showing that Sweet Home, which incorporated about 130 years ago in the Cascade foothills, is at 10,097, edging past the five-digit mark for the first time.

Portland State University's Population Research Center compiled those numbers in July and certified them in December. Those are among the centers detailed population counts and population forecasts generally used in Oregon rulemaking.

Lebanon slightly ahead

In Lebanon, where a plat of proposed duplexes is scheduled to appear before the citys planning commission Feb. 15, the city began a hard look at its housing strategies in 2021.

The city amended its development code in May 2021 to comply with House Bill 2001.

Duplexes were allowed in all residential zones, but Lebanon found it would need to reduce minimum lot size for multifamily dwellings from 10,000 to 5,000 square feet in low-density residential zones.

The lot size was set to shrink from 7,000 to 5,000 square feet in all other zones.

Lebanon announced Jan. 26 the city is accepting public comment on a 28-lot development to the southwest of downtown where Albany-based Joling Enterprises proposes building duplex-like homes.

The plan calls for 28 townhomes that each share a common wall and property line, effectively 14 unified structures, squeezed in between West B and D streets near their intersections with South Seventh Street.

Joling Enterprises development is not part of any intentional effort to respond to the 2019 housing laws, said Tammy Dickey, a city development technician.

This is just the new trend in town, Dickey said.

Now at 19,662 people, the city does not appear to be tracking toward the 25,000-person threshold that changes a midsize city to a large one.

For now, Lebanon is expected to approach 24,000 by 2070, according to a Population Research Center forecast published in 2021.

Big-city responsibilities

Albany and Corvallis, well over the 25,000-population mark, already fall under requirements to allow not only duplexes and townhouses but triplexes, quadplexes, and development of multiple detached homes on one property, called cottage clusters.

Gov. Tina Koteks Jan. 10 executive orders add a further wrinkle for up-and-coming towns like Sweet Home.

Those orders that include declaring homelessness a statewide emergency also call for Oregon to produce 36,000 new homes every year for the next 10 years.

House Bill 2889, introduced in the 2023 Legislature, incorporates the findings of the states 2022 Housing Needs Analysis report.

Lawmakers will decide what agencies are responsible and what funding needed to apportion out the 36,000-home edict across Oregons cities and county governments that ultimately will be responsible for meeting demand from the governors office.

Whether thats investment or reducing the time it takes to get a permit, itll mean really keying in on those strategies, Stuckmayer said.

Related stories:
WILKES-BARRE  A jury on Wednesday convicted a man of strangling a pharmacist and the pharmacists girlfriend, whose bodies were found in his yard, as part of a plot to rob the pharmacist of the proceeds of an illegal drug ring. It was a victory for prosecutors who had failed to put him away on two earlier homicide charges.

Hugo Selenski, who showed no emotion as the verdict was read, faces a potential death sentence after the jury concluded he killed Michael Kerkowski and Tammy Fassett in 2002 and buried their bodies behind his house.

One of Selenskis sisters cried quietly and left the courtroom after hearing the verdict. The victims relatives remained stoic. Later, Selenskis brother Ronald Selenski Jr. rushed toward an elevator holding the victims relatives and prosecutors and was placed in handcuffs.

Prosecutors said Selenski, 41, and a co-conspirator brutally beat Kerkowski to compel him to reveal the location of tens of thousands of dollars he kept in his house, then used flex ties to strangle him and Fassett.

Authorities found their decomposing bodies on Selenskis property about a year later, along with at least three other sets of human remains.

The jury reached its verdict after deliberating more than 11 hours over two days. It convicted Selenski of eight of 10 counts, including first-degree murder and robbery, and must now decide whether to send him to death row or give him life in prison without parole. The penalty phase will start Feb. 17.

Selenski has been a familiar face in northeastern Pennsylvania since his 2003 arrest on charges he killed a pair of drug dealers whose charred remains also were found on the property north of Wilkes-Barre.

In 2006, a jury acquitted him of one homicide and deadlocked on another but convicted him of abusing the mens corpses. After the verdict, authorities immediately charged him with killing Kerkowski and Fassett.

Kerkowski, from Hunlock Creek, had pleaded guilty to running a prescription drug ring that netted at least $800,000 and was about to be sentenced when he and Fassett were reported missing in May 2002. They were both 37 years old.

Selenski saw an opportunity to scam Kerkowski, getting the pharmacist to give him tens of thousands of dollars for legal work he never performed, prosecutors alleged.

But Selenski quickly burned through all the money and needed another $10,000 to cover a check that his girlfriend, Christina Strom, had written to purchase a house, giving him a motive to rob and kill Kerkowski before the pharmacist headed to prison on the drug charges, prosecutors said.

The defense contended Selenski was framed by another man, Paul Weakley, who led police to Selenskis yard in June 2003. Weakley later pleaded guilty in federal court, testified against Selenski to avoid the death penalty and could ask for a reduction of his life prison sentence because of his cooperation.

Weakley, who met Selenski in prison in the 1990s, told jurors how he plotted with Selenski to kill Kerkowski and then helped him carry out the crimes and bury the bodies. He described how he and Selenski bound the victims and covered their eyes with duct tape.

Weakley said Kerkowski, who was beaten with a rolling pin, told them where to find his hidden bags of cash. He said Fassett was killed simply because she was with Kerkowski when they showed up at the pharmacists house.

After the killings, Selenski stole tens of thousands more dollars that Kerkowski had given to his father for safekeeping, pointing a gun at the father and threatening him, other witnesses said.

Selenski, who is already serving decades in prison for an unrelated robbery, escaped from prison in 2003 using a rope fashioned from bed sheets and spent three days on the run before turning himself in.

The fifth body discovered on his property was never publicly identified.
For Bangor Area elementary school nurse Danielle Hayes, the definition of hope is believing with absolute certainty that something is going to come to pass, she said.

Its that spirit that drives Hayes and the entire Bangor community to rally around Gina Shemanski, a sixth-grade teacher who has spent well over a decade at DeFranco Elementary and is in need of a liver donation.

We have hope that shell be fully restored, because her purpose isnt over, Hayes said. She has girls to raise, kids to teach  she has so much to give.

Shemanski, who was born with a genetic disorder, has been searching for a donor liver for almost a year, family and friends said. While she waits, the community has rallied around her and her family through fundraisers while also raising awareness about the widespread need for organ donors.

Just about everything is affected in my body by this liver disease, Shemanski posted on the National Kidney Registry, a website where those seeking organ donors can share their stories. I am ready to get back to teaching and lead a normal life.

Shemanski, who is undergoing treatment at a Philadelphia hospital, was unavailable to provide comment for this story.

There are more than 105,000 adults and children currently on the national transplant waiting list, according to the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. In Pennsylvania alone, there are more than 7,100 people registered, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Of those, kidneys and livers are most needed, with 6,014 and 627 people registered on the waiting list for them, respectively.

Shemanski started searching for a donor liver in April, her mother, Stephanie DePaolis, said. Although she was slated to receive it in December, a family tragedy disqualified the donor.

Since then, her condition has deteriorated a bit, and is beginning to affect her kidneys.

She needs a liver, DePaolis said when asked about Shemanskis greatest need. Because if she gets a liver, the kidneys would be OK then.

Earlier this month, Carol Kemp, a sixth-grade teacher at DeFranco, launched an online fundraiser to help financially support Shemanski and her two teenage daughters.

The GoFundMe, Hope for today, has raised more than $7,400 of its $20,000 goal, according to the campaigns webpage. More than 100 people have donated.

Gina is so funny, and the kids love her, Kemp said, describing her as an active member of the community. She has a great, dry sense of humor. And she really gets the kids  its always amazing to see her connect with the kids.

Parallel to that effort, Hayes and others from DeFranco have started selling Team Gina T-shirts. Proceeds from the sales will go to the family, Hayes said, and supporters are encouraged to wear them on staff dress down days at the school.

Theyre gonna be Carolina blue, like blue skies ahead, Hayes said. Sunshine and blue skies are whats next. Its one of her favorite colors. And theyll have the word hope over the heart.

Its a community effort to support Shemanski, just as residents have pitched in to offer words of encouragement or raise money for other teachers and their families during times of need.

I just know that as a DeFranco community, when this happens to somebody in our building or districts, its amazing how we are that family, Hayes said. The work family actually is how we roll.

Interested in finding out if youre qualified to donate? Visit www.kidneyregistry.org.

Morning Call reporter Molly Bilinski can be reached at mbilinski@mcall.com.
MONACO, Jan. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is back. The annual meeting for alternative energy sources, taking place 3-8 July in Monaco, will welcome newcomers, some unusual projects and new initiatives to celebrate the 10th anniversary. The contestants will be divided in 3 emblematic categories: Solar Class, Open Class and Energy Class, the latter having closed registrations. After ten years in existence, early innovations have already progressed to marketable products, paving the way towards a more responsible future for the environment in terms of energy. "Faced with the climate emergency, it is imperative that living proof of progress replaces promises," says HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco, "to guarantee and pass on a quality legacy to future generations."



While contestants in the Open Sea and Solar classes still have time to refine their applications, those accepted for the Energy Class have just been revealed. For this edition, 15 universities, two industry teams and ten nationalities will be lining up on the start for the Energy Class. A total of 17 teams that have been approved by the technical committee who examined the dossiers of 19 applications with a tooth comb.

Those given the green light include newcomers like Aritra from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras for its hybrid hydrogen-battery propulsion project, with the idea of adding a wave energy capture system using regenerative suspension in the future. Alongside them the Sea Sakthi team from Kumaraguru College of Technology, India, will be competing for the second consecutive year. Also new to the contest are two new Italian teams from Genoa and Messina, and a new French and German team. There are nine hydrogen projects in this class, launched 2018 by YCM which supplies the teams with a one design catamaran hull. It requires all the ingenuity of participants to design the cockpit and the most efficient and enduring propulsion system, using renewable energy sources of their choice, all from a given quantity of energy (10kWh maximum stored on board).

Looking forward to the initiative, a new corporate Mentoring Program will start in February through the 8th July for teams who can benefit from bespoke support. Set up to strengthen ties between the yachting industry and the university teams competing, this initiative enables experts in the sector to give participants targeted advice specific to their project and objectives. The program complements the now well-established Job Forum that puts industry professionals into contact with talented future yachting engineers, an initiative that positions yachting as a generator of jobs.

Organised by Yacht Club de Monaco in partnership with Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, and support of Credit Suisse, BMW, SBM Offshore and shipyard Oceanco, the event is under the aegis of Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting. For the first time, YCM is joined by MarineShift360 so contestants can measure and manage their boats impact on the environment.

For more information:

LaPresse SpA Communication and Press Office Director

Barbara Sanicola - barbara.sanicola@lapresse.it

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f04bffe5-443f-4aba-add6-3de8931c2cb7

The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via AP PhotoExpress.
Farmington, Jan. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Vacuum Cleaner Market Was Valued At USD 12,501.0 Million In 2022 And Is Expected To Expand at a CAGR Of 9.9% From 2023 To 2030. One of the main reasons more people are buying advanced vacuum cleaners is that the average income per person in developing countries is going up. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic has made people pay more attention to cleanliness and hygiene so they can feel safe at home and in public places. People think this will help the market grow over the next few years. In November 2021, Kent RO Systems Ltd. came out with a bagless, cordless zoom vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner uses cyclonic technology and a 130W suction motor to get rid of all the dust and dirt. Also, it has a HEPA filter to keep the air clean and stop pollution.

Request Sample Copy of Report  Vacuum Cleaner 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.

Recent Developments:

In Oct 2019 , Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. of Japan had a deal with Facebook to develop an RF module for Facebook's Terragraph gigabit wireless technology solution.

, Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. of Japan had a deal with Facebook to develop an RF module for Facebook's Terragraph gigabit wireless technology solution. In Sep 2019 , Qualcomm bought RF360 to grow its business of radio frequency parts.

, Qualcomm bought RF360 to grow its business of radio frequency parts. In Oct 2019, NXP launched a radio frequency power multi-chip module (MCM) portfolio to help 5G base stations with MIMO active antenna systems.

Segment Analysis:

There are different kinds of products on the market, such as handheld, canister, upright, stick, and autonomous or robot. Over the next few years, the market for robots is likely to grow. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are now new needs and requirements for cleaning. This is so that people, especially in hospitals, can do other things. Businesses use self-cleaning or robotic vacuum cleaners because of these kinds of expectations. Residential clients and end users like features like automatic charging, the smart home trend, and voice-activated instructions from digital voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.

The market is divided into two parts based on where the product will be used: commercial and household. In 2021, home vacuum cleaners will make up 48% of the market, making them the market leader. Consumers are becoming more aware of hygiene, more efficient appliances are coming out, their living standards are going up, and their incomes are going up. Because they are learning more about the benefits of using vacuum cleaners, low-income households are also more likely to buy them. During the time frame of the forecast, the commercial segment will grow slowly.

Based on the Distribution Channel, the online distribution channel segment had a revenue share of more than 56.0% in 2022. Different kinds of lockdowns are used all over the world to stop the spread of COVID-19, which could explain the growth. Companies now sell their products online because cleaning has become an important part of everyone's daily life.

Regional Outlook:

Asia-Pacific was the world's largest market for vacuum cleaners in 2022. One of the most important markets was China. Some of the main things that drive the demand for vacuum cleaners in the area are the large number of local companies, the availability of low-cost goods, and the high purchasing power of consumers. The fact that more and more rural areas are getting electricity and that online sales are common in developing countries like India is helping the demand for vacuum cleaners.

Buy this Premium Research Report@

https://www.contrivedatuminsights.com/buy/248455/?Mode=PM

Scope of Report:

Report Attributes Details Growth Rate CAGR of 9.9% from 2023 to 2030. Revenue Forecast by 2022 USD 12,501.0 Million By Product Type Green Vacuum Cleaner, Stick, Canister, Upright, Autonomous/Robot, Others By End Use Commercial, Household, Others By Distribution Channel Online, Offline, Others By Companies Alfred Karcher SE & Co. KG, BISSELL Inc.,, CRAFTSMAN, DEWALT, Dyson, ECOVACS, Emerson Electric Co., Haier Group, iRobot Corporation, Neato Robotics, Inc., Nilfisk Group, Panasonic Holdings Corporation, Snow Joe LLC 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 Base Year 2022 Historical Year 2017 to 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2030

Market Dynamics:

With today's vacuum cleaners, most cleaning jobs can be done faster and easier. Companies are coming up with new products that use cutting-edge technology to meet the growing demand for creative cleaning tools of all sizes. After the COVID-19 pandemic, Brain Corp. and AT&T Mobility LLC got together in April 2020 to look into how IoT could be used in their mobile cleaning robots. Before that, Alfred Karcher SE & Co. KG and Nilfisk Group worked with Brain Corp. to make vacuum cleaners that could drive themselves using the Brains AI platform.

Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, hospitals and homes will need more vacuum cleaners than ever in 2020. This is because it is more important than ever to keep them clean. Several companies said their income went up in these areas, but the demand for vacuum cleaners in the industrial sector went down because factories closed all over the world. One of the most important things driving growth in the market is how important social media and online sales are getting.

Key Segments Covered:

Top Market Players:

Alfred Karcher SE & Co. KG, BISSELL Inc.,, CRAFTSMAN, DEWALT, Dyson, ECOVACS, Emerson Electric Co., Haier Group, iRobot Corporation, Neato Robotics, Inc., Nilfisk Group, Panasonic Holdings Corporation, Snow Joe LLC, and others.

By Product Type

Green Vacuum Cleaner

Stick

Canister

Upright

Autonomous/Robot

Other

By End Use

Commercial

Household

Others

By Distribution Channel

Online

Offline

Others

Regions and Countries Covered

North America: (US, Canada, Mexico, Rest of North America)

(US, Canada, Mexico, Rest of North America) Europe: (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK, Nordic Countries, Benelux Union, Rest of 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)

(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)

(Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest of the Middle East & Africa) Latin America: (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America)

(Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America) Rest Of the World

Check out more related studies published by Contrive Datum Insights:

Window Cleaning Robot Market - The Window Cleaning Robot market size was valued at USD 85.17 million. In 2020, total revenue is projected to grow by 15.2% between 2022 and 2028, reaching nearly $229.33 million. North America accounted for the leading market share in 2020.

- The Window Cleaning Robot market size was valued at USD 85.17 million. In 2020, total revenue is projected to grow by 15.2% between 2022 and 2028, reaching nearly $229.33 million. North America accounted for the leading market share in 2020. Cleaning Robot Market - The global Cleaning Robot Market size was valued at USD 3.6 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 22.3% from 2022 to 2030. The North American cleaning robot market is valued at $1.1 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow significantly through 2030.

- The global Cleaning Robot Market size was valued at USD 3.6 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 22.3% from 2022 to 2030. The North American cleaning robot market is valued at $1.1 billion in 2021 and is projected to grow significantly through 2030. Payment Security Market - The global Payment Security Market size was valued at USD 17.64 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 60.56 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 13.2% from 2022 to 2030. North America holds the highest position in the global Payment Security market share in 2021.

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PRESS RELEASE



28 January 2023

SABATO DE SARNO APPOINTED

CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF GUCCI

Kering and Gucci are pleased to announce that Sabato De Sarno will assume the role of Creative Director for the House. De Sarno will present his debut runway collection at Milan Womens Fashion Week in September 2023.

In his new role, De Sarno will lead the Houses Design Studio reporting to Marco Bizzarri, President and CEO of Gucci, with the responsibility for defining and expressing the Houses creative vision across the womens, mens, leather goods, accessories and lifestyle collections.

Sabato De Sarno was raised in Naples, Italy. He began his career at Prada in 2005, moving to Dolce & Gabbana, before joining Valentino in 2009, where he held positions of increasing responsibility, finally being appointed Fashion Director overseeing both mens and womens collections.

Marco Bizzarri, President and CEO of Gucci, commented: I am delighted that Sabato will join Gucci as the Houses new Creative Director, one of the most influential roles in the luxury industry. Having worked with a number of Italys most renowned luxury fashion houses, he brings with him a vast and relevant experience. I am certain that through Sabatos deep understanding and appreciation for Guccis unique legacy, he will lead our creative teams with a distinctive vision that will help write this exciting next chapter, reinforcing the Houses fashion authority while capitalizing on its rich heritage.

Francois-Henri Pinault, Chairman & CEO of Kering, said: One hundred and two years after Guccio Gucci opened his first store in Florence, Gucci remains one of the most iconic, prominent and influential luxury houses in the world. With Sabato De Sarno at the creative helm, we are confident that the House will continue both to influence fashion and culture through highly desirable products and collections, and to bring a singular and contemporary perspective to modern luxury.

Sabato De Sarno said: I am deeply honored to take on the role as Creative Director of Gucci. I am proud to join a House with such an extraordinary history and heritage, that over the years has been able to welcome and cherish values I believe in. I am touched and excited to contribute my creative vision for the brand.

Sabato De Sarno will start in his new position as soon as he will have completed all his obligations in his current role.

Photograph available here  credit: Riccardo Raspa

About Kering

Kering is a global Luxury group that manages the development of a series of renowned Houses in Fashion, Leather Goods and Jewelry: Gucci, Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Brioni, Boucheron, Pomellato, Dodo and Qeelin, as well as Kering Eyewear. By placing creativity at the heart of its strategy, Kering enables its Houses to set new limits in terms of their creative expression while crafting tomorrows Luxury in a sustainable and responsible way. We capture these beliefs in our signature: Empowering Imagination. In 2021, Kering had more than 42,000 staff members and generated revenue of 17.6 billion.

About Gucci

Founded in Florence, Italy in 1921, Gucci is one of the worlds leading luxury brands. Following the Houses centenary, Gucci forges ahead continuing to redefine fashion and luxury while celebrating creativity, Italian craftsmanship, and innovation.

Discover more about Gucci at www.gucci.com.

Contacts

Press

Kering

Emilie Gargatte +33 (0)1 45 64 61 20 emilie.gargatte@kering.com

Marie de Montreynaud +33 (0)1 45 64 62 53 marie.demontreynaud@kering.com

Gucci

Claudio Monteverde +39 348 29 05 202 claudio.monteverde@gucci.com

Analysts/investors

Claire Roblet +33 (0)1 45 64 61 49 claire.roblet@kering.com

Julien Brosillon +33 (0)1 45 64 62 30 julien.brosillon@kering.com





Attachment
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Jan. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Dr Charles Noplis Scholarship for Medical Students has been launched to provide the needed funds for deserving students who are aspiring and studying to become medical doctors. The scholarship program worth $1000 is established by the acclaimed psychiatrist as a way to give every aspiring doctor a chance to reach their dreams, as well as to ensure the emergence of future medical leaders and innovators.

All university and college students currently enrolled in any accredited university or college who are planning to pursue medical studies can apply for the scholarship. Aside from that, all high school students who are dreaming to become future doctors and will attend a university or college can apply as well.

With more than 10 years in the field of medicine, particularly in psychiatry, Dr. Charles Noplis is aware of the difficulties faced by students who come from humble backgrounds in pursuing their dreams to become future medical leaders, as hed got first-hand experience with the tough journey to becoming a doctor.

Believing that financial challenges should not be a reason for many young promising students to give up on their goals, Dr. Noplis then launched his medical scholarship program as a way to ease their financial struggles, and more importantly to encourage them to reach for their dreams.

The scholarship will be given to deserving students through an essay writing competition. All interested students must compete in writing an essay of less than 1,000 words answering a given question.

Dr. Charles Noplis is a board-certified psychiatrist from Louisville, Kentucky. He has been in the field for 15 years, with his medical journey starting with earning his B.S. in Biology at the University of Kentucky, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2001. Dr. Noplis then earned his medical degree at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in 2008 and completed his Residency Program at the University of Louisville Department of Psychiatry in 2012. He later earned his ABPN Board Certification in Psychiatry in 2013 and earned his ABPM Board Certification in Addiction Medicine in 2019. Throughout his career, Dr. Noplis has received numerous awards including Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (FASAM) in 2020, voted Top Psychiatrist and Medical Director in Louisville, KY by Top Doc in 2019, named Professional of the Year in Psychiatry by the Continental Whos Who in 2018, and voted Top Doc in Psychiatry for the state of KY by peers and patients among other awards in the same year. Dr. Noplis has several medical and professional memberships, including the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Noplis has been the CEO and President of Noplis Psychiatry since May 2017. He has been serving at Seven Counties Services as an outpatient provider since 2020.

All students who want to qualify for the scholarship may submit their application until May 15, 2023. The winner will then be chosen and announced on July 15, 2023. For more details about the Dr. Charles Noplis Scholarship students are encouraged to visit the official website to apply.
Memphis authorities released more than an hour of footage Friday of the violent beating of Tyre Nichols in which officers held the Black motorist down and struck him repeatedly as he screamed for his mother.

The video emerged one day after the officers were charged with murder in Nichols death.

The footage shows police savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes. The Nichols family legal team has likened the assault to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.

Im going to baton the (expletive) out you, one officer can be heard saying. His body camera shows him raise his baton while at least one other officer holds Nichols.

After the beating, officers milled about for several minutes while Nichols lay propped up against the car, then slumped onto the street.

Editors note: The following video is one of four released by Memphis authorities. The footage contains graphic content and language. There is no audio for the first minute. The full hour of footage released can be viewed here.

Cities across the country braced for large demonstrations. Nichols relatives urged supporters to protest peacefully.

This young man, by definition of the law in this state, was terrorized. Not by one, not by two, but by five officers who we now know  acted in concert with each other, said attorney Antonio Romanucci, who represents Nichols family.

The officers acted together  to inflict harm, terrorism, oppression of liberty, oppression of constitutional rights, which led to murder, Romanucci said.

Memphis Police Director Cerelyn Davis described the officers actions as heinous, reckless and inhumane, and said that her department has been unable to substantiate the reckless driving allegation that prompted the stop.

She told The Associated Press in an interview that there is no video of the traffic stop that shows Nichols recklessly driving.

During the initial stop, the video shows the officers were already ramped up, at about a 10, she said. The officers were aggressive, loud, using profane language and probably scared Mr. Nichols from the very beginning.

We know something happened prior to this officer or these officers getting out of their vehicles  Just knowing the nature of officers, it takes something to get them amped up, you know, like that. We dont know what happened, she said.

All we know is the amount of force that was applied in this situation was over the top, Davis said.

The image from video released on Jan. 27, 2023, by the City of Memphis, shows Tyre Nichols during a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers on Jan. 7, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn.

Given the likelihood of protests, Davis told ABC that she and other local officials decided it would be best to release the video later in the day, after schools are dismissed and people are home from work.

Nichols mother, RowVaughn Wells, warned supporters of the horrific nature of the video but pleaded for peace.

I dont want us burning up our city, tearing up the streets, because thats not what my son stood for, she said Thursday. If you guys are here for me and Tyre, then you will protest peacefully.

Speaking at the White House, President Joe Biden said Friday that he was very concerned about the prospect of violence and called for protests to remain peaceful.

Biden said he spoke with Nichols mother earlier in the day and told her that he was going to be making a case to Congress to pass the George Floyd Act to get this under control. The legislation, which has been stalled, is meant to tackle police misconduct and excessive force and boost federal and state accountability efforts.

FBI Director Christopher Wray said he was appalled by the video and that all FBI field officers have been alerted to work with state and local partners, including in Memphis, in the event of something getting out of hand.

Court records showed that all five former officers  Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith  were taken into custody.

The officers each face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Four of the five officers had posted bond and been released from custody by Friday morning, according to court and jail records.

Martins lawyer, William Massey, and Mills lawyer, Blake Ballin, said their clients would plead not guilty. Lawyers for Smith, Bean and Haley could not be reached.

No one out there that night intended for Tyre Nichols to die, Massey said.

Second-degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison under Tennessee law.

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said in a statement late Friday that two deputies who appeared on the scene after the beating have been relieved of duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

Patrick Yoes, the national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, condemned the alleged actions of the Memphis officers.

The event as described to us does not constitute legitimate police work or a traffic stop gone wrong. This is a criminal assault under the pretext of law, Yoes said in a statement.

Rallies and demonstrations were planned Friday night in Memphis, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, New York City, Portland, Oregon and Washington.

New York Mayor Eric Adams, a former police officer, said he and other mayors across the country had been briefed by the White House in advance of the videos release, which he said would trigger pain and sadness in many of us. It will make us angry.

Romanucci and civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who also represents Nichols family, called on the police chief to disband the departments so-called scorpion unit focused on street crime.

Nichols at all times was an innocent victim, Romanucci said Friday. He did nothing wrong. He was caught up in a sting. This scorpion unit was designed to saturate under the guise of crime fighting, and what it wound up doing instead was creating a continual pattern and practice of bad behavior.

Davis said other officers are still being investigated for violating department policy. In addition, she said a complete and independent review will be conducted of the departments specialized units, without providing further details.

Two fire department workers were also removed from duty.

As state and federal investigations continue, Davis promised the police departments full and complete cooperation.

Crump said the video showed that Nichols was shocked, pepper-sprayed and restrained when he was pulled over near his home. He was returning home from a suburban park where he had taken photos of the sunset.

Relatives have accused police of causing Nichols to have a heart attack and kidney failure. Authorities have said only that Nichols experienced a medical emergency.
While everyone is questioning the future of the Pennsylvania House, so is House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton.

Democrats won a majority of seats in the state House in the November election. But three vacancies  one from a death and two from resignations after members won higher office  put Democrats at a two-seat disadvantage on the first day of legislative session earlier this month. Immediately after the election, McClinton was expected to take the speakers gavel and become the first woman and second Black person to lead the state House.

Instead, all House Democrats and GOP leaders supported Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks, to be the new House speaker.

McClinton, the first woman to lead a caucus on the state House floor, told The Inquirer shes now unsure if shell get to take this next history-making role as speaker of the House.

Heres a look at the status of the stalled House in the eyes of one of its top Democrats:

A dream deferred

McClinton said she is prepared to be a fair speaker for the state House. But does she expect to take the speakers gavel any time soon?

Ive been blessed and honored to make history in the House with my current role, as the only woman to be a floor leader in the oldest legislative body in the nation, as the first woman in my caucus to be caucus chair, and I would love to be the first woman to be speaker of the House, she said. Im grateful to have built skills and capacity to be a fair speaker. Im prepared to do what is best for my caucus and the state House, and on the third of January, as everybody knows, I did not run for the office because I needed to do what was best for my caucus and the institution. So I dont know.

The answer is, I dont know.

McClinton previously had not answered questions about whether she expects Rozzi to step down after Democrats take the majority.

Rozzi could resign as speaker at any time, allowing for new speaker elections. Otherwise, the House would need a two-thirds majority vote to recall a speaker.

For now, the Philadelphia Democrat will do whats best for her party, she said, though she still hopes to one day be the states first woman  and first Black woman  to be speaker of the House.

How does it feel? For me, it just feels like a dream deferred, she added, invoking the iconic Langston Hughes poem Harlem.

I just look at it as if Republicans wanted to start this session with a strong start, you know, they should have just voted for me. Because I talked to them about this in early December, but they said they couldnt. And now theyre complaining. So they have to look themselves in the mirror and ask why they stopped what could have been a wonderful, historic day. But its not me, and its not my caucus . . . but you have to have the votes to win.

First priorities for Democrats

Democrats are expected to take the majority after Feb. 7, when three special elections in Allegheny County are scheduled. Each vacancy is in a solidly blue district.

Once Democrats take the reins, McClinton reaffirmed that her caucus is committed to passing a constitutional amendment to allow adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse a two-year window to file civil suit against their abusers or the institutions that protected them.

After that, McClinton said, her caucus will continue to put people first over special interests and politics by taking on issues like public school funding and the minimum wage.

We want to ensure that all of the things we have prioritized in the minority that were now able to see legislative wins on, things like fairly funding our schools, things like raising the minimum wage  these are issues that are wildly popular among Pennsylvanians of every political affiliation, but unfortunately politics has stood in the way of the people getting that victory, she said.

However, Democratic leaders will still have to work with the GOP-controlled Senate to get any legislation to the governors desk.

We have to have realistic [proposals], because we want it to pass the Senate, which is still very Republican, McClinton said.

McClintons relationship with Rozzi

For now, the House doors will remain locked while members continue meeting to find a compromise on the chambers rules for the session, Rozzi said Wednesday night during a listening tour event in Pittsburgh. Rozzi is working with a select group of three Democrats and three Republicans to solve the states partisan gridlock, as well as hosting listening tour events around the state to source ideas from constituents.

No legislating can happen until the rules and committee assignments are finalized.

Many Democrats have stayed mum over the last few weeks as they await further information from their leaders. McClinton said she maintains a positive working relationship with Rozzi.

However, McClinton isnt involved with the speakers work group or the listening tour, she said. Shell wait to hear from the three Democratic members  Reps. Morgan Cephas (Philadelphia), Peter Schweyer (Lehigh), and Tim Briggs (Montgomery)  for updates. (None of the work groups Democratic members attended the groups first listening tour meeting in Pittsburgh. Briggs said he had a previously scheduled personal commitment that prevented his attendance, and Schweyer said inclement weather prevented him from attending but he watched live stream. Cephas did not respond.)

(c)2023 The Philadelphia Inquirer

Visit The Philadelphia Inquirer at www.inquirer.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Daily Graphic Editorials

Gold for Oil deal: More engagement required

Daily Graphic Editorials Jan - 28 - 2023 , 10:49

The first consignment of gold for oil arrived at the Tema Port two weeks ago.

The 40,000 metric tonnes of oil from the United Arab Emirates were subsequently discharged to Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST). The deal was valued at $40 million.

BOST will subsequently formulate plans for its distribution and sale to the oil marketing companies.

In November 2022, the government announced plans to buy oil products with gold rather than US dollars.

This is because, the countrys Gross International Reserves stood at around $6.6 billion at the end of September 2022, equating to less than three months of imports cover. That is down from around $9.7 billion at the end of 2021.

The country spends about $4.8 billion annually to buy fuel, and the government said bartering gold for oil will immediately save Ghana $3 billion or approximately four per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in foreign exchange costs, to reduce pressure on the local currency.

Like Nigeria, Ghana produces crude oil but it has relied on imports for refined oil products since its only refinery shut down after an explosion in 2017.

Currently, Ghana has a monthly oil consumption of 180,000 metric tonnes, which it uses millions of dollars to import, thereby increasing demand for the US currency at the expense of the cedi that depreciated by 57 per cent in 2022.

If implemented as planned for the first quarter of 2023, the new policy will fundamentally change the countrys balance of payments and significantly reduce the persistent depreciation of the cedi.

The government is negotiating a relief package with the International Monetary Fund as the cocoa, gold and oil-producing nation faces its worst economic crisis in a generation.

For us, gold is indeed an important export commodity for the country, contributing about 35 per cent of the countrys merchandise exports in 2021.

Again, for the gold for oil deal to be sustainable, it would be dependent on the production capacity of gold in the country.

Though the gold for oil deal is a novelty, industry players say they have not been consulted.

For example, the licensed gold buyers were unclear about how the new policy for the Precious Minerals Marketing Company (PMMC) to purchase small-scale gold will affect their trade.

The President of the Chamber of Mines asked for broader engagement on the policy at the Chambers Annual Awards night recently.

The Daily Graphic commends the government for initiating the deal and reducing the pressure on the countrys reserves.

We would however like to caution the government to smoothen all the rough edges and ensure that the oil for gold agreement is sustainable so that the country can have a regular supply of oil.

We therefore urge the government to engage all stakeholders in the industry to ensure the sustainability of the programme.

The Ghana Chamber of Mines and the PMMC are critical stakeholders whose inputs into the programme will ensure that all the rough edges are smoothened.

We are confident that when all the players in the industry are engaged, the gold for oil deal can be sustained.
Akple Festival on March 6

Kofi Duah Showbiz News Jan - 28 - 2023 , 09:10

The third edition of Akple Festival aimed at offering patrons the opportunity to enjoy local delicacies is slated for Mmofra Place Dzorwulu on Ghana's Independence Day, Monday, March 6.

Apart from the variety of food that will be displayed on the day, there will be performances from Adaha Dance Band, Gods Gift Brass Band and The Borborbor Music.

The theme for the event expected to run from 10 am to 11 pm is Discover the GoodLife and the organisers, BrandwithEchiri promise a swell time for patrons.

Talking to Graphic Showbiz, Ebenezer Echiri- Mensah, CEO of BrandwithEchiri said, This year's edition will increase vendor stands to contain the numbers with the introduction of a Night Market. A variety of local staple foods will be available even in the night while patrons enjoy a thrilling atmosphere. It is a chop bar experience that allows you to enjoy food the Ghanaian way as we celebrate Ghana's 64th Independence Day.

He added that his team has put in measures to provide adequate and tight security for patrons in an even bigger, better and more amusing atmosphere.

Mr Echiri-Mensah revealed that the two previous editions went well and was well attended and he is hopeful the upcoming show will be better.

After two successful editions, we only hope and pray the third one will be better and Im confident that will happen because we started preparations early and we have put a lot in place, he added.
Last year was very amazing James Gardiner

Jayne Buckman-Owoo Showbiz News Jan - 28 - 2023 , 12:40

At a time when most Ghanaian actors are complaining of no jobs in the local movie industry, actor James Gardiner has been busy in one production after the other in both Nigeria and Ghana.

The year 2022 was very good for him and he is looking forward to an even more amazing new year.

In a chat with Graphic Showbiz, Gardiner said: Now, I will say its been a cruise in Nigeria, and thanks to God.

There is a lot of competition, so to even come from Ghana and still get roles there on a regular basis is like a big buzz.

Thankfully, I am working with some very good directors, as well as talented actors, so its been a very good year for me so far as filmmaking in Nigeria is concerned. Movie lovers will see my good works out there and I am going to make Ghana proud.

Ghana is not left out. I have done a couple of productions here, so I am trying to balance it. But its like there is more work to be done in Nigeria just to make sure I become a household name.

I want to work hard so that it will be a good representation of Ghana over there and in the whole of Africa as well. Most of the productions I did will be out this year and once they do, everyone gets to see my craft and what I have to offer, he stated.

Touching on the difference between working in Ghana and in Nigeria, Gardiner explained, I believe we have more in common than people think. I think what works in favour for Nigeria is their numbers. It is a big country and they tend to do more with business, as the numbers interpret into bigger consumption.

For instance, in Nigeria, there are loads of cinemas scattered around which are patronised by people. Ghana is a very small country - the population of Lagos alone is bigger than Ghana - so if we are trying to compare the two countries in this regard, then it becomes a bit of a mismatch.

We have very good actors here, we have very good directors here and we do solid productions here. I think the problem is with funding. Because we dont have the numbers on our side, we dont have the masses on our side to balance it or to make the mathematics work out. Thus, we need more of corporate sponsorship and government support.
AMECO, tourism development in Amedzofe

Alberto Mario Noretti Features Jan - 28 - 2023 , 14:23

Amedzofe in the Ho West District is a beautiful town, lying majestically at a height of 2,400 feet above sea level, making it the highest human settlement in Ghana.

The 800-metre Mount Gemi is in Amedzofe where the weather is sub-tropical.

The captivating Oti Falls which is hidden in a forest of bright and colourful flowers is also in Amedzofe, where various fruits are produced bountifully.

The steep Avatime Mountains and the deep slopes covered by the dense forests and the meandering road around the mountains are a delight to watch.

These natural characteristics and the friendly nature of the people make Amedzofe an important tourists destination in the country.

The recent introduction of a canopy walkway in Amedzofe is another bold step to boost tourism in the area.

The Amedzofe walkway is one of the latest tourism charms in the Volta Region, installed to provide adventure and recreation for holiday makers.

College

Apart from those features, there is a man-made icon which also adds to the importance of the town and that is the E.P. College of Education, Amedzofe (AMECO), established 76 years ago.

The structures of the college, which were put up by the German missionaries in the 19th century for ecclesiastical purposes, are stunning monumental features of Amedzofe.

It, therefore, became a source of worry for the college, traditional authorities and the people of Amedzofe when the structures on the campus deteriorated over the decades due the lack of maintenance.

In spite of the challenges, the management of the institution is now making enormous strides in projecting the image of the college, which now has 1,055 students.

The college, in a bold move to reverse the trend, has recently embarked on crucial infrastructural development projects on the campus to lift the flag of AMECO to greater heights of honour from its internally generated fund (IGF).

These include a new administration block annex, which was recently put up at a cost of GHc500, 000. It is now complementing the old administration block, which was built some 200 years ago and later taken over by the founding fathers of the college.

Meanwhile, a 180-bed capacity female hostel project, also fully funded with IGF, is nearing completion.

When completed, it will fill the gab created as a result of the stalled four-storey GETfund female hostel project which took off 12 years ago but still at the foundation level.

The GHc1.3 million self-help project is progressing steadily with IGF.

In yet another evidence of AMECOs self-help spirit, a four-unit two-bedroom flats project for tutors on the campus is springing up rapidly.

The GHc870,000 project is being funded jointly by the IGF and the college Alumni.

Further, AMECO has so far spent GHc63,000 to renovate the college Demonstration School and other facilities as part of preparations to start the Bachelor of Education, Early Childhood programme, in accordance with the governments policy to train more Early Grade Teachers to make up for the shortfall in the area.

AMECO is the only college offering French in the Volta and Oti regions, and that gives it an international status.

Ethnic diversity

The Principal, Dr Dickson Tsey, maintains that AMECO is determined to bridge the current male: female ratio of 55:45.

He said in an interview on the campus last Thursday that AMECO admitted students from almost every region in the country, creating a strong home of unity in ethnic diversity, not only on the campus, but in the Amedzofe town and other Avatime communities as well.

The heavy forests around AMECO, which provided an environmental grace and an intense serenity, Dr Tsey said, provided an ideal ambience for learning.

Meanwhile, malaria has been absent in Amedzofe and its neighbouring communities for more than two centuries as the mosquitoes which transmit the malaria parasite do not thrive in the cold weather.

The Osie of Avatime, Osie Adza Tekpor, has, however, expressed misgivings over the rising activities of chainsaw operators in the area in recent times, saying the wanton destruction of trees had now brought mosquitoes to the area.

He announced that the traditional authorities were in the process of setting up a task force to combat the activities of the unscrupulous chainsaw operators.
33 Years of local government: Time for reforms

Enoch Randy Aikins Opinion Jan - 28 - 2023 , 12:49

The current local government architecture was established in 1989 by the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), which issued guidelines for decentralisation to eventually shift some of the burdens of national development to local communities. The guidelines culminated in the passage of the Local Government Law (PNDC Law 207) in 1988, which provided the legal framework for a four-strand decentralisation agenda: political, administrative, fiscal and planning decentralisation.

Consequently, the local development mandate of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana has been underscored in the 1992 Constitution and the Local Governance Act (Act 936) of 2016. Under the current constitutional arrangement, political parties are prohibited from participating in local elections and governance in Article 55(3).

In addition, the President is empowered in Article 243 to appoint and disappoint Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) and 30 per cent of the MMDA appointees.

Regrettably, in spite of Ghanas practice of decentralised local governance for over 30 years, the proactive development role of the MMDAs has been negligible, to say the least. It has become evident that the current local government system has become dysfunctional and some of the assumptions underpinning its setup have become obsolete.

Challenges

The local economies in Ghana have not been developed to cater for the needs of the local communities. There are a large number of people in the various MMDAs with no education, jobs, healthcare facilities and social amenities that can serve the needs of their communities.

The challenges confronting the current local government architecture are enormous. First, there is credible evidence to suggest that political parties have defiantly infiltrated the local government system and, therefore, the assumption that the local government system is non-partisan is, at best, laughable. Right at the assembly level, political parties organise primaries and sponsor candidates for local government elections.

Secondly, the local government system in place has become neither participatory nor representational. Consistently, the voter turnout at district-level elections has been just about half of that of the national elections. Likewise, according to statistics from an Afrobarometer survey, the proportion of Ghanaians who regularly attend community meetings declined from 56 per cent in 1999 to 36 per cent in 2019.

From the same survey, almost 70 per cent of Ghanaians never contacted their local government councillors while only 12 per cent of Ghanaians wholly trusted their elected local government councillors in 2019. Indeed, only 6.8 per cent believe that their local government councillors always listen to them.

Representation

Moreover, in terms of womens representation, the proportion of women appointed as District Chief Executives (DCEs) has consistently been less than 15 per cent under the Fourth Republic of Ghana.

The 2019 District Level Election also witnessed one of the worst outcomes: out of the 909 women who contested for various positions out of over 6000 seats at the local level, only 216  representing just under four per cent  emerged winners.

Further still, the current structure marginalises chiefs as well. Article 242 (d) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana mandates the President to consult traditional authorities in the appointment of the 30 per cent of MMDAs appointed by the government.

This provision reduces the role of the chief to merely being consulted in the appointment of the 30 per cent of unelected members of the assembly, but even this is hardly done in practice. So far, the only local government structure in Ghanas Fourth Republic in which chiefs have a direct representation is the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC).

DACF

Fourthly, the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) of five per cent of national revenue is too little to embark on any meaningful developmental projects and yet, even that is usually in arrears and disbursed late.

Unfortunately, MMDCEs are unable to fight for either increment in the allocation or timely disbursement of the funds due to their allegiance to the President stemming from his/her constitutional power to remove them from office.

In addition, the various assemblies are also unable to implement effective revenue mobilisation policies that harness adequate resources for their local needs mainly because such policies may make the ruling government unpopular at the local level.

Survey

The September 2021 CDD-Ghana Local Government Survey summed up the verdict of Ghanaians on the performance of the local government system. In the report, at least two-thirds of Ghanaians believe MMDAs have, for the past five years, performed very or fairly badly at ensuring transparency and openness in the affairs of the assembly, responding to development challenges of communities on time and soliciting inputs from community members into annual district development plans.

In addition, an overwhelming majority of Ghanaians consider MMDAs as lacking financial accountability and efficiency in the usage of the DACF and internally-generated revenue (IGR). A massive majority of citizens say they never had explanations from their MMDAs on how the DACF was spent (88 per cent), how it was used to address critical issues in the district (87 per cent), or how local taxes, rates, fees and fines were spent (88 per cent) nor used to tackle development needs of the district (87 per cent).

Reforms

In light of all this evidence, it is clear that the current local government architecture needs a thorough review and reform in order to function efficiently. The President has reiterated his commitment to reforming local government once there is a bipartisan consensus and broad-based national support.

The two major political parties (the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress) in their 2020 election manifestos also promised reform of local government albeit with different amendment proposals.

There are also efforts by civil society organisations (CSOs) such as Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), CDD-Ghana and the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations for Local Government Reforms to ensure that the appropriate reforms are carried out. Thus, it is time to build consensus on the appropriate reforms needed to transform the local government system in Ghana.



The writer is a Researcher, African Futures and Innovation Institute for Security, Pretoria.
Serious wahala for oyiboland (2)

Edmund Smith-Asante Opinion Jan - 28 - 2023 , 15:21

In my account last week, despite the smooth flights I enjoyed from Accra to Istanbul and from Istanbul to Denmark, I arrived at my final destination, Copenhagen Airport, and couldnt locate my luggage. To make matters worse, apart from having to go two days without my belongings, I was due to travel to Brussels, Belgium, without news of my lost luggage. Read on.

Next day, we were leaving for Brussels and still there was no news from the airline about my luggage. Na wa oh!

Yet, I was somehow optimistic that my luggage would be found, but the when was the matter.

Would it arrive when I was in Brussels or would I get it before enplaning for the EU-Africa Summit? Only time and patience would tell.

An experience repeated

Well that was not my first time travelling by air and arriving without my luggage. I quite remember my first taste of it in 2009 when I travelled to Berlin, Germany, for a three-week course in newspaper management organised by InWENT.

I arrived not only as the lone Ghanaian on the course, but also as the only participant without his luggage. So how was I going to live in a strange land for three weeks with no clothes to wear?

Fortunately for me, that question was answered that same evening. I arrived very early in the morning and by 8 p.m. my luggage had been delivered to me at my residence - Buckower Damm. Now that is what I call efficiency.

I remember vividly, as if it were only yesterday that it happened. The seminar assistant who picked me from the airport calmed my troubled nerves by assuring me my luggage would be found and that she would follow it up. All I needed to do, she said, was to go to where I would be residing temporarily - Zimmererweg, and make sure I had a good rest from my long travel.

Now, if that ain't 'sweets', then what is it? I did her bidding and voila, it arrived. I would always be grateful for that, Sabrina (the assistant' s name).

The second time, I think, was in Bamako, Mali, where I was attending a workshop. I had to cope with wearing the same clothes until a Liberian brother - Augustine Myers, bailed me out with a shirt and I had to get into town to buy some boxers. Thanks Myers Sammy Michem, if you are reading this.

It was not until the third day after several calls and checks, that I got back my luggage then and my! It was a harrowing experience which I wouldn't want anyone to go through.

Luggage found

Back on track. Soon it was Tuesday and the three-man or is it one man and two-women team of Hanne, Janet and myself headed for the airport to catch a flight to Brussels and still no news had been received from the airline on my luggage.

Hanne was hopeful though, that we might get the luggage when we got to the airport. In view of that, after we had checked in, we decided to give it a try by making enquiries before completing departure formalities.

Time was not on our side but our hunch paid off. Hurray! That indeed is my suitcase I whispered to myself when an attendant who said she was new on the job, wheeled it from inside a room. We had earlier checked some baggage out in the hall that had suffered the same fate as mine but had drawn a blank.

Inefficiency or lackadaisical attitude?

One Akan proverb says "etua wo yonko ho ah etua aduamu", meaning one is not so bothered when it is a friend that has a problem.

From all indications, my luggage had arrived the previous night but the handlers, Novia, could not be bothered; instead they waited for me to pick it up myself. Not even a call of assurance, when they had my contact details. I heard someone whisper compensation. Well forget it! Nothing of that sort happened.

Another theory worth exploring is that they are not efficient with handling luggage. Otherwise, how can we explain the fact that many other people on the same flight, especially those transiting from Accra, could not get their luggage.

I am very sure my luggage got to Istanbul from Accra, but why a transit time of over four hours could still not be sufficient to load our luggage onto the next flight, is what still beats my imagination.

Well let's leave the luggage wahala here and be thankful that at least, my stuff was found at the nick of time before leaving for Brussels.
Stakes high as Nigeria prepares for election

Mary Mensah Opinion Jan - 28 - 2023 , 09:52

All eyes are on Nigeria as it prepares for its general elections which will be held on February 25, 2023, to elect the President and Vice President and members of the Senate and House of Representatives.

The Presidential election is the seventh since the current wave of liberal democracy formally started in Nigeria in 1999.

The vote in Nigeria, Africas largest economy and most populous country, comes as the country faces widespread insecurity, with the electoral commission itself being a target of recent violence.

18 presidential candidates

Eighteen candidates, including a woman, will be vying for Nigerias presidency as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) with early polls showing Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the most likely contenders in a country long dominated by the two parties. Peter Obi, a candidate for the Labour Party who has focused on combating corruption in his campaign, is also considered a frontrunner.

Senatorial candidates

The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, announced that it had also cleared 1,101 candidates for the 109 Senatorial seats and 3,122 candidates for the 360 seats in the House of Representatives and declared over 93.5 million Nigerians as eligible to participate in the exercise as voters.

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu also noted that 12.29 million Nigerians successfully completed their registrations as new voters in the just concluded Continuous Voter Registration CVR. Yakubu added that after a rigorous clean up of the data using the Automated Biometric Identification System ABIS, over 2.78 million were identified and removed as ineligible registrants.

Election rigging

Accusations of election rigging have long plagued Nigerias elections, although officials have vowed that 2023 will be different. They have pinned that pledge to new technology meant to prevent repeated voting, as well as measures aimed at stifling vote buying.

We are committed to ensuring that the 2023 general election is transparent and credible, reflecting the will of the Nigerian people, INEC Chairman stated.

The new Nigerian president will immediately confront an exhausting array of challenges, from multiple, complex security crises, chronic unemployment and a worsening economic outlook.

Electoral system

The President of Nigeria is elected using a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive a majority of the vote and over 25 per cent of the vote in at least 24 of the 36 states. If no candidate passes this threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of states.

The 109 members of the Senate are elected from 109 single-seat constituencies (three in each state and one for the Federal Capital Territory) by first-past-the-post voting while the 360 members of the House of Representatives are also elected by first-past-the-post voting in single-member constituencies.

Upcoming polls

There are some reasons for optimism that the upcoming polls will be an improvement on the 2019 election. First, President Buhari has strongly signalled that he wants a credible, transparent electoral process to be an important part of his legacy.

Legal reforms enabled earlier planning to deploy new technology to improve voter accreditation and the transmission of results. A surge of new voter registrations, especially among young people, suggests that Nigerians believe the 2023 elections are a process worth their time and energy.

Ethnicity and regionalism

Four of the 18 presidential candidates in the election, regarded as the front runners, come from the three dominant ethnic groups in the country: Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo.

From the north are Atiku Abubakar, a former vice-president of the country (1999-2007) and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party; and Rabi'u Musa Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano State and the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a Yoruba from the south-west, is the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress. Peter Obi, an Igbo from the south-east and former governor of Anambra State, is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party.

Unwritten convention

Since the 1999 election, there has been an unwritten convention that presidential power will rotate every eight years between the northern and southern parts of the country. Thats why many individuals and groups from both the north and the south insist that President Muhammadu Buhari must be succeeded by someone from the south.

Some individuals and groups from the south-east further argue that because the zone has not yet produced a president, it should get its turn in 2023.

Some from the north-east, where Atiku comes from, equally argue that it should be their turn since the zone has not produced a national head since Tafawa Balewa, the countrys first and only prime minister, in the 1960s.

Religion

Just like ethnicity and regionalism, religion has always been an important tool of mobilisation and discord in Nigeria. Since 1999, there has also been a careful balancing act to ensure that the president and the vice-president do not share the same religion. While the north is predominantly Muslim, the south is predominantly Christian.

This balance was upset when Bola Tinubu, a Yoruba Muslim, chose Kashim Shettima, a Kanuri Muslim and former governor of Borno State, as his running mate. Many Nigerians and groups, including the Christian Association of Nigeria, strongly condemned the ticket.

Until 2015, Nigerias political landscape was dominated by one party  the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was the only party strong enough to win presidential elections.

Coalition of opposition parties

However, this changed in 2015 when the All Progressives Congress, a coalition of opposition parties, defeated the sitting President, Goodluck Jonathan. This heralded an era of a two-party dominant state. The emergence of the Labour Party and the New Nigeria Peoples Party seems to have changed the electoral dynamics.

Nigeria has been internally focused for over a decade, unable and unwilling to wield the kind of decisive regional influence that it did years ago. But Nigeria is inescapably important to the future of the continent.

The sheer size of its economy and population, alongside the power and reach of its cultural and creative industries, means that even with a desultory foreign policy, Nigerias trajectory will affect societies far beyond its borders.
Wg Cdr Andy Mensah (Rtd) honoured by Ghana Air Force

Brig Gen Dan Frimpong (Rtd) Opinion Jan - 27 - 2023 , 21:55

On Thursday, January 19, 2023, Wing Commander Andy Mensah (Rtd) was, in an impressive ceremony at the Air Force Headquarters, Burma Camp, led by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal (AVM) Frank Hanson, honoured by the Ghana Air Force for his service to God and country. His name was engraved in gold on a monument at the Air Force Headquarters, Burma Camp.

Welcome

Welcoming guests, who included former Chief Justice Her Ladyship Justice Sophia Akuffo, former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air-Marshal Michael Samson-Oje, Generals/Marshals and senior officers of the Ghana Armed Forces(GAF), members of the Ghana Military Academy Intake 7, classmates of Wg Cdr Mensah at Mfantsipim School, Mfantsipim Old Boys Association (MOBA) 1961, AVM Hanson, described Wg Cdr Andy Mensah as an outstanding officer.

The Chief of Staff eulogised Wg Cdr Andy Mensah, and thanked his wife, Marian Mensah, for her excellent support to her husband. Apart from the citation immortalising him, Wg Cdr Mensah was presented with a miniature citation to adorn his hall with. The AVM also quoted from a previous article in which I stated: In my recent article titled Give me my flowers while I can smell them, I appealed to Ghanaians to make Ghanaians they admire know of their admiration for them, because of their contributions to life locally, nationally or internationally. I added that we should not wait till they lie stiff in their chop-box as my son called his grandpas casket, before heaping praises on them. I concluded the article with the question below:

Has Ghana honoured our deserving heroes?

In September 2001, Zimbabwes Centre for Peace Initiatives in Africa (CPIA) honoured the first African United Nations Force Commander, Ghanas General E. A. Erskine, by naming a Centre after him called the General Erskine Research and Documentation Centre (GERDC). With his death in 2021, hopefully a monument will be named after him posthumously.

However, there is a waiting opportunity to honour Ghanas second United Nations Force Commander and former CDS General Seth Obeng while he is alive.

While there certainly are others, I have restricted myself only to the institution I know well, the military.

As Bob Cole said, multitudinous platitudes heaped during Thanksgiving Services mean nothing to the deceased as they lie stiff in the chop-box as a little boy called his grandfathers casket!

While they are alive, let us give deserving individuals the recognition, praise and honour for their contributions to Ghana/humanity, and also to encourage the younger generation to make sacrifices, in the words, Give me my flowers while I can still smell them.

So, who is Wg Cdr Andy Mensah (Rtd)?

Wg Cdr Andy Mensah

A product of Mfantsipim School (MOBA 1961), he enlisted in the GAF as an Officer Cadet in 1963. He was commissioned in 1965 into the Ghana Air Force, and won the Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah Award for the best trainee pilot on commission as a Second-Lieutenant.

In 1967, he was one of six pilots and two Air Traffic Controllers Ghana sent to Zaire, now Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to help stabilise the political situation.

A Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) as the then Major Mensah was in 1976, he headed the Flight Training School, Takoradi, where Ghanas Air Force pilots are trained. At the time, the Air Force used Army ranks until the change in 1978. Not surprisingly, with his instructors Capt. Awuku, Capt. Mante, Capt. Quaison, etc., he produced former Chiefs of Air Staff (CAS) like Air Marshal Samson-Oje, AVM Nagai, and also pilots like Gp Capt. Forjoe and Sqn Ldr Ebo-Bartels.

Wg Cdr Mensah was one of the first Ghanaian officers to graduate from the Nigerian Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji-Kaduna in the early 1980s, after an outstanding performance.

He honourably retired from the GAF in 1983.

He would, for the next six years, serve as the Director-General (DG), Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). Subsequently, he worked as the Director-General, International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), headquartered in Dakar, Senegal.

In all the appointments, he excelled as a leader with an unmatched sense of humour in defusing difficult situations. Subordinates felt very comfortable under his leadership and, therefore, gave their best.

Discussion

At the 80th birthday party of Wg Cdr Andy Mensah on October 1, 2022, AVM Hanson promised to honour Wg Cdr Mensah (Rtd). True to his word, the AVM presided over the function to honour him at the Air Force Headquarters on January 19, 2023. In the words of Wg Cdr Andy Mensah to the AVM, Sir, you have also by this event, exhibited your integrity to live by your word as an officer.

Quoting Abraham Lincolns famous saying that a nation which does not honour its heroes will not long endure, Wg Cdr Mensah emphasised the importance of being fair and firm, disciplined and speaking truth to power without being rude. Recognition of merit is important for institutional development. He paid a tribute to former Chief of Air Staff, Air Cdr K.K. Pumpuni (Rtd), whom he called my mentor. He also complimented Her Ladyship Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo, Chairperson of the Board when he was the DG, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority.

Significantly, Wg Cdr Mensah stated that he hoped the other Services, Army and Navy would do likewise, as I stated in previous writings as follows;

Charity, it is said, begins at home! The Air Force has set the pace! Knowing the Navy, they are coming slowly and steadily, but surely.

I guess the Army has already warmed up to give the first African UN Force Commander, Gen. Erskine, a posthumous recognition soon, and also our second Force Commander of UNIFIL, Gen. Seth Obeng, who is very much alive.

Once again, Ghanaians in positions of authority, please do not leave recognition to institutions only! Our heroes must be nationally recognised. That way, when the question Is Ghana worth dying for? asked, an answer can readily be given!

Remember the saying, give me the flowers while I can still smell them!

Leadership, lead!

Fellow Ghanaians, WAKE UP!
Africas leadership failures: Do we cast stone at age or quality?

Vicky Wireko Reality Zone Jan - 28 - 2023 , 10:53

I do make time to browse the social media to catch up on what is news and follow discussions on interesting topics with like minds.

The interesting discussion I came across last week on social media, more or less, posed the question as to whether Africa, a continent so rich by all standards and so well endowed, is where it is today due to ageing leadership or the substance of those leading the flock.

What had prompted the discussions on, at least, three professional platforms I checked in on was a viral video on the 80-year-old President of Cameroon, Paul Biya, who allegedly was unaware of where he was when he travelled to Washington DC for a US-Africa Leaders Summit.

In the reported video, the sorry picture of the Cameroonian President, oblivious of his whereabouts, struggled to present his speech when it got to his turn. Rwandas spirited Paul Kagame had just finished giving his speech and it was the turn of President Paul Biya. His seemingly helpless aides tried to get him to the podium with his prepared speech.

But no, the President was completely lost. He did not know where he was, why he was there and what he had to do as he kept asking his aide questions. He sat down browsing through the speech which had been given to him. Meanwhile, the packed audience were kept waiting.

Old age

And so, with the stage set, and like a case study at a political leadership workshop, the discussions that tipped the social media scale for a couple of days was whether old age was the bane of Africas poor and sometimes abysmal leadership performance.

The discussions assumed that an aged Head of State would not have the strength, agility and capacity to shoulder the heavy expectations of an entire country and hence, the problems with disappointing performance and poor governance in some cases.

Some of the discussions were based on the fact that there is a good reason why retiring age in those countries in Africa was between ages 60 and 65. So, if that was the case, it begs the question to vote for people who were 70 years and above to take on the enormous responsibility of managing an entire country.

On the other hand, however, there were some interesting counter arguments that were floated around on another platform. Some opined that there were relatively young leaders in Africa who were not doing well for their countries.

There were, however, others within the ages of 70 and 80 years who had done well for their countries and needed to be acknowledged and applauded. One such was cited as the President of a neighbouring country who is said to be 81 years and who firmly has had his feet on the ground, leading developments for his people.

Quality leadership

The discussion got even more intriguing on yet another platform, placing the problem of leadership challenges on poor quality rather than old age. The problem of quality was argued to be across board and not just for political leadership.

I could not agree more, casting my mind back on some irking public organisations that we have.

Anyone who has had dealings with any of the Assemblies, especially the sub-metros, will testify to the problems that exist and dealing with them, even with something like property rates and services expected of them.

If these Assemblies had good mechanisms in place, annual property and other basic rates alone could fund developments as well as keep our communities clean and well developed. Why should residents be left to fix their own street lights, disposal of garbage, construction of access roads and drainages and yet expect to pay rates?

Go in there to follow up on why you have been billed for other years when consistently, you have been paying rates annually. They have no ready record to sort you out but ask you to go and bring your last receipt to prove it.

And why do we have a hierarchy of officials at some of our State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) expected to manage for profitability and yet performances over the years are always a problem?

I have had shocking experiences at the State Housing Company for over five consecutive years, writing and going there in person to point out some anomalies. But the same mistakes keep recurring. Where is the leadership in management?

Ground rents are sent with alacrity, sometimes billed for three years or more. Meanwhile, they are supposed to have records to verify and reconcile current status before bills are sent. Shockingly, they do not seem to have critical lease documents for some customers. I received, from them last year, a letter which said my lease was expiring in five years.

Guess what! The letter was just assumed and sent out. They did not have their own copy of the lease. They begged to photocopy mine which had 25 years to expiry.

The leadership issues definitely spread across board. We must start by acknowledging the fact and work assiduously towards it.

Ageing is not necessarily the problem with Africas leadership. It is the quality of the leadership all over which we should all work hard to fix.
Cope with your own debt, China tells US over Zambia debt relief

International News Jan - 28 - 2023 , 09:28

The Chinese government says the United States should stop pressuring Beijing on debt relief for Zambia and focus on averting a government default at home, which could have repercussions for the global economy.

The biggest contribution that the US 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 in Zambia said in a statement on Tuesday.

The US government has a cap of $31.4 trillion on how much it can borrow, and it reached that limit on Thursday.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen implemented extraordinary measures to ensure the US government can continue paying its bills in the short term and then travelled to Africa. On a visit to Zambia, she said it was crucial for the country to address its heavy debt burden with China.

The country failed to make a $42.5m bond payment in November 2020, becoming Africas first sovereign nation to default during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Its taken far too long already to resolve this matter, Yellen said on Monday.

Washington is trying to woo African nations as the influence on the continent of its rivals Russia and China grows.

During her visit to Africa, which also included Senegal and South Africa, Yellen pushed to expand US trade and business ties.

The United States is all in on Africa, and all in with Africa, Yellen said on Friday in Dakar as she touted the fruits of a new mutually beneficial US economic strategy towards Africa.

In responding to Yellen, China zeroed in on the battle between Republican lawmakers and Democratic President Joe Bidens administration over raising the US debt limit to allow more borrowing to keep the government running.

Even if the US one day solves its debt problem, it is not qualified to make groundless accusations against or press other countries out of selfish interests, the Chinese embassy statement said.

Chinese development banks have emerged as major lenders to poor countries around the world for natural resources, transport and power projects although that lending has fallen sharply and steadily since 2016, according to Boston Universitys Global Development Policy Center.

New loan commitments dropped to eight projects totalling $3.7bn in 2021, down from a peak of 151 projects worth $80bn in 2016, according to data compiled by the centre.

At present, 22 low-income African countries are either already in debt distress or at high risk of debt distress, according to the UK-based Chatham House. Chinese lenders account for 12 per cent of Africas private and public external debt, which increased more than fivefold to $696bn from 2000 to 2020.

Washington has repeatedly expressed concern in recent weeks over Beijings alignment with Moscow as Russia wages its invasion of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in December said he expected his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to visit in 2023. If it were to take place, analysts say the visit could be interpreted as a public show of solidarity amid the war in Ukraine.

Last month, then-Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi suggested China would deepen ties with Russia in the year ahead.

He also blamed the US for the deterioration in relations between the worlds two largest economies, saying Beijing has firmly rejected Washingtons erroneous China policy of applying pressure on trade and technology and criticising China over human rights and its claims to a broad swath of the Western Pacific.
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HARRISBURG  A lobbyist for one of Pennsylvanias most influential unions says a sitting state House lawmaker sexually harassed her, and she is urging the legislature to expand internal rules that govern who can bring misconduct complaints.

Andi Perez, who advocates on behalf of Service Employees International Union 32BJ in Harrisburg, plans to make the allegation Friday evening in Philadelphia during a listening session organized by new state Houser Speaker Mark Rozzi, D-Berks.

Rozzi has scheduled a series of public meetings to solicit feedback about the state Houses operating procedures amid partisan deadlock over which political party controls the chamber. The sessions offer a rare opportunity for Pennsylvanians to directly weigh in on the rules, which in most years are quickly adopted at the beginning of each new legislative session.

https://www.spotlightpa.org/embed.js

Perez said she was harassed by a male lawmaker while discussing a bill outside of the Capitol building, according to prepared testimony reviewed by Spotlight PA. She did not provide the lawmakers name, his party affiliation, or additional details.

The lawmaker decided to caress my leg while I was wearing a skirt all the while telling me he was impressed by my passion and knowledge of the issues we were discussing, Perez plans to say. I moved away from him hoping he would stop  he did not.

I could sit here for hours telling you the range of emotions I felt after this, she wrote in the remarks. Of course I was full of rage at the disrespect and arrogance it requires to so brazenly sexually harass me in a public place where I am just trying to do my job for the workers in my union.

Perez attempted to file a complaint with the state House Ethics Committee, according to her testimony, but was told sorry, the rules do not allow you to file a complaint since you are not an employee of the House. There was nothing in the House Rules that allowed leadership to officially take any further action.

A spokesperson for state House Democrats did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for the chambers GOP caucus said it had not been made aware of the referenced allegation.

In 2019, state House leadership added workplace protections to the chambers rules for the first time, banning unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

The change was made after two women accused a male lawmaker of physical and sexual abuse, but he continued to serve in the legislature until the end of his term. One of the women was also a state lawmaker and received a restraining order against him.

As Spotlight PA previously reported, the policy only covers state House employees. That has meant individuals who regularly interact with lawmakers  such as other government employees, lobbyists, constituents, and journalists  have been unable to report an allegation to the committee.

Perez wants the legislature to adopt sexual abuse and harassment policies that cover more people who interact with lawmakers in the course of their official duties, according to her testimony.

No one is above the law, Perez wrote in her prepared remarks. A lawmaker who harasses someone should be held accountable by their own peers through an Ethics process.

The state House and Senate typically adopt rules on the first day of a new two-year legislative session after leaders hammer out the details behind closed doors.

The upper chamber did so on Jan. 3, but the rules remain unfinished in the lower chamber. Democrats are awaiting the outcomes of special elections expected to give them a one-vote majority  which would allow the party to set the rules without compromise  while Republicans, facing internal divisions, have unsuccessfully tried to force the chamber back in session.

Rozzi has canceled future sessions of the state House and convened a bipartisan committee to negotiate the rules. According to his office, he scheduled the listening tour to yield solutions to partisan gridlock and to figure out a path to advancing a proposed constitutional amendment that would give survivors of childhood sexual abuse a chance to sue their perpetrators.

The latter is a personal cause for Rozzi, who himself is a survivor.

The hearings provide an unusual opportunity for public discussion of the rules, which dictate how easy or hard it is for bills to become law and, importantly for Perez and other advocates, disciplinary procedures for lawmakers.

According to her testimony, Perezs experience has already prompted a response inside the legislature. State Rep. Kate Klunk (R., York) last year proposed a rule change to explicitly ban state House lawmakers from engaging in sexual harassment while performing House-related services or duties or in or on any House-owned or leased property or facilities.

Perez said Klunks proposal, which was not adopted, would be a step toward changing the culture of Harrisburg.

As in the state House, state Senate rules only allow the chambers lawmakers and employees to bring internal sexual harassment complaints.

In early January, state Sens. Katie Muth, D-Chester, and Lindsey Williams, D-Allegheny, pressed the chamber to adopt rules that would cover non-employees, an effort rebuffed by Republicans.

https://www.spotlightpa.org/embed.js

Sen. Muth and I want to make sure that every person in that building is protected and has a safe place to report misconduct, Williams told Spotlight PA.

While chamber-wide efforts failed, Senate Democrats are in the process of amending an internal ethics policy to add sexual harassment protections for non-employees, Williams said.

Both pushes have been backed by SEIU, as well as a number of other labor unions and progressive advocacy groups.

In letters sent to lawmakers in both chambers earlier this month, the coalition called for expanded rules.

How the House chooses to govern itself is a message to every workplace and employer in the state. It sets a standard to which the commonwealth should hold itself, the letter said. Passing [Klunks] resolution would tell anyone who comes to advocate before the House that they will be protected from harassment, and that their safety is of the highest concern.

WHILE YOURE HERE If you learned something from this story, pay it forward and become a member of Spotlight PA so someone else can in the future at spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to accountability journalism that gets results.
Invasion of cattle in Wenchi: Tension mounts between farmers, herdsmen

Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah Jan - 28 - 2023 , 11:04

The Wenchi Municipality in the Bono Region is noted for the annual influx of cattle, particularly during the dry season, in search of greener pasture.

They come from the neighbouring Sahelian regions, led by their herdsmen in search of a favourable place to feed them.

In the process, they destroy both food and cash crop in addition to streams to the annoyance of local farmers.

The situation sometimes leads to clashes between the farmers and the herdsmen and creates a security threat in the areas they pasture.

Arrest

Last week, 13 farmers from the Buasu/Kwame Pinsang Electoral Area in the Wenchi Municipality were arrested by the police for allegedly killing 30 cattles in the area.

The farmers allegedly took the action when they accused the herdsmen of allowing their cattle to destroy their farm produce.

According to the Chairman of Justice and Security subcommittee of the Wenchi Municipal Assembly who is also the Assembly member for Koase, Acheampong Badu, the herdsmen invaded those communities with their cattle and destroyed maize, plantain and other crops.

"We had distress calls from Buasu/ Kwame Pinsang Electoral Area that herds of cattle had invaded their farms destroying crops".

Mr Badu explained that about 30 cattle were slaughtered in the area, adding that the police have commenced preliminary investigation into the matter.

According to him, two of the herdsmen have also been arrested by the police to assist in the investigations.

Affected farmers concerns

Some of the affected farmers told the Daily Graphic that they had become helpless since it was impossible for them to stop the herds of cattle from destroying their farms.

One of them, Kofi Antwi, said it was regrettable that "after taking loans to invest in our farms, these herdsmen come and destroy our crops such as maize, plantain, beans and cashew farms, among others".

He stated that for the past four years, the invasion of cattle had become a headache to farmers in the area.

"Acres of farm produce in the area had been destroyed within days. Our toil and sweat have been in vain and we are left with nothing to take care of our children," Mr Antwi lamented.

Another affected farmer, Akua Frimpomaa, added that the cattle were not only destroying food and cash crops but also streams which served as their source of drinking water.

MCE response

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Wenchi, Alexander Damoah, explained that the invasion of cattle to the area seasonally had become a security concern.

He said even though he had vowed not to allow cattle herdsmen to enter the municipality, the cattle herdsmen had been able to do so through unapproved routes in the bush.

"I have held meetings with my counterparts in the neighbouring districts and municipalities to make sure that cattle were not allowed to enter the Wenchi municipality from their areas, he said.

"Why on earth should people rearing cattle use farm produce of farmers, who had contracted loans for their farming ventures, to feed their cattle," Mr Damoah stated.

According to him, the farmers who were arrested had now been released on bail while the issue was still pending.

"Even though it was very difficult to prevent the herdsmen from entering the municipality with their cattle, everything was being done to prevent them from doing so," he added.

Mr Damoah called for calm and called on stakeholders to assist the Wenchi Municipal Security Council (MUSEC) to stop the situation.
Rotary Club of Accra-Airport partners Book Aid, SCEF to donate 10,000 books to 40 basic schools

GraphicOnline Jan - 28 - 2023 , 20:33

The Rotary Club of Accra-Airport in collaboration with Book Aid International and the Street Child Empowerment Foundation (SCEF), has donated 10,000 different kinds of reading books to 40 basic schools in the Ga South Municipality.

The three philanthropic organizations also furnished the library rooms of some of the beneficiary schools with bookshelves, tables, and chairs with some teaching staff of the schools also receiving basic training in library management and program.

The project dubbed Reading is Basic Phase 2 is worth GHs200,000.00. It is meant to improve the reading skills and learning outcomes of pupils in the beneficiary schools.

Some of the beneficiary schools are Honrise M/A Basic School, Akoteaku M/A Basic School, Taribiya Primary School, Kwaku Panfo M/A Basic School, Oduman Asuaba M/A Basic School, Tupaa M/A Basic School, Amuman M/A Basic School, Domefaase M/A Basic School and Farm of Hope School Boarding House for street-connected children.

Others include Nglesie Amanfro Community 1 Basic School, Ngleshie Amanfro Community 2 Basic School, Taribiya M/A Junior High School, Ngleshie Amanfro M/A 1 Basic School, Ngleshie Amanfro M/A 2 Basic School, Ngleshie Amanfro M/A 3 Primary School, Ngleshie Amanfro M/A 4 Primary School, Tomefa M/A Basic School.

The rest are St. Faustina M/A Basic School, St. Peters R/C Basic School, Galilea M/A 1 Junior High School, Galilea M/A 2 Junior High School, Galilea M/A 1 Primary School, and Galilea M/A 2 Primary School.

Launching the project at a short ceremony in the Ngleshie Amanfro Cluster of Schools on Thursday, January 26, 2023, Francis Kodzotse, Head of Monitoring and Supervision, Ga South Municipal Education, said Phase 2 of the Reading is Basic project was spurred by the positive impact and feedback from Phase 1 of the project.

Reading is Basic Project has improved significantly the reading ability of pupils. It has also built pupils vocabulary, expression, writing skills, and ability to search for simple information either in books or the internet, he noted.

According to him, the project has also impacted positively on about 120 teachers and 80 school prefects in 40 schools within a span of two years. Enthused about the positive impact of the project, Mr. Kodzotse entreated SCEF, Rotary Club of Accra-Airport, and Book Aid International to sustain the bond between them and the Ga South Municipal Education Directorate.q

The President of the Rotary Club of Accra-Airport, C. C. Bruce Jnr, commenting on the project said We at Rotary Club of Accra-Airport believe that education is a right and should not be available to just a few people.q

Reading is in the heart of education and so, together with our implementing partners, SCEF and Book Aid International, we intend to improve the reading skills and the overall performance of the pupils.

The Rotary Club of Accra-Airport with support from the Rotary Club of Elgin, Illinois, USA, is the lead funding agency of the project.

Mr. Bruce Jnr explained that Reading is Basic Phase 2 Project is in two phases, the first part focusing on 23 schools while the second part will focus on 17 schools.

Together, we are looking at 40 basic schools. We at Rotary believe that through education, we can empower the people to rise out of poverty, he underscored.

The West African Representative of Book Aid International, Prince Kay-Takrama, also commenting on the project said education remains a priority in their scheme of things, assuring that Book Aid International would sustain their interventions in order to reach more children in Ghana.

What we want to see in Ghana is more children reading to improve their learning outcomes, he stressed.

Book Aid International and SCEF are the implementing agencies of Reading is Basic Phase 2 Project. In phase 1 of the project, Book Aid International reached 15 basic schools with almost 11,000 books in 2020/2021.

They have supported SCEF to also train 200 teachers with basic management in the library and also assisted the teachers to set up book lending systems in the beneficiary schools.

The Executive Director of SCEF, Paul Semeh, on his part, said they are inspired by removing children from the streets and taking them back to the classroom.

He explained that it was during the process that they realized there were some impediments in the classroom that were making the children not excel and which were also contributing to dropout.

One of the impediments was that the children were not able to read and write after six years per the GESs own assessment and the frustration was making them drop out. That is why we came up with the intervention, Reading is Basic, to save the situation. Once children are able to read, they become happy and stay in school, he noted.

Considering the impact the project is making in the communities they are piloting it, Accra Metro and Ga South Municipal, Semeh appealed to the Rotary Club of Accra-Airport to adopt some of the schools and mentor them.
US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland signed Public Land Order 7917 withdrawing approximately 225,504 acres in the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota from disposition under the United States mineral and geothermal leasing laws for a 20-year period, subject to valid existing rights.

The Biden Administration said that this action will help protect the Rainy River watershed, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the 1854 Ceded Territory of the Chippewa Bands, from potential adverse impacts of new mineral and geothermal exploration and development.

The decision puts Twin Metals Minnesota (TMM)a US subsidiary of Chilean multinational Antofagasta PLC which is also one of the top ten copper producers in the worldproposing to develop an $1.7-billion underground copper, nickel, cobalt and platinum group metals mining project in that area in limbo. The decision provides yet another example of the tension between environmental protection and resource extraction required for the mandated energy transition.

Twin Metals is targeting the minerals within the Maturi deposit, part of the Duluth Complex geologic formationone of the largest undeveloped deposits of these minerals in the world, with more than 4.4 billion tons of ore containing copper, nickel and other strategic minerals. The Twin Metals project would be just south of the Boundary Waters and within the new withdrawal area.

TMM notes that because of the way it was formed, the Maturi deposit contains minerals condensed in a narrow band. This allows more precise underground mining, according to the company. About 80% of mining would occur below 1500 ft and about 40% will occur below 2700 ft. The Maturi deposit is a contact-style mafic copper-nickel depositdifferent than many of the worlds copper deposits, called porphyry deposits, which represent about 90% of the worlds copper deposits and require open-pit mining.

The Federal withdrawal lands are located within a portion of the Rainy River watershed, outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Mining Protection Area (MPA), as indicated on the (withdrawal area outlined in red).

Twin Metals has invested more than $550 million in the development of its project over the past 12 years.

The latest wrangling over this area reaches back to 2017, when the US Forest Service filed an application for withdrawal of 234,328 acres of NFS land in the Superior National Forest. However, the Forest Service at the time never completed the application procedure (i.e., with reports and case files). The Regional Forester at the time believed that a withdrawal order was not needed under the circumstances and that the Forest Service could rely upon its consent role in the hardrock mineral leasing process, applied on a case-by-case basis, to provide necessary protection of Superior National Forest resources and the BWCAW. The Regional Forester thus cancelled the application for withdrawal in September 2018.

Then, in May 2019, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) renewed two hardrock mineral leases within the watershed held by Franconia Minerals (US) LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Twin Metals Minnesota, for the third time (called the Jorjani Opinion). TMM then submitted a Mine Plan of Operation (MPO) for joint approval by the Forest Service and BLM in December 2019.

In 2020, a US District Court rejected a challenge by environmental groups to the Interior Departments reinstatement of Twin Metals two hardrock mineral leases in the area.

In 2021, the federal government again initiated a mineral withdrawal study in the area. That was followed by the BLM rejecting Twin Metals Minnesotas preference right lease applications and prospecting permit applications.

In January 2022, the government reversed its position on TMMs mineral leases; the company is challenging that move. In February, TMM announced that it would pause the environmental review process while it defended its project in court. This was followed in August 2022 by TMM filing a lawsuit in the US District Court in Washington, DC, to reclaim its mineral leases.

In its latest application for the withdrawal of the landsthe successful applicationthe US Forest Service noted that:

The current requests for operational approvals represent new circumstances related to the potential for development of hardrock minerals on NFS land located within the Rainy River watershed. For the first time since the predecessor leases to the TMM Renewed Leases were issued in 1966, approval for an MPO is before the BLM and the Forest Service. At the time of the Regional Foresters September 6, 2018 cancellation of the 2017 withdrawal application, Leases MNES-01352 and MNES-01353 had not been renewed, though the 2017 M-Opinion of the Solicitor had been issued. Additionally, there was no pending MPO. In September of 2018, the Regional Forester generally believed the Forest Service could effectively and efficiently address concerns over the effects of mining on a localized, case by case basis through the Forest Services statutory consent role. Now, the Forest Service and BLM are considering the approval of an MPO and related special use authorizations as well as the issuance of a new lease pursuant to the PRLA. Taken together, these requests demonstrate a very real current intent to actually develop a mine with a large footprint and decades-long useful life. Further, this currently active intent on the part of TMM will likely spur additional prospecting permit and lease requests to BLM, whether made by TMM or others, on nearby NFS lands. This is a far different context than that which existed at the time of the 2017 withdrawal application or its 2018 cancellation. The Forest Service has new information, which it continues to gather, regarding the impacts of additional mining and exploration in the area on recreational uses and important resources such as water, air, wildlife, terrestrial and aquatic habitats, and native culture and food systems. The withdrawal is requested to protect those resources from the potential adverse effects of mining and exploration in the area, and in particular, potential effects of mining and exploration activities on three Endangered Species Act listed species and their habitats: the northern long-eared bat, listed as threatened in 2015; the Canada lynx, listed as threatened in 2000; and the gray wolf, most recently listed as threatened in 2015 and then delisted in 2020. New information includes but is not limited to disclosures associated with the MPO submitted by TMM in December of 2019 and the special use application. The Forest Services Northern Research Station has begun research activities, funded by current appropriations, directed to further mercury-sulfur interaction research and mitigation to lessen the health impacts of mercury by interrupting the biochemical process between sulfur and mercury. There may be potential impacts of broad-scale mineral development on the relevant lands that have not yet been fully studied.  All these considerations, encompassing social, economic, cultural, and natural resource effects and legal implications, support the conclusion that a withdrawal order is a prudent and more comprehensive and efficient means to establish protection of National Forest resources from adverse mining impacts. Mining adjacent to BWCAW and MPA risks irreparable harm to irreplaceable wilderness and ecosystem integrity, values, and resources. Although the primary footprint of the proposed mines would be outside the BWCAW, there are critical linkages between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that are highly dependent on chemistry of water flowing through them. Large scale mining activity at the top of the watershed can cause many effects in the primary and secondary footprint related to water flow and chemistry (including aerial deposition) that will affect everything lower in the watershed. Given the high level of linkages between aquatic and terrestrial components of the ecosystem in the BWCAW, these effects will also extend into terrestrial vegetation and could cause an ecological cascade of effects to vegetation, wildlife, and rare species of plants and animals within the BWCAW wilderness. The expected extremes in precipitation and temperature due to warming climate are likely to exacerbate mining impacts, and reduce the resilience of forests and watersheds to disturbance caused by mining. Exercise of consent authority entails a piecemeal, project-specific approach that may result in similar protection but only at a more localized scale. Given the policy goals, resource considerations, and circumstances described above, a broader, more comprehensive approach to protect the ecological integrity of this area is warranted.

The public land order withdrawing portions of the Superior National Forest from operation of the mineral and geothermal leasing laws, subject to valid existing rights, is authorized by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. The Secretary of the Interior has the authority to withdraw this area for a maximum of 20 years, subject to renewal. Only Congress can legislate a permanent withdrawal.
By early 2020 the Galaxy S10 series was preparing to retire. A year earlier it had introduced the worlds first 5G phone and brought the surprisingly popular S10e model along with the usual S10 vanilla and plus phones. But there was just enough time for one last hurrah before the S20 series launched in February.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite was announced in early February 2020 and went on sale a month later, just days before the official introduction of the S20 models. In some ways it was a prototype for the Galaxy S20 FE  it used older but still premium hardware and it cost less than the main series models.



Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite

The Lite stood a head above most other S10 members and we mean that literally  with a 6.7 display (with a tall 20:9 aspect ratio to boot), it stood at 162.5mm tall, 75.6mm wide and 8.1mm thick, it weighed 186g. Only the Galaxy S10 5G, the aforementioned first ever 5G phone, was slightly larger.

That sizable display had only FHD+ resolution, 1,080 x 2,400px, which at the time seemed disagreeable for what was labeled as a flagship. Little did we know what would come in 2021. Anyway, it had HDR10+ support and an Always-On Display mode.

Besides the resolution, the only clue that this wasnt a true flagship was the older Gorilla Glass 3+ protection (the others had moved on to GG6). Well, the lack of an IP rating stood out as well. The phone had an aluminum frame like its siblings, though it did save a few bucks by using a plastic back.

While things have changed in the intervening years, back in 2019 and 2020 only a select few markets got Snapdragon chipsets  Samsung was using Exynos everywhere else. The Galaxy S10 Lite launched exclusively with the Snapdragon 855, however.

It was a year old at that point, but this was a very capable chipset that did see some use in 2020, including on Samsungs first Galaxy Z Flip. It didnt have the staying power that the Snapdragon 865/870 did, however.

On the S10 Lite the chipset was hooked up to 6 or 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (or 512GB in some configurations, no 256GB option, though). The internal UFS 2.1 storage could be expanded with microSD cards that took the place of SIM2. The phone launched with Android 10 with One UI 2 and received Android 13 with One UI 5 a few months ago.

Since this was a lite model, Samsung seemingly cut corners by skipping the 12MP 2x telephoto camera that was featured on the other S10 models. However, the Lite may have had something better  a 48MP sensor that supported lossless 2x zoom.

We say better as it was larger, a 1/2.0 sensor with 0.8m pixels (1.6m with binning), compared to the 12MP 1/2.55 1.4m sensor that was used on the other S10 phones. It even had OIS, though that didnt work particularly well when we tested it. Also, some of the fancier tech was left out, no Dual Pixel AF and no dual aperture. The phone could record 4K video at only 30fps, while its siblings did 4K at 60fps.

The Lite was also equipped with a 12MP ultrawide camera (rather than 16MP) and also featured a 5MP macro camera to bring the count up to three. Like the main camera, the selfie cam had a larger, higher resolution sensor than the main S10 phones  a 32MP 1/2.8 (0.8m) for the Lite, 10MP 1/3 (1.22m) for the others.

The Galaxy S10 Lite was only the second Samsung phone with 45W fast charging (after the Note10+, both phones shipped with only 25W chargers in the box). The Galaxy S20 Ultra matched it a month later, but the Galaxy S10 and S10+ only did 15W charging, even the larger S10 5G topped out at 25W (as did the S20 and S20+).

They had wireless charging, though, which the Lite lacked. Still, with its large 4,500mAh battery the phone scored an impressive 110h endurance rating.

The S10 Lite has the dubious honor of being the first ever Galaxy S phone not to have a 3.5mm headphone jack. None of them do these days, the S20 models didnt, neither did any that came after, but the S10 Lite was first.

The Galaxy S10 Lite was positioned as a sort of flagship killer. However, the features and pricing were carefully designed so that it didnt target Samsungs own flagships but rather it went after other premium phones from more affordable brands instead.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite launched at 650 in early February of 2020. For comparison, the vanilla S10 was $900/900 a year earlier and even the petite S10e was $750/750. One year is a long time in tech and the premium S10 phones had undergone price cuts by the time the S10 Lite arrived. For example, a $150 cut brought the S10 down to $750 in the US and the S10e to $600, this was a couple of months before the S10 Lite launched in the same market for $650.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite launched hand in hand with the Galaxy Note10 Lite

Of course, this wasnt the only Lite to launch in early 2020, Samsung also brought out the Galaxy Note10 Lite. But well save that for another time.
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We've been hearing about a Coca-Cola-branded smartphone for the past few days, which was expected to be a special edition Realme 10 or 10 Pro given its resemblance to these smartphones and Realme teasing a collaboration with Coca-Cola. Now a tweet by Realme VP Mr. Madhav Sheth suggests the Coca-Cola Phone (not the confirmed name) will be a special edition Realme 10 Pro.

Sheth posted a photo (attached below) of the Realme 10 Pro's Hyperspace Gold version with a reflection of a Coca-Cola can on its rear panel, suggesting the Coca-Cola Phone will be a special edition Realme 10 Pro.



Sheth tweeted this image with the caption "Cheers for real!"

If the Cola Phone's leaked render is real, it will come with a big Coca-Cola branding on its back. Although it's unclear if the smartphone will come pre-loaded with Coca-Cola-inspired special wallpapers, themes, or ringtones.



Leaked image of Coca-Cola Phone

We'll hopefully learn more about it soon from Realme. In the meantime, you can read our detailed Realme 10 Pro review here or watch the video review linked below.
The Piti Social Hall was filled with the beat of multiple drums Saturday afternoon, as about 20 children and adults learned how to use a bucket to create music.

The event was sponsored by the Piti mayor's office and Hagu Foundation, a nonprofit established in December 2021 and dedicated to suicide awareness and prevention.

"The Hagu Foundation partnered with the Piti mayors office in 2022 to host monthly activities-based events for village youth to engage them in activities that promote joy," said Landon Aydlett, a co-founder of Hagu Foundation.

"Guam has a variety of organizations and groups focused on 'community' and activities that help bring a better sense of well-being and belonging.

"In times of personal struggle, those activities and groups can be a lifeline to someone. We are working to engage youth in a variety of activities that may spark excitement, interest and joy," Aydlett said.

Previous stories about Hagu Foundation:
Residents and farmers hoping to get more fruit from their mango trees have new resources to turn to, in the form of a 30-year-old mango orchard and two new guidebooks.

The orchard, planted through the 1990s at the University of Guams Ija Research & Education Center, can be a source of budwood in about a year after new growth is formed, according to a UOG press release.

The Ija orchard contains 29 varieties, including popular commercial varieties such as Haden and Carabao.

Farmers and residents can graft the budwood from these successful varieties onto their trees to produce true-to-type mangoes.

Most mangoes on Guam are boonie dogs, said Bob Bevacqua, a UOG horticulturist and one of the authors of the new guidebooks. Theyre mixed heritage  uncertain DNA.

The local budwood would be cheaper and better for Guam's environment, rather than importing materials that must be inspected for pests and plant diseases, according to state entomologist Chris Rosario with the Biosecurity Division of the Guam Department of Agriculture.

In addition to increasing the availability of more desirable varieties of mango, the orchard offers research opportunities. Scientists can study which varieties are best adapted to the local climate and are more resistant to or tolerant of fungal diseases.

Mango production in the last agricultural census was reported from only 700 of the more than 200,000 mango trees on island, according to the press release. Yields are often erratic and unsuccessful due to climate, disease, and a lack of varieties that do well in these conditions.

New books

Farmers and nurserymen can also turn to two new publications:

Mango Varieties at Ija Research & Education Center details the seed types, characteristics, and principal disease threat of each mango at the research station.

Mango Production Guide for Guam outlines the best practices for producing mangoes sustainably.

Both guides, along with a Mango Tree Care on Guam publication from 2016, are available for download at uog.edu/wptrc/technical-reports.

You can also get hard copies of the publication from the Western Pacific Tropical Research Center by calling 671-735-2060.
Although we each come from different faith backgrounds, last month we all thanked God when the news broke that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement contract at Berks County Detention Center was ending.

We have each been a part of the Shut Down Berks Coalition, which over the last eight years has highlighted the abuse of women and children at the womens immigrant prison (and formerly immigrant family prison) just under an hours drive from Allentown. The coalition has spoken truth to power, demanding an end to the incarceration of people whose only crime was to seek refuge in the United States. President Joe Biden has finally heeded our demands: ICE has said the prison will close Jan. 31.

Shut Down Berks Coalition this week confirmed that the last immigrant woman detained there was released from the facility. This victory comes after eight years of hard work by Pennsylvanians across the commonwealth.

Now, Biden needs to ensure that the Berks County Detention Center can never be a prison again. So many people in our community have already been terrorized by ICE; friends, co-workers, neighbors, parents of children at your local school. No one should suffer like the children, parents and women there suffered the last 22 years.

There are plenty of options for the center other than a prison. Local residents have repeatedly asked that it be converted into something that actually benefits Berks County and the Lehigh Valley, like a drug treatment center or other health and human services.

But most importantly, to live in a truly just and free country, all immigrant detention centers need to be closed. Individuals and families running away from persecution, famine and other forms of injustice and seeking refuge need a welcoming community, not a prison.

Here in Pennsylvania, that means also closing the Moshannon immigrant prison, near State College. It means ending the ICE contract at Pike County, which saw scores of people held by ICE exposed to and suffering from COVID during the pandemic. And it means ending the ICE contract at Clinton County as well. The vast majority of people whose immigration status is ever in question live with family or friends until a date is set for a judge to review their case. There is no reason to jail them, and there never was.

Now is the time for Biden to make good on his promise of a country that welcomes immigrants. Changing policies and ending imprisonment of people seeking asylum  including families and children  will end a profit-making system that criminalizes and abuses immigrants.

Updating Americas archaic and complex immigration system will improve our economy and increase community safety. And based upon the teachings of all of our faith traditions, it is also the right thing to do.

Although we each come from different faith backgrounds, we are united when it comes to the teachings of the Prophet Isaiah (61:1), who says: The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.

Welcoming the stranger is an obligation that falls on all of us. We have faith that all people who hold justice and liberty sacred will help us remind the president that the inhumane treatment of those seeking safety in this land should end, and that all immigrant prisons are closed.

Imam Daniel Hernandez of the Muslim Association of Lehigh Valley; the Rev. Gregory Edwards of POWER Lehigh Valley and Resurrected Life Community Church; Rabbi Elyse Wechterman, CEO of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association; and Ahmet Tekelioglu of CAIR-Pennsylvania, are supporters/members of the Shut Down Berks Coalition, a group of organizations and individuals fighting to close the Berks County immigrant detention center in Leesport.
Akiyoshi Kazaku faces three felony charges and three misdemeanor charges after a witness reported a hit-and-run collision between a bicycle and a vehicle shortly after midnight Saturday, according to a magistrates complaint filed in Superior Court.

The bicyclist, Michael Alan Tajalle, was taken to the hospital after complaining of pain. His condition was unknown, according to the complaint.

With the witness' description of the vehicle, police located a white Nissan Cube around 1:22 a.m. near the location of the collision.

A police officer found the driver asleep at the wheel, with the vehicle still running. The officer turned off the vehicle, then woke up the man, "who was visibly disoriented, confused and was consistently unable to maintain his balance as he exited the vehicle," the complaint stated.

The man, identified as Kazaku, "spontaneously declared he was drunk during his arrest," according to the complaint.

While being interviewed at the Dededo Precinct, he acknowledged several times he was intoxicated, the complaint stated.

Kazaku faces the following third-degree felony charges: vehicular negligence, vehicular negligence (BAC), and leaving the scene of an accident with injuries.

He also faces the following misdemeanor charges: driving while impaired, driving while impaired (BAC), and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage (petty misdemeanor).
As a board member at the Bethlehem Area Public Library and a longtime believer in public libraries, I am concerned about Lower Saucon Townships refusal to honor its annual contract with the Hellertown Area Library. Im especially concerned about the vague reference, in recent media accounts, to HAL and other area libraries no longer honoring Lower Saucon residents library cards because of financial problems.

As a result of their township councils refusal to honor the library contract, Lower Saucon residents have been disturbed to learn that they are now in what is known as an unserved area. Thus, they are no longer eligible for Pennsylvanias Access program, which means that their library cards are no longer accepted at other PA Access libraries, such as BAPL. Unfortunately, some residents responded to this situation by blaming library staff  rather than the source of this problem: their township council, which voted 4-1 to offer their former home library less than half of the contracted amount they were expected to contribute for 2023.

Joyce Hinnefeld is a professor emerita of English at Moravian University and vice president of the board of Bethlehem Area Public Library.

Its not surprising that these residents are confused: Library funding in Pennsylvania can seem mysterious. While all Pennsylvania libraries are technically under the umbrella of the state Department of Education (specifically the Office of Commonwealth Libraries), state funding provides a relatively small portion of local library budgets. Local libraries rely more on contracted contributions from their member townships and municipalities; that amount is determined by the local communitys population, which is multiplied by a per capita fee. In our communities, the yearly cost per person to fund a public library is less than the cost of one new book.

This is not an exorbitant fee for a community anchor like a public library, which sociologist Eric Klinenberg has identified as a crucial part of any town or citys social infrastructure. In Klinenbergs words, Libraries stand for and exemplify something that needs defending: the public institutions that  even in an age of atomization, polarization and inequality  serve as the bedrock of civil society.

Perhaps you are someone who hasnt visited a public library since you were a child. Perhaps you get your books on Amazon or Apple Books, and you prefer to do your browsing and reading at Starbucks. Perhaps you would agree with the writer of a 2018 Forbes magazine article who argued that public libraries no longer serve a purpose in our contemporary world, and suggested that Amazon retail outlets should replace them. But somehow I doubt it. My guess is that most people reading this would agree with the many people who wrote in protest of that Forbes article  so many that Forbes decided to delete the article from its website.

Of course libraries are important sources of books for those who cant afford to buy them (online books too; BAPL and other libraries make countless digital titles available to patrons to borrow on a phone, tablet or e-reader). But these days, our public libraries provide so much more: summer reading programs to keep kids engaged when they arent in school, online speakers and classes, and programs for senior citizens, to name just a few. A quick scan of the BAPL calendar for the coming month reveals programs on historic photography, aligning your money with your values, anime, yoga, sewing, qigong, painting, and poetry  plus baby, toddler and family story times.

These programs support young families, those who are aging or alone, and teens seeking companionship with others who share their interests. Id support the payment of well more than the contracted amount for communities served by my home library (Bethlehem, Bethlehem Township, Fountain Hill and Hanover Township, Northampton County) for such services. In my opinion, this is a small price to pay for the dedicated work of the BAPL staff, and the community cohesiveness their work supports.

I hope the residents of Lower Saucon Township  and of any other communities and municipalities that are resistant to paying the contracted amount in support of their public libraries  will pay close attention to their borough, city and township leaders decisions about library funding. Please dont let fuzzy language about financial problems cloud your judgment when it comes to this crucial service to our communities.

Joyce Hinnefeld is a professor emerita of English at Moravian University and vice president of the board of Bethlehem Area Public Library.
Published on 2023/01/28 | Source

Korean movie "Romance Campus" added to HanCinema database

Advertisement

"Romance Campus" (2022)

Directed by Park Dong-ki

With Shin Min-jae, Song Bo-eun, Lee Kyung-wook, Seol Yu-jin, Hyeon Jin-yeong, Park Dong-ki,...

Synopsis

Actor Min-jae, who is tired of everyday life, leaves for his hometown, Namwon, with his hometown friend and fellow actor Kyeong-wook. Min-jae and Kyeong-wook, who were on a nostalgic trip recalling childhood memories in Namwon, accidentally meet Mi-oh, who was Kyeong-wook's girlfriend in college, at a restaurant in Namwon. After having a drink with Mi-oh and her boss, Min-jae and Kyeong-wook hear that Mi-oh is going to Namhae tomorrow to meet Min-jae's girlfriend Yoo-jin. Min-jae, Kyeong-wook, Mi-oh and Yoo-jin, who met again after 20 years, have a drink in Namhae, and the identity of Min-jae's first love that has been hidden is revealed...

Release date in Korea : 2023/03
The recent audit that questioned school property tax hikes in Bethlehem, Northampton and other Pennsylvania communities should anger a lot of people.

The property tax burden is a big problem. It demands more attention. If enough people get angry, maybe something finally will change.

Auditor General Timothy DeFoors office investigated a dozen school districts. He accused them of playing a shell game by shifting money into accounts where it would not count against their unrestricted fund balance, thus qualifying them to seek tax increases.

Bethlehem, Northampton and other districts criticized in the audit are standing their ground.

They maintain they are doing nothing wrong and are operating within the law. DeFoor did not accuse them of doing anything illegal. He said the law should be changed to provide a clearer picture of a districts assets.

What needs to be changed is the entire education funding system.

Homeowners should not have to live under the threat of regular tax increases. In districts such as Allentown, taxes go up nearly every year. Its long past the time to find a different way to fund public education. Property taxes must be done away with, or become a significantly smaller part of the equation.

There was another government report issued recently that didnt get as much attention as DeFoors audit. It deserves attention, because it plays into the debate about property taxes.

Do you remember the state Legislatures answer to the problem back in 2004?

Gambling.

By legalizing gambling, Pennsylvania can reap hordes of taxes that can be used to ease the property tax burden, the public was told.

That was a massive lie.

Pennsylvanias taxes on gambling proceeds were supposed to ease the property tax burden for homeowners.

Property taxes continue to rise, even as record amounts of dough are wagered in casinos, truck stops and online.

On Jan. 18, the state Gaming Control Board announced that 2022 was another record year. The amount of money that was gambled increased by nearly a half billion bucks from 2021.

That generated record tax revenues of $2.1 billion, up from $1.9 billion in 2021.

Perfect time for an article on property tax relief, an astute local resident pointed out to me after reading about the windfall. That was the plan years ago when the casino was proposed.

He isnt the only one worried about his taxes.

Earlier this week, I wrote about three government reform bills that are languishing because Pennsylvanias dysfunctional state House still hasnt opened for business a month into the year. That prompted a call from Will Kline.

There should be four, Kline, a senior citizen, told me. The fourth one should be school property tax relief for seniors homes. The politicians should get off their rear and do something about it.

Someone else I talked to recently told me he didnt expect to see property tax reform in his lifetime. I told him I didnt expect it in my lifetime, either. And Im 52, hopefully with plenty of years left.

Why so pessimistic? Because every time lawmakers are presented with a suggestion, they shoot it down.

The state Senate chickened out just a few weeks ago.

As senators were debating a package of constitutional amendments, Sen. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton, proposed an amendment to end school property taxes for homes and farms in 2028.

Under her amendment, the state would have annually provided each district with at least the same amount of funding it would have collected from property taxes as of that date, minus the districts annual debt service.

The Legislature would have raised that money through a combination of sales and income taxes.

To me, there is no greater priority to every homeowner and farm owner in Pennsylvania than removing the back breaking tax of school property taxes, Boscola said in a statement at the time.

It is time we modernize the way we pay for our schools. We all talk about how students zip codes shouldnt determine the quality of a students education. The only way we will fix this broken, antiquated system is if we are required to.

Her suggestion was rejected in a partisan vote: 27 Republicans said no, 21 Democrats said yes.

Senator Lisa Boscola (D-Lehigh/Northampton)

This should not be a partisan issue. Republicans have been calling for reform, too. Those calls are insincere if they refuse to act.

Need another reason to be pessimistic? Well, last summer, state lawmakers and former Gov. Tom Wolf conspired to divert hundreds of millions of dollars meant for property tax relief, so it could be spent elsewhere.

That happened quietly during state budget negotiations. Thats when a lot of underhanded and unethical stuff happens, because its easily missed in the flurry of legislation that occurs at budget time.

The Morning Calls Ford Turner should win an award for exposing their foul deed. Heres a refresher if you arent familiar with their scheme.

In 2010, lawmakers legalized table games at casinos. The law required tax revenue from those gambling proceeds to be put in the Property Tax Relief Fund if the states finances ever became so robust that there was at least $750 million in reserves.

The state met that threshold with this years budget. That should have resulted in annual deposits of about $130 million for property tax relief for several years.

But Democrat Wolf and Republican legislative leaders changed the rules. They amended the law to allow the table game tax revenue to be spent on any state need.

You angry yet? You should be. Now let your lawmakers know about it.

Morning Call columnist Paul Muschick can be reached at 610-820-6582 or paul.muschick@mcall.com
On Monday, the Minister of Defense in the Damascus government, Ali Mahmoud Abbas, visited Tehran at the head of a military delegation, during which he held talks with the Iranian Chief of Staff. The visit comes at a time when there is talk of tension in the relationship between Tehran and the Damascus government, due to Iran's absence from the Moscow meeting.

Where Abbas and Ali Mamlouk met with the Turkish Minister of War and the head of Turkish intelligence in Moscow, in the presence of Russian officials, and in the absence of Iran.

Today, Abbas met with the Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, who considered, in the meeting, "the exchange of experiences in various fields, especially in the fields of electronic warfare, information warfare, and electronic warfare, is an important and sensitive issue."

He stressed the importance of developing defense and military cooperation between his country and the Damascus government, adding, "We are ready to assist the Syrian armed forces in the required fields."

Iran, along with Russia, is the Damascus government's most important ally, and in the past, Tehran has stressed that it only assists the Damascus government with advisors - not military equipment.

Israel, Iran's archenemy, bombs sites and routes used by Iranian-allied groups in Syria.

A

ANHA
Within 23 days, the Turkish occupation army targeted 42 villages and locations in northern and eastern Syria with heavy weapons and drones. As a result, 4 civilians, including a child, were killed, in addition to the wounding of 11 members of the Damascus government forces.

A leader in the "Revenge for the Martyrs of Al-Raqqa" campaign said that there is clear coordination between ISIS and the Turkish occupation state to undermine the stability of the region, and praised the people's cooperation with them in their campaign aimed at pursuing ISIS mercenary cells. (Attached with videos and photos).

Women from the city of Tabqa condemned the silence of human rights organizations and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT); Towards the crimes committed by the Turkish occupation state against the leader Ocalan, and they emphasized raising the pace of struggle until achieving his physical freedom. (Attached with videos and photos).

Report

The process of rapprochement between the Turkish occupation and the Damascus government, as well as the issue of the American F-16 aircraft, as well as the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, constituted three thorny files. It will exacerbate the dispute between Ankara and Washington.

Most of the families living in the areas controlled by the Damascus government in the city of Aleppo suffer from a deteriorating living situation, with low salaries that do not meet their needs for more than 4 days only, and some of them seek to move to the besieged neighborhood of Sheikh Maqsoud.

A

ANHA
Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka will lead a Team Finland delegation to visit South Korea on 2931 January 2023 to promote exports. The business delegation has 20 members representing the 5G, 6G, quantum technology, space and satellite sectors.

I am glad that we have an opportunity to visit South Korea with the business delegation. Cooperation between our countries is excellent and we can increase it even further.
Talk at library will 'explore the landscape of immigrant employment' here

The Henderson County League of Women Voters will host a panel discussion on "Exploring the Landscape of Immigrant Employment in Henderson County: Opportunities and Dilemmas" from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16 in the Kaplan Auditorium, Henderson County Public Library, 301 N. Washington St. Panelists are Bert Lemkes, general manager at Tri-Hishtil; Christopher Just, Farmworker Regional Educator, Henderson County Extension; and Brittany Brady, president of the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development. The program is free and open to the public. For more information visit www.lwvhcnc.org
China-Zimbabwe trade surges nearly 30 pct in 2022

Xinhua) 10:28, January 28, 2023

HARARE, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Trade between Zimbabwe and China surged 29.2 percent year-on-year to a record high of 2.43 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe said Thursday.

Zimbabwe exported 1.3 billion dollars worth of goods to China and imported 1.13 billion dollars worth of goods from China, the embassy tweeted.

China mainly imports from Zimbabwe tobacco leaf, processed tobacco, ferroalloys and chromium ore.

Over the past year, China has made major investments in Zimbabwe's infrastructure and mining projects, as the two countries continue to boost economic and trade ties.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)


THE government, which in November last year committed itself to regularising lithium mining activities at Sandawana Mine in Mberengwa, made a dramatic turnaround by duping and abandoning villagers after grabbing their ore without paying for it, a Zimbabwe Independent investigation has revealed.

Late last year, at least 5 000 artisanal miners and fortune-seekers, including foreigners, descended on the former emerald mine after the discovery of lithium in the Midlands province.

Sandawana Mine is part of the state-owned Zimbabwe Mining Development Corporation (ZMDC) portfolio through Kuvimba Mining House and is famed for producing emeralds, tantalite and other precious stones.

ZMDC owns 65% of Kuvimba while several other investors share 35% including a miner who has interests in gold, copper, nickel and other minerals.

The government moved to control lithium mining activities at Sandawana after it emerged that some foreigners, paying locals as much as US$200 per tonne, descended on the mine and were exporting the base metal.

Authorities barred artisanal miners, mostly villagers from Mberengwa and surrounding areas, and the lithium buyers, ultimately, giving exclusive rights to the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) to supervise mining activities while selling the ore to Kuvimba.

In November, Kuvimba and ZMF officials committed to assisting the artisanal miners with equipment and other accessories while also buying the lithium at improved prices as well as providing transport.

Mines deputy minister Polite Kambamura was deployed to meet artisanal miners while assessing the situation on the ground.

Kambamura, ZMF president Henrietta Rushwaya and Kuvimba operations manager Toindepi Muganyi addressed the villagers outlining the development.

Kambamura revealed that the government had been forced to intervene to bring sanity on the ground while ensuring accountability in the mining activities.

We noticed there is illegal mining going on. Illegal buyers were buying minerals under the umbrella name of lithium yet the ore here contains a lot of other minerals.

It is a multi-element mineral and its not only lithium found in these mountains. So buyers were coming in to buy lithium and smuggle it out of the country. When they smuggle it out of the country, they will go and further process it to extract other minerals unknown to the miners so we had to bring sanity to this area, he said in an interview with the Independent in November last year.

He also said the government had agreed with Kuvimba officials, who are the holders of titles to the mines, to let registered artisanal miners continue their activities while selling the mineral to the company.

In the long run, Kambamura said, Kuvimba would move in to explore and exploit all the deposits while opening up and developing full operations.

Kambamura also revealed that the agreement between Kuvimba and the ZMF to register all artisanal miners in the mountains was to control the mining activities.

However, within two months Kuvimba had reportedly reneged on its promise with villagers saying the mine was paying them less than the agreed price.

We were selling lithium to buyers including Chinese who were paying us as much as US$200 [per tonne] but when Kuvimba moved in they are paying as little as US$50 per tonne, the villagers told the Independent.

It also emerged that 30 tonnes of lithium fetched at least US$21 000 on the South African market.

We were expecting Kuvimba, as a government entity, to try and match these prices but we were fooled when the officials intervened.

The worst nightmare for villagers and artisanal miners who were mining the ore in Upper and Lower Varichem and Gwamakudo areas was waking up on January 1 this year to find their ore gone.

Kuvimba sent a huge fleet of tipper trucks onto the mountains and loaded all the lithium ore that we had extracted and disappeared into the night, sources interviewed said.

The miners did not only lose their ore for nothing, but the officials who grabbed the lithium also grabbed their equipment and dumped it at a police station in Zvishavane.

We lost compressors and their accessories. They even took our shovels and wheelbarrows. At least they could have paid us the little they owed us and returned our equipment. People are afraid to go to Zvishavane to claim their equipment for fear of arrest and we know it is stored with the police, the villagers said.

While some daring villagers are collecting the ore using sacks while hiding it in bushes, the major challenge is dealing with police patrols that have been intensified since the area was cordoned off.

There are some who are brave and they get the ore but some of us find it difficult because you need to have huge amounts to pay bribes along the way, the villagers added.

According to investigations, police demand as much as US$800 to allow a truck to leave the area while some traditional leaders have been accused of facilitating the movement of lithium from Mberengwa for as much as US$400 per tipper truck.

The villagers also bemoaned paying US$5 each for registering with the ZMF as they felt the federation was not helping them as promised by the leadership.

We paid that money but a few people got the accreditation cards. They promised us equipment and jobs including working as tributaries to Kuvimba but we were chased away with nothing, the villagers said.

While people interviewed claimed that at least 5 000 artisanal miners had registered with ZMF at Sandawana, the federations provincial chairman Makumba Nyenje told the Independent that 1 200 miners were registered in Mberengwa.

It is not true that we are not assisting the miners but we are in negotiations with authorities so that some are employed while others get claims to mine lithium.

Its a long process but we are trying to have our members come back to extract the ore so they can benefit from the countrys natural resources, Nyenje said.

He said there was an influx of artisanal miners when lithium was discovered at Sandawana and not all of them were ZMF members.

We are also in the process of identifying and properly registering our genuine members so that they benefit from our programmes, Nyenje said.

There were unconfirmed reports that leaders at ZMF were rewarded with lithium claims as a bribe to leave Sandawana.

Kuvimba chief executive officer Simba Chinyemba did not respond to questions sent by the Independent. He had requested questions in writing.

Contacted for comment, Kambamura confirmed that removing the artisanal miners from Sandawana was a deliberate move to bring sanity to the mine.

He, however, said he was not aware of villagers losing their lithium ore without being paid for it by Kuvimba.

There was a lot of chaos and disorder at Sandawana and this could have led to accidents, a situation we are trying to ensure does not happen.

We want order and not the situation which prevailed where individuals were digging everywhere. So we agreed that Kuvimba, who owns the claims, would supervise mining activities at the mine, Kambamura said.

There were unknown buyers smuggling lithium and that led to the ban in exports of the mineral as the government works towards curtailing illegal activities, he added.

Lithium is a rare mineral whose production is currently taking place in only eight countries, with 85% of the global supply coming from Australia, Chile and China.

Zimbabwe is the worlds fifth-largest lithium producer. Its lithium output has risen steadily in recent years. The country produced 1 200 metric tonnes of the metal in 2021. Zimbabwe Independent
A WOMAN has thanked council workers who helped protect her riverside home from floodwater.

Gaye Warren said the two men were kind and courteous as they placed 28 sandbags around her house overlooking Herons Creek, a Thames backwater in Wargrave.

The 72-year-old, who lives in a converted boathouse which used to belong to Wargrave Manor, contacted Wokingham Borough Council when she saw the water level rising rapidly on Monday morning last week.

She said: The river was high but it was well below my patio, which is in front of the glass doors.

I saw a fox run past my front door. Maybe it was alerted by the floodwaters rising, affecting its usual supply of feathered food.

About two hours later I noticed the river had risen to the top of the patio so I called the council to see if I could get some sandbags.

They were very good and said they would help. Within two hours a pick-up truck had arrived with 12 sandbags.

Mrs Warren, a widow, was worried that the men, both called Tom, would leave the sandbags on her drive and she wouldnt be able to move them. Her neighbours were at work and her son was abroad on business so couldnt help.

In fact, the men put the sandbags in place for her. Mrs Warren said: They put a sandbag on each shoulder and said, We dont need a trolley and then put them along the doors. Everything was beautifully stacked.

They said, We have loads, ring if you need any more.

Two days later the river was coming up around the side of the house. I have flood guards but I was worried the water would creep underneath.

I called the council and the woman on the phone said, Ill ring the guys and within two hours they were back. They used a trolley this time and put 12 on top of the original 12 and four at the side.

I offered to buy them a coffee but they said no but that the next time I bought a coffee to think of them doing this for someone else.

I was so grateful. How often do people say thank you to those guys? Im a widow, I live on my own and Im 72, so I cant lift 28 sandbags on my own. I thought someone needed to say thank you as I dont know how often we say thank you to the council.

Mrs Warrens husbands family bought the property in 1952, when it still had a sloping floor down to the water. The boatmen would sleep upstairs, above the boats.

She and her late husband bought it off the family in 1975, when the couple were expecting their first child. They moved in and then turned the boathouse into their family home.

When the house flooded in 2004 they set about making it flood friendly.

We raised the floors, said Mrs Warren. All the electrics are raised and all the cupboards are lined.

The stairs have tiles going up the first three steps. Everything is moveable, including the kitchen units, which can be unlatched. Mrs Warren uses teak blocks from Indonesia to raise her furniture as the wood can withstand water for many days.

She and her husband lived in Jakarta from 1985 to 2006, when he was working as a financial consultant for construction equipment manufacturer Caterpillar.

The couple retired to Bali and Mrs Warren still returns to their house there each year.

She said her whole family loved the river.

My youngest son is an oarsman and rowed at Henley, said Mrs Warren. Weve always been river buffs and I love watching the wildlife here. Ive been a member of the WWF for 50 years.

I love all the birds. We have winter birds, diving birds like tufted ducks, crested grebes and cormorants, red kites, which are the predators, herons, mallards, Canadian geese, kingfishers and mandarin ducks, which are rare sightings as they are very shy.

She paints watercolours of the wildlife around her home. Her living room, which looks directly on to the river, is filled with her brightly

coloured paintings and other artworks which she collects.

I paint wildlife because I am a fan, said Mrs Warren. I started with botanical art. I was taught by an Indonesian watercolourist.

The floodwaters had since gone down, leaving thick sheets of ice across the ground on cold mornings.

I said a little prayer and the flood has now left the patio, said Mrs Warren.
FOR most women, marriage is the stuff of their dreams, a way to confirm that they are indeed women, a badge that they display with pride, but for some it can be a nightmare. For Brenda Ndlovu, a one-time child bride, the union was an anchor that moored her to poverty.

After many years of inertia, Brenda who got married at 15 after falling pregnant, decided to quit her marriage and go back to school and achieve her dreams.

She does not regret that brave decision as she now an entrepreneur with a degree, works at Skyz Metro as a presenter and a producer.

Her experiences have made her become more determined to transform other peoples lives through an organisation that she founded.

I fell pregnant when I was 15 while I was in Form Three. I had to drop out to become a housewife after my parents said I had to live with my boyfriend. Marriage was not easy and it became harder when my husband lost his job at a time when I had just given birth to my second child.

I started planting tomatoes in the yard at our home so that I could sell them to get funds that helped sustain the family. I managed to keep the profits that I got from selling tomatoes until I managed to get capital to go to South Africa to get wares.

When I became a cross-border trader I had clients at prominent places like Mhlahlandlela because I managed to market my products to them and they would always place orders and business went very well.

I realised my potential. I felt since childhood that I wanted to do a job dealing with people so I had to quit marriage and go back to school so that I could pursue my dreams by getting certificates in public relations and using my gift professionally.

I then left the marriage that I had been in for seven years and went back to school. I went back to Form Three and I was attending night school at Mpopoma High. I failed twice because of the pressure that I had from looking after my children and the business I was running, but I did not have the option to quit regardless of my age but I kept on being focused on reaching my destiny, said Brenda.

She passed on her third attempt and went on to further her studies at Species College where she enrolled for Secretarial Studies. After that she studied for a Degree in International Relations at the Zimbabwe Institute of Diplomacy.

I got my degree in Harare and things were not easy because I could go for a month eating bread and Mazowe only, but I was not discouraged because I really knew what I wanted. I became fortunate enough to get a job as soon as I got my degree because I was talented in the field. I started working in 2020 at the Embassy of Romania but I could not work longer because Covid-19 hit and I had to leave the job.

The job, however, opened more job opportunities for me because soon after leaving the job I got employed under a six months contract at Mhlahlandlela as a personal assistant for the acting Provincial Medical Director in the Ministry of Health in Bulawayo Province.

After leaving the Ministry of Health, Brenda found herself knocking on the Skyz Metro doors.

After the contract ended, I heard that Skyz-Metro was looking for an independent radio producer and I went there and they took me. I am hosting a programme on Skyz Metro named I rise with Brenda. I named the programme I rise because I believe in other people regardless of their backgrounds because of the way I rose and changed my life.

My aim is to inspire, encourage, and motivate a disheartened person out there who once dreamt of becoming someone in society and under various circumstances gave up and became content with their current situation. The programs purpose is to encourage people to reach their maximum potential. So far, I have invited more than 40 people in less than a year who have shared their life stories, traumas, challenges, and experiences and I helped them to overcome their circumstances and begin a fresh life.

My programme has managed to raise a lot of people who are making it in life at different ages from different backgrounds. I see people going back to school at the age of 50, taking degrees and drivers licences among many other achievements they get.

It feels great to me when they call me back and thank me for helping them to get hope of improving their lives.

Brendas exploits have not gone unnoticed. She has won awards and has been invited to preside over important events.

I have managed to win a Megafest Southern Region Business Award as I have got the Gold Award Winner and the outstanding business personality of the year 2022. Also, I won a prize for being a keynote speaker at the women in engineering seminar 2022 and the Youth Connect Centre Bulawayo Entrepreneurs dinner in 2022.

What I can encourage other people is that they should be able to realise opportunities wherever they will be because I managed to get all that I have today because I pounce on opportunities that come my way. Im a director of ceremonies for many events, and I founded Brenda Blessings Trust which I use to transform the lives of young people through the resounding Word of God.

I am also a producer of amasi with a soon-coming brand called Amasi ka MaHarts. I am a busy woman and I dont love sitting. I am a mother of two children that I manage to raise alone. Ive been taking care of them since they were young and I also afford to take them to the best schools through hard work, said Brenda. Chronicle
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Peckwater Brands, Europes largest operator of virtual food brands, has acquired eatclever, the virtual delivery brand market leader in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland).

Peckwater operates delivery-only food brands from more than 500 unique locations across nine countries: UK, US, France, Belgium, Finland, Sweden, Hungary, Czechia, and the UAE. The UK company will take over eatclevers operations in almost 100 restaurants across the DACH region, expanding their presence into three new countries across Europe.

Peckwater will add Hamburg-based eatclevers food brands to its portfolio, including taste&soul, Chicos, and KoChi (Korean Fried Chicken).

Since launching in 2019, Peckwater has built an offering of virtual food brands (food brands that are found only on third-party delivery aggregators like Deliveroo and Just Eat), powered by a data-driven software solution, which are prepared in kitchens around the world in tandem with their regular offering.

Peckwaters licensed brands span several categories including fried chicken (Seoul Chikin, Flip the Bird, Katsu), burgers (Dukes, Proper Tasty) and Central American (Papi Taco, Fiesta Mexico, Rebel Rito), while they have run shared brands with partners such as Unilever, Buzzfeed, and Heinz.

This takeover is Peckwaters second European acquisition in the past five months, following the onboarding of the Honest Food Company in September. Its international expansion has been fuelled in part by the 15 million Series A funding round the company completed in June 2022, backed by Stonegate Group, SBI Investments, Fuel Ventures, and Pembroke VCT, bringing the companys post-money valuation to 65 million.

This is such an exciting development for us. With eatclever, we have acquired the virtual brand delivery market leader across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, which is a tremendous opportunity to increase our presence in central Europe, and were thrilled to bring eatclevers excellent selection of brands under the Peckwater umbrella. In the past 12 months weve greatly accelerated our international expansion, boosted by our Series A funding round last summer. Were now in seven new markets and working with hundreds of new clients  kitchen operators across Europe. The DACH market is a promising new arena for us, and this acquisition further cements our position as Europes leading virtual food brand operator. Our team has been working tirelessly to make our growth plans a reality, showing extraordinary commitment and insight while executing our strategy. Im really proud of what they have achieved, and we anticipate more exciting developments and success in 2023, so watch this space. Sam Martin, CEO and co-founder of Peckwater

About eatclever

eatclever was founded in 2015 by Marco Langhoff, Robin Himmels and Mohamed Chahin, providing virtual food delivery brands to German, Austrian and Swiss markets, and operates a team of 30 people out of its head office in Hamburg.

About Peckwater Brands

Peckwater Brands (PWB) is a delivery franchising expert, helping restaurants and kitchens of all sizes benefit from the fullest demands of the market by streamlining the process of embracing virtual brands and multiple-franchise solutions. Working with partners across the hospitality spectrum, they can transform any kitchen into a multi-franchise operation, integrating with their existing operations and opening them up to vastly increased demand across different brands and cuisines. Peckwater raised 15m of growth capital in its Series A in June 2022, backed by Stonegate Group, SBI Investments, Fuel Ventures, and Pembroke VCT.
In recent years, the hospitality industry has faced well-placed scrutiny over its lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The Rising Sales Leader Council discussed how they are thinking about DEI at personally and professionally.

At its core, the industry is about serving people. To be inclusive, hospitality businesses must be able to meet the needs of their diverse guests.

There are many ways to improve DEI in hospitality, here are a few ways the RLC discussed:

Increase the diversity of employees at all levels of the organization.

Mentorship and leadership opportunities to employees from all backgrounds.

DEI Committees and employee resource groups offer spaces for groups to network and support each other.

The hospitality industry is also working to create more inclusive environments for guests. For example, some hotels are now offering autism-friendly play areas for children, while others are including ASL and other language services.

Its important for the hospitality industry to improve DEI, be more aware of the issue and to make a conscious effort to be more inclusive. By being more aware and inclusive, businesses and staff can make a positive impact on the lives of their employees and guests.

About Sojern

Sojern's digital marketing solutions for travel are built on more than a decade of expertise analyzing the complete traveler path to purchase. The company drives travelers from dream to destination by activating multi-channel branding and performance solutions on the Sojern Traveler Platform for more than 10,000 customers around the world. Recognized as a Deloitte Technology Fast 500 company six years in a row, Sojern is headquartered in San Francisco, with 600 employees based in Berlin, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Mexico City, New York, Omaha, Paris, Sao Paulo, Singapore and Sydney.



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FEMA Awards Over $3 M to Mass for COVID-19 Response Costs

BOSTON  The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $3 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse the Executive Office of Health and Human Services for the costs of providing virtual triage services for hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The $3,056,275 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the commonwealth for contracting to provide virtual triage to reduce transmission that could occur if triage were to occur in crowded, in-person hospital settings between March 2020 and February 2021.

The contractor also provided dissemination of information to the public across Massachusetts regarding guidance about the individual's risk of having contracted COVID-19; and provided dissemination of public health information from federal and state agencies.

"FEMA is pleased to be able to assist the Commonwealth of Massachusetts with these costs," said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. "Providing resources for our partners on the front lines of the pandemic fight is critical to their success, and our success as a nation."

FEMA's Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.

So far, FEMA has provided more than $1.5 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.
First Congregational Church is expected to need more than $6 million in work. Its preservation committee is focusing on the roof and has asked for $50,000 from the CPA, half of its original ask.

Williamstown Community Preservation Committee Faces Shortfall

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Community Preservation Committee on Wednesday determined that five of the six applications for funds in the fiscal 2024 cycle meet the qualifications for funding under the Community Preservation Act.

In a hybrid meeting at Town Hall, six of the committee's eight members heard presentations from five of the six applicants.

Town Manager Robert Menicocci, who is both a voting member of the CPC and the representative for a $100,000 Town Hall request for CPA funds to address overruns in a bicycle/pedestrian trail project, did not attend the committee's first meeting of the calendar year.

Although all five of the requests reviewed Wednesday passed the committee's first test, eligibility under the act, more deliberation is needed to decide how much, if any, CPA funding the committee will recommend to May's annual town meeting for each of the applicants.

One thing is known: The town does not have enough available CPA funds to cover all six.

At Wednesday's meeting, the CPC discussed more precisely how much it has available to fund new requests in FY24.

After accounting for continued commitments to the Cable Mills housing development on Water Street, including a payment toward the 2022 annual town meeting commitment of $400,000 to support 27 units of income-restricted housing at the Water Street site, the committee determined that it has $329,830 to allocate in the coming fiscal year.

Of that $329,000, the committee agreed Wednesday to reserve about 10 percent, or $30,000 to move forward to FY25, meaning that roughly $300,000 would be available for CPA grants in this funding cycle.

As drafted and received by the town this winter, the six applications represented a combined ask of about $515,000 , or 170 percent of the total funds available.

On Wednesday, one of the applicants helped the committee come a little closer to closing the $215,000 gap.

The president of the Williamstown Meetinghouse Preservation Fund asked the committee to reduce the value of its application by $100,000 toward efforts to renovate the historic 906 Main St. structure.

"I would request that we reduce our ask because I think it's appropriate, given the quality of the other applications," Susan Yates told the committee. "I think it's more reasonable to make the ask in the $50,000 range, like we got last year. I think it's only fair to the other qualified applicants here."

The Meetinghouse Preservation Fund is a non-profit created to address the historic building itself and divorce that effort from the building's current best-known occupant, First Congregational Church. The WMPF is a nonreligious entity that qualifies for state and local funding without running afoul of prohibitions on using taxpayer money to support sectarian groups.

Yates told the CPC that First Congregational Church has begun looking for partners to fill space in the building that the church does not need in order to generate revenue to support what is now projected to be a $6.4 million restoration effort.

The now-$50,000 request for CPA funds would go toward an area of critical need, Yates said. The WMPF has estimates ranging from $475,000 to $600,000 to replace the 19th-century structure's roof with a composite material that, she said, is virtually indistinguishable from its current slate roof to a layman's eye.

"The original design called for all of the parts to be replaced with slate," she said. "The problem with that is it's very expensive. The material is expensive, and the labor is expensive. So those numbers came out to over a million dollars to replace the roof."

Addressing the roof and stopping current water infiltration is a high priority for the WMPF, Yates said.

"I feel like, if we're going to have a building to do [additional restoration], we've got to stop the water from coming in," she said. "This icon, I'd hate to see something really catastrophic happen and then not be able to have it available for the kind of funds that could make it usable by the rest of the town and community."

Roger Lawrence, who occupies the Planning Board's seat on the CPC, agreed.

"It makes sense to me the roof would be prioritized above all else," Lawrence said. "If you do not address the roof, I think in the foreseeable future, there will not be a building to worry about spending $5 million on."

Like the WMPF, the Williamstown Historical Museum is seeking additional funds to support projects previously approved by town meeting for CPA funding. The museum is asking for $35,000 to support the restoration of the historic Dolan-Jenks Barn on the institution's South Williamstown campus near the Five Corners intersection.

Historic preservation is one of three main categories under the act; community housing and open space and recreation are the other two. As it happens, the committee has two requests in each of the three categories on this year's agenda.

The Williamstown Housing Authority is seeking $10,000, mostly to install an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant door with keypad entry for the community room at 35 Adams Road. The town's Affordable Housing Trust seeks $120,000 in unrestricted CPA funds to support its continuing effort to help income-eligible residents move to and remain in town.

The bike/pedestrian path from Syndicate Road to the Spruces Park falls under the open space and recreation category, as does a $100,000 request from the Mount Greylock Regional School District to support a multi-million field and track project at the middle-high school.

District Business Manager Joe Bergeron and School Committee member Carrie Greene represented the district at Wednesday's meeting. Bergeron walked the CPC members through the other funding mechanisms that the district plans to use for the project and emphasized that community members would have access to the completed track seven days a week when it was not reserved for a special event, like a track meet.

On Thursday morning, Superintendent Jake McCandless said the district has sought and obtained a legal opinion that CPA funding from one of its member towns is an appropriate funding stream for the project. Generally, operating and capital costs for the regional school district are shared by Williamstown and Lanesborough, with Williamstown generally paying about two-thirds of cost based on its relative size.

Even though Community Preservation Act funds are tax dollars that would come from just one of the member towns  if approved by town meeting  the district believes it would be OK to accept them. McCandless said the district has no plans to seek a matching, proportional donation from Lanesborough taxpayers.

The Community Preservation Committee will meet again in February to hear a presentation about the request to address the trail funding and begin its process of deciding how to allocate funds in FY24.
National Grid To Provide Energy Bill Assistance to Mass Businesses

WALTHAM, Mass.  National Grid announced it is partnering with four nonprofit business associations to distribute $1 million in grants to help businesses with their energy bills.

National Grid is working with the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA), the Retailers Association of Massachusetts (RAM), the Massachusetts Restaurant Association (MRA), and the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce to distribute up to $250,000 each to their small business members in need.

"Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, and the impacts of the global energy crisis are creating real challenges," said Stephen Woerner, President of National Grid, New England. "We recognize some small businesses are struggling this winter, and that's why we're stepping up to provide help. We've partnered with four outstanding organizations who can assist us in reaching the small business community across Massachusetts and speed the distribution of energy assistance funds to those that need it."

National Grid has partnered with community organizations and nonprofits to provide financial and volunteer assistance to assist populations impacted by increased winter energy rates and higher costs for goods and

services. In October, National Grid announced a commitment of $17 million to partners and networks across Massachusetts and New York to help customers and communities meet their needs during this financially challenging time. As part of that commitment, the company donated $1 million combined to three Massachusetts branches of the United Way and to the Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund to assist customers with high winter energy bills.

National Grid later donated another $1 million to 10 Massachusetts food banks to help hundreds of thousands of families and individuals struggling with food insecurity.

The four business organizations will receive $250,000 each and distribute $1,000 grants to reach a total of 1,000 small businesses across Massachusetts.

"Black business owners are disproportionately affected by higher costs (due to their razor-thin margins)," said Nicole Obi, CEO of BECMA. "We're pleased to partner with National Grid in providing 250 grants to offset some of the financial burdens faced by Black entrepreneurs this winter."

This small business energy assistance grant program is part of National Grid's Winter Customer Savings Initiative, launched in the fall of 2022, which provides customers support in reducing energy use, balanced billing, and links customers to all available energy assistance.
Srinagar: In a terror funding case filed against the Kashmiri separatist leader Nayeem Khan and others under different provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, a designated court for the National Investigation Agency (NIA) cases in New Delhi has on Saturday ordered attachment of the building housing the headquarters of the Hurriyat Conference in Srinagar.

Arrested on 24 July 2017, the National Front chief Khan is facing charges of involvement in terrorism and terror funding along with a number of his separatist associates. The so-called All-parties Hurriyat Conference is a conglomerate of nearly 30 constituents including the NF. Some of its constituents, including Yasin Maliks Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF), were banned after a car bomb explosion that killed 40 CRPF personnel in February 2019.

Among the accused, Yasin Malik has been sentenced to life imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to the charges levelled against him. Outlawed Dukhtaraan-e-Millat supremo Asiya Andrabi has been acquitted but the NIA has filed an appeal against the court order. All others detained by the agency, including Khan, are contesting the charges.

Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik of Patiala House Courts on Saturday passed the order on NIAs plea under section 33(1) of UAPA to attach the Hurriyat office at Rajbagh, in Srinagar. In view of the above reasons, the immovable property i.e. building office of All Parties Hurriyat Conference situated at Raj Bagh, Srinagar which was earlier used as an office of APHC is ordered to be attached. Necessary legal process be carried out in this regard, the court ordered.

The NIA told the court that the property was partly owned by Khan and his associates. The office situated at Rajbagh was used to strategize different protests, funding activities of stone pelting on security forces, recruiting unemployed youths to carry out unlawful activities as well as terrorist activities to create unrest in Jammu and Kashmir to wage war against the Government of India, NIA contended. The Defence counsels maintained that the office was only partly owned by him whereas other co-owners were not given any notice before the order of attachment. The court held that Khans associates too, who were affiliated with the Hurriyat office, were also facing prosecution in the same matter.

According to the court, the evidence collected during the investigation was duly examined at the stage of framing of charge by a predecessor court which concluded to frame charges against Khan and other accused persons. In that process it is needless to observe that in case any other person who claims to be co-owner and considers that such process of attachment is not proper, can avail legal right in accordance with law, the court said.

The court noted that attachment of a property in itself did not amount to any bearing upon the trial and that it cannot be in any manner considered as pre-trial conclusion or findings of punishment or offence against the accused. It pointed out that section 33 of UAPA did not hinder the powers of court to attach any such property which may be partly owned by the accused.

In such situation taking into consideration the serious nature of the allegations as against A-5 itself (Khan), the fact that he is part owner of the property in question, cannot be a reason for not attaching the property when it is not even made clear as to who others were co-owners of that property, the court said.

According to the residents, around 25 years back, Hurriyat had hired a two-storey building at Rajbagh, Srinagar, for its headquarters. It originally belonged to a National Conference leader and Forest lessee from Doda whose brother, a Congress leader, later functioned as a Minister in Mufti Sayeeds and Ghulam Nabi Azads PDP-Congress government in 2002-2007. Its subsequent deeds were not immediately known.

The NIA registered the FIR in May 2017 on a complaint by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, under Sections 120B, 121, 121A and 124 A of the Indian Penal Code and sections 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 39 and 40 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967. It alleged on the basis of asecret information that the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Tayyiba chief Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and various separatist leaders, including the members of the Hurriyat Conference, were raising funds through hawala and they had also entered into a conspiracy to cause violence in Kashmir.

It alleged that there was a larger criminal conspiracy for causing disruption in the Kashmir valley by way of pelting stones on the security forces, systematically burning of schools, damage to public property and for waging war against India.

While most of the accused have been arrested and some have died in different encounters, LeT supremo Hafiz Saeed, Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar and the Hizbul Mujahideen supreme commander and the United Jihad Council chairman Salahuddin are operating from Pakistan. It is for the first time that an Indian court has ordered the attachment of the headquarters of the Hurriyat Conference which, for a decade operated an office in New Delhi, and which has not been banned any time since it was launched in 1993.

Also Read: Separatist hardliner Geelanis house sealed as Kashmir crackdown targets roots of terror
In a tragic incident, at least five people, including a doctor couple, lost their lives after a fire in a nursing home in Jharkhand's Dhanbad on Saturday.

The deceased individuals are the medical establishment's owner Dr Vikas Hazra (64), his wife, Dr Prema Hazra (58), the owner's nephew Sohan Khamari and domestic help, Tara Devi.

ANI

The doctor couple's pet dog also died in the incident. A fire broke out in the storeroom of the nursing home-cum-private house in the Bank More area of Dhanbad, 170 km from Ranchi, around 2 am, a police official told PTI.



One-and-a-half-hour-long operation to douse fire

The fire was brought under control with the help of six fire tenders in a one-and-a-half-hour-long operation.

The Fire Department Inspector, Lakshma Prasad, told ANI that the blaze broke out in the corridor, joining the clinic and their residential complex.

ANI

"The fire caused huge smoke in the area, causing suffocation which killed these five persons," he said.



"If we had received the information earlier, we could have managed it better. The team rescued five gents, two ladies and two dogs- one of them died on the spot. All of them have been sent to the hospital for treatment," he added.

25 patients saved by clinic staff

At the time of the incident, there were 25 patients inside the clinic who were shifted to another building by the staff of the clinic and their lives were saved.

"...The cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained and further investigation is underway," said Dhanbad SDM Prem Kumar Tiwary.

However, locals have said that the fire was caused due to a short circuit.

ANI

SDM Tiwary added that four deceased have been identified, while the fifth person's identity is yet to be ascertained.



Chief Minister, Health minister condole doctors' death

CM Hemant Soren condoled the death of the doctor couple and others in the incident.

                      6         

                     Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) January 28, 2023

"May God grant peace to the departed souls and give strength to the bereaved family members to bear this difficult hour of grief," he tweeted.

Health Minister Banna Gupta also expressed his grief over the incident. The minister directed the Dhanbad deputy commissioner to take necessary action over the incident. He also asked him to ensure arrangements for better treatment of the injured.

BJP national vice-president, former chief minister Raghubar Das - a senior BJP leader, and former chief minister Babulal Marandi also condoled the death of the doctor couple.

Doctor couple was renowned in the city

The doctor couple was renowned in the coal city and served people for more than 30 years. Dr Vikas was the son of well-known gynaecologist late Dr C C Hazra.

In the 1950s, private colliery owners of Gujarat appointed Dr C C Hazra for medical services in Dhanbad. After the nationalisation of the coal industry in the country, Dr Vikas's father set up a private maternity hospital, RC Hazra Memorial Hospital, on Telephone Exchange Road in Dhanbad in 1982.

Dr Vikas, an IVF specialist, was among the top gynaecologists in the state. He had pressed his entire family into the service of poor patients. The couple has left behind a son named Ayush and a daughter named Prerna, both medical students.

Dr Vikas and Dr Prema were Bangalore Medical College students and tied the knot after completing their medical studies.

After that, Dr Vikas returned to Dhanbad and started his medical practice. He was also a senior vice president of the Dhanbad chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) for the last two terms.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.


Delhi Police has arrested three people in connection with a fraud, where over 30,000 people were made to believe that they were being offered work-from-home jobs and were duped of Rs 200 crore in total.

Representational Image

After the arrests, police revealed that the website server used by the scammers was traced to China and financial transactions to companies based in Dubai.



How scammers duped the complainant

The cops pursued the case after receiving a woman's complaint on September 26 last year.

The woman, a Rohini resident, saw an advertisement on Instagram offering her Rs 15,000 a day for working from home and registered herself, Times Of India reported.

After the woman came on board, she was told by the scammers that her work entailed growing sales for a particular online store.

Unsplash

While the screen of the work website showed money being collected in the woman's wallet, her employers also directed her to buy some online products at discounted prices.



After spending a sum of Rs 1.2 lakh, the woman learned that she was not receiving any money purportedly accruing to her account.

Telegram, WhatsApp IDs used by scammers based abroad

Following her complaint, the police filed a case on November 20 at the cyber police station in the Outer North district. During the probe, a team was constituted under the supervision of ACP Yashpal Singh.

The team found that the Telegram ID used by the scammers was being operated from Beijing, China, and the WhatsApp number too was operational abroad.

Representational Image

Police contacted the banks to analyse the financial details and found that the money from the victim was deposited in a shell firm's account.



It was also discovered that the average transactions in that account totalled Rs 5.2 crore daily. Based on the probe, three people were taken into custody, including a former deputy manager of Paytm, who was assisting the accused regarding financial transactions.

Main accused operated from Georgia

The police have said that the main accused in the case is based in Georgia. They also revealed the gang has links in Chandigarh, Mumbai, Haryana, Delhi and Punjab.

Devesh Mahla, DCP (Outer North), said, "The arrested men are Abhishek Garg, 40, Satish Yadav, 36, and Sandeep Mahla, 32. We have identified the main accused and he is in Georgia. So far, according to the money trail and statements made by victims, we feel around 30,000 people have been conned, with the money involved running into over Rs 200 crore. Our investigation is at a preliminary stage. More arrests and details will emerge in due course."

Unplash/Representative Image

Yadav and Garg were arrested on January 21, while Sandeep Mahla was held on January 23. As per reports, Garg was responsible for providing technical support to the prime accused in Georgia, with whom he has been in touch for a decade.

Yadav, a Delhi resident, is a Delhi University graduate who has worked with several companies, including a mobile services firm. His role was to link the mobile phone of the main accused through a mirroring app to enable access to OTPs. Yadav was responsible for siphoning off the money abroad through e-wallets.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
Earth's inner core may have started spinning the other way, a new study claims. The inner core of our planet Earth is made up of a hot iron ball that's roughly the same size as dwarf planet Pluto.

Situated about 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles) below the Earth's surface, this core is a kind of "planet within the planet" and it is able to spin independently because it floats in the liquid metal outer core.

Now, scientists claim that Earth's inner core has stopped spinning in the same direction as the rest of the planet and that it might in face be rotating the other way.

iStock

Is the inner core acting erratic?

For the longest time, scientists have debated how the inner core rotates within Earth, and this new research is just more fuel to the fire. Our little understanding of the core comes from differences in seismic waves that are produced by earthquakes as they move through the Earth's centre.

The new research, published in the journal Nature, attempts to track the movements of Earth's inner core - analysing seismic wave movement from repeating earthquakes over the last six decades.

Also read: Newly Discovered 'Super Earth' Is Among Largest Exoplanets Ever Found

According to the study's authors - Xiaodong Song and Yi Yang of China's Peking University, the inner core's rotation "came to near halt around 2009 and then turned in an opposite direction."

Unsplash

"We believe the inner core rotates, relative to the Earth's surface, back and forth, like a swing," the researchers told AFP.

Each cycle of the swing lasts for seven decades, implying that it changes direction every 35 years. The last time this happened was in the early 1970s. The next time the same thing is expected to happen is in the mid-2040s.

Also read: Watch NASA's SWOT Satellite Unfurl In Earth's Orbit Before Beginning Observations



Unsplash

This rotation, researchers claim, lines up with what they call the "length of day" that are tiny variations in the exact time it takes Earth to rotate on its axis. The scientists feel that all of Earth's layers have a physical connection that needs more exploration.

What do you think about this story? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.
In Argentina, the first stop on the journey, a joint declaration on energy policy is said to be adopted. In it, Germany and Argentina mutually agree to exchange and support each other in "their respective energy transition and the development of a green hydrogen economy," explained Brantner's ministry. In addition, a new platform for exchange between German and Argentinian company founders is to be set up.

In Chile, the Federal Ministry of Economics wants to conclude a German-Chilean partnership for mining, raw materials and the circular economy with the local mining ministry. As the first concrete initiative in this context, the state copper group Codelco and the German company Aurubis sign a cooperation agreement on cooperation in the field of environmental technology and modernization of copper production.

In Brazil, Germany's most important trading partner in South America, according to Brantner's ministry, closer cooperation in "key future fields" such as energy policy and the provision of green hydrogen is to be "explored".

"In the current geopolitical situation, we have to promote and deepen bilateral relations with partners that are important for the German economy," explained Brantner. This applies "particularly in the context of geopolitical competition with other countries".

The Chancellor's delegation is due to arrive in Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, on Saturday. On Sunday Scholz travels to Chile, on Monday and Tuesday Brazil is on the agenda.

The German industry formulated high expectations of the trip. The President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Siegfried Russwurm, spoke on Saturday of an "important signal at the right time". German industry sees "great opportunities for more dynamic economic cooperation" in South America. He sees opportunities "especially in decarbonization and digitization".

Russwurm called on the Chancellor to campaign for a quick agreement on the free trade agreement between the EU and the South American economic zone Mercosur at his meetings with the heads of government of Argentina and Brazil.

This would allow "85 percent of European export duties to the region and thus several billion euros in taxes for companies to be avoided each year," explained Russwurm. "An agreement between the EU and Mercosur creates a market of over 717 million people, covering almost 20 percent of the global economy and 31 percent of global goods exports."
TypeScript 5.0, an update to Microsofts strongly typed JavaScript variant, is now available as a production release, Microsoft announced March 16. With the upgrade, TypeScript has been rebuilt to use ECMAScript modules. TypeScript 5.0 also modernizes decorators for class customization.

ECMAScript modules reduce package size and boost performance. Decorators, an upcoming ECMAScript feature, allow for customizing classes and their members in a reusable way, Microsoft noted in a March 1 blog post.

Decorators can be used on methods, properties, getters, setters, and auto-accessors. Classes can be decorated for subclassing and registration. While TypeScript previously supported experimental decorators, these were modeled on a much older version of the decorators proposal. TypeScript 5.0 will permit decorators to be placed before or after export and export default, a change made since the January 26 beta release of the new version.

Also in TypeScript 5.0, developers now can add a const modifier to a type parameter declaration to cause cons t-like inferences to be the default. The update also now allows the extends field to take multiple entries, and it makes all enums union enums by creating a unique type for each computed member. This means all enums can be narrowed and have their members referenced as types.

TypeScript 5.0 features changes across code structure, data structures, and algorithmic extensions, intended to speed up the entire experience of using TypeScript, even installation. Overall, TypeScript 5.0 is intended to make the language smaller, faster, and simpler. Another change since the beta: The new bundler module resolution option now can only be used when the --module option is set to esnext . This ensures that import statements written in input files will not be transformed to require calls before the bundler resolves them.

Despite the revamp to embrace ECMAScript modules, Microsoft said TypeScript 5.0 was not a disruptive release, and everything developers know is still applicable. TypeScript 5.0 can be accessed through NuGet or by running the following command:

npm install -D typescript

Also in TypeScript 5.0:

A -verbatimModuleSyntax capability simplifies imports and exports, keeping imports or exports without a type modifier while dropping anything using the type modifier.

capability simplifies imports and exports, keeping imports or exports without a modifier while dropping anything using the modifier. A new JSDoc tag, @satisfies , catches type mismatches while preserving the original type of an expression, enabling developers to use values more precisely in code. Many developers use TypeScript to type-check JavaScript code using JSDoc annotations. Also, JSDoc now can declare overloads with a new @overload tag.

, catches type mismatches while preserving the original type of an expression, enabling developers to use values more precisely in code. Many developers use TypeScript to type-check JavaScript code using JSDoc annotations. Also, JSDoc now can declare overloads with a new tag. Correctness changes and deprecations are offered for less-used flags.

TypeScript now targets ECMAScript 2018. For Node users, this means a minimum version requirement of at least Node.js 10.
New Rules come home to Ireland

With a huge fanbase for their music worldwide, and one million followers on TikTok, New Rules have just returned from a headline tour across the States including a show at the legendary Bowery Ballroom NYC.

Featuring Dublin bassist Ryan Meaney, they are about to embark on their UK and Ireland tour, which sees them play Dolan's of Limerick, on February 1; and Cyprus Avenue, Cork, on February 3, for the first time. The Dublin Academy Green Room gig on February 2 is a sellout.

Ceadogan Rugmakers Island project at Hang Tough Contemporary

Alice Fitzgerald x Ceadogan Rugmakers Island

Just launched on Thursday, Ceadogan Rugmakers Island project unites 12 of Irelands finest artists  drawing on their individual designs and styles to create a unique one-off rug or wall hanging. The impressive group of artists includes Sean Scully, Maser, and Dorothy Cross as well as nine other artists including Lola Donoghue, Sean Atmos and Alice Fitzgerald. The collection is now on display at the Hang Tough Contemporary gallery on Exchequer Street, Dublin. Following the exhibition, the artworks will be auctioned, with 50% of the profits going to the Peter McVerry Trust which supports people experiencing homelessness. The remainder will fund a regenerative project For the Birds at the Ceadogan studios in Co Wexford. The works will be auctioned by Whytes Auctioneers on February 5 with the pieces expected to fetch between 1,500 and 16,000. Entry to the exhibition is free.

Explore the Irish tradition of the Debs at Nenagh Arts Centre

The Debs exhibition at Nenagh Arts Centre

If youre in the vicinity of Nenagh why not pop into the arts centre for The Debs  an exploration of the curiously Irish version of the coming of age ritual that is the debs.

Celebrating the history and experience of the debs, or grads, in all its glamour and eccentricity, Cloughjordan artist, Sarah Thornton, at Nenagh Arts Centre has gathered stories and materials that reflect the diverse experiences of those living in the local area in relation to the debs. In the style of La Galerie Dior in Paris, Nenagh Arts Centre will showcase these stories, garments, and accessories in a celebration of the style, elegance and culture of Tipperary as well as the history and experience of the rural Irish debs.

Saints they aint  Bad Bridget podcast at The Gibson Hotel

The popular Bad Bridget podcast comes to Dublins Gibson Hotel in time for St Brigids Day

Elaine Farrell and Leanne McCormicks popular Bad Bridget podcast comes to Dublins Gibson Hotel in time for St Brigids Day as the two creators join Roisin Ingle in conversation to uncover the untold stories of generations of Irish female immigrants that history chose to forget. Farrell and McCormick will tell tales theyve uncovered about Irish women who went from the frying pan of their impoverished homeland to the fire of vast North American cities. Saints they aint. Presented by International Literature Festival Dublin in partnership with Penguin Ireland as part of Brigit 2023: Dublin City Celebrating Women. Tickets from 10.

IKEA launches vibrant new designer homewares and lighting collection

The new 17-piece VARMBLIXT collection

Swedish homewares giant IKEA has partnered with acclaimed designer Sabine Marcelis to design the new 17-piece VARMBLIXT collection. The collection explores the power of sculptural design and light and includes lamps, glassware, vibrant rugs, and more. The collection is based around how light can impact the look and feel of the home and features a warm colour palette and quirky doughnut-shaped pieces as well as sculptural lighting pieces that look high-end. Available from February, four of the items will become part of the IKEA collection long-term including the orange glass table/ wall lamp, while others are available for a limited time only. Prices range from 1.50 for a pack of napkins to 279 for the largest rug, but really its the pendant lights we have our sights on.

A sumptuous masterclass and more with Irish contemporary winemakers

Seeking the ultimate treat for the connoisseur in your life? A very special weekend is in store at the Meet the Makers event at Ashford Castle. Dine alongside leading winemakers including Roisin Curley (left), Dermot and Ana Sugrue of Sugrue Wines, and Liam and Sinead Cabot of Roka Wines. On Friday night, a four-course meal will be complemented by wines from this renowned group of makers. After a luxurious nights sleep, guests will meet in the castles cellars on Saturday evening to enjoy a reception featuring Dermot Sugrues award-winning sparkling wine. A private, six-course meal devised by Ashford Castles new executive head chef Liam Finnegan will then complement Chateau de Fieuzal wines  making it a meal to remember. Prices from 1,040 per person sharing includes B&B, two dinners, a light lunch on the Saturday, the wine masterclass and wine tasting in the wine cellars. Email: reservations@ashfordcastle.com or call 094-9546003.

www.ashfordcastle.com
This boy has just turned 11 and he is looking up at me in the middle of the yard, telling me how Andrew Tate has helped him. And Im thinking, of course, hes the perfect victim: A quiet boy with a lot of insecurities.

Im thinking this Andrew Tate knows exactly what hes doing with our young boys.

Many teachers like this one, a male primary teacher working in Limerick, dont want to go on the record about their own students but many, even at primary level, report hearing about Tate from their students.

I mostly hear students mocking him, says another teacher in an all-boys secondary, but Ive come across the odd boy, often a quiet student, who has been influenced.

Another teacher in a rural mixed school says: Ive never heard anything about him directly, but I got a response to a question about a novel that made me suspect that a student had been watching his videos.

Tates arrest on charges of rape and human trafficking in Romania was the first time many Irish adults had heard of him, but younger people here are reportedly well-acquainted with the champion kickboxer, entrepreneur, and anti-woke influencer.

In July 2022, he was the most Googled name on the planet and in the virtual world of Tiktok, he is a well-established celebrity, where videos of him have been watched 11.6bn times.

Tate describes hitting and choking women online, referring to them as chicks, bitches, and hoes. He has argued that rape victims must bear responsibility for their attacks in a clip watched over 2.5m times. The American-born, British citizen fled England in 2017 in the wake of numerous accusations of sexual assault by women there. His move to Romania was a calculated one.

Im not a rapist I like the idea of a man being free. In the West any woman can destroy a man for life In Eastern Europe none of this stuff flies. He is currently in detention in Romania, suspected of having recruited victims for a criminal online porn scam.

Female teachers say some male students use Andrew Tate to intimidate them in the classroom.

Students allegedly add the tag make me a sandwich to the end of their work, thereby announcing themselves as followers of the influencer.

Andrew Tate leaves after appearing at the Court of Appeal, in Bucharest, Romania earlier this month. Tate is facing charges of being part of an organised crime group, human trafficking, and rape. Picture: AP Photo/Alexandru Dobre

One young female teacher working in Dublin says: I have one student in particular who idolises Tate.

He brings him up all the time in class, to get a rise out of me, and its intimidating in an all-boys school.

I spoke to my boyfriends younger brother, who I can chat to on a different level, and he said that Tate is a genius because he says what everyone is afraid to say.

Its terrifying that Andrew Tate is having this effect on the next generation. Its happening and its not being stopped.

There are newspaper articles, but theyre not being discussed. Any 13-year-old boy in Ireland knows Andrew Tate. Thats a real problem.

Dismissing education

Tate does his best to appear legitimate online. His university, in its third iteration, now called Hustler University 3.0 announces itself as a worldwide community of over 160,000+ active members learning from a select network of experts in freelancing, crypto, investing, and business.

For a $50 monthly membership fee people are offered an opportunity to match the extreme wealth and success of Tate, who claims to be the smartest person on the fucking planet. The Guardian reports that members, some as young as 13, are promised 10,000 a month by learning about crypto investing, drop shipping, and persuading other people to join.

Tates approach is thoroughly and proudly anti-establishment and throughout his online narrative he actively dismisses mainstream education, which, he says, is left-leaning and woke.

We grow stronger every day, he says of his online university, while traditional education becomes less and less relevant.

Tate argues that men or boys should take control of women and become rich and successful. He presents the West as an emasculating culture in decline. He is clear and specific in his world view explaining to his millions of followers: Women should clean up. Not only should women clean up, women should clean up unprompted I pay for things unprompted my card always works.

Feeding on boys' fears

Ask any class if they have heard of Tate and the majority will have done so, says civics teacher Edwin Magnier, who works in a mixed Cork secondary school. He is is happy to go on the record to stem Tates influence over other young people in Ireland.

Edwin Magnier is a civics teacher working in a mixed-sex school in Cork. He says he is concerned that boys are being radicalised online.

My awareness of this kind of threat began with the emergence of the alt-right movement. Boys are often targeted and radicalised online.

Ive been concerned about it for the last five years and have been actively designing lessons to counteract the world view being taught to our young men.

As Magnier explains, people like Tate attack young minds before they are educated, and often bad-mouthing mainstream educators is part of their ploy.

Anyone with an education will see through it; we need to be very aware of it in the last few years of primary, whenever a child is given access to the internet.

By secondary [level], in my experience, most students laugh at him. Hes a person to ridicule, often used as a meme.

Its the younger or more vulnerable students we need to protect.

Tate often includes sound advice in the midst of his hateful rhetoric, explains Magnier, reminding young people to work hard for success for instance.

He presents himself as a mentor and if a child lacks an actual mentor in their life, it can be both powerful and persuasive.

He delegitimises any other adults who might influence their minds in a positive way, like teachers.

This is a man with 17 expensive cars; he is uber rich and so young people see him as successful. His message to them is that you can be successful too if you overcome your wokeness. He argues that women are suffering in our culture too because they want to be dominated.

A 14-year-old girl brought Tate to Magniers attention after boys started to repeat his ideas in school.

His message to young men is that women are property, says Magnier.

He tells boys and men to convince girls and women in their lives of that too  in order to manipulate them.

He feeds on boys fears around masculinity and changing gender roles and links it back to his own wealth.

He describes himself as a powerful alpha male who dominates women. He warns his followers against being weak beta males who tend to be unsuccessful.

He tells them their meekness and inability to stand up to women will mean that women will dominate and destroy them.

The man is being accused of rape and human trafficking. He manipulates women to make money and is open about that. He is not a role model.

Irelands shortcomings when it comes to sex education are well documented. Spunout, Irelands youth information website created by young people, for young people, is concerned about the paucity of relationship education in schools.

The main source of our sex ed comes from social, personal and health education (SPHE). The current system donates just one hour per week to this subject. This is simply too little.

Prosecutors seized several luxury vehicles after Tate lost a second appeal at a Bucharest court earlier in January. He challenged the seizure of assets in the late-December raids, including properties, land, and a fleet of luxury cars. Tate uses his expensive cars as a show of success. Picture: AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda

Sex ed is something that is very important for children, particularly in the junior cycle.

They are at an age when they are entering early puberty and without proper education on the subject of sex it can be a confusing time.

Psychotherapist and author Richard Hogan believes education on Tate needs to start at home.

We must talk to our children about his views; we must help children to think their way through his destructive and negative ideas about women and mens role in society.

Parents must help dismantle these views.

Students reportedly tell their teachers that they are fearful of sharing their online experiences with parents. They worry that their parents might curtail their usage in future.

No way would I show my mum whats coming up on my screen, one teacher reports hearing from a 12-year-old boy. Shed take it off me!

In the UK, where Tate is perhaps best known, the education sector is proactive in its approach. Teachers report the serious hold he has on students, as is beginning to happen here. Some schools are running whole-school assemblies entirely devoted to Tate and his ideology.

Men At Work CIC trains professionals who work with boys and young men to facilitate constructive dialogues with them about being safe. They have visited dozens of schools to date. They specifically address the reality of young boys being groomed and radicalised by people like Tate.

Here, Justice Minister Simon Harris had admitted feeling worried about the influence of Tate on boys.

I think it shows what happens when the State doesnt step up to its responsibilities. I dont just mean this State, I mean in general We need to be much better at providing age-appropriate information around sex education, around gender equality, and through the school curriculum.

Harris goes on to mention a zero-tolerance strategy in the pipeline for Irish schools.

Other commentators argue that Tiktok needs to do far more to protect young users by ensuring all content on the platform is devoid of hateful, harmful messaging.
This article was originally published on January 28, 2023.

THE church of Burke is a religion that has heretofore been unknown in this country. It professes allegiance to the Bible, to Christian evangelicalism, but really the church of Burkes primary loyalty is to itself.

Last month, the High Court ruled that Enoch Burke must stay away from the premises of his former employer, Wilsons Hospital School, or face a daily fine of 700. For the previous three days he had been attending at the school, despite being sacked last week.

On Thursday evening, as he left his vigil for the day, Burke spoke to reporters about the High Court ruling, claiming it was an attack on his 'religiousbeliefs'. Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

Each day, Burkes father drove him to the school from their home in Castlebar, about 150km away.

On Thursday evening, as he left his vigil for the day, Burke spoke to reporters about the High Court ruling, claiming it was an attack on his religious

beliefs.

What religion would that be? The Burke family claim to be evangelical Christians but sometimes their behaviour is about as far from Christian as one can get.

The family could reasonably argue there has been nothing unchristian about the various jousts members of the family have had over the years with college authorities in Galway, lawyers in Dublin, adjudicators in the Workplace Relation Commission, or High Court judges.

All of these individuals can take care of themselves. In those instances, family members were simply escorted from the forum they disrupted.

On one level, these disputes were occasions when many among the general public, irrespective of the issue at hand, enjoyed the sight of articulate, well-educated folk taking on pillars of authority.

Others who have done likewise often continued their protest by setting up shop outside the courts or Leinster House to proclaim what they believe to be the denial of their rights.

It would appear the Burkes consider such a route to be beneath them.

However, there are times when the conduct of some members of the family is completely shorn of the kind of moral stance that one would assume was a basic tenet of any religion.

The most egregious example of this was the inquest into the death of Sally Maaz.

On April 24, 2020, Ms Maaz, 17, a native of Ballyhaunis, died at Mayo General Hospital. She had contracted Covid on admission to hospital, but the exact cause of death was unclear at the time due to her medical history.

At the opening of the inquest into Ms Maazs death in Castlebar in February 2022, Martina, mother of all the Burkes, and her daughter Jemima, who describes herself as a journalist, interrupted proceedings.

As with other elements of society during the pandemic, some of the Burkes had taken a sceptical view of the virus and the measures imposed to tackle it.

A not inconsiderable constituency of citizens took such a stance and it could well be posited that doing so was not in conflict with any religious beliefs.

Here, however, the Burke mother and daughter were going further. They were espousing their beliefs in their typically robust way with absolutely no regard for the presence and plight of a grieving family.

I am essential to this investigation, Jemima Burke told the coroner Patrick OConnor, according to the court report.

The coroner replied that he was not prepared to listen to her ranting and raving.

You have contacted me by telephone and I told you that I am not prepared to have you or your mother or any of your supporters interfere with the proper investigation of the death of the unfortunate Sally Maaz, Mr OConnor said.

Ms Burke continued to shout at Mr OConnor. We want justice here today, we want the truth.

Mr OConnor replied: You are a perversion to all that is right and righteous. Think of this poor family that you are causing such hurt. Im not prepared to listen to the perverted nature of your allegations.

Jemima and Martina Burke were removed from the court by gardai.

Josiah, Martina and Jemima Burke at the verdict of the inquest into the death of Sally Mazz in April 2022. Picture: Conor McKeown

When the inquest concluded the following April, both women were again in attendance, this time accompanied by Josiah Burke. Again, they began shouting as Mr OConnor announced the verdict and all three were removed by the gardai.

The Maaz family had to be escorted out of a side entrance of the building by members of An Garda Siochana.

What scriptures read in the church of Burke would deem acceptable that kind of behaviour towards a family in the throes of bereavement? How could anybody behave in this manner towards a grieving family which was seeking out the circumstances of the death of their teenage loved one? What religion deems that basic decency can be discarded in pursuit of some abstract belief?

Enoch Burkes conduct in the current saga plumbs similar depths. His problems arose when he refused to recognise that a student in the school was transitioning and wanted to be addressed by the appropriate pronouns.

This stance was taken in deference to what he called his religious beliefs.

He followed through, disrupted a school gathering, defied the law, and went to prison for refusing to observe a court order.

Even on his release ahead of the Christmas break, after 108 days in prison, he could have reassessed his approach in the context of his beliefs. He chose not to.

On January 13, the Wilsons Hospital Schools student council attempted to hand Enoch Burke a letter expressing its concerns, particularly for LGBT students. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins

On January 13, the Wilsons Hospital Schools student council attempted to hand him a letter expressing its concerns, particularly for LGBT students.

Students are scared that you may say something harmful to them for further publicity, the letter read.

Students feel that they cant be themselves around you and have to change the way they act. We should not have to do this.

Burke quite obviously did not pose a threat to any students, but their perceptions were generated as a result of how he has conducted himself thus far in this saga since it first blew up last September.

Reportedly, Enoch Burke would not accept delivery of the letter. He has repeatedly stated that his only desire is to teach, to impart his knowledge to students, yet he would not even acknowledge concerns that these students, some of whom quite obviously feel vulnerable, have about his behaviour.

Instead, he is elevating the issue of gender to the top of the hierarchy of beliefs to which he claims to subscribe. By any standards, that is surely a perversion of the basic tenets of Christianity, whatever about the church of Burke.

In his ruling on Thursday, Judge Brian OMoore said he considered Burke was exploiting his imprisonment for his own ends so the court was going to issue the fine instead.

On Friday, the ex-employee turned up at the school again. If he continues to do so, and irrespective of the debt he may be amassing, surely a time will come when the court has no option but to consider imprisonment again as the only measure which will ensure the school will be able to carry on its work unimpeded.

This article was originally published on January 28, 2023.
Ukraine and its Western allies are engaged in fast-track talks on the possibility of equipping the invaded country with long-range missiles and military aircraft, a senior official has said.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukraines supporters in the West understand how the war is developing and the need to supply planes capable of providing cover for the armoured fighting vehicles that the United States and Germany pledged at the beginning of the month.

However, in remarks to online video channel Freedom, Mr Podolyak said that some of Ukraines Western partners maintain a conservative attitude to arms deliveries, due to fear of changes in the international architecture.

Russia and North Korea have accused the West of prolonging and taking a direct role in the war by sending Kyiv increasingly sophisticated weapons.

Suffering from cancer, Gennadiy Shaposhnikov, 83, rests in his partially destroyed home which was hit by Russian shelling last fall in Kalynivske, Ukraine (AP)

We need to work with this. We must show (our partners) the real picture of this war, Mr Podolyak said, without naming specific countries.

We must speak reasonably and tell them, for example: This and this will reduce fatalities, this will reduce the burden on infrastructure. This will reduce security threats to the European continent, this will keep the war localised. And we are doing it.

On Wednesday, the US and Germany agreed to share advanced tanks with Ukraine along with the Bradley and Marder vehicles promised earlier, a decision that led to criticism not only from the Kremlin but from the prime minister of Nato and European Union member Hungary.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban asserted on Friday that Western countries providing weapons and money to assist Ukraine in its war with Russia have drifted into becoming active participants in the conflict.

Mr Orban has refused to send weapons to neighbouring Ukraine and sought to block EU funds earmarked for military aid.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry said it would summon Hungarys ambassador to complain about Mr Orbans remarks.

Ukrainian soldiers fire at Russian positions in Kherson region (AP)

A ministry spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, said Mr Orban told reporters that Ukraine was a no-mans land and compared it to Afghanistan.

Such statements are completely unacceptable. Budapest continues on its course to deliberately destroy Ukrainian-Hungarian relations, Mr Nikolenko said in a Facebook post.

US President Joe Bidens announcement that America would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine reversed months of arguments by Washington that they were too difficult for Ukrainian troops to operate and maintain.

The US decision persuaded German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had expressed concern about a unilateral action drawing Russias wrath, to agree to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks from Germanys stocks and to allow European countries with tanks to send some of theirs.

Amid news of the coordinated effort, Russia bombarded Ukraine with missiles, exploding drones and artillery shells.

The attacks continued on Saturday, when Russian missiles struck the city of Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraines Donetsk province.

A local woman walks in the yard of a residential neighbourhood after a Russian attack in Kostiantynivka, Ukraine (AP)

The missiles fell in a residential area, killing three civilians, wounding 14 and damaging four high-rise apartment buildings, a hotel and garages, governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

Kostyantynivka is a city relatively far from the front line, but still, it constantly suffers from enemy attacks. Everyone who remains in the city exposes themselves to mortal danger, Mr Kyrylenko said.

The Russians target civilians because they are not able to fight the Ukrainian army.

In a separate Telegram post earlier Saturday, Mr Kyrylenko reported that Russian attacks in the province killed four civilians in all and wounded seven others in 24 hours.

Russian rockets hit a residential area the Donestsk town of Chasiv Yar on Friday night, killing of two people and wounding five more, the governor said. Photos attached to Mr Kyrylenkos post showed a three-storey school building on fire.

Donetsk province, where the territory is roughly split between Russian and Ukrainian control, has become the battle epicentre of the war as Moscow tries to jump-start a grinding offensive to capture the city of Bakhmut.

The turret of a destroyed tank is pictured outside Kalynivske in Ukraine (AP)

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that Russian troops are defending themselves near Lyman in Luhansk and Kharkiv provinces north of Donetsk, as well in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces in the south.

The fighting has largely been deadlocked over the past months, with winter conditions slowing down ground operations and neither side reporting significant progress.

In the same update, the military reported that Russian forces launched 10 missile strikes, 26 air strikes and 81 shelling attacks on Ukrainian territory between Friday and Saturday mornings.

The shelling killed two civilians in Kherson, another province that is partly Russian-occupied.

Mr Podolyak, the presidential adviser, said Ukraine needs supplies of Western long-range missiles to drastically curtail the key tool of the Russian army by destroying the warehouses where it stores cannon artillery used on the front line.
Burma Myanmar Junta Shelling Kills Sagaing Child

The regime's shelling of Kyaut Htone Gyi village in Katha Township, Sagaing Region.

A 12-year-old girl was killed and her brother injured in Myanmar regime shelling in Katha Township, Sagaing Region, on Thursday.

A junta base at Aung Myay Tharsi monastery opened fire on adjacent Kyaut Htone Gyi village although no clashes had been reported in the area.

The girl was killed instantly by a shell and her 13-year-old brother was injured in the hand and leg.

Angella of the Moe Tar Peoples Defense Force told The Irrawaddy: The junta targets civilians. Ground troops seize civilians as human shields and there is frequent shelling.

She urged civilians to avoid regime forces where possible.

In late October, a 12-year-old girl in Katha Township was killed by regime artillery while another child was seriously injured.

Clashes have broken out around Moe Tar in Katha Township, according to resistance groups.

Regime troops reportedly torched Nan Sam village houses on Saturday morning after fighting with resistance groups.

There were clashes for two days and 15 Nan Sam houses were burned, Angella told The Irrawaddy.

Nam Sam had more than 200 houses and all the villagers have fled.

Katha Township borders Kachin State, where the Kachin Independence Army and its resistance allies are fighting the junta.
Burma Myanmar Prepares Silent Strike to Mark Coup Anniversary

Normally busy Yangon is deserted during an earlier silent strike on March 24 last year. / CJ

Myanmars pro-democracy forces called on the public to stage a silent strike on Wednesday to mark the second anniversary of the military takeover.

With loud voices of silence, we have repeatedly shaken the dictator, the General Strike Coordination Body (GSCB) said on Friday, referring to previous silent strikes.

The junta claims life has returned to normal under military rule but by staying at home, shutting businesses and emptying streets, the movement aims to show mass discontent.

We will again stage the silent strike on February 1 to remind the world that our people continue to fight in every way despite the cruel oppression of the terrorist regimeand make it clear that we wont accept the planned illegal election, the GSCB said.

The GSCB, which includes over 30 strike committees in Myanmar, urged the public to remain indoors from 10am to 3pm on Wednesday.

Prominent anti-regime leader Tayzar San wrote that the coup anniversary is the day when a state of emergency declared by the terrorist military will expire and it is important to show continued opposition to the junta on that day.

I urge the whole country to stage the silent strike unanimously, he wrote.

Silent strikes were held last year on February 1, on Human Rights Day and on March 24 despite junta threats of businesses seizures, arrests and prosecution. The junta usually staged pro-military rallies to counter the campaigns.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, more than 2,890 people have been killed and more than 17,400 detained since the 2021 coup.

Two years ago the military locked up much of the elected leadership, including State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, declaring a state of emergency.
Junta Watch Junta Watch: Mouthpiece Contradicts Min Aung Hlaings Poll Claim; Regime Boss Steel Dreaming; and More

Myanmar's military chief Min Aung Hlaing oversees a parade to mark the country's Independence Day in Naypyidaw on January 4, 2023. (Photo: AFP)

Junta boss and his megaphone differ on election

A day after junta boss Min Aung Hlaing assured a governing State Administration Council meeting on Monday that an election would be staged this year, junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun told VOA that the regime is trying to hold an election in 2023 but is not sure if it can do so, due to subversive activities.

The regimes National Defense and Security Council is required by the military-drafted 2008 Constitution to hold an election within six months of the expiry of emergency rule, which comes at the end of this month.

Zaw Min Tun is not wrong in his judgment. The regime is certain to push ahead with plans for an election, which it views as the only way out of the current political crisis. But it seems unaware of the fact that the resistance movement and public support for its actions will not stop because of a rigged poll.

On the international front, the regime is facing increasing diplomatic isolation, and many countries have called the proposed poll a sham. On the domestic front, powerful ethnic armed organizations have rejected the election, and the resistance movement is growing in terms of weaponry and operational areas despite the juntas air superiority.

Steel mill project highlights Min Aung Hlaings inability

A few months after his putsch in 2021, junta boss Min Aung Hlaing crowed that he would restore operations at the Russia-backed No. 2 Steel Mill in Shan State. But with just over a week to go until his regimes emergency rule expires at the end of this month, the mill is still far from operational.

The steelmaking project was suspended by the Union Parliament under the now ousted National League for Democracy government in 2017.

Min Aung Hlaing has often complained that the NLD-dominated Union Parliaments decision to suspend the project when it was 98.86 percent complete was irrational and caused huge losses for the country.

But the general has not managed to complete the remaining 1.14 percent during his two years of rule, despite support from the regimes major arms supplier, Russia. Locals oppose the project due to its environmental impacts.

The steel mill is a joint venture between Russian-backed Tyazhpromexport and the military-owned Myanmar Economic Corporation.

Slap in the face for juntas PR push

Last month, The Guardian published an editorial and an op-ed critical of the military regime. The junta was, unsurprisingly, not happy about the articles. But its pain must have doubled when the Guardian rejected an attempt by the regimes foreign ministry to dismiss the hard truths published in print.

Authored by British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, the op-ed warned the regime of further sanctions from the UK. This triggered a swift response from the Myanmar Embassy in London, which sent a Letter to the Editor. But the Guardian refused to publish it.

The juntas foreign ministry was forced to post the missive on its Facebook page, where it has long banned comments for fear being bombarded by netizens insults.

The Facebook post defended the coup as a constitutionally sanctioned power seizure and insisted that the State Administration Council (junta) is the only legitimate government of Myanmar.

This justification, repeated at regular intervals since the February 2021 coup, contradicts the reality of a country stolen by the military from its people after they re-elected the National League for Democracy at the 2020 election.

The regime forced most of the countrys independent media outlets into exile following the coup, while its own mouthpieces continue to spread propaganda at home. However, it is obviously losing the media war.

Facebook, which is almost synonymous with the internet in Myanmar, banned the military from its platforms following the coup. And no credible international media outlet is speaking positively about the regime.

Furious over the Guardian articles, the juntas foreign ministry pointed the finger at Britain, accusing it of leaving Myanmar in tatters when it gave independence to the country in 1948.

Yet another failed propaganda attempt

In another propaganda failure, the juntas English-language Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper became a laughingstock on Thursday when it used a 2013 photo to illustrate its report claiming Myanmar saw a 78 percent rise in foreign tourist arrivals in 2022.

The report was intended to deceive readers into thinking that holidaymakers from Western countries are visiting the country as usual under military rule. However, if there was really a near 80 percent increase in tourists, it should not have been difficult to take photos of them in the commercial capital Yangon, given they wouldnt be able to venture far into the country without running into fierce clashes between the military and resistance forces.

The reality is that Western countries including the US and UK have warned their citizens against traveling to Myanmar, and the tourism scene remains as bleak as it was during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So the regime was forced to use an old photo to back its bogus claim. This practice is hardly unusual for military regimes. Previous juntas in Myanmar employed the same trick, using their media mouthpieces to broadcast messages that all is well and we are making progress.
Three years into the pandemic, businesses are struggling to keep up with the changes and challenges they face. Hybrid working is still proving to be complex and both employers and employees are trying to figure out how to adapt their practices to best suit everyone's needs.

Global audio and video brand EPOS partnered with Foresight Factory to release a report called "The Workplace of the Future." This report looks at the current and future trends that are shaping the way we work, as well as the technology solutions that can help businesses navigate a long-term hybrid strategy for a successful workforce.

Some key findings from the report include:

Employees are putting their well-being first: Workers all over the world are taking control of their physical and mental health, and over half of workers (53%) say they are more likely to prioritise their well-being compared to before the pandemic. As a result, employees are expecting their employers to support them in their health and well-being, with 38% calling for time off for mental health needs and 30% wanting businesses to dedicate time for physical and mental well-being pursuits.

Avoiding burnout and striving for happiness is important: Burnout is still a major issue and 36% of global workers say they have experienced burnout in the last 12 months from working too hard. This is particularly true for younger workers, with 40% of Gen Z and 42% of Millennials reporting burnout. With the disconnect between remote working and employers still present, less than half of workers (43%) are happy with their work-life balance and almost a third (30%) say they plan to change careers to improve their overall happiness.

Physical office space is crucial: Employees don't want to feel isolated and are looking for businesses to provide both virtual and physical opportunities for connection and collaboration. Half of employees say they miss spending time with colleagues in person now that they can work remotely. This is especially true for younger workers (80% of Gen Z and Millennials) who want to use physical office spaces to learn, grow and be a part of their workplace community.

Learning and development are key: The working world is becoming increasingly demanding and employees are expected to quickly learn new skills or improve existing ones. Over the past few years, workers have embraced new learning opportunities and now 60% of employees want to continue learning and 44% want to progress and develop within their current job. If they can't do this, they will leave to find opportunities elsewhere.

Poor technology can lead to cognitive overload: Employers need to be mindful of the technology solutions they provide to employees, as using sub-par solutions can lead to cognitive fatigue. EPOS research has shown that in noisy environments, the brain has to work harder to focus on important sounds, taking 35% more cognitive effort to listen. Over time, this can lead to cognitive overload and fatigue, impacting employee stress levels, information retention and performance.

EPOS president Jeppe Dalberg-Larsen says that the world of work is more complicated than ever before and employers who are invested in the future of their company and their employees need to think carefully about their hybrid strategies. There is no one-size-fits-all approach and technology alone is not enough. Employers need to put their people at the heart of creating a workplace community that keeps employees engaged in the long term.

Foresight Factory client partner Marta Vilella adds that every business needs a unique and tailored plan that takes into account all aspects of the business, including people and culture. Employers need to listen to the concerns, challenges and interests of their employees and make changes to create a successful team.
News  International

Japan to decide on abortion pill after panel's agreement
17th Chinese medical team to arrive in Botswana in two months: Botswana official

Xinhua) 11:15, January 28, 2023

GABORONE, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The 17th Chinese medical team will arrive in Botswana in two months, an official said Thursday.

The 40-member Chinese medical team will work in Botswana for two years, Tshepo Machacha, deputy permanent secretary of Botswana's Ministry of Health said at an orientation workshop of 60 Cuban medical specialists in Francistown, Botswana's second-largest city.

For more than three decades, China and Cuba have played a pivotal role in ensuring that Botswana has a sufficient number of health workers in its facilities, Machacha said.

Health care has long been a top priority in China-Botswana cooperation, and the Chinese government not only sends medical teams, but also donates clinical equipment and offers training opportunities to local health professionals.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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Several police organizations across Canada are sending condolences to the family of a Black man who died earlier this month after five Memphis, Tenn. police officers beat him during a traffic stop. This photo provided by the Nichols family shows Tyre Nichols, who had a passion for photography and was described by friends as joyful and lovable. Nichols was just minutes from his home in Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 7, 2023, when he was pulled over by police and fatally beaten. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Courtesy of the Nichols family via AP
Passengers wait to board a subway car in Toronto on Friday, January 27, 2023. The Toronto Transit Commissions says it is immediately deploying an additional 80 employees to rotate throughout the subway network each day in the wake of recent violence.

The transit agency announced late Friday that additional management staff will be "highly visible" and rotate though the subway network during peak service hours.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
An experienced forensic pathologist who testified about the poisoning death of Julie Jensen Friday during the jury retrial of Mark Jensen, the Pleasant Prairie man accused of killing his wife in 1998, said she may have died by suicide.

Dr. Lindsay Thomas, who examined the autopsy report done by a previous medical examiner and studied the case at length, said there are reasons to believe Julie Jensen died by suicide. The expert witness was called to the stand by Mark Jensens defense team during the end of the third week of trial.

I couldnt come up with an exact cause (of death) though I certainly think the ethylene glycol played a significant role, Thomas testified Friday morning in Kenosha County Circuit Court. I dont believe theres conclusive evidence that her death was a homicide.

Thomas said theres a lot of evidence to support that her death could have been a suicide. She said her opinions are based on a reasonable degree of medical certainty.

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 the 40-year-old mother of two over three days in December 1998 by poisoning her with odorless ethylene glycol, more commonly known as antifreeze, and then suffocating her by sitting on her while she laid in bed dying and gasping for air in order to make it easier for him to be with a woman he was having an affair with.

They also allege he killed Julie Jensen out of deep anger and obsession over a previous sexual affair she had with a coworker years before, 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.

Expert witness

Defense attorney Jeremy Perri also questioned Thomas about asphyxia from strangulation or homicidal suffocation.

Its my opinion theres no evidence of either of those, either homicidal suffocation or strangulation, Thomas said. It is my opinion that positional asphyxia could have occurred if her face was in a pillow. Positional asphyxia occurs when someones position prevents them from being able to breathe properly.

Thomas said the ethylene glycol was the most significant finding from the toxicology reports she examined.

That is an unexpected finding and certainly likely to cause ones death, Thomas testified, adding she found the Ambien, Paxil and other drugs in Julie Jensens body significant.

None of them were in high levels, some of them were in very low levels, but those are all potentially sedating drugs so I would think in combination with the toxic effects of the ethylene glycol (they) could certainly result, if she ended up face down in a pillow, it might have been hard for her to wake herself up enough to get into a safe breathing position.

She said the drugs were likely in pill form and swallowed by Julie Jensen without Mark Jensen forcing her to take them.

I dont see that theres any evidence of (force) in this case, Thomas said.

Thomas said Julie Jensen had a history of depression and there are reasons to believe she died by suicide.

Mrs. Jensen had a history of depression and other psychiatric issues that in her case dated back at least until 1990, and then she also has a very significant family history of mental health issues with her mother and brother. She had been in counseling before and shed been on an anti-depressant, so in terms of when we look at what are the risk factors for someone dying by suicide, one of the major ones is, Well, do they have psychiatric history, a history of depression? Things like that, Thomas said.

Secondly, she had been diagnosed in September by Dr. Borman with depression of 1998. So not only historically, but more recently. And then, two days before her death she saw Dr. Borman and to me this is the most significant because Dr. Borman is a trained physician, hes known Mrs. Jensen for many, many years, hes seen her through all kinds of life experiences, and he was very concerned about her that day. He described her as frantic and distraught and just more upset than he had ever seen her.

Dr. Richard Borman, the Jensen family physician, testified earlier this week. He diagnosed Julie Jensen with depression and anxiety.

However, lead prosecutor Robert Jambois took issue with Thomas opinions. He brought up Mark Jensens affair with a woman in the months before Julie Jensens death and his alleged conversations with a former coworker during a business trip out of state where he spoke about researching poisons on the internet to kill his wife.

He asked if Mark Jensen was working to drive her crazy with years of harassment.

Jambois said Mark Jensen had a strong motive to kill his wife.

Sister testifies

Mark Jensens younger sister Laura Koster testified Friday afternoon. Koster said Julie Jensen was her sister-in-law and best friend.

Koster said she cared for the Jensens' two boys the day Julie Jensen died. When she finally saw Mark Jensen in person she said he was overwhelmed and upset.

I dont think he ever realized how much Julie did, or how to do it, Koster said. I helped him get his bearings.

Koster said her brother was lost in general about how to move forward.

He didnt like break down and cry in front of me on a regular basis or anything like that. I was there helping him and we were working on getting things done, Koster said.

She also said Mark Jensen grieved at the wake and funeral for his wife.

He was crying, for sure, she said. Its a sad situation.

Reason for new trial

The original prosecutor, 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 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 this 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.

Attorneys with the defense said they could rest their case next week. They also intend to call the Jensens oldest son David Jensen, who was just eight years old at the time of his mothers death, early next week.

Mark Jensen is not expected to testify.

The prosecution rested earlier this week after calling 38 witnesses to the stand and playing lengthy videos of some of the men and women who testified during the first trial but were unable to testify again or had died.

Among those who testified during the first two weeks of trial for the prosecution included local law enforcement officials, former coworkers of Mark Jensen, former neighbors of the Jensens, a brother of Julie Jensen, medical examiners and inmates who Mark Jensen reportedly told of his alleged actions.

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 Mark Jensen retrial: Julie Jensens psychotherapist testifies about her mental state

Week 3 of Mark Jensen retrial: Former local medical examiner testifies about antifreeze evidence found in Julie Jensens body

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 Mark Jensen Trial: Digital analyst recovers search terms, data on home computer

Jury 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 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 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 Kenosha County Jail in 2007, walks away from the witness stand after testifying durin 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 Perri, 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; 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; 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 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
A redesign of Southwest Library in Kenosha will require temporary changes in the sites hours of operation.

In 2021, the Kenosha Public Library was one of 52 institutions to cultural institutions and nonprofit organizations across the state awarded funds from the Wisconsin Humanities Recovery Grant. Kenosha Public Library was awarded a $5,000 grant for its application, Meeting the New Normal: Capacity Building Library Space Planning Post-COVID.

The funds brought ThirdWay Planners from New York City to perform a space audit on the Southwest and Northside neighborhood libraries, and those audit findings have helped guide Kenosha Public Library as it redesigns spaces to meet the evolving needs of community members.

The work has already begun at Southwest Library, 7979 38th Ave.

We are excited to watch as this project continues to progress. Each phase has brought new opportunities for resources, connection, and services to our patrons, said Brandi Cummings, Kenosha Public Librarys head of Community Programs and Partnerships.

The Southwest Library redesign has created better library spaces for families, business owners, and remote workers  all of which we are seeing returning to the library at increased levels. With spaces designed to support learning, working, and social needs, Kenosha Public Library is able to offer the most welcoming and accommodating library environment possible, she said.

During the next phase of the project, which involves re-carpeting large portions of the library, Southwest Library will have temporary hours to facilitate the swift and safe progress of the project.

Beginning Monday, Feb. 13, Southwest Librarys operating hours will be Mondays through Thursdays, 3 to 9 p.m.; Fridays 3 to 6 p.m.; Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sundays Noon to 4 p.m.

The Southwest Library is projected to return to regular operating hours of 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Feb. 20-22, to support the 2023 Spring Primary Election.

All other Kenosha Public Library locations will maintain regular operating hours.

Reducing the hours open to the public is never easy, even if it is temporary, Cummings said. Our leadership team takes great consideration before making such a decision, but unfortunately, in this circumstance, it is unavoidable. We are grateful to have three other fully operating libraries in neighborhoods throughout Kenosha to support our community during this project phase.

The project is expected to finish in early March.

For the most up-to-date information, visit the Kenosha Public Library website at www.mykpl.info.

IN PHOTOS: Panadanza performs at Southwest Library PANADANZA PANADANZA PANADANZA PANADANZA PANADANZA PANADANZA PANADANZA PANADANZA PANADANZA
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Why is it that physicians are seeking alternative avenues to boost their income? It may seem counterintuitive for busy clinical doctors to pursue a side gig, why? In a post-pandemic era, physicians are plagued by colossal debt and increasing rates of burnout. More than 100,000 physicians have left the profession since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. My peers are frustrated, tired, and seeking a way out. For many, side gig income offers them an exit ramp. Here is why every doctor should have a side gig.

The doctors dilemma

To the rest of the world, physicians are rich. What most misunderstand is that a majority of physicians are drowning in debt. The average graduating medical student carries roughly $203,000 in educational debt. Physicians receive a delayed start when it comes to building their retirement too. Physicians with longer training periods commonly are in their mid-thirties before they reach their income potential.

True, our time in education is an investment toward a high-paying career, but to what end? While doctors are hindered from building a nest egg until midlife, others have saved for a decade or more. Following completion of training, doctors spend the next five to ten years climbing out of debt. The weight of their loan repayment, complicated by demanding careers, has created ample tinder necessary for disasterand the pandemic was that spark.

Enter COVID-19

For physicians, nurses, and health care workers alike, the pandemic forced a realization that our current work-life balance was not enough to justify the long hours, stress, nor the bipolar sentiments forced upon us by a fear-stricken nation. Many doctors love their careers, but there are limits. Side gigs offer more to the medical community than income alone. Side gigs offer medical professionals a chance to explore business interests outside of medicine an often-welcome reprieve. These hustles are a way to diversify their portfolio while building financial security.

Diversifying your income portfolio

Most entrepreneurs (I suspect) would agree with the fact that diversifying your cash flow is a good thing. Though doctors incomes are their financial superpower, it also allows them to invest their money in other means of income generation.

Enter the side gig. Side gigs (or side hustles) are an individuals business pursuits to create a revenue stream in addition to their primary profession. For example, I have taken up blogging, writing as The Motivated M.D. I hope to utilize the platform I have created to interact with peers with similar financial struggles while monetizing the website. For others, side gigs may take the form of podcasting, creating online courses, real estate investing, and many more. These hustles are not always lucrative, but they provide a means for doctors not to be reliant on their medical careers to maintain their lifestyles.

Financial security

Financial security may seem guaranteed in health care professions  but nothing is certain. It is appropriate to assume that individuals will always have health concerns. With advances in modern medicine, those individuals are living longer while accumulating more comorbidities. This means each subsequent patient cared for is generally older and more complicated. This continues to place more stress on an already burdened health care system.

If doctors can generate income through dividend investing, creation of digital products, or real estate, this offers a monetary pathway to offset their clinical burden. Maybe they dont pick up that extra shift? Perhaps they dont need to be on call so much. The income afforded through a profitable side hustle can cultivate opportunities that contractual negotiation often cannot.

Expediting financial independence

As I alluded to, doctors are often delayed in building their retirement savings. While it is true that physicians are salaried while in residency training, reimbursement is commonly well below the U.S. median household income based on 2021 census data. Therefore, once doctors complete their training, they are behind their non-physician peers regarding retirement savings.

Side gigs for physicians create pathways for doctors to catch up. Side gig income generation is variable, but the ability to see your net worth improve faster than it otherwise would is relieving. This can be especially true for those exiting training with educational debt. Moreover, a subset of the physician population wishes to go a step further; reaching financial independence and retiring early. This is often referred to as the FIRE movement.

Live like a resident

For doctors, there are a few ways to expedite FIRE. One is to live drastically below their means. This can mean saving 50 percent or more of your annual income. Live like a resident, it is often called. Treat your expenses as if you are still in training for 5 to 10 years following the completion of your education. This is one way you can expedite financial freedom. This strategy is simple, but it is not easy. It can be financially, mentally, and emotionally challenging to ask an individual who has delayed their income potential for decades to restrict their quality of life for another decade.

Another avenue is the creation of a business. For doctors with the time, grit, and initial capital, a side gig can evolve into a business that generates revenue in tandem with their medical careers. This is a great way to expedite financial independence. It can also offer an outlet for those plagued by burnout in a challenging profession.

Preventing burnout

As mentioned above, the global pandemic has placed immense strain on an already stressed health care system. Individuals across all positions in the medical community have felt this pressure. It has led to a mass exodus from the profession, which is not limited to the medical profession alone.

Though altruism is critical to careers in health care, it can be a finite resource. Rely too heavily on the altruism of others, and you risk extinguishing the very fire that invigorates their calling. Burnout is quickly becoming the most pressing crises of modern health care professions. Generating other streams of income is not the fix that our health care system needs, but for many individuals, it offers an outlet when their profession asks too much of them.

Take home points

I am sure there will be many who read this article and disagree. I welcome those responses. For others, myself included, the medical profession has not lived up to all of my expectations. Do not mistake me; I love caring for patients. I enjoy the investigative work necessary to treat a disease appropriately. But the financial milestones I thought attainable solely through a career in medicine have left me  wanting.

Entrepreneurship can come in many shapes. For physicians, it may be a passion or a hobby extension. For others, a necessity. Whatever your financial footing, it is sound advice to cultivate multiple revenue streams. For physicians catering to a stressed health care system, it can offer an exit ramp. I suspect you will continue to find more doctors and health care professionals taking up the entrepreneurial charge. Every doctor should have a side gig.

The author is an anonymous physician who can be reached at The Motivated M.D.
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There were no smartphones when I was a medical resident in the late 80s in Puerto Rico. During my last year, while waiting for a lecturer to arrive, I grabbed a medical journal from the conference room table to kill some time. I flipped through the pages, skimming the titles of the articles and looking at some of the advertisements. When I was about to put the journal down, I saw a small and straightforward announcement for a fellowship in Musculoskeletal Medicine in Louisiana at LSU Medical School, New Orleans.

I already had two small children and a job offer at the time. My parents and my in-laws were providing childcare. My wife, a pathologist, was finishing her own residency, and she already had a prestigious job offer she was eager to accept. I was content with my life and my future.

Or so I thought.

I had no urge to uproot my family and move to the States. Besides, my English needed a little (or a lot) of work. The pressures around practicing medicineparticularly as a new doctorare overwhelming on a good day. I had much anxiety around the unknown, about testing my skill in a new place.

Still, out of curiosity, I inquired about the position.

Four months later, I was still waiting to receive a reply. I assumed LSU was working its way through a slew of better candidates. No harm, no foul, I thought. Then, one morning in early May of 1990, I received a letter offering an on-site interview in Louisiana.

Many of my classmates knew what they wanted from their careers. They knew where they were going. I had cobbled together a series of assignments and was just a few months away from graduating.

Despite intense fear, something told me to go for the interview. It was only my second time visiting the United States.

To my surprise, I was offered the position the same weekend as my interview. I accepted within forty-eight hours after discussing it with my wife. I made the decision based on a gut feeling that the opportunity needed seizing.

Thirty-three years later, I am convinced I made the right decision. The fellowship created opportunities I could never have imagined for my wife and me. When I think about my children and their lives, I can see how my choice has given them their own opportunities and privileges. Looking back, it seems like such an obvious choice, like it was meant to be. But how close did I come to not even applying?

Sometime after I began the fellowship, the program director confessed that I was not his first choice. The first choice, who had already signed a contract and committed to the program, decided to go elsewhere. That put the director in a bind. He would lose the fellowship money for his research if he did not have a fellow. Luckily for him, I applied out of the blue just in time.

In medical school and later in our residencies, we experience everything from hope to panic. Uncertainty is everywhere, and it causes stress. On match day, hundreds of medical students all over the country fear that this decision will dictate everything important about their future. Before that, college students worried that if they did not get into the right medical school, they would not have the career they had always dreamed of.

We should say more, especially in our profession, that no one thing is determinative. Too often, we focus on our desired outcome to the exclusion of all sorts of possibilities. If you decide where you are going and commit obsessively to getting there, you very well might find you are going nowhere.

The flighty fellow whose job I took in Louisiana ended up becoming a friend of mine. When he found out I was taking his gig, he was grateful and relieved because it meant LSU would not sue him for breach of contract and try to recoup lost funding. A few days ago, I received the sad news that a friend of mine had passed away. He was two years younger than me. His passing reminded me of how much he had done for me without ever meaning to.

I owe him a great deal. He took a chance in his own life, opening a wild, unexpected door in mine. I never wrote New Orleans, Louisiana, on a list of places I hoped to live. I had not been planning on this LSU Fellowship my whole life. I thought I would grow old in Puerto Rico. Out of sheer instinct and feeling, I leaped out of my comfort zone and took the unexpected path. I made the most of an opportunity that was not originally intended for me. But I made it mine.

For young doctors and medical students worried they might miss their only chance, I am here to tell you there will be more. You cannot predict or engineer the most important opportunities in your life. They will come. And not always from the places you expect.

There is a time and place for hyperfocus and obsessive planningthose are two things we medical students and doctors do best, after all. But too often, such focus can lead to catastrophizing when things go off the rails. Remember that there is more than one path to success, and when you believe that only one exists, you may miss the existence of the others.

Let my story be a lesson in unexpected opportunities. Be ready for them, embrace them, and make the most of what you have in front of you.

Francisco M. Torres is an interventional physiatrist specializing in diagnosing and treating patients with spine-related pain syndromes. He is certified by the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the American Board of Pain Medicine and can be reached at Florida Spine Institute and Wellness.
ChangeX has launched the Accenture Sustainable Community Challenge, supported by Accenture, designed to enable community groups to kickstart sustainability projects in their own locality.

Successful applicants will receive the resources, seed funding and support needed to start a project in their local community, empowering them to build thriving and sustainable communities.

Groups can choose from a portfolio of proven ideas that have already had a positive impact in other communities in Ireland and around the world. Ideas include Community Fridge, which supports the sharing of surplus food and the reduction of food waste, and Open Orchard, which connects communities through the planting of fruit trees in public places.

This is the second Accenture Sustainable Community Challenge launched by ChangeX in Ireland. It builds on the success of the 2021 Challenge, which supported 22 local groups to start environmental sustainability projects, benefitting over 2,200 people in communities across Ireland.

Sustainable Skerries community group received funding in 2021 to start an Open Orchard project in North County Dublin. Over 50 people, adults and children, took part and planted 20 trees in our first Open Orchard, right in the middle of Skerries, said Sabine McKenna, Chair of Sustainable Skerries. The day  and the wider project  was very much about community building, working on the planting together and then sharing some tea and cakes and chatting.

Deirdre Murphy, Corporate Sustainability Lead at Accenture in Ireland added: All of us are more aware than ever before of the responsibility we have to take action to address the climate and biodiversity crises. At Accenture, were working to embed sustainability into everything we do, and with everyone we work with, including in our communities and when crowdsourcing innovations that will help drive sustainable impact globally. Communities truly hold the power to be catalysts for real change, and were excited to be able to play a small part in empowering community action in Ireland through our partnership with ChangeX.

Groups, individuals, and organisations who are passionate about building a thriving community are encouraged to apply to roll out one of the six initiatives for their community at www.changex.org. Seed funding will be allocated to qualifying applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.

To date, more than 20,000 community projects have started through the ChangeX platform, with local groups across Ireland, Europe, the United States and Latin America accessing the ideas, support and funding needed to have a measurable impact in their local area.
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Thunderstorms during the evening will give way to steady rain overnight. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. Low 51F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph, becoming NW and decreasing to 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
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China donates PPE, reproductive health products to Botswana

Xinhua) 13:51, January 28, 2023

Chinese Ambassador to Botswana Wang Xuefeng (C) addresses the media during the handover ceremony of personal protective equipment and reproductive health products donated by China in Gaborone, Botswana on Jan. 27. 2023. China on Friday donated personal protective equipment (PPE) and reproductive health products to Botswana. The donation, made in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), included contraceptives, isolation gowns, examination gloves, surgical gloves, surgical masks, goggles, face shields and coveralls. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)

GABORONE, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday donated personal protective equipment (PPE) and reproductive health products to Botswana.

The donation, made in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), included contraceptives, isolation gowns, examination gloves, surgical gloves, surgical masks, goggles, face shields and coveralls.

"We hope that these products will help protect the life and health of medical workers as well as adolescent girls and young women," said Wang Xuefeng, Chinese ambassador to Botswana, during the donation ceremony.

The reproductive health products will benefit an estimated 87,000 adolescent girls and young women of reproductive age, he said.

The donation demonstrates the continued commitment by the Chinese government to partnering with the Botswana government and the UNFPA to ensure the continuity of safe and quality medical service for all, as well as the sexual and reproductive health for women and girls who need help, Wang said.

China made a similar batch of donation to the Botswana government in August 2021.

Tlangelani Shilubane, who heads the UNFPA office in Botswana, said it is with sincere appreciation that they have strategic partners such as the government of the People's Republic of China, who can meaningfully partner with the UNFPA when they are needed the most.

Botswana Health Minister Edwin Dikoloti thanked the UNFPA and the Chinese government for their fruitful collaboration in addressing Botswana's gaps and unmet needs in the area of family planning.

"This donation will no doubt ensure access to modern contraceptives for many of our people," he said. "We are indeed deeply grateful for this kind gesture and assure you that the commodities will truly go a long way in helping empower our people, especially women, on matters of reproductive health."

Botswana Health Minister Edwin Dikoloti (C), Chinese Ambassador to Botswana Wang Xuefeng (R) and a UNFPA official pose for a group photo during the handover ceremony of personal protective equipment and reproductive health products donated by China in Gaborone, Botswana on Jan. 27. 2023. China on Friday donated personal protective equipment (PPE) and reproductive health products to Botswana. The donation, made in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), included contraceptives, isolation gowns, examination gloves, surgical gloves, surgical masks, goggles, face shields and coveralls. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)

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Former Vice President Mike Pence said on January 27 that he had been previously unaware classified documents were at his Indiana home.
gettyimagesbank





By Asoke Mukerji







Asoke Mukerji

India is one of the 51 original founders of the United Nations (UN). Following its independence from Britain on Aug. 15, 1947, India has "continued" as an original member.







Vijayalakshmi Pandit delivered independent India's first major statement in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Sept. 19, 1947. She noted that "the great Powers, instead of coming closer together, are drifting farther apart. There is tension, suspense and anxiety, and an uneasy awareness that things are perhaps moving towards some new and annihilating disaster for mankind," rejecting attempts to make India part of the ideological confrontation of the Cold War, Pandit said that "ideology is less important than practice. We cannot eat an ideology; we cannot brandish an ideology and feel that we are clothed and housed. Food, clothing, shelter, education, medical services  these are the things we need." Independent India had clearly articulated its vision of the UN as providing a supportive global framework for the socio-economic transformation of India.







This vision has been sustained for the past 75 years. Two major achievements stand as a legacy of India's contribution to the UN so far. First, the successful campaign to democratize international relations, enabled former colonial countries to become independent members of the UNGA with the historic unanimous Decolonization Resolution adopted by the UNGA in December 1960. Second, the incremental positioning of sustainable development issues firmly on the central agenda of the UN and its specialized agencies, encapsulated in the UNGA's unanimous adoption of Agenda 2030 with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015. The SDGs represent a holistic matrix of human endeavor, covering health, education, gender, energy, employment, infrastructure, inequalities, urban growth, consumption, and the environment on land, sea and air.







These two achievements were made possible by India's proactive diplomatic engagement with other member-states of the UNGA on the basis of shared values and interests. In 1961, India became a co-founder of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) that rejected getting mired in the confrontational bloc politics of the Cold War. The NAM today has 120 of the 193 member-states of the UNGA as its members. In 1964, India joined 77 newly independent developing countries to establish the Group of 77 (G77), which currently has 134 member-states in the UNGA. The driving force of the G-77 is the creation of an equitable new international order, based on the Charter of Algiers adopted in 1967, and Agenda 2030 which is the G77's core interest in the UN.







The inclusion of democracy and sustainable development added substance to the activities of the UN and its specialized agencies over the past 75 years. The Preamble of the UN's Agenda 2030 underscores that "There can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development." Yet, international peace and security are increasingly under threat, primarily due to an increasingly ineffective UN Security Council (UNSC). Currently, over 50 conflicts are on the agenda of the UNSC, including in the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan, Mali, the Central African Republic, Libya, Syria, Yemen, the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Ukraine. These conflicts have displaced almost 90 million people across the continents.







In South Asia, the rapidly deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, brought about by the UNSC's refusal to uphold the Doha Agreement endorsed by UNSC resolution 2513 in March 2020, has left half of Afghanistan's population (about 20 million women) without the basic human rights of education and employment, which are integral to the implementation of Agenda 2030.







Responding to these challenges to international peace, security and development, Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi proposed an ambitious project to "reform multilateralism", to make it human-centric during the 75th anniversary Summit of the UN in September 2020. The two main objectives of this are reforms within the UN, particularly of the UNSC; and reforms of interlinked multilateral organizations (the UN, its specialized agencies, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and the World Trade Organization) to create a coherent global framework to respond to common challenges facing mankind. Developing countries, which form the vast majority of the UN membership, have a direct stake in reforming the UN and other multilateral institutions to make them more efficient and responsive. Agenda 2030's SDG 16.8 contains the unanimous commitment of the UNGA to reform multilateral institutions to "broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance."







On Jan. 12-13 2023, India hosted a virtual "Voice of the Global South for Human-centric Development" summit. A measure of the importance of India's initiative can be gauged from the fact that 125 countries responded to this initiative, including 47 from Africa, 31 from Asia, 29 from Latin America and the Caribbean, 11 from Oceania, and 7 from Europe. Participating countries were linked by common concerns regarding issues of sustainable development of priority to them, on which existing multilateral institutions have failed to provide significant outcomes.







The outcome of the New Delhi Global South Summit will be integrated into the G20 process by India, which is the current chair of the G20. Significantly, the next two chairs of the G20 are also prominent participants in the New Delhi Global South Summit, with Brazil taking the chair in 2024, and South Africa in 2025. In parallel, India's initiative provides a major input into the preparations for the UN's "Summit of the Future," planned to be held in New York in September 2024.







Achieving "reformed multilateralism" through these processes would require world leaders to review the international situation after the disruptions caused by nature and humanity over the past three years, which have set back the momentum of constructive international cooperation. In this context, a decision by the UN's "Summit of the Future" to convene a General Conference of the UN in 2025, when the organization marks its 80th anniversary, would be appropriate. As a leading voice for diplomacy, dialogue and development, India must play a major role in ensuring this objective.











Asoke Mukerji is a retired diplomat of India, who retired as India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York in December 2015 after over 37 years in the Indian Foreign Service.


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New Delhi [India], January 28 (ANI): The ministry of textiles has cleared 15 research and development projects worth Rs 32.25 crore across key strategic areas such as speciality fibres, protective textiles, high-performance textiles, geotextiles, medical textiles, sustainable textiles, and textiles for building materials.

An official statement from the ministry of textiles said among these 15 R and D projects, seven projects were of speciality fibres, two from protective textiles, two from high-performance textiles, one from geotextiles, one from medical textiles, one from sustainable textile, one from textiles for building materials was approved.

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The clearance was announced during the 5th Mission Steering Group (MSG) meeting held under the chairmanship of Piyush Goyal, Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce and Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, held on Friday evening in New Delhi, according to a statement from the ministry of textiles.

During the meeting, Piyush Goyal said that leading textile manufacturers and institutes should come together to indigenously develop strategic and high-value technical textile products, with the support of the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM).

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The minister said, "Robust outreach exercise is required to attract R and D proposals in machinery and equipment across major textile machinery manufacturing hubs in India. Inter-ministerial collaboration is required to document and utilise existing and updated technologies for wider usage in the nation-building process, especially in the areas of sustainable technical textiles."

Existing beneficiaries of NTTM such as premier institutes and research bodies need to connect with other institutes for wider awareness, benefits and optimal utilisation of NTTM Scheme across India, the minister added.

The minister said encouraging young engineering minds to pursue technical textiles in India is the need of the hour. "A broad guideline under startup scheme was discussed and may be finalised on priority targeting aspiring innovators, entrepreneurs and young scientists."

"Technical textile machinery and equipment development has been a major challenge which needs collaborative interventions from the government, industry and academia, including commercialisation of the developed machines," the minister said.

The minister of textiles urged the premier public and private academic and engineering institutes and industries to apply under the education and internship guidelines already launched under National technical textiles mission on priority basis.

The minister also reviewed the progress of previously sanctioned R&D projects under NTTM during the meeting. In addition, the way forward and action plan for propelling India's technical textiles sector was discussed and recommended including Wider Field-level Outreach Programmes for Research in Fundamental, applied, and machine development across Textile Research Associations (TRAs), premier institutes and Industry Associations, among others. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 28 (ANI): Market expert Siddharth Kuanwala on Friday said the stock markets are expected to stabilise by next week when regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) comes out with a report on the fall experienced in the equities this week.

"A scrutiny has already been initiated by SEBI. Let us wait for its report that will make it very clear what is what," the expert told ANI. Asked about the sweeping sell-off across stocks of the Adani Group triggered by a Hindenburg Research Report, he told ANI, "A foreign agency had submitted a report which says there were some manipulations and they have issues of debt levels of the group. And, they had taken a short position in the market."

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The Adani Group has accused the New York-based investing firm of "stock manipulation and accounting fraud.""Basically, when there were more selling pressures than buying, the share price has to go down. That is why the Adani Group went down and the overall sentiments of the market went down," Kuanwala said.

The market expert pointed out that this had triggered panic among investors over the last few days and following the close of market's session on Friday, the SEBI had ordered more scrutiny into the matter.

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"Let us see, by next week, the market should stabilise," the expert said.

Over the last two trading sessions on Wednesday and Friday the Adani Group has lost Rs 4.17 lakh crore in market cap.According to Kuanwala, markets generally are impacted by news. "Now, this is some serious news that is why the markets reacted -- the big (investors), the small, everybody reacted. When there is negativity, the reactions are sharper and that is why selling pressure and reactions are heavy. Buyers just move out and the share price is not able to sustain."Shares of several Indian banks and the Life Insurance Corporation of India also plunged on Friday amid concerns about their exposure to the Adani Group.

On asking why stocks of the LIC had also fallen, the market analyst said the country's largest insurer had bought some stake in Adani Group of companies. "So again, it is a cascading effect. The investors thought why this company had taken a stake in the company," he said."Because LIC has a wonderful name and a leading brand and I would say the returns of the investors over the company say a lot. It has a good presence and goodwill."

The expert said the investors are wondering why LIC took a share in Adani Group of companies. He said, "Selling pressures have hit LIC, too. But LIC as an individual company is a strong, robust company and the largest one in life insurance."

KK Mittal, a stock market expert, said, "Sell-off in Adani Company shares is after publishing the report by Hindenburg group. They (Hindenburg group) are basically short-sellers and they speculate on the stock market by selling short. This report also is published just a day before when the Adani Group was coming with its FPO (follow-on offer). So, definitely, there is some mischievous bet on this."Mittal said, "If we talk about LIC holdings in Adani Companies and the losses of investors people were talking about LIC are notional... I'm sure that LIC must have acquired the shares long way back at a very low cost. So, it's a notional loss for the time being, but they must be sitting on a huge profit as far as Adani stock is concerned. And they must have booked even profit because their cost of acquisition is low. And, whatever we are talking about is a notional loss."

He said, "The market capitalisation of Adani group has come down. So there is a notional loss but it is not a booked loss."As an advice, he said, "I think investors should wait. Don't sell the stock in panic because Hindenburg in the past also have done this against other companies. They published reports and short-sell into the market. There are ulterior motives."He said, "In this way, they are earning a lot of money in the stock market by speculating and betting on stocks. So ethically, I don't know to what extent it is correct that before publishing such reports they initiate their sell position in the market and based on that they try to manipulate the market."Stock market expert DK Mishra said, "Because of this report of the research, Sensex and Nifty had crashed. It has impacted particularly Adani because it has got overall market share in the common Nifty and Sensex indices. Impact is quite high temporarily for a day or two trading session."

Mishra said, "A lot of money has been wiped out. I don't foresee much downwards now because within these two-three days which is market's off, people will get time to study analyse and then take a proper, considered call."He said, "Due to our Indian share market regulatory authorities, everything is very intact -- the market is very intact and the growth story of country is intact. So at this level, I feel there is nothing to panic as the market will be stabilising."Mishra said, "As far as LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) is concerned, it is a systematic investor group. LIC is not the kind of institution which has invested suddenly or at a high price. Institutions like LIC enter the market on a very sustained basis regularly." So far as their exposure to Adani Group of companies is concerned, Mishra said, "Whatever has been invested, they are sustained over a period of time. As the company grows the valuation of shares also goes at a very high level."

He added, "So, any corrections in the Adani Group are definitely going to hit the investment, but currently it is a notional loss for the time being. But any loss to the sales can only be counted once the shares are sold or realised."

He said, "Till then I don't think the investors need to panic. Gradually the market is stabilising, share price of Adani Companies is going to stablise. And this notional loss is going to be recovered to some extent partly or fully." (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kolkata /Ranchi (West Bengal/Jharkhand) [India] January 28 (ANI): With an aim to promote India's rich culture, art and crafts, the Airport Authority of India has taken the initiative to allot space to self-help groups at its airports for selling and showcasing the locally produced goods.

This step has been taken in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to encourage the talent of women artisans and craftsmen and provide them with the right opportunities. The name of this scheme is - "AVSAR", Airport as a Venue for Skilled Artisans of the Region.

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Several operational airports have set aside 100-200 square feet for the stalls where Self Help Groups get access for up to 15 days.

Domestic and international passengers are supporting regional handicrafts men, artisans, and women by purchasing local goods right at the airports. About 27 airports run by the Airports Authority of India have so far allowed self-help groups to sell and display their own goods.

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At one of the busiest airports in Eastern India, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, local craftsmen and artisans have been given stalls Under the AVSAR program. One can purchase items made by women artisans, such as handbags, scarves, stoles, shoes, cups, etc., as well as items that are connected to the culture of West Bengal.

Kona Mondal, a woman artisan at the stall said, "I never thought that I would get space at this airport. Both international and national passengers are buying my products".

A passenger and customer appreciated the initiative and said, "Especially products are very good and the costs are superb. Everyone can purchase them. I was just passing by and saw them and I really liked them. I bought several items".

In a similar manner, this program has been put into place at Bagdogra Airport, where a stall has been designated to promote products made by women themselves. It has developed into a major tourist destination. People can purchase handmade jewelry, items for the home, sarees, kurtis, handbags, toys, etc. here.

Sheetal Modi, a Passenger at Bagdogra Airport said, "The government has taken good initiative for women. Those who are living in rural areas were not able to showcase their talent. But now they can show their talent and they are earning also. Therefore, the government should take more such initiatives."

Steps have been taken to support regional artists and craftspeople at Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi also, where handmade goods are on display in a variety of vibrant stalls. Local artisans appear excited to have this opportunity.

In addition to providing space at airports for self-help groups, AAI aids in the promotion and trade of regional folk arts, crafts, useful goods, and high-quality products from India. The success of the plan is evidenced by the rising foot traffic at these stalls.

Whenever you come to the airports, please do visit these stalls, encourage these self-help groups and help in the progress of the country. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hubballi, January 28: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Saturday arrived at Karnataka's Hubballi airport to attend various events.

The home minister is likely to attend a road show, a public meeting and a series of other public programs in Karnataka today as the southern state is expected to witness Assembly elections in mid-April or the beginning of May. Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: 'BJP Contesting State Polls in PM Narendra Modi's Name, but Will He Run the State?' Asks Congress Leader DK Shivakumar.

The Home Minister will participate in the roadshow near Brahma Devara Temple in Dharwad's Kundgol area, mentioned an official engagement plan. Home minister Amit Shah was received by Karnataka's Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.

Shah will also attend a public meeting at M.K. Hubballi Belagavi in Karnataka's Belgaum district, the plan pointed, adding that both events will be held on Saturday evening. The Home Minister will start his day-long visit to Karnataka by attending the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of B.V. Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology at 10.30 am in KLE Technology University, Hubballi city of the state. Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Amit Shah To Attend Road Show, Public Meeting in Poll-Bound State Tomorrow.

The Minister will further lay the foundation stone of National Forensic Sciences University (Karnataka Campus) around noon in National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Dharwad, a city located in the north-western part of Karnataka. Shah will also offer prayers at Shambulingeshwara Temple in Dharwad's Kundgol and visit Sri Basavanna Devara Mutt in the area on Saturday afternoon.

The Home Minister's visit to Karnataka has been organised at a time when Assembly elections are scheduled here this year along with eight other states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.

These Assembly elections are said to be the semi-finals ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections scheduled to be held in 2024. The elections in Karnataka are likely to be held in mid-April or the beginning of May. Ahead of the assembly polls, the focus of political parties has shifted to the state. Among the other significant seats, one is the Mangalore City South assembly constituency.

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Hubballi (Karnataka) [India], January 28 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said that there is no dissidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party Karnataka unit and they are just organising the party for the state's good.

"There has been no dissidence in the party anywhere. The progress of the party is important for which everyone must strive. They have only one aim for Belagavi, Dharwad, Kittur Karnataka, Hyderabad-Karnataka and South Karnataka and to achieve this, the party is being organised," Bommai told reporters ahead of Home Minister Amit Shah's programme in Hubballi.

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Reacting to a question where the Chief Minister was asked if Congress and president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) DK Shivakumar were afraid of BJP, he said that the party (BJP) has become a "nightmare" for DK Shivakumar and this is the reason "he would see the saffron party in his dreams."

Further, talking about the Home Minister's visit to the state, CM Bommai said that it would bring an electrifying movement in Kittur.

Also Read | Chhattisgarh: ED Arrests Four Accused in Illegal Coal Scam.

"Shah will lay the foundation stone for the FSL, attend platinum jubilee celebrations of BVB College of Engineering, booth level Vijay Sankalp Yatra of Dharwad district, a mammoth public meeting in M.K.Hubli, and a meeting with the office-bearers above Mandal," Bommai told the mediapersons.

He further said that Kittur Karnataka has been the strong fortress of the BJP and Amit Shah is visiting across the state.

"He (Amit Shah) played an important role in the 2018 Assembly polls. He visited Mandya, now Kittur Karnataka and Hyderabad Karnataka in the next month. The party organisation is a continuous process and there will be the inauguration of the State and Central Government schemes and the laying of the foundation stone for various programs," Bommai added.

He also said that the influence of the national leaders is bound to have on state politics and the party has been making use of it. (ANI)

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By Payal Mehta

New Delhi [India], January 28 (ANI): There will be no Zero Hour and Question Hour in both Houses of Parliament during the first two days of the Budget Session, a Parliamentary Bulletin released on Saturday said.

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The Budget Session of Parliament shall begin on January 31 with the address by President Droupadi Murmu to both Houses in the Central Hall.

The second day of the Session will see the Union Budget being presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha. Later the Budget will be tabled in Rajya Sabha.

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"Members of Parliament are informed that owing to the address of the President to both Houses assembled together on January 31 and the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1, there will be no 'Zero Hour' on both days," the bulletin stated.

It further says, "Members are also informed that matters of Urgent Public Importance raised during 'Zero Hour' will be taken up from 2 February 2023."

From February 2, both Houses will have a discussion on the "Motion of Thanks to the President Address" after which Prime Minister Narendra Modi will reply in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

This part of the Budget Session will continue till February 13.

The second part of the Budget Session will commence after a recess on March 13 till April 6.

During this part, the discussion will take place on the Demand for Grants for various ministries and the Union Budget will be passed. Other legislative businesses will also be taken up by the government during this period. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], January 28 (ANI): The Congress on Friday called for an investigation after a US-based research firm in its report raised concerns about the possibility of shares of Adani Group companies declining from their current levels owing to high valuations.

"But in an era of globalisation of Indian businesses and financial markets can Hindenburg-type reports that focus on corporate misgovernance be simply brushed aside and dismissed as being "malicious"? We fully understand the close relationship between the Adani Group and the current government. But it is incumbent on the Congress party as a responsible opposition party to urge SEBI and RBI to play their roles as stewards of the financial system and to investigate these allegations in the wider public interest," Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said in a statement on Friday.

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Jugeshinder Singh, the chief financial officer (CFO) of the Adani Group, on Wednesday said the conglomerate was "shocked" by the Hindenburg Research's report and termed it a "malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations that have been tested and rejected by India's highest courts".

The Congress statement added that normally a political party should not be reacting to a research report on an individual company or business group prepared by a hedge fund.

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"But the forensic analysis by Hindenburg Research of the Adani Group demands a response from the Congress party. This is because the Adani Group is no ordinary conglomerate: it is closely identified with Prime Minister Narendra Modi since the time he was Chief Minister of Gujarat," the statement added.

"Furthermore the high exposure of financial institutions such as the Life Insurance Company of India (LIC) and the State Bank of India (SBI) to the Adani Group has implications for financial stability and for the crores of Indians whose savings are stewarded by these pillars of the financial system. It is worth noting that earlier reports had described the Adani Group as "deeply over-leveraged". The allegations require serious investigation by those who are responsible for the stability and security of the Indian financial system, viz - the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)," it said.

"The Hindenburg report alleges "brazen stock manipulation" and "accounting fraud" by the Adani Group via "a vast labyrinth of offshore shell entities," Ramesh claimed.

"The evolution and modernisation of India's financial markets since the 1991 reforms have aimed to improve transparency and level the playing field for domestic and foreign investors. It has specifically sought to increase the transparency of financial flows into the country -- to prevent round-tripping and money laundering by actors that could include criminals, terrorists and hostile countries -- and to reduce dependence on offshore tax havens," it added.

"The allegations of financial malfeasance would be bad enough, but what is worse is that the Modi government may have exposed India's financial system to systemic risks through the liberal investments in the Adani Group made by strategic state entities like LIC, SBI and other public sector banks," Ramesh said.

"These institutions have liberally financed the Adani Group even as their private sector counterparts have chosen to avoid investing because of concerns over corporate governance and indebtedness. As much as 8 per cent of LIC's equity assets under management, amounting to a gigantic sum of Rs 74,000 crore, is in Adani companies and comprise its second-largest holding," the statement added.

"None of this will be easy. In recent years, the Adani group has built monopolies in ports and airports and become an overwhelmingly dominant player in power, roads, railways, energy and media. In perhaps the most egregious case of crony capitalism, the previous operator of Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, India's second busiest airport, was raided by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after it rejected an offer by the Adani Group. The operator agreed to sell the airport to Adani a month later and it is a mystery what happened to the ED and CBI cases thereafter," it added. (ANI)

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Agra (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 28 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested the prime accused in several cases of robbery across Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, officials said.

The Uttar Pradesh police made the arrest on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday after receiving a tipoff. The accused is a resident of Bhajanpura in Delhi under Yamuna Vihar Police Station. He was arrested following an encounter in which he sustained an injury in his right leg while attempting to flee.

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Two pistols, three magazines, four hollow cartridges and eight live cartridges were seized from the accused during checking at the Bichpuri post. A white-coloured car was also seized from the accused.

The arrested is accused of being involved in the looting of a goldsmith in Lohamandi area under Agra Police Station.

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On preliminary interrogation, the arrested man confessed to have committed motorcycle thefts in three states of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh along with five incidents of robbery while holding the victims at gunpoint in the past two months.

Investigations revealed that on January 21, the accused accompanied by two of his accomplices entered a jewellery shop in Lohamandi market and looted six gold chains at gunpoint. While fleeing, the victim raised an alarm and the miscreants were surrounded by passersby and other shopkeepers. They opened fire injuring four people in the process before fleeing.

The arrested is also an accused in the robbery of a businessman in the Sarai Khwaja police station area in Faridabad in Haryana where a businessman was shot. On January 4, three miscreants riding black Apache motorcycles and wearing helmets and masks, looted a grocery merchant and shot him and robbed him of cash and escaped with his scooty. The miscreants who fled with the businessmen's scooty abandoned the vehicle and fled after reaching a certain point, police said.

Police have launched a search operation to arrest the other accused in the case. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], January 28 (ANI): A Delhi Court has ordered to attach the office of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) in Srinagar in a UAPA case probed by National Investigation Agency (NIA) against separatist leader Nayeem Ahmad Khan.

"In view of the above reasons, the immovable property i.e. building office of All Parties Hurriyat Conference situated at Raj Bagh, Srinagar which was earlier used as an office of APHC is ordered to be attached. Necessary legal process be carried out in this regard," the court said.

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Patiala House Courts' Additional Sessions Judge Shailender Malik passed the order on NIA's plea under section 33(1) of UAPA to attach the office."

National Investigation Agency (NIA) has moved an application seeking the passing of immovable property i.e. building office of All Parties Hurriyat Conference situated at Raj Bagh, Srinagar. It is stated in the application that the mentioned property has been sought to be attached which is partly owned by accused Nayem Ahmad Khan along with his associates.

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In the application, NIA said that there is sufficient evidence in the form of documentary, electronic and oral to substantiate the charges framed against the accused Khan and prayed that the said building which was being used by members of APHC for unlawful activities and accused Khan is a co-owner of that property and he is facing the prosecution.

The court, in its order, clarified that the attachment does not mean that there is any pre-trial conclusion regarding that property. The process of attachment only includes the binding of a property which can be forfeited to the state.

"In that process, it is needless to observe that in case any other person who claims to be a co-owner and considers that such a process of attachment is not proper, can avail legal right in accordance with the law," the court said

The court noted that Section 33 of the Act at least does not in any manner hinder the powers of the court to attach any such property of which the accused is facing trial under Chapters IV and VI of the Act of which he may be partly owner. As noted above provisions of Section 33 of the Act should be constructed in a manner that should give full effect to objects of the Act.

Accused Nayeem Ahmad Khan was arrested during the investigation of this case on July 24 2017.

The court observed that charges have been framed against the accused in the matter.

The court also observed that among the different allegations and evidence, it was also the case that the office of APlIC was the place where meetings were held to strategize different protests, funding activities of stone pelting on security forces, recruiting unemployed youths to carry out unlawful activities as well as terrorist activities to create unrest in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir to wage war against the Government of India.

"In such a situation taking into consideration the serious nature of the allegations as against A-5 itself, the fact that he is part owner of the property in question, cannot be a reason for not attaching the property when it is not even made clear as to who others were co-owners of that property," the court said. (ANI)

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Raipur, January 28: Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested four more accused under PMLA in the illegal coal levy scam of Chhattisgarh. Accused persons were produced before the PMLA Special Court at Raipur. The court granted three days of ED custody till January 30 for all four accused persons.

ED had earlier issued a Provisional Attachment Order (PAO) attaching proceeds of crime worth Rs 152.5 crore and filed a Prosecution Complaint under PMLA. Recently, searches were conducted in Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Pune on specific inputs. Chhattisgarh: Naxal-Affected Tetam Village in Dantewada Provided With Electricity Connection Under Manwa Nava Naar Scheme.

ED arrested Deepesh Taunk, a close confidant of one of the prime accused in the case and Saumya Chaurasia, Deputy Secretary in the Chief Minister's Office who was knowingly involved in Money Laundering.

The central agency also arrested mining officers Sandeep Kumar Nayak of Surajpur and Shiv Shankar Nag of Korba who knowingly and willingly assisted the syndicate of Suryakant Tiwari in committing extortion and acquisition of the proceeds of crime, according to the ED.

Further, ED arrested Rajesh Chaudhary a conman cheating people by claiming to work as a middleman to settle cases. ED investigation has established that close family members of Sunil Agarwal, an accused arrested by ED and presently in judicial custody were making desperate efforts to secure release of Sunil Agarwal, soon after his arrest by ED on October 12, 2022. At that time, this self-acclaimed 'liaisoner', got in touch with the relatives of Sunil Agarwal, said the ED statement.

Since, Rajesh Agarwal had acquired part of the proceeds of the crime as revealed by investigation, on getting specific intelligence inputs, ED launched an operation on its own and Rajesh Chaudhary was traced and arrested under PMLA. Chhattisgarh: Four Bodies of Naxals Recovered in Bijapur.

During his interrogation, it was discovered that he had also created fake ID Cards of ED officer and was also declaring himself as an ED employee in various KYC documents submitted to banks.

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Guwahati (Assam) [India], January 28 (ANI): Gauhati High Court on Friday called police personnel and escorted a senior advocate for wearing jeans inside the court premises.

The Counsel appeared before the court attired in jeans, to which Justice Kalyan Rai Surana bemoaned and called in police personnel to 'decourt' him outside the High Court campus.

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Justice Kalyan Rai Surana in his order said, "Matter stands adjourned today as BK Mahajan, learned counsel for the petitioner is attired in jeans pant. Therefore, the Court had to call for the police personnel to 'decourt' him outside the High Court campus."

The High Court added that this order will be brought to the notice of the Honourable Chief Justice as well as to the learned Registrar General and also to the notice of the Bar Council of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.

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However, after the adjournment, the case for listed for a week. (ANI)

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New Delhi [India], January 28 (ANI): Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the government is constantly removing bottlenecks for faster disposal of litigation in the Central Administrative Tribunal across the country, said a press release by Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions.

While addressing the two-day Orientation Workshop for the Members of the Central Administrative Tribunal at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) in New Delhi today, Jitendra Singh, who is also the Chairman of the IIPA Executive Council, said that the government, in the last eight years, has repealed around 2,000 laws which had become obsolete.

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He said that the government has looked forward and made efforts to reduce the burden of the judiciary by simplifying procedures and removing hurdles, added the statement.

Singh also launched the Namani Gange Calendar on the occasion.

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Singh said that while conceptualising the idea of a Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), it was expected that the setting up of such Administrative Tribunals to deal exclusively with service matters would go a long way in not only reducing the burden of the various Courts and thereby giving them more time to deal with other cases expeditiously but would also provide to the persons covered by the Administrative Tribunals speedy relief in respect of their grievances.

He said that Parliament enacted Article 323A to provide for special Tribunals for the purpose of hearing specialized matters like service matters on two grounds, first, the High Court is so much burdened with other types of works and, therefore, it is not possible for it to expeditiously dispose of service matters. And, second, the service matters need an amount of specialization and, therefore, an element of the experience of service matters is necessary

The Union Minister said that with the increasing pendency of litigation before the High Courts, the theory of 'alternative institutional mechanisms' has also been propounded to defend the establishment of Administrative Tribunals. He noted that these Administrative Tribunals are expected to function as a viable substitute for the High Courts.

Singh said that the Administrative Tribunals are distinguishable from the ordinary courts with regard to their jurisdiction and procedure, as they exercise jurisdiction only in relation to the service matters of the litigants covered by the Act.

He stated that these Tribunals are also free from many of the procedural technicalities of the ordinary courts. Singh said that the Tribunal is thus now manned by persons having vast experience in judiciary and administration, resulting not only in quick disposal of cases, but quality judgments as well.

He appreciated the fact that these Members are discharging their duties similarly as are being discharged by higher judiciary in the country, independently of government intervention and the Chairman of the Tribunal can be given powers akin to that of the Chief Justice of a High Court.

The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) was set up on November 1, 1985. with Benches in five places. As of date, it has 19 regular Benches, 17 of which operate at the principal seats of High Courts and the remaining two at Jaipur and Lucknow. Both the newly created Benches at Jammu and Srinagar have been made functional.

The Jammu Bench was made functional w.e.f. June 8, 2020, and the Srinagar Bench has recently been made functional w.e.f. November 23, 2021. Singh noted with satisfaction that since its inception in 1985 and up to November 30, 2022, 8,93,705 cases have been received in CAT for adjudication (including those transferred from High Courts), out of which 8,12,806 cases have been disposed of, leaving a pendency of 80,899 cases.

He noted that the disposal rate by CAT, on average, has been above 90 per cent. He said that there is no doubt that the Central Administrative Tribunal has come a long way and is rightly being characterised by the uniqueness of its jurisdiction and procedure. Freedom from the long-drawn mandatory procedural technicalities has enabled it to achieve an unmatched disposal rate. (ANI)

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Dharwad (Karnataka) [India], January 28 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday emphasised the importance of integrating forensic sciences investigation with the criminal justice system to increase the conviction rate.

"The crime rate has been increasing significantly as the criminals are several steps ahead of the police, be it hawala transaction, border intrusion, narcotics, cyber crime or the crimes against women. Crime prevention is not possible until the police remain ahead of the criminals. To attain this goal, the first condition is to increase the conviction ratio but unless the investigation is recorded scientifically, you cannot punish any criminal and hence for this, any crime that holds a punishment for six years or more should be studied by forensic science," Home Minister Amit Shah during the stone laying ceremony of the ninth campus of the National Forensic Science Centre (NFSC) at Dharwad.

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He further exuded confidence that in the next five years, India would become the country to have the highest number of scientific experts in the world.

"I can confidently and with utmost trust say that after five years, India would be the country to have the highest number of experts in forensic science because the Forensic Science University is unique," the Home Minister said.

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He expressed his delight and highlighted that Karnataka is the second state in the country (after the national capital Delhi) which has mandated forensic visits for the crimes holding punishment for over six years.

"I believe it would improve the crime detection and its conviction," he added.

Later in the address, Shah announced that they would soon bring reforms to the Evidence Act.

"We will soon change the Evidence Act. We will bring change to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Evidence Act to ensure punishments for crimes on scientific grounds so that the criminal can be punished with all the observations of forensic science," he said.

"We have to increase our conviction rate by integrating the investigations of forensic science with the criminal justice system. We should also make the involvement of forensic science mandatory for certain heinous crimes," he said adding that the government has taken up several decisions in the area of forensic science besides the upgradation of CFSL in different parts of the country.

Earlier in the day, he encouraged the students to work for the country and advised them to utilize opportunities provided by the Centre to make the country number one in the world.

"If you can't sacrifice your life for the country then live your life for your nation and make it the number one country in the world. PM Modi has given you all opportunities to do that," Amit Shah said addressing the students at 'Amrit Mahotsav' at the BVB Engineering College in Karnataka's Hubballi.

The Home Minister elaborated on patent application forms and said by 2013-14, the Centre used to receive 3,000 patent applications of which 211 used to get registration. "However, in 2021-22 we have received 1 lakh applications, of which 24,000 have been registered thus showing how our youth is moving forward smartly in the area of research," he added.

Home Minister Shah also advised the students to move out of the traditional mentality and framework and encouraged them to "think new, be brave, and move forward". (ANI)

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Dharwad (Karnataka) [India], January 28 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a massive roadshow in the Kundgol town of Karnataka's Dharwad on Saturday.

Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai and former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa were present duiring the roadshow.

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The Home Minister arrived in the state to attend public meeting and a series of other public programmes in the state, where Assembly elections are scheduled this year.

Shah started his day-long visit by attending the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of B.V. Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology in KLE Technology University, Hubballi city where he encouraged the students to work for the country and advised them to utilize opportunities provided by the Centre to make the country number one in the world.

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He also laid the foundation stone of National Forensic Sciences University (Karnataka Campus) in the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Dharwad and emphasised the importance of the integration of the investigation by the Forensic Sciences and the criminal justice system to increase the conviction rate in the country.

Shah's visit to Karnataka has been organised at a time when Assembly elections are scheduled here this year along with eight other states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.

These Assembly elections are said to be the semi-finals ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections scheduled to be held in 2024.

The elections in Karnataka are likely to be held in mid-April or the beginning of May. Ahead of the assembly polls, the focus of political parties has shifted to the state. Among the other significant seats, one is the Mangalore City South assembly constituency. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], January 28 (ANI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that police arrangement "completely collapsed" during Bharat Jodo Yatra on Friday in Jammu and Kashmir and he had "to cancel" his walk.

Senior Congress leaders also alleged that security during had been "mishandled by concerned agencies" on Friday. However, Jammu and Kashmir Police dismissed the allegations of security lapse in the Bharat Jodo Yatra which entered the Valley on Friday.

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The Police said steps had been taken to ensure the best possible security for the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra and organisers and managers did not intimate about a large gathering from Banihal joining the Yatra, which thronged near the starting point.

BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia accused Rahul Gandhi of making misleading allegations against the security agencies.

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"It has become Rahul Gandhi's habit to make baseless allegations. He has made wrong allegations against Kashmir Police. It appears that cheap politics is being practiced," he said.

Rahul Gandhi, who briefly addressed a press briefing at Khanabal in Anantnag, said there was a large crowd and it is important that the police manage it.

"This morning, we had quite a large crowd that had gathered and we were looking forward to walking on the Bharat Jodo Yatra, but, unfortunately, the police arrangement completely collapsed and the police people, who were supposed to manage the crowd and hold the rope, were nowhere to be seen," Gandhi said.

"So, my security people were very uncomfortable with me walking further on the yatra. So, I had to cancel my walk. The other yatris, of course, did the walk. I think, it is important that the police manage the crowd, so that we can do the yatra. It is very difficult for me to go against, what my security people are recommending," he added.

The Jammu and Kashmir administration said that the size of the crowd was larger than planned. Addressing a press conference, RK Goyal, Additional Chief Secretary (FC), Home Department of Jammu and Kashmir, said the government is acutely mindful of security concerns and all arrangements have been made to ensure the best possible security for the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra.

"The size of the crowd was larger than planned which led to the pressure on the available security resources and created the impression that security arrangements were not in place. However, 15 companies of paramilitary forces and 10 companies of J-K police were deployed," said Goyal.

He further said a large portion of the crowd from the Banihal side who were supposed to have returned to Banihal rushed to the Kashmir side.

"Contrary to arrangements worked out between Bharat Jodo yatra organizers and security establishment, a large portion of the crowd from Banihal side who were supposed to have returned to Banihal rushed to Kashmir side," he said.

"The size of the crowd was larger than planned which led to the pressure on the available security resources & created the impression that security arrangements were not in place. However, 15 companies of paramilitary forces & 10 companies of J-K police were deployed," he added.

Dismissing the Congress allegations, Kashmir Zone Police said that only authorized persons who were identified by organisers were allowed on the route of the yatra.

The police said that the organizers of the yatra did not inform about the large gathering from Banihal.

"Only authorised persons as identified by organisers and frisked crowd was allowed inside towards the route of Yatra. Organisers and managers of BJY did not intimate about large gathering from Banihal joining the Yatra, which thronged near the starting point," Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet.

The police said that full security arrangements were in place. "Full security arrangements were in place including 15 Coys of CAPFs and 10 Coys of JKP, comprising of ROPs and QRTs, route domination, lateral deployment and SFs were deployed for high-ridge and other deployments".

"JKP was not consulted before taking any decision on discontinuation of Yatra after conducting 1 km yatra by organizers. Rest of yatra continued peacefully. There was no security lapse at all. We will provide foolproof security," the police added.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused the government of playing with security of Congress leader.

"Politics has its place but by playing with the security of Rahul Gandhi in the Kashmir valley, the government has stooped to its lowest level. India has already lost Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, any government or administration should desist from doing politics on such matters," he said in a tweet.

Party leader KC Venugopal alleged that security had been "mishandled by concerned agencies". "For 15 mins, there have been no security officers with the Bharat Jodo Yatra here. This is a serious lapse. Rahul Gandhi and other yatris can not walk without security," Venugopal told the media.

"The sudden withdrawal of security personnel from the D-area has caused a serious security breach at the Bharat Jodo Yatra at Banihal, Kashmir. Who ordered this? The authorities responsible must answer for this lapse and take appropriate steps to prevent such incidents in future," Venugopal tweeted.

Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is in its final leg in Jammu and Kashmir, resumed on Friday morning from the National Highway-44, Banihal Railway station, in the UT's Ramban district.

Security was tightened in the area in the wake of the recent twin blasts on the outskirts of Jammu city on January 22 which rocked a busy locality in Narwal leaving atleast nine people injured.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which started in Kanyakumari on September 7, will conclude on January 30 in Srinagar after covering 3,970 km, 12 states and two Union territories. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Udhampur (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], January 28 (ANI): Several passengers were injured after a bus met with an accident in Udhampur on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on Saturday.

The bus was en route to Jammu from Doda. The accident occurred at Sail Sallan on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.

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The injured were shifted to the District hospital Udhampur.

"Six persons got injured and shifted to District Hospital," said Dr Vijay Basnotra, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Udhampur.

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Further details are awaited. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], January 28 (ANI): Terming India an ideal location for today's start-up engagement group, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said on Saturday that the youth of the country are now desirous of becoming job creators and not job seekers.

"The Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and the Development of the North Eastern Region, G Kishan Reddy attended the Inception Meeting of the G-20 Start-up 20 Engagement Group at the Taj Krishna in Hyderabad today," informed a press release.

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Addressing the delegates and the participants under the theme of 'Innovating for Amrit Kaal, India @ 2047', he said, "True to its theme, this G-20 under India's presidency aims to set the course for acting responsibly, aiming for joint cooperation and achieving and sharing our successes."

"One Earth. One Family. One Future. Attended and addressed the inaugural of the #G20 #StartUp20 Inception Meeting in Hyderabad. Proud to witness India assuming the presidency of the #G20 and take the lead in promoting entrepreneurship and innovation," he said.

Also Read | Jr NTR's Cousin Nandamuri Taaraka Ratna Health Condition Continues to Be Critical, Nandamuri Balakrishna Visits Him at Hospital.

Speaking about the start-up ecosystem in India, the Union Minister said "India is the ideal location for today's start-up engagement group as we have close to 85,000 registered start-ups with 100 plus unicorns at a combined valuation of $350 billion dollars."

"With the third highest number of unicorns in the world, it is only a matter of time before India leads this list. Through our start-ups, our youth wants to become job creators instead of job seekers. Our startups are innovating, investing, and inventing new products and experiences. Our large talent pool and our demographic dividend make India an ideal investment location", he added.

G Kishan Reddy also spoke about the various initiatives taken by the Government in fostering a vibrant innovation and start-up Ecosystem.

The Union Minister spoke about the Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS) Scheme that was established with a corpus of USD 1.25 Billion dollars (Rs 10,000 crore) and has catalyzed approximately USD 1.75 billion dollars (Rs. 13,500 crores) of investments.

He further talked about the Government's Startup India Seed Fund Scheme that has approved $ 60 Million Dollars (Rs. 455.25 crores) for 126 incubators. Reddy attributed India's jump of 41 places in the Global Innovation Index in the last 7 years to the untiring efforts of the Government of India.

The Union Minister had previously written an Op-Ed in a leading English Daily on India assuming the G-20.

In the article he wrote about how India's presidency allows the world to focus on the 4Ds: De-escalating conflicts, Digitalisation, Development which will be equitable and inclusive, and Decarbonisation to fight the climate crisis.

Further emphasising the points at the meeting, the Union Minister said, "Startups will play a key role in leveraging the 4-Ds that India is offering. With vibrant democracy, development, digital public infrastructure, and decarbonisation with opportunities in green, hydrogen and renewable energy we have the potential to emerge as the 3rd largest economy and innovation will be one of our levers".

He said that the government is taking steps to ensure a complete and a holistic experience of India, like never before.

"India is home to rich living cultural heritage and I invite all the delegates to explore this great land during your stay. We are working closely with the G-20 Sherpa in ensuring you all experience the local culture, cuisine, and art and crafts of our country. With this Start-up engagement group, I would also invite startups to help us find innovative solutions and new ideas in preserving our rich cultural heritage and guiding us through the use of new technologies in providing an immersive experience to our tourists," he said.

The meeting was also attended by the Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Shri Som Prakash, Sherpa of the G-20, Amitabh Kant, CEO of NITI Aayog, Parameshwaran Iyer, officers of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and delegates from the G-20 nations, special invitees from the observer countries, representatives from various multilateral organisations and the Global and Indian startup ecosystem.

India assumed the G-20 presidency on December 1, 2022, for a period of one year. In this period, India would be hosting close to 1 Lakh delegates from 20 G-20 Countries and 9 Observer nations.

More than 200 meetings will be held across 56 locations in the country. Hyderabad is hosting the Inception meeting of the G20 Startup20 Engagement Group. The StartUp20 Side Meeting and the StartUp20 Summit Meeting are scheduled to be held in Gangtok and Gurgaon respectively later in the year, the release added. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington [US], January 27 (ANI): For wild creatures, the rate of environmental change presents significant difficulties. When exposed to a new environment individual plants and animals can potentially adjust their biology to better cope with new pressures they are exposed to - this is known as phenotypic plasticity.

Plasticity is likely to be important in the early stages of colonizing new places or when exposed to toxic substances in the environment. New research published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, shows that early plasticity can influence the ability to subsequently evolve genetic adaptations to conquer new habitats.

Also Read | IND-W vs SA-W T20 Tri-Series 5th T20I 2023 Preview: Likely Playing XIs, Key Battles, Head to Head and Other Things You Need To Know About India Women vs South Africa Women Cricket Match in East London.

Sea campion, a coastal wildflower from the UK and Ireland has adapted to toxic, zinc-rich industrial-era mining waste which kills most other plant species. The zinc-tolerant plants have evolved from zinc-sensitive, coastal populations separately in different places, several times.

To understand the role of plasticity in rapid adaptation, a team of researchers led by Bangor University conducted experiments on sea campion.

Also Read | Tripura Assembly Elections 2023: From Polling to Results and Electrical Fight Between Left Front and BJP, Know Key Facts About State Polls Held in 2018.

As zinc tolerance has evolved several times, this gave the researchers the opportunity to investigate whether ancestral plasticity made it more likely that the same genes would be used by different populations that were exposed to the same environment.

By exposing the tolerant and sensitive plants to both benign and zinc-contaminated environments and measuring changes in the expression of genes in the plant's roots, the researchers were able to see how plasticity in the coastal ancestors has paved the way for adaptation to take place very quickly.

Dr Alex Papadopulos, senior lecturer at Bangor University explained: "Sea campion usually grow on cliffs and shingle beaches, but mining opened up a new niche for them that other plants weren't able to exploit. Our research has shown that some of the beneficial plasticity in the coastal plants has helped the mine plants to adapt so quickly."

Alex added, "Remarkably if a gene responds to the new environment in a beneficial way in the ancestral plants, it is much more likely that that gene will be reused in all of the lineages that are independently adapting to the new environment. Phenotypic plasticity may make it more likely that there would be the same evolutionary outcome if the tape of life were replayed. If we understand the plastic responses that species have to environmental change, we may be better equipped to predict the impacts of climate change on biodiversity." (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
London [UK], January 28 (ANI): The trial pivoted on the ownership of Altaf Hussain led Muttahida Qaumi Movement's (MQM) properties in north London concluded on Thursday evening. The judge reserved the judgment after a series of hearings and would release a detailed judgement in the coming weeks.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), previously known as Muhajir Qaumi Movement, is a secular political party in Pakistan, founded by Altaf Hussain in 1984. The party is currently split between two main factions.

Also Read | Bangladeshi Boy Ends Up in Malaysia After Hiding Himself in Shipping Container in Chittagong While Playing Hike and Seek With Friends.

The hearings proceeded under judge Jhon at the High Court of Justice, Business and Property of England and Wales.

The trial opened at the end of November last year and saw the MQM supremo Altaf Hussain come face-to-face with ex-loyalists now with MQM-Pakistan which was created by the military establishment after August 22. The ex-loyalists are now laying claim to seven properties worth about 10 million pounds.

Also Read | Goodyear Layoffs: Tire and Rubber Company To Cut 500 Jobs as Part of Cost-Cutting Exercise.

The case was filed by MQM-P leader and Federal Minister Syed Aminul Haque, who had left MQM in 1992 during an army operation against MQM and joined army created faction. Aminul Haq re-joined MQM in 2011 after seeking an open apology.

A new constitution disassociating Hussain was then created by MQM-P, which the claimants are relying on for the possession of the London properties.

At a hearing on Thursday, Hussain appeared at the high court where lawyers of both sides presented final arguments, recapping events and laying their claim to the properties in question after back-and-forth arguments.

Barrister Nazar Mohammad representing the claimants made his arguments first, saying that MQM-P is the true leadership of the party and therefore deserves ownership of the London properties. He presented evidence and said MQM-P leaders are the ultimate successors, heavily relying on the new 2016 constitution.

Hussain's counsel Richard Slade presented his final arguments, saying that every constitution from 1984 onwards states Altaf Hussain is and will remain the party's founder leader, ideologue and higher authority.

He said both the 2015 and 2016 constitutions bound the Central Coordination Committee to seek guidance from Hussain as a founder, leader and ideologue on all major issues, and said the constitutional amendments made on August 31 2016 by now MQM-P leaders were invalid.

He questioned how a founder leader can be removed from a party and its constitution without having ratification of Altaf Hussain. He said that Dr Farooq Sattar hijacked the party with invalid and unlawful amendments.

Hussain's counsel Richard Slade read out, as part of the evidence, a story published in Dawn on August 26, 2016, in which then adviser to the then Prime Minister Musaddiq Malik said that "MQM had to disassociate from its chief Altaf Hussain or face the consequences". Slade relied on this clip to show that the ex-loyalists changed the constitution not only out of their free will but under the pressure by "Dark force". He further said that MQMP is not the right beneficiary of the properties.

The two sides argued back and forth to assert their right over the party's assets. MQM-P's lawyer admitted that the email address which contained email evidence was inaccessible, and said that perhaps it was hacked.

The claimant's lawyer responded by saying that, being Pakistan's IT minister, Aminul Haque should have figured out a way to access the emails to present as evidence.

In a previous hearing, during cross-examination by the counsel for the claimant, the MQM chief Altaf Hussain asserted his command over the party and addressed the question of who was in control. Hussain explained how he was the ultimate decision-maker, and that the party revolved around him and the final say from London.

He said MQM-Pakistan was a breakaway faction, and that it was created under pressure by the state to break the MQM's vote bank and support. Hussain said that though he wasn't involved in the smaller issues, the overall control and leadership were widely understood to rest with him. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kathmandu [Nepal], January 28 (ANI): After the formation of the Maoist Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda'-led government in Nepal on December 26, 2022, China's activities in the country have become more assertive, EPardafas reported.

Dahal took oath as Nepal's Prime Minister on the 130th birth anniversary of Mao Zedong - Prachanda's ideological father. Nepal on November 20, 2022, held its general election in which Dahal's Maoist Centre established itself as the third largest party winning 32 seats in the 275-member House of Representatives.

Also Read | US: Protests Erupt After CTTV Footage Shows Black Man Being Beaten by Five Police Officers in Memphis.

According to the EPardafas report, China's belligerence has become more evident in Nepal after the November 20 elections and the formation of the Dahal-led government. This suggests that Nepal could be in favour of Beijing's South Asia advance.

Upon Dahal's appointment as the Prime Minister, the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu was the first foreign mission to congratulate him on his appointment.

Also Read | Jerusalem Terror Attack: Eight Killed, 10 Injured in Shooting at Synagogue, Says Israel Foreign Ministry.

On December 26, Mao Ning, the Spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, as quoted by EPardafas, said, "As Nepal's traditional friend and neighbour, China deeply values its relations with Nepal. We stand ready to work with the new Nepalese government to expand and deepen friendly exchange and cooperation across the board, pursue high-quality Belt and Road cooperation, inject new impetus into our strategic cooperative partnership featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity and deliver more benefits for our two peoples."

There have been various activities by China in Nepal after the installation of the Dahal government. On December 27, 2022, a Chinese expert team arrived in Nepal to conduct a detailed study of the Kathmandu-Kerung railway. The Kerung-Kathmandu railway is one of the nine development projects under China's BRI in Nepal.

Even though the Dahal-led Communist government in Kathmandu is enthused and optimistic about getting Beijing's support for economic prosperity, experts and senior economists in Kathmandu express fear about the BRI. They are worried that the implementation of large-scale projects could push Nepal into a debt trap, like Sri Lanka, which could undermine its sovereignty in the long run, EPardafas reported.

Recently, the media reported that China's salami-slice strategy on Nepal's northern border has resulted in the encroachment of 36 hectares of Nepal's land at 10 places on the northern border by China.

According to the survey document issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, China encroached on 36 hectares of Nepal's land at 10 places on the northern border. Similarly, the study conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs has concluded that it is necessary to include border issues in the "state policy" of Nepal, reported Meta Khabar.

However, the world community and the Nepalis themselves are probably unaware of the magnitude of the problem.

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) built a veterinary centre for animal husbandry in 2016, located in a Nepal district, but Nepal has not responded to this. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Islamabad [Pakistan], January 28 (ANI): Former Pakistan prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday accused former president and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari of hatching a conspiracy to assassinate him by giving a contract to a terrorist outfit, Express Tribune newspaper reported.

Khan while holding a news conference from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore via a video link, termed the alleged conspiracy 'Plan-C' for which he accused Zardari of paying money to a terrorist outfit to carry out the assassination attempt, the Pakistan-based newspaper reported.

Also Read | Bangladeshi Boy Ends Up in Malaysia After Hiding Himself in Shipping Container in Chittagong While Playing Hike and Seek With Friends.

"Now they have made a Plan C, and Asif Zardari is behind this. He has loads of corruption money, which he loots from the Sindh government and spends on winning elections. He [Zardari] has given money to a terrorist outfit and people from powerful agencies are facilitating him," Imran said, according to The Express Tribune Newspaper.

"This has been decided on three fronts and they will act soon," he added. "I am telling you this because if something happens to me the nation should know the people who were behind this so that the nation never forgives them," Khan said.

Also Read | Goodyear Layoffs: Tire and Rubber Company To Cut 500 Jobs as Part of Cost-Cutting Exercise.

Khan, while referring to the gun attack on him in Wazirabad in November last year, said that there was a plot to kill him under 'Plan-B' in the name of religious extremism. "They almost succeeded in their plan to kill me but now they are moving towards Plan-C," he said.

According to Khan, earlier, there were four people, who conspired to kill him in a closed room. "When I came to know about the plot, I made a video and sent it abroad and announced in a public meeting that if anything happens, the video will be released," Khan said.

"Now they are going to commit the next attack on me, about which I am informing the nation today. Life and death are in the hands of Allah and I fear no one. I will go on the campaign trail anyway," Imran said, referring to the upcoming provincial assembly elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, The Express Tribune newspaper reported.

Khan was attacked in Wazirabad on November 23 while he was leading the "Azadi March" against the PML-N demanding snap polls. The law enforcement agencies arrested suspect Naveed Meher from the site of the attack. The suspect also admitted to opening fire on the PTI leadership.

The first information report of the incident was lodged on November 7 under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. The probe into the assassination attempt on Imran Khan had been handed over to an anti-corruption officer, as per the sources within the JIT.

According to The News International report, Ghulam Mahmood Dogar had been given the responsibility of interrogating the suspect by anti-corruption officer Anwar Shah and no other member was given access to the attacker. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Washington [US], January 28 (ANI): US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland will embark on an official visit to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Qatar from January 28 to February 3.

During her visit to India, Nuland will lead the US-India annual Foreign Office Consultations which cover the full range of bilateral, regional, and global issues and will also meet with young tech leaders, the US Department of State said in an official statement.

Also Read | Indian-Origin Sikh Engineer Navjot Sawhney Wins UK PM Rishi Sunak's Points of Light Award for Designing Energy-Efficient Manual Washing Machine.

In Nepal, the top US official will engage with the new government on the broad agenda of the US partnership with Kathmandu.

The Under Secretary, on reaching Sri Lanka will mark the 75th anniversary of US-Sri Lanka relations and offer continued US support for Sri Lanka's efforts to stabilize the economy, protect human rights, and promote reconciliation, the official release added.

Also Read | Buddhism Thrives Globally Under PM Narendra Modi's Government, Says Report.

Finally, the Under Secretary will discuss global issues in Qatar as part of the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue.

"She will also meet with counterparts to discuss Qatar's critical support for the relocation of Afghans with ties to the US, as well as our bilateral agreement to protect US interests in Afghanistan," the US State Department press release added. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
The birth anniversary of Devnarayan, a deity, revered by the Gujjar community across the country is celebrated as 'Avataran Mahotsav'. This will be Prime Minister Modi's third visit to the poll-bound Rajasthan in the last four months.
There is significant buzz among the central government employees that the government could announce the 8th pay commission in the budget replacing 7th pay commission. It is a long pending demand of government employees to bring the 8th Pay Commission.
Belgium to provide Ukraine with 92 million euros in military aid.



In its largest aid package to date, Belgium will give Ukraine air defense missiles, anti-tank weapons, ammunition, grenades and more, according to the country's Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder, cited by HLN. The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) January 27, 2023

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
Estonias Intelligence: Russia may be capable of up to 9 months of massive missile strikes against Ukraine.



According to Estonias Intelligence, Russia still has up to 1,250 high-precision missiles left from its stock before Feb. 24, aside from those produced later. The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) January 27, 2023

(SocialLY brings you all the latest breaking news, viral trends and information from social media world, including Twitter, Instagram and Youtube. The above post is embeded directly from the user's social media account and LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body. The views and facts appearing in the social media post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY, also LatestLY does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)
Mumbai, January 28: In a shocking incident that took place in Bangladesh, a boy from Chittagong ended up in Malaysia while playing hide and seek with his friends. The incident came to light when the boy was discovered by the port staff in Malaysia's Port Klang. The boy was reportedly shipped from Bangladesh to Malaysia after he accidentally hid himself in a shipping container.

According to a report in Mirror.Co.UK, the boy, who was hiding in the shipping container while playing hide and seek with his friends in Chittagong ended up at Port Klang in Malaysia. Shockingly, the boy was sent on a six-day ocean voyage after the container was shipped from Bangladesh to Malaysia. Ukraine War, Russia-US Rivalry Makes Things Complex for Bangladesh: Report.

The boy was named Fahim by local authorities. Police officials said that the container left Bangladesh on January 11 and arrived at Port Klang on January 17. The youngster was so much terrified that he had started to bang the walls of the shipping container and even screamed for help. Finally, he was discovered by port staff in Malaysia.

After being found in the container, officials said that the boy was hungry, exhausted and terrified. At first, poet officials thought that the boy was a victim of human trafficking, however, they ruled him as a victim of organised crime. Malaysian Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail told local media, "The boy, known only as Fahim, was found in one of the containers brought by a ship from Bangladesh. Bangladeshi National Held with Fake Passport, Aadhaar Card at Coimbatore Airport.

The minster said that they sent Fahim for medical tests in order to treat him for possible dehydration and fever. Later, they sent him home safely. "The process for him to be sent home (repatriated) was made according to legal channels," the home minister added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 28, 2023 04:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
January 8 is considered Brazil's equivalent of January 6, and much like January 6, intensive investigations are now also underway. Now, Brazilian police are investigating former President Jair Bolsonaro's nephew, Leonardo Rodrigues de Jesus, in connection to the Brazil riot.

According to Al Jazeera News, Rodrigues de Jesus, also known as Leo Indio, is the first Bolsonaro family member to be publicly investigated by Brazilian authorities in connection to the January 8 riots that saw Bolsonaro supporters enter government buildings and destroy public properties, even surrounding the Presidential Palace in Brasilia.

Brazilian Federal Police conducted a series of raids into his home as he is targeted as one of the perpetrators behind the January 8 Brazil Riots. The Jair Bolsonaro nephew also posted photos and videos on the place where the Pro-Bolsonaro rioters first converged to protest the victory of President Lula. Rodrigues de Jesus even posted a selfie while red-eyed with what he claims to be tear gas. He also accused police of being "the real hooligans" when they targeted demonstrators.

Brazil's Justice Minister Flavio Dino stated on Twitter last Friday that the Brazilian Federal Police are now "carrying out 11 preventive arrest warrants and 27 search and seizure warrants against coup plotters and terrorists."

Protesters were urging police and military to join them in kicking out Lula and re-installing Bolsonaro into power. Many of these protesters were so confident that police were going to join their cause that when police started their counteroffensive, they were shocked.

READ NEXT: Jair Bolsonaro Fanatics Destroy Brazil Congress

Bolsonaro Nephew Claims Leftists Infiltrated Protesters and Were Responsible for the Riot

In what seems to be a rehashing of the excuses for the United States' January 6 Capitol Insurrection, Jair Bolsonaro nephew Leonardo Rodrigues de Jesus blamed leftists for the riot, claiming that pro-Lula leftists infiltrated the protesters and were the ones who rioted in order to pin the blame on Bolsonaro supporters.

This is similar to American right-wing media's claims that Antifa infiltrators managed to join the MAGA protesters and were the ones who led the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. This was debunked in the hundreds of court cases that followed and showed it was indeed Trump supporters who led the charge.

Rodrigues de Jesus is close to one of Bolsonaro's sons, Carlos Bolsonaro, according to the Associated Press. The younger Bolsonaro currently serves as a city councilor in Rio de Janeiro and is often seen together with Rodrigues de Jesus in the presidential palace when the elder Bolsonaro was still president.

He served as Carlos Bolsonaro's aide before eventually moving to Brasilia. He eventually joined a pro-Bolsonaro senator's cabinet but was soon revealed to be a "phantom employee."

Lula Fires Army Chief in the Wake of January 8

The catastrophic security failure during January 8 also meant that some heads rolled. One of the biggest firings involved army chief, General Julio Cesar de Arruda. He reportedly failed to obey government orders to clear a camp of pro-Bolsonaro supporters, according to Al Jazeera News.

He was soon replaced by General Tomas Miguel Ribeiro Paiva, who previously headed the Southeast Military Command. Lula has since vowed to purge hardcore Bolsonaro loyalists from the security forces.

READ NEXT: Jair Bolsonaro Supporters Openly Plotted Riot Online

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Brazil's Lula fires army chief in aftermath of January 8 riots  FRANCE 24 English - FRANCE 24 English
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has quietly removed its former top official in Mexico, who allegedly had links to several lawyers in Miami representing notable drug traffickers.

Nicholas Palmeri served as the DEA's top official in Mexico but was ousted last year after a brief 14-month stint.

The Associated Press has gained access to some records relating to why he was ousted and revealed that Palmeri, who previously supervised dozens of DEA agents across Mexico, Central America, and Canada, had some connections to drug lawyers in Miami.

The report further noted that separate internal investigations raised other red flags, including his lax handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in two sick DEA agents being airlifted out of Mexico.

READ NEXT: El Chapo Aide Pleads Guilty to Distributing Drugs in Chicago

Mexico DEA Chief Nicholas Palmeri and His Corruption

Nicholas Palmeri was also found to be very corrupt, often using funds meant to fight drugs in Mexico for inappropriate purposes. That includes his seeking to be reimbursed for paying for his own birthday party.

The DEA Mexico chief was reportedly often seen interacting cozily with Miami-based lawyers representing some of Latin America's largest drug traffickers and money launderers.

Federal prosecutors charged a DEA agent and a former supervisor last year for leaking confidential information to two unnamed Miami defense lawyers in exchange for $70,000.

According to Breaking Belize News, U.S. officials identified one of those drug lawyers as David Macey, who is also implicated in the probe into Palmeri.

The attorney allegedly hosted Palmeri and his Mexican-born wife at his home in the Florida Keys for two days.

Investigators claimed this trip did not serve any work purpose and violated rules governing interactions with lawyers designed to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.

Palmeri admitted to detectives that he stayed at Macey's vacation home and took an unauthorized Miami trip with his wife in February 2021. He added that his wife worked as a translator for another prominent lawyer, Ruben Oliva.

The purpose of the trip to Miami was allegedly to "debrief" a confidential source. However, the report said Palmeri and his wife showed up in a private home with a bottle of wine.

Officially, Palmeri was not fired. Records show that he was immediately transferred to Washington headquarters in May 2021 before stepping down last March.

It was unclear why the DEA allowed him to retire instead of being fired. Palmeri told AP that the investigations against him were a "witch hunt," that stemmed from personal and professional jealousies.

DEA's Most Corrupt Agent Speaks Out

The probe into Nicholas Palmeri comes after Jose Irizarry, the man dubbed "the most corrupt agent" in DEA's history, admitted to his crimes and stated that he was not going down alone.

He told AP he had a lavish lifestyle due to conspiring with Colombian drug cartels. In 2020, Irizarry pleaded guilty to 19 corruption counts, including bank fraud and money laundering.

He was portrayed as a rogue agent during the trial. Before starting his 12-year prison sentence, he admitted to AP that no one "can't win an unwinnable war."

:DEA knows this and the agents know this... There's so much dope leaving Colombia. And there's so much money. We know we're not making a difference," said Irizarry, who was once a standout DEA agent.

He added: "The drug war is a game... It was a very fun game that we were playing."

READ MORE: Violence in Sinaloa After El Chapo Son's Arrest

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Ex-DEA Agent Says War on d

Drugs 'Is a Game' - From Associated Press
Facing daily protests demanding her resignation, Peru President Dina Boluarte called on Congress Friday to approve a proposal to move the national elections later this year.

The protesters were demanding her resignation after her predecessor, Pedro Castillo, was impeached and arrested for trying to dissolve Congress.

Boluarte, the former vice president, has already voiced his support for having elections in Peru in April 2024 instead of the previously scheduled 2026.

According to the Associated Press, there is growing support among lawmakers to move the elections even sooner, to December 2023.

Boluarte noted that moving the elections to later this year could help the country "get out of this quagmire we're in." Demonstrators have blockaded several key highways as part of the anti-government protests.

And as protests continue, with more blockades and violence, Boluarte said Friday that the government will send medicine and other goods to an Andes region.

Boluarte became president on December 7, and protests quickly spread across the country. Demonstrators took to the streets to demand Boluarte's resignation and the abolishment of Congress.

According to Peru's ombudsman, at least 56 individuals were killed amid the unrest, 45 of whom died in confrontations with security forces.

READ NEXT: Peru President Dina Boluarte Refuses to Resign

Peru Military to Help National Police in Removing Roadblocks

The Peruvian military said Friday that they would assist the national police in clearing roadways blocked by protesters.

On Thursday, the Defense Ministry branded the roadblocks illegal and demanded that protestors dismantle them. Hundreds of military and police were sent to Puno in southern Peru to clear the roadways.

The government reported that overall damage costs had already reached more than $1 billion due to the protests. Hundreds of protesters in the capital city of Lima were recently met by riot police and tear gas.

Demonstrator Abraham Copatayapa told Reuters, "They won't let us go ahead with our peaceful march; we're demanding Dina Boluarte to resign."

He added that they were also demanding early elections in Peru. Boluarte insisted that she will continue to serve as a temporary president until the new elections were held.

She also said on Friday that Peru elections might be held as early as December, depending on how quickly the Congress will act on the proposal.

Peru President Dina Boluarte Called for a Truce but Ignored

Dina Boluarte appealed for a "national truce" Wednesday, but immediately after that, hundreds of people rushed to the streets in Lima, demanding her resignation, according to BBC.

The oppositions launched a vote to impeach the president earlier this week, and governors of southern Puno, Apurimac, and Cusco have also appealed for her resignation.

However, Boluarte refused to resign and urged peaceful protests from the Peruvian people. As a result of the ongoing violence, the world-famous tourist attraction of Machu Picchu was forced to close indefinitely earlier this month.

Hundreds of people were rescued after being trapped for hours at the base of the 15th-century Inca citadel.

According to the Economy and Finance Ministry, the protests have cost the economy $554 million or 2.15 billion soles.

READ MORE: Boy Dies After Adoptive Parents Subjected Him to Series of Sickening Abuse

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Peru's Bitter Divide: How Far Will Anti-Boluarte Protests g

Go? - From FRANCE 24 English
The Central Bank of Ireland is searching for Irelands brightest young economists and is encouraging local students across Kildare to enter the Generation uro schools competition.

Generation uro is Irelands leading economics competition for Transition Year and Fifth Year students. The competition is run by the Central Bank of Ireland in partnership with the European Central Bank (ECB).

The winning team and teacher will travel to the ECB in Frankfurt for an award ceremony where they will meet ECB President Christine Lagarde and the other winning teams from across Europe.

Director of Economics and Statistics at the Central Bank, Robert Kelly said: We are really looking forward to this years Generation Euro competition and to hearing from students around Ireland. Irelands next generation of social scientists, the people who will work in Ireland, Europe and across the globe making decisions, setting policies that affect our daily lives, are in school right now, and we want to meet them. The competition gives students the chance to build valuable life skills while challenging themselves to learn more about the work performed by the European Central Bank, the Eurosystem and the Central Bank of Ireland.

Students can enter the competition by 3 February on our website, in teams of three to five, with a teacher acting as mentor.

The competition finalists will present their findings to a panel of senior economists from the Central Bank before a national winner is announced.

Further details, including how to enter, are available at - https://www.centralbank.ie/ about/generation-euro- students-award
It could be months before Irish households see a reduction in their energy bills, despite the price of wholesale gas falling to levels before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

However, households will have to wait months for electricity and gas prices to fall as many energy suppliers lock in at wholesale prices, months in advance.

While consumer energy prices are not expected to fall this year, they will stabilise, a range of experts have said.

News of the gas price drop will certainly be welcomed, it will be tempered greatly by the fact that no price reductions for hard-pressed households are imminent.

It is estimated that the yearly cost of electricity for a typical household is now 2,000.

The fact that wholesale gas prices have dived on international markets had lead to consumers believing that it would also lead to price cuts.

Wholesale gas generates around 50 per cent of the electricity used in this country.

In the meantime, business have urged to avail of Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS) which provides qualifying businesses with up to 40% of the increase in electricity or gas bills up to 10,000 per month or 30,000 in certain cases.

Minister for Finance Michael McGrath has urged businesses to continue to make claims before the first deadline expires.

"Businesses should be aware that the window for making claims in respect of September 2022 will close at the end of this month, so it's important to complete that claim in the coming days," he said.

The scheme is due to expire at the end of February and no decision has been taken yet on whether it will be extended.
A brand new festival, Feile na mBan, celebrating women in Art, History, Literature, Music and more will take place in Bundoran over the weekend of February 3rd to 6th.

Capitalising on the new St Brigids Bank Holiday weekend, the festival will see a plethora of female artists and creatives performing and hosting workshops, bootcamps and events at venues across the seaside town.

Organisers Niamh Hamill, Linda Connolly, Jenny Hallahan and Fiona Fitzpatrick are looking forward to the inaugural staging of the event over the new bank holiday weekend.

The start of February is a time associated with Imbolc, Spring and of course St Brigid herself and our festival will celebrate Brigids (bad and good, pagan and Christian) as well as all the powerful women in our history. Many of the events are free of charge and wed like to thank all of those who are hosting one and those who are helping to organize the festival.

Among the events taking place over the weekend will be a series of talks including topics such The Cult of Brigid, Female Irish Artists of the 20th Century, and Soil & Surfing.

Well known Donegal designer Edel MacBride will host a knitting workshop, while a Macrame workshop will take place at Buoys and Gulls cafe.

There is Bootcamp with Marcella, Surfing with Bundoran Surf Co, an Art exhibition, an afternoon on Networking in the Arts with Maura Logue, Herblore and Wise Witchery with Marion Rose McFadden, wellness meditation, Sea Swimming, poetry readings, and a special movie screening of An Cailin Ciuin.

Meanwhile, special offers on pamper treatments, restaurant and accommodation deals will also be available.

Live performances will come from critically acclaimed Irish performer SON  aka Susan ONeill who will open the festival on the Friday night with a special performance at the Atlantic Apartotel.

Other female performers at venues throughout the town include Jenny Hallahan, The Messages, the Von Tees, Lorraine Walls, Trudy ODonnell, and Caitie Lynch as well as a number of open music sessions, to which all are welcome.

The full schedule can be found at www.feilenamban.ie or by searching Feile na mBan on Facebook and Instagram.

Email info@feilenamban.ie
Peru's President Dina Boluarte gives a press conference with foreign media at the government palace in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, January 24, 2023. MARTIN MEJIA / AP

Peru's embattled President Dina Boluarte on Friday, January 27, urged Congress to advance elections slated for April 2024 to December 2023, as protests that have killed dozens rage on against her leadership.

Peru has been embroiled in a political crisis with near-daily protests since December 7 when former president Pedro Castillo was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.

Demanding that Boluarte resign and call fresh elections, Castillo supporters have erected roadblocks on highways, causing shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies in the South American country. The government said it will soon deploy police and soldiers to clear the roadblocks.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes In Lima, police violently storm a campus hosting protesters

Lawmakers had already voted on December 21 in favor of a Boluarte bill to bring forward elections from 2026 to 2024. But in the face of relentless protests, Boluarte on Friday urged Congress to call the vote for December.

"Congress voted once and we are waiting for them to vote again," she said at a military airport in Lima, where a plane was being loaded with emergency aid for the southern Apurimac region badly affected by the shortages.

Popular Force, the opposition party of Keiko Fujimori who lost the 2021 elections to Castillo, this week proposed holding elections in December. Congress is expected to debate the vote bill on Friday.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes In Peru, 'Boluarte is acting without control from Congress, the judiciary or the media'

While Boluarte urged lawmakers to move ahead with elections, she described the political crisis as a "quagmire." "Protests continue. There are more roadblocks and violence," she added.

Protesters are demanding immediate elections, as well as Boluarte's removal, the dissolution of Congress and a new constitution. "Nobody has any interest in clinging to power," insisted Boluarte. "I have no interest in remaining in the presidency. If I am here it is because I fulfilled my constitutional responsibility."

As Castillo's vice president, Boluarte automatically replaced him after he was impeached by Congress and arrested.

The US State Department said Friday it remained concerned about the violent demonstrations as it called "for calm dialogue and for all parties to exercise restraint and nonviolence," spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Protests in Peru reveal discrepancies between Lima and rest of country

Le Monde with AFP
Frenchman Sebastien Raoult pleaded not guilty to cybercrimes Friday, January 27, in Seattle federal court, two days after he was extradited from Morocco.

Federal Judge Michelle Peterson told the 21-year-old Raoult that he was charged with nine counts, including conspiracy, computer intrusion, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Raoult listened through an interpreter. After Raoult's plea of not guilty, the judge ordered him to be detained as a flight risk until a hearing April 3.

Read more Article reserve a nos abonnes Morocco agrees to extradite French hacker to the US as family demands investigation in France

Moroccan authorities arrested Raoult at Rabat airport May 31 at the request of the US Department of Justice. Along with Raoult, two other French nationals were also arrested, Gabriel Bildstein, 23, and Abdel-Hakim El-Ahmadi, 22.

According to Raoult's indictment, he and the other two men are alleged to have formed a hacking team, dubbed "ShinyHunters," to steal confidential data from 60 companies to sell on the dark web where criminals routinely operate. Some of the companies are located in the Seattle area.

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?

According to experts, beginning in 2020, the hackers stole customer data from the Indonesian e-commerce site Tokopedia, the US clothing brand Bonobos, the US telecom AT&T and many other companies, putting the personal data for sale on the dark web.

The criminal charges carry a possible jail term of up to 27 years in prison.

Le Monde with AFP
THE UNIVERSITY of Limerick (UL) has launched an energy research project offering the opportunity for people in Limerick to install free smart sensors to monitor and reduce building energy use.

The research, led by principal investigator, Professor Stephen Kinsella, and funded by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, is part of the SmartLab project which adopts a living lab approach to examine financial and technical barriers to the use of smart technologies in Irelands buildings.

The project was launched last Wednesday at the Citizen Innovation Lab, a collaborative space hosted by Limerick City and County Council (LCCC) and UL at the UL City Centre Campus.

The initiative will test new ways to make buildings smart-ready, so they can better respond to the needs of occupants, cost less to run, and be ready to interact with a future decarbonised energy grid.

Up to 100 building owners and occupants in Limerick city will be installing sensors provided by SmartLab to monitor their buildings temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels.

The Lab space with Fab Lab Limerick will host drop-in sessions for anyone who would like to talk to the team on Thursday, January 26, 1pm-2pm and 5:30-6:30pm.
HOMEOWNERS from across the western seaboard  including Limerick  have come together for the first time to demand action over their pyrite-hit houses.

Tens of thousands of houses across the State are known to have been impacted by defective building blocks, which in many cases, are seeing large cracks form.

Government has signed off on a compensation scheme which could run into the millions.

But with the process on this stalling, homeowners from Limerick, Clare, Mayo and Donegal have linked up.

Among the people impacted are Ann Ryan and her brother Kieran, who live side-by-side near Askeaton.

She says both homes are full of pyrite-hit blocks leaving them fit for demolition.

Initially damage to her home was blamed on water getting under the foundations, which saw Anns insurer pay 25,000 to unpin the foundation and re-roughcast it.

Despite this, the cracks returned a year later.

It was only after several other studies that pyrite was found to be the issue.

Ann explained: My situation is bad enough, but not as bad as others. I have an old council cottage with a bathroom and kitchen built on. The cottage is fine, its the build-on which is the problem.

Due to this damage, water pours into her windows, and it is getting harder and harder to heat the home, she added.

The minister, Taoiseach and everyone has seen these houses. But they are still dragging their heels. As far as I can see, the legislation is signed off. Theyve clapped their hands together, and from their point of view, its done with, she said.

Ann made the point that the question of where homeowners will live when their homes are finally in the process of being repaired is never addressed against the backdrop of the housing crisis.

The group  known as the Defective Concrete Homeowner Representatives  held a meeting with the Department of Housing last November.

Custom House officials were asked to secure written confirmation from their Minister Darragh OBrien that the department will continue dialogue with homeowners, confirmation that insurance and financial bodies would co-operate with the Enhanced Defective Concrete Block scheme, and crucially, a timeline for the roll-out of the compensation scheme.

They were given a deadline of December 2, but no answers came, and despite assurances the scheme would be operational by the first quarter of this year, nothing has yet happened.

In a statement, the group said: There is now a real concern that those who are suffering in defective concrete homes are being de-prioritised while the Department of Housing deal with additional crises government has created from lack of regulation, failure to build housing capacity and inadequately support and plan.

Theyve said the delay has left homeowners in extended, prolonged and indefinite limbo.

Through each stage of the campaign, homeowners have been met with delay after delay, prohibitive tactic after prohibitive tactic, they added.

The group moved to issue the statement after it emerged Mr OBrien was to provide 100% redress for the defective apartment owners in the country.

While they support this, they said they too must be prioritised.

A defect is a defect regardless of type or scale, they added.

The Department of Housing did not return a request for comment from the Limerick Leader.
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GARDAI at Henry Street station are appealing for witnesses to a theft which occurred in broad daylight in the city centre just over a week ago.

The victim - a man in his mid-thirties - was walking on Wickham Street shortly before 1pm on Friday, January 20.

"He had cash in his hand when suddenly another male ran up, snatched the cash from him and ran off in the direction of the top of William Street," said Sergeant Ber Leetch.

"If anybody was a witness to this theft or any motorist with dash cam that was driving on Wickham Street last Friday at 12.50pm, please contact Henry Street gardai at (061) 212400," she added.

The garda advice is to keep valuables such as cash and phones out of sight when in public areas which are busy.

"A thief is looking for something of value to steal usually jewellery or phones as these are easy to sell on but cash is the best of all for them so keep all cash out of sight in a zipped pocket or cross body bag. If you take out cash from an ATM, keep in mind that somebody maybe watching you so secure the cash before you walk away," said Sgt Leetch.
A GROUP aimed at drawing attention to healthcare issues in Limerick, Clare and Tipperary have launched an email campaign to lobby politicians for support.

The Mid-West Hospital Campaign have been campaigning for some time to improve health services in the area.

In an effort to "keep the pressure" on decision makers, the group have now launched an email campaign to lobby politicians in the Mid-West for support.

Via a site called UpLift, the group are asking the public to send an email to their local TD and to encourage their friends and family to do the same.

The campaigners said: "Please can you email your TD now to call on them to do more to make sure people in the Mid-West have the healthcare we all deserve.

"Ennis, Nenagh and other hospitals in the region need to be resourced to do more."

The group supported a protest in Limerick city recently that saw thousands of people take to the streets to voice their concerns regarding overcrowding issues at UHL.

Organised by Mike Daly, over 11,000 people joined the protest with signs and banners to draw attention to the crisis-ridden hospital.
India's largest car manufacturer company Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) has revealed a new plan for the upcoming CNG model cars. The company has announced that it will be using cow dung to power CNG cars.

Maruti Suzuki and Asia's largest dairy manufacturer has signed the MoU with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) to execute the plan.

The automaker in its growth strategy for 2030 said it has invested in Fujisan Asagiri Biomass which generates power from biogas derived from cow dung in Japan.

In an official statement, Suzuki Motor said, "While we expect the Indian market to grow toward FY2030, we also expect that the increase in total CO2 (carbon dioxide) emission amount is unavoidable, regardless of the reduction in CO2 emission from products. We will challenge to strike a balance between the increasing sales units and reducing total CO2 emission amount".

Cow dung and biogas which can easily be accessed in the rural parts of India, the company will be using the new technology in a bid to reduce carbon footprints.

In India, Suzuki signed an MoU with the National Dairy Development Board and Banas Dairy, Asia's largest dairy manufacturer, to conduct verification of biogas.

Apart from India and Japan, the company is planning to use biogas in other farming areas in its cars including ASEAN countries and Africa in the future, the company said in a statement.

Suzuki headquarters, Yokohama Lab, Suzuki R and D Center India, and Maruti Suzuki will cooperate for efficient development by sharing the development in each field for future technologies, advanced technologies, and mass production technologies.

Further, the company said it will invest two trillion Yen in research and development expenses and 2.5 trillion Yen in capital expenditures, which is a total of 4.5 trillion Yen by FY2030 (2029-30). "Of the 4.5 trillion Yen, 2 trillion Yen will be electrification-related investments, of which 500 billion Yen will be battery-related investments," it added.

Two trillion Yen, the company said, is planned to be invested for R and D expenses in areas including carbon neutrality such as electrification and biogas, as well as autonomous. It added, "2.5 trillion Yen is planned to be invested for capital expenditures in facilities including construction of BEV battery plant and renewable energy facilities."
Ahead of the Union Budget for the financial year 2024, the Indian Medical Association has proposed a slew of demands and suggestions. The IMA has asked the government that the funds for the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (AB-PMJAY) should be used exclusively for the private sector for strategic purchase and creating a retainer system. The medical body mentioned that Ayushman Bharat funds should be avoided critical gaps in the funding of government hospitals.

Further, the IMA said deficit funding is the most important cause behind the lack of penetration of the AB-PMJAY. If the funding has to be raised to at least the CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme) level, then the amount required is around 1.6 lakh crore, the doctors' body said. The money being provided now is around 12,000 crore, it said, adding that it is not possible to deficit finance to this level. Insufficient fund allotment is the root cause of the unrealistically low package rates, the IMA said.

In its proposal to the government, the IMA also recommended creating a special welfare fund for doctors in general and for the "Covid-19 martyrs" in particular.

The doctors' body said the government should conceive a zero-rate Goods and Services Tax (GST) on healthcare services, allowing the service providers to claim the input tax credit.

As the GST is not payable on healthcare services, the service providers are not eligible for the input tax credit.

Enabling this would ensure that input taxes are not added to the cost of the services and provide some relief to patients, the IMA said.

"The healthcare industry is the only industry that does not get input credit because of exemption. Actually, the GST paid by the institutions becomes expenditure and indirectly adds to the cost of treatment. Either some percentage of the total GST paid by healthcare providers be treated as advance tax or MAT (Minimum Alternative Tax) or the GST paid by them on equipment or otherwise should be reduced to 5%," it suggested.

"The country lost more than 2,000 doctors during the (Covid) pandemic. Unfortunately, the majority of the families of the deceased doctors did not receive any help other than whatever little the IMA could marshal.

"A special welfare fund for doctors in general and for Covid martyrs, in particular, has to be set up. The nation owes at least this gesture to the medical community," it said.

The IMA has also sought a hike in healthcare expenditure from the current 1.1% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 2.5%, as envisaged in the National Health Policy, 2017.

"The health policy 2017 promised GDP in healthcare of 2.5% by 2025. But the increase for healthcare has been negligible and still hovers around 1.1% of GDP," it said.

Of the healthcare expenditure of 89,000 crore for last year, a major chunk of 83,000 crore was revenue expenditure. Capital expenditure was only 5,630 crore.

A substantial increase in the capital expenditure is required in the budget to make a meaningful change, IMA added.

It also said doctors and healthcare organisations be given access to working capital and preferential funding to ensure that the overall cost of operations is reduced.

Benefits should be given to manufacturers of healthcare equipment and consumables under the "Make in India" campaign, the IMA said.

It also demanded the revival of the Indian Medical Services, which was abolished in 1947.

"There is an acute need for a drastic but holistic change in the health administration of the country by creating a specialised cadre of health administrators who would be holding the administrative responsibilities," the doctors' body said.

(With PTI inputs)
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
Adani Group shares have plunged massively for the past two consecutive days falling up to 20% and losing over 4.17 lakh crore from the combined market valuation of listed firms after the US-based investment research firm Hindenburg Research accused the conglomerate and Asia's richest man of brazen" market manipulation and accounting fraud.

The 24 January Hindenburg's report details a web of Adani-family-controlled offshore shell entities in tax havens, from the Caribbean, Mauritius, and the United Arab Emirates. It claims these were used to facilitate corruption, money laundering, and taxpayer theft while siphoning money from the groups listed companies.

Naturally, the Adani Group has denied the claims by Hindenburg and said the report is "a malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless, and discredited allegations".

Hindenburg said it had taken a short position in Adanis companies through US-traded bonds and non-Indian-traded derivative instruments.

The Adani Group is now considering taking legal action against Hindenburg Research. We are evaluating the relevant provisions under US and Indian laws for remedial and punitive action against Hindenburg," Adani group's legal head said in a statement.

On the other hand, market regulator Sebi has also increased scrutiny of deals by the Adani Group over the past year.

Meanwhile, a major concern has been raised regarding the exposure of LIC and SBI in Adani Group's stocks.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said that the high exposure of financial institutions such as the Life Insurance Company of India (LIC) and the State Bank of India (SBI) to the Adani Group has implications for financial stability and for the crores of Indians whose savings are stewarded by these pillars of the financial system.

The Congress leader claimed that "As much as 8% of LIC's equity assets under management, amounting to a gigantic sum of 74,000 crore, is in Adani companies and comprise its second-largest holding".

Alleviating the concerns of lakhs of investors, SBI Chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara said, "There is nothing alarming about our Adani exposure and we don't have any concerns as of now".

He said that the Adani Group hadn't raised any funding from SBI in the recent past and that the bank would take a "prudent call" on any funding request from them in the near future.

Another SBI official told Reuters news agency, "Our exposure to the Adani Group is below the large exposure framework of the Reserve Bank of India".

The Union Bank of India was not seeing any stress from their exposure to the conglomerate either, an official at the bank said, also speaking on condition of anonymity as the matter was private.

According to Jefferies, the Adani Group's debt accounts for 0.5% of total loans across the Indian banking sector. For public sector banks, the debt is at 0.7% of total loans and for private banks, it is at 0.3%.

LIC shareholding in Adani Group stocks:
The timing could not have been worse for Gautam Adani's 20,000 crore follow-on public offer (FPO) which came at a time when investors were offloading their positions in the group's seven listed stocks extensively. It was a bloodbath on Friday, with Adani stocks hitting lower circuits and some of them even witnessing a double-digit decline. The reason behind the free fall in Adani stocks would be Hindenburg Research's allegations over the Group. However, Adani has fought back by giving a much clear picture of its business portfolio.

On Friday, Adani Transmission, Adani Green Energy, and Adani Total Gas closed at 20% lower circuits each. While Adani Power and Adani Wilmar hit 5% lower circuits each. Adani Ports wasn't performing any better and tumbled by over 16% at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, Adani's flagship company, Adani Enterprises, which launched its FPO on Friday, nosedived by around 20% before closing at 2,762.15 apiece on BSE.

The first day of the FPO saw muted demand across investors.

Under the 20,000 crore worth FPO, on Friday, only 4,70,160 equity shares were bid against the offered size of 4,55,06,791 equity shares. The price band for the FPO is set from 3,112 to 3,276 per FPO equity share for all categories of investors.

If Adani's FPO is fully subscribed, then this will become the second largest follow-on public offer in India after Coal India's 22,558 crore issue in 2015. Earlier in 2020, Yes Bank had launched a 15,000 crore FPO.

But circumstances changed drastically a few days before Adani's FPO and it would be Hindenburg Research's report under which it accused Adani of stock manipulation and fraud schemes.

In its report on January 24, the New York-based investment research firm said, "we reveal the findings of our 2-year investigation, presenting evidence that the 17.8 trillion ($218 billion) Indian conglomerate Adani Group has engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades."

Hindenburg's report indicated that Gautam Adani, Founder, and Chairman of the Adani Group, has amassed a net worth of roughly $120 billion, adding over $100 billion in the past 3 years largely through stock price appreciation in the groups 7 key listed companies, which have spiked an average of 819% in that period.

The findings of Hindenburg's research report on Adani involved interactions with dozens of individuals, including former senior executives of Adani and also reviewing thousands of documents, and conducting diligence site visits in almost half a dozen countries.

Also, the research said, 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."

Adani companies' debt was also among the key factors that Hindenburg pointed out.

It said, 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.

Hindenburg's research note came as a shock and Adani stocks went into frenzied selling.

Although, Adani has denied Hindenburg's accusations.

On January 27th, Adani Enterprises filed a presentation covering Adani Groups response to Hindenburg Report. It was titled "Myths of Short Seller".

Hindenburg is the short seller.

According to Adani's presentation, Hindenburg asked 89 questions in total. While some of these questions are in regards to the group's related party transactions, DRI (Directorate of Revenue Intelligence), and court cases. However, there are 21 questions in total that cannot be claimed to be the result of any investigation over a 2-year period or any such assertion as they were disclosed in public documents all the way back from 2015 onwards.

Further, Adani said, 8 of 9 listed companies have a big 6 auditor such as Deloitte Haskins & Sells, SRBC & Co. (EY), SRBC & Co. (EY) & Dharmesh Parikh & Co. (Joint Auditors), Shah Dhandharia & Co., Ernst & Young, PKF, Walker Chandiok & Co. and K S Rao & Co., etc.

Moreover, on the leverage issue, Adani mentioned 100 of its various companies are rated ( these account for nearly 100% of its EBITDA). Also, in regards to revenue or balance sheet being artificially inflated or managed, it said, out of 9 listed companies in Adani portfolio  6 are subject to specific sector regulatory review for revenue, costs, and capex.

Meanwhile, in terms of governance, 4 of Adani's large companies are in the top 7% of the peer group in Emerging markets or the sector or the world. On LAS position, Adani said, overall promoter leverage is less than 4% of promoter holding.

Earlier, on January 25, Jugeshinder Singh, Group CFO, Adani said, "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."

"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," Singh added.

Also, on January 26, Jatin Jalundhwala, Group Head - Legal, Adani said, "the maliciously mischievous, unresearched report published by Hindenburg Research on 24 Jan 2023 has adversely affected the Adani Group, our shareholders, and investors. The volatility in Indian stock markets created by the report is of great concern and has led to unwanted anguish for Indian citizens."

Nevertheless, the panic selloffs in these seven stocks have led to a massive correction in Gautam Adani's net worth. Asia's richest man's wealth is to the tune of $92.7 billion as of January 28. As per Bloomberg Billionaire Index, Adani's net worth has dropped by $20.8 billion at the latest. However, year-to-date, Adani's wealth has dipped by $27.9 billion.
With a market valuation of 1,108.26 Cr, Hi Tech Pipes Ltd. is a small-cap company that engages in the metal industry. In the Indian piping sector, Hi-Tech Pipes Limited (HTPL) is a well-known brand name. Hi-Tech Pipes, one of India's top suppliers and manufacturers of ERW pipes, is headquartered in New Delhi. For a variety of industries, including infrastructure, telecom, defence, power distribution, railways, airports, real estate, automobiles, and agriculture, the firm manufactures a broad variety of steel tubes and pipes. The firm has announced its Q3FY23 results, which show the highest-ever rise in sales volume and net profit. The company has also announced a 10:1 stock split.

The company has said in a stock exchange filing that the Board of Directors in its meeting held today i.e. Saturday, January 28, 2023, has approved the sub-division/split of existing equity share of the Company from one equity share having face value of Rs, 10/- (Rupees Ten only) each, fully paid-up into Ten (10) equity shares having face value of Rs. 1/- (Rupees One only) each fully paid-up, and consequent alteration in the capital clause (Clause V) of the Memorandum of Association of the Company, subject to the approval of shareholders and other competent authorities."

Citing the rationale behind the stock split, the Board of Directors of Hi-Tech Pipes informed stock exchanges to improve the liquidity of the Company's equity shares in the stock market and to make it more affordable for small retail investors.

On a consolidated basis, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs.569.29 Crore in Q3FY23 as compared to Rs.440.02 Crore in Q3FY22, registering a growth of 29% YoY. In Q3FY23, the firm announced its highest-ever net sales volumes, up 40% to 91,232 tonnes from 65,088 tonnes in Q3FY22. Hi Tech Pipes achieved its highest-ever net profit in the third quarter of fiscal year 23 as PAT climbed by 28% to Rs. 13.02 crore from Rs. 10.17 crore in the year-ago quarter, whereas the company's EBITDA grew by 14% to Rs.28.58 Crore in Q3FY23 as compared to Rs.25.09 Crore in Q3FY22.

The company has also disclosed that it began commercial production of a color coating line in Sikandrabad, Uttar Pradesh, in the quarter that ended in December 2022, with an installed capacity of 50,000 MTPA.

Commenting on the performance, Mr. Ajay Kumar Bansal, Chairman and Managing Director, Hi-Tech Pipes Ltd. Said, During this Quarter the Company has register a healthy set of numbers in terms of Revenue, Highest Sales Volume and Profitability, this is mainly due to better capacity utilization, improved sales realizations and increase of share of Value added Products. The Commercial production of our new Color Coating Line has commenced form this month we are happy that this high margin value added product will further help in strengthening the Companys margin on blended Level in medium to long term."

In lines with our commitment to environment and making ourselves energy self-sufficient, I am happy to announce that now the maximum of power requirements in our Sikendrabad, U.P. plant now shall be fulfilled by the renewable resources. We as Company always committed to fulfil the requirements of the Society as well as Nature. Not only on the environmental front this development will also help us to reduce significantly the cost element in our manufacturing process," further added Mr. Ajay Kumar Bansal.

On Friday, the shares of Hi-Tech Pipes Limited closed on the NSE at 910.60 apiece, down by 3.20% from the previous close of 940.70.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Vipul Das Vipul Das is a Digital Business Content Producer at Livemint. He previously worked for Goodreturns.in (OneIndia News) and has over 5 years of expertise in the finance and business sector. Stocks, mutual funds, personal finance, tax, and banking are among his specialties, and he is a professional in industry research and business reporting. He received his bachelor's degree from Dr. CV Raman University and also have completed Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication (DJMC). Read more from this author
T+2 settlement: After implementation of T+1 settlement cycle in Indian stock market, India's equity mutual funds are now moving to T+2 settlement cycle from 1st February 2023. From 1st February onwards, equity mutual funds in India will be settled within two days instead of previous T+3 settlement cycle where it used to take three days for equity mutual fund redemption settlement. The mutual fund industry bodies announced about the same though a written media statement.

On why T+2 settlement is needed in India's equity mutual fund redemption, A Balasubramanian, MD & CEO at Aditya Birla Mutual Fund and Chairman, AMFI commented that T+1 settlement cycle for Indian equity markets is a global first. As an industry, we want to pass on the benefit to our mutual fund investors and hence we are proactively adopting a T+2 redemption payment cycle for equity funds. "

NS Venkatesh, Chief Executive at AMFI added that AMFI and its member AMCs always keep investor interest at the forefront. Since the day SEBI announced the phased movement of equity markets to T+1 settlement cycle, the industry has been preparing to shorten the redemption payment cycle and we are happy to announce the shift to T+2 redemption payment cycle effective February 1, 2023 onwards."

Announcing about India's equity mutual fund moving towards T+2 settlement cycle from February 2023, Association of Mutual Funds issued statement citing, "It has been decided all Asset Management Companies (AMCs) will move to T 2 redemption payment cycle for equity schemes, and implement this uniformly with effect from Feb. 1, 2023."

On how it will benefit mutual fund investors, Divam Sharma, Founder at Green Portfolio  a SEBI registered PMS provider said, "A faster liquidity in Mutual Funds through the ETF T+1 execution will increase the percentage share of investors taking the ETF route. This will also encourage an increase in ETF offerings, which is currently very small when compared to markets like US. "

From 27th January 2023, Indian stock market adopted T+1 settlement cycle for stock market investors. The landmark move aims to ensure faster liquidity to investors. Dalal Street is expecting rise in volume of the market after fast settlement cycle in Indian stock market.
Mumbai: Vinay Paharia, former chief investment officer (CIO) of Union Mutual Fund, has joined PGIM MF as its CIO. Srinivas Rao Ravuri, former CIO-equities, will set-up PGIM Indias new international business that would manage foreign investors money in Indian equities.

PGIM India MFs head of equities Aniruddha Naha will lead its new alternative investment funds (AIF) business as CIO-Alternates.

Our decision to invest in the new businesses in India is aligned with our growth strategy for the region, as we see growing opportunities in both the domestic high-net-worth and retail markets driven by wealth generation, as well as offshore investments in India. PGIM India has achieved significant growth over the last few years. The wealth of experience and track record of our local leadership and investment talents give us immense confidence in the next stage of growth, said David Chang, vice chairman  Asia, PGIM Investments.

PGIM, the global investment management business of Prudential Financial Inc, has committed additional long-term capital to PGIM India subsidiary for the new businesses.

As its CIO, Paharia will oversee equities and fixed income businesses. Puneet Pal, who is head of fixed income, will report into Paharia.

We are delighted with the start of International and AIF businesses as this completes our offering to Indian investors as well as to international investors who are actively considering India as a portfolio choice. I feel humbled by the continued commitment of our parent PGIM, which for us is a vindication of our differentiated strategy and the confidence showed in us by an increasing number of investors, both retail and institutional. I am quite excited that our immense leadership talent will lead the new businesses and that we are getting an outstanding new talent in Vinay to lead our mutual fund businesses. Together we remain committed to bring the most optimal products and services to our clients," said Ajit Menon, chief executive officer, PGIM India MF.

I am delighted with the wonderful support of our mutual fund clients, which has encouraged us to embark on a broader-focussed PGIM India 2.0 with a capable investment team in place. We are excited about the opportunities to leverage PGIMs global capabilities, including their leadership in the real estate space, at an appropriate time to build further relevance for our customers and partners," said Ravuri.
Elon Musk-backed OpenAIs ChatGPT is a free-to-use chatbot that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to answer user queries. The AI chatbot has gained popularity over a short period of time. But it is now growing into an issue of concern for some.

A university in Bengaluru has banned the use of ChatGPT inside the campus. According to a report by Hindustan Times, Bengalurus RV University has restricted ChatGPT inside the campus to arrest its misuse by students. In case the university faculty doubts on the originality of an assignment, they can ask students to redo it, the report says.

Not only ChatGPT, the university has also banned other AI tools such as GitHub Co-pilot and Black Box. We have issued an advisory to all departments in the university and banned a few AI tools like ChatGPT as students might use them in exams or to complete their assignments. The ban is already implemented," said an official to Hindustan Times.

Sciences Po, one of France's top universities, has also banned the use of ChatGPT. The university said on Friday the school had emailed all students and faculty announcing a ban on OpenAI's ChatGPT and all other AI-based tools at Sciences Po.

"Without transparent referencing, students are forbidden to use the software for the production of any written work or presentations, except for specific course purposes, with the supervision of a course leader," Sciences Po said, though it did not specify how it would track usage.

According to US media reports, some public schools in New York City and Seattle have also banned the use of ChatGPT. Concerns about the AI chatbot escalated after a recent report which said that the ChatGPT has passed exams at a US law school after writing essays on topics ranging from constitutional law to taxation and torts.

Educators across the world have started warning against the widespread misuse of the AI bot for cheating and changing traditional classroom teaching methods.
The 15th BRICS summit will take place this year in late August in South Africa's Durban.

The announcement was apparently made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a joint news conference with Foreign Minister of the State of Eritrea Osman Saleh in Massawa, Eritrea on January 26, as reported by news agency ANI.

Calling BRICS a manifestation of global multi-polarity, Lavrov said that strengthening regional identity in the developing regions of the world does not mean that multi-polarity is not happening in a global dimension.

"This organisation unites five countries, with more than 12 others showing an interest in joining it. Developing links between BRICS and other countries will be a central topic at the upcoming summit of the five which is to take place in August in Durban, South Africa. The clock of multi-polar history is ticking in the right direction," Lavrov said. Earlier in 2013, the fifth annual BRICS summit was held in Durban, South Africa.

The foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, and China met for the first time on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in 2006, kicking off BRIC cooperation.

Later in June 2009, the BRIC leaders held their first meeting in Russia, upgrading BRIC cooperation to Summit level.

In April 2011, for the first time, South Africa participated in the 3rd BRICS Summit held in Sanya, China. Since it's inception in 2009, the BRICS leaders have convened 14 formal meetings and 9 informal meetings.

It was attended by the head of state or heads of government of the five member states Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

(With inputs from ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday stressed on the need to increase conviction rate in the country and integrating the criminal justice system with forensic science investigation.

He said that if the police have to stay two steps ahead, conviction rate has to be increased and with the use of scientific techniques, NFSU can help in this field.

Speaking after laying the foundation for an off-campus facility of National Forensic Sciences University, Shah said, the world of crime is changing very fast. Counterfeit currency trading, Hawala transactions, border infiltration, narcotics, cybercrime and crime against women. Criminals are moving ahead of the police and until the police do not remain two steps ahead of the criminals, prevention of crime is not possible."

He said that if the police have to stay two steps ahead, conviction rate has to be increased and with the use of scientific techniques, NFSU can help in this field.

The minister said that unless the investigation is scientifically based on forensic science, the culprit cannot be punished in the court. For this, it is very important that the officers of Forensic Science should be first to reach the crime scene in all the crimes with punishment of 6 years or more," he added.

He said that Karnataka is the second state after Delhi which has made the visit of forensic science experts mandatory in urban areas in all crimes which have more than 6 years punishment.

Shah said that when India is progressing in every field, our challenges have also increased and we have to understand that according to these challenges, we also have to prepare our experts.

Highlighting that the country has been making strides in the field of forensic science, the home minister said the country will have the largest number of forensic science experts in five years.

Noting that as India is progressing the challenges will also increase, Shah said there is a need to prepare experts in accordance with those challenges.

There are three parts for law and order, he said, one is practical law and order which is managed by police, crime investigation in which forensic science has a big role, and then strengthening the criminal justice system.

Forensic science evidence will be given importance in our justice system, so we are amending the IPC, CrPC and Indian Evidence Act to strengthen it for giving punishment to criminals based on scientific evidence," he said, adding that it is no more the time for third degree methods".

Highlighting that the conviction rate in Canada is 62 per cent, Israel 93 per cent, England 80 per cent and America 90 per cent, while Indias is 50 per cent, Shah said: we cannot be lagging behind in this. If we have to set right the law and order situation in the country, we have to increase our conviction rate. We will have to integrate our criminal justice system with forensic science-based investigation." For certain heinous crimes, forensic science investigation has to be made mandatory, he said.

Shah said that if we have to make forensic science investigation mandatory in every police station across the country, then we need 8000 to 10,000 forensic science experts in 9 years. Before the establishment of the National Forensic Science University, the Gujarat Forensic Science University had a capacity of 500 and this goal could not be achieved.

He said that after opening the campuses of National Forensic Science University gradually in all the states of the country, we will definitely get 10000 experts who will serve the country in strengthening the criminal justice system for many years.

Noting that the foundation has been laid for the ninth off-campus facility of National Forensic Sciences University in Dharwad, Shah said, in this campus of NFSU, subjects relating to forensic science like cybersecurity, digital forensics, artificial intelligence, DNA forensics, food processing, environment forensics, and agriculture forensics, will be taught till the expert level.
The latest educational institution to get warped in the controversial documentary India: The Modi Question, by British Broadcasting Company (BBC), is Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.

The TISS authorities issued a second warning to the students in the campus against the screening of the BBC documentary that has been banned in India. Several higher eductaional institutions in national capital Delhi have faced the ire of authorities, student wing of religious-political outfits, students regarding the screening of the documentary.

This includes Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi University (DU), and Jamilia Milia Islamia University. Further in West Bengal, Jadavpur University conducted a rather peaceful screening of the documentary.

TISS authorities said, It is with utmost seriousness, we note that some students, through a group, are engaged in activities contravening the advisory issued on 27th January regarding the screening of a BBC documentary forbidden by the government and attempting to mobilise and trigger students to do the same" in their second warning.

"We caution the students to understand that any such acts by any student or groups violating the instructions issued on 27th January 2023 and engaging in any activities leading to disturbance of peace and harmony will be held responsible for the same and will be dealt with duly under relevant institutional rules on the matter," the advisory adds.

In the earlier notice issued, the institute said that they had not permitted any such screening and gatherings that may disturb the academic environment and jeopardize the campus's peace and harmony.

"It has come to our notice that some groups of students are planning to screen the BBC documentary that has disrupted some parts of the country. Some plan to organise gatherings to protest against related developments in a few universities," the advisory from the TISS read.

However, the TISS Student union leader Pratik Permey said that the association has not planned any screening of the said documentary.

"The TISS Student association has also received the advisory from the registrar and director of the TISS but the association has not planned any screening of the said documentary. We have heard that one Progressive Students Forum (PSF) has organised this screening. We are not part of it," said Permey.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is in power in Maharashtra, has opposed the screening. The saffron party's youth wing Bharatiya Yuva Morcha staged a protest outside the campus.

The BJP's Mumbai unit chief Ashish Shelar demanded that the screening should be stopped, accusing the TISS of trying to spoil the law and order in Mumbai and Maharashtra.

The BBC documentary has created a fresh row in the country after the government, earlier this month, denounced it and described it as a "propaganda piece" that is designed to push a discredited narrative. The government also pulled down the BBC documentary 'India: The Modi Question' from various social media platforms including Twitter and Youtube.

The row further deepened after JNUSU members allegedly faced a "deliberate" power outage, while they were screening the impugned BBC documentary at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in the national capital.

The documentary leads to opposition attacking the government on freedom of speech despite the government terming it as a 'propaganda piece'.

The Delhi Police said the university administration did not allow the screening of the BBC documentary on the campus.
Bharat Biotech's intranasal Covid vaccine, iNCOVACC, is likely to be available at government centres in Delhi by mid-February, senior officials of the Delhi government told Hindustan Times.

As pert the official, the availability of the vaccine in private centres will, however, depend on the bookings made by each hospital.

Speaking of booster dose data in the national capital, data shows that less than 30 percent of the citys population has taken the Covid booster dose, as reported by HT.

Also Read: Almost 40,000 COVID deaths globally last week, more than half from China: WHO

The needle-free vaccine can be administered as a precautionary dose to adults who have been vaccinated with two doses of either Covishield or Covaxin.

On 26 January, health minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh had launched the worlds first COVID-19 intranasal vaccine. The vaccine will cost at government hospitals for 325 a dose, and for 800 in private settings. It is countrys first indigenously made nasal Covid-19 vaccine.

We will start procuring stocks. After February 15, the nasal vaccines are expected to be administered in our centres," a government official told HT.

The intranasal vaccine iNCOVACC is a recombinant replication deficient adenovirus vectored vaccine with a pre-fusion stabilised spike protein. This vaccine candidate was evaluated in phase I, II and III clinical trials with successful results, the Hyderabad-based vaccine-maker had said in a statement.

Max Healthcare's group medical director Dr Sandeep Budhiraja informed that the only 27 percent of India's population has taken the booster dose and the nasal vaccine will encourage people to get the booster dose due to its ease of administration.

While speaking to HT, he said, I think people will be encouraged to get the nasal vaccines as their booster because of the ease of administration. Some people have a phobia of needles so it is an easy vaccine to administer. Currently, just about 27% of the population in India have taken their third dose. There is a need for people to take their booster doses and with this sort of nasal vaccine being propagated and approved, the uptake among the people would be higher."

Meanwhile, the country logged 99 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases declined to 1,896, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. According to the ministry's website 220.36 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.
Chinese envoy urges helping Mali strengthen counterterrorism capacity building

Xinhua) 14:13, January 28, 2023

UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Friday urged the international community to help Mali build counterterrorism capacities.

"The international community should help Mali strengthen its counterterrorism capacity building, bolster its support in terms of finance, equipment, intelligence, and logistics, and respect Mali's sovereign right to engage in external security cooperation," Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council briefing on Mali.

"Regional countries should keep up the current counterterrorism cooperation momentum and forge synergy," the envoy added.

Dai stated that Mali has recently conducted counterterrorism operations in Mopt among other areas to maintain local stability and protect civilians, noting that these efforts "merit our full recognition."

"Terrorist forces remain rampant and are constantly harassing villages, kidnapping and attacking civilians. Such security threats are spilling over to neighboring countries," he said. "Mali stands at the forefront of counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel and West Africa."

"To support Mali in combating terrorism is to safeguard regional peace," the envoy stressed.

Speaking about the situation in the war-torn country, Dai said that "the political and peace process in Mali stands at a critical juncture, which requires unrelenting attention and support from the international community."

"We need to help the Malian Government properly address the various challenges," he added.

Referring to the efforts made by the Malian government, the envoy said that Mali has recently initiated the constitutional process, set up a more inclusive National Transitional Council, and advanced election preparations.

"China welcomes these positive outcomes," he said.

Noting that political transition can hardly be achieved overnight, the ambassador said that it is essential to ensure broad-based participation, take into account the interests of all parties, safeguard unity and stability, and address differences through dialogue and consultation, thereby creating conditions conducive to the constitutional referendum and the electoral process.

"The international community, in providing support, should respect Mali's sovereignty and ownership. The AU and the Economic Community of West African States should continue to play a constructive role. The implementation of the Peace and Reconciliation Agreement is of vital importance," Dai spelled out.

"We welcome the efforts made by all parties concerned to reopen the dialogue mechanism, including the monitoring committee, commend the important role played by Algeria in leading the international mediation team, and look forward to greater contributions from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA)," he said.

With the backdrop that Mali faces a grim economic situation, with a quarter of its population in need of humanitarian assistance, Dai said that "we should work together to help alleviate its difficulties, ensure that relief funds are in place, and forestall the recurrence of humanitarian disaster in Mali."

"It is necessary to scale up investment in peacebuilding, support Mali in implementing projects in such areas as agriculture development, infrastructure, education, and housing, and help Mali enhance its own development capacity," he added.

Turning to MINUSMA, Dai said that efforts must be made to strengthen the mission's top-level design, streamline and optimize its mandate, and focus its resources and strength on the most central and urgent tasks.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The entry and exit from Gate No. 4 of Rajiv Chowk Metro Station of Delhi Metro will remain closed on 29 January for civil renovation work. The metro authorities informed the commuters on Saturday about the closure and added that passengers can use Gate No 3 for entry or exit.

The authorities added that all services on the Yellow line metro station Rajiv Chowk and other stations of Delhi Metro will function normally.

In other news from the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday laid down the plan to ensure last-mile connectivity in the capital city. The Government of Delhi is planning to launch 1500 e-scooters at 250 locations in the Dwarka area of Delhi, as part of the pilot project.

The decision by the Delhi government was taken after a high-level review meeting on transport reforms by the Chief Minister. He said that the government has procured buses on a large scale and the metro system is also good.

"But last mile connectivity has been a very major concern for a very long. We have found a solution to this finally. We are going to start a pilot project in the Dwarka sub-city by deploying e-scooters in the self-driving system," he said.

"The area of Dwarka in itself contains about 10 metro stations and dozens of bus stops. We have identified 250 locations to deploy 1,500 e-scooters. You can hire the scooter using the integrated card itself that works in buses and metros," Kejriwal said.

The Chief Minister said that the helmet will also be attached to the scooter. "You can take it and drive around in the area and drop it anywhere on the 250 locations. All the scooters will contain swappable batteries. The driving range of the scooter will be at least 60 km/charge, max speed will be 60 kmph," he said.

From the day of the tender agreement, 500 e-scooters will be available at 100 locations. "Then another 500 at another 100 locations in the next four months and then another 500 with another 50 locations by the end of the year. The contract will be awarded for seven years. The locations chosen for the contract are the high-footfall areas of Dwarka. The bidding parameter would be the company charging the lowest amount of fare from the consumer," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)
The plan to beautify the national capital is ready for implementation as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday shared several details about the plan. The Chief Minister said that mechanical sweeping will be used and footpaths will also be cleaned very regularly.

"We are set to hire 100 mechanized road sweepers. Roads under PWD (Public Welfare Department) - stretching across 1,400 km - will be repaired. Footpaths will be cleaned thrice a week," Arvind Kejriwal said.

The Chief Minister added that 250 machines will help in cleaning non-PWD roads.

The Delhi government is planning tree plantation on large scale. Kejriwal said that around 10,000 liters of water will be required, sourced from the Sewage Treatment Plant of Delhi Jal Board. The government will ensure strict monitoring of the plan and a dashboard will also be created to keep a track of the developments.

During the first year, the cost of the project is projected at around Rs. 4,500 crores, and recurring expenses are also expected in the subsequent years.

"All these plans would function only when there is strict monitoring, which will be done with vigilance cameras. The entire system would be on the dashboard to ensure proper tracking," the Chief Minister said.

Delhi government is also working on improving last-mile connectivity in the city and with that objective will introduce a pilot project in Dwarka where 1500 e-scooters will be available across 250 locations. "People can use integrated tickets. You can use the same ticket to travel on buses, e-scooters, and the metro. You can pick up any of these self-driven e-scooters from these 250 locations. The speed is 60 km per hour," Chief Minster elaborated on the project.

Once the tender is released, 500 e-scooters will be available at 100 locations and if successful, the project will be replicated for the whole capital city, Kejriwal added.
For the Beating Retreat ritual at Vijay Chowk, Delhi Police has made elaborate traffic preparations, according to officials on Saturday. The Republic Day celebrations officially come to a close on January 29 with the Beating Retreat ritual. According to a warning, there will be no through traffic on January 29 from 2 pm to 9.30 pm and Vijay Chowk would stay blocked.

For those visiting Vijay Chowk to view lights, parking will be given behind water channels between Rafi Marg and "C" Hexagon (after 8 pm). Drivers are urged to abide by the law, pay attention to traffic officials' instructions, and stay informed by following the traffic police on social media, Twitter, and by calling their helpline.

Also Read: Avoid THESE routes in Delhi till Jan 31

Rafi Marg will be closed to traffic between Sunehri Masjid and Krishi Bhawan roundabouts, as well as beyond Dara Shikoh, Krishna Menon Marg, and Sunehri Masjid in the direction of Vijay Chowk. According to the alert, there will be a restriction on traffic on Kartavya Path between Vijay Chowk and "C" hexagon.

Aurobindo Marg, Madarsa "T" Point, Lodhi Road, Subramaniam Bharti Marg, Safdarjung Road, Kamal Ataturk Marg, Rani Jhansi Road, Minto Road, and other routes are advised to commuters, according to the statement.

Also Read: Delhi Police announces ban on flying objects, other restrictions on Kartavya Path

In order to accommodate the vehicles of invitees and onlookers and to avoid traffic congestion on roads around the ceremony's locations and India Gate, the buses will be diverted off their regular routes from 2 pm to 9.30 pm on January 29, the advisory said.

The commuters are advised to make maximum use of metro services while planning their journey in the vicinity of New Delhi, it added.

(With agency inputs)
Union Petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri rededicated Oil and Natural Gas Corporations (ONGC) iconic drilling rig Sagar Samrat, as a Mobile Offshore Production Unit (MOPU) on Saturday at a ceremony held on Sagar Samrat and said, ONGC Jeetega toh India Jeetega (ONGCs victory is Indias victory)."

The Minister later visited ONGC Kendriya Vidyalaya Grounds, Panvel Phase 1 to meet the Energy Soldiers of ONGC and their families.

The Minister highlighted how Sagar Samrat is a testimony of Indias vision of producing its own oil when it was globally labelled as barren" in terms of hydrocarbon exploration. The Minister stated that in harnessing Indias most prominent and prolific oilfield, ONGC has consistently committed itself to the pursuit of knowledge, continual excellence and the willingness to evolve technologically.

Commissioned in 1973, Sagar Samrat was built at the Mitsubishi yard in Japan and set sail from Hiroshima on 3 April 1973. It drilled ONGCs first Offshore well in 1974 in Mumbai Offshore region of Arabian Sea, then called the Bombay High. Sagar Samrat turned tides of Indias oil fortune by putting it on the global oil map.

In 32 years, Sagar Samrat has drilled almost 125 wells and has been involved with 14 key offshore oil and gas discoveries in India. Initially a jack-up drilling rig, Sagar Samrat has now been converted into a Mobile Offshore Production Unit (MOPU). The British engineering and consulting conglomerate Wood Groups Mustang unit based in Texas carried out the front-end engineering and design for the vessels conversion," the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas said in a statement.

MOPU Sagar Samrat commenced production on 23 December 2022. The vessel is presently deployed at Western Offshore (WO)-16 field, located 140-145 kilometres west of Mumbai. Located adjacent to the ONGCs existing WO-16 well head platform (WHP) in 76m of water depth, the vessel will be instrumental in producing from marginal fields in WO cluster thereby augmenting production from Western Offshore.

The MOPU is designed to handle 20,000 barrels per day of crude oil and has a maximum export gas capacity of 2.36 million cubic meters per day.
India reported 93 new covid-19 infections in the last 24 hours, while active cases declined to 1,842, the union health ministry data showed. The total tally of covid cases has reached 4.47 crore, and covid-related deaths stood at 530,739.

The daily positivity was at 0.07%, while the weekly positivity stood at 0.08%, the ministry stated. Indias recovery rate has increased to 98.81%.

Karnataka reported 165 active cases, while Kerala has 1181 active cases. Maharashtra has 81 active cases, Odisha 87 cases, Rajasthan six cases, Tamil Nadu 49 active cases, Uttar Pradesh 10 and West Bengal has 52 active cases so far.

The country has conducted over 1,36,102 tests in the last 24 hours taking the total trajectory of covid testing to 91.51 crore so far.

Under the covid vaccination drive, more than 220.38 crore vaccine doses have been administered to the people across the country so far. In the last 24 hours, around 2,05,509 vaccine doses were administered.

INSACOG under the supervision of Department of Biotechnology (DBT) is keeping a close watch on covid situation in the country and continues to do constant genome sequencing to track any new variant.

Besides, surveillance at the hospital level is also going on to monitor lnfluenza-like illness (lLl) & SARI cases.

With large number of covid cases being reported in China and other countries, the government has tightened covid preparedness measures urging people to complete their vaccination doses and follow covid-19 preventive measures.

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While pointing out that slowly Metro is becoming the new lifeline of Mumbai, the regional planning body MMRDA on Saturday informed that after the recent launch by PM Modi, more than 10 lakh commuters have used the non-polluting lines 2A and 7.

The two lines were part of the second phase of the mass transit system launched on 19 January by the Prime Minister. The numbers on the Yellow and Red Line, which were launched during the first phase in April 2022 also look promising and have recently crossed the 1 crore mark.

Now Metro is not just a means of transport, its becoming a new lifeline," said SVR Srinivas, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA. Srinivas added that with rising environmental concerns people are switching from private vehicles to more eco-friendly modes of transportation.

Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is the regional planning body of Mumbai that looks after the areas like infrastructure development in the metropolitan region.

The 18.6-km-long line 2A connects suburban Dahisar (East) with the 16.5-km-long D N Nagar (yellow line), while line 7 (Red) links Andheri (East) with Dahisar (East). According to the regional metropolitan body, 22 trains provide a total of 245 services daily on lines 2A and 7.

The lines are built with the objective to cut travel time between Dahisar and Andheri and also decongesting the roads along the western suburbs of SV Road and Western Express Highway.

Almost 1,00,03,270 commuters traveled to date," said the MMRDA release.

The authority added that with the inauguration of the second phase of lines 2A and 7, metro services are fully operational at Ghatkopar-Andheri-Versova line 1. The MMRDA said that with this Mumbai Metropolitan Region has created its first metro rail network.

MMRDA also touched upon the Mumbai 1 cards and said that in the past week, more than 20,000 such cards were issued, allowing commuters to seamlessly travel on trains and BEST buses in the city.

The application was launched during the second phase on 19 January by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It generates QR codes for tickets.

(With inputs from PTI)
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India was correcting its past mistakes by celebrating its varied heritage and remembering its unsung bravehearts who were lost in the pages of history.

It is the countrys misfortune that such countless fighters could not get the place they deserve in our history. But New India is rectifying these mistakes of the past decades," Modi said.

Addressing a ceremony commemorating 1111th Avataran Mahotsav of Bhagwan Shri Devnarayan Ji in Rajasthan, PM Modi said that many attempts were made to break India geographically, culturally, socially, and ideologically, but no force could destroy India. India is not just a piece of land but an expression of our civilization and potential.

Referring to the continued ancient flow of Indian consciousness, the Prime Minister said that India is not just a land mass but is an expression of our civilization, culture, harmony and possibilities.

He spoke about the resilience of the Indian civilization as many other civilizations could not adapt to the changing times and perished. Despite many efforts taking place to break India geographically, culturally, socially and ideologically, no power could finish India," Modi added.

The India of today is laying the foundations for a grand future", the Prime Minister said as he credited the strength and inspiration of the Indian society that preserves the immortality of the nation.

Throwing light on the contributions of the strength of the society in the thousand-year-old journey of India, he noted the energy that stems from within the society in every period of history and acts as the guiding light for everyone.

The Prime Minister said that Bhagwan Shri Devnarayan always gave precedence to service and peoples welfare. He recounted Shri Devnarayans devotion to the peoples welfare and his choice of service to humanity.

Path shown by Bhagwan Devnarayan is of Sabka Vikas through Sabka Saath and the country, today, is following the same path, PM Modi said.

For the past 8-9 years the country is trying to empower every section that has remained deprived and neglected. We are moving with the mantra of precedence to the deprived," he added.

The Prime Minister recalled the time when there was huge uncertainty about the availability and quality of ration for the poor. Today, he said, every beneficiary is getting full ration and getting it free. The Ayushman Bharat scheme has addressed the worry about medical treatment.

He said, We are also addressing the poor sections concern about housing, toilet, gas connection and electricity." Underlining the financial inclusion that has taken place in recent years, the Prime Minister said that the doors of banks are open for everyone.

The Prime Minister noted the coincidence that in the 1111th year of Bhagwan Devnarayanji who appeared on a lotus, India assumed the presidency of G-20 whose logo also shows the lotus carrying the earth. He concluded by paying tributes to the social energy and atmosphere of devotion on the occasion.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the annual NCC PM rally at the Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi on 28 January, 2023 at around 5:45 pm, the Prime Ministers Office said in a statement.

NCC is this year celebrating the 75th year of its inception.

"During the event, Prime Minister will release a special Day Cover and a commemorative specially minted coin of 75/- denomination, commemorating 75 successful years of NCC, the PMO said.

Also Read: PM Modi to contest 2024 Lok Sabha polls from Tamil Nadu? Here's all you need to know

The rally will be held as a hybrid day and night event and will also include a cultural programme on the theme 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'.

In the true Indian spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, 196 officers and cadets from 19 foreign countries have been invited to participate in the celebrations.

Also Read: Watch: PM Modi tells students, Dreams change over generations at a micro-level

The NCC is a youth wing of Indias armed forces and is open to students across all schools and colleges on a voluntary basis.

The organisation comprises the Army, Air Force and Navy wing, and imparts basic military training in small arms and drills to the cadets. The NCC was formed under the National Cadet Corps act of 1948 and is currently headed by Lt General Gurbirpal Singh.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi will address the ceremony commemorating the 1111th 'Avataran Mahotsav' of Bhagwan Shri Devnarayan ji in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan on Saturday at around 11:30 am.

According to the PMO, PM Modi will be the chief guest during the programme. Bhagwan Shri Devnarayan ji is worshipped by the people of Rajasthan, and his followers are spread across the length and breadth of the country. He is revered especially for his work towards public service.

(With inputs from agencies)
As the 2024 Lok Sabha elections approach, rumours suggest that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be contesting from Tamil Nadu. While the reports remain unconfirmed, state BJP chief K Annamalai said that the PM was considered an "insider' in the southernmost state.

The rumours suggest that Modi will be contesting from Ramanathapuram in the upcoming elections. Without confirming the contention, Annamalai interpreted it as a sign that PM Modi had transcended regional barriers.

Modi ji is seen as an insider. In fact, if you look at the Tamil news for the last month, somebody has started a rumour that Modi ji is fighting from Tamil Nadu for one of the seats. Everywhere you go, people ask (whether PM Modi will contest from Tamil Nadu)," he told news agency ANI.

Prime Minister Modi had contested the 2014 elections from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Vadodara in Gujarat. While he won both seats, the PM had opted to represent represent Varanasi. He was reelected from the constituency in 2019.

Ramanathapuram is what the rumour says. So people have picked up the rumour. It is all a rumour. But people are commenting...They are talking... They want Modi ji to contest. This is seen as a sign that Modi ji is seen as an insider and not an outsider from any distant part of India," Annamalai said.

Dubbing Modi an unifier", Annamalai said that the PM was the first person who took the effort to reach out to Tamil Nadu".

His magic translating into votes in Tamil Nadu is an art. The important thing in the next 16-18 months, we are working like a wire now, putting people in the booth, they know which house to go to, which person to approach, and they know which voter is voting for us. This is something we have to do," he added.

(With inputs from agencies)
The Israeli military was sending more troops into the occupied West Bank a day after a Palestinian gunman shot dead seven people on the outskirts of Jerusalem and another shooting attack in the city on Saturday wounded two people.

The attacks took place towards the end of a month of growing confrontation and follow an Israeli raid in the West Bank that killed nine Palestinians, including seven gunmen, and cross-border fire between Israel and Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet was due to meet later on Saturday.

Israel's response to an attack by a Palestinian gunman attack that killed seven people on the outskirts of Jerusalem will be "strong, swift and precise," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday.

Friday's attack outside a synagogue was the deadliest in the Jerusalem area since 2008. The gunman, Khaire Alkam, was a 21-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem. Among the dead was a 14-year-old boy, police said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the shooting and Alkam's father told Reuters his son had no links to militants. He struck in an area that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after capturing it in the 1967 Middle East war in a move not recognised internationally.

Police said he had tried to flee by car but was chased by officers and shot dead. Forty-two suspects, including his family members, had been arrested, police said.

On Saturday, police said a 13-year-old Palestinian boy opened fire at a group of passers-by, wounding two people, before he was shot and wounded by one of them.

That incident took place around Silwan, a Palestinian neighbourhood that lies below Jerusalem's Old City walls.

The attacks underline the potential for an intensification in violence after months of worsening clashes in the West Bank. At least 30 Palestinians - militants and civilians - have been killed there since the start of 2023.

The raid by Israeli forces in Jenin on Thursday was the deadliest such incident there in years.

Israel's military said on Saturday it was sending an additional battalion into the West Bank.

"The region is heading for an uprecedented escalation," said Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the militant Palestinian group Hamas which controls the Gaza Strip.

Visiting a Jerusalem hospital treating casualties, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would seek to increase the number of gun permits. "I want weapons on the street. I want Israeli citizens to be able to protect themselves," he said.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the pro-settler Religious Zionism party, said he would demand speeding up Israeli settlement construction plans in the West Bank, which his party hopes to eventually see annexed.

Both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are members of Netanyahu's security cabinet but there was no indication that he would meet their demands, some of which have been made in the past.

SCENE AT SYNAGOGUE

Police said the gunman in Friday's attack arrived at 8:15 p.m. and opened fire with a handgun, hitting a number of people before he was killed by police.

Shimon Israel, 56, who lives nearby, said his family were starting their Sabbath dinner when they heard shooting and screaming. He opened the window and saw his neighbour running on the street to get the police.

"I told him 'Eli, don't go there. Eli don't go.' He got married only a year ago. A good neighbour, like a brother. He ran. I saw him fall there," Israel told Reuters.

"Natali, his wife, ran after him. She saw someone here and was trying to resuscitate him. The terrorist came and shot her from behind and got her too," he said.

The gunman was a relative of a 17-year-old Palestinian who was shot dead on Wednesday in clashes with Israeli forces in a Jerusalem refugee camp, his family said.

His father, Moussa Alkam, said he did not know whether his son was seeking revenge. "He is neither the first nor the last young man to get martyred and what he did is a source of pride," Alkam said.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made no mention of the shootings in a statement published by the official Palestinian agency WAFA, and blamed Israel for the escalation in violence.

Abbas's Palestinian Authority, which has limited governing powers in the West Bank, suspended security cooperation arrangements with Israel after the deadly Jenin raid.

CONDEMNATION

Friday's shooting, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, was condemned by the White House and U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who urged "utmost restraint". It came days before a planned visit by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel and the West Bank.

A Ukrainian woman was among the dead, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in Kyiv.

Jordan and Egypt, Arab countries that have signed peace treaties with Israel, condemned the shooting as did the United Arab Emirates, one of several Arab states that normalised relations with Israel just over two years ago.

Saudi Arabia, which does not have formal ties with Israel, condemned the targeting of civilians and said there was a need to halt an escalation in violence.

Lebanon's Iran-backed group Hezbollah praised the attack and Hamas hailed it as a response to Thursday's Jenin raid, as did the smaller Islamic Jihad.

Earlier on Friday, militants in Gaza fired rockets at Israel, causing no casualties but drawing Israeli air strikes in the blockaded coastal strip.

The Palestinian health ministry said on Friday three Palestinians were taken to hospital after being shot by an Israeli settler in the northern West Bank.

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Csaba Korosi is set to visit India from 29 to 31 January. Korosi, a Hungarian diplomat, was elected to serve as President of the 77th General Assembly. This will be his first bilateral visit to any country since becoming President of the UNGA.

Korosi will meet with External Affair Minister S Jaishankar.

During the visit, PGA will be holding talks with EAM on key multilateral and regional issues of mutual interest. PGA has outlined five priorities for his UNGA Presidency: i) Standing firm on basic principles of the United Nations Charter; ii) Making significant and measurable progress in sustainability transformation; iii) Aiming at integrated, systemic solutions; iv) Enhancing role of science in decision-making; and v) Increasing solidarity to better endure new chapters of crises facing the world," reads a press release by the Ministry of External Affairs.

"Given PGAs strong interest in Indias expertise in water management and experience in SDGs, he would also be interacting with senior officials of NITI Aayog and Indias G20 Presidency team to explore the scaling up of Indias best practices. On 30 January, PGA will deliver a public address at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA) on his Presidency theme of Solutions through Solidarity, Sustainability and Science in the UN"," the release goes on to read.

Korosi will also attend the Beating the Retreat" ceremony at Indias Republic Day on 29 January. After his engagements in Delhi, Korosi will fly to Bengaluru. He is expected to interact with scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and will also visit development projects around the city.

According to the MEA, Korosis visit to India will be an opportunity to exchange views on global challenges that the United Nations is currently seized with. It would help reinforce Indias abiding commitment to multilateralism, including through its ongoing G20 Presidency, and how it would address these global challenges meaningfully for a better future for the Global South."
About 50 protesters gathered Friday night in Memphis, in the southern United States, demanding justice after a video was released showing police violently arresting Tyre Nichols, a young Black man who died a few days after the incident.

Waving signs reading "Justice for Tyre" and "End police terror," they headed to Martyrs Park in the center of Memphis.

Five police officers have been charged with second-degree murder in the beating of the 29-year-old, who died in a Memphis hospital on January 10 three days after being stopped on suspicion of reckless driving.

At 6:00 pm on Friday, (0000 GMT Saturday), the few dozen protesters, chanting "No justice, no peace," managed to block a major road in the city, causing traffic jams.

The procession carried on to a bridge crossing the Mississippi River.

"Whose bridge?!" shouted an activist with a megaphone; "Our bridge" came the reply from the crowd.

Monica Johnson, a community organizer from Atlanta, said it was "sick" that all the accused policemen were also Black, an anomaly among recent high-profile killings of Black men, which often involve white officers.

"But it doesn't surprise me, because we've seen for years and for decades that Black people have -- for a check, for their occupation -- done the same thing and served the same system of white supremacy and capital," the 24-year-old said.

She said the protesters demanded "accountability, conviction for all of the cops involved and a stop to the police making those traffic stops where they kill people."

"For me there is no good cop," said LJ Abraham, a community organizer in Memphis.

"And so for me, it does not matter what the race of the cop is. They're hired to protect us and serve -- they're failing on that across the country, and to say 'murder' is the proper word to describe what happened, he was murdered," she added.

For David Stacks, a Black Memphis resident who owns a car detailing business, Nicols' death "should draw everybody together, open the eyes of" the country's African-American population.

"Like, this is bigger than all other obstacles and whatever y'all have, going on amongst each other," the 38-year-old said.

Authorities had feared that fury triggered by the video could spark widespread violence, but the center of the city remained calm, with businesses still open.

Earlier in the day, at a Memphis skate park where Nichols was a regular, Robert Walters, a 67-year-old blues musician visiting the city from Virginia, said the fact the officers were Black "hurts."

"I'm a Black man living in America. And that fear is always something that me and my son, we grew up with and we live with," he told AFP, in reference to police brutality.

"These guys, you'd think, of anybody, should know (better), but it just goes to show you that anybody can fall into that trap," he said.

"I just want people to just be calm and not do anything stupid, not destroy or hurt."

Candles and flowers had been laid in Nichols' honor at the skate park.

"Rest in peace Tyre," read a handwritten message on the flowers.

"We're so sorry."

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text.
A loud blast was heard at a military plant in Iran's central city of Isfahan, but a security official said there were no casualties, Iranian state broadcaster IRIB said on its website early on Sunday.

"An explosion at a military plant in Iran's central city of Isfahan was caused by a drone attack, Iranian state media reported on Sunday, citing the defence ministry.

"One of (the drones) was hit by the ... air defence and the other two were caught in defence traps and blew up. Fortunately, this unsuccessful attack did not cause any loss of life and caused minor damage to the workshop's roof," the ministry said in a statement carried by the state news agency IRNA

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Frieds lawyer insisted Saturday his client didnt seek to influence a witness in the US governments fraud case against him, accusing prosecutors of trying to portray him in the worst possible light."

Mark Cohen, a lawyer for Bankman-Fried, asked the federal judge presiding over the case to allow his client to meet some people involved in FTX, saying his client needs to participate in his defense. Cohen says Bankman-Frieds use of Signal to reach out to the current general counsel of FTX US, who is a witness, was merely an innocuous attempt to offer assistance in FTXs bankruptcy process and does not reflect misconduct that warrants the restriction the Government proposes here."

Federal prosecutors on Friday asked a judge to impose new bail conditions on Bankman-Fried, who has pleaded not guilty to fraud, after he contacted the FTX employee.

On Jan. 15, Bankman-Fried sent a Signal message and email to the employee, referred to as witness 1," stating: I would really love to reconnect and see if theres a way for us to have a constructive relationship, use each other as resources when possible, or at least vet things with each other."

Prosecutors viewed that as an attempt to sway the witnesss potential testimony and asked the judge to ban Bankman-Fried from contacting current and former FTX employees  other than his father  except in the presence of legal counsel. The government has also asked the court to restrict Bankman-Frieds use of encrypted messaging applications.

Prosecutors wrote in their filing that the investigation had revealed Bankman-Fried used the auto-delete function on Slack and Signal to conduct FTX business and incriminating conversations" had been lost.

Bankman-Frieds defense team were caught off guard by the prosecutions filing on Friday night, after more than a week of discussions between the two sides about imposing further restrictions that everyone agreed on.

The Government apparently believes that a one-sided presentation  spun to put our client in the worst possible light  is the best way to get the outcome it seeks, even if it does not present the full context to the court," Cohen wrote in his response.

Cohen has proposed a bail condition that would restrict Bankman-Fried from contacting a number of former employees, including cooperating witnesses Caroline Ellison, former Alameda Research chief executive and FTX co-founder Gary Wang. Under the defense proposal, Bankman-Fried could still talk with his father Joseph Bankman, who was involved with FTX, his therapist and foreign regulators who contact him.

Nicholas Biase, a spokesman for Manhattan US Attorney Damian Williams, whose office is prosecuting the case, didnt immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the defenses claims.

Bankman-Fried stepped down as CEO of FTX, the cryptocurrency platform he founded, in November after the empire collapsed owing billions of dollars. The new CEO, restructuring expert John J. Ray III, has rebuffed Bankman-Frieds attempts to help tracking down assets as part of bankruptcy proceedings.

Ray, who oversaw the liquidation of Enron, said Bankman-Fried hasnt told him anything he doesnt already know. As Ray was not CEO until the bankruptcy filing, he wasnt a percipient witness" charges, because he has no knowledge regarding any of the events alleged in the indictment, according to Bankman-Frieds lawyers.

Later on Saturday, Lewis Kaplan, the federal judge in Manhattan who is overseeing Bankman-Frieds case, gave prosecutors until Jan. 30 to respond to the defense request to modify bail conditions.

Kaplan asked the government to provide him with a copy of the Signal message and email Bankman-Fried sent the current general counsel of FTX US, who is a witness in the case.

The judge also warned lawyers he expects all counsel to abstain from pejorative characterizations of the actions and motives of their adversaries."

Bankman-Fried has been living at his parents house in Palo Alto, California, after being released from custody in December on a $250 million bail package. He is accused of committing a yearslong fraud at FTX and allowing customer funds to be used for trading at hedge fund arm Alameda Research and on personal expenses.

The case is US v. Bankman-Fried, 22-cr-673, US District Court, Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
As thousands of laid-off work visa holders in the US are currently grappling to deal with the current situation, the experts are of the opinion that L-1 visa holders who have been laid off are much worse off than H-1B visa holders. Reasoning the same, immigration lawyer Robert Webber said that this is because L-1 visa holders are likely subject to the H-1B cap lottery.

Empathizing further, Webber noted that Particularly brutal for L1 visa holders who are married and whose spouse has L2. L2 spouses must stop working when L1 spouse is laid off. A lot of lost income there.

Over 200,000 IT workers laid-off in the US

Last week, a Washington Post article cited that nearly 200,000 IT workers have been laid off since November last year, including some record numbers in companies like Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon.

As per some industry insiders, between 30 to 40 per cent of them are Indian IT professionals, a significant number of whom are on H-1B and L1 visas.

What L1 visa holders should do?

Advising on what L-1 visa holders should do in case they fail to find a job immediately, Webber suggested

You can still potentially file an I-539 to B2 visitor status to buy time" to get your bearings. Then leave the US.

Quick, find an employer (cousins consulting firm?) to put you into the H-1B cap lottery. If you get lucky, you might be back by fall.

Cap-exempt H1B, that is, job offer from an employer exempt from the cap.

Change to B2 and then look for a school and seek an I-20 for student visa.

The expert further cautioned H-1B citing that if you have H-1B and you are laid off, your H-4 EAD spouse should technically stop working.

People dont always mention that and certainly, no one wants to hear it  although you could argue the H4 EAD remains valid during the 60 day grace period after an H-1B is laid off. That is a reasonable interpretation."

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
British Indian princess Sophia Duleep Singh was honoured with a commemorative Blue Plaque in London. She was the daughter of Maharaja Duleep Singh  the last ruler of the Sikh empire  and the goddaughter of Queen Victoria. Singh was among the leading activists who started the movement for womens right to vote in 1900s Britain.

English Heritage which runs the Blue Plaque scheme, said in the announcement note, Daughter of the deposed Maharajah Duleep Singh, who already has a plaque in Holland Park (London), and goddaughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh was an active suffragette and made full use of her royal title to generate support for female enfranchisement."

She was a dedicated member of the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU) and the Womens Tax Resistance League (WTRL). The plaque will mark the large house near Hampton Court Palace which was granted to Sophia and her sisters as a grace and favour apartment by Queen Victoria in 1896," it notes.

Apart from Singh, fellow suffragette Emily Wilding Davisons home in Kensington in London and violinist and composer Yehudi Menuhin's six-storey house in Belgravia, where he lived for the last 16 years of his life, will also be honoured with Blue Plaque.

Others include anti-racism activist Claudia Jones, Londons first female Mayor Ada Salter and Pre-Raphaelite model Marie Spartali Stillman.

Last year, to coincide with the 75th anniversary celebrations of Indian Independence, the south London home where Dadabhai Naoroji lived for around eight years at the end of the 19th century was commemorated with a Blue Plaque.

The prominent member of the Indian freedom struggle and Britains first Indian parliamentarian, often referred to as the grand old man of India", is reported to have moved to Washington House, 72 Anerley Park, Penge, Bromley, at a time when his thoughts were turning increasingly towards full independence for India in 1897.

(With inputs from agencies)
With the rise of cyber attacks and usage of the internet everyday, it is likely that web surfers lose their data privacy and need security. Google Chrome has been one of the most popular web browsers in the world. It offers a bunch of security and privacy features to keep its users secured on the web. The browser has recommended some measures to protect your data. Here is a guide on how to protect your data using the Google Chrome:

Understand Chromes privacy and security controls

It is crucial to understand and learn about the privacy and safety controls available with Chrome. The American technology giant offers a Privacy Guide which takes users through the privacy and security controls. Click on the three dots options menu in the top right corner of Chrome to access the privacy guide. Now open the Settings option. Further, navigate to the Privacy and Security tab.

The Privacy Guide comprises three sections, one to choose to improve a browsing experience by sending data to Google, another to choose the safe browsing protection and third to pick third-party cookie preferences. This lets users make changes to all the options and understand third-party sites.

Ensure regular Google Chrome safety checks

Always run the Safety Check on Chrome. It will make users aware of potential vulnerabilities. To use this feature, look for Safety Check in the browser's Setting menu. Now run the Safety Check and and resolve the issues if found any after the safety check.

Utilise Google Password Manager to store and save passwords in devices

Chrome has built in Password Manager and it will sync the passwords across multiple devices through a Google account. It creates, stores and uses strong passwords for the online accounts. The browser provides an option to save passwords to Password Manager automatically after login to a site. It can be changed and edited using this menu.

Lock an Incognito session on a mobile

Google Chrome allows users to select an option that requires biometric authentication for resuming an Incognito browsing session on an iOS device. To use it, visit Chrome Settings and select Privacy & Security. Furthermore, turn on the Lock incognito tabs when the browser is closed.
No one should be supreme except Allah. Yup, not even the raja-raja are supreme. If they do wrong, then we have to say that they had done wrong. The s...

6 days ago
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This volatile escalation will fracture the stability not just in Palestine but also in the region and around the world.

Palestine Embassy in Colombo appeals to all believers of Justice and Humanity to raise your voice in support of Palestinians who are presently under a bloody Israeli attack

The Embassy of the State of Palestine presents its compliments to the Members of Parliament from all Political parties in Sri Lanka, Human and Civil rights organizations, the Print and Electronic Media and Friends of Palestine and has the honour to urgently inform, that Israeli apartheid forces in a criminal and bloody operation which is still ongoing from the early hours of this morning, have killed at least nine Palestinians including an elderly woman and wounded over a dozen others in an outright massacre in Jenin refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank.

Unarmed Palestinians take shelter from Israeli gunfire and tear-gas canisters during Thursdays attack on the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. [ Photo Credit: AP]

The Palestinian leadership has warned the world that this extreme and racist new Israeli government had a clear will and intention to commit such crimes against Palestinians. This government from day one highlighted its racist agenda and apartheid policies in all spheres to make the lives difficult for Palestinians, ranging from political, economic, invading holy places, confiscating lands, building settlements and increasing the arrests of innocent Palestinians.

This volatile escalation will fracture the stability not just in Palestine but also in the region and around the world.

Therefore, we appeal to all responsible governments, States and supporters of justice and humanity in the world to not just only condemn the Israeli apartheid regime and its ruthless crimes of violence against Palestinians but also to take the much-needed steps to protect the lives of Palestinians and end the apartheid regimes acts of brutality. The international communitys deafening silence makes Israel feel that it is above the law and can commit its violations without being held accountable and do as they please. Israel should abide by international law and international humanitarian law and be held accountable in all its crimes against humanity.

The Embassy of the State of Palestine avails itself of this opportunity to renew to the Members of the Parliamentary of all Political parties in Sri Lanka, Human and Civil rights organizations, the Print and Electronic Media and Friends of Palestine, the assurances of its highest consideration.

Statement issued by the Palestine Embassy in Colombo
Weather Alert

AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM TO 11 PM EDT FRIDAY The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for the following counties: New York, Bronx, Kings, Queens, Richmond, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam. from 11 AM to 11 PM EDT Friday. Air quality levels in outdoor air are predicted to be greater than an Air Quality Index value of 100 for the pollutant of Ground Level Ozone. The Air Quality Index, or AQI, was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale. The higher the AQI value, the greater the health concern. When pollution levels are elevated, the New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects. People who may be especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young, and those with preexisting respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease. Those with symptoms should consider consulting their personal physician. A toll free air quality hotline has been established so New York residents can stay informed on the air quality situation. The toll free number is 1 800 5 3 5, 1 3 4 5.
Tech & Science, Local News, Press Releases, Politics

By Jacob Alvear Published: January 28 2023

LaLotas amendment ensures current statutory and regulatory restrictions as it relates to oil and gas development in the North Atlantic Planning Area of the Outer Continental Shelf, which lies offshore the northeast part of the ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -Today, January 27th, 2023, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 21, the Strategic Production Response Act. The passage of the bill followed the Houses bipartisan approval of Rep. Nick LaLotas (NY-01) amendment to H.R. 21. LaLotas amendment was co-sponsored by Reps. Andrew Garbarino (NY-02), Anthony DEsposito (NY-04), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02), Chris Smith (NJ-04), and Tom Kean (NJ-07).

LaLotas amendment ensures the Houses preference to increase American energy production and decrease reliance on our nations adversaries does not override any existing drilling bans in offshore waters from New Jersey to Maine.

To read the full text of the amendment, click HERE. To watch LaLota speak in support of his amendment, click HERE.

I believe in replenishing the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and ensuring American energy independence but I do not believe we should drill off the coast of Long Island. I am proud that my common sense amendment to protect Long Islands waters unanimously passed the House with bipartisan support, said LaLota. I promised to protect Long Islands waters which are home to a vibrant ecosystem and are the foundation of an already struggling fishing industry. My amendment is pro-energy, pro-worker, pro-fishing, and pro-Long Island and I thank my colleagues, from both sides of the aisle, for their support.

While I believe domestic energy production is essential for both the economic prosperity of the United States as well as our national security interests, I have long opposed offshore drilling off the coast of Long Island, said Garbarino. Our waters and beaches are Long Islands greatest natural resources, and I am committed to keeping them safe for recreation, fishing, and wildlife for generations to come. I voted to protect Long Islands waters from drilling when I was in the New York State Assembly and, with this amendment, we can ensure that oil and gas leasing in the waters surrounding Long Island continues to be prohibited. I am pleased that Representatives LaLota, DEsposito, Van Drew, Smith, Kean, and I were able to secure the inclusion of this amendment to H.R. 21 and I thank my colleagues in the House for lending their support to this measure.

It is of vital importance that Long Islands unique aquatic environs are protected from any attempts to ease restrictions on oil and gas drilling in nearby federal waters, said DEsposito. I look forward to working with my congressional colleagues from Long Island as we seek ways to establish American energy independence in a sustainable, environmentally conscious manner that safeguards our communitys shores.

Ensuring our strategic petroleum reserve is protected from partisan use is common sense policy, said Van Drew. At the same time, I am proud of the work that my colleagues and I accomplished to ensure that no plan resulting from this legislation would allow for offshore drilling off the coast of New Jersey. From the state senate to the United States Congress, I have always vowed to never allow offshore drilling off our coast. Today, I kept that promise.

The Strategic Production Response Act (SPRA) will help reestablish Americas energy independence and secure our Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ensure it is not depleted for political purposes, said Smith. Fortunately, our amendment as adopted by the House ensures that the SPRA does not jeopardize our longstanding, successful efforts to ban drilling off the Jersey Shore. This critical amendment will safeguard the work we have done to protect our beaches, tourism, marine life, and fishing industry from the threat of disastrous oil spills.
(Alliance News) - UK regional carrier Flybe has ceased trading and all scheduled flights have been cancelled, authorities have said.

The UK Civil Aviation Authority made the announcement the company had gone into administration and urged those with booked Flybe flights not to travel to airports.

Three early Flybe flights from Belfast, two from Birmingham and two from Amsterdam were all showing as 'scheduled on time' on Flybe's online flight status live tracker at 5am.

But the CAA urged ticket-holders to instead check its website for the latest information.

CAA Consumer Director Paul Smith said: "It is always sad to see an airline enter administration, and we know that Flybe's decision to stop trading will be distressing for all of its employees and customers.

"We urge passengers planning to fly with this airline not to go to the airport as all Flybe flights are cancelled. For the latest advice, Flybe customers should visit the Civil Aviation Authority's website or our Twitter feed for more information."

The airline also confirmed the "sad" move, noting that administrators had been brought in.

"We are sad to announce that Flybe has been placed into administration," Flybe tweeted.

"David Pike and Mike Pink of Interpath have been appointed administrators. Flybe has now ceased trading. All Flybe flights from and to the UK are cancelled and will not be rescheduled."

It comes after Flybe returned to the skies in April following an earlier collapse.

It returned with a plan to operate up to 530 flights per week across 23 routes, serving airports such as Belfast City, Birmingham, East Midlands, Glasgow, Heathrow and Leeds Bradford.

Flybe was pushed into administration in March 2020 with the loss of 2,400 jobs as the Covid-19 pandemic destroyed large parts of the travel market.

Before it went bust it flew the most UK domestic routes between airports outside London.

Its business and assets were purchased in April 2021 by Thyme Opco, which is linked to US hedge fund Cyrus Capital.

Thyme Opco was renamed Flybe Limited.

It had been based at Birmingham Airport.

The government said that its "immediate priority" would be to support anyone trying to get home and those who have lost their jobs.

"This remains a challenging environment for airlines, both old and new, as they recover from the pandemic, and we understand the impact this will have on Flybe's passengers and staff.

"Our immediate priority is to support people travelling home and employees who have lost their jobs," a spokesperson said.

"The Civil Aviation Authority is providing advice to passengers to help them make their journeys as smoothly and affordably as possible.

"The majority of destinations served by Flybe are within the UK with alternative transport arrangements available.

"We recognise that this is an uncertain time for affected employees and their families.

"Jobcentre Plus, through its Rapid Response Service, stands ready to support any employee affected."

Matthew Hall, chief executive of Belfast City Airport, said: "First and foremost, our thoughts are with Flybe employees and passengers affected by this disappointing and unexpected news.

"Passengers booked on Flybe flights should not travel to the airport and should seek further advice from the Civil Aviation Authority.

"Flybe operated 10 flights to and from Belfast City, eight of which are currently served by other carriers from our airport."

By Benjamin Cooper, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Doric Nimrod Air One Ltd - Guernsey-based investment company that leases aircraft - Intends to return GBP25.8 million to shareholders on February 3 through a compulsory redemption of redeemable shares in its capital. Says the compulsory redemption will be effected at 60.67 pence per share. Expects all redemption proceeds to be paid in pounds.

Current stock price: 61.00p

12-month change: up 97%

By Abby Amoakuh, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Thursday and not separately reported by Alliance News:

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Velocys PLC - Oxford-based sustainable fuel technology company - Says its performance for 2022 was in line with market expectations. At the end of 2022 it had a cash balance of GBP13.4 million, down from GBP25.5 million the year prior. Expects to report its annual results in May. During the year, it achieved a number of key milestones and objectives which put the company in a strong position to progress its reference projects through to key valuation inflection points and build its commercial pipeline, it says. "The progress we continue to make, supported by these new developments and the policy tailwinds, means we have a solid platform to deliver. Consequently, we are confident about the years ahead and our commercialisation strategy," Chief Executive Henrik Wareborn comments.

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GCP Asset Backed Income Fund Ltd - UK asset-backed loan investor - Net asset value per share in the quarter to December 31 is down 1.26 pence to 94.90 pence, after the payment of dividends. Also cites further reductions in the valuation of a Co-Living Group Loan, due to a reassessment of the estimates of the net realisable value of the underlying assets. Declares a quarterly dividend of 1.58125p per ordinary share for the period to December 31 from October 1. Says it is "well-placed" to deliver against its investment objectives, including regular and growing distributions.

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United Oil & Gas PLC - London-based oil and gas company with projects in Egypt, Italy and the UK - Production for 2022 averaged 1,312 barrels of oil per day net, in line with revised 2022 guidance of 1,300 to 1,325 boepd. Completes its work programme in Egypt, consisting of three development wells, two exploration wells, and eight workovers. Expects revenue in 2022 to amount to around USD16 million, down from USD19.2 million in 2021. Cash balances stood at USD1.4 million with net debt of roughly USD1.5 million as at December 31. "Operationally 2022 was a very active year for the company with an extensive work programme executed in Egypt, generating good operational cashflow despite mixed drill results. Over the three years that United has held Abu Sennan, the production base has generated material cashflows for the business. As the asset matures, it is transitioning to a phase in its development where operations are focused on maintaining and extending long term production rates to generate operational cashflows for many years to come. Egypt remains an integral part of our business providing operational cashflow which supports the wider asset portfolio of the company and our strategy to grow through M&A," CEO Brian Larkin comments.

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Harmony Energy Income Trust PLC - London-based investment company focused on energy projects - Net asset value per share as at December 31 stands at 124.92p. Its net asset value per C share stood at 98.61p on the same date. Triggers the process for converting its C shares into new ordinary shares. Sets the conversion ratio at 0.786735 ordinary shares for each C share. Expects to pay a dividend of 8 pence per share for the financial year that is ending on October 31.

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Flowtech Fluidpower PLC - supplier of technical fluid power products - Reports revenue of GBP114.8 million for 2022, up 5.2% versus GBP109.1 million in 2021. Net debt stood at GBP16.0 million, up 0.6% compared to GBP15.4 million the year before, it says. "I am pleased to report Flowtech has made good progress in 2022. Whilst very conscious of the actions needed to further improve, I am confident in our team and their capability. I remain optimistic for 2023 and beyond," Non-Executive Chair Roger McDowell says.

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By Abby Amoakuh, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Thursday and not separately reported by Alliance News:

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Hansard Global PLC - Isle of Man-based long-term savings provider - Says that new business amounted to GBP8.6 million in the three months to December 31 in present value of new business premiums terms. New business for the second half of the year was GBP43.4 million. Assets under administration stood at GBP1.10 billion as at December 31, unchanged from June 30, it says. Continues to make good progress towards launching a new proposition in the Middle East to assist in growing its business.

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Blackstone Loan Financing Ltd - Jersey-based closed-ended investment company - Says that it is giving "consideration" to a potential exit opportunity for shareholders, either as a one-off event or over regular intervals. Intends to consult with shareholders over the potential for a reallocation of its excess net income. Explains that there could be an expansion of the existing share buyback programme, a further increase in the quarterly or annual dividend level, or direct primary market collateralized loan obligation income note investments in Blackstone managed and controlled CLOs, or any combination.

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JPMorgan Emerging Europe, Middle East & Africa Securities PLC - investor in emerging European nations, Middle East and Africa - Net asset value per share as at October 31 fell 95% to 46.7 pence from 973.6p on the same date a year before. Attributes the fall to the war in Ukraine and the imposition of strict economic sanctions by western governments on Russia and the Russian government's restrictions on the foreign ownership of Russian securities that followed. Looking ahead, it says that new investments will have a tilt towards income and quality.

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Literacy Capital PLC - also known as BOOK, invests in founder-led and owned businesses - Net asset value per share of stands at 420.6 pence as at December 31, up from 384.9 pence as at September 30. Records a total NAV return of 9.3% during the quarter. Says that its portfolio companies continued to trade well, with RCI Group contributing particularly strongly in the quarter. "We have continued to make progress rebalancing the portfolio away from earlier stage, growth capital investments (which now equate to just 5% of gross assets), and towards buyouts of smaller, profitable businesses. These types of investments in profitable businesses will remain our focus, due to the favourable returns that can be generated, whilst taking lower levels of risk," Richard Pindar, CEO of Literacy Capital's investment manager, says.

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Fiinu PLC - Surrey, England-based fintech company - Makes progress in hiring key personnel and building systems for Fiinu Bank. Says that it will focus on raising funds of GBP35 million to GBP40 million, as previously announced. Completes core banking platform configuration and testing. Signs a contract with services company Maveric NXT, to provide additional strong industry experience and support for three months of assurance testing.

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Dotdigital Group PLC - London-based online marketing - Revenue for the first half of the year which ended December 31 was up 9% to GBP33.8 million compared to the same period a year before in which it recorded GBP30.9 million, it says. Cash balance on December 31 amounts to GBP49.6 million, up from GBP43.9 million as at June 30. Credits operational building blocks put in place in the second half of the prior year for its performance.

----------

By Abby Amoakuh, Alliance News reporter

Comments and questions to newsroom@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
(Alliance News) - UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he has never paid a tax fine, as ministers' financial affairs come under scrutiny amid growing calls from Conservatives for Nadhim Zahawi to stand down.

Hunt raised suspicions by twice refusing to say whether he has paid a penalty as he took questions after an economic speech, claiming the public are not "remotely interested" in the subject.

But then he went on to tell broadcasters in an interview a short while later on Friday that "for the record I haven't paid an HMRC fine".

He was responding to questions amid growing calls for Zahawi to step aside as Conservative Party chairman while under investigation for settling a multimillion-pound tax dispute while chancellor.

Zahawi has authorised HM Revenue & Customs to discuss his settlement  estimated to be worth GBP4.8 million and include a penalty  with the investigation ordered by Rishi Sunak.

Pressure on ministers only grew after HMRC boss Jim Harra told MPs there are "no penalties for innocent errors in your tax affairs".

Under questioning after a Bloomberg speech inn London, Hunt said: "I'm not going to talk about my personal tax affairs, but I don't think there's anything you'd find interesting to write about if I can put it that way."

He declined to answer when pressed again and added: "By the way, I don't think people at home are remotely interested in personal tax affairs, they are interested in these things," gesturing towards the government's five priorities.

But a little while later he dropped his opposition to answering the question.

"I don't normally comment about my own tax records, but I am chancellor so for the record I haven't paid an HMRC fine," he told broadcasters.

Similar confusion occurred on Wednesday after Downing Street initially refused to say whether Rishi Sunak had paid a penalty, saying his tax affairs are "confidential".

Hours later, No 10 released a statement saying: "The prime minister has never paid a penalty to HMRC."

Senior Tory MP Jake Berry has said it is "unsustainable" for Zahawi to remain in power, arguing it was necessary to step aside while under investigation, so the public can have faith in the process.

The former minister, who was Zahawi's direct predecessor as party chair, told BBC Question Time: "Even though he is a friend of mine, I'm not going to allow that to distract from a view I've put forward consistently.

"The government needs to find a mechanism for ministers and MPs who are under investigation in this way to step aside, to clear their name, and then to come back into government if that is appropriate.

"I think from Nadhim, great individual that he is, that would be the right thing to do now.

"I do think it's unsustainable for a minister to stay in this post while this investigation goes on."

Sunak has refused calls from Labour and other senior Tories including Caroline Nokes to remove Zahawi from his post either permanently or temporarily.

Former chancellor Philip Hammond said on Friday that he would not have felt able to take on the role if he had been engaged in a dispute with HMRC.

Hammond told Times Radio: "I would not have felt able and would not feel able now, not that anyone's likely to offer it to me, to accept the office of chancellor, if I was currently engaged in a tax dispute with HMRC. That just isn't right.

"It's just about common sense. And what feels right. And that doesn't feel right to me."

On Thursday, a source close to Zahawi said he would permit HMRC to share details of his case with ministerial standards adviser Laurie Magnus.

The revelation came after Harra told the Public Accounts Committee the department could only co-operate with the investigation if given approval by Zahawi.

"There are no penalties for innocent errors in your tax affairs," the HMRC chief executive added.

The Guardian reported that Zahawi's penalty stood at 30% of the settlement, which he dealt with while chancellor.

Sunak maintained his position on Thursday that he will "await the findings" of the investigation into whether Zahawi broke the ministerial code.

Speaking during a Cabinet away day at Chequers, the prime minister told broadcasters: "I'm not going to pre-judge the outcome of the investigation, it's important that the independent adviser is able to do his work.

"That's what he's currently doing, that's what I've asked him to do and I'll await the findings of that investigation."

A week ago, Sunak told Prime Minister's Questions that Zahawi had addressed the fiasco "in full".

But he went on to launch an investigation by Magnus, his independent adviser on ministers' interests, admitting there were "questions that need answering" after the penalty was revealed.

Sunak insisted that "no issues were raised with me" when he appointed Zahawi to his current role, amid questions over his political judgment.

source: PA

Copyright 2023 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Turkish UAV manufacturer successfully flight tested its new Kizilelma jet-propelled UAV in December 2022. This flight test came almost a year earlier than its scheduled 2023 first flight. Production of the new jet UAV is now planned to begin in 2024, and it will operate from the new LHD TCG-Anadolu. This ship has a flight deck large enough for Kizilelma to take off from and land on because of its ski-jump design. Kizilelma can carry 1.5 tons of weapons and travel at speeds of up to 800 kilometers an hour at altitudes of about 12,500 meters (40,000 feet) for up to five hours. The UAV has an AESA radar enabling it to use air-to-air missiles and GPS guided bombs. A satellite link is used to remotely control Kizilelma.

The new Anadolu is an LHD (Landing Helicopter Deck) amphibious ship that has a well deck in the rear of the ship for its 27 AAVs and six amphibious landing craft load troops and equipment and exit for shore. There is an 1,880 square meter vehicle deck behind the well deck that holds the 27 AAVs (amphibious assault vehicles) and other vehicles. There is also a 1,400 square meter reinforced vehicle deck for tanks and armored vehicles or loaded AAVs. Anadolu can carry up to 800 troops if used for amphibious operations or even more civilians if used to assist in a natural disaster. Otherwise Anadolu just has the ship crew of 250 plus up to 200 aircraft crew and maintainers.

Turkey originally planned to operate F-35B fighters from the Anadolu but did not get any because they also bought the Russian S400 air defense system which was against NATO policy, especially when involving the F-35 and its many technical secrets. To replace the F-35Bs Turkey developed the Kizilelma TB3 UAV, a version of their current TB2 UAV (Bayraktar) with folding wings and a new jet engine that makes possible short take-offs and landings. The Kizilelma was designed to land and take off from the LHD and has folding wings so more can be stored below in the hangar deck, which is expanded by taking over space normally used by the amphibious craft and vehicles. The LHD can carry up to 50 Kizilelmas because of their folding wings.

The Anadolu is a 27,000 ton LHD with a top speed of 39 kilometers an hour. Max range is 9,000 kilometers at cruising speed of 30 kilometers an hour. Armament consists of three close-in weapons systems to deal with anti-ship missiles and five remotely controlled autocannon.

Anadolu and Kizilelma are the latest examples of Turkeys decades-long program to become a major arms developer, manufacturer and exporter. Most of the new weapons dont get export orders but are used by the Turkish military, and often the Foreign Ministry as well. President Erdogan claimed that a 2022 Turkish ballistic missile test scared Greece and that was intentional. Erdogan once again accused Greece of militarily reinforcing its islands in the Aegean Sea. The test Erdogan referred to was the October test launch of a Tayfun short-range ballistic missile. The missile has an estimated range of 600 kilometers and was launched from a mobile launcher located on a military base in northern Turkey, east of Trabzon. The missile flew west, and struck the sea near the Black Sea port of Sinop (near Istanbul). Turkey said the impact point was 561 kilometers from the launcher. The missile is another example of Turkeys ability to produce sophisticated modern weapons.

These new weapons have not made the Turkish military more powerful, at least not as much as expected. President Erdogan is responsible for this problem. For example, he declared an attempted military coup in 2015 justified a purge of the military and civil service. Anyone with questionable loyalty to Erdogan and his Islamic government was dismissed. The purge was so extensive that the military and many government operations became less effective and more corrupt. The corruption was tolerated when it resulted in major financial benefits for major Erdogan supporters and members of Erdogans extended family.

One of the most blatant and costliest examples of this corruption was the military being forced to buy the locally developed and manufactured Altay tank. Turkish manufacturer BMC began this effort in 2008 and it was initially a struggle because the proposed Altay tank was more expensive and less capable than the American M1 and German Leopard that Turkey had access to. Major customers for the M1 are allowed to assemble it locally. Egypt does this and Poland, the latest customer for M1s, is doing the same. Turkey could have saved a lot of time and money by assembling M1s locally and using what was learned from that to develop a Turkish tank that was cheaper and more capable than the Altay. But local assembly operations provide less immediate and far fewer opportunities for corruption, especially for Erdogans political party and close associates. The Altay project did that because a distant relative of Erdogan was a major investor in BMC and benefited from any government business BMC received. Turkish journalists were discouraged from covering this but well-informed foreign journalists were not.

Meanwhile, BMC had to shop around for counties able to supply them with key Altay components that most Western nations refused to supply because of Turkish and Turkish-hired mercenary battlefield abuses of Arabs in Syria and Libya, and of Kurds everywhere. In 2021 BMC was able to obtain needed Altay components from two South Korean firms who agreed to build engine and transmission systems for Altay. The Turks are still looking for someone to supply composite armor equal to the French design. If not, they can use less capable designs that are adequate. Turkey already paid South Korea nearly half a billion dollars for use of South Korean tank tech developed for South Korea K1 and K2 tanks. Both of these were based on the U.S. M1 and some licensed U.S. tech was used, but the South Koreans gradually developed their own engines and other components. These are free to export.

Turkey has been a major customer for licensed South Korean military tech. All of this greatly increased the Altay budget, providing ample opportunities to reward pro-Erdogan politicians and Erdogan himself. This scandal is one reason why Erdogan is losing so much voter support in Turkey. This threatens Erdogan and his party. Erdogan is very worried about the corruption accusations and Turkeys shaky economy. National elections are scheduled for June 2023. He is seeking reelection and insists this will be his last term as president. Israel can help the Turkish economy and sees maintaining close ties with Greece and Turkey as an asset and opportunity to reduce the tensions between these two NATO members. If Erdogan is out of office, government spending policies will change and that is not good news for Altay.
Spains king emeritus intends to establish his tax residence in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he moved to in August 2020 and where he established his permanent residence in March 2022, according to the newspaper El Mundo.

Juan Carlos has already initiated the relevant administrative procedures to avoid having to file this years Personal Income Tax (IRPF) return for 2022, according to the newspaper.

He will notify the Treasury that the main core or base of his activities or economic interests is no longer based in Spain and will therefore establish his tax residence in the UAE.

The King Emeritus no longer meets the requirement of having stayed for more than 183 days in Spanish territory to be considered a tax resident.



Since taking up residence in Abu Dhabi in August 2020, Juan Carlos has only been in Spain for a brief five-day visit at the end of May.

The former monarch notified his son King Felipe VI last March that he had decided to take up permanent residence in the Gulf country.

After the Public Prosecutors Office closed the investigations against him, he informed his son that he had decided to continue residing permanently and stably in Abu Dhabi, where he had found peace of mind.

The former monarch has had to settle two accounts with the Treasury. The first, in December 2020, was for 678,000 euros in relation to the use of bank cards with funds from the Mexican businessman Allen Sangines-Krause, one of three cases under investigation against him.

Then, in 25 February 2021, he settled a second for almost 4.4 million euros for undeclared income over several years totalling more than 8 million euros in relation to travel and services at the expense of the Zagatka Foundation, run by his cousin Alvaro de Orleans-Borbon.

King Felipe VI withdrew Juan Carlos allowance as a member of the Royal Family in March 2020, after it became known that Saudi Arabia had given him a gift of 100 million dollars.
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.
In one of his first acts as the new King of Great Britain, Charles has made his stance on brother, Prince Andrew, abundantly clear by removing the Duke of York from his posh suite within Buckingham Palace.

Prince Andrew has been a hugely controversial figure since initially being accused of sexual misconduct by Virginia Giuffre.

Giuffre and Andrew did sign a settlement agreement in 2022, however it's understood that the imminent release of her memoirs is likely to have shaped King Charles' decision making.

Settlement was worth millions of pounds

The details of the settlement signed between the pair remain confidential, although it's understood that it was worth upwards of 1 million pounds.

Furthermore, it prevented either party from publicly discussing the case for a period of 12 months, but the release of Giuffre's memoirs is likely to come after that period has elapsed.

This release of new details, albeit from the perspective of the accuser, is likely to bring renewed scrutiny on Andrew and the Royal Family as a whole.

This could be why King Charles has looked to sideline him and distance him from his new regime, especially with the coronation set to take place in May.

Sources have told The New York Post that the book deal signed with Giuffre is also worth millions.

Prince Andrew has been ordered the vacate his Buckingham Palace suite, although he wasn't living there on a permanent basis anyway.

His current residence is understood to be the 31-room Royal Lodge in Windsor, which he shares with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, with whom he has two children, Beatrice and Eugenie.

The pair have been separated since 1992 and they were officially divorced in 1996, way before the original 2014 allegations were made against him.
In the south (Gaza) Israel retaliated against Islamic Jihad and Hamas for rockets fired at southern Israel. Iron Dome intercepted the rockets headed for populated areas. The Israeli airstrikes destroyed Islamic Jihad and Hamas rocket manufacturing and storage facilities. This was the first rocket attack from Gaza this year and violated the ceasefire in which Hamas agreed to prevent such attacks. The United States, Egypt and Qatar tried to discourage Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad from firing rockets. Hamas did cooperate but would not crack down on Islamic Jihad to stop them from launching rockets. Hamas fears triggering a civil war in Gaza if they try to control Islamic Jihad.

External Threats

Israel now has Arab allies against Iran. A growing number of Moslem states are establishing diplomatic and trade relations with Israel. After more than a century of increasing anti-Semitism, most of Israels Arab neighbors realized that Israel would be a valuable economic, diplomatic and military ally against common enemies like Shia Iran and Islamic terrorism in general. Israel is also the only nation in the region with nukes and reliable ballistic missiles, which are also used to put Israeli spy satellites into orbit. It is also the worst of times because Iran has personnel operating on Israeli borders and an increasingly effective Cyber War effort against Israel.

And there is growing dissatisfaction in the West and the Middle East with Palestinian leadership failures and rampant corruption. Palestinians are convinced that Israel has no right to exist and only pretend to negotiate a peace deal because that is useful for obtaining foreign aid. Arabs in general are now telling the Palestinians to take whatever peace deal they can because cash and other aid from Arab nations will continue to disappear unless the Palestinians solve their own problems with corruption and fixation on destroying Israel. Many Palestinians are willing to change but their corrupt leaders are not and use their war on Israel as an excuse to violently suppress any Palestinian opposition to the current suicidal policy.

Iran remains obsessed with destroying Israel and no one else in the region agrees with them on that goal. Irans presence in Syria is the current threat, so Israeli efforts to make a peace deal with the Syrian Assad government depend on convincing the Assads that with Israeli help they can survive declaring their independence from Iranian domination. Israel has long recognized this opportunity and in mid-2022 sent Basher Assad an ultimatum that, if he did not cease cooperating with the Iranians (especially the movement and storage of Iranian missiles to Syria), Israeli airstrikes would go after Assad and family members by bombing the many luxury residences (palaces'') used by the Syrian family in and around Damascus. The Assads had earlier denied this degree of cooperation but this time Israel pointed out it was sharing intel with Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies and that means it is a lot more difficult for Assad to get away with lying to the Israelis. Arab nations and Israel were trying to get the Assads to switch sides and the Assads made a decision to stick with Iran without telling the wealthy Gulf Arab states he was hoping would invest in rebuilding the Syrian economy once the war was finally over. The Israelis did not follow through on their threat and it was believed that the Iranian threat to kill Assad and his family was a more compelling offer.

While Israel and its Gulf Arab allies can agree on supporting the Assads, the United States cannot and continues to oppose any peace deal with the Assads. Israel and the Arabs can afford to quietly ignore the Americans on this. The current American government has managed to damage relations with Arab oil states and that is unlikely to change until the 2024 American presidential elections put a new government in charge. In early 2023 it is unclear what the real situation is between the Assads and their other real or potential allies and not-unfriendly neighbors, as in Russia, Turkey, the Arabs states and Israel. Iran is on good terms with Russia and Turkey but not the Arab states, Israel or Western nations in general. Iran is weakened by four months of internal protests and growing economic sanctions. Most Iranians want to end the war with Israel. The Iranian religious dictatorship has an irrational hatred for Israel, the United States and many of its Arab neighbors. The Iranian government is justifiably paranoid about what Israel may be up to when it comes to resolving this deadlock. The Israelis do not release any information about their operations against Iran and there have been some spectacular ones in the last few years. There is growing popular support for Israel inside Iran and that has made it easier for Israel to recruit Iranians to assist them for operations inside Iran. Few would mourn the sudden demise of the Iranian religious dictatorship but that would be difficult to carry out because of the homicidal fanaticism regularly demonstrated by the religious government and their IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) enforcers.

Meanwhile Israel treats Iran as a major threat, especially because of the Iranian presence in Syria. Israel has been at war with Iran in Syria for nearly a decade, during which Israel carried out hundreds of airstrikes and a few commando operations against Iranian operations in Syria. This cost Iran a lot of lives and money, and is one of the things restive Iranians want to halt by pulling Iranian forces out of Syria and Lebanon. But first the Iranians have to shut down the Iranian religious dictatorship, which, as expected, resists efforts to shut down operations in Syria.

Iran controls irregular forces in Syria along with the more organized Hezbollah in Lebanon and the inept Hamas in Gaza. Iran also has ballistic missiles that can reach Israel and continued efforts to get guided rockets and short-range ballistic missiles into Syria and Lebanon. Hundreds of Israeli air strikes have prevented the guided weapons build up and formidable BMD (ballistic missiles defense) systems neutralize the use of missiles launched from Iran. So far the defenses have worked.

While Iran is the greatest threat to Israel, the main threat to peace in the Middle East is an increasingly aggressive Turkey. Currently Turkey is trying to restore its good relations with Israel. For over a decade the Erdogan government in Turkey demonized Israel in order to gain support from Arab neighbors. That did not work and Turkey had to use force and coercion to subdue and exploit Arab neighbors. Reviving good relations with Israel is now a major goal. One reason for this is the fact that many Turks wanted to keep good relations with Israel and now a lot more agree with that. The Islamic party in Turkey and its leader (Erdogan) are in danger of being voted out of office and every vote counts, especially those of pro-Israel Turks.

Inside Israel there is a growing possibility of political collapse and chaos within the Palestinian territories (West Bank and Gaza). Palestinian officials running both of these areas have run out of ideas and support from their constituents. If such a collapse does occur, Israel will be expected to go in and sort it out. That will be a difficult and thankless task that no one else wants to deal with.

January 26, 2023: In the West Bank an Israeli raid to arrest some Islamic Jihad members planning attacks on Israelis resulted in none Palestinians killed, including three Islamic Jihad members. A fourth was arrested. The other six dead were Palestinian civilians hit by gunfire, most of it from the Islamic Jihad men who were firing wildly with automatic weapons at several Israeli soldiers. The Israeli fire was more accurate and aimed at the four Islamic Jihad men and their hideout. About twenty civilians were wounded. Palestinians blame Israel for defending itself and trying to stop groups like Islamic Jihad from attacking Israeli civilians and security personnel. Palestinians feel no sense of responsibility for instigating all this violence and many other Moslem countries go along with this.

January 24, 2023: In the north (the Lebanon border) Israeli engineers have, since 2014 built a fortified and electronically monitored border zone along the entire 140-kilometer Lebanese border. In 2020 Israel began installing more seismic sensors as part of a tunnel construction detection system that has already proved its worth on the Gaza border and a few times on the Lebanon border. The new sensor network is being expanded to more of the Lebanese border. In 2018 Israel found and destroyed five Hezbollah tunnels and began work to discourage and reduce, but not stop, Hezbollah tunneling efforts. Compared to Hamas in Gaza, Iran backed Hezbollah had a lot more cash and other resources for tunnel building and experimented with new techniques. Israel assumes that one or more of these tunnels may remain undetected and operational for a while under construction before they are detected. Unlike the Hamas tunnels in Gaza the situation is quite different in the north. For one thing there are 10,000 UN peacekeepers on the Lebanon border as part of the peace deal that ended the 2006 war with Hezbollah. The UN force is supposed to detect and prevent (or at least report) cross border violations of the peace deal. Israel is not blaming the UN force for failing to notice anything about the tunnels but the Israelis expected the UN to pay closer attention to the military buildup Iran is organizing in Lebanon for the express purpose of attacking Israel. Hezbollah is banned from having any forces near the border and responded by building twenty 18 meter (59 feet) high observation towers. Israel did not object because they want Hezbollah to get a good look at the Israeli fortified and heavily patrolled border zone. This border control system has prevented Hezbollah, or smugglers, from getting across. Hezbollah could always monitor the construction of the border zone with quad-copers or larger Iranian UAVs. Trying to send some of these UAVs across the border demonstrated that the Israeli air defenses are also formidable along the border.

January 18, 2023: The United States and Israel confirmed that 300,000 rounds of 155mm munitions had been quietly shipped to Ukraine. Those shells are part of a munitions reserve the Americans maintain in Israel for the use of American or Israeli forces in an emergency. This reserve is owned and controlled by the United States and to be used when Israel asks for help and the Americans agree to supply it. The United States has similar pre-positioned stockpiles in South Korea, Kuwait and Europe. Sending the contents of this stockpile to Ukraine is not unexpected and the stockpile will be replaced over time.

January 17, 2023: Palestinian attacks on Israeli security forces and civilians have, so far this year, left about 40 Palestinians dead. The Palestinian media is controlled by Fatah, which rules the West Bank and encourages this violence against Israelis. While Israel has made itself a very hostile arena for Islamic terrorists. Palestinian terrorists are another matter. The problem is that while some Palestinians want to negotiate a two-state deal with Israel, the radical factions want to destroy Israel, to the exclusion of any other relationship. Dealing with the radical factions is a problem in most Moslem majority states and has been for over a thousand years. Add to that their high and chronic levels of corruption and you have an extremely difficult situation for Israel. The major obstacle to any peace deal was Palestinians insisting on Israel recognizing "right of return without discrimination." That means that the Palestinians who fled the newly formed Israel in the late 1940s, and their millions of descendants, can return to Israel and get all their abandoned property back. Israel would also have to pay compensation. While most of those original refugees are now dead, many Palestinians would not return, but enough could do so and change the demographic composition of Israel, turning it into a country with an Arab majority. This, for both the Palestinians and Israel, is the equivalent of destroying Israel." Palestinian governments in the West Bank (Fatah) and Gaza (the more radical Hamas) refuse to consider compromise on the Arab Return issue and now demand that the only solution is to kill or expel all Jews from Israel so that Arab refugees can return. The neighbors (Arab and Turkish) dont want a radical Palestinian government taking over Israel by force and have become increasingly open about opposing the Palestinian radicals. This helps but doesnt solve the problem. These policies are being rejected by a growing number of Palestinians who note that Fatah and Hamas corruption and mismanagement are a major factor in creating poverty and anger among Palestinians. Its obvious that Palestinians living inside Israel have a higher standard of living and less exposure to violence. Hamas runs Gaza like a religious dictatorship and that has led to armed resistance by Gaza Palestinians against Hamas misrule.

January 15, 2023: In the West bank, three Palestinian terrorists were killed by Israeli security forces during two incidents.

January 14, 2023: Israeli media found out about a recent secret visit to Israel by an unnamed senior Iranian religious leader who opposes the current religious dictatorship in Iran. The visiting cleric held meetings with senior Israeli officials, including the prime minister. The cleric then returned to Iran with assurances that Israel, including Israeli media, would keep his identity secret.

January 9, 2023: Israel has asked the United States for 25 of the new F-15EX fighter-bombers. These cost about $88 million each and the manufacturer is seeking export sales. The 1980s era F-15E fighter-bomber is still in service and demonstrates how well an updated F-15E design can work. Production of the F-15E is scheduled to end by 2023 and the EX keeps F-15 production going as a more advanced F-15E. This willingness to produce the EX should not be a surprise as there have been signs for a long time that an updated F-15 would be useful. As of 2008 the air force planned to operate its 36-ton U.S. F-15E for at least another ten years, and probably longer. In service for twenty years now, the F-15E can carry up to 11 tons of bombs and missiles, along with a targeting pod and an internal 20mm cannon. It's an all-weather aircraft that can fly one-way up to 3,900 kilometers. It uses in-flight refueling to hit targets anywhere on the planet. Smart bombs made the F-15E particularly efficient. The back seater handles the electronics and bombing, and the F-15E remains a potent air-superiority fighter, making it an exceptional combat aircraft. This success prompted Israel, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Singapore and Qatar to buy it, paying about $100 million per aircraft. In the U.S. Air Force, the F-15E is one of the most popular aircraft for combat pilots to fly, even more so than the new F-22. The F-15EX is cheaper to operate, carries more bombs and can also carry the new hypersonic missile, which is too heavy for any other fighter and was designed to be launched from heavy bombers. Israel has similar large air-to-ground missiles and the F-15EX provides more capabilities to use them.

January 6, 2023: Israel introduced another upgrade for its Spyder (Surface-to-air PYthon and DERby) mobile air defense system that enables the Darby LR missile to intercept ballistic missiles. Spyder entered service in 2005. Spyder was initially available as a truck mounted version where one or more trucks carried a launcher (with four missiles) and another truck carried the radar and fire control system. In 2016 the Israeli manufacturer of Spyder revealed an even more mobile version that uses tracked vehicles instead of wheeled ones. Each tracked vehicle carries four missiles plus the radar and fire control system.

January 5, 2023: In Egypt a conference between the two rival Libyan governments ended in an agreement to resolve differences over elections and hold those elections as soon as possible. The Tripoli faction was represented by the chairman of the High Council of State while the Tobruk faction sent the speaker of their parliament. This conference did not come up with a timeline, only that both sides would work out problems delaying national elections. Thats what everyone has been working on for over a year. The obstacle is the Turkish occupation force, which insists that its treaty with the Tripoli government over offshore water rights. Turkey needs Libya to affirm those righting so Turley has a claim on offshore petroleum and natural gas. Not what Libya produces, but potential underwater deposits in waters between Libya and Turkey. The Tripoli (GNU) government illegally signed an agreement with Turkey in order to get Turkish intervention. There is no united government of Libya so the GNU could not pledge Libya to support the Turkish claims. Greece and the UN as well as most NATO nations oppose Turkey on this issue. Turkey will protect its offshore exploration and extraction operations with its navy and air force. Turkey believes Greece wont be able to get other NATO members to assist in blocking Turkish oil and natural gas operations in the disputed waters. Both Turkey and Greece are NATO members but the NATO agreement doesnt cover a situation like this and the Turks are taking advantage of that. The UN believes this deadlock will lead to partition, with Libya becoming two nations. Each will have some of the oil but most will belong to the Tripoli faction.

January 1, 2023: In southern Syria (Damascus), an Israeli airstrike shut down the main international airport while also killing two Syrian soldiers and wounding another two. The runways were damaged by anti-runway bombs that create deep craters in the cement runway that must be able to handle the weight of landing aircraft. Despite persistent Israeli airstrikes, Iran continues to fly in missiles and other weapons for use against Israel. Iran is unable to deliver oil to Syria anymore and that has caused major economic problems.

December 25, 2022: Despite the war in Ukraine, thousands of Russians want to vacation in Egyptian tourist resorts that cater to Russian visitors. The sanctions imposed on Russia now include bans on providing Russian commercial shipping or passenger aircraft with insurance for movement outside Russia. The airlines needed this insurance to operate outside Russia and this became a problem when Jordan announced it would not allow transports without insurance from using their air space. The only alternative was flying through Syria but the Russian government banned that as too dangerous. Egypt will allow the Russian flights, content with assurances that the Russian government will provide insurance for flights that reach Egyptian air space. Egypt needs the tourist income and many Russians are willing to pay for a temporary respite from the wartime atmosphere back home.

December 22, 2022: In Africa, Zambias Anti-Corruption Commission accused four former defense officials of participating in a corruption scandal that involved Israeli defense firm Elbit. The deal revolved around a $574 million procurement contract that included the purchase of a Gulfstream G650 Presidential Jet. Elbit supplied an anti-missile defense system. The plane cost $195 million with accessories, but investigators called the figure exorbitant. The complaint alleged the anti-missile system was overpriced by $45 million.

December 19, 2022: In southern Syria (Damascus) an Israeli airstrike on Iranian storage facilities outside the airport killed two Hezbollah gunmen guarding the site. Hezbollah is a Lebanese Shia militia organized in the 1980s by Iran and supported by Iran ever since.

December 30, 2022: In Egypt (100 kilometers east of Cairo), two ISIL gunmen on motorcycles attacked a police roadblock, killing two policemen while return fire killed one of the ISIL gunmen. This was the first ISIL attack in Egypt outside Sinai. Attacks continue across the Suez Canal in Sinai, where cooperation with Israel keeps ISIL on the defensive. Another factor is the 2018 Egyptian offensive against ISIL in Sinai. This operation began in early 2018 and continues to the present. So far this effort has killed some 400 Islamic terrorists and arrested over a thousand suspects. More than a thousand roadside bombs, landmines and other explosives were disabled or destroyed before they could be used (to kill, on average, more civilians than anyone else). Hundreds of ISIL motorbikes and other vehicles have been seized along with hundreds of rifles and machine-guns and large quantities of ammo and other military equipment. At least once a month the military releases a summary of recent operations and the list always contains many hideouts and much equipment (and weapons) seized as well as many (often fifty or more) mines and roadside bombs disabled. These operations are also doing a lot of damage to Sinai based smuggling operations. The government is telling the smugglers (usually Bedouins) that if they want to avoid these counter-terrorism raids, dont work with the Islamic terrorists, especially ISIL. That has had some impact although by now most of the Sinai tribes have turned against ISIL, which is still the primary Islamic terror group operating in Sinai. That is largely because Egypt has greatly reduced access between Gaza and Egypt. Gaza is still a sanctuary for several Islamic terror groups but because of another Hamas military campaign against Israel Gaza is difficult to get in or out of. That leaves a much-diminished ISIL as the major terrorist threat in Sinai. ISIL can still attract some recruits and other support but, as happened in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere ISIL made too many enemies and is declining. ISIL has tried moving to other parts of Egypt but has not found any part of the country as hospitable as Sinai.
When it comes to the Ukraine War, Belarus is definitely a Frenemy (friend and enemy) of southern neighbor Ukraine and a hostage to eastern neighbor Russia. Belarus only has about a fifth of Ukraines population and a less vibrant and aggressive form of nationalism. Technically Belarus is an ally of Russia in its war in Ukraine, yet most Belarusians are pro-Ukraine. Some have actively helped Ukraine from inside Belarus while a few have crossed the border and joined the Ukrainian Foreign Legion.

The ruler of Belarus since 1994 is Alexander Lukashenko, a veteran communist official in the Soviet Union until 1991. Lukashenko was active in the three-year process to create a new constitution and hold elections. Lukashenko won the first presidential election, which was his only legitimate victory. After that he rigged the elections in one way or another to remain in power. He developed close ties with Russia and Vladimir Putin but refused to back Russian demands that he allow closer links with Russia that would eventually make Belarus part of Russia. This resistance was tolerated because Lukashenko was otherwise an ally of Russia and used Russian assistance to block efforts in Belarus to reduce Russian influence. This helped Lukashenko remain in power but also enabled Russia to stage part of the 2022 invasion from Belarus. Belarussian railway workers sabotaged the rail lines into Ukraine and that played a role in the defeat of Russias northern offensive into Ukraine and attempt to seize the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Eventually some of the railway workers responsible were identified, prosecuted and sent to prison. Most Belarussians considered these railway workers heroes. Popular attitudes like this made Lukashenko even more dependent on Russian protection. This included stationing Russian troops in Belarus and Lukashenko allowing Russian troops to be trained in Belarus.

Despite all this Lukashenko refused to send his troops to join Russian forces inside Ukraine. The main obstacle to that happening is that Russia wants to annex Belarus as well as Ukraine. Before 2022, Belarus was seen as the next former Soviet territory to be annexed by Russia. The response of Ukrainians to Russian invasion has changed attitudes towards annexation of Belarus. This is despite the fact that the longtime (since 1994) Belarus president-for-life Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus as a loyal ally of Russia. That has not helped the Belarussian economy or improved the lives of Belarus voters. A new post-Soviet Union generation of voters noticed how life was better in democracies, especially other former victims of Russian rule like neighboring Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Ukraine. They blame Lukashenko for the poverty and mismanaged economy in Belarus, as well as an incompetent response to covid19.

Since 2020 Lukashenko has faced growing popular protest against government incompetence and decades of rigged elections, corrupt rule, and inability to do much of anything effectively. Since the late 1990s Lukashenko has won reelection with 80-90 percent of the vote in visibly fraudulent elections. Lukashenko is a Soviet era official, who runs Belarus using the Soviet Union as a model. Belarus is a police state, where elections, and everything else, are manipulated to keep the same politicians in power. It's a tricky business but so far Lukashenko has kept his security forces loyal and up to strength. He bribes or bullies key officials to keep the country running. Lukashenko has maintained good relations with Russia, getting him cheap fuel supplies and other aid. Belarus is small (9.5 million people) compared to neighbors Russia (146 million) and Ukraine (42 million) and Russia wants to absorb Belarus and Ukraine to rebuild the centuries old Russian empire that the czars created and the communists lost. Lukashenko, like most Belarussians, opposes annexation by Russia. So far Russia is not actively seeking to annex Belarus or send in security forces to help suppress what has turned into a rebellion against Lukashenko.

Lukashenko is becoming more of a liability for Russia but is currently still a favored ally. Russia would like to be rid of Lukashenko but there is no one in Belarus with his skills, experience and pro-Russia attitude. Russia has created a major problem for itself in Belarus. Not as bad as the mess in Ukraine, but still another setback in the Russian effort to rebuild the Soviet-era Russian empire. Lukashenko noted what happened to pro-Russia Ukrainian politicians after the Russians invaded and most Ukrainians joined or supported the fight against Russian domination and any pro-Russia Ukrainians. Lukashenko openly admitted his surprise at how the Ukrainian invasion had slowed down and the ability of the Ukrainians to organize a counteroffensive. While Ukraine might defeat Russia and clear them out of Ukraine, Russia will still be there and still a threat to Belarussian independence. At the same time Lukashenko needs economic assistance and some Russian troops to keep himself in power. This is a dangerous game but one Lukashenko has been playing successfully for over twenty years.

An example of how Lukashenko operates became public back in 2011 when it was revealed that the former commander of the Belarusian air and missile defense forces (Igor Azarenok) had been arrested in 2010 and eventually convicted in a secret trial of corruption. He was found guilty of taking a $30,000 bribe from a Russian arms manufacturer. Azarenok was sentenced to nine years in prison. The Russian who bribed him was also prosecuted and sentenced to six years. What was unusual about this was that such corruption is rampant in Belarus, and has been for some time. Apparently Azarenok freelanced, and did not pass on any of the money to his superiors. Such inadequate sharing is a serious offense in Belarus, and so is dealing with a foreign government without permission. Azarenok's arrest and trial were revealed to make the most corrupt man in Belarus, president Lukashenko, look good. This apparently didn't work and most Belarusians still consider Lukashenko a corrupt tyrant who once preached clean government, but soon went over to the Dark Side.

Lukashenko doesn't confine his corrupt dealings to Belarus. In 2006 the U.S. accused Belarus of running a major illegal arm exporting operation. The weapons sales, mainly to Iran and African countries and warlords in general, was bringing in over two billion dollars a year, with most of the profits going to senior government officials, particularly president Lukashenko. This is how he remains in power. This behavior has led to numerous economic sanctions on Belarus which have put a lot of Belarussians out of work, and Lukashenko hasnt come up with a solution for this problem. Too many unemployed Belarussians may be what ultimately causes Lukashenko to lose his own job.
All over Anhui, cities and the countryside were all decorated with lanterns and festoons during the past Spring Festival holiday. Countless cultural heritages, traditional performances, and folk customs brought laughter and joy, making this important Chinese holiday lively and festive. Everywhere in the streets, the bright color of Chinese red dispels the winter cold, instilling passion and hope in people's hearts.

Folk artists perform the intangible heritage "iron flower" show (a folk art performance of throwing molten iron to create fireworks) in Qiaocheng District, Bozhou City, on Jan. 22. Photo by Zhang Yanlin

Before the Spring Festival, Shouxian County held its Folk Culture Festival of 2023, where cultural heritage items such as gong and drum music and Huagudeng (flower-drum-lantern) shows were presented. Photo by Li Bo, Zhao Yang

A drone light show was staged in Maanshan City on January 22. Photo by Luo Jisheng

Yingshang County held a Caijie event, a local intangible cultural heritage, at Guanzhong Old Street to celebrate the Chinese New Year on January 22. Photo by Wang Linhong

At the "Folk Culture and Arts Festival" in Sanhe Ancient Town, Feixi County, tourists were able to watch a series of traditional performances such as dragon dances, flower boat shows, and mussels dances. Photo by Xu Hao

Villagers of Dajia village, Hanshan County, organized a dragon lantern performance to welcome the Chinese New Year on January 22. Photo by Ou Zongtao

People participated in the lantern riddle activity at the 29th Chinese New Year Cultural Temple Fair in Hefei on January 22. Photo by Fang Hao

A dragon lantern dance performance was held before Spring Festival in Dongtou Village, Wuhu City. Photo by Shui Congze

A rabbit-shaped sugar painting attracted the attention of children at an intangible cultural heritage exhibition event on January 22 in Fuyang City. Photo by Wang Biao

During the Spring Festival, villagers of the She ethnic minority group in Qianqiu village, Ningguo City, made traditional food for tourists. The local agritourism industry provided service to more than 300,000 visitors last year. Photo by Li Xiaohong, He Xiaoyi
Three more sailors stationed aboard Navy aircraft carriers undergoing refits have died by suicide in the past two months, with the latest death occurring on Monday.

Cmdr. Robert Myers, a Navy spokesman, confirmed that a sailor stationed aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington died at a private residence in Newport News, Virginia, on Monday. A spokeswoman for the Newport News Police department told Military.com that they considered the death a suicide.

Military.com is not releasing the name of the sailor, because the Navy says family notification has not been completed.

Read Next: 'A Total Shock': Parents Mourn Sudden Death of Their Air Force Academy Son

Meanwhile, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, an aircraft carrier undergoing a maintenance period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington state, lost Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Christopher Carroll on Jan. 18 and Electrician's Mate (Nuclear) 3rd class Jacob Slocum on Dec. 5.

Lt. Cmdr. Benjamin Anderson, a spokesman for the ship, confirmed the deaths to Military.com but said that both remain under investigation. The Kitsap County medical examiner's office confirmed suicide was the cause of death for both sailors in a phone call with Military.com on Thursday.

The suicide aboard the George Washington comes just over a month after the Navy released its first report on the last three suicides the ship experienced in April. Military.com initially reported that sailors were told the ship had experienced 10 suicides in under a year by its commander, Capt. Brent Gaut.

Since then, the Navy has offered differing and lower figures, but it has never confirmed or denied what Gaut told his crew. The Navy also disclosed that a string of suicides on that ship goes back to at least November 2019.

One key aspect that connects the two carriers is the shipyard environment that they currently exist in -- an environment that Navy leaders have repeatedly admitted is arduous and challenging.

Sailors lived aboard the George Washington from April 2021 until the suicides forced the Navy to move the crew off the ship at the end of last April. Following the suicides, it became clear that living conditions aboard the ship, with frequent outages of heat or ventilation, power and running water as well as constant construction noise and debris, were a key complaint for the crew.

The recently released Navy investigation found that sailors would resort to sleeping in their cars or paying for rent in town despite not having a housing allowance.

While an investigation into the three April suicides concluded that they had no direct connection to living conditions on the massive docked ship, which has been in the shipyard since 2017, that report also revealed a climate where leaders were oblivious to the problems of their sailors and a Navy whose efforts to offer mental health care were insufficient and rife with mistrust. As a result, sailors struggled all alone.

The Roosevelt, like the Washington, is undergoing a refit. The ship has been at the Puget Sound shipyard since August 2021, though Anderson noted that none of the ship's roughly 2,700 sailors lives aboard the ship.

However, Slocum's family told Military.com that conditions in the shipyard and an unsympathetic chain of command took a toll on the young sailor.

Elspeth Slocum, the sailor's stepmother, said his long working hours led him to struggle to complete his qualifications, and as a result, his superiors sent him to captain's mast -- a form of non-judicial punishment where sailors are tried and punished by their commanding officer.

Elspeth said she spoke with her stepson a few days before the captain's mast.

"He tried so hard that day to complete qualifications, searching for an officer willing to test him," she told Military.com on Thursday, before adding that "he was unsuccessful."

In another instance, Elspeth said her stepson told her he searched for an officer to help him with his qualifications for four hours.

Military.com asked Anderson about the captain's mast and was told that "performance at work is being examined as part of an ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of ... Jacob Slocum," but that "further details cannot be provided at this time while the investigation is active."

Elspeth said that the young sailor "broke down and requested a transfer" during the captain's mast but was denied. In the end, according to his stepmother, Slocum was put "on restriction" for 40 days -- typically a punishment that means the sailor cannot freely leave the ship. In an effort to cheer him up, she tried to send him his favorite tea in the mail.

"He never received them," she said. "Weeks later, he died by his own hand."

Anderson said that "caring for and strengthening a sailor's mental and physical health and well-being -- regardless of their job performance -- is a sacred trust to all levels of leadership on USS Theodore Roosevelt."

In response to the deaths of Slocum and Carroll, Anderson stressed that the ship has added additional resources -- seven extra professionals -- for sailors on top of the already assigned counselor, psychologist, enlisted behavioral health specialist and three chaplains.

"We remain fully engaged with our sailors and their families to ensure their health and well-being, and to ensure a climate of trust and transparency that encourages sailors to ask for help, " Anderson said.

Myers told Military.com that "embedded chaplains, mental health providers, and leaders are engaged with the crew and are available to provide appropriate support and counseling" aboard the George Washington carrier.

"Several one-on-one engagements occurred following the announcement, and information with support resources was also distributed to the sailors in the department," he added.

The Navy's top leaders have recently begun to speak more openly and urgently about the service's struggle with suicide prevention.

Adm. Michael Gilday, the Navy's top officer, recently said that the issue keeps him up at night and that mental health is a "vexing problem" for the Navy.

"We have mental health facilities available," he said. "We have resiliency teams on our [amphibious readiness groups] and our carrier strike groups, and yet it's still not enough."

In a conversation with reporters, Gilday said Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro "is very interested in the final investigation on [George Washington] that lays out in more detail what investments we should make to improve."

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: 'Stick Around, We Need You': The Navy's Top Officer Opens Up About His Worry Over Suicide
How to use the mindat.org media viewer

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Welcome to the mindat.org media viewer. Here is a quick guide to some of the options available to you. Different controls are available depending on the type of media being shown (photo, video, animation, 3d image)

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If a stereoscopic 3D image is opened in the viewer, the 3D button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "3D settings" menu. The 3D images can be viewed in several ways:

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If a photo with activated comparison mode is opened in the viewer, the button appears in the bottom right corner giving access to "Comparison mode settings" menu.

Several layouts are supported: slider and side by-side comparison with up to 6 photos shown synchronously on the screen. On each of the compared photos a view selector is placed, e.g.: Longwave UV . It shows the name of currently selected view and allows to select a view for each placeholder.

Summary of all keyboard shortcuts
The Rangers re-signed first baseman/outfielder Elier Hernandez to a minor league deal earlier this month, as per Hernandezs MLB.com profile page. The 28-year-old received an invitation to the Rangers big league Spring Training camp.

Since first signing with Texas during the 2020-21 offseason, Hernandez has played primarily at Triple-A Round Rock, and he hit a strong .298/.356/.524 with 13 homers and 21 doubles over 351 plate appearance at the Triple-A level in 2022. This performance resulted in Hernandez making his Major League debut, though he hit a modest .182/.200/.242 in 35 PA over 14 games with Texas last season. The Rangers designated the outfielder for assignment in August and then outrighted him off their 40-man roster.

After electing to become a minor league free agent, Hernandez will now return to the Rangers organization for another season as a depth option. Hernandez has experience at all three outfield positions and has also seen some action at first base over the last two seasons, increasing his versatility. His chances of winning an Opening Day roster spot might depend on who stays healthy in the camp, but the Rangers left field situation is still unsettled (barring an acquisition of a veteran player), so theres some opportunity for Hernandez to carve out a platoon role if he has a big spring.

Hernandez is a veteran of 10 pro seasons, mostly in the Royals organization. He made his debut at age 17 in 2012, after signing as an international free agent the previous summer for a sizable $3.05MM bonus. Over 981 games and 4018 plate appearances in the minor leagues, Hernandez has a .261/.310/.387 slash line and 67 homers.
Jan. 31: The Rays have formally announced their extension with Diaz. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that Diaz will be paid $6MM in 2023, $8MM in 2024 and $10MM in 2025. Theres a $12MM option for a fourth season, which does not contain a buyout.

Jan. 28: The Rays and infielder Yandy Diaz are close to finalizing a contract extension, MLB.coms Mark Feinsand reports (Twitter link). The deal is a three-year, $24MM pact that contains a club option for the 2026, according to Feinsand and his MLB.com colleague Juan Toribio (via Twitter). Diaz is represented by ACES.

The extension would cover Diazs final two years of arbitration control and at least one of his free agent-eligible seasons. Diaz and the Rays were slated for an arbitration hearing to determine his 2023 salary after not reaching an agreement by the filing deadline  Diaz was looking for $6.3MM and the club countered with $5.5MM.

Instead, it now looks like Diaz will be the third hearing-bound Tampa Bay player to sign an extension this week. Jeffrey Springs signed a four-year, $31MM extension on Wednesday, while Pete Fairbanks agreed to a deal worth $12MM over three guaranteed years on Friday. An arb hearing is usually the result when the two sides dont agree on a one-year salary prior to the figure-exchange deadline, yet clubs often try to pursue multi-year deals as something of a loophole around the self-imposed file and trial strategy deployed by most of the league.

Diaz, Springs, and Fairbanks were three of seven Rays players that didnt agree to terms by the deadline, and even the remaining group of four (Harold Ramirez, Colin Poche, Ryan Thompson, Jason Adam) still represents an unusually large number of players to be headed for hearings. It certainly wouldnt be surprising to see the Rays work out at least one more extension before hearings start taking place in the coming weeks.

For Diaz, the new contract locks in some long-term security and the first major payday for a player who turned 31 last August. Beginning his career in his native Cuba, Diaz was twice arrested before finally defecting on his third attempt, and then signed with Cleveland for a $300K bonus. Diaz didnt make his MLB debut until 2017, when he was already 25 years old.

Back in December 2018, a headline-grabbing three-team trade between the Rays, Indians, and Mariners saw Diaz head from Cleveland to Tampa as part of the five-player swap. The Rays had interest in Diazs ability to make contact and draw walks, and those skills have certainly translated as Diazs career has progressed. Since the start of the 2020 season, Diaz ranks sixth among all qualified hitters in walk rate (13.7%) and ninth in strikeout rate (13.1%).

Diaz hit .266/.359/.418 over his first three seasons with the Rays, good for a solid 117 wRC+ over 1026 plate appearances. However, Diaz took the production up a level last season, posting a 146 wRC+ while hitting .296/.401/.423 with nine home runs over 558 PA, and finishing with elite percentiles in several major Statcast categories. For a right-handed batter, Diazs career numbers against left-handed pitchers had been relatively modest heading into 2022, but last year he crushed southpaws to the tune of an .892 OPS over 145 PA.

One flaw in Diazs performance was a lack of glovework, as public defensive metrics have indicated that he has been well below average over 1282 1/3 innings as a third baseman over the last two seasons. This stands out even more on a defense-conscious club like Tampa Bay, though the Rays might ideally look to use Diaz more often as a first baseman in 2023 or over the course of the longer-term deal.

In the big picture, locking up Diaz seems like a shrewd move for Tampa. While a 146 wRC+ is a high-water mark for Diaz, there wasnt much (apart from a spike in hard-hit ball rate) to suggest that his 2022 numbers were a departure from his prior career numbers, so its reasonable for the Rays to expect roughly similar production going forward over the life of Diazs deal.

Perhaps the most intriguing element is that the Rays have now extended a 31-year-old player, as it is fairly common for the team to shop players as they get increasingly expensive. There hadnt been any real trade buzz surrounding Diaz, however, and thus the Rays have now locked up three members of their infield (Diaz, Wander Franco, and Brandon Lowe) though possibly the 2026 season, depending on the status of club options for Diaz and Lowe. Of course, the Rays could still end up shopping Diaz, Lowe, or conceivably even Franco down the road, especially if the club continues to generate quality infield prospects from its minor league pipeline.

Between the yet-unknown specifics of Diazs contract numbers and the unresolved arbitration cases, the Rays are likely to match or exceed their previous franchise high for payroll, even if their overall spending is still quite modest by league-wide standards. Tampa Bays Opening Day payroll last season was approximately $83.86MM, and Roster Resource currently (without a Diaz extension involved) projects the Rays for around $76.86MM on the books in 2023.
28.01.2023 LISTEN

The Coordinator of the GAMA/GKMA Sanitation and Water Project, Ing. George Asiedu said at Oyerepa FM in Kumasi they have extended the project to other districts in the Ashanti Region.

Following this, some chiefs have applauded government for the move.

The chiefs are Denansehene Nana Atonsa Yiadom II in the Afigya Kwabre South District who doubles as the Asantehene's Atenehene and Nana Kofi Awiah III, Chief of Soko, a town in the Afigya Kwabre North District of Ashanti Region.

In exclusive separate interviews with this reporter, Otumfuo Atenehene Nana Atonsa Yiadom II expressed his gratitude to the government for extending sanitation projects to other districts in the Ashanti Region.

He observed that the move would help the selected districts to tackle the sanitation challenge holistically.

He noted that since cleanliness is next to godliness, traditional authorities fully support government to achieve the aim of the project.

"Our forefathers lived longer and healthy because they took sanitation and environmental issues as their priority in their daily activities," Nana Atonsa Yiadom II.

He passionately appealed to the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, the project implementers to extend the project to other parts of the country to benefit all.

Nana Atonsa Yiadom II was hopeful that the beneficiary districts would cooperate with the staff of GAMA/GKMA to achieve their goals.

On his part, Nana Kofi Awiah III, chief of Soko expressed joy for the project extension being funded by the Word Bank, indicating that the project would help communities to practice proper sanitation.

Commenting further on the project extension, the Project Coordinator, Ing George Asiedu noted that the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources and Parliament have approved the extension of the household's toilet projects to other districts in the Ashanti Region.

He mentioned places like Abuakwa ( Atwima Nwabiagya South District), Afigya Kwabre South and North Districts, Bekwai (Bekwai Municipality). He urged residents in those districts to register for the GAMA/GKMA bio-digester toilet facilities.
Madam Akua Donkor

28.01.2023 LISTEN

Founder and Leader of the Ghana Freedom Party, Madam Akua Donkor says Ghanaians need to support the President, Nana Akufo Addo in his quest to construct the National Cathedral Project before his tenure ends.

In a telephone interview with the Correspondent, the farmer cum politician noted that Ghanaians particularly the opposition NDC are making unnecessary criticisms about the National Cathedral Project.

Akua Donkor noted that anything that is attached to the name of God attracts blessings.

The leader of the GFP argued that Ghana is noted as a very peaceful country due to its religious tolerance.

According to her, the religious nature of Ghanaians has contributed to the peace and stability of the country envied by many.

For this reason, she believes the project must be completed to the glory of God.

Akua Donkor noted that those criticising the President are only up for mischief and as such must put an end to it.

She noted that no matter the distraction, the cathedral would be built at all cost.

She used the opportunity to appeal to Ghanaians to contribute to the project.
The Ministry of Finance is preparing an emergency expenditure management guideline that will provide the government with administrative protocols in times of emergency such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

It will also ensure compliance with relevant Public Financial Management (PFM) regulations as well as provide timely responses.

This was contained in a press statement issued by the Ministry on Wednesday, which commended the Auditor General for the timely release of the Special Audit Report of the Government of Ghanas Covid-19 Expenditures.

The audit report confirms total resources mobilized for the Covid-19 response over the period March 2020 to June 2022 stood at GH21,844,189,185.24. As indicated on page 7, paragraph 18 of 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 Covid-19 pandemic, and its effects on revenue mobilization.

Hence, as reported on page 11, paragraph 31 of the report, the 53.8% and 46.2% spent on direct Covid-19 interventions and for general budget support respectively were consistent with the mandate approved by Parliament, it stated.

According to the press release, the Ministry coordinated the mobilization and disbursement of funds for the Covid-19 responses by the government in accordance with the PFM Act, to ensure the 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, it noted.

It further indicated that the Ministry was pursuing interventions such as organizing meetings with implementing agencies to evaluate actions taken to implement the audit recommendations in the audit report.

The Ministry will 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 in Government, it assured.




Hundreds of Tanzanians attended an emotional memorial ceremony on Friday for a student who was killed fighting for Russia in Ukraine after being recruited in jail.

Nemes Tarimo was serving a seven-year term for an undisclosed offence when Russia's Wagner mercenary group recruited him for payment and the promise he would be freed after the war, Tanzanian authorities said this week.

Following his death on October 24, his body arrived in Tanzania on Friday, with tearful family members gathering at the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam to receive his remains.

The short memorial service was attended by government officials as well as representatives from the opposition Chadema party, which counted Tarimo among its members.

In a eulogy, a family member said Tarimo was father to a three-year-old girl who was still in Russia.

After prayers, mourners lined up before the closed coffin, which had a framed photograph of Tarimo.

"Due to circumstances which are out of our control, we will not display the physical face of the late Tarimo," a relative told mourners.

Tarimo's uncle Dickson Muro said he spoke to the student last year.

"Tarimo called me and said he was free and promised to return home this January. He also warned that I should not call him until he does so," he said.

Tarimo's stepfather said the student had told him he had secured a job in Ukraine.

"I told him to be careful there because of war, but he told me not to worry," said Sultan Nassoro.

Chadema official Ernest Mgawe said Tarimo had bid for the party's member of parliament nomination in Dar es Salaam in 2020.

"We lost a commander," he said.

Tarimo's body will now be transported for burial to the southern region of Mbeya.

In recent months, men have been recruited from Russian prisons to fight on the front lines in Ukraine with the promise of lucrative wages and reduced sentences.

Zambian student Lemekani Nyirenda, 23, was killed in Ukraine in September, triggering a diplomatic spat and prompting Lusaka to demand an explanation from Moscow.
27.01.2023 LISTEN

The Executive Director of the Atta Mills Institute, Koku Anyidoho, has described the Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, as a divider.

His comments follow the recent changes in the leadership of the Minority Caucus in Parliament.

According to Mr Anyidoho, the NDC Chairman has succeeded in dividing the opposition NDC.

Speaking in an interview with Hajia Bintu Saana on CTVs Dwabre Mu, Friday, 27 January 2023, Mr Anyidoho said Mr Nketia is causing division in the party.

Mr Anyidoho said: Hes destroying the party. Today, people are saying Koku Anyidoho, we now understand, you said it. When Jesus came to speak about salvation, people didnt accept him.

Theres been a change in Parliament before. Why is it that today, its become something else? We didnt believe.

He indicated that people are looking up to the opposition to keep government on its toes, however, instead of staying united, the NDC Chairman is rather causing division amongst party folk.

Already in Parliament, theres already division; NDC and NPP 137, 137. Today the opposition that people are looking up to, to put government on its toes, today, Asiedu Nketia too has divided the opposition.

So you have a hung parliament already on both sides, now the opposition itself is also divided so wheres the democracy, wheres the democracy? Mr Anyidoho questioned, adding that the said division of the NDC is all because of Asiedu Nketias demeanor that all power belongs to him.

Source: classfmonline.com
28.01.2023 LISTEN

The Pan Nigerian President of Igbo Extraction Coalition PANPIEC has warned Ndigbo that they cannot be pursuing Biafra and Nigerian presidency at the same time.

Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday with cross section of church leaders during a concerned stakeholders meeting, the Chairman of PANPIEC Igbo Presidency 2023 Strategy Team, Rev Obinna Akukwe said that Ndigbo are prepared for 2023 elections but there is a vocal minority who wants Biafra at all costs.

Allaying the fears of the concerned clerics, especially from the north, that Peter Obi will declare Biafra if he becomes president, Rev Akukwe said that the insinuations are unfounded.

Akukwe warned Ndigbo to stop all the tales that Fulani have taken over South East. According to him

I came back from the South East Peace Tour on Sunday, apart from about six communities having clashes with Fulani, two in Enugu State, one in IMO, Anambra, Abia and Ebony, which the security agencies are tackling, Fulani have not invaded South East"

He told the clerics that Igbo are pushing for a president of South East extraction, but Atiku and Tinubu also have stronghold.

He also warned the Igbo clerics at the meeting to stop spreading baseless WhatsApp messages connoting that South East is under siege to Fulani to their northern counterparts because no such siege exists, instead it is discouraging northern voters supporting Igbo Presidency.

Rev Akukwe said that PANPIEC Igbo Presidency Strategy Team, Igbo Mandate Congress IMC and Igbo Think Tank ITT are engaging aspects of splinter IPOB for peaceful polls in the South East.

The clerics prayed for peace in Nigeria and free polls and resolved to force their members to vote for their choice candidates on the day.
Former President, John Dramani Mahama has lambasted President Akufo-Addos government over what he described as reckless borrowing.

Delivering a lecture at the Chatham House in the United Kingdom on Friday, January 27, the leading member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) stressed that the reckless borrowing of the ruling government is what has brought Ghanas economy to its knees.

According to him, if he was still President, he wouldnt have been reckless. He argues that even if he was going to borrow, he would do so prudently to ensure the countrys finances are managed very well.

What we would have done differently. I would have not borrowed recklessly as they did. We would have borrowed prudently and we would have taken better management of our finances, John Dramani Mahama said.

During his lecture, the former Ghana President admonished the government to do more consultations on the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme to ensure Ghanaians are not made to suffer more hardships.

I do think that the debt restructuring there should be more dialogue. I noticed that the period has been extended. I think this is about the third time and one wonders if we would be able to meet that deadline by the end of January.

And the point is the longer it delays the more the danger that we will not be able to go to the IMF board when it meets somewhere towards the spring. This thing must be speeded up and the only way it can be speeded up is when the Finance Minister climbs down his high horse and is prepared to sit with the bondholders and discuss it and reach a consensus, John Dramani Mahama shared.

The lecture among other things saw the former President discussing the prospects for economic recovery and growth on the African continent in light of the recent debt crisis that has compelled African countries including Ghana to seek debt treatment under the G20 Common Framework.

Ex-President Mahama at the lecture today shared with his audience his ideas and insights on the key economic and governance reforms required for economic stability and prosperity across Africa.

He also discussed priorities for regional integration and Africa's role and responsibilities in global economic governance.
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna has reaffirmed Paris' support for the Ukrainian people in the ongoing war. In a visit to Ukraine today she gave an exclusive interview to RFI, in which she accused Russia of violating all its commitments" .

She also and spoke about the possible punishment of those responsible for the war, pointing out that in the past heads of state have been tried by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

France's commitement

The minister stressed France's commitment to helping Ukraine maintain its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

She was talking in the studio of RFI's Ukraine service established in Bucharest shortly after the war began.

"If we are on Ukraine's side, it is because we defend a vision of the world, with values and principles of international law. But it is also because we defend our interests," Colonna said, pointing out that "if everyone decides to invade its neighbour", the whole planet will suffer.

She added: "Today, unfortunately, it is a time for weapons. We are helping Ukraine to defend itself to this end and we know that in order for it to move to a new stage in a dialogue that existed but was interrupted, we must find a better balance of power.

However, she also stressed that the decision must lie with Kyiv, and under conditions that the Ukrainian government considers appropriate.

Loss of confidence

But before that, the minister insisted, Ukrainians must see Russia as "a bona fide partner

"So far, [Moscow] has given no sign of its readiness for a productive dialogue, she said. On the contrary, it has methodically violated all its commitments, both international ones and commitments it made at the time of the dissolution of the Soviet Union," said the minister/

She added that it is first necessary to establish a new balance of power to help Ukraine regain what it has lost.

Asked about possible sanctions against those responsible for the war and whether she believed that a trial against the protagonists of the conflict could really happen, Colonna was categorical:

"Yes, because it is necessary. We know that there will be no lasting peace without justice being done," adding that the French authorities are "committed to this fight against impunity.

"It is possible to prosecute not only those who shot, who killed, but also those who gave the order, and even those who gave the order to invade," she said.

"It has already happened in the past that heads of state have been tried by the International Criminal Court or the international courts that existed before the creation of the ICC. So there are legal remedies possible and they have to be [punished]. That is essential."
The Ghanaian president, Nana Akufo Addo, has vowed to never remove his relative Ken Ofori-Atta from his position as finance minister, even though he lacks the necessary skills for the job and, more crucially, makes it very simple for the president to commit corruption at the expense of Ghanaians and the country's economy. What do Ghanaians think would have occurred in their nation if John Mahama's relative had been the finance minister and had refused to remove him?

I believe it is urgent and important to ask my fellow Ghanaians this question because although Mahama provided the best leadership possible for Ghanaians amid a thriving economy, my blood runs cold when I watch old videos or read old online news about what enraged Ghanaians did to the former leader. I'm not sure if Akufo Addo's sweet-talking or tribalism motivated Ghanaians to be extremely harsh and nasty toward Mahama and call for his resignation.



The only two Ghanaian leaders who started multiple projects under democratic governments were Kwame Nkrumah and John Mahama. However, both of them suffered the effects of tribalism, which caused their accomplishments to be completely forgotten, while an empire of deceitful enemies and tribal bigots, proclaimed losers as winners and incompetent as competent.

I'm still in awe at what many people did and said about Mahama. Additionally, I find it shocking that people still pretend as if nothing is wrong with our beloved nation under this administration, which has failed badly in every manner. Street protests demanding Mahama's resignation were held, and many people yelled foul things, including Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, the minister of communication, and the vice president, Bawumia, and his wife. After such a terrible failure, Bawumia now wants to be president.



Imagine what would have happened to Mahama if his relative had been the finance minister and he had refused the call to resign if Ghanaians had treated him in such a disrespectful and insulting manner when Ghana was at its finest. Many people, in my opinion, would have stoned him to death, yet I find it incomprehensible that so many people still hold such strong animosities toward Mahama even though he is more intelligent and capable than Akufo Addo, and not even by the slightest margin.

Despite when things were much better under the NDC government in 2014, hate, hypocrisy, and tribalism, inspired an organization or association calling itself the "Alliance for Accountable Governance" (AFAG), to urge John Mahama to resign to prevent the country from collapsing. They warned the former president of Ghana that he would suffer their wrath if he did not step down. Where is AFAG to demand the resignation of the president now that the dust has cleared and Ghanaians can perceive the stark difference between the competence of Mahama and Akufo Addo?

The more alarming aspect of Mahama's adversaries confronting him is how many religious leaders and so-called "men of God" conspired to make his life miserable and hopeless. As we all know, words can label someone as hopeless, but competence can save him and disprove his detractors. Who in their right mind would brag that Mahama was outperformed by Akufo Addo? The former president of Ghana started several initiatives, some of which he never finished. Akufo Addo can only display debt.

Akufo Addo claimed to have excelled Kwame Nkrumah, but how is that possible considering that he hasn't come close to matching Mahama's accomplishments throughout his reign? We won't let prejudice and tribalism ruin us. Many people wanted Mahama to fail instead of Akufo Addo so they could use that as ammunition against the previous Ghanaian president, but God prevented that.

Ghana has come to a crossroads that might not have happened if Akufo Addo hadn't been elected president. Every appointment made by the president has been useless since no one has the qualifications to be a professional, competent politician, due to his poor leadership skills, lack of understanding of job creation, and inability to improve the welfare of the oppressed masses. The NPP's failure demonstrates that they were motivated to enter politics by corruption.

The fact that Ghana has been affected by this catastrophe even confirms that Akufo Addo engaged in deception to win power but was not sincere enough to accomplish anything significant, as evidenced by his claims about Mahama while he was running for president, such as the account of the "Arab Spring" incident and "Yeti Sika Su Na Ekom Diyen." How many programs have the president proclaimed, such as One District, One Factory, Agenda 111, and several others that were nothing more than illusions?

Even though the current administration purports to be democratic, it cannot take criticism. Names have been made available and critics of Akufo Addo are harassed by security personnel at the Kotoka International Airport and those in Ghana are often threatened with death. This is a country that the Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, and Attorney General, Godfred Dame, want Ghanaians to trust and have confidence in the judiciary system. Mahama didn't arrest anyone despite the abuse and difficulties he endured from his enemies, thats why I view him as a prime example of a successful leader.

William Makepeace Thackeray once said, "Life is a mirror: if you frown at it, it frowns back; if you smile at it, it returns the greeting." Ghanaians can see that Akufo Addo has failed in every endeavor since he lied and fooled them to get power. Greed, hypocrisy, and hatred are destructive forces that you will undoubtedly reap if you sow them against someone. It's harvest time, so the president ought to reap all the bad he sowed to gain power.



Since Ken Ofori-Atta is an inept and corrupt finance minister, who has already irreparably damaged Ghana, removing him from office won't even result in any change within the next five years. Common Ghanaians will gain from his dismissal in two ways: corruption will be decreased, and his avaricious and unscrupulous political thuggery life, will come to an end, preventing the stealing of people's hard-earned funds through fraudulent schemes such as E-Levy and debt restructuring.
MBABANE  Once popular Chief Government Vehicle Inspector Vincent Vivian Gwebu, widely known as Bhantshana, is still out on bail  eight years later.

The retired civil servants contempt of court case has been a non-starter. Gwebu, who was a controversial but likeable figure, retired in 2016 from the civil service after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 60 and was replaced by Samuel Magagula, who is also on retirement now. During his years in office, his service to government was very controversial for being a no-nonsense vehicle who nabbed even senior public officials for abusing government vehicles.

This, in 2014, saw him spending nine days in jail but later released on bail after he was arrested and charged with contempt of court. This happened after he arrested and charged former High Court Judge Esther Otas chauffeur for abusing a government vehicle. At that time, the judge was in the car.

Following his arrest, Gwebu applied for bail but the State, represented by Advocate Norman Kades, opposed the application on the basis that he was a flight risk.

However, he was subsequently released on bail and his matter has been pending since. His case resulted in the infamous jailing of The Nation Magazine Editor Bheki Makhubu and human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko who both wrote articles criticising the judiciary for its handling of Gwebus matter. Worth noting is that the main witness in Gwebus case is former Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi, who is now late.

Police

Speaking to Eswatini News, Gwebu said he was still waiting for the High Court to summon him concerning his case, as he was still reporting to the Manzini Police Station one day every month. I am supposed to visit the Manzini Police Station to report every month as per the dictates of the order of court when I was granted E15 000 bail in 2014. I spend over E70 a month in travelling expenses to and from Manzini, from my home at Bulunga and that has affected me greatly as you know I am old and on retirement now, said Gwebu. Before being employed as Chief Government Vehicle Inspector, Gwebu was a police officer from 1975 to 1991. Gwebu pointed out that he would not stop his monthly reporting to the police station as he would never disrespect the law.

Political

Another notable person who has experienced the same fate is political activist and the Peoples United Democratic Movements (PUDEMO) member, Mphandlana Shongwe. After 13 years of uncertainty and being out on bail, renowned Shongwe recently appeared at the High court for indictment.

According to a roll that has been issued by the registrar of the High Court, Shongwes matter will be heard by Judge Nkosinathi Maseko during the first session. The chief justice has determined the period between January 24 and April 29, 2022, to be the dates for the first session of the sitting of the High Court. The political activist stands accused of having contravened the Suppression of Terrorism Act in 2009.




28.01.2023 LISTEN

Ghanaian politics has become a scorned profession, not a noble profession it used to be. Suffice it to stress that it takes good peoplegood citizens and leaders to build a prosperous nation. Yet a lot of good people would never go into politics. They dislike the toxic levels of partisanship. They hate the intrusive media scrutiny and they wont pay the high personal costs of the political life.

Once upon a time, anyone who gained a seat in parliament was looked up to and respected by all. Alas this is not the case anymore.

It is well over four years since the sensational vineyard news spiralled through that some NDC Members of Parliament have allegedly grabbed double salaries.

Apparently, I had mixed feelings when I read some time ago that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service had submitted the dockets on the investigations of the double salary grabbing NDC Members of Parliament to the Attorney Generals Office for advice.

My incertitude stemmed from the fact that Ghanas justice system tends to clampdown heavily on the goat, cassava and plantain thieves, and more often than not, let go the impenitent criminals who hide behind the narrow political colorations.

As I write, nothing meaningful has been done towards bringing the double salary grabbing suspects to book.

It is quite obvious that the alleged suspects are hiding behind the dowdy and largely unjust parliamentary privileges and concessions.

The fact that the parliamentarians privileges and concessions are grounded in the Constitution of Ghana, it is somewhat sophistic for any person or group of persons to contend that the parliamentarians immunity from arrest and issue of summons without the Speaker of Parliaments prior knowledge and permission is not dowdy and ridiculous in the fight against corruption in the 21st century.

After all, we are all equal before the law. Yes, no one is above the law, so why must a section of the society have some kind of immunity in the justice delivery?

How can honourable Members of Parliament knowingly keep double salaries to the detriment of the poor and the disadvantaged Ghanaians?

Truly, it beggars belief that individuals could form an alliance, create, loot and share gargantuan sums of money belonging to the state and would eventually slip through the justice net.

For argument sake, if the law can excuse a suspected double salary grabbing Member of Parliament from prosecution, the law might as well make room for the equally important contributors such as farmers, teachers, and doctors among others.

Why must we allow a section of the population to perpetrate criminalities and then hide behind the law?

I have always maintained that if we are ever prepared to beseech the fantastically corrupt public officials to only return their loots without any further punishment, we might as well treat the goat, plantain and cassava thieves same. For after all, what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

I am afraid, the democratic country called Ghana may not see any meaningful development, so long as we have public officials who are extremely greedy, corrupt, and insensitive to the plight of the impoverished Ghanaians.

It is absolutely true that the unresolved cases of political criminals unscrupulous activities often leave concerned Ghanaians with a gleam of bewilderment.

Indeed, when it comes to the prosecutions of the political criminals, we are often made to believe: the wheels of justice turn slowly, but it will grind exceedingly fine.

And yet we can disappointingly cite a lot of unresolved alleged criminal cases involving political personalities and other public servants.

Where is the fairness when the political thieves could shamefully dip their hands into the national purse as if there is no tomorrow and go scot free, while the goat, cassava and plantain thieves are incarcerated?

I have always insisted that there is no deterrence for political criminals. For, if that was not the case, how come political criminals more often than not, go through the justice net, despite unobjectionable evidence of wrong doing?

We hereby plead with the Attorney General and Minister of Justice that the law is not a respecter of persons, and therefore the alleged double salary NDC Members of Parliament must be investigated thoroughly and prosecute those who are found culpable of wrong doing.

After all, the right antidote to curbing the unbridled sleazes and corruption is through stiff punishments, including the retrieval of all stolen monies, sale of properties and harsh prison sentences.

K. Badu, UK.

[email protected]
Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak has slammed Members of Parliament kicking against the recent shake-up in the leadership of the NDC Caucus in Parliament.

Mr. Mubarak wants critics to accept the change and channel their energy to the betterment of the party ahead of the election 2024.

According to the former legislator, the decision of the party will never be reversed regardless of what the opposers will do.

The decision to appoint new party leaders in Parliament won't be reversed. No amount of petitions and press conferences would change that. Better we focus our energies on winning political power and help build our country.

"Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn moved from the Front Bench to the back bench. Heavens did not break loose, he said.

Mr. Mubarak called on party members to support the new parliamentary leaders to perform.

We can't build a strong party with this entitlement mentality. We have a duty to help Ato Forson and his team succeed as our new party leaders in Parliament," he appealed.

On Tuesday, January 24, the opposition party informed the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin, in an official letter about some changes in its leadership in Parliament.

In the letter, the ranking member on the Finance Committee of Parliament, 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.

The matter has caused division among the NDC MPs in Parliament, with over 70 members signing a petition to reverse the decision of the party leadership.
We are about to learn why Indonesians exhume the deceased, clean them up, dress them in new garments, and then rebury them. We live in a world where various cultures, customs, and traditions are practiced. On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the indigenous Torajas people hold this ritual known as Ma nene once a year.

One of the largest islands in the Indonesian archipelago, Sulawesi, is home to a hilly region where the majority of the Toraja people reside. The population of this region would be close to 500,000. Even though 85% of Indonesia's population is Muslim, the remaining are protestant or catholic.

Indonesian brothers standing by their dead parents. Photo credit: radionigeriaibadan.gov.ng/

However, many Torajas still adhere to the Aluk To Dolo, or "way of the ancestors," a belief system that places a high value on their ancestors, especially through the ritual Ma nene, or "doing something for the grandparents." It is observed annually in August or, more irregularly, in the many places where the Torajas, who are inhabitants of high mountains, reside.

Families then take the remains of the deceased from the coffins that were placed within family graves. The preserved body with hair is then cleaned to get rid of dust and any molds. Some families dress them in new clothes and then offer them cigarettes or perfume as though the deceased were still alive.

The families also allow the bodies to dry in the sun, which helps to preserve them, before dressing them in fresh clothing and reburying them. The bodies of some of the deceased are in good condition despite having passed away more than three decades ago.

According to Jean-Paul Rocle, charge de mission to the funeral services of the city of Paris, there are minimal health risks associated with this practice. While handling the bodies poses a risk of infection due to the presence of germs associated with the body's decomposition process, the germs that cause diseases are no longer active.

Entire family, including grandchildren, with their dead parents. Photo credit: radionigeriaibadan.gov.ng/

It is hardly unexpected that the body is in good condition because Torajas always want to preserve their dead, whether or not they engage in ritual Ma nene. He remarked, "In the Torajas, the dead are frequently buried several years after their passing.

Due to the high cost of this ceremony, families pool their resources to organize funerals, which can sometimes cost millions of dollars or even more than a wedding. The body is kept at home by relatives while it is preserved with customary herbs and formalin injections.

Despite this, many Torajas only occasionally or infrequently participate in this ritual, particularly after the spread of Christianity in the region. Many tourists often attend the Torajas' Ma nene rituals, which have developed into tourism hotspots.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Council of Elders has issued a press release on the uproar over the reshuffle of the leadership of the Minority in Parliament.

In a release, the Council has called on aggrieved Members of Parliament, the leadership of the party, and all members to immediately put a stop to the public pronouncement on the matter.

According to the Council, it has commenced steps to deal with the concerns raised on the reshuffle.

The Council has initiated steps to act expeditiously on the petition and related matters. While this process is underway, the Council urges our Honourable Members of Parliament, Party leadership at all levels, and all concerned persons to refrain from further public pronouncements on the matter in the larger interest of our great NDC. This is a time to be circumspect in order not to play into the hands of our detractors, part of the release from the NDC Council of Elders said.

The release dated January 28, and signed by the Chairman of the Elders, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu added, The Council assures the rank and file of the Party of an early and principled resolution of the issues and ultimately, the NDC will emerge stronger and more united.

Meanwhile, all party members have been admonished to focus their energies on working to bring the party to power in 2024.

We urge all members of the NDC to re-dedicate themselves to working for victory in the Presidential and Parliamentary elections in 2024, to alleviate the suffering of the Ghanaian people, the release added.
28.01.2023 LISTEN

Former President John Dramani Mahama says he will gladly support Ghanas Foreign Affairs Minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey if she contests for the position of the next Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

Mr. Mahama declared his support when he addressed a gathering at Chatham House in the United Kingdom on January 27, 2023, on the topic, Africas strategic priorities and global role.

The current Secretary-General of the Commonwealth is Patricia Scotland, and she is the 6th Commonwealth Secretary-General.

Born in Dominica, Patricia Janet Scotland is the second Secretary-General from the Caribbean and the first woman to hold the post.

The next General-Secretary may be someone from Africa.

The Foreign Affairs Minister recently expressed her interest to occupy that position.

Asked about his view on a Ghanaian becoming a Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Mr. Mahama said, Im hearing it for the first time that our Foreign Affairs Minister is interested in the position of the Commonwealth Secretary-General. I have worked closely with Baroness Patricia Scotland, shes chosen me to lead several election observation missions in Kenya, Sierra Leone, and other places.

I know her very well, shes been quite a capable Secretary General. Incidentally, she comes from the Caribbean, the Dominican. And so if its Africas turn, why not, I mean we will have a Ghanaian Secretary General female. Its something I will support.

Madam Shirley was appointed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as Minister of Foreign Affairs in January 2017.

She was a member of the ECOWAS Parliament and also served as Vice-Chair on the NEPAD & APRM Committees.

She is also the former Member of Parliament for Anyaa-Sowutuom.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General is the head of the Commonwealth Secretariat, the central body which has served the Commonwealth of Nations since its establishment in 1965, and responsible for representing the Commonwealth publicly.

citinewsroom
The actions of Electoral Commission Chair Jean Mensa and her two deputy commissioners, since President Nana Akufo-Addo ousted then-Chairperson Charlotte Osei, have undermined their independence and neutrality, former President John Mahama has said.

In a lecture on Africas strategic priorities and global role at Chatham House, London, Mr Mahama said used the Charlotte Osei ouster to demonstrate how African leaders undermine institutions of democracy to entrench their stay in power.

Africa needs to build stronger institutions to address institutional and political decay, he said, explaining: In building stronger institutions, civil society organisations (CSOs) in Africa must also be prioritised.

On this note, Mr Mahama commended the many CSOs on our continent that are holding governments accountable, since, in his view, compounding the socio-economic malaise on the continent, is the erosion of public confidence in state institutions.

Many of these state institutions set up to be independent arbiters and offer appropriate checks and balance on the executive arms of government, have in recent years served more as extensions of the government, he noted.

In many cases, as is the case in Ghana, there have been overt efforts by the government to weaken these institutions and bend them to its will, Mr Mahama pointed out.

A case in point was the ouster of the then-Chairperson of Ghanas Electoral Commission and two other senior officials by the President of Ghana over clearly flimsy and contrived reasons.

They were then replaced with persons with noticeable leanings towards the incumbent party and whose actions have served to undermine public confidence in their independence and neutrality, two ingredients which are vital prerequisites for the sustenance of Ghanas acclaimed democracy, he indicated.

President Akufo-Addo sacked Mrs Osei and two deputies Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwaa in 2018.

Their removal was based on recommendations from a committee that investigated corruption and misconduct allegations against them.

The president met the three EC officials and handed them their dismissal letters.

Some concerned workers of the Electoral Commission in July 2017 petitioned the president and the Chief Justice to begin impeachment processes against the Mrs Osei.

They accused her of taking unilateral decisions without recourse to the appropriate departments of the EC.

The group also accused the EC Chair of engaging in fraudulent activities, citing, as evidence, her decision to cancel a contract awarded to Superlock Technologies Limited (STL) to supply and manage Biometric Voter Registration machines (BVRs) and the Biometric Voter Devices (BVDs), as well as her directive for the payment of $76,000 to IT firm, Dream Oval.

Following that, a counter-argument ensued between Mrs Osei and her two deputies that portrayed that all was not well between the three topmost commissioners at the EC.

A counter-petition was also filed for the removal of the two other commissioners, Mr Amadu Sulley and Georgina Opoku Amankwaa.

After about a year of investigations, the Chief Justice's committee handed over its report to the presidency.

A statement signed and issued by the then-Minister of Information, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, said: "The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has, on Thursday, 28 June 2018, removed from office the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Mrs Charlotte Osei, and her two deputies, Mr Amadu Sulley and Ms Georgina Opoku Amankwah, with immediate effect."

"This was after the Committee set up by the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, pursuant to Article 146(4) of the Constitution, to investigate separate complaints brought against the three persons by Ghanaian citizens, recommended their removal from office."

The statement added: "The Committee recommended their removal on the basis of stated misbehaviour and incompetence, pursuant to Article 146(1) of the Constitution."

"The provisions of Article 146(9) of the Constitution require the President of the Republic to act in accordance with the recommendations of the Committee."

Source: ClassFMonline.com
Mr Kwame Baffoe aka Abronye DC the Bono Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), says the party remains the only source of hope to turn round the nation's economic fortunes, and alleviate the plight of the masses.

He, therefore, advised the youth to exercise patience as the government addressed the nation's economic crisis, creating employment for the youth to better their lives.

Interacting with a section of the media in Sunyani, Mr Baffoe said, though things are tough now, Ghanaians only need to have little patience with the government.

Our party has a proven track record. We have done it before and we will do it again. Just that we must all be hopeful because the economic condition had worsened when we took over political power in 2001.

But we were able to turn things around. The government is strengthening the social and poverty intervention programmes and surely we shall overcome these challenges very soon, he added.

Mr Baffoe said before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghana was one of the fast-growing economies, but added the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine had a huge toll on the nation's economy.

That notwithstanding, the Regional Chairman said the government remained thoughtful and sensitive and therefore put in place realistic interventions that lessened the economic burdens of the people.

So the government is seriously working hard on the economy and Ghanaians will see certain changes and economic progress in 2023, Mr Baffoe stated.

GNA
Former President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama has stressed that he is confident that things will turn around for the better in the future.

In a short post on his social media, the leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has admonished Ghanaians to have hope in the country.

He notes that it is more important to look forward to the future with hope than to brood over the present with despair.

I encourage you not to lose hope in Ghana and Africa because it is far more useful to look forward to the future with hope than to brood over the present with despair. I am an eternal believer in the potential and positive energies of Africa and her youth, John Dramani Mahama said in a post.

The former President of Ghana is currently in the United Kingdom. On Friday, January 27, he delivered a lecture at the Chatham House where he discuss the prospects for economic recovery and growth on the African continent in light of the recent debt crisis that has compelled African countries including Ghana to seek debt forgiveness under the G20 Common Framework.

The lecture was under the theme: "Africa's strategic priorities and global role".
Senior Officers, relatives, and the Police fraternity travelled to Adomfe in the Asanti Akyem South Municipality of the Ashanti Region to bid farewell to a police officer who died with his family in a fire outbreak.

The late police officer who was attached to the Anti-Robbery Unit of the Ashanti Command, 35-year-old Sergeant Owusu Asante Baafi was buried in his hometown on Saturday, January 28, 2023.

His wife, 32-year-old Millicent Akyaa Agyei, and the three-month-old child, Samuel Kwabena Baafi Nyamedo who died in the incident were also buried.

The late officer and his family perished after fire gutted a police apartment at Apromase on January 16, 2023.

The Inspector General of Police, Dr. George Akufo Dampare who visited the scene after the incident instructed the immediate relocation of all police officers and their families from a housing facility at Apromase to another location.

The Police and the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) have launched a joint investigation into the incident.

The Inspector General of Police had said there will be a comprehensive structural and technical assessment of the facility as part of the investigations.

The Police administration also deployed clinical psychologists to provide psycho-social support to the victim.

Relatives and colleagues of the late police officer and his wife broke down in tears when their remains were being taken to the cemetery at Adomfe.

The coffin of the late police officer was draped in a Ghana Police Service flag with a service cap placed on it.

Both coffins were escorted by Senior Police Officers in a procession and a final gun salute at the cemetery to honour the late officer.

Colleagues of the late police officer described him as hardworking and a committed member of the service.

Senior Police Officers who were present included; Director-General administration, COP Mr. Christian Tetteh Yohunu, Director-General Legal and Prosecution, COP. Mr. Nathan Kofi Boakye and Director-General, Human Resource Development, COP Mr. Frederick Adu Anim.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah led other Government appointees to console the bereaved family.

Flagbearer hopeful of the New Patriotic Party(NPP), Kennedy Agyapong and a leading member of the NPP in the Ashanti Region, Chairman Odeneho Kwaku Appiah also led a separate delegation to commensurate with the family.

-citinewsroom
Mr Kwame Obeng Adjinah, a parliamentary aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Bibiani, has said the changes in the minority leadership in parliament would not affect the party's victory in the 2024 general election.

Mr Adjinah said the party's national executives did intense dialogue before identifying the present leaders.

The Aspirant, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, expressed his massive support to the partys national executives for such a tactical move to win political power in the 2024 election to rescue Ghanaians from the current economic woes.

He said, It's about time the minority took a leader who has a financial background to critically analyse the government's financial issues. I know Mr Ato Forson can handle the position effectively. I will appeal to the supporters from all sides to stop blaming themselves since we are all one family.'

Mr. Adjinah advised the executives and supporters within the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Constituency to desist from acts that could spoil the image of the party, adding that their main aim was to recapture power from the NPP.

He also urged the executives and their supporters to let calm to prevail in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai Constituency and be focused and resolute to fight for their common goal of regaining the seat from the NPP.

Mr Adjinah used the opportunity to appeal to the party delegates to give him the nod in the parliamentary primaries.

GNA
MBABANE  A soldier reportedly confided to a relative that he sold explosives and weapons belonging to the state.

He is said to have revealed that these were sold to some people suspected to be terrorists, three days before he allegedly committed suicide next to his work station. Speaking to Eswatini News, the relative, whose identity cannot be disclosed for security reasons, pointed out that the late soldier (name deliberately withheld) could have not killed himself because of the debts he had. Our sister publication, the Times of Eswatini daily, ran an article in which sources attributed the death of the soldier to suspected suicide due to an altercation earlier on that fateful morning.

The relative stated that they did not believe that the soldier took his life, and believed that there was foul play that led to his death. Yes, we were aware that he had money problems but he had just bought a black corsa van with foreign registration and it was still with a mechanic, a few days before he died. It is not possible that he killed himself, explained the relative.

The relative further alleged that one of his colleagues, who is also his friend, disclosed to some family members that the deceased could not have killed himself. He told us that there must be some people who could have forced him to drink the poisonous substance and most suspiciously, he was left to die, a few metres from the tent they were drinking alcohol in, alleged the relative.

According to another community member, the deceased used to come to the drinking spots in the Manzini region and would allegedly show them some things he called explosives.We didnt know what it was but when he was drunk, he used to warn us not to dare mess with him as he was carrying weapons of mass destruction. He also showed us a lot of bullets which were in his pockets. It was during these drinking sprees that the deceased and his colleague would show us these explosives and even shared some army secrets with us, alleged the community member.

Threatening

The relative said that they were with the deceased soldier at a drinking spot three days before the news of the alleged suicide. He confided to me and told me that his life was in danger as some of his colleagues were threatening to end his life. He told me that he was the one who was an armoury man at the workstation and they would allegedly collude with his colleagues to steal some explosives, service weapons and ammunition, to sell in the black market in effort to get some extra cash as they were all sinking in debt, narrated the relative.

The relative further claimed that the deceased disclosed to him that the whole operation of selling the weapons in the black market was spoiled by the arrest of some people who were in possession of the explosives. He said the soldier feared that these arrested people would confess and expose them in the process. He told me that is when his friendship with his colleagues at the workstation was ruined, as nobody trusted each other anymore and that is when threats emanated. Hence, we do not believe that our relative committed suicide due to baby mama drama but we suspect that there was foul play in the whole incident, pointed out the relative.

Furthermore, another soldier who was interviewed by Eswatini News also corroborated the story of the relative and stated that there was no way his colleague could have committed suicide. The situation between him and his baby mama was not that bad and couldnt have been the reason behind his suicide, said the soldier. Army Spokesperson 2nd Lieutenant Tengetile Khumalo responded was contacted regarding this information and said they knew nothing about such. The Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) would like to state that it is in no possession of the alleged missing explosives report, nor has the office of the public affairs been furnished to this extent, she said.

However, impeccable sources within the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) disclosed that there is an ongoing investigation of a case where explosives were retrieved in Matsapha recently. This newspaper could not exactly establish if the explosives that were retrieved at Mbikwakhe were those the deceased soldier claimed to have sold in the black market.

The other narrative

Our sister publication gathered was to the effect that the deceased soldier had just returned from his days off when he ended his life while at his workstation. His close friends, who shared moments with him prior to his death, mentioned that the deceased informed them that during his days off, he had a misunderstanding with the mother of his child. The friends stated that the deceased informed them that the childs mother demanded money and further embarrassed him in full view of the public, while at a local bank.

It should be noted that civil servants were paid early for January. They mentioned that the deceased informed them that not only did the baby mama demand money but she allegedly threatened him in the presence of her friends. At the time, the friends stated that the deceased informed them that the baby mama blocked his way while making derogatory statements. He told us that he had a child with a woman who had other children, said one of his friends. The friend stated that the deceased shared his story while enjoying some alcoholic beverages he had purchased for them prior to the incident. They stated that while imbibing the alcohol, they noticed a black plastic bag, which the deceased did not want anyone to touch or question him about.

This created the impression that the deceased hid the poisonous substance in the plastic bag, which he did not want us to touch or ask him about, then we heard about his sudden death. He never indicated he was so stressed that he could end his life. We also had the idea that he was distressing because he consumed a lot of alcohol upon his return from his days off, they said. The friend shared that the sad part was that the misunderstanding between their friend and mother of the child had resulted in a family man leaving his wife and children at the time they needed him the most. They stated that he was a married man and the death was also confirmed by his elder brother.










28.01.2023 LISTEN

The Police have arrested four persons who allegedly attacked a filling station and murdered a security guard in the early hours of Saturday, January 28, 2023 at Wassa Agona in the Western Region.

The suspects, Francis Ebuka, Wisdom Justway, Samuel Chibuzor and Kingsly Okechuku alias Kofi Kingsly in the course of the robbery also subjected the fuel attendants to severe beatings.

They made away with an unspecified amount of money together with the filling station's CCTV Digital Video Recorder (DVR) and mobile phones belonging to the victims.

Upon receiving information concerning the robbery attack, police patrol teams within the catchment area mobilized and proceeded to the scene and in the course of the operation arrested suspect Francis Ebuka, Wisdom Justway and Samuel Chibuzor who were fleeing the robbery scene on a motorbike.

A search conducted on them led to the recovery of a black hood, a handbag containing two mobile phones and an amount of Twenty Thousand, Seven Hundred and Twenty-Two Cedis (GH20,722.00).

The Police team further pursued the fourth suspect, Kingsly Okechuku to a hotel near Bogoso where an amount of Forty-Four Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty-Two Cedis (GH 44,852.00), suspected to be part of their booty, was retrieved from him.

Other items recovered from the suspects include the DVR components of the CCTV setup stolen by the suspects together with two pinch bars and a Ghana Card belonging to one of the victims.

The police said all four suspects are currently in police custody and will be put before the court to face justice.

We would like to assure the public that we will continue to work tirelessly to keep our communities safe, the police stated.

By Citi Newsroom
28.01.2023 LISTEN

Within Nigeria, there is a prominent politician named Kashim Shettima. Currently, (2023), he is contesting the vice presidential seat on behalf of the All Peoples Congress (APC) political party in the February presidential elections.

Previously, Mr. Shettima was governor and senator respectively for the violent and restive Nigerian state of Borno, where the Islamic extremist insurgents, Boko Haram, launches its brutal attacks against innocent people.

As a politician who formerly worked as a banker, now a wealthy man, Shettima not only fought the (jihadist) insurgency with the States arsenal, but also supported families affected by permanent conflict that has killed thousands and caused the displacement of millions. He added to his generosity a Fulani family, who are affected by the conflict.

One of these Fulani families Mr Kashim Shettima had helped their son to attend school abroad, in order to escape the "western education is forbidden" policy of the murderous Islamic fundamentalists, whose founder has now been killed. His name was Muhammad Yussif. He was a young Muslim cleric.

In some places of Nigeria where the Boko Haram operates, those who want to gain a "foreign education" will have to run away from the country. Some school girls have been kidnapped and forced into marriages with Boko Haram militants. Some young schoolboys have been arrested and have been trained as fighters, or as child soldiers.

The Fulani family he helped later visited Mr. Shettima to thank him for his good deeds. He received them hospitably, and even shared a meal with them. To remember and document it, he took pictures with them, which were posted on social media sites.

How today's financially driven world of politics can turn good intentions into evil! That picture with the Fulani family was opposed by Mr Shettima's enemies to discredit him. Now that he is vying for a higher office, they reposted the photos and sent out false information about it that he was rather supporting the deadly activities of Boko Haram. It took the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) whose investigation revealed that the photo was taken in 2017, and with Fulani family, not Boko Haram militants. He was helping the poor, instead of helping the murderers.

Moral Lessons

My native Goka people say: s wotamfo sua wo kasa a bob nehwene. ( Your enemy learns to speak your words only when he snorts).

Your goodness can be twisted into evil by your opponents. But the God we serve will always be the judge of - good and evil.

Author: Charles Yeboah (Sir Lord)

+233 ( 0 ) 249542111
The ongoing brouhaha over the change of parliamentary leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has generated heated debate among members of the party, with the national chairman stating that the 2024 general elections will be based on the economy and not on any individual leader.

His declaration of basing the 2024 general elections on the economy has thus given a boost to the NPP's chances, as Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who is widely viewed as a competent economic manager, will be seen by many Ghanaians as the best candidate for the flagbearer-ship race.

Ghana's election in 2024 is expected to represent a turning point in the nations political landscape. Many concerned patriots like myself firmly believe that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is the best candidate to lead the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the forthcoming election, with the economy and personal integrity at the top of voter concerns.

A renowned economist, Dr. Bawumia has a proven track record in the area of economic policy. As Ghana's Vice-President, he has been instrumental in putting policies into action that have aided in stabilizing the economy of the nation. His vision for digitization has put Ghana on the map in the fast-paced digital world. Ghana has seen significant progress and development as he has spearheaded the efforts digitization of several departments, ranging from education and healthcare to banking and finance.

Dr. Bawumia is renowned for his moral character in addition to his knowledge of economics. He is known for being trustworthy, open-minded, and devoted to helping the people of Ghana. This makes him a strong candidate for the NPP in the 2024 election as a result of this and his understanding of economics.

Digitization will continue to be one of the key issues his government will focus on, given the nod to lead the NPP as the surest bet in the 2024 election. Dr. Bawumia will continue to utilize his expertise in economic policy to create a well-rounded plan for digitization and job creation that can bring real benefits to the people.

Dr. Bawumia has a reputation for being a strong advocate against corruption, and he would make it a top priority as he leads the NPP in the 2024 election. If the 2024 Ghanaian election is about the economy and personal integrity, the NPP delegates and Ghanaians should look no further than trusting in Dr. Bawumia to deliver, as his strong track record in the field of economic policy and his reputation for personal integrity make him well-suited to lead the NPP in the upcoming election and to serve the people of Ghana.

Thank you for reading.

Ibrahim Tahiru,
28.01.2023 LISTEN

The sole essence of a man or the sum total of his personality profile is to be located in his character! In Bola Tinubu, as in other humans, the attributes of this character are consistent. Therefore, no matter what the naysayers may say, once one is able to reach him, Tinubu has such a large heart that he gives to people compulsively. Of course, whether he becomes Nigerias next president or not, those good deeds are to his credit!

Unfortunately, none of the other presidential candidates currently jostling for the key to Aso Rock Villa could come near half of what the presidential flag-bearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has done, both in his immediate environment and outside his domain. It is even doubtful if any of his 10-for-10 kobo critics could even come to 25% of what he has done for humanity. After all, the facts are there, even from unexpected quarters; cutting across religious, ethnic and political divides. It also transcends professional lines. If it is just that alone, then, it can be safely said that the APC chieftain has a cosmopolitan worldview.

It is widely believed that Tinubu has raised people of other tribes than those of his Yoruba descent; that, once one gets to him, one is bound to smile! It is even on record that majority of those who are currently fighting his political battles are those who have in one way or the other benefitted from his unselfishness. Yes, one of his major challenges is that of his minders who more often than not go beyond their briefs in the discharge of their duties. But, once that hurdle is crossed, theres always a story to tell! Accept it or not, Tinubu is on ground for anything that has to do with the society. Is it about a chieftaincy title? Or societal recognition? Or an act of benevolence that comes from the society? Name them! The APC standard bearer is richly qualified. Away from the notion that he has come to take our sins away or that we should hand our future to one man who knows it all, available indices point in the direction of Tinubu not betraying humanity; that his own is not by mere words but things he has done, or got involved in doing that were outlandish.

Olusumbo Olugbemi and yours sincerely met at a programme some years back and the member representing Oluyole Federal Constituency in the 8th House of Representatives recounted how Tinubu assisted him financially, thrice, on his political journey to the House of Representatives, even without knowing him from Adam; including even after they were no longer members of the same political party. From Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State, to Kanu Nwankwo of Nigerias Super Eagles, the story the Jagaban of Borgu Kingdom has been from one of the milk of human kindness to the other of raising champions. One evidential consideration is that, before an enigma like Wole Soyinka could identify with an achiever like Tinubu, hed have already seen it that the APC standard bearers portfolio was filled with noble activities; and that, no matter what anybody can say, he (Tinubu) is not just anybody but one who has won gold in his chosen field of human endeavour.

Tinubu gave everything selflessly for the survival of the system. Remember the girl who withdrew from school due to her parents inability to pay her school fees! Remember that the fortunes of other students in the state changed for the better through her accidental contact with the then Governor of Lagos State! Remember the conjoined twins whose lives were saved through his intervention! The twins - two beautiful girls  are now grownups, doing well in life. Remember also how many Nigerian youths have become great through the Spelling Bee Competitions Lagos One Day Governor, a project that has outlasted its promoter! Lots more!

Character is a consistent currency! A man will not just change his character overnight. In our part of the world, where politicians rarely keep promises; where it is even a sin for promises to be kept, it is believed that Tinubus love and concern for humanity will not disappear if and when he becomes Nigerias president. In other words, Asiwaju of Lagos will still be kindhearted, because thats who he is!

Asesile labowaba. Eni to su sile a pada bo wa ba esinsin. (Everyone will experience the consequences of his or her action. Whoever defecates on the floor will later have to contend with flies). The tragic truth is that some political mentees benefitted from Tinubus kindness without learning the strategy or philosophy of his approach to life. Unfortunately, those attached to these failed leaders are always left abandoned and disillusioned, thus becoming a burden to the society. Beyond reasonable doubt, Tinubu didnt teach them that way! After all, history has shown that, even where the former governor found it difficult to direct the wind, he assuredly adjusted the sails. He always sees masses suffering as painful and unnecessary.

Against the backdrop, it behoves the political class to really sit down and think, because the survival of the country depends on it. It is important to note that most of our leaders are so selfish that, even when they are leaving office, they also carry along with them, till eternity, all the other privileges theyve ever tasted. But for the hangers-on, they are on their own, coming home from a failed mission into a hostile and highly expectant society with nothing to show for their industry and fidelity to the cause! Well, I intend to dwell more on this aspect of service in the coming days!

Finally, let me state that it is the ambivalence of our social structure that has made it difficult for us to recruit the right leadership. And thats a major bane of development in Nigeria. The reality of our Nigerianness is such that leadership recruitment is more or less induced by advanced and generous gratification permutation by the critical stakeholders. Stretching the argument further, in the same country where N100 million is being charged for the presidential nomination form, some people cannot even afford N1000 to eat a day! So, the poverty factor is always there, running upandan, looking for whom to devour. What it therefore means is that, if it continues like this, we will never get the best of candidates, because, even if a candidate is good, he may not have the kind of money needed to access the desired office. Except we want to be economical with the truth, what has happened in Tinubus case is that he is a good man and he also has the money to fight for the political office of his choice.

Another challenge is the low premium placed on citizenship in Nigeria. Government policies are always at variance with the needs and aspirations of the mass of the people. Take for instance, the cashless society envisioned by the government to regulate the physical movement of cash within the system. Truth be told, powerful politicians will always find a way around the policy before the elections while the poor become poorer! And thats where arbitrariness and despotic tendencies derive their oxygen for survival: when the people have lost their voice and government can no longer be sanctioned.

May the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, grant us peace in Nigeria!

*Komolafe wrote in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State, Nigeria ( [email protected] )
PIGGS PEAK  A family believes that their 23-year-old son could have been saved if a doctor was quickly made available at the hospital.

Khayelihle Dlamini (23), a resident of Luphikweni near Nyakatfo in the Hhohho Region, had been working at a construction site in Buhleni when he was injured. It is believed that on January 14, 2023, while he was busy at work, a container used for concrete fell on him, causing a severe injury. He was rushed to the Mkhuzweni Health Centre, which is about five kilometres from Buhleni.

However, due to the seriousness of his injuries, he could not be assisted but was transferred to the Piggs Peak Government Hospital, which is said to be more equipped in handling emergencies than Mkhuzweni Health Centre. At this point, his parents were not present until later when he was at Piggs Peak Government Hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital, he is said to have been advised that he could not be treated because the doctor would only be available 48 hours later, on Monday.

It is alleged that some medication was then administered on him while he waited for the doctor. While waiting, it was gathered that he was admitted but he is said to have tossed and turned in pain. This was also confirmed by his mother who later arrived at the hospital. It is further alleged that from the time he arrived, more than 12 hours passed and he had not been seen by a doctor. Khayelihle is said to have continued writhing in pain.

Informed

This reportedly resulted in one of the people who were at the hospital calling out to the nurses and asking if they could check on him. The nurses are said to have been informed that it appeared as if his condition was worsening. His mother said they were concerned and shocked when they were advised that there was no doctor to attend to them. She said her son was in pain because some of his injuries were not visible yet he complained of excruciating pain.

Khayelihles mother said when they were told that a doctor would not be available, they then decided to call personnel at another hospital in the Lubombo Region, but they were also told that the doctor would also only be available on Monday. This meant that Khayelihle had to wait for about 48 hours before he could be seen by a doctor despite that his condition was urgent. She said the following morning, over 12 hours later, some medical personnel arrived to check on him and transferred him to an emergency ward, but it was gathered that he died while they were putting on some gloves so that they could move him.

She said Khayelihle was then admitted while awaiting the doctors availability. Further, Khayelihles mother said her son completed his Form V in 2021 but had not performed satisfactorily. She said for this reason, the family had raised some money so that he could be able to rewrite some of the subjects he did not do well in. She said he had been working at one of the construction companies in Buhleni. His father, Fundo Dlamini, also confirmed the same. He said the family was hurt at the death of his son because they believed he could have been saved had he been assisted by the medical personnel on time.

Reported

Fundo also said the matter was reported to the police and was being handled by them. However, the Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, had not confirmed the death at the time of compiling this report. The family confirmed that he died on January 15, 2023, and he was buried on the following Saturday. The vigil was held at Luphikweni near Nyakatfo, while his body was later transferred to Ntabinezimpisi on January 20, 2023. His funeral was reportedly attended by nearly 2 000 people and a trail of minibuses transported mourners to his final resting place after the vigil. Khayelihles family thanked the former employer whom they said was very helpful and supportive in funeral expenses.
January 28, 2023

Ukraine Open Thread 2023-23

Only for news & views directly related to the Ukraine conflict.

The current open thread for other issues is here.

Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.

Posted by b on January 28, 2023 at 10:49 UTC | Permalink

Comments

next page 
MATSAPHA  A petition delivery march meant to demand justice for assassinated Human Rights Lawyer Thulani Maseko turned violent when two marchers were shot by police officers.

The shot people include Samuel Hlandze, who has been identified as a member of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO), and a Communist Party of Swaziland (CPS) member, who was identified only by his surname, Mtsetfwa. Political Party Assembly (PPA) Chairperson Nombulelo Motsa said Hlandze also has a disability.

The pair was shot about 30 minutes after political parties and civil society groups had delivered the petition to the Manzini Regional Headquarters (RHQ). The march started at exactly noon yesterday, where the political parties and civil society groups began by singing and dancing to political songs outside the Manzini RHQ. The marchers would be seen moving along the stretch along the RHQ road.

A platform for delivering speeches was made for the various political parties and civil society groups, which consisted of the Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Swaziland, SWALIMO, CPS, Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) and the Swaziland Rural Women Assembly. After the speeches were delivered, PUDEMO Secretary General Wandile Dludlu read the petition, which had eight demands, to the Regional Commissioner, Schoolboy Simelane. Thereafter, the marchers proceeded to the Manzini Police Station, which is situated a few metres away from the RHQ. The marchers were seen chanting political songs. They were stationed there for about 10 minutes when they later proceeded along the Standard Bank/Nedbank Road, where some marchers were seen emptying concrete dustbins and singing political songs.

Vehicles

It should be noted that police officers were there to monitor the marchers during the course of the march. Oncoming vehicles were seen trying to navigate along the littered road next to Futis Chicken Cottage. The political parties and civil groups further proceeded downward towards the Nandos direction along the Bhunu Mall road. It was when they reached the KFC road leading to the heart of the Manzini Bus Rank that some marchers began to block the road by placing stones while others littered the road with rubbish from concrete dustbins.

Meanwhile, other marchers were seen throwing stones at the Swaziland Building Societys refurbished branch, when a vehicle belonging to the Operational Support Services Unit (OSSU) with officers of the law, fired gunshots towards the crowd of marchers. The marchers were seen dispersing, and the locals who had gone to town were running helter skelter. In the process, the two members of the political parties were shot.

According to SWALIMO Spokesperson Thandaza Silolo, the shot member in Hlandze was from the Manzini Region. Silolo disclosed that he was shot in the left leg. He said Hlandze was stable and was awaiting an operation at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital, where he was taken to after the shooting.

We condemn the violence by law enforcers who willy-nilly use guns to disperse marchers. My question is; what has stopped them from using teargas when dealing with a rowdy crowd? he questioned. Silolo added that the marchers were going back home to board various public transport vehicles, and they were not disrupting anything. The spokesperson was of the view that the officers of the law should have at least escorted the marchers back to the bus rank, than to fire shots at them. He mentioned that the marchers were now injured.

Member

CPS Spokesperson Pius Vilakati could not be reached at the time of compiling this report. However, information gathered from the SWALIMO spokesperson was to the effect that the shot member of CPS was identified as Mtsetfwa. He said he was shot in the back. When he was queried on whether the behaviour of marchers in emptying dustbins and causing disruption after the petition delivery was provocation, Motsa, the PPA Chairperson, said it was not. I think there is a way for police officers to use when dispersing a crowd besides firing shots. However, this is not shocking to us because they got an order to shoot, she supposed.

She alleged that people were being silenced by the gun. The chairperson said this was something that was expected from the law enforcers. She declared that in their revolution, they were ready to be killed by the gun. The chairperson said she thought the law enforcers used live ammunition when shooting the marchers. However, she said this was subject to confirmation. She said the shot SWALIMO member was physically challenged and shot more than once in his leg. When drawn for comment on the number of people shot, Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said there was no report of any shot persons. Vilakati was further asked about the report of the petition delivery march at the RHQ, and her response was: They arrived, the petition was delivered. She did not elaborate.

Ammunition

An expert, who was contacted by this publication, suggested that the type of ammunition used to shoot at the two marchers were rubber bullets.

The expert, who requested to comment on condition of anonymity, said a live bullet had a projectile at the end such that when fired, it was designed to come straight at a person. He said it could injure or kill a person. On the other hand, he said a rubber bullet was designed in such a way that it could immensely injure a shot person. He said it was most unlikely for a person to be able to walk when they had been shot with live ammunition.




Borrell says EU does 'not fear China's rise' 14 Apr 2023 | 10:53 AM Beijing, Apr 14 (UNI) EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Thursday that the European Union does "not fear China's rise" and called on Beijing to exercise more "responsibility" for peace and security. see more..

TikTok Ban about global dominance of U S tech, not national security: Jacobin 14 Apr 2023 | 10:42 AM New York, Apr 14 (UNI) The about-face from justifying tech expansion on the basis of free speech for decades to threatening to ban the social media TikTok reveals U.S. policymakers' true objective: preserving the dominance of American tech capitalists, reported U.S. news portal Jacobin. see more..

TikTok Ban about global dominance of U S tech, not national security: Jacobin 14 Apr 2023 | 10:40 AM New York, Apr 14 (UNI) The about-face from justifying tech expansion on the basis of free speech for decades to threatening to ban the social media TikTok reveals U.S. policymakers' true objective: preserving the dominance of American tech capitalists, reported U.S. news portal Jacobin on Tuesday. see more..

Several bodies likely found in area of Japan's missing military helicopter: Reports 14 Apr 2023 | 10:09 AM Tokyo, Apr 14 (UNI) Japanese Rescue crews have found what are believed to be several bodies off the coast of the Japanese southern prefecture of Okinawa in the area where a Japan Self-Defense Forces (SDF) helicopter went missing last week, the Kyodo news agency reported on Friday, citing a government source. see more..
CHESHIRE  Although Connecticuts public schools are well regarded compared to much of the United States, they depend on state funding that is often subject to mandates, regulations, and other restrictions that can lead to frustrations on the part of parents, teachers, taxpayers, and administrators.

Some of these concerns were voiced by the Cheshire Board of Education at its legislative affairs sub-committee meeting on Jan. 12.

Ordinarily a small gathering, this meeting included the whole school board and took place in Council Chambers at Town Hall. State Sen. Rob Sampson, R-16th, and Rep. Lezlye Zupkus, R-89th were present to discuss how politicians, educational leaders, and citizens can work together to promote educational success.

Zupkus, for the first time in her legislative career, is a member of the Education Committee and has long been an advocate for more local government control. However, as both she and Sampson argued, their ability to influence legislation is limited as members of the minority party. To that end, both legislators urged citizens to consider the effect of their votes.

Sampson, of Wolcott, also represents Southington, Prospect and parts of Cheshire and Waterbury. Zupkus, of Prospect, also represents Cheshire and Bethany.

Sampson highlighted philosophical differences between the parties.

The people that are in charge at the state level  believe in a centralized government, he stated, (and) they believe in a centralized bureaucracy and that the State Department of Education is going to have more talent and knowledge and experts to make determinations about the best direction for education in the state, and I disagree. And I would imagine that almost anyone in either political party that serves on a local board of education would disagree, too.

Although the discussion touched on several topics, the legislation known as Right to Read was the primary concern for Board members.

Board Chair Tony Perugini, who also serves on the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) Executive Committee, said that, With respect to the mandates, I dont think that anybody here would say that every bill that influences education is a bad one. The main issue with Right to Read, as he characterized it, was the lack of dialogue.

Ill work with anybody in Hartford, said Perugini. Before becoming law or before being drafted, just have folks spoken to, or (reach) out to their local bodies on how things would be impacting them. I could tell you, in this (situation with Right to Read), that didnt happen. It was done outside of Connecticut with outside influence, outside experts brought to Hartford. I got the sense from the (Department of Education) that theyre rushing to move on this because it was forced upon them, and here we are.

Zupkus said she had filed legislation to address the Right to Read issue. She also reported that some schools in her District that had been using one of the mandated programs are not going to be using it anymore because it had an adverse effect on the school.

Another item that the board has mentioned previously pertains to special education. As Superintendent Jeff Solan put it, When theres a dispute between the family and the school about whats the best path forward for a child, the process sometimes ends up in a mediation setting. Once in mediation, Solan explained, Connecticut is one of two states where the burden of proof is on the school district.

It really tends to drive up costs and doesnt necessarily support positive outcomes, he added.

Costs are the concern with another unfunded mandate aimed at the uniform inspection of HVAC systems on a five-year schedule. Solan suggested that it would amount to an additional expenditure of around $200,000 for something the schools already do on an annual basis.

Sampson offered an explanation of mandates based on his decade-plus experience in the legislature.

These bills are put before the legislature and theres always this understanding that if you dont support any one of these myriad of items somehow youre against these things, he stated. And a lot of legislators are bullied into voting in favor of state mandates on local boards of education even though they might not even be inclined to want to do it.

Teacher shortages also pose a concern for the district. Solan said he felt Cheshire was still a strong draw but wondered what could be done at the state level to make the profession more attractive.

I feel guilty when teachers leave other districts and come to Cheshire. Not only do I feel guilty, but now Im not hiring kids out of college at ($50,000), Im hiring seasoned people at ($100,000) , he explained.

That potential budget savings, per Solan, no longer really exists because of the pool not being quite what it used to be. Anything we can do (as a state) to support a path to certification and drawing new people into the field is great.

Its interesting because all of these were the exact things that the other superintendents (in my District) hit on, Zupkus said. Hopefully, we can get something done to help, but I would encourage the superintendents, the Board of Ed, CABE, all these people: be vocal.

Weve got to battle the mentality that exists in Hartford, Sampson said, where we get more and more mandates every year because they sound like good ideas. The best idea is to let sound, well-performing districts govern themselves.
Ted Gura usually walked his paper route on the east side of Meriden, but on Sundays delivering the heavy papers was a job for the entire family.

I had a (Chevrolet) Blazer at the time, his mother Carol Gura recalled. Wed load all the papers and hed sit on the tailgate and wed drive around. Hed drop them off.

She and her husband Jeffrey Gura would help with the heavy Sunday papers or when the weather was bad. Everybody got their newspaper where they wanted it, between the doors, on the side of the mailbox, Carol Gura said.

His carrier job allowed Ted Gura to buy mountain bikes and even his own car once he was ready to drive.

I bought my first car with that money, he said. I didnt have to ask for it or be gifted it.

Ted Gura was one of the last youth carriers for the Record-Journal in 2010. Fewer young people could be found to do the job, and adults driving cars were better able to cover larger routes than a teen on foot or bike.

From paper boys and girls to U.S. Mail carriers, newspaper delivery has been through major changes in the last few decades as publications search for reliable ways to deliver news to readers.

On March 7, the Record-Journal will begin delivery through the U.S. Postal Service. The switch in delivery coincides with a change in printing schedule from seven days a week to five. The weekend edition will be a combined paper that will be delivered on Saturday and the Monday-Tuesday edition will be delivered on Tuesday.

The Record-Journals website, www.myrecordjournal.com, will be continuously updated with breaking news seven days a week.

Young entrepreneurs

Eliot White, Record-Journal president and 4th generation family owner, started in the circulation department in the 1970s. At the time there were about 1,000 youth paper carriers. Only in rural areas did adults deliver the papers in what were called motor routes.

With the addition of the Sunday paper in 1984, parents began helping out more but youth carriers still totaled about 700.

Carriers bought newspapers from the Record-Journal and collected subscriptions from customers. After paying the newspaper a price for the papers theyd delivered, the carrier was able to keep the remainder. The early experience in bookkeeping and customer relations served young people well, White said.

They had their own little business, they delivered, they collected, he said. A good many business people started that way.

Ted Gura started his route around 2008 and some customers still preferred to pay their newspaper carrier, receiving small paper tickets as receipts. A few months into his route, those customers switched to paying the office or stopped getting the paper.

From 1965 until 2015, the Record-Journal awarded scholarships to youth carriers. In addition to journalism awards, about $850,000 was given to youths during that time.

The top carrier scholarship was named for a time after Joseph J. Swedock, well known for many years as a downtown vendor of The Morning Record and Meriden Journal newspapers. Swedock died in 1989. Awards later honored Carter H. White, the late president, publisher and chairman of the board of the Record-Journal Publishing Co. and Barbara C. White, the late editor of the Record-Journal.

The Record-Journal remains owned by the White family. In addition to Eliot White as president, his daughter Liz White Notarangelo is publisher and executive vice president.

Shift to adult carriers

The turn of the millennium saw major changes to the newspaper industry as internet advertising reduced revenue and subscriptions declined. Routes were more spread out, making it more difficult for youth carriers. Eliot White said it also became harder to find young people willing to deliver the newspaper as teens became busier with extracurricular activities and parents had less time to help.

The Record-Journal began recruiting more adults, who were 100 percent of the carriers by about 2010.

Dave Pare, the Record-Journals chief operating officer and senior vice president, said the transition was a difficult one. He started in the 1980s as a district manager for the Journal Inquirer in Manchester overseeing 125 youth carriers.

It was very rewarding to see the youths who were delivering move through the different stages in their lives to where they requested references for jobs when they turned 16 to even references for college applications a year or two later, Pare said. It was a different but rewarding part of the business back then and very hard to see the industry have to move away from.

Looking for reliable delivery

The years following the 2008 recession were full of upheaval and industry change, Eliot White said, and that meant partnering with other publications. For a time Record-Journal carriers delivered the Hartford Courant in Cheshire and Southington, but in 2018 the newspaper outsourced delivery altogether.

The Record-Journal was delivered by carriers also bringing the Hartford Courant, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers to peoples doorsteps.

Outsourcing worked for a number of years but with the pandemic even adult carriers became hard to find. Delivery issues cropped up and recently other local newspapers made the switch to mail delivery.

The decision to switch to mail delivery was made after more than a year of consideration.

As the community, the world and the industry evolves, we also need to evolve, White Notarangelo said. This is a step we consider necessary in order to continue to provide trusted local news and reliable delivery.

We see the mail as the most sustainable, long term delivery option for us, Eliot White said.

Historical link

The earliest newspapers in the country were delivered by the postal service with rates held intentionally low to allow easy access to news.

Thomas Scheffey, Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information vice president, said the Founding Fathers thought it vital that citizens in a democracy have access to news.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson were tremendous advocates of getting newspapers to people, he said.

The year after passing the Bill of Rights in 1791, the United States government set newspaper postage at a penny for the first hundred miles, Scheffey said. Newspapers being delivered to other newspapers were delivered free of charge.

According to the USPS, the first federal postal policy recognized that disseminating newspapers at below-cost postage would advance the important social goal of educating the electorate.

For its first 50 years, the Post Office was predominantly a newspaper circulation service, because of the high cost of sending letter mail, according to the postal service.

Sending a one-sheet letter cost from 6 to 25 cents depending on the distance, while sending a newspaper any distance cost only 1 cents, the inspector general's office states.

It helped make the American populace informed and improved literacy, Scheffey said. Its very helpful for participatory democracy.

Founded two years after the end of the Civil War, the Record-Journal shares in that historical link between newspapers and the postal service. For much of its early existence starting in 1867, the company relied on the mail for delivery, Eliot White said, and to this day continues to publish six weekly newspapers delivered by mail.

As both newspapers and the U.S. Postal Service have faced their share of challenges recently, Scheffey said, a renewed partnership seems to make sense for both institutions.

Many publishers are laying plans to make the change, especially as they also consider reducing daily print days, according to Tonda Rush, general counsel of the National Newspaper Association, speaking for an article last month by the Local News Initiative, a publication of Northwestern Universitys Medill School of Journalism.

Now were seeing some metro newspapers looking at it, said Rush, one of the industrys leading experts on mail delivery. There are a lot of papers looking at it.

jbuchanan@record-journal.com

203-317-2230

Twitter: @JBuchananRJ
When alpha mice are trounced by weaklings, they spiral into depression Science

The future of space travel might rely on buildings made of mushrooms Astronomy

How To Respect A Mummy Defector

Climate/Environment

Water

The Coming Dust Bowl Compact Mag

any lead pipe that operates a small business in a disadvantaged community for at least three years will have its replacement costs partially reimbursed https://t.co/amtlzGQwJv  derek davison (@dwdavison) January 27, 2023

#COVID-19

Antidepressants can induce mutation and enhance persistence toward multiple antibiotics PNAS. From the abstract: Here we demonstrate that antidepressants, one of the most frequently prescribed drugs, can induce antibiotic resistance and persistence.

Syraqistan

Old Blighty

Well, if followers in other countries had doubts about how this country works, I imagine theyre pretty thoroughly allayed now. pic.twitter.com/pNJqWOHaBS  Flying_Rodent (@flying_rodent) January 27, 2023

India

China?

New Not-So-Cold War

***

LEOPARDS INTO THE FRAY: HOW WILL GERMAN TANKS AFFECT THE BATTLEFIELD BALANCE IN UKRAINE? Modern War Institute at West Point

Only a week or so ago, this was a much more split question  46% to 43%:https://t.co/NOBiq6G0rX  Aaron Gasch Burnett (@AaronGBurnett) January 27, 2023

At a Senate hearing, top US diplomat Victoria Nuland celebrated the Nord Stream 2 pipeline bombing: Senator Cruz, like you, I am, and I think the administration is, very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now, as you like to say, a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea. pic.twitter.com/KS5OM4N165  Aaron Mate (@aaronjmate) January 27, 2023

Id like to see Nuland tried, convicted, and imprisoned for her role in the Maidan coupan operation that included Nazi snipers killing protesters that Nuland (et al) helped organize in the first place. https://t.co/sdG0UZmbys  American Exception (@Aaron_Good_) January 27, 2023

***

Germany accuses Russia of twisting ministers war comments for propaganda Reuters. Her words: We are fighting a war against Russia, and not against each other. Germany says it is not a warring party in Ukraine DW. In Germany criticism of German FM Baerbock (from the Green Party) is primarily coming from the Alternative for Germany party, which the media often likens to Nazis. Topsy turvy times. Meanwhile, the view from Russia:

South of the Border

Bolivias right-wing opposition held rallies yesterday in support of coup leaders who are now in jail. Attendance was sparse in every city. pic.twitter.com/RNj0TfD9Gw  Kawsachun News (@KawsachunNews) January 26, 2023

2024

Swamplandia Harpers. On DeSantis.

Democrats en deshabille

Healthcare

A growing wave of cities are working to cancel medical debt for residents with @ripmedicaldebt. These cities, and now possibly a state for the first time, are buying medical debt at a ratio of 100-1, then canceling it completely. And the idea is sweeping the country   More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) January 27, 2023

Police State Watch

WATCH: This couldve been prevented if Internal Affairs took action like I asked. DA @SteveMulroy901 confirmed the cops were with @MEM_PoliceDepts SCORPION UNIT  this man was hassled by them called IA SILENCE. Now #TyreNichols is dead. MORE: https://t.co/ZCfj3fE8Zx pic.twitter.com/3hk5vsaj7u  The Memphis Holler (@MemphisHoller) January 26, 2023

Our No Longer Free Press

1.THREAD: Twitter Files #15

MOVE OVER, JAYSON BLAIR: TWITTER FILES EXPOSE NEXT GREAT MEDIA FRAUD pic.twitter.com/bLRpDpuWql  Matt Taibbi (@mtaibbi) January 27, 2023

Change in Headline pic.twitter.com/w7XjWMnqJq  Editing TheGrayLady (@nyt_diff) January 27, 2023

Against Copyediting: Is It Time to Abolish the Department of Corrections? Literary Hub. Its clear that copyediting as its typically practiced is a white supremacist project, that is, not only for the particular linguistic forms it favors and upholds, which belong to the cultures of whiteness and power, but for how it excludes or erases the voices and styles of those who dont or wont perform this culture.

LAffaire Jeffrey Epstein

US Virgin Islands seeks Epstein documents from Barclays Bloomberg

Guillotine Watch

Landlord lobby brags about blocking executive order on housing crisis Ken Klippenstein

Class Warfare

Big news brewing in Florida labor  the council of six unions covering 45,000 workers at Disney World is recommending a no vote on the companys latest offer. Theyre currently on a month-to-month contract extension agreement. pic.twitter.com/9kmszmJGqM  Jonah Furman (@JonahFurman) January 27, 2023

How about this as an answer: workers own nothing so their productivity is appropriated by the capitalist who own all aspects of production & the value produced & then peels off a little piece for the worker. The solution? Expropriate capital without compensation  end capitalism. https://t.co/eDFzUo8H5m  Ajamu Baraka (@ajamubaraka) January 27, 2023

Tech

Podcasts are hearteningly enshittification resistant Pluralistic

With this move, its obvious that @SpeakerMcCarthy and @Jim_Jordan have zero intent to challenge Big Techs market power. No one in the House GOP understands the impact the tech giants are having, particularly on smaller businesses, better than @RepKenBuck. Shameful. https://t.co/UPZDJP55fl  Stacy Mitchell (@stacyfmitchell) January 27, 2023

The Bezzle

Antidote du jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here.
(Natural News) New research out of Australia has identified a link between antidepressant use and the spawning of deadly new superbugs.

Jianhua Guo, a professor at The University of Queenslands Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology and the studys lead author, told Nature magazine that despite being a completely different class of drugs than antibiotics, antidepressants trigger the formation of superbugs that evade pharmaceutical treatments.

Published on January 23 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the paper outlines Guo and his colleagues experiments on the bacteria Escherichia coli, more commonly known as E. coli. They exposed the bacteria to five common antidepressants: sertraline (Zoloft), duloxetine (Cymbalta), bupropion (Wellbutrin), escitalopram (Lexapro) and agomelatine (Valdoxan).

For two months, Guo and his colleagues tested the bacterias susceptibility to 13 different antibiotics representing six different classes of drugs. All of them pushed E. coli to develop antibiotic resistance within that exposure window.

The worst offenders were sertraline and duloxetine, which generated the highest ratio of resistant bacterial cells to normal cells. (Related: Last year, research out of Saudi Arabia found that people who take antidepressants do not find happiness.)

Bacteria are smarter than pharmaceuticals  theyll always find a way to evade them

Antidepressants have the ability to kill or slow the growth of certain bacteria  something Guos lab discovered in earlier research  which just like with antibiotics can cause bacteria to adapt and evade. This is how superbugs are formed.

Guo also found that the higher the dose of an antidepressant, the faster superbugs form. This was demonstrated in petri dishes containing E. coli that were subjected to various doses of antidepressant drugs.

Interestingly, bacteria raised in well-oxygenated lab dishes developed resistance faster to those raised in poorly oxygenated dishes. The only good news with this is that the human intestine likely leans towards being a poorly oxygenated environment, which could slow the rate of superbug growth.

Resistant cells produce a class of toxic molecules called reactive oxygen species, which are pumps that help to push antibiotics out of their membranes. When these are present, bacteria like E. coli mutate faster than normal, increasing the chance that they acquire drug-resistant gene variants.

Sertraline in particular was also found to prompt bacterial cells to swap genes with one another, which is another factor that contributes to the spread of antibiotic resistance.

Since the tests were conducted in vitro, meaning in a lab rather than in actual humans, more research is needed to confirm a definitive link between antidepressants and superbugs in real life. Still, this is what the paper has to say about the findings:

Strikingly, the antidepressants sertraline and duloxetine at clinically relevant concentrations in colon (e.g., 50 mg/L) caused an effect after only 1 d of exposure.

Put another way, it is highly likely that typical concentrations of antidepressants in the human gut at commonly prescribed levels are pushing bacteria to develop resistance, and to eventually become superbugs.

There are also concerns that antidepressants excreted in wastewater might spur the formation of superbugs in sewers, further heightening the risk of a serious public health hazard.

There is a correlation of psych drug use and runaway record disability, wrote a commenter about the antidepressant scam. Better off doing nothing than those quack fake treatments from the feudal system.

The purpose of antidepressants is to destroy brain cells, added another. Theyre like getting a slow lobotomy every time one takes a pill.

Antidepressants generate a lot of profit for Big Pharma, psych doctors, and social worker programs, but all they really do is add to the problems.

To learn more about the dangers and ineffectiveness of antidepressants, check out PsychDrugWatch.com.

Sources for this article include:

LiveScience.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Globalist and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates warned that the next pandemic is likely to be man-made and much more brutal than the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).

He issued this warning during a recent visit to Sydney, Australia-based think tank Lowy Institute. Gates told the audience that the world must listen to him and follow his instructions, lest economic carnage on a never-before-seen scale will occur. The Big Tech mogul also called for greater global cooperation, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as an example of how countries could improve their response if they worked together.

Compare the economic cost of being prepared for the next one to the cost of this one  over $10 trillion economic loss, Gates said. With the pandemic, we were foolish not to have the tools, the practice and [the] global capacity to be on standby like we do with fire or earthquakes.

According to the Microsoft co-founder, a stable international order based on mutual political will is needed to deal with future pandemics.

The one thing that still hangs in the balance is will we have the global capacity and at the regional and country levels that would mean that when an infectious disease threat comes up we act in such a way that it doesnt go global. We need to be doing every five years a comprehensive exercise at both country and regional levels of pandemic preparedness, and you need a global group thats scoring everybody.

Gates also praised the Land Down Unders almost draconian policies in response to the pandemic, which included lengthy lockdowns and stringent mask mandates.

Some of the things that stand out are that Australia and about seven other countries did population scale diagnostics early on and had quarantine policies. That meant you kept the level of infection low in that first year when there were no vaccines, he told the audience.

Gates vaccines do more harm than good

During his Lowy Institute address, Gates cited Africa as a region that has not received its fair share of the experimental vaccines. He promised to ensure Africans are vaccinated in the future.

There is this huge failure of market capitalism to look at some of the needs of the poorest. Their voice in the marketplace is very small, said the Microsoft co-founder. You can literally save lives for $1,000, and there isnt much around that should be as fulfilling as that.

But he failed to mention that COVID-19 cases in Africa are the lowest in the world.

Worse, the vaccines he is promoting caused more harm than good in the continent. The World Health Organization (WHO) pointed out in a Sept. 1, 2020 report that a new outbreak of polio in Africa had been driven by oral vaccines supposedly created to combat the disease. According to the global health body, vaccine-derived polio virus Type 2 (VDPV2) was responsible for a wave of infections in Chad and neighboring Sudan.

The oral polio vaccine responsible for the spread of VDPV2 is being pushed by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, which is supported and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (Related: United Nations forced to admit that vaccines from Bill Gates are spreading polio throughout Africa.)

More related stories:

Dr. Richard Ebright: Bill Gates-funded research on MUTANT COVID-19 strains will set off next pandemic.

American scientist slams researchers at Bill Gates-funded university for mutating COVID strains.

High Court in India puts Bill Gates on notice over doctors death due to COVID-19 vaccine.

Bill Gates the bioterrorists plan for global control.

Sources include:

NewsPunch.com

DailyMail.co.uk

21stCenturyWire.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) The Department of Defense is planning to boost production of artillery ammunition by 500 percent over the next two years  not for the nations benefit, but for Ukraine.

Such a move would push conventional ammunition production to levels not seen since the Korean War, as the Pentagon hopes to invest billions of dollars more to make up for supply shortfalls caused by Americas massive military aid shipments to Kyiv.

Under the Defense Departments proposal, the United States would raise production levels for 155mm artillery shells to 90,000 rounds every month.

This is a massive departure from last months announcement by Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, who said that the goal was to manufacture 20,000 rounds a month by the end of spring of 2023 and 40,000 rounds a month by 2025.

The Defense Department will spend roughly $1 billion a year over the next 15 years to fund new facilities to make artillery ammunition and to modernize current government-owned ordnance production facilities to increase automation, improve worker safety and make munitions much quicker. This is on top of the $1.9 billion Congress allocated to the Army for its current defense production efforts.

We are really working closely with industry to both increase their capacity and also the speed at which theyre able to produce, said Wormuth. She added that this effort includes identifying particular components that are sort of choke points and sourcing those to try to be able to move things more quickly.

US arms commitments to Ukraine to continue despite supply shortfalls

Before the beginning of Russias special military operation in Ukraine, the Army was producing 14,400 unguided artillery shells a month. This amount was regarded as sufficient for the militarys way of war, which has for the past few decades been focused almost exclusively on dealing with low-tech enemy combatants in militias or insurgencies.

The desire to massively increase artillery ammunition production comes after U.S. officials expressed concerns regarding how Americas military aid shipments to Ukraine may have depleted the countrys stockpile of artillery ammunition. Some defense officials pointed out how the countrys supply of 155-millimeter rounds was uncomfortably low and not at the level we would like to go into combat.

Despite the massive shortfalls in crucial military stockpiles, the U.S. is still committing more and more resources to Ukraine. As of Jan. 18, America had already sent or committed at least 160 M777 Howitzer artillery pieces and just under 1.1 million 155mm artillery rounds. Despite this already massive deployment, it still may not be enough  and Kyiv is burning through the 155mm rounds fast.

The 155mm unguided artillery shells for howitzers have become the cornerstone of the nearly year-long conflict, with both Ukrainian and Russian troops firing thousands of rounds at each other every day along a front that stretches over 700 miles long. U.S. officials estimate that these weapons are likely responsible for the greatest percentage of war casualties, which are now thought to be more than 200,000 total.

Last month, Ukraine used 14,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition every 48 hours on average  roughly the same number produced by the U.S. per month before the conflict.

The Armys recent decision to expand its artillery ammunition product is, according to New York Times writers John Ismay and Eric Lipton, the clearest sign yet that the United States plans to back Ukraine no matter how long the war continues.

Learn more about other threats to Americas national security at NationalSecurity.news.

Watch this episode of The New Atlas as host Brian Berletic discusses how the U.S. has pledged to send over M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine, further depleting American military stockpiles.

This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Think tank: Americas defense industry is not prepared for a war with China over Taiwan.

Former top adviser to Ukrainian president says country will lose its war against Russia.

German intelligence agency: Ukraine losing HUNDREDS of soldiers daily the situation is not sustainable.

NATO members are running out of weapons that they can send to Ukraine.

Biden regime now tapping secret ammo supply depot in Israel to continue supplying Ukraine.

Sources include:

News.AntiWar.com

NYTimes.com

BusinessInsider.com

Brighteon.com
Story at-a-glance

Most of the international news coverage in Western media is provided by three global news agencies  The Associated Press (AP), Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP)

(Natural News) (Articles republished from Articles.Mercola.com)

Until or unless at least one of these news agencies sends out a notice, national and local media are unlikely to report on an event. Even photos and videos are typically sourced directly from these global news agencies. This way, people hear, see and read the exact same message everywhere

Intelligence agencies and defense ministries are well aware of the power of these news agencies and use them with regularity. In 2009, then-president of the AP, Tom Curley, let it slip that the U.S. Pentagon has more than 27,000 PR specialists that spin up stories, and an annual propaganda budget of nearly $5 billion

The rest of the technocratic apparatus uses these news agencies in the same way and for the same reasons  to proliferate certain narratives while burying or debunking others

The Department of Homeland Securitys Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is partnered with a censorship consortium called the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP). Through this consortium, the DHS is illegally censoring Americans

Google promised to bring us the world, and for decades dished up tens of thousands of results to any given search. It was a clever trap. Get the worlds population hooked on an information monopoly, and then, when the time was ripe, funnel everyone toward specific narratives and hide everything else.

Google can do it because the primary way anyone researches a topic online is by using the Google search engine; Google controls well over 95% of the searches done on the internet across the entire planet. A similar trap was laid within the media landscape. As reported by Swiss Policy Research:1

 most of the international news coverage in Western media is provided by only three global news agencies based in New York, London and Paris. The key role played by these agencies means Western media often report on the same topics, even using the same wording.

In addition, governments, military and intelligence services use these global news agencies as multipliers to spread their messages around the world. A study of the Syria war coverage by nine leading European newspapers clearly illustrates these issues: 78% of all articles were based in whole or in part on agency reports, yet 0% on investigative research.

Moreover, 82% of all opinion pieces and interviews were in favor of a US and NATO intervention, while propaganda was attributed exclusively to the opposite side.

Propaganda on the one hand, and censorship on the other, are the primary battle strategies of the information war we now find ourselves steeped in. Its imperative, then, to understand how these weapons of war against the public are being used, and by whom.

News Agencies Are the Invisible Propaganda Nerve Center

When it comes to the actual dissemination of fake news and propaganda, international news agencies play a central role and, as mentioned, theres only three of them:

The Associated Press (AP)  Headquartered in the U.S., with more than 4,000 employees worldwide, AP is relied upon by approximately 12,000 international media outlets and reaches more than half of the worlds population each day. Thomson Reuters  Reuters was originally headquartered in London, U.K., but was acquired by the Thomson Corporation in 2008. The two media companies merged and become the Thomson Reuters Corp., which employs more than 25,000 people in hundreds of locations worldwide. Agence France-Presse (AFP)  A quasi-governmental organization based in Paris, France, with about 4,000 employees, according to Swiss Policy Research, 2 the AFP sends out more than 3,000 stories and photos each day to media companies around the world.

As once noted by Wolfgang Vyslozil, former managing director of Austria Presse Agentur (APA, Austrias national press agency):3

News agencies are rarely in the public eye. Yet they are one of the most influential and at the same time one of the least known media types. They are key institutions of substantial importance to any media system. They are the invisible nerve center that connects all parts of this system.

Indeed, until or unless at least one of these news agencies sends out a notice, national and local media are unlikely to report on an event. Even photos and videos are typically sourced directly from these global news agencies. This way, people hear, see and read the exact same message everywhere.

Even media outlets that have foreign correspondents on their payroll do not expect those correspondents to conduct independent investigations. They too simply report whatever the Big Three news agencies want covered, and from the angle they want it covered.

What you end up with is a sort of echo chamber where only one view is presented. As one might expect, this setup makes for a perfect propaganda machine. As noted by Swiss Policy Research:4

Due to the rather low journalistic performance of the mainstream media and their high dependence on a few news agencies, it is easy for interested parties to spread propaganda and disinformation in a supposedly respectable format to a worldwide audience.

The Propaganda Multiplier

Intelligence agencies and defense ministries are well aware of the power of these news agencies and use them with regularity. In 2009, then-president of the AP, Tom Curley, let it slip that the U.S. Pentagon has more than 27,000 PR specialists that spin up stories, and an annual propaganda budget of nearly $5 billion.

The technocratic apparatus uses these news agencies to proliferate certain narratives while burying or debunking others.

Curley also stated that high-ranking U.S. generals had threatened to ruin him and the agency should AP journalists decide to take a critical stance against the U.S. military.5

The rest of the technocratic apparatus also uses these news agencies in the same way and for the same reasons  to proliferate certain narratives while burying or debunking others. Of course, we now also know that at least some of the worlds defense ministries are working on the Deep States behalf, so theres not much separating them. Their narratives fit together like puzzle pieces.

In short, the current censoring and labeling of anything that threatens the globalist agenda as misinformation and disinformation is a top-down scheme, as illustrated6 above. Its not random, by any means, and its not driven by the opinions of private companies themselves. Social media companies, for example, are mere tools for the technocratic deep state, which operates worldwide.

That said, many of the key media personalities are also part of the globalist network.7 Just look at the membership rosters of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the Bilderberg Group and the Trilateral Commission, just to name a few.

Youll find many prominent journalists, editors and publishers. As insiders, they dont have to be told what to report. They already know what the agenda is, and the narrative that will further that agenda.

Why News Outlets Dont Let You in on Their Sources

The reason most people have no idea that their local or favored news media are simply regurgitating the same story as everyone else is because, except for print newspapers, where youll notice a tiny acronym in parentheses in the dateline, media rarely name their sources. If they did, youd quickly notice the pattern.

At that point, youd realize that few if any news reports have actually been independently researched, and this, of course, is a perception they dont want you to have.

You can find these sources if you know where to look, but theyre still too cryptic to interpret for most. As mentioned, the news agency that circulated the story and occasionally the agency editor that edited the report are typically listed at the top or bottom of the article in abbreviated form, within parentheses.

Media specialists are usually the only ones who know how to decipher these references, but if you know the abbreviation of three international agencies  AP, Reuters and AFP  you will at least know that a news agency created the story.

Fabricated Media Narratives Shape Public Opinion

Sometimes media companies will use an agencys story without attribution, however, and/or they may simply rewrite it slightly to make it appear like an independent contribution. Still, the vast majority of news stories  including accompanying photos and videos  are sourced from the Big Three.

In the end, this dependency on the global agencies creates a striking similarity in international reporting: from Vienna to Washington, our media often report the same topics, using many of the same phrases  a phenomenon that would otherwise rather be associated with controlled media in authoritarian states, Swiss Policy Research writes, adding:8

Dependence on global agencies is also a major reason why media coverage of geopolitical conflicts is often superficial and erratic, while historic relationships and background are fragmented or altogether absent 

Finally, the dominance of global agencies explains why certain geopolitical issues and events  are not mentioned in our media at all: if the agencies do not report on something, then most Western media will not be aware of it.

As pointed out on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the German DPA [the German national press agency]: What the agency does not report, does not take place 

While some topics do not appear at all in our media, other topics are very prominent  even though they shouldnt actually be: Often the mass media do not report on reality, but on a constructed or staged reality. Several studies have shown that the mass media are predominantly determined by PR activities 

Homeland Security Is Now All About Propaganda

In mid-November 2020, then-President Donald Trump fired Chris Krebs, director of the Department of Homeland Securitys (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), after Krebs declared the 2020 election the most secure election in U.S. history.9

Incidentally, Krebs is a former Microsoft executive, which puts him inside the sphere of the globalist cabal. Krebs also oversaw CISAs change of focus, from one focused on countering foreign disinformation campaigns to domestic censorship. This clearly demonstrates which team hes on, and its not Team Humanity.

In 2020, Krebs even launched a rumor control website10 to debunk claims of voter fraud  including claims by the sitting president himself. CISA still maintains that site, ostensibly to counter any false claims of voter fraud that might arise in future elections.11

There are clear problems with this. If there are claims of fraud, both sides need to be allowed to be heard and present their evidence. You cant just have one side saying theres nothing to see here, move along. Yet CISA is acting as a de facto censorship bureau, using 120 analysts to censor millions of social media posts  not only on elections but also on COVID-19.12

CISA  A Propaganda and Censorship Platform

Elon Musk recently called CISA out as a propaganda platform,13 and hes correct. We now know that CISA is partnered with a censorship consortium called the Election Integrity Partnership (EIP). The EIP, in turn, is made up of four organizations:

The Stanford Internet Observatory (SIO) The University of Washingtons Center for an Informed Public The Atlantic Councils Digital Forensic Research Lab Graphika (a social media analytics company)

During the 2020 election cycle, the EIP and CISA worked with the State Departments Global Engagement Center (GEC) and the DHS-backed Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) to police wrongthink on social media. As reported by Kanekoa News on Substack:14

The EIP built communication portals with Big Tech platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Google, TikTok, Reddit, and Discord; and liberal groups NAACP, Common Cause, the Democratic National Committee, and Harvards Defending Digital Democracy Project, cofounded by former Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook, throughout the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, to censor domestic mis- and disinformation.

They had about 120 analysts monitoring social media for 20 hours a day, forwarding tickets of misinformation to be censored, and this censorship pivoted to COVID vaccines when they started the Virality Project in Feb. 2021.

A report15 from the Foundation for Freedom Online (FFO), a non-profit founded by Mike Benz, entitled DHS Censorship Agency Had Strange First Mission: Banning Speech That Casts Doubt On Red Mirage, Blue Shift Election Events details this government speech control machine and its ability to control the narrative during the 2020 election 

DHS Partners Pressured Private Companies to Comply

Based on the Foundation of Freedom Onlines investigation, the DHS and its partners targeted dozens of misinformation narratives, all of which were suppressed. They labeled 22 million tweets as misinformation, along with hundreds of millions of Facebook posts, YouTube videos and TikToks.

DHS partners also bragged about their ability to get tech companies to change their terms of service to facilitate or allow for this otherwise illegal censoring. As noted by Kanekoa News:16

In short, CISA outsourced censorship to a web of like-minded private sector and civil society partners to circumvent unclear legal authorities and violations of the First Amendment.

Not surprisingly, Every single repeat spreader of election misinformation  was aligned with the political right, Kanekoa News writes, adding:

Krebs and the EIPs decision to completely censor the narrative around voting machine vulnerabilities fails to acknowledge that congressional members aligned with the left, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Ron Wyden, and Sen. Kamala Harris, among numerous computer science professors and election security experts, spent the last four years warning the American people that computerized voting systems are often connected to the internet, compromised, and vulnerable to hackers.

In effect, the left was allowed to discuss the vulnerabilities of voting machines after the 2016 election and the right was censored for discussing those very same vulnerabilities after the 2020 election.

Equally hypocritical, many of the individuals in the EIP had promoted the idea that Donald Trump was an illegitimate president because of the accusations raised in the Russiagate scandal  all of which later turned out to be intentionally fabricated lies, approved and paid for by Hillary Clinton.17

Yet, despite delegitimizing the 2016 election and having been proven wrong, those same people then went on to censor anyone who dared delegitimize the 2020 election by asking questions and pointing to evidence of foul play.

Dangerous Hypocrisy

One player in particular, Renee DiResta, a technical research manager at Stanford Internet Observatory, epitomizes the EIPs hypocrisy. As explained by the Foundation for Freedom Online:18

The prominent role Renee DiResta plays in EIP  is particularly worrisome and disturbing. Before DiResta became research manager at the Stanford disinfo lab, she was research director for a now-notorious, scandal-laden and disgraced political hatchet firm known as New Knowledge LLC.

In December 2018, the New York Times exposed that DiRestas Democrat donor-funded small cybersecurity firm, New Knowledge, had clandestinely created thousands of fake Russian bots (user accounts generated with a virtual private network (VPN) to simulate a Russian IP address) on Twitter and Facebook then mass subscribed those fake Russian bots to opposition Republican Senate candidate Roy Moores campaign.

DiResta did this  or at least the small firm where she was a director did this  in the heat of the Nov. 2017 Alabama special election, which substantially decided the party control of the US Senate. It was a race in which Moore narrowly lost, and for whose loss New Knowledge  in its own report  took credit.

At the time, mainstream news genuinely thought Roy Moore was being backed by Russians. But it was just DiRestas professional disinformation firm interfering in the election.

Deep State Actors Say One Thing and Do the Opposite

A key take-home here is that a great deal of the propaganda war involves people and organizations that say theyre one thing but do the complete opposite. For example, DiResta is the head of policy for Data for Democracy,19 while at the same time taking part in a plot to directly circumvent the democratic election process.

This shockingly deceitful behavior becomes easier to understand once you know shes also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the mission of which is to bring about a totalitarian one world government, a New World Order with global top-down rule. How do we know this? Simple, theyve admitted it.

In 1950, the son of one of the CFRs founders, James Warburg, said to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: We shall have world government whether or not you like it  by conquest or consent.20 Similarly, in 1975 CFR insider Admiral Chester Ward wrote that the goal of the CFR was submergence of U.S. sovereignty and national independence into an all-powerful one-world government.21

According to Ward, the desire to surrender the sovereignty and independence of the United States is pervasive throughout most of its membership, and In the entire CFR lexicon, there is no term of revulsion carrying a meaning so deep as America First. So, DiResta is working on behalf of those who seek to establish a one-world government, and theyre not known for their scruples, or for following democratic processes.

CISA Turned Law Abiding Americans Into Cybercriminals

As explained by Foundation for Freedom Online founder Mike Benz:22,23

DHS insiders collective justification, without uttering a peep about the switchs revolutionary implications, was that domestic disinformation was now a greater cyber threat to elections than falsehoods flowing from foreign interference.

So CISAs self-invented censorship powers against foreign disinformation went from being pointed outward against supposed Russian bot accounts to being pointed inwards at tens of millions of US citizens simply talking lawfully about their elections.

Being Able to Identify Propaganda Is Part of the Solution

If propaganda is already deeply entrenched in our media structure, and government agencies are engaged in censoring, how do we know what is true and what is not?

Theres no easy answer to this question, but the solution involves first becoming aware of the fact that mainstream media consistently lie to support the cabals agenda. There is a reason for why the media narrative is what it is. One way to evaluate the news is to ask yourself, Why might they want me to think of this in this particular way? Eventually, patterns begin to form.

Ultimately, to find the truth, you must be willing to look hard for it, and to look in places outside the mainstream media consortium. You will rarely ever find the answer on Google, or even the new Open AI Chatbot. You have to ask questions and reason your way through the information you find. If something doesnt make sense yet youre told to accept it without question, its probably propaganda.

Any number of COVID-19 restrictions, for example, have been illogical in the extreme, which tells us theyre not about protecting people from infection. Its about something else, and that something else has often been the purposeful destruction of small businesses to facilitate wealth transfer from the middle and lower class to the top echelon. Ultimately, that is the plan, and to stop it, we have to stop believing the propaganda. Its just that simple. And that challenging.

Read more at: Articles.Mercola.com
The latest weather forecast warned that heavy rain and possible thunderstorms are expected to unleash in Southern California and West Coast next week.

Many Californians have begun to recover from relentless rounds of rain that lasted for about three weeks.

The heavy rain in California worsened after the life-threatening combination of atmospheric river and bomb cyclone.

During the onslaught of severe weather in California, many residents were evacuated due to the threat of flooding.

The unabated rain in the state left widespread damage and casualties, according to CNN News.

Severe weather conditions in California next week

According to AccuWeather's latest forecast for January 27, Southern California would experience heavy rain with possible thunderstorms.

It is best to bring an umbrella this weekend until next week as rounds of rain could unload anytime.

In Northern California, residents and motorists could expect light rain and gusty winds.

This weekend, AccuWeather showed that the outlook would be wintry showers, a mixture of snow and rain.

Snow is expected in Denver, Portland and Chicago.

Rain showers with possible thunderstorms could unfold in Houston, Atlanta and Washington.

On the weekend until Monday, colder weather with possible snow would unfold. The weather system would bring light snow, isolated thunderstorms, gusty winds and hail.

Snow would unload in Salt Lake City.

Rain showers are expected in Los Angeles and Phoenix. People in L.A. currently experience strong winds.

There is also a chance of now. On the other hand, the light rain in Southern California would also lead to beneficial rain to help with drought conditions.

The forecast said that the weather would not be severe this week. Californians near flood-prone areas should stay aware of the weather conditions.

Also Read: New York City Latest Weather Forecast: Rain, Flooding Could Unload This Week Due to Winter Storm

There is also a chance that the weather could cause slower commutes.

Prolonged drought in California

The flooding rainfall in California also helped to alleviate the prolonged drought in the region. The mountain and snowpack would be significant during the dry season.

According to recent news, USA Today explained that the relentless rain in California eased the state's prolonged and worsening drought problem.

The heavy rain offered short-term relief from the drought problem in California.

Nature World News and KCRA3 explained that two of the major reservoirs in the state recorded the highest water level due to the moisture-packed storm.

KCRA3 explained the rise of water levels was recorded in the following: Lake Shasta is now at 55% capacity; Lake Oroville reached a whopping 62% capacity.

However, experts said the recent heavy rain event would not address the challenging drought in California.

In the previous report, the BBC reported that it would need years of wet weather conditions to address California's drought finally.

In an interview with The Conversation, Prof. Andrew Fisher explained the need to address the limited reservoir capacity.

Professor Fisher noted that some reservoirs could store more and less. Fisher is from the Planetary Sciences at U.C. - Santa Cruz.

Did you know?

According to CNN's report, NOAA said that extreme weather events in the United States reached a whopping $165 billion in damage in 2022.

The report said that Hurricane Ian's damage was $112.9 billion.

Related Article: Canada Latest Weather Forecast: Widespread Travel Disruptions, Slower Commutes to Unfold in Southern Ontario Until Thursday Due to Intense Snow

For more similar, don't forget to follow Nature World News.
Hexavalent chromium contains a toxic chemical that has been responsible for giving vehicles and other products their shine for decades already. Now, California is proposing to ban the chemical which gives chrome its classic glow. The potential exclusion of chromium in the Golden State has drawn a mixture of positive and negative reactions, especially amongst environmentalists and the chrome plating industry.

The metallic element chromium is a natural component of Earth found in animals, plans, rocks, soil, volcanic dust, and gases, according to the National Institutes of Health. The abundant supply of chrome has made it a primary part of the plating industry manufactured for various consumer products, ranging from automobile bumpers, airplane landing gear, and kitchen faucets.

What is Hexavalent Chromium?

Hexavalent chromium is one of the levels of the element chromium, with an indicator of "CR(VI)" or "6+" as symbol and is usually produced by an industrial process, according to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), which is under the United States Department of Labor. Despite its widespread usage, the chromium targets the kidney, liver, respiratory system, skin, and eyes.

OSHA highlights that chromium metal is poured to alloy steel to increase strength and corrosion resistance. For workers, a major source of exposure to Cr(VI) occurs during "hot work" such as handling stainless steel and other alloy steels which contains the hazardous element. In general, chrome is mainly used as a decorative or protective surface coating.

Also Read: Carbon Dioxide Can Be Recycled as Useful Chemicals and Fuels Using Solar Powered Synthesis Gas

Toxic Chemical

Amid these risks, the US government agency California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued a proposal to ban the use of so-called "chrome-6" in decorative plating by the year 2027, arguing the health hazards posed by the plating process are carried by some individuals in low-income communities, the Los Angeles Times reported.

If approved, the state will also prohibit the chemical's industrial use, including anti-corrosive coating by the year 2039. The CARB will held a hearing about the matter in Riverside, California called January 26 and 27, 2023 Board Meeting Agenda.

Currently, California has more than 110 chrome-plating facilities and over 70% of them are situated in disadvantaged communities, the LA Times reported.

Chrome Plating Industry

The California government proposal has drawn praise from clean air advocates or enthusiasts but has also sent an earthquake to the state's auto restoration and customization industries, which uses hexavalent chromium.

The chrome plating industry also expressed concerns that the move could result in job losses since businesses will be forced to leave California and one of them includes Bryan Leiker, the executive director of Metal Finishing Assn. of California, as cited by the LA Times.

In addition to health risks, experts in the past have also highlighted the dangers of the chemical element in question. In 2018, a study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology found groundwater resources in California are at high-risk from hexavalent chromium contamination, primarily due to industrial operations, natural geology, and potentially, land use.

Related Article: Tiny "Skyscrapers" Help Sun-loving Bacteria Grow and Power Small Electronics
Numerous calls to eradicate the invasive species have been made in response to the sight of multitudes of invasive carp being carried out to sea from Australian rivers. This strange method-releasing a herpes virus into their waterways-has been identified in their control plan.

Flooding Aftermath

As a result of severe flooding in the river basin for the past weeks during their breeding season, thousands of dead freshwater carp have been discovered washed up on ocean beaches in South Australia as of January 19, raising concerns about their invasive nature.

Middleton Beach, where locals claim they surfed in a school of carp, was one of the beaches that were particularly hard hit by the dead fish epidemic.

More than 3,000 homes in South Australia have been affected by recent severe flooding in the Murray-Darling river basin. This has coincided with carp breeding season, and it appears that the high river flows have washed the river fish downstream.

Invasive Carp in Australia

Invasive species include European carp in Australia. One genetic strain, the Boolara strain, caused a population explosion in the 1960s when it escaped from a fish farm in Victoria. As a result, millions of fish spread across the nation, mostly via the Murray-Darling river basin. These carp feed by foraging in riverbeds, which can harm aquatic vegetation and disturb water sediment, making it more difficult for native fish to survive.

And recent flooding is just one example of an event that has increased the population. According to ecologists from Charles Sturt University, the current abundance of carp is due to floods allowing them access to habitats in floodplains. There, each sizable female can produce millions of eggs, and the chances of the young surviving are high.

In the rivers and wetlands of Australia, it is estimated that there are more than 357 million of these carp. This estimate may be increasing as a result of the area's severe flooding, which has allowed the carp to spread to new areas. In some areas of the Murray-Darling basin, carp make up to 90% of all fish biomass, Newsweek reports.

Also Read: Ticks in Migrating Animals, Invasive Species, Increased Human-Wildlife Disease Transmission

Releasing the Herpes Virus into Waterways

To eradicate the invasive species, there have been new calls since the recent floods for releasing the Cyprinid herpesvirus 3, which will cause fatal disease in the carp.

According to a National Carp Control Plan published by the federal government in 2022, the carp herpes virus has the potential to reduce populations by 40% to 60% in more resilient populations, and by up to 80% in less resilient populations. According to a Conversation article, it also stated that additional research was required before releasing the virus due to several concerns, such as cleaning up dead carp and possible significant reductions in water quality and native fish.

Mel Gray, a water campaigner for the Nature Conservation Council, told ABC News Australia that she was disappointed by the delay and worried that the government was losing any interest in the control method.

Gray stated that if they don't have strong political intentions to protect local wildlife, the river will eventually become carp-only. She emphasized that research has been conducted, science has been completed, and that it is known that the virus will not jump from one species to another, Newsweek reports.

Related Article: Maryland Eradicates Invasive Rodent Species Nutria at the Cost of $30 Million, Fears of Reinvasion Still Linger
Due to widespread flash flooding and power outages brought on by a minimum of 10 inches of rain, Auckland, New Zealand, is currently under a state of emergency.

More than 1,500 calls for assistance were placed to emergency services as a result of the flash flood, which in some places reached waist-deep levels. People who live in flood-prone areas have been warned to get ready to leave when the situation calls for evacuation.

Most Rain Recorded

The city experienced the highest amount of rain ever recorded there in a single day, according to MetService, the weather agency for New Zealand.

Several major roads were blocked by floodwaters, and the city's airport was forced to close due to flooding. Landslides and power outages have both been brought on by the storms in Auckland.

According to the Associated Press, just before Elton John was scheduled to start performing at 7:30 PM at Auckland's Mt. Smart Stadium, the event was postponed due to hazardous weather.

After the show was canceled on Friday, spectators left the stadium. The concert was expected to draw around 40,000 people, The Weather Channel reports.

The region is anticipated to experience rain for at least the upcoming week, according to MetService forecasts.

Floods, Closed Roads, Canceled Flights

According to Reuters, the blocked roads caused long traffic queues on highways. Police urged people to avoid the roads if at all possible while they worked with Fire and Emergency New Zealand to respond to calls.

Reuters reports that both the domestic and international airports were closed due to widespread flooding. As per reports, the International Terminal's check-in area is knee-deep in floodwater.

According to Reuters, the operations team at Auckland Transport is working to reroute special event buses to assist people in getting home.

Also Read: Extreme Cold at -30 Degrees Celsius Swept Over Poorest Area of North Korea, Now Still 20 Degrees Below Zero

Weather Alerts

AccuWeather shows two active weather alerts for Auckland.

Heavy Rain Warning - Red. Forecasters predict 60mm to 120 mm of rain, with thunderstorms and torrential downpours possible over the area. A total of 150mm to 250 mm of rain have previously fallen in addition to this amount. It is possible to reach peak rates of at least 40mm/h to 80 mm/h.

Forecasts also indicate that heavy rain will lessen tonight and overnight from the north.

When there is a severe weather warning or watch, it means that there are likely to be severe storms in the area. People in these areas need to be alert for potentially dangerous weather conditions. The Heavy Rain Warning - Red is effective until January 28, 10:00 AM NZDT.

Strong Winds Watch. The Meteorological Service of New Zealand Limited issued a Strong Wind Watch over Auckland, which is effective until January 208, 10:00 AM NZDT as well. Weather forecasters issued a severe gale warning for exposed areas where northeastern winds may approach.

AccuWeather warns during this wet weather that mosquitos, as well as indoor and outdoor pests, are very active. Locals are advised to keep their doors and windows closed, clean out any stagnant water, and wear repellents or long sleeves.

Related Article: Weather Forecast: Arctic Blast To Usher In Dipping Temperatures, Wind Chills, Frostbite Risks in Northern Plains and Upper Midwest US
For the first time since it was last seen nearly a century ago, an endangered species was recently spotted prowling through the slopes of the rocky terrain close to the national parks, Sequoia and Kings Canyon, in California. According to a press release issued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife on Tuesday, trail cameras used by the department recorded four sightings of a Sierra Nevada red fox close to Taboose Pass between April 20 and June 4, 2022.

Trail Cameras in the National Parks of California

Julia Lawson, an environmental scientist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the agency's ongoing study of alpine carnivores, which started in 2015, makes use of trail cameras that are spaced about one mile apart and outfitted with scented lures to entice curious animals.

Coyotes, martens, black bears, long-tailed weasels, and bobcats are the animals they find most frequently. Badgers, western spotted skunks, gray foxes, short-tailed weasels, and mountain lions have also been documented by these cameras.

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, this was the first time a Sierra Nevada red fox has been spotted in this area since the 1930s, and it was about 100 miles south of the species' known range. The fox would explore the lures when it came close to the cameras that were installed along the John Muir Trail at 11,400 to 12,000 feet elevation before being startled by the shutter and scurrying away, SFGate reports.

Sierra Nevada Forest Fox

Most likely the rarest and most endangered red fox subspecies in North America is the Sierra Nevada red fox, as per Pacific Forest Trust. There is a population that is known to exist in the Lassen Peak area, where they can occasionally be seen or captured on camera. They reside in mountain meadows and open conifer woodlands close to the treelines.

Lawson told SFGate that Sierra Nevada red foxes have bushy tails with white tips that are nearly as long as their bodies, unlike the much more typical gray foxes. The black on their forelegs and the backs of their ears matched the markings on the fox seen on the trail cameras. Although Lawson said scientists were unable to determine the fox's exact age and sex, it appeared to be an adult.

Although foxes are known to travel great distances, they are territorial carnivores. and according to Lawson, scientists have verified that between 2017 and 2018, at least one fox from Sonora Pass traveled nearly 70 miles south to Mono Pass. It doesn't appear likely that the one in Taboose Pass is the same, though.

Also Read: Hidden Trail Cameras Watching Pink Iguana Hatchlings in Galapagos Reveal Threats to Species

Origins of a Current Population

A small population of the endangered species was found at Sonora Pass in 2010, contrary to what researchers had previously believed to be the case. Yosemite National Park, Mono Pass, and areas of the Sierra National Forest close to Mono Creek have also reported sightings. 2019 saw the discovery of at least 15 foxes across the Sierra Nevada.

Yosemite Conservancy reports 39 confirmed sightings in their area in 2019.

According to Lawson, it is logical to assume that the species population is quite small, with the possibility that there may be fewer than 50 animals.

They are still looking for the original habitat of the foxes seen. The detections could indicate that a previously unknown population of Sierra Nevada red foxes present in the Kings Canyon area has been found, or they could indicate that the population at Sonora Pass has grown, according to Lawson.

Possibilities of Recovering an Endangered Species

The possibility of saving this species and removing it from the endangered species list is very exciting, according to Lawson, even though the cause is not yet known.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Yosemite National Park, the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the California Department of Water Resources, the UC Davis Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit, and Southern California Edison are all working together on the trail camera project, SFGate reports.

Related Article: Hidden Cameras Catch Nearly Locally Extinct Carnivorous Quolls in Conservation Site -Australia
Tourists visit Great Tang All Day Mall in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, Dec 30, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua] The past three years have been a steep learning curve in handling COVID-19 patients for Dang Shuangsuo, an epidemiologist in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. At the outset of the pandemic, when the deadlier variants of the virus were sweeping the globe, just a few antivirus drugs and herbal medicine prescriptions commonly used for seasonal flu were available for Dang to treat COVID patients. He and his colleagues were then not so sure about what parameters to monitor in patients so that they could intervene before mild symptoms morphed into life-threatening conditions. In the beginning, he recalled, no diagnosis and treatment plans had yet been tailor-made for specific age groups, such as elderly patients and young children. Adhering to the country's consistent principle of always putting people's lives and health first, Dang and his peers have witnessed the systemic evolution over the past three years of measures in terms of virus containment, treatment knowledge, response procedures, drugs and vaccines, thanks to tremendous resources mobilized by the authorities at all levels. By the time China optimized its COVID-19 control measures at the end of last year in light of the decreasing virulence of Omicron subvariants, Dang, the director of the infectious diseases department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University in Shaanxi province, said that the Chinese medical community was much better equipped and experienced to tackle novel coronavirus infections compared with three years ago. COVID medicines such as the domestically developed Azvudine, the Pfizer-made Paxlovid, and Molnupiravir manufactured by Merck& Co have been approved for clinical use in China, while more efficient and convenient vaccines, including an inhalable one, were made available last year for people seeking an extra layer of protection. Rules have been clarified over when antibiotics can be used on COVID patients, promoting the proper use of drugs and reducing antibiotic resistance. Meanwhile, efforts to add more critical care beds and to raise the inoculation rate among older adults were also picking up. In addition, a newly released diagnosis and treatment plan for severely ill COVID patients listed blood oxygen saturation under 93, among other body indexes, as a warning sign of a deteriorating condition, making it easier for doctors to take action before it's too late. "Over the past three years, COVID-19 changed from an unknown virus into a better-known one," said Dang, who is also vice-chairman of Shaanxi's expert panel for the prevention and treatment of major infectious diseases. Dang was well aware that being cautious in terms of COVID-19 control policy is an inevitable choice for the Chinese government, given the country's vast population, fast-aging demographics and the uneven distribution of medical resources. Due to the country's large population, China's hospitals are susceptible to being overstretched if outbreaks spread unchecked. In addition, National Bureau of Statistics figures showed that China had 280 million people aged 60 and over by the end of last year, and this is the age group that the National Health Commission said this month accounts for almost 90 percent of severely ill COVID cases. For much of the past three years, China was under tremendous pressure to abandon its stringent COVID-19 control measures. As the virus' lethal variants interrupted life worldwide, some Western - countries, where factories were forced to shut down as workers fell sick - attempted to shift the blame to China, where lives largely returned to normal due to strict controls over infections - for disrupting global supply chains. However, China stood its ground and kept its border controls in place until January. By this time, the dominant Omicron subvariants were much less deadly than their predecessors, and more than 90 percent of the Chinese people were vaccinated. On Jan 8, China downgraded the management of the virus, so that inbound travelers no longer have to undergo quarantine or take a nucleic acid test upon arrival. The three years of strict control of international travel, together with efforts to nip every domestic outbreak in the bud, have bought precious time for experts such as Dang to learn more about COVID-19 as they approve new treatments, develop more effective vaccines and make new diagnosis and treatment plans for COVID-19 patients. Fine-tuning measures "China has taken very small steps, but it has never stopped fine-tuning its COVID control measures as the virus mutates," he said, echoing comments made in November by Vice-Premier Sun Chunlan. The authorities in China have maintained that the nation was taking "small but nonstop steps" in fine-tuning its COVID response strategy, while staunchly adhering to the ultimate mission to safeguard people's health and lives. The gradual nature of the change was manifested in the 10 editions of pandemic control plans released over the course of three years, as well as the landmark documents colloquially known as the "20 measures" and the "10 new measures", unveiled in November and December, respectively. Since February 2020, the first six of the contagion control plans were published in slightly more than a month, when understanding of the virus was still unclear and little clinical data was available. On Jan 7, China released the 10th and latest edition, highlighting vaccination and personal protection. Just two days ahead of the eve of Spring Festival this month, health officials appeared at a news conference on Jan 19 with an encouraging message. Guo Yanhong, director of the National Health Commission's medical emergency department, said the number of COVID-19 patients had declined significantly at health facilities nationwide, from fever clinics and emergency centers to critical care wards. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of outpatients and hospitalizations were seeking treatment for conditions other than COVID-19. Data provided by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that the positive test rate dropped from 29.2 percent to 5.5 percent between Dec 25 and Monday. The number of deaths from COVID-19 infections in hospitals nationwide dropped 79 percent from the peak on Jan 4 to 896 on Monday. To bolster the treatment capacity in rural regions, Dang had championed a simplified treatment plan for grassroots doctors, so that they can quickly identify COVID patients and ensure their condition does not worsen. His efforts, coupled with the central authorities' moves to bolster investment in the healthcare system in the countryside and beyond, managed to tide the rural population over a surge of infections last month, and helped contribute to China's success in keeping its COVID death rate among the lowest in the world. According to the National Health Commission in July, despite the intense challenges resulting from the pandemic, China's average life expectancy continued to rise amid the pandemic, from 77.93 years in 2020 to 78.2 years in 2021. Meanwhile, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, average life expectancy in the US fell over the same period from 77 years in 2020 to 76.1 years in 2021. The total number of COVID-related deaths in the US reached 1.1 million by January, according to the CDC. Pointing to China's record in handling the pandemic over the past three years, Dang pointed out that,"Protecting vulnerable groups is a mission for a socialist society."
Our County Editor

Dave Hinton is editor of The News-Gazette's Our County section and former editor of the Rantoul Press. He can be reached at dhinton@news-gazette.com.
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Ethan Simmons is a reporter at The News-Gazette covering the University of Illinois. His email is esimmons@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@ethancsimmons).
As school safety remains a critical issue for students, teachers and families, researchers at the University of Missouri are using a $2 million grant from the Department of Justice to help identify and avert threats students or others may make on school grounds involving potential harm to themselves or others.

The project, which will partner with up to 26 rural school districts throughout Missouri, will be fully implemented by fall 2023 and connect to the schools' Wi-Fi servers to monitor online activity for threatening language or images.

If a potential threat is captured through videos, text messages, emails or social media posts, the school would be alerted so potential assessments and interventions can happen to avoid anyone harming themselves or others. The other key component of this is creating threat assessment teams, which could include school principals, teachers, school resource officers, school psychologists, counselors, social workers and law enforcement individuals, as we will be training them on how to respond and intervene." Keith Herman, the grant's primary investigator and a Curators' Distinguished Professor in the MU College of Education and Human Development

For threats involving suicide, an evidence-based approach called the Columbia Protocol, which has been used in schools for decades, will provide a systematic way for the threat assessment teams to talk with individuals of interest to determine the level of risk and best practices for interventions to avoid self-harm.

For potential threats to harm others, an evidence-based approach developed at the University of Virginia will be utilized, which involves the threat assessment team discussing step-by-step processes for how best to respond, including possible involvement from local law enforcement members.

"Rural schools tend to have less resources in these areas, and we have heard from many rural Missouri school districts that they currently don't have these threat assessment teams and systematic procedures in place. So we want to help implement these resources to support their schools and communities," Herman said. "Obviously there has been an increased spotlight on recent school shootings, and we also know many students have been struggling throughout the pandemic with mental health concerns. So hopefully the combination of the technology and the trainings will make schools safer, and those who work in the schools will feel more confident in responding and intervening when threats arise."

Herman is co-director of the Missouri Prevention Science Institute and the National Center for Rural School Mental Health, co-developer of the Boone County Family Access Center of Excellence and a board member for the Boone County Schools Mental Health Coalition.

"My overall goal is to create nurturing environments for students to thrive, and safety is at the foundation of a nurturing environment," Herman said. "Partnerships are all about listening to the needs of the schools and then providing the resources and expertise to meet those needs."
Elevated levels of immune cells, called neutrophils, in tumors have been associated with poor outcomes in people with cancer. But a study led by researchers at Stanford Medicine have found that, in mice, these cells can be transformed from black sheep into potent cancer fighters through an injection directly into the tumor site.

The treatment eliminated existing tumors and reduced the number and size of subsequent metastases in mice with cancers of the skin, lung, breast and colon. It also activated human neutrophils to kill human cancer cells in a laboratory dish, suggesting the approach could be useful in treating people with many types of cancers.

The researchers injected three agents simultaneously into the tumors: one that summons neutrophils to the tumor, another that amps up neutrophils' cell-killing capacity, and a third that helps them locate and latch onto cancer cells. In initial studies, two treatments, given two days apart, eliminated melanoma tumors in seven out of eight mice, and the mice remained cancer free until the end of the study five months later. In contrast, untreated animals experienced uncontrollable tumor growth and were euthanized within one month.

These are striking findings. Mice are not people, obviously, but it's very rare to see complete eradication of existing tumors. We believe this treatment has the potential to be useful in humans, and we are working toward bringing it into the clinic." Edgar Engleman, MD, professor of pathology and of medicine, Stanford School of Medicine

Engleman is the senior author of the research, which was published online Jan. 26 in Cancer Cell. Postdoctoral scholar Ian Linde, PhD, is the first author of the study.

An (almost) symbiotic relationship

Researchers in Engleman's laboratory have been working for decades to understand how the immune system responds to cancer. It's a delicate push and pull, they've found.

"Cancer and the immune system have an intimate, almost symbiotic relationship," Engleman said.

Although the immune system can be a potent destroyer of cancerous cells, many cancers have found sneaky ways to exploit its safety valves, which prevent the mistaken destruction of healthy cells as well as autoimmune disorders. A cancer cell might disguise itself as a healthy cell, or it might secrete substances or harbor molecules on its surface that tell the immune system to stand down rather than attack. Many current cancer immunotherapies focus on unleashing the immune systems powers by overriding these suppressive signals.

Neutrophils are part of whats known as the innate immune system, which recognizes broad categories of common threats but is unable to identify and attack specific invaders. (In contrast, the antibodies pumped out by B cells or the specialized receptors on the surfaces of T cells are fine-tuned to recognize unique protein structures called antigens on pathogens that spell trouble.) Neutrophils can also regulate other arms of the immune system to maintain the delicate balance between a response thats overly strong or too weak.

We have not yet learned why neutrophils can have different and seemingly opposing functions, Engleman said. They are effective killers of bacteria and of cells infected with viruses. But they can also suppress the immune response, and when they infiltrate tumors, the outcome is almost always bad.

An unexpected finding

Linde was injecting tumors in laboratory mice with various combinations of molecules called cytokines that Englemans laboratory had previously shown modulated the immune response to cancers.

We didnt set out to study neutrophils per se, Engleman said. But Ian came to me and said, Neutrophils are infiltrating the tumors and the tumor cells are dying. We really didnt expect that. But he repeated the experiments, and I became increasingly enthusiastic when I saw how potent and reproducible the results were.

Linde tested a combination of a cytokine called tumor necrosis factor that draws neutrophils to the tumor, an antibody called CD40 that activates their killing abilities and another antibody that binds to the surface of tumor cells on mice with several types of cancers. Of the treated animals, tumors in 7 of 10 mice with melanoma, 8 of 10 with mammary cancer, 8 of 10 with colon cancer and 4 of 10 with lung cancer disappeared, and the animals lived for at least 60 days without detectable tumors. In contrast, no mice pre-treated with an antibody that eliminates neutrophils lived to the end of the experiment  indicating that the cancer-killing activity was due to the presence of neutrophils.

Linde then tested the ability of the treatment, which the researchers termed neutrophil activating therapy, to prevent cancer cells from migrating to other parts of the body. He found that injecting the activating therapy into a primary melanoma tumor inhibited the ability of other melanoma cells to establish themselves and grow in the animals lungs (a common site for melanoma metastasis).

Our theory is that the neutrophils kill the injected tumor, then the dead cancer cells and their antigens enter lymph nodes and activate T cells to seek out and kill distant metastases, Engleman said.

Further research showed that the neutrophils kill tumor cells by stimulating the production of molecules called reactive oxygen species, which damage DNA and proteins and can cause cell death.

More research is needed before the neutrophil activating therapy can be tested in people with cancer. But Linde showed that human neutrophils exposed to the three components of the combination therapy are stimulated to kill human cancer cells in a lab dish.

This suggests that we might be able to use activated neutrophils as a cell therapy, Engleman said. We could remove a patients neutrophils and activate them in the laboratory before giving them back to the patient. This is completely different from current T cellbased cell therapies, and because there is no overlap, we might be able to use them in combination to great effect.

Engleman is hopeful that clinical trials in humans could be launched soon.

Our results go against the current belief that neutrophils are pro-tumor, Engleman said. But this shouldnt be a shock, because in some cases neutrophils can be very effective killer cells.

A researcher from the University of Pennsylvania also contributed to the work.

Engleman and Linde have filed a patent application based on the research.
COVID vaccines and first boosters provided significant protection to pregnant women against severe complications and death, even after the arrival of the new Omicron variant, according to a study published this week in The Lancet medical journal.

This study "demonstrates a vaccine effectiveness in preventing severe complications of severe COVID-19 of 76% following vaccination and at least one booster," said Dr. Michael Gravett, an OB-GYN with the University of Washington School of Medicine who participated in the study, which was led by Oxford University. "Given the marked increased in maternal mortality and severe morbidity seen in our earlier studies prior to vaccination, the 76% efficacy is pretty impressive and really points to the need to get women vaccinated."

The main point of the study, which was completed before other variants came on the scene, is for pregnant women to get vaccinated and receive all their boosters, including the bivalent booster, he said.The bivalent booster contains components targeting the original strain of the virus as well as a component of the Omicron strain, which emerged in late 2021.

As of the first week of January, 71% of pregnant women have received their primary COVID vaccines but only 19% have received the recommended bivalent booster, according the the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In Washington state, only 29% of pregnant women have received the bivalent booster, Gravett said.

Gravett noted that the study, one of the largest of its kind, compared outcomes of 1,545 pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19 with those of 3,073 pregnant women without the infection. UW Medicine sites were one of three in the United States included in the study. Gravett and Dr. Alisa Kachikis guided the Seattle part of the study, which included around 75 women from UW Medical Center-Montlake, UW Medical Center-Northwest and Harborview Medical Center.

The study was conducted between Nov. 27, 2021, and June 30, 2022, during which time the highly transmissible Omicron strain began to rapidly spread around the world. The study did not include the impact of vaccines and the second booster or the bivalent booster on later mutations of COVID-19.

Vaccinated women were well-protected against severe COVID-19 symptoms and complications and had a very low risk of admission to an intensive care unit, the study found. Full vaccination with a booster conferred the greatest protection, the the researchers noted.

COVID-19 infection during pregnancy was associated with increased risks of maternal morbidity, severe pregnancy complications, and hospital admission, especially among symptomatic and unvaccinated women. In particular, among unvaccinated women who developed severe COVID-19 symptoms the risk of pre-eclampsia was more than threefold higher than that of women without infection. Obese or overweight women with severe symptoms were at the highest risk for maternal morbidity and severe complications.

Although much of the general population has become less concerned about new variants, pregnant women, especially unvaccinated pregnant women, should not take that attitude, Gravett said.

If you look at unvaccinated women, you still have an increased death rate, and increased neonatal mortality. If you are vaccinated and boosted, especially with a mRNA vaccine, those levels drop by 81%." Dr. Michael Gravett, OB-GYN, University of Washington School of Medicine

In addition, researchers found no increase risk of vaccine side effects in mothers, fetuses or newborns and a decrease risk of preterm birth among vaccinated women.

"Bottom line is we need to do a better job for women who may become pregnant, and make sure they receive the vaccines and the bivalent boosters," he said.

The next study will likely follow up with mothers and babies who received the vaccines and those who did not, Gravett said.
DePaul University and Rosalind Franklin University of Science and Medicine are funding three faculty research projects that bring together artificial intelligence, biomedical discovery and health care. The competitive grants kickstart research among interdisciplinary teams, which include biologists, computer scientists, a geographer and a physicist.

The first project will combine wearable, robotic sensors with GPS mapping to predict and prevent falls and injury among patients and members of the military. Another will analyze neurons in the brainstem to discover boundaries that control speech and swallowing. The third project uses machine learning and video tracking to develop early detection for illnesses like Parkinson's disease.

We are thrilled with the scope and vision of these collaborative research projects from DePaul and Rosalind Franklin faculty members. Together, we have the potential to see artificial intelligence fuel major advances for human health in our lifetime." Salma Ghanem, Provost of DePaul University

"This AI initiative and the outstanding funded first-round pilot projects represent the next step in the ongoing research collaboration between our two universities, which to date has yielded substantive outcomes," said Ronald Kaplan, executive vice president for research at Rosalind Franklin University. "We believe this cutting-edge work has significant potential to improve health within our society."

Wearable sensors, GPS combine to prevent injury

"We can tell a lot about a person's health from how they walk," said Sungsoon (Julie) Hwang, professor of geography at DePaul. She is teaming up with robotics expert Muhammad Umer Huzaifa and data scientist Ilyas Ustun. Their research will combine wearable technology and GPS to track a person's gait.

In his robotics and AI lab, Huzaifa deploys Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) to track whether a person is walking, sitting or even falling. These sensors, which measure a body's movement by detecting the direction of gravity and rotational speeds, may be worn as part of an exoskeleton. "Predicting harmful walking patterns and preventing falls has implications for people in a health care setting and members of the military deployed in the field," Huzaifa explained.

DePaul faculty will work with Chris Connaboy, director of the Center for Lower Extremity Ambulatory Research at Rosalind Franklin, to use data from his lab. Ustun will use machine learning to integrate the GPS and IMU data, potentially predicting where injuries and falls could occur.

"Our movements create patterns, and we want to identify distinct patterns using machine learning to help assess an individual's current health, especially those who are at risk," Ustun said.

Machine learning discovery in the brainstem

The brainstem is responsible for breathing and swallowing, which can have implications for speech disorders, apnea and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. "Within the brainstem, neurons are not clearly differentiated," said Jacob Furst, professor of computing at DePaul. "Our project will look for genetic signatures that may differentiate the cells when there is no obvious physical difference."

"There is so much data being generated in the life sciences that it can be difficult to look for patterns to discover key biological insights," said Thiru Ramaraj, an assistant professor of bioinformatics at DePaul. Drawing from an atlas of existing high resolution genome wide expression data from the adult mouse brain, Ramaraj and team will employ advance machine learning to identify clusters and borders within brainstem neurons.

Working with questions that are important to brainstem researcher Kaiwen Kam at Rosalind Franklin, the team hopes to develop a neuroanatomical screening, which may also have applications for other types of tissue.

"It's both challenging and exciting to apply computational techniques to problems that have a real impact on health," Ramaraj said.

Diagnosing neurological disorders through AI movement patterns

Eric Landahl is a DePaul physicist who has spent much of his career making movies of molecules, including work at Argonne National Laboratory. "Hollywood movies are usually filmed at 24 frames a second, but atoms move at a speed closer to a billion frames a second," Landahl said. His research uses x-rays and lasers and creates massive amounts of data.

He is joining EunJung Hwang at Rosalind Franklin to use a similar approach to tracking the movements of mice with Parkinson's. Using cloud computing and machine learning, they aim to develop a model that can predict neurological disorders before they're visible to a trained medical professional.

"This is the chance to be at the forefront of modern approaches to data analysis," Landahl said. "This research grant gives us the chance to briefly step away from our daily work to work on something exciting that could become something bigger in the future."
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TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Reported by Zahra Ayaz

It seems like men who want to look good are on the rise in Bahrain, and this trend has even surpassed the global average, says a recent survey.

Experts confirm a significant 16% surge in men going under the knife and opting for cosmetic procedures like eyelid and neck lifts, botox, fillers, Mesotherapy and other non-surgical nose jobs (fillers) in Bahrain.

The Daily Tribune also talked to experts from various hospitals in the Kingdom to find out what they say about this trend revealed by the survey on men turning increasingly to cosmetic treatment. Dr Paulo Hypacio, a Brazilian Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Middle East Hospital, confirms this trend among men here in the Kingdom.

One of the most opted non-surgical procedures we have is botulinum toxin, also called botox, for reducing wrinkles in the upper third of the face, the doctor said, explaining the popular procedures available for men.

Among the surgical procedures, gynecomastia, a treatment for breast enhancement, is preferred by those who are not satisfied with the shape of the chest. Liposuction is another procedure often performed to remove stubborn fat or as a complementary procedure for a tummy tuck.

But not without risks!

All these, however, do not come without any risk. This, however, is not a riskfree procedure, warns Dr Hypacio.

Cosmetic procedures are not just anyones job. The professional must have extensive training and proper knowledge of human anatomy. When performed by a professional, such as a plastic surgeon, the risk is greatly reduced.

Speaking to The Daily Tribune, Dr Marwa Fathy Hussein Ali Soliman, an associate professor and consultant in cosmetic dermatology at Derma Glow Medical Centre, told the Daily Tribune that there was a spike in demand following the removal of the ban on cosmetic procedures.

Now, it has come down to usual rates. Dr Soliman confirms that such procedures are of interest not just to Bahrainis but also to expatriates. Both Bahrainis and expats are eager to do cosmetic procedures, but taste and needs differ with cultures. Also, there is a noticeable increase in cosmetic services among men.

When asked about the risks involved, the doctor explained that cosmetic procedures do have risks and side effects, as with any others. The key here is using good quality materials, modern techniques as well as proper selection and education of patients.

This will minimise the risks, while its essential to follow up regularly by visiting the doctor to manage side effects. Most cosmetic procedures, whether men or women do it, have minimal downtime ranging from one to seven days, and in most cases, patients can immediately resume their work and daily activities.

Social media, a double-edged weapon

On the negative impact of social media, Dr Marwa warns it is a double-edged weapon. More and more people are getting aware of cosmetic procedures through social media.

However, they are also developing unrealistic expectations influenced by claims. Patients may create unrealistic expectations or one standard of beauty which will never be suitable for all.
End of an Era as BBC Arabic Radio goes off air after 85 years

End of an Era as BBC Arabic Radio goes off air after 85 years

Agencies | London



The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Tears in my eyes as I listen to the last broadcast by BBC Arabic, closing down after 85 years. It meant so much to so many people here over the decades, tweeted British journalist Jim Muir, Middle East correspondent for the BBC News, Now the airwaves are dead. End of an era.

BBCs Arabic radio service officially ended its decades-long broadcast on Friday, leaving behind a legacy that many believe to be everlasting.

The station launched in early 1938 as the BBC Empire Services first foreign language radio broadcast.

Many journalists and public figures took to Twitter to express grief and share fond memories of BBCs Arabic radio station. Some believed the event marked a decline in the United Kingdoms soft power while others recalled their days at the studios.

It's far beyond sad and painful to see BBC Arabic radio shutting down today, wrote Egypt-based BBC Arabic correspondent Sally Nabil on Twitter.

It's incredibly difficult to describe how we feel! She added.

Amal Mudallali, former permanent representative of Lebanon to the UN, said: As someone who worked for the BBC Arabic, I do not understand the decision.

It is the only thing people know and remember about Britania, as we call it, in the region for generations.

The final words and signature statement of BBC Arabic radio presenter Mahmoud Almossallami, Huna London (This is London), seems to have brought tears to many eyes.

Almousallamis daughter, Osha, wrote: I grew up listening to my dad presenting on BBC Arabic, and now here he is, presenting the final hour of BBC Arabic before it's closed and taken off the air.

It really is the end of an era.

The head of David Nott Foundation, Elly Nott, wrote: Huna London no more, hailing BBC Arabic radio for helping her to learn its language.

BBC News Lead Technical Operator Jack Mooney shared a footage showing the last moments as the Arabic news network went off the air, while sound producer Tome Roles wrote: Ill always treasure the magic of sitting in a tiny studio at 3 am in London, picturing the sun rising thousands of miles away, and wondering about the lives of those tuning in.

Its a painful moment, wrote photographer Ali Al-Baroodi.

BBC Arabic was one of few windows to the world in the time of the economic blockade (in the) 1990s (and) ISIS occupation, he added, Iraq was under (a) huge blackout. My father used to stock batteries for his radio in prep for the tough times.

BBC correspondent Emir Nader shared the last two minutes of the Arabic radios final broadcast and wrote: Today is a tragic day for Arab media One of many huge losses following cuts in BBC World Service's budget.
Agencies | New York

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

US prosecutors have charged three members of an Eastern European criminal organization which has ties to Irans government with conspiring to assassinate a journalist and activist who is a US citizen, Attorney General Merrick Garland said on Friday.

Rafat Amirov, Polad Omarov and Khalid Mehdiyev were charged with murder-for-hire and money laundering for their role in the thwarted Tehran-backed plot, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

The victim publicized (the) Iranian governments human rights abuses, discriminatory treatment of women, suppression of democratic participation and expression and use of arbitrary imprisonment, torture and execution, Garland said.

Garland did not name the alleged victim, but Mehdiyev was arrested last year in New York for having a rifle outside the Brooklyn home of journalist Masih Alinejad, a longtime critic of Irans head-covering laws who has promoted videos of women violating those laws on social media.

Mehdiyev pleaded not guilty to one count of possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. He is being held at Brooklyns Metropolitan Detention Center pending trial.

Irans mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

US prosecutors in 2021 charged four Iranians alleged to be intelligence operatives for Tehran with plotting to kidnap a New York-based journalist and activist. While the target of the plot was not named, Reuters confirmed she was Alinejad.

Amirov was arrested on Thursday and will have a pretrial hearing in federal court in Manhattan later on Friday. Omarov was arrested in the Czech Republic earlier this month, and the US is seeking his extradition.

The US in 2011 arrested one man it said was linked to an Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Washington at the time at a restaurant he frequented in the capital.

Washington accuses Tehran of backing terrorism and pursuing nuclear arms, charges Iran denies.
newsonjapan.com - Mar 29

The acclaimed Japanese violinist Fumiaki Miura, First Prize Winner and recipient of the Critics Prize and Audiences Award at the 2009 Joseph Joachim Hannover International Violin Competition, made a stop in Dubai on the 12th of February, headlining the opening concert of the 2023 InClassica International Music Festival alongside the Kazakh State Symphony Orchestra and Italian conductor Massimiliano Caldi.
VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 26, 2023 /CNW/ - Argentina Lithium & Energy Corp. (TSXV: LIT) (FSE: OAY3) (OTC: PNXLF), ("Argentina Lithium" or the "Company") reports positive lithium brine values at its Rincon West Project in Salta Province, Argentina, including a 153 m interval ranging from 329 to 393 mg/l lithium from the sixth diamond drill hole. The seventh exploration hole is in final steps to completion, with two additional holes planned.

"The new drilling results extend the zone of concentrated lithium brines towards the west and southwest from earlier drill intersections. The remarkable interval from the sixth hole, RW-DDH-006, is our best interval to date, and it is a step-out of 960 m from the prior best intersection reported previously in the fourth hole. With RW-DDH-005, we drilled 1.7 km southwest of the sixth hole, looking for the western limit of the brine zone. These large step-outs demonstrate concentrated lithium brines extend broadly through the core of the property. The remaining three drill holes will be located to further delineate the brine aquifer." stated Miles Rideout, V.P. of Exploration.

The results of the brine analyses, type of sample collected, and the respective intervals from which brine was recovered are shown in Table 1. Drill collar information is presented in Table 2.

The Rincon West Project, located west and north of Rio Tinto's adjacent Rincon Project, covers 3742.8 hectares of the salar basin. Rincon West is currently permitted for up to 9 exploration drill holes. Figure 1 presents a map of the Rincon West property showing the positions of the seven initial exploration holes (see News Releases dated July 13, 2022, October 3, 2022 and October 25, 2022). The map in Figure 1 displays the drill locations overlaid on the conductive zones delineated with TEM geophysics (see May 2, 2022 News Release; Note: the easternmost property extension was acquired after the completion of the TEM survey and therefore shows no geophysics results).

Table 1: Interval data and results of brines analyses for lithium, potassium, and magnesium for drill holes RW-DDH-005 and RW-DDH-006

Sample Interval (m) Sample Method Li K Mg Density From To Thickness



(mg/litre)

(g/ml) RW-DDH-005









143



Bailer 12 197 99 1.006 185



Bailer 155 2432 1986 1.104 194



Bailer 173 2686 2068 1.108 224



Bailer 199 3243 2058 1.12 239



Bailer 209 3423 2201 1.124 260



Bailer 168 2623 1868 1.1 290



Bailer 88 1323 943 1.052 328



Bailer 104 1552 1172 1.064 96 99.7 3.7 Double packer <10 41 54 1.000 120 123.7 3.7 Double packer <10 207 161 1.006 162 165.7 3.7 Double packer 67 1137 748 1.042 192 195.7 3.7 Double packer 44 847 512 1.032 RW-DDH-006









59 71 12 Single Packer 20 317 278 1.01 71 83 12 Single Packer 38 598 563 1.024 83 95 12 Single Packer 126 1985 1370 1.078 119 143 24 Single Packer 233 4461 2055 1.134 143 155 12 Single Packer 292 5484 2650 1.162 167 179 12 Single Packer 329 6022 2892 1.178 179 191 12 Single Packer 348 6509 3128 1.184 191 206 15 Single Packer 339 6473 3052 1.18 206 218 12 Single Packer 378 7224 3411 1.194 218 230 12 Single Packer 379 7224 3468 1.206 230 245 15 Single Packer 378 6895 3366 1.194 245 257 12 Single Packer 385 7157 3451 1.21 257 269 12 Single Packer 393 7420 3436 1.215 269 293 24 Single Packer 385 7500 3205 1.21 293 308 15 Single Packer 334 6360 2743 1.18 303 320 17 Single Packer 336 6355 2736 1.178

*Both drill holes were inclined vertically; the salar strata are believed to be flat lying resulting in reported intervals approximating true thickness.



Technical Details

Both holes were executed with diamond drilling (HQ-diameter), permitting the extraction of core samples of the salar basin formations, and recovery of brine samples where possible. RW-DDH-005 was drilled between September 26 and October 24, 2022, stopping at 328.4 metres depth in volcanic units. Lining the hole with 2" diameter PVC filters and tubing was completed on October 26, 2022.

RW-DDH-006 was drilled between October 27 and November 26, 2022, stopping at 329.8 metres depth in a metamorphosed sedimentary unit. Final profiling and lining the hole with 2" diameter PVC filters and tubing were completed by December 3, 2022.

Drilling was carried out by Salta-based AGV Falcon Drilling SRL, under the supervision of Argentina Lithium's geologists.

Table 2: Collar and maximum depth information for RW-DDH-005 and RW-DDH-006

Hole ID East North Elevation Azimuth Dip Depth

UTM Zone 19S (WGS84) (m) (deg.) (deg.) (m) RW-DDH-005 680426 7336767 3808 n/a 90 328.4 RW-DDH-006 681291 7338205 3764 n/a 90 329.8

LIT's preferred method for brine sampling deploys a 'single packer' sampling unit during drilling. The packer sampling method allows the recovery of brine samples at specific depths while sealing the hole at the top and bottom of the interval. For single packer sampling, an inflatable seal closes the top of the interval; the lower limit of drilling represents the bottom of the interval. In certain instances, double packer sampling is conducted following the completion of drilling. In this case, inflatable seals are employed to close both the top and bottom of the sample interval. The maximum span of double packer sampling is limited to less than 4 m by the height of the drill mast and other equipment limitations.

While drilling RW-DDH-005, every attempt at brine sampling with the single packer apparatus failed to recover significant quantities of brine. Sampling was thus accomplished at intervals during drilling by employing a bailer unit to recover brines from near the bottom of the drilled interval. A limitation of bailer sampling is that the interval is not sealed above, thus mixing with solutions from upper portions of the hole is probable. The site geologists believe the lack of brine recovery during packer sampling was likely related to the depth of the phreatic water table in the hole, identified approximately 72 m below the collar. Apparently the packer airlift system was unable to lift dense brines this height above the phreatic level.

In follow-up sampling, the drill crew was able to recover brines from selected intervals while employing a double packer system.

Sampling with the single packer system was completed without significant difficulty at RW-DDH-006. In this case, the well collar is situated at a lower elevation with a measured phreatic level of 37.6 m.

Observations regarding RW-DDH-005

RW-DDH-005 is the westernmost hole completed to date, and the collar is located at the highest elevation yet tested on this project. The hole tested gravels and volcanic clasts in a sandy matrix to 29 m depth, where ignimbrite was encountered, continuing to 41 m depth. With a short transition, the drill entered medium-to-coarse gray sandstone from approximately 42 m, continuing to 54 m, followed by a 1 m layer of medium-to-fine black sandstone. Coarse gray sandstone was observed from 55 m to 62 m, followed by coarse brown sandy units with layers of sulphates, continuing to 77 m depth. A brecciated sandstone with sandy matrix then extends to 200 m depth. This unit was intensively fractured between 176 m and 197 m depths. Ignimbrite with varying degrees of fracturing was logged between 200 m and 296.5 m depths. The geologic log demonstrates a complex sequence transitioning from ignimbrite to aphanitic volcanics between 296.5 to 306 m depth. The hole was terminated in volcanics at 328.4 m depth.

Observations regarding RW-DDH-006

Breccias and conglomerates with sandy matrices were observed from near-surface to 32 m depth. A sequence of sandy and silty sedimentary units with sulphates followed, ending in a sequence of sandy clays, logged between 47 and 53 m depth. Brown coloured sandstones were observed from 53 m, extending to 86 m depth. From 86 m to 95 m, breccias with quartzite fragments in a sandy matrix were logged. Ortho-quartzite then follows, continuing to 284 m depth, with multiple zones of relative competency interspaced by zones of intensive fracturing. A lithologic change was observed at 284 m, with a silicified sedimentary unit below. As the degree of fracturing reduced with depth, this unit was interpreted as a metamorphosed sedimentary rock. The drill was stopped in this metamorphosed sedimentary unit at 329.8 m depth.

All core samples recovered in drilling were retained for geologic logging. An extensive selection of samples has been sent for brine recovery testing at an independent laboratory. This analysis remains pending.

Analyses and QA/QC

Samples of brine were submitted for analysis to Alex Stewart International Argentina S.A. ("Alex Stewart"), the local subsidiary of Alex Stewart International, an ISO 9001:2008 certified laboratory, with ISO 17025:2005 certification for the analysis of lithium, potassium and other elements. Alex Stewart employed Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry ("ICP-OES") as the analytical technique for the primary constituents of interest, including boron, calcium, potassium, lithium, and magnesium. Measurements in the field included pH, electrical conductivity, temperature and density. The quality of sample analytical results was controlled and assessed with a protocol of blank, duplicate and reference standard samples included within the sample sequence. For the holes RW-DDH-005 and 006 reported herein, the blank (2) and duplicate (3) samples reported within the acceptable range. A single low-grade, medium-grade, and high-grade reference standard sample was included within the submitted samples for each hole. The low-grade reference standard analyses were above 3 standard deviations (SD) with less than 5% relative percent difference (RPD); the medium grade reference standard returned one result above 3 SD and one at 2 SD above the best value with 1.47 and 1.00 RPD, respectively; the high-grade reference standard returned one result less than 3 SD and one within 2 SD of the best value; with low RPD (1.73 and 0.72, respectively).

Rincon West Project

The following summarizes the properties held within the Rincon West Project. Villanoveno II and Demasia Villanoveno II, totaling 2491 hectares, are held under an option whereby the Company can earn a 100% interest, as described in the Company's September 28, 2021 News Release. Argentina Lithium has also purchased the 460.5 hectare Rinconcita II property, adjacent to Villanoveno II (see August 25, 2022 News Release). The Company entered into an option agreement to earn a 100% interest in four contiguous mine concessions, the "Paso de Sico" option, totalling 791.3 hectares in the northern part of the Salar de Rincon (see October 6 News Release).

Qualified Person

David Terry, Ph.D., P.Geo. is the Company's Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101. Dr. Terry is responsible for oversight of the Company's early-stage exploration at the Rincon West property. The disclosure in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Dr. Terry.

About Argentina Lithium

Argentina Lithium & Energy Corp is focused on acquiring high quality lithium projects in Argentina and advancing them toward production in order to meet the growing global demand from the battery sector. The management group has a long history of success in the resource sector of Argentina and has assembled a first-rate team of experts to acquire and advance the best lithium properties in the "Lithium Triangle". The Company is a member of the Grosso Group, a resource management group that has pioneered exploration in Argentina since 1993.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Nikolaos Cacos"

_______________________________

Nikolaos Cacos, President, CEO and Director

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future, including, without limitation, statements about the Company's plans for its mineral properties; the Company's business strategy, plans and outlooks; the future financial or operating performance of the Company; and future exploration and operating plans are forward-looking statements.

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: the impact of COVID-19; risks and uncertainties related to the ability to obtain, amend, or maintain licenses, permits, or surface rights; risks associated with technical difficulties in connection with mining activities; and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. Readers are encouraged to refer to the Company's public disclosure documents for a more detailed discussion of factors that may impact expected future results. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, unless required pursuant to applicable laws. We advise U.S. investors that the SEC's mining guidelines strictly prohibit information of this type in documents filed with the SEC. U.S. investors are cautioned that mineral deposits on adjacent properties are not indicative of mineral deposits on our properties.

SOURCE Argentina Lithium & Energy Corp.

For further information: Corporate Communications, Tel: 1-604-687-1828, Toll-Free: 1-800-901-0058, Email: [email protected]




Mr. Michael Folorunso Lana, the gubernatorial candidate of Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Oyo State, has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) against usage of Park Management System (PMS) to transport sensitive and non-sensitive materials during the 2023 general elections.





Lana, a former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General in the State, gave this warning on Saturday.





Recall that governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State introduced PMS shortly after he proscribed the State chapter of National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).





Lana has, however, cautioned INEC against usage of the PMS to transport both sensitive and non-sensitive materials during the 25th February and 11th March elections.





The SDP candidate made this declaration in a statement made available to newsmen.





He said that members of PMS cannot be trusted with election materials.





Lana in the statement signed by the Director-General of his campaign committee, Mr. Bola Popoola, that members of the PMS are employees of Makinde.





He added that the PMS officials will not be neutral if sensitive and non-sensitive materials are given to them to be transported during the elections.





Lana said, We are vehemently opposed to this notion as the said PMS are a creation of the present governor of Oyo State and they were employed by him.





We are, therefore, resisting in a very loud way any attempt to compromise the 2023 elections by including the PMS members as part of the INECs transport team.












Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has insisted that the Osun Election Petitions Tribunal has been under tremendous pressure.





Sanwo-Olu said this while congratulating the immediate past Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, on his victory at the Osun State Election Petitions Tribunal on Friday.





Recall that the Tribunal had sacked Governor Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and declared Oyetola, who is the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in the July 16, 2022 election in Osun, as the winner.





The Tribunal, in a 2-1 majority ruling by its Chairman, Justice Tertse Kume, insisted that Oyetola scored the lawful majority votes of 314,931 against Adelekes 290,266.





Reacting, Sanwo-Olu, while speaking to journalists at the Lagos House, Ikeja, on Friday, said, I think the Tribunal has taken its time and you can see the outcome.





I imagine they must have been under tremendous pressure, but Im sure at the end of the day, they took the right outcome.





My congratulations go to the APC family in Osun. The judiciary has shown that it was delayed but not denied, so I want to congratulate my brother, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola.




Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State has expressed concern over the mass arrest of residents around the Ndiegoro area of Aba by officers of the Nigeria Police Force, as a result of the alleged killing of some policemen around the area.





In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Onyebuchi Ememanka, on Friday, Ikpeazu frowned at the act of hostility against any security agent in the state let alone the killing of a police officer under any guise.





According to him, the peace and security we all enjoy here and which has set Abia State apart as an oasis of peace is largely attributable to the gallantry and committment of the officers of the different security agencies in the state.





It is therefore preposterous and unacceptable that the same officers who strive day and night for our safety will recieve any form of hostility from the citizens, the Abia Governor lamented.





Ikpeazu assured of his administrations committment to synergize and work with the police in the state to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous act and ensure they face the law.





He also assured innocent citizens in the area that his administration is already in talks with all the service commanders of different security agencies in the state with a view to bringing the situation under control, and ensure that peace and tranquility returns to the area.





Innocent citizens must be protected at all costs. That is the position of the law, the Governor insisted.





Ikpeazu urged innocent citizens to remain calm and go about their normal businesses without fear or hindrance.
Femi Adesina has once again come for the group of people or Nigerians who do not believe the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has done well.

In his article, titled THEY HAVE EYES BUT CANNOT SEE. PITY!, Adesina described the critics of his principal as cynics, flippant and people with fickle minds.

The presidential media aide added that they (Buharis critics) will fall into a ditch, and great will be that fall because they refuse to use their eyes to see what the current administration has done.

Please the full article by Femi Adesina below:

It has been a hectic week. Frenetic. We set forth at dawn on Monday from Abuja to Bauchi, to attend the Presidential and gubernatorial campaign of All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates. It was only Muhammadu Buhari, the Mai Gaskiya (honest man), that could have commanded the number of people that turned out. Without inducement. Endless sea of heads. He remains the greatest political crowd-puller we have ever seen in the country since the beginning of time.

From Bauchi, same Monday, we flew into Lagos. To commission the $1.5 billion Lekki Deep Sea Port, then West Africas largest rice mill at Imota, and a lubricant plant at Tin Can, Apapa, owned by MRS Petroleum Company.

Tuesday saw the President commissioning two more projects, including the Blue Line Rail. And from there, we flew to Dakar, Senegal, to attend a summit on food security in Africa, billed for Wednesday. Our President delivered a Keynote Address, and we left for Nigeria in the evening. We didnt reach Katsina, and Daura till about 1 am Thursday.

Now as I write this Thursday morning, we are in Katsina, commissioning legacy projects, including; Kofar Kaura Underpass, Kofar Kaura Waterworks, Revenue House, Meteorological Institute, Darma Rice Mills, Kofar Kwaya Underpass, Katsina General Hospital, among others. The spree continues Friday, then same at Kano on Monday, and Jigawa on Tuesday.

Our President is 80 years old, dont forget. And he does all these at a sprint. We that are far younger struggle to catch up with him. On Thursday, after going to bed around 3 am, on return from Senegal, I refused to get out of bed till my colleagues came to evacuate me, saying the President was ready and raring to go. I sprang up. President Buhari is a blessed man, despite a debilitating health challenge he had in 2017. God has been truly merciful.

Now, all these projects being commissioned in States are because the Federal Government created an enabling environment, and enunciated the right policies.. There are even counterpart relationships in some of them. I tell you, this President has done great things for our country, including fighting insecurity to a standstill, and on the verge of winning the war.

Some cynics claim theyve not seen anything Buhari has done. Yes, the Second Niger Bridge is so small, so they need a magnifying glass to see it. The Lagos/Ibadan Expressway is so minuscule, and they need to wear their medicated glasses. Rail line like catacombs in certain parts of the country? Bring my microscope, let me check. Same for Enugu/Port Harcourt Expressway, Bodo/Bonny road and bridges, Loko-Oweto road and bridge, brand new airport terminals in Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Enugu, Port Harcourt, rice mills everywhere. We cant see. Purblind people.

What of the Abuja-Zaria-Kano expressway in the works? AKK pipelines. And many other projects. No, they cant see, because Buhari has done nothing. Fickle minds. Caviling. Carping. Flippant. Unserious.

Those who know and are honest testify to what President Buhari has achieved for the country. And because theres no need reinventing the wheel, let me adopt the chronicle of Minister for Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a recent press briefing. I then challenge anyone who wants to countermand the achievements to openly come out and say so.

Lets go:

Let me use this opportunity to comment on the increasing tendency by some opposition presidential candidates to downplay the achievements of this Administration, in their desperation for power, ahead of the 2023 elections. The worst offender in this regard has been the presidential candidate of the PDP, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. During his recent campaign in Akure, the former VP was quoted as saying the APC had not done anything for Nigeria in eight years. What a preposterous statement from somebody who should know. I guess we can excuse His Excellency the former Vice President who, until recently, had fully relocated to Dubai, thus losing touch with Nigeria.

And if anyone would accuse the APC-led Federal Government of doing nothing, it should not be Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. Why? Because for the 16 years of the PDP rule, eight of which Alhaji Atiku Abubakar was Vice President, there was no motorable road to the former VPs hometown and indeed to key local governments in the Southern Senatorial zone that served as Adamawas food basket and economic nerve centre until the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office. Today, gentlemen, the Mayo Belwa- Jada- Ganye- Toungo road has been constructed fully and its the road that Alhaji Atiku uses to get to his hometown of Jada.

What about security? Before this Administration came into office, all the five local government areas in Adamawas Northern Senatorial District were effectively under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists. All state institutions, the local government administration, the police, the judiciary, schools, hospitals and markets had been sacked. Traditional rulers, including Emirs and Chiefs had been displaced with their palaces taken over by the terrorists as their headquarters.

The affected 5 local governments in the Northern Senatorial zone are:

1. Madagali

2. Michika

3. Mubi North

4. Mubi South and

5. Little Gombi

In the Central Senatorial zone, two local governments were effectively under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists: These two local governments in Central Senatorial zone are:

1. Maiha Local Government

2. Hong Local government.

Today, not an inch of these local governments in Adamawa, the home state of the former Vice President, is under the control of terrorists. All institutions of state have relocated back and are operational. All Emirs and chiefs have returned to their palaces. Schools and markets have opened. Please note, gentlemen, that

throughout that period, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar could not even go home. As a matter of fact, when one of his right hand men, Mr. Adila, was killed by the terrorists, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar could not even go to condole with the family of the deceased. It was that bad. Now that he can travel home freely, thanks to the Buhari

Administration, it is not sweet in his mouth to accuse the same Administration of doing nothing. As they say, the bedwetter should not join those who are insulting the washerman.

In the area of Social Investment Programmes, there have been 29,641 beneficiaries, from Adamawa alone, of the N-POWER Programme of the Buhari Administration. Under the Home Grown School Feeding

Programme, some 162,782 pupils from Adamawa are benefitting from one meal a day. That programme employs 2,259 cooks in Adamawa and has covered 1,236 schools in the state. How many school children did the PDP feed in Adamawa or anywhere in the eight years that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar held sway as Vice President in Abuja!

We are not done. Under the Conditional Cash Transfer, some 64,607 vulnerable people have benefitted in Adamawa alone, while Trader Moni and Market Moni have reached a total of 38,000 people in the state.

In the area of infrastructure, some 8 roads projects totalling 714 kilometres are currently being rehabilitated or constructed in the state. Thats out of 43 road projects in the North East alone. These are not phantom projects. We have the full list of the roads and can make it available to anyone who so wishes.

Similarly, the North East Development Commission (NEDC) has either completed or is currently working on 140 projects, including construction of classrooms, healthcare facilities and ICT training centres, in Adamawa alone. Overall, NEDC has a total of 593 projects in the entire North East. Again, we have a full list of the projects.

Gentlemen, you can now see that we didnt even need to go far to disprove the former VPs soap box statement.

You can also see the irony of someone who held the number two position in the country for all of eight years but could not positively impact on his own hometown, state or region now condemning an Administration

that has made it possible for him to even access his hometown, anytime he flies in from his new hometown of Dubai! The Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has had a positive impact on all parts of this federation. No amount of fallacious soap box rhetorics can change this fact.

True. Projects abound in all zones of the country, done by the Buhari Administration, and you will get to have a compendium soon. But let those who have eyes, and deliberately refuse to see, continue. They will fall into a ditch, and great will be that fall.

In the words of Jimmy Scott, a Nigerian drummer, made popular by the Beatles, O-bladi, O-blada , life goes on bra, la-la-la-la life goes on.

*Adesina is Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity




Rivers State High Court has convicted a man identified as Bestman Lekia to death by hanging for killing four people and using one of his victims intestines to prepare porridge in Okwalie community, Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State.





The court also found Lekia guilty of armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism and burglary.





The convict and his gang members reportedly said to be at large, murdered Nenalebarri Mmeabe, Loveday Mmeabe, Gbodu Nobale and Etim Ekpe.





Lekia and his gang first kidnapped Loveday Mmeabe in 2019, removed his intestines and used them to prepare a plantain meal.





Justice Adolphus Enebeli said the prosecution lawyer proved his case beyond every reasonable doub and ruled that Lekia should be hanged on his neck until he was confirmed dead.





Justice Enebeli noted that the attitude of Lekia throughout his trial proved that he was a hardened criminal, terrorist and cultist.





Reacting to the judgment, the State prosecutor, Chidi Ekeh described the judgment as erudite, saying that it would save the Ogoni community and Rivers State.





Speaking further, Ekeh said as a human being, he was not happy that someone is sentenced to death, but the State would have failed society if Lekia had been allowed to walk free without facing justice.
Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), says the currency redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was a mistake.

There has been increased tension in the country as Nigerians scramble to meet up with the CBNs deadline for the validity of the old naira notes amid poor circulation of the redesigned N200, N500 and N1,000 series.

This has led to several calls for the extension of the demonetisation deadline of January 31.

But the CBN has insisted that there was no going back on the stipulated deadline.

Speaking on Thursday on Arise TV, Kwankwaso said the naira redesign policy was inflicting hardship on Nigerians.

He said the timing was short, noting that there was no way people, especially those in rural areas, will meet the deadline.

The politician added that a lot of people will lose their savings and advised the federal government to extend the deadline.

Well, I have listened to all the leaders who are trying to defend the issue of this redesign. As far as we are concerned, those of us in NNPP, we believe that it was a mistake, especially the timing, Kwankwaso said.

You cannot just come last minute and create the issue of redesign within a short period of time in our circumstance today in this country. Three months is not adequate. If you look at currencies all over the world, people will stay for decades with the same currency without changing or redesigning.

My advice, based on the reality on the ground, because we are the people in touch with people at the grassroots. People are suffering, and worried. I can assure you by the 31st of this month, there is no way Nigerians, especially people in the rural areas, people with no banks in their local government, can do this change within the stipulated time.

In other words, so many people will lose their savings. So, many people will run into crisis. These are innocent people; people who have earned a living, and worked so hard.

Government, in our opinion, should reverse this position because some are saying they dont even have the money on the ground.

Some are saying the very people they wanted to suffocate, thats the senior politicians, who we believe can never be suffocated.

Some of these parties candidates are owners of banks. The two parties have got governors everywhere. Governors who order banks to bring as much money, the whole money in the state, to the government house and keep.

If youre dealing with bank owners and people who have trillions, billions in the banks, you cannot do anything. The money meant for the people will all be packed by these money bags and that is a very serious problem.

NOT GOING BACK ON DEADLINE IS NOT THE BEST

Kwankwaso said rather than taking a hard stance on the old notes deadline, the federal government could channel that into dealing with insecurity in the country.

My suggestion is: please, federal government, dont say no going back. This is not a situation of no going back. If you want a situation of no going back, please, we want to hear you talk about the bandits in the north-west or Boko Haram in the north-east, or other criminals elsewhere, he said.

No going back, you are going to clear them, that is good. But no going back, in this case, is not the best.

Extend time. If you dont want to or you dont have money, allow people to go deposit and keep their money and when you have money, youll pay them. I think that will help.




Famous Show promoter and businessman, Pascal Chibuike Okechukwu, also known as Cubana Chief Priest, has sworn loyalty to his wife.





Cubana Chief Priest, who was accused of cheating on his wife a few months ago, begged her to manage his shortcomings.





The Imo State born, who gave his wife a Hermes bag worth millions of naira to celebrate her birthday, revealed, via his Instagram page, that he wonders what life would have been without her.





Happy Birthday My Wifey @_deangels I Wonder What Life Would Have Been Without You My Angel Am Forever Loyal To You Baby, For All My Short Comings Biko Am So Sorry, he wrote.





Just Dey Manage Me Dey Go. May God Bless, Protect & Keep You For Us Amen.
Chidi Mokeme, the Nigerian actor, has revealed how he was able to interpret his role in Shanty Town, the six-part series.

The series follows the story of a group of prostitutes who want to break free from the control of an infamous kingpin, but soon realize that doing so will be extremely difficult because of political corruption and blood ties.

Through the interpretation of his role as the kingpin Scar, Mokeme has continued to win the heart of many viewers and enjoy a plethora of accolades.

In an interview with BBC Pidgin on Thursday, the actor said to effectively interpret his role, he had to go through lifestyle changes and extreme body modifications.

Some of the body modifications I did to enter into the character of Scar was to shave off my hair and go bald. I also did not take my bath for a few days before going on set so that when they say I should do something dirty, I can do it freely because I know I am not clean. Sometimes I dont brush my teeth and when I open my mouth to talk to people, they wonder what kind of a person I am, he said.

I dont smoke but I had to smoke about three packets per day to make my voice sound the way it did in the series.





Mokeme also revealed that he is finding it difficult to separate himself from the character Scar.

The character and I have become one and it will take some time before we can let each other go, he said.

Scar and I are struggling with each other on who owns my body. I told Scar that Im through and that he can go but if I can be allowed to, I will remain as Scar.

Shanty Town is Mokemes comeback movie after a long hiatus due to a battle with Bells Palsy.
Gboyega Oyetola, the former governor of Osun state, says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the greatest beneficiary of the tribunal ruling which restored his mandate.

The tribunal on Friday sacked Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship poll held on July 16, 2022.

In August 2022, Oyetola and the All Progressives Congress (APC) petitioned the tribunal to challenge the victory of Adeleke in the election.

Among several issues, Oyetola contended that there was overvoting in 749 polling units across 10 LGAs of the state.

Delivering judgment, two out of the three-member panel of the tribunal held that the petitioner was able to prove that there was indeed over-voting in some of the polling units.

Consequently, the majority judgment of the tribunal ordered INEC to withdraw the certificate of return issued to Adeleke and issue a fresh one to Oyetola as the duly elected governor of Osun.

NO VICTOR, NO VANQUISHED

Speaking with journalists in his country home in the Iragbiji area of Osun, Oyetola said there was no victor, no vanquished.

There is no victor, no vanquished. It is a collective victory for our state and our nations democracy, he said.

I am happy that the judgment had resolved the controversy of July 16th 2022 governorship election.

INEC is the greatest beneficiary of the judgment. It will afford them the opportunity to look at all the anomalies and make necessary adjustments to prevent such mistakes now that the general elections are coming.

I thank the people of the state and supporters for standing by us, for their courage and loyalty. I want to assure them that we are ready to continue to serve them.

Adeleke has vowed to appeal the judgment, describing it as a miscarriage of justice.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has again said that the January 31 deadline for the validity of the old 200, 500 and 1,000 naira notes remains unchanged.

This is as calls from various quarters have poured in pleading and demanding with the apex bank to shift grounds and extend the deadline in order to allow Nigerians more time to return their old notes to deposit money banks, better known as commercial banks.

But refusing to yield to pressure, the apex bank, via its verified Twitter page, insisted on Saturday evening that the January 31, 2023 deadline remains.

Reposting a video of the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, from the just concluded Monetary Policy Committee meeting, the apex bank said, Deadline for the return of old series of 200, 500 and 1000 naira notes remains January 31 2023.

While in the video posted Emefiele said, Unfortunately, I dont have good news for those who feel we should shift the deadline, my apologies.

The reason is because, just like the president has said more than two occasions and even to some people privately, 100 days is more than enough for anybody who has the old currency to deposit it in the banks. And we took every measure to ensure that all the banks were and are still open to accept deposits.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, was one of the latest persons who pleaded with the CBN for extension of the deadline, saying as much as the policy was welcomed, a slight extension would ease the discomfort of Nigerians

Many Nigerians have continued to lament the unavailability and scarcity of the new notes, decrying that banks up till now still give out the old naira notes to customers with Automated Teller Machines still dispensing old notes with the deadline only three days away.

The House of Representatives as well as the Senate had also pleaded with the apex bank to extend the deadline by six months, till July 31, 2023.

Meanwhile the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) on Saturday said the naira redesign is not meant to target innocent citizens but corrupt persons and terror financiers hoarding illicit monies.

The CBN on October 26, 2022 had announced its plan to redesign the three banknotes. The president subsequently unveiled the redesigned N200, N500 and N1,000 notes on November 23, 2022, while the apex bank fixed January 31 deadline for the validity of the old notes.




The family of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has reacted to reports that the agitator was poisoned.





Kanus younger brother, Kanunta warned against burning down government properties in the Southeast under the guise that the Biafra agitator was poisoned.





He warned that those plotting such action are doing so at their own detriment.





This is to inform the general public that any group or persons planning to go and burn government properties in Biafraland under the guise that MNK is poisoned are doing so at their own detriment and it does NOT represent Mazi Nnamdi Kanu or the IPOB vision, Kanunta tweeted.





This is coming when IPOB accused the Federal Government of secretly killing the Biafra agitator.





IPOB alleged that the government refused Kanu sufficient time to his doctors and has been starving him in the custody of the Department of State Services, DSS.




Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has rejected the judgement of the tribunal that sacked Governor Ademola Adeleke.





It was reported that the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo on Friday upturned the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke at the July 16th 2022 governorship polls.





It also declared Adegboyega Oyetola as the winner of the election





Reacting to the verdict, Atiku urged Osun State people to continue to have faith in Governor Adeleke.





He added that Adeleke will emerge victorious at the end.





On todays verdict of the Election Petition Tribunal in Osun State, I stand in solidarity with the good people of Osun State who overwhelmingly voted for the Peoples Democratic Party and gave their mandate to His Excellency Governor Ademola Adeleke.





What has happened at the tribunal today is a phase in the struggle to liberate Osun State, and I am sure that at the conclusion of the whole process, the people shall be victorious.





I, therefore, call on the people of Osun to continue to have faith in their governor elected into office on the popular ballot.





This light that has shone on Osun shall never go dim.




Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said the validation of Adegboyega Oyetola as the winner of the July 2022 Osun governorship election by the tribunal is a victory of light over darkness.





It was reported on Friday that the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Osogbo overturned the victory of Governor Ademola Adeleke at the July 16th 2022, governorship polls.





Reacting, Tinubu, in a statement signed by his Media Aide, Tunde Rahman, insisted that Oyetolas win was deserving.





The former Lagos State governor described Oyetolas win over Adeleke as a triumph of perseverance and courage over electoral fraud.





The statement partly read, I heartily rejoice with Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola on his much-deserved victory at the election tribunal today.





Its the victory of light over darkness, a triumph of perseverance, courage and justice over electoral fraud and democratic perversion. 
??Buenos dias!????Esta es la portada del Diario Oficial El Peruano de hoy, jueves 26 de enero.



??Revisa la edicion digital aqui ?? https://t.co/oTa2RTG8yq pic.twitter.com/3a3Ahyha3z
Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo, says the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is treading on a very dangerous path with the lingering crisis in the party.

Makinde is one of the G5 governors of the PDP who have refused to participate in the presidential campaign of Atiku Abubakar, PDP flagbearer.

Other G5 governors are Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, and Samuel Ortom of Benue.

They have asked Ayu to step down as PDP national chairman as a condition for supporting the partys presidential campaign





In December 2022, Wike announced that the G5 governors will announce their preferred presidential candidate in January.

Speaking on Friday with Channels TV, Makinde was asked who the preferred presidential candidate of the G5 governors is.

The Oyo governor declined to give a name, saying one day is a very long time in politics.

The first election is February 25, that is still little short of four weeks. We (referring to G5 governors) had issues and brought them up, he added.

We said the constitution of the party is very clear about rotation and zoning. I was the one who brought it up at the NEC meeting. Section 7(3)(c) of the PDP constitution is very clear.

We are treading on a very dangerous path. I will not say because Im in PDP then I should compromise on my principles and that is what the G5 governors are saying.

The party says the PDP constitution, which invariably says you must zone and rotate party position, should be disregarded and we said no.




In reaction to a growing trend of some male supporters dressing in female clothes to her campaign rallies, the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship candidate in Adamawa State, Senator Aishatu Ahmed Binani, has appealed for a change.





She expressed her appreciation for them but urged them to remain the men they are in every aspect.





Binani made the appeal at her rallies in Gombi, Gombi Local Government Area, at the weekend, as a number of male youths carried their support for her to the extent of wearing female clothes to celebrate the fact her being the only female governorship candidate of the party.





While thanking the people of Gombi for supporting her and turning out in large numbers to receive her, she asked them to vote for not only her during the general elections but also for all APC candidates for the various offices.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, says he would no longer attend any event where he would share a stage with members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

A recent attack reportedly occurred in Surulere area of Lagos state on Friday.

While the PDP is accusing the All Progressives Congress (APC) of using thugs to attack supporters of its governorship candidate, Abdul-Azeez Adediran, better known as Jandor, the APC has insisted that it was Adedirans thugs that unleashed violence on residents of the area.

Reacting to the incident in a statement on Saturday, Gbenga Omotoso, Lagos commissioner for information, said the state would not tolerate being portrayed in a bad light.

Omotoso said although investigations are ongoing, the governor has insisted that he would not participate in any function alongside the PDP.

The Lagos state government has noted the flood of comments sparked by the shocking video of a group of thugs shooting in broad daylight in Surulere, he said.

Security agencies are investigating the video, which has gone viral on social media. We believe they will fish out and prosecute the evil actors, who are believed to be henchmen of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

We condemn this savagery that has portrayed our state, the safest in Nigeria, in a bad light. That is not who we are; we are civilised and cultured.

Following advice from competent sources, including elders and respectable Lagosians, we will henceforth shun any forum that may require us being together with PDP and its agents of violence.

Consequently, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu regrets to announce that he will not be participating at The Platform Governorship Debate of January 29, 2023.

The governor holds Pastor Poju Oyemade and The Covenant Nation Church family in high esteem and cherishes future opportunities to engage the congregation and render accounts of his stewardship to them as integral parts of the Lagos electorate.

We will never be found in the company of those to whom the lives of innocent Lagosians mean nothing. Mr Sanwo-Olu wont share a podium with them.
A former Director of the Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Hajia Najaatu Mohammed, has fired her former party alleging that its vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima is a sponsor of terrorism.

The former APC chieftain said this during a television interview on Arise Television.

She further revealed that a notorious terrorist, Kabiru Sokoto, was back then found and arrested in the home of the former Borno State governor turned vice presidential candidate.

Recall that Najaatu resigned from her appointment with the APC and Tinubus campaign train weeks to the February 25 polls.

She said recent developments in the political and democratic space had prompted her leaving and made it impossible for her to continue participating in party politics.

However, Tinubus campaign council countered her resignation claim, saying that she was sacked for being a mole in the campaign team.

Further harnessing her reason for leaving the ruling party, Najaatu said, Especially as it concerns security, you must have an enabling environment before you do anything, so you cannot take someone that is virtually senile and another person that has been associated on several occasions with funding terrorism. That is Kashim Shettima.

We should not forget Kabiru Sokoto, one of the most wanted terrorists, was found and arrested in his (Shettima) house.

These are people that have severally being accused of habouring terrorists and why should Shettima be visiting and making solidarity with a policeman that is being tried for drug trafficking. Why? She questioned.

So when you begin to put these things together, you begin to understand why Nigerians must retrieve their country. We cant allow this to happen, Najaatu added.

Continuing the former APC director said mineral exploitation was at the heart of terrorism in the country, particularly in the North, saying that terrorism and banditry is a multi-billion dollar industry.

She said even the soil in Zamfara is being illegally exploited as it contains strategic minerals, as well as the blue diamonds in the North-East and gold from Zamfara.

She further alleged that some powerful people in the country, including some governors in conjunction with foreign mercenaries use banditry and terrorism to displace the people so they can comfortably mine these resources illegally.

A livid Najaatu said, Let us understand and not forget that this terrorism, this banditry, this carnage is not just happening by mistake, it is a multi-billion dollar industry, because it takes a lot of money on defence budget, it has a lot to do with the sale of drugs, it has a lot to do with illegal and illicit mining and illegal bunkering.

Look at the areas that are generally affected by this. The North-East for instance has the blue diamonds that is a strategic mineral, you have oil at the Chad Basin that is being explored right now but illegally.

What of in Zamfara State, Zamfara has more Gold than Ghana but gold from Zamfara is being traded in Dubai. There is a market in Dubai called Nigeria gold market go and check. So who is doing this mining? Most times they are the governors, the people in power in connivance with foreign mercenaries.

Revealing further, she continued, Remember when they said there is a no-flight-zone in Zamfara, why should there be a no-flight-zone when Zamfara doesnt even have an airport but aircrafts land and take off from Zamfara.

Let me tell you something else, every container that comes from China ends up in Zamfara. Why? Because the soil in Zamfara has all the strategic minerals that you can think of. So when these containers come they pack the soil. A bag of soil from Zamfara is today sold at N5,000, so they need to displace the people to allow them to continue with their mining. Its multifaceted.

The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso, had also mentioned while speaking at Chatham House in London last Wednesday that the terror rocking the North West and North East was caused by struggle over mineral resources.

The former defence minister had said people within and outside Nigeria are stealing the mineral resources, hence the fighting in the regions.




Famous Nollywood actress, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has disclosed how deeply frustrated she feels seeing Nigerians suffer in the country.





Omo Sexy, as she is fondly called by her fans, left Nigeria with her family two years ago for the United State of America, USA.





According to her, Nigerians are too intelligent a people to be suffering adding that suffering shouldnt be a  lesson to brag about.





The actress posting on her Instagram Reels wondered why Nigerians must suffer before getting things done.








Hope Uzodinma, Imo state governor, says he will ensure insecurity and threats from non-state actors do not affect the conduct of elections in the south-east.

The governor spoke in Owerri on Thursday while addressing government liaison officers and other election coordinators.

The southern region of the country, the south-east zone recorded the highest number of reported deaths in 2022.

The report also indicated that insecurity could threaten the conduct of the upcoming elections and may ignite voter apathy.

However, Uzodimma said his government will not take insecurity lightly, especially during the elections.

He maintained that elections must be held in south-east states, regardless of the threats by non-state actors.

Nothing, not even threats from the non-state actors will stop elections from holding in Igboland, he said.

I will be changing entirely the kids-gloves approach with which the issues of insecurity are being handled.

I wonder why a people so blessed like us could channel our skills to destruction and killings. This is certainly not our identity. There must be a way out.

He assured Imo residents of improved security, adding that they should remain law-abiding and be ready to exercise their franchise at the polling units.
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authorizes the trip of a delegation composed of eight officials from the Deputy Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, with the aim of participating in the negotiation meetings. Ministerial Resolution 028-2023-Mincetur published in the Official Gazette El Peruano on Saturday

The delegation is led by chief negotiator of the FTA with Hong Kong, Gerardo Meza Grillo Head of the Directorate for Asia, Oceania, and Africa.

It is made up of Claudia del Carmen Gutierrez Pazos a professional who will serve as coordinator for the FTA with Hong Kong.

Similarly, it is composed of six other specialists in issues such as technical barriers to trade, access to markets, rules of origin, legal and institutional matters, as well as sanitary and phytosanitary measures.

The text specifies that this travel authorization will be valid from February 3 to 11, 2023. In the case of the specialist in sanitary and phytosanitary issues, the authorization will be in force from February 6 to 11, 2023.

Negotiation

The document specifies that the first round of FTA negotiations will be held in Hong Kong, People's Republic of China, from February 6 to 10, 2023.

This first round includes meetings of negotiation and technical heads. In the case of the former, these are intended to follow up on the work of various technical groups and provide instructions that may be useful to reach consensus on the matters addressed by technical groups.

audience was held with Hong Kongs Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development. Within the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum Leaders' Meeting, an

At the event it was agreed that, between January and February 2023, negotiations would begin to sign a trade agreement.

They aim to deepen our trade relations, as well as create a transparent and predictable legal framework that promotes our bilateral trade.





(END) JCC/MVB

The Executive Branch, through the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism , has authorized the trip of a Peruvian delegation to the People's Republic of China in order to start negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement with Hong Kong.Publicado: 28/1/2023
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Some clouds this morning will give way to generally sunny skies for the afternoon. High 76F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few passing clouds, otherwise generally clear. Low 51F. Winds light and variable.
Exactly one year to the day.

Thats how long Shirley and Tang Lee stayed retired before opening their new spot, Miss Shirleys Chinese Restaurant in Uptown in December.

The Lees ran Royal China in Metairie for 44 years. The pandemic convinced them they were tired and needed to sell their restaurant. They spent almost seven months traveling, visiting their grandkids and other family members in Singapore.

Miss Shirley's Chinese Restaurant What Miss Shirleys Chinese Restaurant Where 3009 Magazine St., (504) 354-2530; missshirleyschineserestaurant.com When Lunch Thu.-Sun., dinner Wed.-Mon. How Dine-in and takeout Check it out Shirley Lee serves Cantonese dishes at her new spot in Uptown

But then their daughter Carling Lee Gannon, a local real estate attorney and now their business partner, found out that Jungs Golden Dragon II was closing on Magazine Street.

I thought it was perfect and just three blocks from my house, Lee Gannon says. Commercial property doesnt come up for sale in that neighborhood too often, so I bought the building.

The Lees came home for Lee Gannons wedding, and while they didnt agree to open Miss Shirleys right away, their actions spoke volumes about the possibility. Although most mothers of the bride are pretty involved in the planning, Shirley Lee had a project of her own.

As soon as they got home, mom called up a lot of her old customers and started cooking for them, Lee Gannon says. Shed do two lunch seatings and an early dinner at her formal dining table at home  I never sat at that table in my life. Id say, Mom, can you come to pick out flowers with me? and shed say, Sorry, I cant. Mr. Mike is coming for take-out. It was obvious she missed the restaurant so much.

Her mother knew December could typically be a slower month for restaurants and was worried that her old customers might not find her on Magazine, Lee Gannon says. But the response from the community was immediate.

We werent even ready to open, and people were at the door, Lee Gannon adds. Of course, shed let them in.

When Lee Gannon started posting on social media, diners started coming to the new spot. We didnt have a phone in the beginning because the number didnt have an eight in it, she says. Its a Chinese thing, a lucky number. Finally, I said, Mom, we cant be open without a phone, so she had to let that go.

The new spot is more intimate than the Metairie restaurant  cozy and inviting with a long bar along one wall. A slate blue and gold color scheme is accented with a scattering of light wood tables.

Miss Shirleys is open for lunch half of the week and dinners most days. The restaurant doesnt accept reservations, and there was an hour wait on a recent Thursday night. Lee Gannon recommends coming at 5 p.m. or 8 p.m. to avoid a wait.

Miss Shirleys menu is full of the dim sum and Cantonese specialties connected with the couples roots in Hong Kong. Its a little more succinct, Lee Gannon says. We took away a few of the more American-Chinese dishes  mandarin chicken, sweet and sour chicken. Thats not our jam.

Instead, there are tender snow pea leaf dumplings stuffed with shrimp, steamed pork soup dumplings tangy with garlic and ginger, and plates of clams that are rich with fermented black bean sauce and chili.

NOCHI graduating class opens pop-up Indian restaurant Sai this week NOCHI students told us about learning to cook, planning Sai and what will be on the menu at the pop-up restaurant.

Crabmeat udon noodles are Lee Gannons go-to comfort food. The noodles are stir-fried in an umami-rich black bean garlic sauce studded with jumbo lumps of crabmeat in the deeply satisfying dish.

I was so lucky, she says. My mom would make me that whenever I asked for it. It was my macaroni and cheese.

Shirleys fried rice features brown rice fried with shrimp, pork chicken and vegetables. Jalapenos come stuffed with shrimp, squid, tofu or salt and pepper fish. Glazed tropical fried shrimp has a sweet chili glaze and is served with blueberries and pecans.

Beyond the familiar won ton and hot and sour soup, theres a Chinese dumpling and mushroom soup, a spicy soup packed with seafood and five kinds of mushrooms, and beef noodle soup with glass noodles and cilantro. For dessert, beignets are made to order in crowd-sized portions.

As in her previous restaurant, the ever-smiling Miss Shirley circles the dining room to visit with customers when she takes a break from the kitchen.

Im so happy to see my customers, she says. My restaurant was a lot of hard work because I was raising my kids, too. When you enjoy it, its not such hard work after all.
A capstone project for students at the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute (NOCHI) is to create a pop-up restaurant at its location in the Warehouse District. All students in the class set to complete their program in March are working on an Indian cuisine concept, Sai. The idea was pitched by a team including Rena Ford, Melinda Wilson, Claubriell McLaurin, Paige Wentzel and Sylvia Berry. The menu of appetizers, main courses, desserts and drinks will be finalized this week. Sai will serve lunch Feb. 3, 6-8, 10 and 13-15. Seatings are available on the half-hour from 11:30 a.m. through 1 p.m. Proceeds benefit NOCHIs scholarship program. For more information about NOCHI and Sai, visit nochi.org.

Gambit: How did you get interested in cooking and attending NOCHI?

Claubriell McLaurin: I am in the bakery and pastry program. My family  we have a lot of creativity  bakers, and we have a food truck. Its called Brown Soul Truck. Its been out there like three years. I work on it all the time. I take orders and pass our desserts like pralines, brownies and ooey-gooey cakes. I have a lot of restaurant and customer service experience as well. After I graduate, I am going to work on a cruise ship.

Rena Ford: I started baking when I was 12. I started with blondies, brownies, cupcakes and cakes. I made my first loaf of bread when I was in eighth grade. I started picking things up on my own, and it progressed into bigger things. I have a passion for baking, so it was an easy decision to start school here.

I am from Salem, Oregon. I came here with my husband, who came back for family. It was the influence of New Orleans culture that made me want to get into food. Culinary school has improved my skills. My goal is to open a food truck, but just for desserts.

Paige Wentzel: I came to NOCHI because I had a passion for cooking. After years of my friends and family telling me to go to cooking school, I finally started. I have a friend who is a private chef, and I helped out during Covid when restaurants were shut down. I hope to open a place of my own someday.

Melinda Wilson: I am changing careers. I think I did my first trout amandine when I was 12. Instead of reading books, I was reading cookbooks. But I went the traditional route into college and business and the medical field, then construction and sales. Then, Covid changed my way of thinking. I should do what I am passionate about and love.

I have done catering for friends and family. They said if you can cook for 50 people, you should go for it. I would like to go into formal private catering.

Gambit: How did you decide on the concept for Sai?

Wentzel: We came up with Sai as a group. Indian food is not very common in New Orleans. It hadnt been done before at NOCHI. We wanted to do something that was challenging but also going to be appealing to our clientele. We compared it to things we eat in New Orleans every day, like a lot of rice dishes and stews  things very similar to curries and Indian dishes. Were taking something familiar and making it fun.

Wilson: NOCHI has done a lot of traditional French and Italian and barbecue. Were stepping out of everyones comfort zone.

McLaurin: I am originally from here, but we dont have a lot of Indian restaurants. Our concept is to put it out there and get people to try new flavors.

Wilson: We also cost out the menu. We talked about the ambience for the restaurant and pitched that to a panel of staff and instructors.

Wentzel: Its going to be very Bollywood. Its going to be bright and fun.

Shirley Lee opens a new Chinese restaurant in Uptown A year after retiring, Shirley and Tang Lee returned with Miss Shirleys Chinese Restaurant.

Gambit: What kinds of dishes are you going to put on the menu?

Wilson: We wanted to have dishes for everyone. We wanted to have a fish option, a meat option, but we also wanted to stretch with tofu and vegetarian food without having to say vegetarian. Were trying to be plant forward.

Ford: The majority of our menu is going to be gluten free.

Wilson: I am looking forward to vegetarian tikka masala with tofu. Its pan-seared tofu with a creamy tomato-based curry. Its the first Indian dish I tried. I let my daughter order for me, and I didnt know I was eating tofu. If you can surprise me with tofu like that, I am in.

Wentzel: Were doing a tri-colored cauliflower, since well be open during Mardi Gras. There are purple, green and yellow types. Cauliflower is in season right now. Were making a tri-color pakora, which is an appetizer. Its deep fried in chickpea batter to give it this really full flavored, almost nutty aroma.

Our curries are going to be the hit of the show. There are a lot of seasonings that go into them, but not too much spice.

McLaurin: I had never had Indian food, but samosas remind me of a traditional meat pie.

Wentzel: Its got turmeric and garam masala. Were making our own spice blend. Its got fennel, potato and English peas.

McLaurin: We have a turmeric marshmallow were leaning towards doing. We have a pistachio yogurt.

Ford: We have a mango-coconut tart. Were doing a chai panna cotta. I am excited to try the ice creams. I love Indian food. Its very homey tasting. With ice cream, we had talked about a mint one, an apricot one. We were talking about a citrusy one and then some off-the-charts flavor like tea.
La presidenta @DinaErcilia Boluarte se reunio hoy con alcaldes de la region Ica, Piura, Junin, Huancavelica y Cajamarca, en el marco del dialogo que impulsa el Gobierno para el desarrollo del pais. pic.twitter.com/Z0SJ796W2w
tit Rex

4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 5

Marigny

The tit Rex parade starts with a Hot Tip and ends with a special surprise this year.

Carnivals micro krewe, which holds a parade of artistically rendered, often satirical, shoe-box size floats, parades on Sunday, Feb. 5. It lines up on the neutral ground on St. Roch Avenue behind St. Roch Market, but its usual start time has been moved up to 4 p.m. to accommodate changes in the citys parade schedule.

The theme for the groups 15th parade is Hot Tip, which may at first glance sound a little removed from the usual puns on tiny things. But a hot tip is a little bit of information, says Janine Hayes, one of the krewe organizers, and theres plenty of puns and double entendres for members to work with when designing mini-floats. The tiny constructions roll on their own wheels, and some have mechanical features. Most also are lighted, and the krewe has tried to keep a parade time that will allow many spectators to enjoy the full effect of viewing the floats at night.

There are more than 30 floats in this years lineup. Many of the float-makers also craft tiny throws. In past years, one decorated walnuts as a mini homage to Zulu coconuts, and another member decorated cocktail umbrellas like New Orleans-style parade parasols. There also are bracelets instead of bead necklaces.

The parade features four jazz and brass bands, including Panorama Jazz Band, Egg Yolk Jubilee, Where Yat and the Bra Band, an all-women group. The route circles Marigny and ends at the AllWays Lounge.

This years parade does not have human royalty. Instead, the krewe is saluting inanimate objects to be revealed at parade time. A proclamation teases, All hail to Glinda, our Goo Witch Queen! Behold her powerful binding spell  hot magic endlessly flowing from her fiery tip.

Visit titrexparade.com for information.
Kratom has become a cause for concern in Louisiana, with two parishes banning it and two others considering a ban for fear of more drug addiction.

Here's what kratom is and why it alarms some:

What is kratom?

Kratom is a plant native to southeast Asia and is colloquially known as thang, kakuam, thom, ketum and biak, according to a 2020 fact sheet produced by the U.S. Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration.

What does it do?

Kratom leaves contain both mitragynine and 7-hydroxymytragynine, chemicals that can cause psychotic activity, according to the fact sheet.

Some users say it relieves pain. Consuming the leaves can lead to stimulant effects in lower doses and sedative effects in higher doses, as well as to a range of psychotic symptoms. It also can make a user dependent on the plant, the drug fact sheet said.

How is it used?

People who use kratom often consume the plant by taking a pill with the substance inside, or by making a tea from the tree's dried or powdered leaves. The leaves also can be chewed or smoked.

What are its long-term effects?

Using kratom can lead to addiction, with users reporting hallucinations, delusion and confusion, the fact sheet said. It carries a long list of side effects, including nausea, itching, sweating, anorexia, insomnia and seizures.
By Zhang Junshe

The Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Blaz in Guam, the first newly constructed Marine Corps base in 70 years by the US, has been officially activated on January 26, according to several US media reports.

Those reports analyzed that this is a specific move to implement measures to enhance strength against the so-called "great-power competition", especially to boost military intervention capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region based on the multiple war-games conducted by the US military and think tanks recently.

Gen. David H. Berger, the commandant of the US Marine Corps, said that these war-games have promoted many major decisions made in recent years to some extent and fundamentally changed the design of the US Marine Corps. The recent targeted measures put forward by the US in implementing war-games results mainly present the following trends.

To build Guam into an outpost and bridgehead for military operations in the Asia-Pacific region. In recent years, the US has built many military facilities in Guam, turning Guam into the main military strongpoint of the US military in the Western Pacific. The US has deployed nuclear strategic forces, such as US strategic bombers and attack nuclear submarines, as well as a nuclear arsenal in Guam. Its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier formation can also dock here. The MCB Camp Blaz activated this time will receive 5,000 US Marines relocated from the Okinawa Base in December 2024. The US media reported that the Marine Corps would be the first ground troop to respond in the event of wars.

In addition, the US Air Force is expanding the airfield on Tinian Island near Guam, in which the US military wants to deploy 14 large aerial tankers so that the fifth-generation aircraft deployed in Guam can go to the so-called first island chain and stay as long as possible.

To explore new leapfrogging tactics. According to US media reports, the US Marine Corps is exploring new leapfrogging tactics in order to win the new-type great power war. The Marine Corps' F-35B fighter jets play an important role in US military's "Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations" (EABO) concept. With the help of material support aircraft, the F-35B will implement leapfrogging tactics on vast oceanic islands, that is, to choose relatively smaller and simpler helicopter airfields, and to verify the combat capabilities of fighter jets in austere, remote, and hastily established locations to better suit the EABO concept.

In recent years, the US has turned its attention to how to deal with the so-called "great-power competition". In response, the US Marine Corps has made profound changes in its organization, training and equipment to adapt to the new battlefield environment from inland to coastal areas and new combat opponents from non-state actors to near-peer competitors.

To form three Marine Littoral Regiments (MLRs). According to reports, the US Marine Corps will form three MLRs to be deployed in the Asia-Pacific region. In Japan's southwestern islands, the Pentagon will reorganize the US Marine Corps stationed in Okinawa and form a MLR in Okinawa by the end of 2025. This is the product of the strategic transformation of the US Marine Corps. Some people believe that the real purpose of this reorganization is to deal with the possible events in the Taiwan Strait. According to reports, the main equipment of the MLR includes the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), which is capable of anti-ship operations and land attack operations. The three MLRs will have more than 100 long-range unmanned surface ships, 14 sets of NMESIS, 252 launchers and hundreds of strike missiles.

To substantially increase the number of anti-ship missiles in Japan. According to media reports, three US officials recently said that the US will significantly increase the number of its anti-ship missiles in Japan to enhance anti-ship capabilities as part of efforts to deter China. Recently, the commander of the US Marine Corps in Japan also said that the US and its Asian allies are preparing for the possible conflict with China.

Above-mentioned movements of the US military require a high degree of vigilance, as well as corresponding adjustments and countermeasures.

(The author is a naval military expert)

Editor's note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. On January 28, the Republic of Armenia and Armenians around the world celebrate the 31st anniversary of the establishment of the Armed Forces of Armenia.

The formation of the armed forces coincides with the period of 1992-1994, when the already independent Republic of Armenia, being in an undeclared but actual war with Azerbaijan, together with the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, simultaneously embarked on the creation of a national army. However, the declaration of independence of 1990, which announced the de facto independence of Armenia and which opened new legal and practical perspectives for the creation of a national army, played a decisive role in the creation of the Armenian army.

On January 28, 1992, the government adopted a historic decision "On the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia", thereby legally announcing the creation of the Armenian National Army. In May 1992, the Ministry of Defense started the first conscription.

The formation of the army of the Third Republic of Armenia went through several stages. The first stage lasted in from February 1988 to May 1992. In this period, in the conditions of the activation of the Karabakh movement and the extreme aggravation of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, ensuring the military security of the population of Armenia and Artsakh became more than urgent.

The second stage lasted from June 1992 to May1994. During this period, the republics of Armenia and Artsakh were subjected to the aggression of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The third stage started since June 1994 and continues until today. During this period, significant works were carried out in the direction of army building, increasing the combat capability of troops, strengthening discipline, preparing and training officers and non-commissioned officers, as well as contract personnel, and ensuring certain progress in army-society relations. In September 2020 , the Yerevan special regiment was formed, and five companies were formed in Ararat, Goris, Vardenis, Ijevan, and Meghri. By the decision of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, the State Defense Committee under the Council of Ministers was established in 1991.

Conscription in the Armenian Armed Forces is intended for male representatives aged 18-27 for a period of 2 years. Conscription and demobilization are carried out twice a year, in summer and winter.

The Armenian Armed Forces continues to cooperate with various international structures from the moment of formation and steps are being taken to further expand these ties. The Republic of Armenia, signing the Collective Security Treaty on May 15, 1992, became a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Military cooperation with Russia has a great place in the field of international cooperation of the Armenian armed forces. The Russian Federation is considered a strategic partner of the Republic of Armenia and the military-technical cooperation between the two countries is at a high level. The cooperation of the Armenian Armed Forces with the North Atlantic Alliance is also deepening and expanding the spheres of cooperation every year.

The Armenian army is also battle-hardened. Despite its young age, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia have gone through three wars. After the victory in the first Artsakh war, the Armenian army performed the same heroic feats in April 2016, when they put an end to the four-day military operations unleashed by Azerbaijan.

During the 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan in 2020 against Artsakh from September 27 to November 10, as well as during the attack on Armenia by Azerbaijan on September 12-13 in 2022, the servicemen of the Armed Forces performed unprecedented feats, protecting the borders of the motherland. The army, which has gone through three wars in almost three decades, now has a greater responsibility on its shoulders. The Armenian army has been and remains the guarantor of impregnable borders and security.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan has completely suspended the gas supply to Artsakh from Armenia, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Information Headquarters of the Republic of Artsakh. As a result, the gas supply to the city of Stepanakert will be stopped in the near future.

"We urge the population to observe the safety rules," reads the statement of the Headquarters.
The OnePlus Pad (confirmed) and OPPO Pad 2 (still rumored) are now said to be new Android tablets with suspiciously similar builds. As the latter is expected to launch with near-flagship specs, this new tip invites speculation that the latter will be the more premium of the two. It is, for example, now also slated to debut with a refresh rate to match its charging speed.

4 Reviews

Many OnePlus fans may be even now eagerly gearing up to order its long-awaited first-gen Android tablet. However, according to the prolific leaker Digital Chat Station, the company's very own 'co-brand' OPPO intends to make their lives a little more complicated by releasing its own version of the very same Pad.

The tipster now indicates that OPPO's second-gen flagship tablet might indeed turn up with the same ~11-inch metallic chassis and Dell XPS 13 9315-esque camera hump as OnePlus' own inaugural slate. Furthermore, not only might the BBK Electronics subsidiary steal its sibling brand's thunder, it just might outdo it too.

The "OPPO Pad 2" is expected to improve on its predecessor with the high-end Dimensity 9000 SoC, most recently touted to drive a 144Hz refresh rate for its high-res display on top of that.

Its allegedly ~9,500mAh battery is also now slated to support the same 67W charging tech as the Reno9 series, whereas nothing of the sort is said for its supposed OnePlus twin thus far.

All in all, the "Pad 2" might stand the better chance of competing with other rumored rivals such as the Xiaomi Pad 6 series, while also possibly matching well with the Find X6 Pro as rendered to date.

Then again, it is also possible that it just might end up being the OEM's Chinese-market version, with a putative OnePlus Pad re-brand that goes on to be more of a global device.

Buy a Xiaomi Pad 5 on Amazon
A new leak has revealed the entire Galaxy Book3 series' prices in the French market. It ranges between 1,299.99 (US$1,413) for the entry-level Galaxy Book3 and 3,499.99 (US$3,805) for the Book3 Ultra. Samsung will unveil the laptops at its Unpacked event on February 1.

4 Reviews

The Galaxy S23 series' prices across multiple regions have been leaked extensively. Some markets have been unaffected by price cuts and others have eye-watering price tags due to local taxes. While the Galaxy Book3 series has also been talked about extensively, their prices were shrouded by mystery. Twitter leaker Bilibilikun has now revealed how much Samsung's upcoming laptops will cost in France.

13.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Book3 360 with a Intel Core i5, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD: 1,399.99 (US$1,522)

13.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Book3 360 with a Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD: 1,699.99 (US$1,848)

As foretold by previous leaks, all Galaxy Book3 variants will feature Raptor Lake P class processors, namely the Core i5-1340p and Core i7-1360p. For now, there appear to be only two SKUs in the 13.3-inch family, although Samsung will almost certainly unveil their non-360 variants at Galaxy Unpacked. Those looking for a larger screen can opt for the Pro version which will cost the following.

15.6-inch Samsung Galaxy Book3 with an Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage: 1,299.99 (US$1,413)

14-inch Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro with an Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage: 1,999.99 (US$2,174)

16-inch Samsung Galaxy Book3 Pro with an Intel Core i7, 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage: 2,199.99 (US$2,392)

There seem to be remarkably more Galaxy Book3 laptops with a larger screen compared to the last generation. Exactly how Samsung plans to differentiate them from each other remains to be seen. That leaves us with the premium Galaxy Book3 Ultra, and as expected, it will cost a pretty penny.

16-inch Samsung Galaxy Book3 Ultra with an Intel Core i7, 32 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050: 3,499.99 (US$3,805)

Those looking to buy a specced-out Galaxy Book3 Ultra could potentially have to fork out more for the Intel Core i9-13900H plus GeForce RTX 4070 model, which showed up on Geekbench not too long ago. While its prohibitively high price could serve as a barrier for many, the laptop packs an industry-leading AMOLED panel and best-in-class hardware, and it could very well be Samsung's ticket into the premium segment.

It is also important to note these Samsung Galaxy Book3 series prices are for France only. The leaker has also revealed Samsung plans to throw in a 27-inch C27F396FHR monitor with all laptops purchased between Feb 1 and Feb 16. The latter date also tacitly confirms the date the Galaxy Book3 series could be available for purchase worldwide.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra on Amazon
The Spanish government will send Leopard tanks to Ukraine in the spring, the exact number of combat vehicles is not yet specified, Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced on Friday.

January 28, 2023, 09:45 Spain to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine in spring

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 28, ARTSAKHPRESS: She specified that Spain will contribute with the Leopard 2 A4. It's not only about sending the vehicles, but also about training the crews and maintenance, RTVE broadcasting company quoted the head of the department as saying.

The Allied plan is that the shipment of tanks will be by spring, Robles noted. Until then, the physical presence of the Leopard in Ukraine will not be needed, and Spain is going to use that time to train the Ukrainian military.
Indiana Authors Awards authors will give talks around the state this year, including at several locations in the Region.

More than 52 organizations in 30 cities will host Hoosier writers who either won or were shortlisted for Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana Authors Awards last year. The authors will either give talks, do readings, lead discussions or facilitate writers' workshops.

The authors will address libraries, schools, churches, museums, community centers and other public gathering places, making both in-person and virtual appearances to edify and educate the public.

We are excited to continue offering Hoosiers with opportunities to meet and connect with Indianas most talented authors, said Megan Telligman, director of programs at Indiana Humanities. Thanks to continued support from Glick Philanthropies, more communities will have access to engage with literature written about and inspired by our state, which we hope inspires meaningful conversations.

The Crown Point Community Library will host Jim Madison, the Highland Arts Council Michael Martone, Highland High School Paul Allor, the Marquette Park Playground Committee in Gary Kenneth Kraegel, Valparaiso University Rob Harrell, and the Westchester Public Library Tyrone McKinley Freeman.

The Lake County Public Library in Merrillville will host a writing workshop with The Gary Anthology editor Samuel Love.

Indianapolis, Bloomington, Fort Wayne and other communities across the state also will be hosting writers for their own Indiana Authors Awards events.

For more information, visit indianaauthorsawards.org.
The LaPorte County Historical Society will celebrate its 117th anniversary on Monday.

The local history society that operates a museum at 2405 Indiana Ave., Suite. 1 in LaPorte was founded in 1906.

"The realization of a need for a Historical Society came about with an awakening of interest in LaPorte County history following the publication of the monumental work by Rev. E. D. Daniels published history of the county," Assistant Director Savannah Jackson said. "The superintendent of schools expressed the value of such a society and the work it would do to gather and preserve materials about the countys history."

The chronicler of LaPorte County history, it has a long, rich history itself.

Its collection started with guns.

"One of the first acts of the new society was to secure the relics left by the late W. A. Jones, consisting largely of rare firearms secured by this LaPortean while traveling throughout the world. In his will was a bequest to the City of LaPorte of his famous collection of firearms and antiques," she said. "The bequest, however, was made on the condition that the city prepare a suitable room in the Carnegie Library building in LaPorte for the housing of the antiques and the proper care for them. The historical society became the caretaker of this collection in an area provided for the society for its museum in the basement of the Carnegie Library."

It however quickly outgrew the space and had to keep moving into larger buildings as the collection grew over the years.

"With the growth of its collection and a need for more space, the society was offered an area in the basement of the LaPorte County Courthouse. This officially opened April 3, 1938," Jackson said. "Although this space was 'well lighted and ventilated and the hundreds of historical items in the museum were shown to best advantage,' the Societys collections continued to grow and space again was at a premium. Residents from all parts of the county generously donated items to share and preserve LaPorte County history. In April 1978, LaPorte County provided a two-story addition to the new LaPorte County Security Complex to house the museum. The move to this location was completed on Sept. 17, 1978 and the museum was again open to the public."

In 2004, it eyed another move to a bigger space.

"After considering several locations and also the possibility of the county building a building to house the historical society museum, Dr. Peter Kesling made an offer of the Door Prairie Auto Museum, a 10-year old building to the county," Jackson said. "His offer was accepted and he reinvested a majority of the purchase price in an addition to the museum adding sufficient space to house the societys collections, the W. A. Jones Weapons Collection which has been in the Societys care since 1921, a number of Dr. Keslings cars to be on display and additional space for a meeting room, library and archives."

The museum then moved to its current location.

"The museum closed its doors in the security complex to the public at the close of business Oct. 15, 2005, with a move anticipated into the new facility purchased by the county government," she said. "The museum reopened to the public in the former Door Prairie Auto Museum, 2405 Indiana Ave., LaPorte, in July 2006 with the grand opening held on Saturday, Sept.30, 2006."

For more information, visit laportecountyhistory.org.
EAST CHICAGO  The East Chicago City Council wants more streetlights in the city. Where they would go is under discussion.

The issue came up as the council considered an additional appropriation of $2 million to allow the Engineering Department to do infrastructure replacement and improvement work.

The ordinance involving that appropriation was approved on first reading, 8-0.

Councilwoman Debra Bolanos, D-at large, spoke of the need for more NIPSCO light poles in certain areas and greater illumination.

Bolanos said she realizes that the city would get billed for the greater light output: "Considering the crime in the city, I think that's something. ... It's a good investment that we should be making."

City Engineer William Allen said the money would actually come from the city controller's office and, in the past, there have been complaints when the brightness of streetlights has been increased.

"It's kind of difficult to find that happy medium to appease everybody," he said.

Bolanos said safety in the neighborhoods is her concern, not people complaining about the distraction or inconvenience that the extra lights might bring.

Allen said the additional money appropriated by the ordinance would be used on repairing city-owned lights, work on the Dickey Road Bridge, the repair of damaged utilities, and asphalt and concrete work on roads and alleys.

"It also provides enough room to accommodate any emergency repairs that come along the way," he said.

Council members were provided a map showing some of the alleys and sidewalks completed in the city and areas still in need of work.
VALPARAISO  Almost two months after Porter County Educational Services announced sweeping changes to its special-education structure, the Valparaiso School Board discussed the change for the first time Thursday night.

In early December, PCES  a multidistrict cooperative that handles special education for seven school districts across the county, including Valparaiso Community Schools  announced a major overhaul in how staffing will be managed. Staffers who are employed, overseen and paid by PCES will, beginning in autumn 2023, fall under the umbrella of the district they operate in.

This means districts will begin hiring their own special-education teachers, handling oversight and paying them out of their own budgets rather than directing the money through PCES. The cooperative serves about 5,000 special-education students across 55 schools. Additionally, the Special Education Learning Facility, a dedicated campus in Valparaiso, serves 22 students with severe disabilities.

During Thursday's meeting, Superintendent Jim McCall called the change "a 360-degree overhaul." However, he said this doesn't mean that the districts won't continue to be partners. He said he wants Valparaiso to be a leader in the newly amended partnership.

"In Porter County we believe in the power of partnerships," he said. "As county seat, it's important to be a leader in the county and raise all boats."

PCES will continue operating speech and language programs, occupational therapy, physical therapy, prekindergarten and the Special Education Learning Facility.

"Most things need to evolve," McCall said. "We saw this as an opportunity to evolve."

He said many aspects of this restructuring are being worked out: "We are still in media res. We are still in the process."

McCall said 38 special-education teachers will become employees of VCS. Additionally, there will be a second round of hiring soon. He said the district will need at least six more full-time staff, but that number could rise as the new school year approaches.

"It's going to be more than a change in employment," he said. "It's going to be an evolution."

Still, McCall emphasized that these staffers have been valued by the district even before the restructuring.

"They have always been part of Valpo in everything but who signs the checks," he said.

He said because of these changes in employment, the district will be making administrative changes: Erin Hawkins, director of social emotional services, will be promoted beginning July 1 to assistant superintendent overseeing special education as well as her current departments. Chrissy Giraud, who is new to the district, will become the director of special-education services, effective July 1.

"It's important we have the proper support and oversight to make sure we're embedding a culture," McCall said. "We need someone with laser focus on special ed."

Both newly appointed administrators thanked the board and McCall for their confidence in them.

"I am beyond thrilled to join the VCS team and am excited to work with the board, staff and students this fall," Giraud said.

Board member Robert Behrend said he has "complete confidence" in Hawkins.

"I'm just so excited because I know the passion Dr. Hawkins has," he said. "Like anything else in life, you're only as good as your leader and I want to thank her for accepting the role and thank Dr. McCall for hiring her."

Close Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Fom left, Alexa Hansen and Sarah Mihut perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility student Paige Copeland, of Chesterton, plays Sandy during "Grease" Friday afternoon at the Valparaiso school. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Fom left, Alexa Hansen and Sarah Mihut perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility student Frankie Carrillo plays a T-Bird and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon with special assistant to the actor Michelle Vasquez dancing. Special Education Learning Facility student Tyler Townsend, of Chesterton, plays a T-Bird and performs "We Go Together" during "Grease" Friday afternoon with his supporting actor Leksi Selby. Special Education Learning Facility student Paige Copeland, of Chesterton, plays Sandy and leads "We Go Together" during "Grease" Friday afternoon with the rest of her cast. Special Education Learning Facility student Jenna Ramos, of Chesterton, plays Rizzo during "Grease" Friday afternoon at the Valparaiso school. It is the first time the school for students with special needs produced a musical. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Fom left, Alexa Hansen and Sarah Mihut perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility students Nicky Lake plays Danny and Paige Copeland plays Sandy as they perform during "Grease" Friday afternoon. From left, Sarah Mihut and Michelle Vasquez perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility student Paige Copeland, of Chesterton, plays Sandy and leads "We Go Together" during "Grease" Friday afternoon with the rest of her cast. Sarah Mihut performs as an assistant to the actors during Friday's performance. Special Education Learning Facility student Tyler Townsend, of Chesterton, with his support actor Leksi Selby, plays a T-Bird and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility students perform " Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Tyler Townsend, of Chesterton, performs as a T-Bird during "Grease Lightning" in "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility students perform " Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility students perform " Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Frankie Carrillo plays a T-Bird and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Frankie Carrillo plays a T-Bird and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Fom left, Leksi Selby and Sarah Mihut perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Fom left, Leksi Selby and Sarah Mihut perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility teacher and "Grease" director Jill Hunt gives her students last minute instruction before their afternoon performance Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility students perform " Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Fom left, Leksi Selby and Sarah Mihut perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility student Jenna Ramos, of Chesterton, plays Rizzo during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Paige Copeland, of Chesterton, plays Sandy during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility T-Birds, from left, Nicky Lake, Richard Blakely, Tyler Townsend and Frankie Carrillo, special assistants Sarah Mihut, Alexa Hansen, Leksi Selby and Michelle Vasquez, during "Grease." Special Education Learning Facility student Paige Copeland, of Chesterton, plays Sandy during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Sarah Mihut performs as an assistant to the actors during Friday's performance. Special Education Learning Facility teacher and "Grease" director Jill Hunt thanks the audience after their afternoon performance Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Paige Copeland, of Chesterton, plays Sandy during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Gallery: Special needs students perform "Grease" This performance by Valpo's Special Education Learning Facility (SELF) students gave the audience chills that were truly multiplying in their inspirational performance of "Grease." The familiar cast of Danny, played by Nicky Lake, Sandy, played by Paige Copeland, Kinniki played by Richard Blakely and the ever-so-chic Rizzo, played by Jenna Ramos. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Fom left, Alexa Hansen and Sarah Mihut perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility student Paige Copeland, of Chesterton, plays Sandy during "Grease" Friday afternoon at the Valparaiso school. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Fom left, Alexa Hansen and Sarah Mihut perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility student Frankie Carrillo plays a T-Bird and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon with special assistant to the actor Michelle Vasquez dancing. Special Education Learning Facility student Tyler Townsend, of Chesterton, plays a T-Bird and performs "We Go Together" during "Grease" Friday afternoon with his supporting actor Leksi Selby. Special Education Learning Facility student Paige Copeland, of Chesterton, plays Sandy and leads "We Go Together" during "Grease" Friday afternoon with the rest of her cast. Special Education Learning Facility student Jenna Ramos, of Chesterton, plays Rizzo during "Grease" Friday afternoon at the Valparaiso school. It is the first time the school for students with special needs produced a musical. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Fom left, Alexa Hansen and Sarah Mihut perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility students Nicky Lake plays Danny and Paige Copeland plays Sandy as they perform during "Grease" Friday afternoon. From left, Sarah Mihut and Michelle Vasquez perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility student Paige Copeland, of Chesterton, plays Sandy and leads "We Go Together" during "Grease" Friday afternoon with the rest of her cast. Sarah Mihut performs as an assistant to the actors during Friday's performance. Special Education Learning Facility student Tyler Townsend, of Chesterton, with his support actor Leksi Selby, plays a T-Bird and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility students perform " Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Tyler Townsend, of Chesterton, performs as a T-Bird during "Grease Lightning" in "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility students perform " Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility students perform " Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Frankie Carrillo plays a T-Bird and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Frankie Carrillo plays a T-Bird and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Fom left, Leksi Selby and Sarah Mihut perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Fom left, Leksi Selby and Sarah Mihut perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility teacher and "Grease" director Jill Hunt gives her students last minute instruction before their afternoon performance Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility students perform " Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny and performs "Grease Lightning" during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Fom left, Leksi Selby and Sarah Mihut perform as assistants to the actors. Special Education Learning Facility student Jenna Ramos, of Chesterton, plays Rizzo during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Nicky Lake plays Danny during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Paige Copeland, of Chesterton, plays Sandy during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility T-Birds, from left, Nicky Lake, Richard Blakely, Tyler Townsend and Frankie Carrillo, special assistants Sarah Mihut, Alexa Hansen, Leksi Selby and Michelle Vasquez, during "Grease." Special Education Learning Facility student Paige Copeland, of Chesterton, plays Sandy during "Grease" Friday afternoon. Sarah Mihut performs as an assistant to the actors during Friday's performance. Special Education Learning Facility teacher and "Grease" director Jill Hunt thanks the audience after their afternoon performance Friday afternoon. Special Education Learning Facility student Paige Copeland, of Chesterton, plays Sandy during "Grease" Friday afternoon.
HAMMOND  Lawyers for former Hobart Township trustee Thomas Silich filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against four people who lawyers believe conspired to get Silich arrested during a 2021 traffic stop in Lake Station.

Court documents identify violations of Silich's First, Fourth and 14th Amendment rights and cites negligence, battery, false imprisonment, trespass to property, stigma plus  it accuses the defendants of defamation accompanied by loss of a liberty or job  and failure to train arresting Officer Brandon Obermiller as reasons for the lawsuit.

Silich's lawyers are requesting damages in excess of $500,000 and punitive damages from the defendants.

Roy Dominguez, Silich's attorney, claims that the arrest was part of a "conspiracy" between police and other officials to smear Silich's reputation and remove him from his position as trustee.

"If they were able to dirty him up in the eyes of the voter, they'd be able to beat him," Dominguez said. "When you use police power to incarcerate someone, it is wrong."

Documents list Lake Station Police Chief James Richardson, Lake Station Councilman Fred Williams, Hobart Township Board member Joseph Clemmons, Obermiller and the city of Lake Station as the defendants. They "conspired to fabricate false claims against the Plaintiff to remove Plaintiff from office as the Hobart Township Trustee and to cause him public embarrassment."

The lawsuit says Silich was "falsely arrested and falsely charged for political purposes" after he was pulled over in July 2021 on his way home from the office of Hobart Township Board in Lake Station by police for unsafe lane movement and failing to signal a turn. He was arrested and charged with operating while intoxicated.

The charges were dropped by City Court Judge Josh Matejczyk in January 2022; the Lake County prosecutors office said it couldn't prove that Silich committed those violations. Matejczyk also ordered Silichs driving records expunged, erasing any official records of the charges and of Silich refusing a breath test.

Obermiller was waiting for Silich around 11:30 a.m. outside the Hobart Township trustee office, the documents say. Obermiller claimed that Silich was driving 40 mph in a posted 35-mph zone, which warranted the traffic stop.

Court documents say Obermiller "exhibited a pattern of conduct not conducive to practicing as a police officer," and was not adequately trained by Richardson to do his job.

In February 2022, Silich announced that he would not be seeking reelection, citing the stress caused by the arrest. He served eight years on the Hobart Township advisory board and 12 years as township trustee.

Williams declined to comment on the lawsuit Friday afternoon but previously denied any wrongdoing. In January, he said he believes Silich corrupted the office to serve his personal interests rather than the public interest of township residents. Obermiller, Richardson and Clemmons could not be reached for comment.
Showcasing more than 400 performances of opera, dance and music each year, Charles Garniers Paris Opera, inaugurated in 1875, is a true cathedral of culture.

A promenade through its rooms is a theatrical experience itself, revealing ornate marble columns, bronze statues, crystal chandeliers, and paintings and frescoes. But the Palais Garnier, as the building is known, also holds secrets, from design quirks to haunting tales. Here are some facts about the building.

Charles Garnier, the architect, was the last one shortlisted for the project.

Emperor Napoleon III started a competition for an Imperial Academy of Music and Dance in December 1860. Five finalists were chosen from more than 170 proposals. They were ranked, and Garnier came in last. With little to lose, he changed his plans, creating a monumental structure layered with imposing arcades, colonnades and flanking pavilions, crowned with a dome and a pedimented tower. He was using a classical language, but in an eclectic, much freer, and much more expressive way, Christopher Mead, author of Charles Garniers Paris Opera: Architectural Empathy and the Renaissance of French Classicism, said in an interview. Garniers win shocked the establishment, Mr. Mead said, but worked with the emperors effort to cast himself as a reformer.
This transcript was created using speech recognition software. While it has been reviewed by human transcribers, it may contain errors. Please review the episode audio before quoting from this transcript and email transcripts@nytimes.com with any questions.

sabrina tavernise

From The New York Times, Im Sabrina Tavernise. This is The Daily.

anton troianovski [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

Last weekend, my colleague, Anton Troianovski, called a woman who lives in a small town above the Arctic Circle in Northern Russia.

speaker 1 [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

She told him she was in line at the pediatrician, with sick kids, when she first heard the news.

speaker 1 [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

The woman next to her got a phone call. Someones son had just been drafted to go fight the war in Ukraine.

speaker 1 [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

When she overheard that, she said, I felt like ice inside.

speaker 1 [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

Like some kind of darkness had fallen. Then, she started hearing about other men.

speaker 1 [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

Her husbands business got a letter. Seven employees had to respond to the draft office.

speaker 1 [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

The band director at a local school got the call.

speaker 1 [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

Then, the draft came for her extended family.

speaker 1 [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

Theyre taking my second cousin. Theyre taking my first cousin. Theyre taking my nephew. Shes worried that with winter coming, there wont be enough men to run the coal plant that heats peoples homes or take care of the reindeer that her community depends on.

speaker 1 [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

She said she doesnt understand the logic of taking so many people from a place where there are so few. [SPEAKER SIGHS] [CROWD YELLING] draft that Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a week ago is disrupting lives all over Russia. Russians described getting draft notices while theyre at home and at work. [CROWD CHANTING] Notices are even being forced into the hands of those arrested for protesting the war. [CROWD CHANTING] Today, I talk to one man facing conscription about how his life has changed since the day the war came to Russia. Its Thursday, September 29. OK. Tell me your name, just your first name  because I know the sensitivities  your age, and where you live.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

My name is Kirill, Im 24, and I live in Moscow Oblast.

sabrina tavernise

So Kirill, going back to the beginning of the war when Putin first ordered the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, take me back to that moment in your life. What did you think when you saw that?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

On the 24th, I woke up not very early, kind of like usual, around 11:00 in the morning.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

My friend in the morning said that war had begun. If Im being honest with you, I dont actually remember that day very much, because I didnt fully understand and comprehend the magnitude of what had happened and how horrible it would all be.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I remember that I went home that day and began talking to my parents. I didnt really want to talk about it with my parents, because I dont talk about political topics with them. We have very different points of view, and I like to avoid those things with them.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

The year before, I had gone to a protest against Putin. I hadnt understood until that moment how different we were and how different we had become. By the mere act of going to that protest, they saw me as someone who was against the policies of Putin, and that was true.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

Kirill, did they support Putin? What were their views about him?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

So my parents didnt openly support Putin, but did believe what he was saying about the war. My parents arent exactly part of that really toxic part of the public thats really, really for this war, that puts stickers on the back of their car. Theyre not those people.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Its hard for me to quite describe to you, but I will say that they are people who try very hard not to notice the lawlessness that is going on around them.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

And I came to them and said, the war is a catastrophe. Theres no reason in the world that one country should attack another country. It just seemed so clear to me. And they said, what do you mean by war?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

Are you saying that theyre lying to us and youre the one who knows the truth?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

Did you argue?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Yes, we argued very badly. I love my parents. Thats clear. We each said our position and never returned to the topic, because we understood we just had different points of view.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

So the time started going by, yes, and I basically turned into a person that was just constantly updating the news on my phone. The strange thing was, there was a war. I could see it happening. But in the first three months, I didnt really feel it at all. Nothing around me changed. The first thing I noticed was that the prices really started going up in the stores. I didnt have a very big salary, and I felt it a lot. The price of fruits, the price of vegetables were going up very sharply. I was seeing that some of the factories were closing, and a lot of the Western firms were leaving Russia. I was working in a company that was doing this cargo loading, and a lot of it was parts for airplanes. And there were firings. Big portion of our colleagues were transferred to a, quote unquote, leave without pay. They were  continued to be held on the books, but there was no money, and really, they were just all sitting at home without a job. I worked for another 2 and 1/2 months. I had started volunteering at a nonprofit that helped homeless people. And I heard that they actually had an opening for a paid position. I applied for the position and got it, and it was slightly better paid, and its the thing thats given me strength in these months. But if you talk about the quality of life, it didnt really change that much. I was in horror, looking at this, but there was really nothing radical at all. Nothing much changed. And that is what was most disturbing for me  the contrast. A number of years ago, a very famous rock musician said this about the Chechen War. He said the most disturbing thing was being at the war and seeing the mud and the death, and getting on an airplane and flying back and landing in Moscow, and seeing people walking around on the streets, and children playing on jungle gyms, and people shopping.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

The most frightening thing is for people to have their lives keep going on and not feel the pain that is being caused in this other place. It really just didnt concern our lives.

sabrina tavernise

Were you ever worried that the war would come to you?

interpreter

In the most direct sense, no.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

If it was going to affect us, the war, it would really only be kind of tangentially, sort of on the sidelines, you know, that the prices had risen, and my father was having problems at work because of the war.

sabrina tavernise

What were the problems your father was having because of the war?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

My father repairs and sells imported equipment for the milking of cows. And the sanctions really hit that. It was a firm that worked in Russia, and it left.

sabrina tavernise

How did that affect your fathers point of view about the war?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Not at all. He kept repeating that it was much worse in the 1990s, so well be fine. Well survive.

sabrina tavernise

What did you think of that?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I was really sad. Because I just didnt understand that logic. I wanted to live in a better way and not constantly be comparing ourselves to a worse way.

sabrina tavernise

Where were you the moment that you heard about this so-called partial mobilization?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

It was two days ago. I woke up 15 minutes before my alarm clock, and I saw the news. I saw the news in the face of the president.

vladimir putin [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I saw the banner headline with little lightning bolts next to it. That was telling me this was important that he was announcing a partial mobilization.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

And I understood that given my health, my age, and my former military service, that I fit the criteria, 100 percent.

sabrina tavernise

How did you feel in that moment?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I guess I just felt this sense of resignation, kind of futility. Like, I was just going to go to work, but I was going to be called up in this draft and go to war.

sabrina tavernise

What was the feeling in your heart?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

None.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I felt this emptiness. Not anger. Kind of, almost nothing.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I just thought, what do I do next?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Because I realized at that moment that the war had finally come to me.

sabrina tavernise

Well be right back. Kirill, you talked about your military service. How long did you serve in the military?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I was there for a year.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I tried to maximally escape any mandatory military service, because I was too nervous. I didnt get into a university. I got into a technical school. But when I graduated from my technical school, I was drafted, and I didnt have money to buy my way out of it. The only people who really go to the army are the ones that cant buy their way out of it.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Im looking at a lot of the videos about the Russian soldiers who were captured in Ukraine, the Russian prisoners of war. And I tell you, 8 out of 10 of them say that they just went because it was the path of least resistance. They didnt have the money to buy their way out, and they didnt want to go to prison for 10 years, so they chose this.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Its not a choice to go off to defend the fatherland. Its about poverty and the desire to feed their families.

sabrina tavernise

So going back to when Putin first announced the mobilization, what did you start to do? What was the first thing?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

First, I started researching where I could go to get out, where I could go to get out that wouldnt require a visa and wouldnt require a lot of money, because I dont have a lot of money.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Physically, I started to feel bad. I had a really bad headache.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I was very afraid. Im not going to hide it from you. I was terrified.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Then, I just sat down, breathed in, caught my breath, and I went to work.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I got there, and there were several other young men who were in the same category as me.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

We sat there, and we were drinking coffee together and kind of laughing and just talking about it, and it felt better.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

We were talking about what was the information out there, who was going to try to leave, what we were going to try to do, what were they saying about us. We were just trying to find the logic in a very illogical decision.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

As the hours went by, and I was texting with my friends and watching the news, it became very clear how many lies had been told. They said they wouldnt draft students, and we saw many students being called up. They said they wouldnt draft people who were in their 50s and 60s, and we saw many people in their 50s and 60s being called up. So it became clear that this was something that was really going to affect everybody. Then, I began to feel really in danger, that theyre going to come for me right now.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

And I saw, when the news had been announced about a partial mobilization, all of these people going out to protest. [CROWD YELLING]

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I wanted to go out to the protest, and its clear that in Russia, of course, the protests dont influence or affect anything. But it was really the only true and honest thing I could have done at that moment.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

But I stayed home, because I was very afraid that if they got me, if the police got me, that would lead to my drafting. [CROWD CHANTING]

sabrina tavernise

How do you feel about that?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I feel regret that I didnt go.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I think it was wrong that I didnt go.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I dont know.

sabrina tavernise

Why do you think it was wrong not to go to the protest?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Because I understood that I was just hiding behind the backs of other people.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

It was as if I had just kind of abandoned the mission, as if I was saying, OK, young women, young men, you people not of drafting age, you go out and say your piece, and say it on my behalf.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Ah, these people will be receiving bruises and wounds.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I think in retrospect, to sit at home and do nothing is actually harder than that.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I feel like Im dramatizing this. I dont want to be dramatizing this.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

No, no, no. No, no. I dont want you to be thinking that Im in some sort of terrible situation. Its just a lot of people are in this situation now.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Im warm. I feel good. Im under a roof.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

The thing that Im feeling right now has nothing, nothing in comparison to the thing that people are feeling who are in the war. I dont want to have any comparison drawn there.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

So two days after Putins announcement, my father got a call. A friend of his in the police station gave him a call, and he said theres a draft notice for your son tomorrow, for the next day, and that he was going to bring it over. I had this feeling of helplessness. I didnt know what to do.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

And Ive been at work for the past couple of days.

sabrina tavernise

You live at work now?

interpreter

Yes, Im living at work.

sabrina tavernise

Youre sleeping there? Youre brushing your teeth there? Youre taking a shower there?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Yeah, actually. I  all of the above. And its actually not that hard, because Im working in an organization that is for homeless people, so theres lots of creature comforts and things that we have for people around.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Im hiding here, because I dont want to be in a place where people recognize me and people could come and give me this draft notice. The way that it has been working is that people are being given these things on the streets, at protests, when they come out of the metro. And this is something that Im trying to avoid. So Ive been here at work, and I dont think they will find me or get me if I dont go out.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

There were a few people in my company that met the criteria for the draft. We put a few plans together, which were now trying to carry out. Our coworkers are trying to gather all of our documents and figure out, from embassies and from different places, where potentially we could go and get a visa to get out.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Im hugely grateful to them, but I understand that variant is really unlikely, that its basically not going to happen.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

So if that doesnt happen, and I dont think it will, then the second thing were thinking of is to get to the border with Kazakhstan. And were hoping that the border doesnt close.

sabrina tavernise

When would you go to Kazakhstan?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

So Ill probably be in this work space that Ive been in for the past couple of days until the 28th of September. But if I get a visa, theres still a danger, because theyre looking for people in the airports, and they could be looking at my passport in the airport so airports are not a safe place. In the train stations, theyre checking people even less, and the least of all, the checking is by car.

sabrina tavernise

Do you plan to go by car?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Probably, yes.

sabrina tavernise

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN] How far is it to the Kazakh border?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Right now, Im looking, Im looking. Its about a 20-hour drive.

sabrina tavernise

Thats very far.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

But again, theres a complication. I dont have a car, so this would mean maybe finding a group that was going, or asking someone to drive me to the border.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

So far, I dont have any options before me, but there are some options here. My father  my father has a car. Maybe with him.

sabrina tavernise

Kirill, would you ask your father? Would you ask your father to drive you to the border?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I asked them to come see me on the weekend. Its probably going to be on Sunday. And Im going to personally ask if they would be amenable to that option.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Theyre having a hard time understanding the risks. They see only what is told on television, which is that young people wont be sent to the war. Theyll first get some training. So its hard for me to explain that I risk prison time, and that Im not going to go to this draft.

sabrina tavernise

What will you say to them?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Ill tell them that I dont want to die purely for the reason of one person whos doing this completely senseless thing. Ill just explain in a very practical way, and I hope that we can find a common language.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I think, for them, Im more valuable than some type of abstract idea about the war or victory.

sabrina tavernise

They love you.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

What do you think that theyll say back to you?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Theyll probably be translating all of the things that theyre hearing on television, that this wont really concern you, it wont reach you, itll be OK, maybe we should just go out to the country for a while.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Ill just be coming from how I see the situation. And Ill ask them for help. And if they refuse, then Im going to find a way to get to the border.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

Kirill, if your parents do refuse or simply say back what theyre seeing on television, is that painful to you that you might not be able to find a common language, even when its about your own life?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

No. Its not painful.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

If I had also been steeped in the propaganda for so many years that we have external enemies, that we need to be vigilant, I think I would probably have the same view.

sabrina tavernise

If you dont make it to Kazakhstan, what will happen?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

It depends on if they stop me. If that happens, then Im going to have to hide somewhere inside the borders of Russia.

sabrina tavernise

Kirill, when you think about going to war on behalf of Russia, wearing a Russian uniform in Ukraine, when you think about having to do that, how does that make you feel?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Thats the most terrifying thought of all.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Ive already decided that its better to go to jail than to go off to that absolutely insane and senseless war.

sabrina tavernise

Why is it such a terrifying thought for you, being in Ukraine in a Russian uniform?

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Its not even about the fear of being killed, but of killing someone.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Its horror.

sabrina tavernise

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

I said, how are you doing? He said, Im OK. I just didnt sleep very much, and Im not thinking very well right now. Oh, my goodness, Kirill.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I had these plans. I had plans for a vacation. I had plans to read. I had plans for the next couple of weeks, and now, Im just constantly obsessively watching the news, and trying to figure out how to get to the Kazakh border.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Strange that I had these plans.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

Its a very strange feeling  kind of a funny feeling, almost, for me now, because I feel at home here. And I feel happy here in this job. I myself am not very outgoing, and theyve really made friends with me. And I want to stay.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

I cant really describe it. I can just concentrate on the one thing I know, that I have to leave this place, and that I have to leave the closest people to me in my life. But 

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

interpreter

 feels like its just going to be a long weekend, that Im going to go away, and then Im going to come back, and Ill be right back here at the homeless shelter, talking with the residents.

kirill

[SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

kirill [SPEAKING RUSSIAN]

sabrina tavernise

Two days after our conversation, Kirill texts me. He says hes heard the borders might be closing soon, and he needs to leave now. So he packs a small bag, his flashlight, his headphones, his favorite T-shirts. He buys some Snickers and some bottles of water for the road. His father cant drive him, so Kirill decides to take the bus with a friend. They ride through the night. When they reach the border with Kazakhstan, they find a line of cars waiting to cross, that stretches for 10 kilometers. So Kirill and his friend find a checkpoint where they can cross on foot. He texts me a picture of the crowd. Thousands of people are waiting. Many of them are young men in sweatshirts, their hoods drawn against the cold. He records a video of a border guard taunting the crowd, insulting them for trying to leave Russia. [MEN TALKING IN BACKGROUND] And then, he stops texting, for almost 20 hours. I dont hear anything. Then, on Wednesday night, I get a message. Sabrina, hello. Everything is good. I crossed the border. A few of the guys who were with me were not allowed to leave. I so far dont have a local phone. Almost no internet. And for now, Im answering only my loved ones and my friends. Since Putin announced the draft a week ago, an estimated 200,000 Russians have fled the country. Well be right back. Heres what else you should know today.

frances robles I am in Key West, Florida. I am at the intersection of Eisenhower Drive and Truman Avenue, which, you can tell from the roaring sounds of waves, is now underwater.

sabrina tavernise

Hurricane Ian made landfall over Florida on Wednesday as a severe category 4 storm. It unleashed 150-mile-per-hour winds and 12-foot storm surges that submerged cars, knocked over houses, and left more than 1 million residents without power, from Fort Myers to Key West, where my colleague, Frances Robles, documented the flooding.

frances robles Its interesting, because this area was actually dry an hour or two hours ago when I came out earlier. And the authorities keep saying that even though Hurricane Ian passed during the night, that the worst of the storm surge was going to come afterwards, that it was going to come today, that its going to come tomorrow, and maybe even Friday. And lo and behold, exactly what they said was going to happen is what happened.

sabrina tavernise

The greatest damage seemed to occur on Floridas Southwest coast off the Gulf of Mexico, where video showed entire neighborhoods underwater.

ron desantis Now, it is our meteorologists view that the storm surge has likely peaked and will likely be less in the coming hours than it has been up to this point.

sabrina tavernise

During a news conference, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that the worst appeared to be over, but that Ian would still go down as one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit the state.

ron desantis But the fact is, theres going to be damage throughout the whole state. And people in other parts of the state, be prepared for some impacts. And you are 

sabrina tavernise
3D/5D/6D. This little grouping is quite clever. With 3-Down, title setting of a 1937 Agatha Christie mystery is THE / NILE, on which there was death. (I appreciate the attention to detail in this sort of clue, which makes less-than-fascinating fill more interesting.) The puzzle alludes to another thrilling character (James Bond, rather than Hercule Poirot) in 6D: A time to dye? The answer is EASTER, when people color eggs.

13D. When you know the answer, this kind of hyper-specific trivia really scratches an itch  its so gratifying when those overflowing filing cabinets in your long-term memory yield something useful. But this was all news to me: His 2016 debut album unseated Thriller for the most weeks spent in the top 10 on Billboards R&B/Hip-Hop chart refers to POST MALONE and his album called Stoney.

27D. This clue calls for a similar musical factoid, but its geared toward my generation, and easy for my mind to unearth: The Forever Young band, 1984 is ALPHAVILLE, who were in heavy rotation on MTV with this new wave ballad.

Constructor Notes

This puzzle started with JUNETEENTH in the northwest corner. The first time I heard that term I knew I wanted to use it in a crossword puzzle. POST MALONE appears in the northeast corner because my son Tim liked him at one point in time. I placed WAYMO in the middle because I wanted at least one five-letter debut entry in that area. For the southwest corner, I started with EVIL DEAD. That movie is a classic because its so funny and cheesy. The southeast corner was last. I had to decide which entry was best in the 38-Down spot. Once I chose PORE OVER, I liked the fact that I could put ON THE FENCE at 61-Across and clue it with the single word Torn. I got an enormous amount of help with clues for this puzzle. Brendan Quigley did a video call with me where we talked about overall philosophy for writing themeless clues. Byron Walden and I emailed back and forth a lot. I also got help from Trent Evans, Jules Markey, Julian Lim, both Tracys (Bennett and Gray), Michael Dewey and Robyn Weintraub. Thank you all very much!

Want to Submit Crosswords to The New York Times?

The New York Times Crossword has an open submission system, and you can submit your puzzles online.

For tips on how to get started, read our series, How to Make a Crossword Puzzle.
The mayor and governor said in October that along with improving public safety, the move to assign more officers to the subway was meant to combat a public perception  fed by several high-profile crimes  that the system had become much more dangerous.

Ms. Hochuls office said on Friday that the state had committed up to $62 million to help the city cover the cost of hundreds of additional overtime shifts a day for police officers to patrol the subway. She and other officials also announced a plan to install cameras inside every train car, among other safety-oriented efforts. The moves came as Mr. Adams ramped up a push late last year to remove homeless people from the system.

The anti-crime initiatives were spurred by a rise in violence on a vital transit network. There were 10 killings on the subway last year, compared with an average of two a year in the five years before the pandemic began.

There has been at least one killing on the subway so far this year, with a man facing a manslaughter charge after a second man he was fighting with fell onto the tracks at a Manhattan subway station and died.

The crime problems on the subway have been mirrored outside the system. Citywide, surges in robbery, burglary and other crimes helped drive a 22 percent increase in major crime last year compared with 2021 despite a significant drop in shootings and murders that reflected national trends.
Tokyo on Friday banned exports of vaccines, medical equipment, medicines, nuclear materials and devices, and explosives detection equipment to Russia, UNI reported, citing the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry.

January 28, 2023, 10:46 Japan bans exports of vaccines, medicines to Russia

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 28, ARTSAKHPRESS: In connection with the international situation surrounding Ukraine and as a contribution to international efforts to resolve the problem and establish peace, the Japanese government has decided to impose a ban on exports to Russia of goods that could be used to strengthen military power. The measures will go into effect starting February 3, the ministry said in a statement.

The list of banned items for exports includes nuclear materials and devices, radioactive processing equipment, oil and gas exploration equipment, batons, vaccines, medical goods, medical tests, fingerprint powder, tear gas, dosimeters, explosives, x-ray inspection machines, equipment for the production of composite materials, portable electric generators, robots, drilling rigs, substances that can be used for military purposes as raw materials, toxic chemicals, and other goods.

Earlier in the day, Japans Foreign Ministry announced new sanctions against Russia, including an assets freeze of 22 individuals and three companies, a ban on export to 49 Russian entities, and a ban on exports of dual-use items which could contribute to the development of military capacity.
Yoshimitsu Yamada, who more than anyone else was responsible for bringing the defensive martial art known as aikido to the United States, died on Jan. 15 in Manhattan. He was 84.

His daughter Mika Ito said the cause was a heart attack.

Aikido, which roughly translates to the way of the harmonious spirit, emerged in the wake of World War II as an alternative to more aggressive martial arts like karate. Aikido is all about defense, using throws and joint locks to deflect an attackers energy in a way that does them minimal harm. Though there are ranks of skill, aikido is not competitive.

In its first decades it was obscure  even in Japan. That began to change in the 1960s, when aikidos founder, Morihei Ueshiba, sent Mr. Yamada and several other young disciples around the world to establish dojos and train the next generation of instructors. Mr. Yamada was assigned to New York City, where in 1964 he demonstrated aikido to rapt audiences at the Worlds Fair.
A spokesman for Mr. Bankman-Fried did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Bankman-Fried built FTX into one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world before the company filed for bankruptcy in November. He was arrested in December at his home in the Bahamas, where FTX was based, and then extradited to the United States to face the criminal charges. Judge Kaplan granted him bail under highly restrictive conditions, confining him to his parents home near the campus of Stanford University in Northern California.

What to Know About the Collapse of FTX Card 1 of 5 What is FTX? The now bankrupt company was one of the worlds largest cryptocurrency exchanges. It enabled customers to trade digital currencies for other digital currencies or traditional money; it also had a native cryptocurrency known as FTT. The company, based in the Bahamas, built its business on risky trading options that are not legal in the United States. Who is Sam Bankman-Fried? He is the 30-year-old founder of FTX and the former chief executive of FTX. Once a golden boy of the crypto industry, he was a major donor to the Democratic Party and known for his commitment to effective altruism, a charitable movement that urges adherents to give away their wealth in efficient and logical ways. How did FTXs troubles begin? Last year, Changpeng Zhao, the chief executive of Binance, the worlds largest crypto exchange, sold the stake he held in FTX back to Bankman-Fried, receiving a number of FTT tokens in exchange. In November, Zhao said he would sell the tokens and expressed concerns about FTXs financial stability. What led to FTX's collapse? Zhaos announcement drove down the price of FTT and spooked investors. Traders rushed to withdraw from FTX, causing the company to have a $8 billion shortfall. Binance offered a loan to save the company but later pulled out, forcing FTX to file for bankruptcy on Nov. 11. Why was Bankman-Fried arrested? FTXs collapse kicked off investigations by the Justice Department and the S.E.C. focused on whether FTX improperly used customer funds to prop up Alameda Research, a crypto trading platform that Bankman-Fried had helped start. On Dec. 12, Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas for lying to investors and committing fraud.









Mr. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

From his home confinement, Mr. Bankman-Fried has entertained visitors, including the author Michael Lewis, who is writing a book about him. He has also started mounting a defense, writing posts on Substack that detail his version of the events leading up to FTXs collapse.

According to Fridays filing, Mr. Bankman-Fried wrote to the general counsel of FTX U.S. on Jan. 15, saying he would really love to reconnect and see if theres a way for us to have a constructive relationship, use each other as resources when possible, or at least vet things with each other.

Prosecutors said the witness has firsthand knowledge of the defendants conduct during the charged conspiracies and participated in communications on Signal and the messaging system Slack with a small group of insiders the month that FTX collapsed. Mr. Bankman-Fried has also contacted other current and former FTX employees, according to the filing.

The document does not identify the witness by name. The general counsel of FTX U.S. is Ryne Miller, according to his LinkedIn page.
Jeff and Nancy Liu arrived at the dance studio in Monterey Park on Saturday night to celebrate the Lunar New Year. But what should have been a night of celebration turned into a night of horrors, their daughter, Juno Blees, would later recount, when Mr. Liu saw a man storm in with a gun, and open fire.

During the chaos, Mr. Liu saw his wife collapse, Ms. Blees said. The couple, who had emigrated from China more than 25 years ago, rarely left each others side, Ms. Blees said on Sunday. She could not locate her mother after the shooting.

On Monday, Ms. Blees and her father received the news they had feared: Ms. Liu, who was also called HongYing Jian, had died in the attack.

All the family can do now is remember happier times.

My mom had a bigger-than-life personality. She was warm and friendly to everyone and always tried to help others, Ms. Blees said. She loved to cook, travel, paint and dance. Our family misses her very much and we hope she is dancing in heaven now.

Two bullets had grazed Mr. Liu, his daughter said, causing the minor injuries to his shoulder and back that had sent him to the hospital. He bled a lot, but the doctors said it was non-life threatening, Ms. Blees said.
A man who the authorities said tortured a woman this week in Oregon and held her captive before fleeing into the wilderness has been using dating apps in recent days to either target more victims or force someone to help him elude capture, the police said on Friday.

The authorities in Grants Pass, Ore., have deployed dozens of officers and investigators to find the man, Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, who they believe tied and bound a woman in her own home and severely beat her until she was unconscious.

Investigators are still piecing together a timeline of the crime, but Lt. Jeff Hattersley of the Grants Pass Police Department said in an interview on Friday that investigators believe the woman, whose name has not been released, was kidnapped sometime between Monday, when she was last seen by a friend, and Tuesday evening, when she was found and taken to a hospital.

On Friday afternoon, the woman was still hospitalized in critical but stable condition, the police said.
The new evidence underscored the spontaneous nature of the attack. In the police interview, Mr. DePape said he had been looking for Ms. Pelosi, a political figure who for decades has been demonized and dehumanized by Republicans, and that he planned to kidnap her, break her kneecaps and see her wheeled into Congress. Ms. Pelosi was not home the night of the attack.

In a brief, emotional statement to reporters at the Capitol on Friday, Ms. Pelosi said she did not plan to view or listen to any of the footage released publicly and would not be commenting about the incident or the case again.

I have absolutely no intention of seeing the deadly assault on my husbands life, Ms. Pelosi said. I wont be making any more statements about this case as it proceeds, except to again thank people and inform them of Pauls progress.

When asked how he was doing, Ms. Pelosi said simply that he was coming along.

Alongside the release of a 911 call Mr. Pelosi placed while the intruder was in the house and an interview the suspect gave in which he said he was looking for Ms. Pelosi, the material now in the public realm provides an almost complete picture of what happened during the attack and the political motivations of the attacker.

In the 911 call, Mr. Pelosi can be heard speaking calmly and choosing his words carefully, as he tries to convey to a police dispatcher that he is in danger without directly saying anything to anger the intruder, who is apparently listening in.
Experts in police training who reviewed videos released on Friday of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis said they believed there was no justification for the actions of the police officers involved, who have been charged with crimes including second-degree murder in his death.

The footage, which amounts to almost an hour from both police body cameras and street cameras, shows officers beating, kicking and using a baton against Mr. Nichols after he fled a traffic stop.

In my career, Ive never seen  I mean, you see it in the movies  but Ive never seen an individual deliberately being propped up to be beaten, said Ed Obayashi, a police training expert and lawyer who conducts use-of-force investigations for state law enforcement across the country.

To me, thats worse than Rodney King, added Mr. Obayashi, who is also a deputy sheriff and policy adviser in the Plumas County Sheriffs Office in California.

In police training, it is emphasized repeatedly to officers that they need to be aware of their physical surroundings, Mr. Obayashi said, but the same stress should be placed on awareness of their own emotions. If officers tempers run high, he said, they are bound to make mistakes.

In the Nichols confrontation, it is possible the officers felt disrespected when their directions werent followed, he said.

This appears to be a case of classic contempt of cop, he said, for them to catch up with him later and then exact their revenge on the poor individual.

Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, an organization of current and former law enforcement officials that studies the improvement of policing, said the officers behavior also fell short in other ways.

In modern policing, officers are usually trained to communicate clearly to an individual and respond proportionally to their actions, he said. These officers did neither, he said.

The beating is the definition of excessive force, Mr. Wexler said. In his view, Mr. Nichols did not present a danger that matched the force the officers used, beyond appearing to not want to be arrested.

Even when Mr. Nichols was lying on the ground, none of the officers attempted to help him, which Mr. Wexler said was a violation of their duty to render aid.

This person was not treated as a human being, he said.
LOS ANGELES  Video images of Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols have drawn comparisons to shocking footage of a watershed episode more than three decades ago, in which a group of officers repeatedly struck a Black motorist as he lay on the street.

It is going to remind many people of Rodney King, Ben Crump, a lawyer for Mr. Nicholss family, told ABC News on Thursday, referring to the 1991 beating of Mr. King by Los Angeles Police Department officers.

Videos released on Friday showed a disturbing sequence in which Memphis officers on Jan. 7 repeatedly struck Mr. Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who police said ran away after he was pulled over on suspicion of reckless driving. As two officers held Mr. Nichols, a third officer appeared to kick him in the head. Shortly after, an officer beat him with a baton. Later, an officer punched Mr. Nichols at least five times while another officer held Mr. Nicholss hands behind his back.

In the 1991 encounter, Mr. King was pulled over by Los Angeles police officers after driving about 100 miles per hour. He attempted to escape on foot, but officers caught him and violently struck him with batons, used Tasers on him and kicked him in an encounter that was captured by a neighbor who happened to have a new camcorder. The episode quickly made its way to a local TV station and was then broadcast around the world, jarring viewers in an era before police body camera footage and cellphone video became common.

Unlike Mr. Nichols, Mr. King survived his beating. Bearing scars and a limp, he became a reluctant cultural figure. He drowned in a backyard pool in 2012, at the age of 47.

Mr. Crump and the Memphis police chief, Cerelyn Davis, made comparisons this week between the beatings of Mr. King and Mr. Nichols, with videos of both showing graphic footage of multiple officers repeatedly striking Black men.

The comparisons are apt in some ways, experts on racial justice in Los Angeles said on Friday. But they said the differences in the cases reflect how the nation has changed over three decades.

I dont know if theres a comparison as much as theres a continuum, said Todd Boyd, chair for the study of race and popular culture at the University of Southern Californias School of Cinematic Arts.

For many Americans in California and beyond, the footage of Mr. Kings beating exposed for the first time the kinds of routine abuses suffered by communities of color at the hands of law enforcement officers. Rodney King is in many ways the first chapter, Dr. Boyd said.

The officers who attacked Mr. King were acquitted the next year in state court by a mostly white jury, which touched off deadly riots that first devastated and ultimately reshaped Los Angeles.

Five officers in the Memphis case were fired 13 days after the confrontation with Mr. Nichols. They were arrested six days after that and charged with second-degree murder. All of the officers are Black.

In the years since Mr. Kings beating, the rise of cellphone video and body-worn cameras have made it possible for Americans to see a grim procession of police shootings, beatings and chokings. Black people have died at a disproportionately high rate in police killings, which have spurred protests in cities across the nation. It was a bystander video of an officer kneeling on the neck of George Floyd, who was pronounced dead at a hospital, that sparked a nationwide uprising in 2020.

It's unfortunate this has happened so many times that we have the option of picking what to compare it to, Dr. Boyd said.

Dr. Boyd noted that in the case of Mr. Nichols, there are two significant differences from Mr. Kings beating: First, all of the officers charged with murdering Mr. Nichols are Black, while none of the officers in the attack on Mr. King were. And, second, there is the speed with which the Memphis officers were fired and charged with murder.

Taken together, Dr. Boyd said it might suggest that officials are quicker to prosecute police officers who arent white. But, he said, it could suggest that weve learned from these previous incidents.

Melina Abdullah, a professor of Pan-African studies at California State University, Los Angeles, and a co-founder of the citys chapter of Black Lives Matter, said she believed it was the latter.

Weve done a good job amplifying whats happening, giving light to whats happening, and organizing a response, Dr. Abdullah said. She said she saw the relatively swift charges for the Memphis officers as a sign that the names of Black people who have died following encounters with police have become more than a hashtag.

Still, Dr. Abdullah and other experts emphasized that the similarities between Mr. Nicholss death and a beating caught on camera more than 30 years ago demonstrated fundamental realities about policing and racial inequity that have persisted.

After watching the video, she said: It didnt feel just like Rodney King to me. It felt like when you see photos of enslaved people being beaten by overseers.

Brenda Stevenson, a history professor at Oxford University and the University of California, Los Angeles, who has studied the 1992 riots, said that the system itself had not changed enough.

Dr. Stevenson recalled moving to Los Angeles from Virginia in January of 1991, just two months before Mr. King was beaten.

She thought she was heading to a city much more diverse and progressive than those she had experienced in the South. But as she watched the footage of Mr. Kings beating, she realized her new home wasnt so different.

Everywhere in the country, both then and now, Dr. Stevenson said, Black lives are not valued as much as those of other Americans  and that devaluation is perpetuated across society, including by police officers who are themselves Black.

Its a racialized issue  its also an issue of violence, she said. The lack of respect for human life: Thats a broader problem.

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs contributed reporting from Memphis.
Officers outside of the Walter L. Bailey, Jr. Criminal Justice Center in Memphis on Friday. The police were bracing for protests.

The story of policing in Memphis has often mirrored in miniature the story of policing across America over the last decade.

In 2015, an officer shot and killed a 19-year old Black man after a traffic stop. The following year, Black Lives Matter protesters occupied a major bridge over the Mississippi River, leading to an impasse that the police chief helped break by linking arms with the protesters. The next year, the police squared off with protesters seeking the removal of statues of Confederate generals. And in 2018, the Memphis Police Department was found to have been spying on activists.

Yet after all those conflicts, the city had largely kept tensions from spilling onto the national stage.

There were several reasons for this. Its police force was less wedded to stop-and-frisk tactics than the New York Police Department, or to pretextual traffic stops than the police in Ferguson, Mo. Memphis, a predominately Black city, has a long tradition of Black police chiefs. And in a city with one of the highest homicide rates in the nation, the police have a deep reservoir of support.

But Memphis is now the flash point in the countrys ongoing saga over policing, after five police officers were charged with beating to death a man who had tried to run away from them. Police footage of the fatal beating  described by the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation as absolutely appalling  was released Friday evening. The city was bracing for protests.

The man who died after being beaten by the officers, Tyre Nichols, was reed-thin and 29 years old. He worked at FedEx, had a 4-year-old son and still skateboarded when he could. On Jan. 7, Mr. Nichols ran from the police after being pulled over for a traffic stop. While it is not uncommon, following a chase, for officers to punch or kick someone after catching them, the violence that ensued once officers caught Mr. Nichols was so shocking that Memphians said one needed to reach back to 1971 to find a parallel.

Mr. Nichols called out for his mother in what are believed to be his final words.

Image Clockwise from top left: Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr. and Emmitt Martin III. Credit... Memphis Police Department

The five officers, who were indicted on second-degree murder charges Thursday, had been assigned to a new unit with an acronym that emphasizes subdual: Scorpion. It stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods.

Commissioned in late 2021, the roughly 40-person unit was modeled after the aggressive anti-crime squads that in many big cities patrol neighborhoods deemed to be high-crime in unmarked cars, on the lookout for gang members or any sign of criminal activity. Such units typically rely heavily on car stops and stop-and-frisk tactics. In Memphis, city officials were eager to tout the unit, claiming it was racking up arrests. The very day after Mr. Nichols died as a result of his injuries, the mayor publicly credited Scorpion with helping bring about a slight drop in the citys homicide rate in 2022.

But with Mr. Nicholss death, it has already come at a cost, said Earle Fisher, a Memphis pastor and community activist who was among those caught up in the earlier surveillance by the Memphis police.

The mayor and police director put that unit together in the fall of 2021, and you dont even have a year-and-a-half go by before theres at least one dead body, Mr. Fisher said.

The fact that five officers stand accused, he said, meant that the incident reflected the culture of policing within the unit.

This doesnt fall in the bad apples category, he said. If two is company, and three is a crowd, then five is a system and a structure.

Little has yet emerged about the five officers. One of them, Desmond Mills, went to high school in Connecticut and played football at West Virginia State University, according to news reports.

Another, Demetrius Haley, appears to have been a correctional officer before joining the police force.

In 2016, a lawsuit by an inmate at the Shelby County Division of Corrections claims that three guards, including one by the name Demetrius Haley, had beaten him up. The inmate, Cordarlrius Sledge, told NBC News that he had been trying to hide a contraband phone in the moments before officers strip-searched him. Two officers, including Mr. Haley, began punching Mr. Sledge and a third officer picked him up and slammed him down, according to the handwritten complaint Mr. Sledge filed in federal court. As he came down, Mr. Sledges head hit the sink and he was knocked unconscious, Mr. Sledge claimed. The guards denied hurting Mr. Sledge in a brief answer filed in court.

The lawsuit was later dismissed on procedural grounds.

Image A vigil was held on Thursday at Tobey Park in Memphis in honor of Tyre Nichols. Credit... Brad J. Vest for The New York Times

By Friday, the five ex-officers in Memphis  they were fired following Mr. Nicholss death  had been released on bail from Shelby County jail within a day of being booked.

Mr. Fisher, the pastor, noted what many Memphians have been discussing in recent days: All five of the officers charged in Mr. Nichols death are Black. To Mr. Fisher, the race of the officers was only evidence that the entire system of policing needed drastic reform. All are indoctrinated one way or another, he said.

But it was a shocking fact to others in the city.

Here you have five African American men who know the plight of African American men, Jopie Merriweather, 57, said during a midafternoon coffee break. She has lived in Memphis her whole life and described the killing as shocking, in part because the communitys relationship with the police department is not as bad as it is in other cities. How dare you do that to one of your own? she said.

Others expressed surprise that their police force was now at the center of the national reckoning over race and policing. To find another incident with clear parallels, a number of civic leaders and pastors cited a 1971 case: law enforcement officers, all but one of them white, were involved in the fatal beating of a Black teenager in a ditch following a car chase. The killing set off days of protests and clashes.

That occurred some two generations ago, some three years after the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated as he stood on a motel balcony in Memphis.

And many civic figures said they thought the police were doing a relatively decent job of navigating the tumult of the last decade, and were slowly making necessary changes.

For the last few years, weve been quite quiet, and dormant, and proud of the fact that we havent had any serious situations, said Pastor Bill Adkins of the Greater Imani Church, and a member of a recent mayor-appointed panel on reimagining policing to help push forward the changes. When it came to relations between the community and police, he said, wed been doing pretty well in Memphis in recent years.

Dr. Adkins noted that the Police Department had in the last two years instituted a number of reforms, ranging from a ban on chokeholds to de-escalation training. We got all these things instituted and were satisfied that had been done, he said. This comes as a huge shock to us that these five would perpetrate this.

Van D. Turner, Jr., a mayoral candidate and former Shelby County commissioner who is president of Memphiss N.A.A.C.P. branch, said he believes the city had navigated police-community relations better than many places in the years following the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson and George Floyds murder in Minneapolis. He noted that the majority of the nearly 2,000-strong force is Black, as is the citys population. It hadnt been really bad, he said of police-community relations. Obviously this  Mr. Nicholss death  is a strain on the relationship and I think this is something that can be healed and get better over time.

The five officers charged with Mr. Nicholss murder had all been hired in recent years  between 2017 and 2020.

When the city scaled back the pension plan for the police in the middle of the last decade, officers left in droves. Mark LeSure, a former Memphis police sergeant who retired in 2021, said pay cuts and other bureaucratic issues had driven many of the forces veterans into retirement, leaving the ranks to be filled with inexperienced officers. Officers landed in specialized outfits, like the Scorpion unit, far earlier in their careers than had been typical in the past.

Adding to the potential peril is the nature of a specialized team like the Scorpion unit. It was launched after Mr. LeSure had left the force, but he had been told by former colleagues that it had a mandate to aggressively go after suspected criminals, and its members were supposed to be on the streets, doing what they could to make arrests.

Human beings man, thats what happened. They let their emotions get the best of them, and there was no veteran officer there to stop them, Mr. LeSure said in a telephone interview. Usually when vets are there, things go differently because we have that experience to say, I understand youre mad but you got to stop, you cant do this, it isnt right.

Steve Eder and Mark Walker contributed reporting. Julie Tate contributed research.
MEMPHIS  The police officers kicked Tyre Nichols in the head, pepper-sprayed him and hit him repeatedly with a baton, even as he showed no signs of fighting back. At one point, after Mr. Nichols stood up, one officer struck him with at least five forceful blows while another held Mr. Nicholss hands behind his back.

Soon, Mr. Nichols, 29, was on the ground  not far from the home he shared with his mother and stepfather  crying out in anguish: Mom, Mom, Mom.

Officials in Memphis released roughly an hour of video on Friday that captured how a traffic stop involving Mr. Nichols on Jan. 7 turned deadly during a second encounter after he fled on foot. The video, which was posted online in four segments just before 6 p.m., provided a degree of long-awaited clarity for the many people in Memphis and around the country who have demanded to know what happened. Yet it also failed to answer essential questions, including why the police pulled over Mr. Nichols, who was Black, to begin with.

The video was shared a day after five officers, all of them also Black, were charged with second-degree murder in connection with Mr. Nicholss death. Soon after he died in a hospital three days after the beating, city officials promised to share the footage with the public as a measure of transparency in a case that has unsettled and angered much of the community and the nation.
A child asleep on a couch floating in the water. Two thousand passengers trapped in a flooded airport. Hundreds of people evacuated from their homes.

The morning after the worst downpour since record-keeping began for Auckland, New Zealands largest city, residents were grappling with the scale of the damage after flash flooding swept through on Friday night.

Late Saturday morning, Chris Hipkins, New Zealands new prime minister, flew over the city in the cockpit of a military plane from Wellington, the capital, to assess the damage from the air. An earlier departure had been delayed by bad weather.

Three people have been found dead, the police said, and at least one has been reported missing. The emergency services responded to more than 700 weather-related incidents, the authorities said, amid a record number of more than 2,000 calls in less than 24 hours. The city received almost 240 millimeters of rain  almost 10 inches  of rainfall in just a few hours, according to the MetService, the countrys national weather service.
Taiwanese tanks take part in a drill (AP)

A four-star US general has predicted the country will be at war with China within the next two years.

General Mike Minihan, who heads the US Air Forces Air Mobility Command wrote in a letter to fellow officers: I hope I am wrong.

My gut tells me will fight in 2025.

The generals views show concern at the highest levels of the U.S. military over a possible attempt by China to exert control over Taiwan, which China claims as a territory.

A couple takes a selfie picture with Taipei 101 building in the background from the Bidhanyen Taoist Temple in Taipei to mark the lunar new year (AFP via Getty Images)

Both the United States and Taiwan will hold presidential elections in 2024, potentially creating an opportunity for China to take military action, Minihan wrote.

These comments are not representative of the departments view on China, a U.S. defense official said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier this month he seriously doubted ramped up Chinese military activities near the Taiwan Strait were a sign of an imminent invasion of the island by Beijing.

China has stepped up its diplomatic, military and economic pressure in recent years on the self-governed island to accept Beijings rule. Taiwans government says it wants peace but will defend itself if attacked.

Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said in a statement that military competition with China is a central challenge.

Our focus remains on working alongside allies and partners to preserve a peaceful, free and open Indo-Pacific, he said.

Modern-day Taiwan, which is home to around 24 million people, traces its beginnings back to 1949 when the remnants of the government and army of the Chinese Republic fled to the island after being defeated by communist forces in the civil war.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen (AP)

Just this week, President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan told Pope Francis 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.

Story continues

She told the pope 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.
A Moscow court abolished one of Russias oldest rights groups. Russian prosecutors banned the work of a group of journalists in exile, labeling it an undesirable organization.

And on Friday, President Vladimir V. Putin used the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day to restate false claims justifying the invasion of Ukraine, as his government used the levers of the state to stifle independent voices and control how Russians see the war.

The Kremlins renewed push this week to quash dissent comes as the war nears the end of its first year, with Western officials estimating more than 100,000 casualties on each side. Russia and Ukraine are locked in a grinding battle of attrition in eastern Ukraine, trying to reconstitute their forces ahead of the spring, when each is likely to attempt a significant offensive.

Russian shelling killed at least eight civilians over 24 hours in eastern Ukraine, the site of the most intense fighting in recent months, Ukrainian officials said on Friday.
In October 2019, more than a million Chileans took to the streets in what became the countrys biggest ever protest. Few things united them: Some demanded better education, others greater Indigenous rights. They had no leaders or symbols.

But as the dust settled, one image slowly emerged as a prominent emblem. A mural in downtown Santiago depicted an elderly woman dressed in black combat boots, faded jeans and a T-shirt with lyrics from a punk rock band. Her neck was wrapped in a green handkerchief, the signature of Latin American abortion-rights activists. In her left hand she held a blacked-out national flag; in her right, an open book.

The woman is Gabriela Mistral, a Chilean poet, educator and diplomat, who was the first Latin American to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1945. Long depicted in fusty garb and known for writing poems about children, Mistral is being reclaimed by a new generation of feminist and L.G.B.T. activists as an anti-establishment icon  and igniting a debate about how we appropriate literary figures from the past.

My instinct told me that Gabriela was a good figure to accompany this whole cause, said Fab Ciraolo, the artist who painted the mural. For women, gay rights, rights for the poor  she touches all those issues.
At first, Judge Scott Cupp was a resolute, hard-core, you-gotta-be-joking skeptic. During his years as a defense lawyer, he had heard from dozens of inmates who swore they had been wrongly convicted, and he never believed a single one. So in 2002, when he learned about a guy named Leo Schofield, who by then had already served 13 years of a life sentence for murdering his wife, he didnt need to hear the details.

I thought if this guys innocent, Im the Queen of Sheba, he said in a recent interview.

For the record, Judge Cupp looks nothing like any depictions of the Queen of Sheba. At 66, he has gray hair and a fluffy gray beard that gives him the appearance of a trimmed-down Santa Claus, and when agitated he lets fly curse words not found in the Bible. (I can get a little saucy, so you can edit some of this, right?)

But today it is not enough to say Judge Cupp merely believes Leo Schofield is innocent; he considers Mr. Schofields imprisonment a grotesque mistake. Anyone wondering how Judge Cupp made the journey from total doubter to ardent crusader should seek out Bone Valley, a nine-part podcast released last year, which recounts Mr. Schofields story in harrowing, infuriating detail. The show is part of the true-crime podcast bonanza, fueled by the very human urge for stories in which sanity and justice ultimately prevail.

Here comes a spoiler: Bone Valley is not that kind of story. Mr. Schofield is still in prison. Which so irritates Judge Cupp that freeing him will soon become his full-time and unpaid job. In a move that is certain to confound more than a few colleagues, Judge Cupp will resign his seat on the 20th Judicial Circuit Court in Charlotte County, Fla.  he has been a judge since 2014  and dedicate all of his working days to springing Mr. Schofield from behind bars.
To sound the alarm to others, Ms. Cianci held conference calls, often with a lawyer present. As concerns spread, in May a group of Little Gym franchisees formed the Happy Handstands Franchisee Association, which ultimately reached more than 90 percent participation from across the system. Ms. Cianci was elected president. The company started sending warning notices to franchisees who hadnt signed the new agreements.

On May 19, 2022, Happy Handstands lawyers sent Unleashed a cease-and-desist letter on behalf of the membership. The very next evening, an email popped up saying Ms. Ciancis franchise had been terminated. When she tried to check it, her email account was gone, too. Unleashed said the company didnt know she was the associations president when they decided to terminate her. Ms. Cianci said it was widely known across the system and mentioned in a Facebook group visible to lower-level corporate executives.

To save her business, Ms. Cianci went before an arbitrator and filed for a preliminary injunction decrying the termination as retaliatory; the arbitrator ruled that she hadnt cleared the high legal bar necessary to stop the process. After that, she started tearing down all her Little Gym branding and adapting her curriculum so as not to violate the companys trademarks. She paused when Unleasheds lawyers wanted to discuss a settlement, which she said she rejected over its harsh terms. When they demanded she finish the process of de-identifying as a Little Gym immediately, she had difficulty getting started again because she had surgery on a broken foot.

In June and July, the company sent undercover shoppers, including one who was a licensed private investigator, who posed as parents and asked Ms. Ciancis employees what kinds of lessons they offered and whether they overlapped with The Little Gyms programming. In early July, Unleashed, with the help of outside counsel DLA Piper, sued her in the superior court of Arizona for Maricopa County, where The Little Gym is based. The company accused her of failing to eliminate all branding fast enough, offering declarations from the investigators as evidence  the color scheme looked the same, for example, and a Wi-Fi network was still TheLittleGym, password SeriousFun.

Soon after, the companys lawyers also visited her landlord in Frederick, which Unleashed said was part of a standard process to inquire as to the status of the lease. According to Ms. Ciancis notes from her subsequent conversation with the landlord, the lawyers told him that she was in legal trouble and wouldnt be able to keep paying rent.
The United States imposed strict controls in October on the sale to China of both semiconductors and the machines used to make them, arguing that Beijing could use the technology for military purposes, like breaking American codes or guiding hypersonic missiles. But well before those restrictions were issued, the United States had been pressing the Netherlands and Japan to further limit the advanced technology they export to China.

The October rules also clamped down on certain shipments to China from countries outside the United States. Using a novel regulation called the foreign direct product rule, the Biden administration barred companies that use American technology, software or inputs from selling certain advanced semiconductors to China. But these measures applied only to chips, not the machinery used to make them.

Instead, the White House continued to press allies to pass restrictions limiting the sales of semiconductor manufacturing equipment by firms like the Dutch company ASML or Tokyo Electron in Japan. The White House argued that the sale of this advanced machinery to China created the danger that Beijing could one day make its own versions of the advanced products it could no longer buy from the United States.

The negotiations, which are likely to continue, have had to overcome both commercial and logistical concerns. Like the Americans, the Dutch and Japanese were concerned that if they pulled out of the Chinese market, foreign competitors would take their place, said Emily Benson, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank. Over time, that could impact their ability to maintain a technological edge over competitors, she said.

The Dutch government has already forbidden sales of its most advanced semiconductor machinery, called extreme ultraviolet lithography systems, to China. But the United States has encouraged the Dutch to also limit a slightly less advanced system, called deep ultraviolet lithography. The deal reached Friday includes at least some restrictions on that equipment, according to one person familiar with its terms.
In 2016, a blockbuster drug called Humira was poised to become a lot less valuable.

The key patent on the best-selling anti-inflammatory medication, used to treat conditions like arthritis, was expiring at the end of the year. Regulators had blessed a rival version of the drug, and more copycats were close behind. The onset of competition seemed likely to push down the medications $50,000-a-year list price.

Instead, the opposite happened.

Through its savvy but legal exploitation of the U.S. patent system, Humiras manufacturer, AbbVie, blocked competitors from entering the market. For the next six years, the drugs price kept rising. Today, Humira is the most lucrative franchise in pharmaceutical history.

Next week, the curtain is expected to come down on a monopoly that has generated $114 billion in revenue for AbbVie just since the end of 2016. The knockoff drug that regulators authorized more than six years ago, Amgens Amjevita, will come to market in the United States, and as many as nine more Humira competitors will follow this year from pharmaceutical giants including Pfizer. Prices are likely to tumble.

The reason that it has taken so long to get to this point is a case study in how drug companies artificially prop up prices on their best-selling drugs.
Jeff Foulk spent four years creating his version of the perfect boating app.

By his own estimation, he spends 80 to 100 percent of his time retooling and reimagining the GPS app, Argo Navigation. He made it easy to use. He color-coded routes based on depth. He added a social networking aspect that would recommend restaurants and connect boaters with each other.

Mr. Foulk, who calls himself Captain Jeff, loves his app so much, he even has a shirt that reads, Warning: I will tell you about my app.

So when Mr. Foulks daughter, Megan, tagged along to a boat show in Chicago in January and saw that some attendees were bypassing her fathers booth as he tried to tell them about Argo, she decided to turn to one of the apps on her phone: TikTok.

As any 20-year-old would do, she pulled out her phone and started recording as one person after another walked by her forlorn father, ignoring his offers of brochures. She added a wistful, instrumental version of the Wiz Khalifa song See You Again and put it out to her TikTok followers.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation tried to recruit Oleg V. Deripaska, a Russian billionaire, as an informant around 2014, hoping he might shed light on organized crime and, later, possible interference in the presidential election.

A decade later, Mr. Deripaska may have turned the tables on the F.B.I.: Prosecutors say the oligarch recruited one of the bureaus top spy catchers, just as he entered retirement, to carry out work that they say violated U.S. sanctions.

The charges unsealed this week against Charles McGonigal  who ran the counterintelligence unit at the bureaus New York field office and investigated Russian oligarchs, including Mr. Deripaska, according to the indictment  showed the extent of the oligarchs reach into the highest levels of U.S. power.

There is no indication in the Manhattan indictment that Mr. McGonigal was working for Mr. Deripaska while still employed by the F.B.I. Still, the case  and a parallel indictment in Washington that charged Mr. McGonigal with receiving at least $225,000 in secret payments from a former employee of an Albanian intelligence service while still at the agency  has raised questions about how compromised he may have been.
This article is part of Overlooked, a series of obituaries about remarkable people whose deaths, beginning in 1851, went unreported in The Times.

Beginning in the 1940s, the pilot Mary Barr took almost any opportunity to get herself off the ground. She worked as a mechanic, gave flying lessons and even transported prisoners.

She ultimately eloped with a fellow pilot, and in 1952 she flew their newborn daughter home  solo.

She said that pilots were the rock stars when she was growing up, that daughter, Nevada Barr, said by phone. And, she added, her mother wanted to be a rock star.

Above all, Mary Barr is known for fighting wildfires as the first woman lead pilot for the United States Forest Service, which required adamantine nerves, impeccable judgment and so much skill in the cockpit that flying became second nature, almost like walking. The job was one of the most demanding in the sky, and she was a natural.
I was at my parents home on Staten Island for Lunar New Year when the calls and texts began to come in  not customary well wishes for good fortune, but terrible news of a mass shooting that had taken place in Monterey Park, the cultural hub of the Los Angeles branch of the Taiwanese American community and home to many of our friends and relatives. The hollow fear in the voices of these callers was familiar to me. It echoed the way people we loved spoke in May of last year, when a different gunman had opened fire on a Taiwanese American church congregation in Laguna Woods, a senior community that my parents had considered moving to until the pandemic froze them in place.

Before we even had a chance to fully register what had happened  as we were still scouring the internet in dread-filled attempts to learn the names of victims  news broke of yet another mass shooting with Asian victims, this time in Northern Californias placid Half Moon Bay, which had ended the lives of seven farm workers, most of them Chinese immigrants. My parents and I grimly watched as news anchors paused to clarify whether their updates were for the Northern or the Southern California Asian shootings. One should never cry on Lunar New Year, because doing so invites tragedy into the household, but faced with tragedy on day one, that is what we did.

It isnt as if Asian Americans are strangers to this nations plague of gun violence. We were targeted, for instance, in 2012, when Wade Michael Page, a white supremacist, shot worshipers at a Sikh gurdwara in Oak Creek, Wis., killing six and wounding four others. In 2021, Robert Aaron Long opened fire on a series of Asian-owned spas and massage parlors near Atlanta. There have also been Asian mass shooters: Wayne Lo, the gunman who shot six and killed two at Bard College at Simons Rock in 1992. Seung-Hui Cho, perpetrator of the horrific Virginia Tech massacre in 2007, the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Elliot Rodger, whose 2014 attack on students near the University of California, Santa Barbara, left 14 wounded and six dead.

But the three most recent attacks hit differently. The accused Laguna Woods killer, 68-year-old David Chou; the accused Monterey Park shooter, 72-year-old Huu Can Tran; and the accused Half Moon Bay gunman, 66-year-old Zhao Chunli were all Asians targeting other Asians. And chillingly, they were all older men, foreign born, but longtime residents of their new nation. Together, they put a new face on mass murder, one that shocked many of us precisely because of its lined and weathered familiarity  one that could easily have belonged to our uncles, our fathers, our grandfathers.
A new liquor store opened in Port Byron, which is a noteworthy occasion, as it is the first such store in decades. I thought it might be fun to take a look at the history of liquor stores and their owners, and hopefully to stir a few memories for some. But before we go there, let's take a look at the history of liquor sales in the town.

Prior to the adoption of the 18th Amendment, which made the sale of liquor illegal in 1920, the battle over the sale of booze was at the town level. Every two years the voters were asked to vote on four questions under the liquor tax law. They were:

1. Can liquor be sold in a bar or tavern?

2. Can liquor be sold in a store?

3. Can liquor be sold in a pharmacy, or be prescribed by a doctor?

4) Can liquor be sold in a hotel?

The voters could vote yes, no or a mix, and often it was decided that saloons were to be banned, but hotels, with their traveling guests, were OK and good for commerce.

If you were for liquor, you were called a "wet." Those opposed were the "dries." The local paper ran a temperance column put out by the Womans Christian Temperance Union where the dangers of drink were outlined each week. In 1907, Mentz went partly dry and in 1909, the town was completely dry. If you wished to find a drink, your options were found at a tavern or store in Montezuma, Conquest, Aurelius or Owasco, and Auburn. It was no surprise that Anderson Brothers Wine and Liquor of Auburn was a frequent advertiser in the local Chronicle. The rest of the county had gone dry. The passage of the 18th Amendment simply extended the prohibition of liquor sales through the 1920s and into the 30s.

In early 1933, President Roosevelt signed the Volstead Act, which allowed the sale of low-alcohol beers and wines. Then, with the passage of the 21st Amendment in November 1933, which repealed the 18th Amendment, the county was once again wet. However the fight was not over. If the dries in a town could muster enough signatures on a petition, the question of liquor sales would be once again put to the voters, regardless of the 21st Amendment. So in 1935, the voters of Sterling and Mentz were on the vanguard of the new movement to reinstate local prohibition. And the question of sales was much like the earlier votes, with options asking if liquor could be sold in bars and taverns, in stores and/or by hotel owners only. The Chronicle reported that the town had one of its largest off-season votes in history, with over 800 people turning out to let their voices be heard. In the end, the wets of Mentz carried the day, while Sterling turned dry.

With the sale of liquor legal, the village soon had a liquor store. And it appears that one store was sold and resold. William Sedor appears to have been the first owner. He then sold the store to Margaret Van Buskirk in 1941 as he got ready to enlist in the Army. I dont know how long she kept the store open, as there is an article that says that the store was closed during the war years.

After the war, Anthony Catalfano is shown as the owner, and he signed his ads with the note that he was an ex-serviceman. Anthony attempted to sell the store to J.R. Walters, the owner of the IGA market; however, the sale was denied as the stores license was only for a veteran and couldnt be sold for two years. So Catalfano kept the store for a few more years. Edward and Mary Delaney purchased the store in October 1950 and they began the longest period of ownership. After Edward died in 1965, Mary kept the store going and then sold the business to Winford and Pearl Longyear in 1974. They sold it to Anna Strapach in 1977.

Then the paper trail gets a bit hazy. Mark Emerson says that he ran the store from 1985 to 1988, and that he sold it to another couple who ran it for about three years. That may have been the last of the store. So far I have yet to find any photographs of the store.
To the Editor:

Re A.I. Is Doing Homework. Can It Be Outsmarted? (front page, Jan. 17):

This technology could become a boon to learning. It makes cheating easier, too.

I teach philosophy and religious studies at a liberal arts college. This is what I tell students:

Im here for you after nine years of graduate study and 35 years of teaching. All my learning is available to you, along with my personal attention and help. But I have zero training  and less interest  in hunting down or trying to defeat academic dishonesty.

I will help you encounter interesting, challenging, sometimes difficult ideas, and I will help you ponder them rigorously with your classmates. It will expand and strengthen your mind, and thereby enlarge your potential as a human being. In the process you will earn my respect and  what is more important  you will respect yourself.

Or, you can choose to cheat to get a grade you did not earn. That door is open for you, if thats the person you want to be. Its your education, paid for with your, or someone elses, money. Ultimately, the person you will have cheated is yourself.

Robert J. Miller

Huntingdon, Pa.

The writer is a professor at Juniata College.

To the Editor:

Writing is a skill: It takes years to become an effective writer and many more to develop deep thought and personal style. In high school, I took a number of English and history exams, but none taught me more than the traditional essay assignment. With the time to probe deeply into my thinking and carefully unearth evidence, I discovered all sorts of worlds beyond the explicit nature of texts, and I had the opportunity to explain them fully while finding my voice.
Its 2019, and the 27-year-old poet and mental health activist Tonya Ingram is looking for a kidney on Instagram. Her best option is to compel someone to agree to a living donation. Where Tonya lives in California, the wait for a kidney from a deceased donor is up to 10 years. Tonya, like many on dialysis to treat kidney failure, knows the odds of her surviving the wait are slim; the median survival time for patients on dialysis is five years.

I first met Tonya after seeing her post on Instagram seeking a donor. At the time, I was a video producer for New York Times Opinion working on a story about the failures of the organ recovery system and how patients were resorting to do-it-yourself tactics to find organs in time to save their own lives. Tonya appeared in my video illustrating the problem. Everyday Americans are doing their part, signing up to be organ donors, but the organizations in charge of organ recovery (known as organ procurement organizations, or O.P.O.s) have been plagued with inefficiencies and abuses, and the contractor that runs the national system  the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)  has been failing to oversee them.

The organ procurement system is made up of 56 organizations, each with a monopoly in its jurisdiction. When someone dies and can donate an organ, O.P.O.s are supposed to go to the hospital, talk to the persons family and manage the process of transporting donated organs to those in need, but all too often they have failed to show up  literally. The most recent government data from 2020 shows that most are underperforming or failing, and some O.P.O.s have reported inaccurate data to cover it up. According to a study updated in 2019, O.P.O.s failed to recover around 28,000 organs a year, viable organs that could have gone to some of the roughly 100,000 people waiting for them.

Tonya asked the government to hold these organizations accountable, and naively, we thought it would be that simple. Our efforts would surely get Tonya a kidney.
A woman in Oregon was awarded $1 million in damages this week after a jury found that she was discriminated against when a gas station attendant told her he didnt serve Black people.

The decision by the jury in Multnomah County, which came after a four-day civil trial, included $550,000 in punitive damages.

Greg Kafoury, a lawyer for Rose Wakefield, the plaintiff, said his client felt vindicated and was looking forward to putting this case behind her.

This company deserved to be publicly humiliated just as they had publicly humiliated my client by calling her a liar in court for four days when she had been telling the truth, Mr. Kafoury said in an interview on Saturday.
Black leadership is no guarantee that law enforcement will have credibility with the communities they serve. The former police chief of Minneapolis, Medaria Arradondo, who is Black, had criticized his own department over racism and vowed to change it, yet he presided over the department during the murder of George Floyd at the hands of his officers. He fired the officers but could not quell the outbreak of mass protests and the departments deep rift with the community.

White officers historically dont get prosecuted as much as Black officers, said Sarnie A. Randle Jr., a lawyer in Houston who has handled police abuse cases for decades. Those are just the facts. Until we see all officers treated equally, I fear were going to be here for generations to come.

Ms. Sherman, the activist working with the Nichols family, supports the prosecution of the officers. But, she says, it is also another way that she sees racism at work.

At the end of the day, the city and the Police Department reminded them that they are Black men, Ms. Sherman said, and they will treat them less than, just like they treated Tyre, and make sure they fire them immediately and prosecute them.

In downtown Memphis on Friday, Darell Johnson, a contractor, was using a drill to attach plywood to the windows of a loan agency building in case protests took a destructive turn, but by late Friday night they had ended peacefully. Mr. Johnson, 44, who is Black and has lived in Memphis for two decades, said that he was more focused on the tragedy of Mr. Nicholss death than the fact that the five charged officers were Black.

The color doesnt matter, Mr. Johnson said. Its just that you had officers taking a guys life.

Robert Chiarito , Douglas Morino , Mitch Smith , Vik Jolly , Jessica Jaglois , Rick Rojas , Remy Tumin , Michael D. Regan , Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Wesley Parnell contributed reporting.
In September, former President Donald J. Trump went on Truth Social, his social network, and shared an image of himself wearing a lapel pin in the form of the letter Q, along with a phrase closely associated with the QAnon conspiracy theory movement: The storm is coming.

In doing so, Mr. Trump ensured that the message  first posted by a QAnon-aligned account  would be hugely amplified, visible to his more than four million followers. He was also delivering what amounted to an unmistakable endorsement of the movement, which falsely and violently claims that leading Democrats are baby-eating devil worshipers.

Even as the parent company of Facebook and Instagram announced this past week that Mr. Trump would be reinstated  a move that followed the lifting of his ban from Twitter, though he has not yet returned  there is no sign that he has curtailed his behavior or stopped spreading the kinds of messages that got him exiled in the first place.

In fact, two years after he was banished from most mainstream social media sites for his role in inciting the Capitol riot, his online presence has grown only more extreme  even if it is far less visible to most Americans, who never use the relatively obscure platforms where he has been posting at a sometimes astonishing clip.
To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

PECOS, Texas  The West Texas earth shook one day in November, shuddering through the two-story city hall in downtown Pecos, swaying the ceiling fans at an old railroad station, rattling the walls at a popular taqueria.

The tremor registered as a 5.4-magnitude earthquake, among the largest ever recorded in the state. Then, a month later, another of similar magnitude struck not far away, near Odessa and Midland, twin oil country cities with relatively tall office buildings, some of them visible for miles around.

The earthquakes, arriving in close succession, were the latest in what has been several years of surging seismic activity in Texas, a state known for many types of natural disasters but not typically, until now, for major earth movements. In 2022, the state recorded more than 220 earthquakes of 3.0 magnitude or higher, up from 26 recorded in 2017, when the Bureau of Economic Geology at the University of Texas began close monitoring.
CHICAGO  It took 13 months and an order from a judge for the authorities in Chicago to release video showing a police officer firing 16 bullets into Laquan McDonald, a Black teenager, on a busy roadway in 2014.

Before that order, Chicago officials followed what was, at the time, a familiar law-enforcement playbook: Issue a vague, even inaccurate, initial statement. Fight the release of videos and other evidence for months on end. Use a drawn-out investigation as cover for silence.

Over the last few weeks in Memphis, it became clear how much has changed, as officials responded to the police beating and death of Tyre Nichols, a Black 29-year-old.

The Memphis Police Departments first statement, issued just hours after the arrest, was misleading, omitting details of the beating, but said state investigators had been called in. The messaging grew more urgent after Mr. Nichols died, residents protested and his family pressed the authorities for answers.
MEMPHIS  The release of video footage showing Memphis police officers pummeling, kicking and pepper-spraying Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, drew a swift avalanche of reaction from law enforcement officials, lawmakers from both parties, Black Lives Matter activists and many other people across the country.

Their message was a largely unified expression of horror and disgust. The footage, which city officials made public on Friday evening, captured how what the police had initially portrayed as a routine traffic stop on Jan. 7 was an eruption of violent force directed at Mr. Nichols, who died three days later.

Yet protesters in Memphis and around the country largely heeded days of pleas from Mr. Nicholss family and others to remain peaceful. Several dozen marched in Memphis on Friday night, spilling onto an interstate highway and blocking a major bridge, and similar-sized crowds returned to the streets on Saturday, renewing their calls for justice.

Demonstrators have assembled in Washington, D.C., Seattle, Detroit, Atlanta and in Times Square in Manhattan. Officials said minor acts of vandalism were committed during a protest on Friday night outside the Los Angeles Police Departments headquarters, which was blocked by police in riot gear.
Hundreds of mourners gathered on Saturday in the tiny kingdom of Eswatini to pay tribute to an internationally renowned human rights lawyer brazenly shot dead in front of his wife and two children at their home a week ago, after years of agitating for the end of Africas last absolute monarchy.

The killing of the lawyer, Thulani Maseko, drew widespread condemnation, including from the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and political activists in Eswatini, a landlocked nation in southern Africa formerly known as Swaziland.

While rumors about who killed Mr. Maseko, 52, have run rampant, the government has forcefully denied accusations that it was the work of the security forces of King Mswati III, who has ruled the country for more than three and a half decades. The king appoints the prime minister and a large portion of lawmakers, and has the power to dissolve Parliament. The lavish lifestyle he and his family lead has angered many of his subjects, who live in severe poverty.

After Eswatini was convulsed by the worst riots in its post-colonial history a year and a half ago, the country has remained on edge as activists have advocated democratic reforms, and as about a dozen police officers or soldiers have been killed. Protests and work strikes occur sporadically, and they are sometimes quelled with violence by the police and military.
The authorities in Western Australia are searching for a dangerously radioactive capsule, which they believe fell off a truck while being transported.

But they have a problem: The capsule is smaller than a penny, while the search zone is a stretch of vast desert highway about as long as Californias coastline.

The capsule, a small silver cylinder measuring 0.3 inches by 0.2 inches, came from a Rio Tinto mine and formed a part of a sensor used in mining. The sensor had been put onto a truck and driven from the mine, near Newman in the remote north of Western Australia, to Perth, the states capital, on a trip that took several days.

The capsule, which contains a small amount of cesium-137, is dangerously radioactive, according to the authorities. An hour of exposure at about a meter away is the equivalent of having 10 X-rays, and prolonged contact can cause skin burns, acute radiation sickness and cancer, they said.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- GAC Motor International Sales Company ("GAC International"), the international business unit of GAC MOTOR, saw its Russia subsidiary ("GAC International Russia") become profitable for the first time in 2022.

At a meeting held on Jan. 20, GAC International Russia said it surpassed its annual targets in all business aspects with 20 dealerships operating by the end of 2022. Meanwhile, the company saw a year-on-year growth in the full-year profit, which turned itself into a profitable company from the money-losing status.

Photo credit: GAC International

As for the working plans for the year of 2023, Zeng Hebin, general manager of GAC International, said the subject of supply chain would be prioritized by GAC International Russia to ensure that two new models would hit the Russian market this year. He added the Russia branch would dash with all its might to promote the Chinese brand to crack the first-tier group in the Russian automobile market in partnership with its local dealers.

In addition, GAC International, together with its Philippine distributor Astara Group, official launched the EMPOW and the all-new Trumpchi GS8 in the Philippine market in late Jan., according to a post on the company's WeChat account.

Jun Cajayon, head of GAC MOTOR Philippines Brand, said GAC MOTOR would continue to expand its dealer network in the Philippines, with plans to open 9 dealer showrooms in the country by mid-2023 and increase the number to 20 by the end of this year.
The DEW, or Distant Early Warning, line cost about $7.5 billion to build in todays money. When it was decommissioned between 1988 and 1993 and replaced with automated radar stations, Mr. Jeffrey said, pretty much everything was destroyed, although a few of the structures were retained. As a result, the only physical artifact his museum currently owns, aside from photos and documents, is a control panel for a diesel power generator from one station. (Dismantling and cleaning up the stations, which were built without consulting Indigenous people and with little regard for the environment, cost 575 million Canadian dollars.)

The Alberta-based Canadian Civil Defence Museum is a third museum that preserves Cold War history. In 2018, it purchased the remaining radar dome and buildings of Canadian Forces Station Alsask, located in the community of the same name that straddles the border between Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Fred Armbruster, the executive director and founder of the Canadian Civil Defence Museum, told me from his home in Red Deer, Alberta, that his interest in Cold War commemoration grew out of stumbling across a small bunker while hiking in Edmonton several years ago.

Mr. Armbruster is passionate about how the Cold War changed Canada.

The Cold War created the future, he said. If it wasnt for the Cold War, we wouldnt have the technology that we have today. We would be backstepped a decade or even more in technology because we wouldnt have had anything to spur us on.
The British carrier Flybe, once the largest independent regional airline in Europe, canceled all flights on Saturday after filing for bankruptcy protection for a second time, marking what may be the final chapter for the chronically troubled company.

We are sad to announce that Flybe has been placed into administration, the company said in a statement on its website in the early hours of Saturday morning. Flybe has now ceased trading. All Flybe flights from and to the UK are canceled and will not be rescheduled.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but administrators have been appointed by Britains High Court to take over the company, the statement said. The Department for Transport, which oversees aviation policy in the United Kingdom, also did not immediately respond.

Flybe, which at one point dominated the U.K. domestic flight market, had only restarted in April 2022 after becoming one of the first large-scale corporate casualties of the coronavirus outbreak. Like much of the global aviation industry, the airline was hit hard when travel plummeted and filed for bankruptcy in March 2020 with the loss of 2,400 jobs.
The Czech Republic on Saturday elected Petr Pavel, a retired senior NATO general and political novice, as president, according to nearly complete results, with voters decisively rejecting the rival candidacy of a populist billionaire and cementing the countrys position as a robust supporter of Ukraine.

Mr. Pavel, a former chief of the general staff of the Czech Army and chairman of the NATO Military Committee, defeated the tycoon Andrej Babis, a pugnacious former prime minister who had sought to cast his opponent in Saturdays runoff vote as a warmonger intent on dragging Czech soldiers into the conflict in Ukraine.

Mr. Babiss tactics copied those of a close former ally, Hungarys illiberal prime minister, Viktor Orban, who won a landside victory last April after falsely claiming that his main rival wanted to send Hungarian troops to fight Russia in Ukraine.

But that argument flopped for Mr. Babis in the Czech Republic, which has far more diverse media outlets than Hungary, where Mr. Orbans governing Fidesz party and its business allies have a tight grip on television and most other sources of information.
KYIV, Ukraine  Russian troops mounted a fierce assault on Ukrainian forces on Saturday in an effort to dislodge them from critical positions in eastern Ukraine, with Moscow seeking to protect vital supply routes and both armies jockeying for position in anticipation of new offensive campaigns.

Russia has been trying for months to break through well-fortified Ukrainian defensive positions across the Luhansk and Donetsk regions, throwing wave after wave of soldiers into the fight and suffering heavy casualties but making few territorial gains.

Those efforts have taken on greater urgency as Western and Ukrainian officials warn that Moscow plans to launch a large-scale assault aimed at regaining the upper hand, nearly a year after Russia invaded Ukraine. Military experts and Western officials say they also believe that Ukraine will try to mount an offensive of its own to drive Russia out of occupied areas in the east.

It is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave by Feb. 24, Oleksiy Danilov, the head of the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council, told Radio Liberty on Friday, referring to Russian forces and what will be the first anniversary of their full-scale invasion. Moscows immediate goal, he said, is to capture the entire Donetsk and Luhansk regions and then to completely go beyond the borders of the regions.
The new far-right government in Israel has been in power for only a month, but on its watch, Israelis and Palestinians have already experienced one of their regions most violent phases, outside a full-scale war, in years.

Nine Palestinians were shot dead on Thursday morning, in the deadliest Israeli raid in the West Bank for at least a half-decade. Then, a Palestinian gunman killed seven people on Friday night outside a synagogue in Jerusalem, the deadliest attack on civilians in the city since 2008. And on Saturday, an attacker who the police said was 13 years old shot and injured two Israelis near a settlement in East Jerusalem.

These events were not unique to this governments tenure. But analysts fear that the policies and leaders of the new Israeli administration  the most right-wing in Israeli history  are likely to further inflame the situation.

The new government is an alliance of settler activists, hard-line nationalists and ultraconservatives helmed by Benjamin Netanyahu, and its leaders variously seek to annex the West Bank, further ease the Israeli Armys rules of engagement and entrench Israeli control over a sacred site in Jerusalem. All of that has already provoked a surge in Palestinian anger and made it harder for the remaining moderate forces in the Israeli government to defuse tensions.
Violence continued on Saturday in Jerusalem as an attacker, identified by the police as a 13-year-old boy, shot and injured two Israelis near a settlement in East Jerusalem, the morning after a Palestinian assailant killed seven people outside a synagogue elsewhere in the city.

Both victims on Saturday were taken to a hospital and were described by medics as being in serious but not critical condition. The teenage assailant was shot and injured by two passers-by, according to a police statement.

The attack underscored the fragility of the situation in Israel and the occupied territories, which has left at least 20 Israelis and Palestinians dead in less than a week and has prompted many on either side of the conflict to fear a possible greater conflagration.

The combination of several overlapping dynamics  a new hard-right Israeli government that has promised to take a stronger stance against Palestinians; rising anger and militancy from a new generation of Palestinians; an escalating Israeli military campaign in Palestinian areas; and the Palestinian leaderships decision this week to sever security coordination with Israeli counterparts  threatens to accelerate a cycle of violence and undermine efforts to calm tensions.
Video footage released by the City of Memphis on Friday shows how Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, suffered a severe beating after a traffic stop by officers of the Scorpion unit on Jan. 7. Mr. Nichols died three days later.

An annotated satellite image of the Memphis neighborhood where Tyre Nichols was fatally beaten by police officers shows a timeline of the encounter, from the traffic stop to the beating. E. Raines Rd. North About 8:24 p.m. Officers confront Tyre Nichols at a traffic stop. Brandywine Nicholss mothers house Ross Rd. About 8:25 p.m. Nichols runs toward his mothers house. About 8:33 p.m. Officers beat Nichols for about three minutes. Tenn. 100 meters Memphis MEMPHIS North E. Raines Rd. About 8:24 p.m. Officers confront Tyre Nichols at a traffic stop. Nicholss mothers house BRANDYWINE Ross Rd. About 8:25 p.m. Nichols runs toward his mothers house. About 8:33 p.m. Officers beat Nichols for about three minutes. Tenn. Memphis The New York Times; aerial image by Google

Here are some key moments from the encounter. The footage includes extremely violent scenes.

About 8:24 p.m. Officers confront Tyre Nichols at a traffic stop.

Officers stop Mr. Nichols at the intersection of East Raines Road and Ross Road and push him to the ground. As officers wrestle with him, Mr. Nichols can be heard saying, I didnt do anything.

From video released by the City of Memphis

The Memphis Police Department initially said that Mr. Nichols had been stopped on suspicion of reckless driving. However, the Memphis police chief, Cerelyn Davis, said in an interview with NBC that the department had not been able to confirm why Mr. Nichols had been stopped.

About 8:25 p.m. The first struggle occurs, and Mr. Nichols flees.

Several officers try to forcefully pin Mr. Nichols to the ground, shouting expletives and threats. Mr. Nichols can be heard saying: OK! I am on the ground, and: You guys are really doing a lot right now. I'm just trying to go home.

Seconds later, officers appear to use a stun gun on him. He breaks free and starts running south on Ross Road, with at least two officers running after him.

Image from video released by the City of Memphis

About 8:29 p.m. Backup arrives.

At least two police cars arrive at the intersection where Mr. Nichols was initially stopped. The officers ask for his location.

An officer on an audio recording from the Memphis police dispatch center can be heard asking for backup: Any other Scorpion car: Pull over to East Raines and Ross. We have one running on foot.

About 8:33 p.m. Officers beat Mr. Nichols repeatedly for about three minutes.

One of the four videos released by the city of Memphis shows Mr. Nichols already on the ground less than half a mile from where the traffic stop occurred. Officers slap and push Mr. Nichols, who screams, Mom! Mr. Nicholss mothers house is 60 yards away.

From video released by the City of Memphis

A police officer sprays Mr. Nichols in the face with a chemical spray. Give me your hands! yell the officers, as Mr. Nichols tries to wipe his face. All right, all right, he says, and moves to put his hands behind his back. Watch out, Ill spray your eyes again, one officer says as he sprays Mr. Nichols another time.

Two officers pin Mr. Nichols while a third kicks him near his face at least two times. Hit him! one officer yells as another circles Mr. Nichols, beating him with a baton.

Image from video released by the City of Memphis

The struggle continues for several minutes as officers shove and drag him. At least one officer punches Mr. Nichols, who is now standing, several times in the head.

Mr. Nichols staggers around, restrained at both sides, and then collapses, and officers pin him face down. He remains there for almost two minutes.

Throughout the struggle, Mr. Nichols appears to have been kicked violently at least twice in the face, beaten three times with a baton, sprayed in the face twice with a chemical and punched in the head six times, all within the span of three minutes.

About 8:37 p.m. Mr. Nichols is handcuffed and immobile.

Mr. Nichols is eventually handcuffed and is critically injured. Officers drag him to a nearby car and prop him up in a seated position. At one point, Mr. Nichols slumps to the ground, and an officer props him back against the car.

From video released by the City of Memphis

About 8:41 p.m. After medics arrive, 16 minutes pass before first aid is provided.

Two medics arrive on the scene a few minutes after Mr. Nichols is placed against the car and check on Mr. Nichols, but they do not appear to be in a hurry. Almost 16 minutes later, medics appear to open their medical bags for the first time, and provide aid. Minutes later, officers bring in a stretcher, and an ambulance arrives at about 9:02 p.m. In total, he remains at the car for more than 24 minutes as officers walk around.

About 9:18 p.m. Mr. Nichols is transported to St. Francis Hospital.

Mr. Nichols complains of shortness of breath and is taken to St. Francis Hospital, about six miles away. An autopsy report later found that he suffered excessive bleeding caused by a severe beating.

The Aftermath

Five police officers who were involved  Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith  were fired. The officers, who are Black, were charged on Thursday with second-degree murder and kidnapping, among other charges.

Several officials have criticized the excessive use of force, and a separate federal civil rights investigation is also underway. Ms. Davis, the Memphis police chief, described the incident in a news conference as heinous, reckless and inhumane.

Mayor Jim Strickland of Memphis announced on Friday that the Scorpion unit, whose members were responsible for the death of Mr. Nichols, had been inactive since the incident and that all Memphis Police Department special units were facing independent review.
Beijing (Gasgoo)- Dongfeng Motors new energy vehicle brand, VOYAH, held a brand launch event in Tel Aviv, Israel, with its signature VOYAH FREE SUV model kicking off presale on January 23.

Photo credit: VOYAH

The event in Israel marked the brands another step forward in its global deployment after Norway. According to VOYAH, delivery of the FREE will start in Israel in March 2023.

With the vigorous development of the local government, the Israeli new energy vehicle market is in the golden period of rapid growth, and the consumers' demand for high-end new energy vehicles hasn't been fully satisfied. In Israel, VOYAH proposes Not normal to be normal, representing the brand vision of continuous innovation and aggressiveness, and fits well with the local market.

The elegant and modern design of the VOYAH FREE, the elevating triple screen, adjustable sunroof, and sliding screen in the cabin are in line with the technology and uniqueness favored by Israeli users. The five-seater arrangement is well matched with the local family situation of 2-3 children.

In July 2022, the VOYAH FREE was awarded the EU Vehicle Type Approval (EWVTA) certificate, which allows the SUV to be exported to 27 EU member states and non-EU member states that recognize EWVTA certification, such as Norway, Switzerland, and Israel.

In 2023, the automaker holds plans to introduce the VOYAH brand to Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Meanwhile, the company is also conducting adaptive works to the Dreamer MPV model to better fit overseas markets.
Berlin trails global powers like China and the US in acquiring lithium, a key component in electric vehicle batteries. German Chancellor Scholz will address the issue on his trip to South America this weekend.
Eurasia Review 30 Jan 2023

The Ukraine war and the conflict between Russia and the West have literally dragged the whole world into a hot war. This chaos has..
With Gasgoo Daily, we will offer daily important automotive news in China. For those we have reported, the title of the piece will include a hyperlink, which will provide detailed information.

XPeng plans to launch five new/refreshed models in 2023

According to XPeng's internal letter, the company plans to launch five new vehicle models in 2023, including two all-new models and three refreshed models of its existing lineup. The refreshed models are speculated to be the P7, the G3, and the P5, while the all-new models are said to be a coupe SUV and an MPV.

Photo credit: XPeng

CATLs German factory starts production

Chinese battery player CATL on January 26 saw its first European factory in Arnstadt, Germany, kick off operation, according to the company's recent release. The plant is expected to eventually have an annual production capacity of 30 million cells, which should be enough to assemble 185,000 to 350,000 electric vehicles.

TANK 700 said to hit market in April

Great Wall Motors off-roader brand, TANK, is likely to put the TANK 700 model onto the Chinese market in April this year. The new flagship SUV is equipped with a 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbocharged engine.

Chinas LiDAR maker SureStar bags 180 million yuan

Chinese LiDAR supplier SureStar announced on January 28 it raised 180 million yuan to support the companys vigorous deployment in LiDAR mass production and application.

VOYAH sets sail to Israel, local delivery of FREE to start in March

Dongfeng Motors new energy vehicle brand, VOYAH, held a brand launch event in Tel Aviv, Israel, with its signature VOYAH FREE SUV model kicking off presale on January 23.

Chinas BAK Battery to build big cylindrical battery production factory in Changzhou city

Shenzhen BAK Power Battery Co., Ltd. ("BAK Battery"), a Chinese power battery maker, signed an agreement on Jan. 28 to form a strategic cooperation with the municipal government of Changzhou city, Jiangsu province, as part of efforts to expand its battery production capacity.

Chinas range-extended electric vehicle sales likely to top 500,000 units in 2025: industry report

An industry report jointly written by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) and relevant entities to illustrate the status quo and forecast the prospect of China's REEV (range-extended electric vehicle) industry development was issued recently, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Jan. 23.

Li Auto: NOA function without HD map will be applied in China by end of 2023

Chinese new energy vehicle startup Li Auto mentioned in a letter to staff members on January 28 that it aims to be a global leader in artificial intelligence by the year 2030.

Geelys Xingrui supercomputing center goes online

On January 28, Chinese major automaker Geely saw its first one-stop cloud-based, digital, and intelligent supercomputing center, named Xingrui in Chinese, go online.

GAC Motor International to launch two new models in Russian market in 2023

GAC Motor International Sales Company ("GAC International"), the international business unit of GAC MOTOR, saw its Russia subsidiary ("GAC International Russia") become profitable for the first time in 2022.
Ukraine expects Russia to launch a military offensive on or around the anniversary of its invasion on February 24. Olaf Scholz defends his tank delivery decision. Follow DW for the latest.
Sky News 28 Jan 2023

Tyre Nichols was punched, kicked and tasered, beaten with a baton and had chemical spray used on him during a violent arrest by..
America desperately needs to rethink its approach to policing  its a shame that we started that rethinking in 2020 and then stopped because of politics.
PRAGUE (AP)  Populist billionaire Andrej Babis was in the lead in the Czech presidential election, according to early results on..

SeattlePI.com 14 Jan 2023
When Memphis, a city in southwest Tennessee, had a record number of homicides in 2021 for the second year in a row, many were calling for action.
The Polish prime minister is the latest of many to accuse Russia of using concentration camps.
Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, is closing in on a multibillion pound deal with Britain's biggest housebuilders to help resolve the national cladding crisis exposed by the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster.
President Biden called the family of Tyre Nichols on Friday and commended their courage and strength over a phone call, according to a White House official.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Friday reflected on his own experience with police brutality ahead of the Memphis PD's release of the Tyre Nichols bodycam video.
A freshman Democratic congressman has deleted a tweet that described the death of Tyre Nichols as being a result of "white supremacy"  even though the officers are Black.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- Shenzhen BAK Power Battery Co., Ltd. ("BAK Battery"), a Chinese power battery maker, signed an agreement on Jan. 28 to form a strategic cooperation with the municipal government of Changzhou city, Jiangsu province, as part of efforts to expand its battery production capacity.

According to a post on the company's WeChat account, BAK Battery plans to build a battery production base in Changzhou city that involves a planned investment of 13 billion yuan ($1.916 billion) and covers an area of 450 mu (300,000 square meters). Under the project, the company will construct a big cylindrical battery manufacturing line with an annual production capacity of 30GWh and an R&D center.

BAK Battery's 4680 big cylindrical battery; photo credit: BAK Battery

Since the launch of the all-tab big cylindrical battery in early 2021, BAK Battery has been vigorously pushing ahead with the R&D and market application of big cylindrical batteries, said the company. The latest move signifies that the battery firm has gone into a new stage regarding the scale promotion of such product.

The yet-to-be-built base in Changzhou city will entirely use green power to realize low-carbon production, said Li Xiangqian, chairman of BAK Battery.

Founded in 2005 in Shenzhen city, BAK Power has a product and service line covering cylindrical, prismatic and polymer batteries, battery packaging, and battery solutions, which are mainly used in new energy vehicles, consumer products, and back-up energy storage.
Seven climate change activists who were found guilty of causing more than 100,000 of damage by smashing windows at the..

Upworthy 27 Jan 2023
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'I think everyone is really outraged right now in skateboarding, for sure. And that's the only lens that I'm looking at it through.'


President Vladimir V. Putin is on his third overall commander in Ukraine. But his militarys fundamental issues have not been addressed, Western officials say.
Memphis officials quickly took action against the police officers accused of murdering Tyre Nichols, lawyers say. Here's what happened in other cases.


British airline Flybe has "ceased trading" and canceled all scheduled flights, the company and the British Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said on Saturday. "We urge passengers planning to fly with this airline not to go to the airport as all Flybe flights are canceled," consumer director for CAA



#flybe #caapaulsmith #exeter
Rumble 28 Feb 2023

In the second terrorist attack in as many days, one American-Israeli man was killed. Hamas responded by saying that this is not..
Watch VideoFormer President Donald Trump is set to kick off his 2024 White House bid on Saturday with visits to a pair of early-voting states, his first campaign events since announcing his latest run more than two months ago.



Trump will be the keynote speaker at the New Hampshire GOP's annual meeting before traveling to...
Former President Donald Trump kicked off his 2024 White House bid with a stop Saturday in New Hampshire before heading to South Carolina, events in early-voting states marking the
By Le Shui

The recent "two plus two" meeting between American and Japanese foreign and defense ministers once again had China in its crosshairs. Not only did the two countries agree to expand their military cooperation targeting China as an imaginary enemy, but they also vowed to keep a close eye on Chinas ongoing and accelerating nuclear weapon development. The new trick of "denouncing" China's "nuclear threats" is just a "thief crying 'stop thief'" stunt by Washington, which, with a long record of randomly imposing nuclear deterrence on other countries, once again showed the world its deft practice of "double standards".

According to data published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US possessed 5,550 nuclear warheads in 2021, including 1,700 strategic ones in deployment, and the total number was 1,728 more than in 2017. A report by the US Congressional Budget Office estimated the countrys spending on nuclear weapons at 634 billion US dollars in 2021-2030, 28% up from the previous decade. The White House's multiplication of its nuclear arsenal regardless of the international community's call for "nuclear disarmament" and its own debt-ridden dilemma has aroused serious suspicions and concerns.

Soon after China successfully test-fired its first atomic bomb, the Chinese government made a solemn commitment to the world that it would at no time and under no circumstances use nuclear weapons first and would never use them against non-nuclear weapon states and zones. It has never and will never pose a nuclear threat to other countries because its development of nuclear weapons is aimed to safeguard national security and preserve world peace against the nuclear blackmailing by certain major powers.

Posing a sharp contrast to this is the US that has kept nuclear deterrence in its toolkit ever since it dropped two atomic bombs in Japan during WWII, and it has bothered less to cover up its intention of pursuing "nuclear hegemony" after the equilibrium was breached at the end of the Cold War. In 2019, the US official withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) it signed with the Soviet Union during the Cold War lifted the restrictions on its development and deployment of intermediate-range missiles. Last year, the US DoD's Nuclear Posture Review went back on the commitment to "no-first use of nuclear weapons" and vowed to use such weapons to counter both nuclear attacks and non-nuclear strategic attacks. The Biden administration minced no words about maintaining nuclear deterrence as one of its top priorities in the latest National Security Strategy. Wielding its nuclear stick on one hand and accusing China of nuclear expansion on the other, the US really knows no limit when it comes to preserving its nuclear hegemony.

Washington is also a master hand at double standards regarding nuclear issues in order to attack its rivals and protect the allies. While pushing the nuclear weapon non-proliferation strategy in the world and flagrantly invading Iraq allegedly for its possession of weapons of mass destruction, the US has nevertheless decided to assist Australia in forming its own nuclear submarine fleet in defiance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), a move likely to trigger a nuclear arms race in the Asia Pacific.

America's obsession with maintaining absolute nuclear superiority is rooted in its long-term pursuit for absolute military security, which requires absolute military superiority, and that has been on top of its agenda ever since the Cold War. Under this security goal, no wonder the superpower has left no stone unturned in keeping up its nuclear hegemony.

Yet this kind of pursuit of one's own absolute security at the price of others' security is essentially a manifestation of hegemonism. Nuclear equilibrium is the cornerstone for world peace in the nuclear era. This cardinal principle, however, has been ignored and trampled upon by the US as it seeks to secure absolute nuclear superiority to maintain nuclear deterrence on other countries.

But the Cold War era is long gone, and peace and development are the main theme today, when America's clinging to the Cold War mindset and constant fomentation of division and confrontation across the world seem all the more out of place. Instead of hyping up the "nuclear threats" from China, the US should reflect on itself more and earnestly fulfill its obligations of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation to keep the nuclear cloud left from the Cold War period from haunting humanity today.

Editor's note: Originally published on china.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
U.S. Forest Service officials from the Flagstaff Ranger District presented proposed fire restriction changes to the Coconino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday and were met with the general support.

The proposed fire restriction changes are expected to help prevent human-caused wildfire by limiting camping, campfires and motorized vehicle use in strategic areas during times of the year when the risk of catastrophic wildfire is high.

Changes include expanding the boundaries of existing year-round camping and campfire bans adjacent to the City of Flagstaff, as well as prohibiting motor-vehicle use in certain areas during Stage 2 fire restrictions. These areas include the San Francisco Peaks, Walnut Canyon and Pumphouse Wash  places with rough terrain and topography that increase wind speeds and can limit firefighter ability to suppress wildfire starts. These areas would still be open for hiking, mountain biking and equestrian use during Stage 2 fire restrictions.

I support the proposed recommendations by the Forest Service to increase the boundaries for year-round camping and campfires bans in those areas where the Forest Service lands interface with urban developments, Coconino County Board of Supervisors Chair and District 1 Supervisor Patrice Horstman said in an official statement. I also support increasing Stage 2 fire restrictions by banning the use of motorized vehicles in the areas around the San Francisco Peaks, Walnut Canyon and Pumphouse Wash. These proposed changes will help reduce the threat of wildfires in post-wildfire flooding in these critical areas.

Horstman added: The Forest Service, in determining the staging and fire restrictions, should employ indices that use the most up-to-date science, especially given the mega drought we are experiencing. I would recommend further that the Forest Service make these fire restrictions and staging decisions at the local level and not in Washington D.C. These fire restrictions and staging decisions are best made locally by the people who know and understand the unique conditions of the Coconino and Kaibab national forests.

These fire restrictions and staging implementations also require an investment into more law enforcement on federal lands. The Forest Service needs adequate funding to hire law enforcement and emergency response personnel that can assist in educating the public and in monitoring and enforcing forest service regulations.

Were having more and more people coming out to enjoy nature and our forest management practices and fire restrictions need to change to keep up, said District 3 Supervisor Matt Ryan in an official statement. I especially support the changes to motorized vehicle use during Stage 2 restrictions, while still allowing access for hiking, mountain biking, equestrian use and other activities.

Representatives of the Coconino National Forest made a similar presentation to Flagstaff City Council earlier in January. During the presentation, the proposal was also generally supported, though a point was made to investigate how the city could effectively support unsheltered people who would be displaced by the camping bans.

Representatives of the Coconino National Forest are planning more community meetings to solicit public input prior to implementation of the proposed changes. Should the proposed fire restriction changes be adopted, they will be in place by April.
New York, US (PANA) - Stabilising Mali is crucial, not only for the country but for the entire region, UN Special Representative El-Ghassim Wane told the Security Council on Friday
Photo: (Photo : Getty Images/Leon Neal)

Because it offers more space to find balance, hybrid work can give parents better management of their career and personal responsibilities.

After years of predicting the future of work, the 2023 KinderCare Parent Confidence Report revealed that hybrid work is here to stay.

Forty-one percent of parents, a five percent increase from last year, express that hybrid work is their ideal work scenario. Thirty-seven percent are already working in a hybrid environment, while a higher percentage of 39 see themselves working in a hybrid environment a year from now.

A nine percent increase of parents (68%) are more involved in their children's lives because their current work schedule is much more flexible. This result reflects that parents are capitalizing on work flexibility to be more present with their children.

Sixty-seven percent, a two percent increase from last year, stated that their parenting confidence is boosted when they have enough time spent with their kids.

What is hybrid work, why do parents want it?

Hybrid work is a framework that enables employees to do their work partly in person at the office and partially remotely. The core of this hybrid concept is to provide employees the freedom to work in a way that makes sense to them, Yarooms explained.

Employees can choose where they feel most comfortable working and even when. They can opt for traditional workspaces like offices or homes or non-traditional ones like coffee shops and other public spaces. They can also opt for traditional working hours, the usual eight to five, or non-traditional hours like the graveyard shift. Thus, hybrid work is frequently blended with the flexible work concept.

For working parents, this kind of work can provide "an oasis of calm" as it allows them to craft their working schedules around their family and children's schedules, school homework, and extracurricular. The beauty of this framework is that parents can adjust their work accordingly, still get the job done, and be at peace knowing that, for the first time ever, it is not their family or their kids that need to adjust for their work.

More so, dads and moms can take their children to school, pick them up, take them to ice cream, and still be able to make it to work on time.

"Hybrid work allows me to see my daughter grow - for which I am grateful every day. Working from home gave me the freedom to combine my leadership role with the one of being the mother of a 2-year-old child. I feel I have the chance to mix some days at home with my daughter (seeing how she grows and learns) with the time in the office. This gives me the energy to deliver," Egle Palsiene, mother, engineering Director in Vilnius, and working hybrid for Mambu.

Read also: Working Parents Are Starting To Realize They Can't Have the Best of Both Worlds

Operating without work permits

While the future of work is changing and parents' confidence is boosted high, the new study showed that one thing remains - working parents continue to knock on the door of their employers and the government seeking and expecting more child care support.

Child care affordability and accessibility are still burdens working parents carry mentally and financially, Businesswire reported.

Six out of 10 working parents expressed that there is still a "disconnect" between the support they need and the benefits their employer provides. Thus, they are rethinking their career journey.

Seventy-four percent have already and are considering switching jobs, while 73 percent have already and are considering taking on a less demanding job to have more time for the children, 70% have already and are considering scaling back at work, 62 percent have already and are considering to take a career break while 59%, unfortunately, have already and are considering to stay at a job where they are unsatisfied.

Related Article: Hybrid Baby Sitters: Working Parents Hire More Flexible Baby Sitters to Respond to Their Schedules and Budget
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George Haddad reports on this new discovery in his article, Period Ivories Discovered in the City of David (Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology, 9-7-22). He writes:

Around 1,500 rare and ornate decorated ivory fragments were discovered in the City of David archaeological site known as the Givati Parking Lot excavations, located just southeast of the Old City, in an excavation led by Prof. Yuval Gadot of Tel Aviv University and Dr. Yiftah Shalev of the Israel Antiquities Authority. A press release regarding the discovery was released Monday. The delicate sherds, which had been crushed and burned, appear to have been originally housed in a monumental royal structure until the Babylonian destruction of 586 b.c.e. Experts carefully reassembled the fragments into 12 small square plates that would have decorated a lavish wooden throne or chair. Sourced from elephant tusks, ivory of this type was a luxury item that was used as an inlay for thrones and furniture. The material took great skill to work with, especially to achieve such intricate decorations as seen on these plates. Both Assyrias powerful capital, Nimrud, and the northern Israelite capital, Samaria, have had similar discoveries dating to the First Temple period. However, this is the first time this type of ivoryone of the most expensive raw materials in the ancient world (even more so than gold!)has been found in Jerusalem, providing insight into the wealth and status of the city. . . . Professor Gadot and Dr. Shalev explain: The assemblage of ivory discovered in the City of David was probably imported, and originally made by artisans from Assyria. The ivories may have come to Jerusalem as a gift from Assyria to Jerusalems nobility. Following a comparison with complete objects that appear on wall plaques from the palace of the Assyrian King Sennacherib at Nineveh, we suggest that the ivory plaques from Jerusalem were originally inlaid in a couch-throne, . . .

It is thought that references to the ivory throne of Solomon (10th c. BC) likely refer to the same sort of inlaid ivory that is seen in the couch-thrones (see photo above):

1 Kings 10:18 (RSV) The king also made a great ivory throne, and overlaid it with the finest gold. (cf. 2 Chr 9:17)

Twelve references to ivory occur in the Old Testament, including King Ahabs ivory house (1 Kgs 22:39), houses of ivory (Amos 3:15), ships bringing ivory to Israel, along with silver and gold (1 Kgs 10:22; 2 Chr 9:21), and ivory palaces (Ps 45:8). One passage states where it came from:

Ezekiel 27:15 The men of Rhodes traded with you; many coastlands were your own special markets, they brought you in payment ivory tusks and ebony.

Rhodes is an island of Greece, located south of western Turkey, in the Mediterranean Sea. I Kings 10:22 (cf. 2 Chr 9:21) refers to ships of Tarshish bringing ivory, but scholars arent certain what Tarshish referred to. The phrase itself is believed by some to signify a class of ships: large vessels equipped for long-distance trade. The Bible states that King Solomon had a fleet of such ships, with the fleet of Hiram (1 Kgs 10:22). Hiram was the Phoenician king of Tyre, whose reign was c. 980 to 947 BC.

The maritime accomplishments of the Phoenicians in this period are well-known. Hiram is said to have sent to King David cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house (2 Sam 5:11; cf. 1 Chr 14:1), and the Bible informs us that he always loved David and sent his servants to Solomon (1 Kgs 5:1). Hiram is documented in the writings of Menander of Ephesus (early 2nd c. BC): preserved in Josephus defense of Judaism, Against Apion. Josephus wrote that he reigned for 34 years.

Perhaps of most interest related to our topic, the Bible (in a passage about Tyre in Lebanon) refers to a deck of pines from the coasts of Cyprus, inlaid with ivory (Ezek 27:6), and to beds of ivory, also called couches (Amos 6:4). The prophet Amos was condemning what he thought was excessive luxury and materialism. We know that Amos was active around 750 BC and lived in the kingdom of Judah but preached in the northern kingdom of Israel, which by then had separated from Judah, and had all wicked kings (hence, Amos denunciations). This was some 200 years after King Solomon.

Its important to understand the continuing skepticism of a fair number of scholars, who irrationally dismiss the biblical historical evidence. Wikipedia (Tarshish) noted that:

the lack of evidence for wealth in Israel and Phoenicia during the reigns of Solomon and Hiram, respectively, prompted a few scholars to opine that the archaeological period in Mediterranean prehistory between 1200 and 800 BC was a Dark Age.

The source cited for this opinion is Mediterranean peoples in transition, thirteenth to early tenth centuries B.C.E. : International symposium, Jerusalem, April 3-7, 1995: abstracts, published by the Philip & Muriel Berman Center for Biblical Archaeology, Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society.

I submit that this massive find of a vast collection of inlaid ivory, found right near the site of Solomons Temple in Jerusalem, goes against such a skeptical theory of the lack of wealth in Jerusalem at that time. My recent paper about ancient imports of tin and lead during the time of the judges (c. 1200-1050 BC: before Saul, David, and Solomon) also supports such a view. Ivory was a great luxury in the ancient world, and very costly. Marga Patterson writes in her piece, A Luxurious Desire: Ancient Near Eastern Ivory Carvings (Daily Art Magazine, 10-154-22):

Most of the ivory carvings discovered at ancient Assyrian sites were carved from elephant tusks sourced from Syrian elephants until the animal became extinct sometime between the 8th and 7th century BCE. Ivory was then imported from Egypt and other parts of Africa. In the ancient Near East, ivory carving was a valuable industry and it is likely that every major city center had ivory workshops, including those specializing in creating luxury items for royalty and the elite. Ivory is easy to carve, its an organic material that endures time. Ivory carving traditions were found in the regions of the ancient Near East and each culture possessed its own distinctive styles and techniques. . . . In ancient Mesopotamia, ivory was associated with wealth, royalty, and luxury. A large majority of ivory carvings were small plaques that were used in elements of furniture decoration, . . .

This article includes many wonderful photographs of ancient carved ivory.

Bottom line: the Bible has been proven to be historically accurate for the 3,975,387th time

***

Further Related Reading

Bible & Archaeology web page

My book, The Word Set in Stone: How Archaeology, Science, and History Back up the Bible (Catholic Answers Press, March 2023)

***

Practical Matters: Perhaps some of my 4,000+ free online articles (the most comprehensive one-stop Catholic apologetics site) or fifty books have helped you (by Gods grace) to decide to become Catholic or to return to the Church, or better understand some doctrines and why we believe them.

Or you may believe my work is worthy to support for the purpose of apologetics and evangelism in general. If so, please seriously consider a much-needed financial contribution. Im always in need of more funds: especially monthly support. The laborer is worthy of his wages (1 Tim 5:18, NKJV). 1 December 2021 was my 20th anniversary as a full-time Catholic apologist, and February 2022 marked the 25th anniversary of my blog. PayPal donations are the easiest: just send to my email address: apologistdave@gmail.com. Youll see the term Catholic Used Book Service, which is my old side-business. To learn about the different methods of contributing, including 100% tax deduction, etc., see my page: About Catholic Apologist Dave Armstrong / Donation Information. Thanks a million from the bottom of my heart!

***

Photo credit: [Shalom Kweller / City of David]

***

Summary: A large collection of Solomons Temple-period ivory has been found in the ancient City of David archaeological site, right near the original temple in Jerusalem.
St. Polycarp (69-155) was the bishop of Smyrna, and was a disciple of St. John, according to St. Irenaeus (c. 130-c. 202) and Tertullian (c. 155-c. 220). Protestant apologist Jason Engwer, the main blogger at Triablogue, recently wrote the article, Baptism and Justification in Polycarp (1-26-23). This is my response to it. His words will be in blue, Polycarps in green.

*****

Polycarps Letter To The Philippians [link] occasionally discusses soteriological issues, but not in a lot of depth. For example:

In whom, though now ye see Him not, ye believe, and believing, rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory; [1 Pet 1:8] into which joy many desire to enter, knowing that by grace ye are saved, not of works, [Eph 2:8-9] but by the will of God through Jesus Christ.If we please Him in this present world, we shall receive also the future world, according as He has promised to us that He will raise us again from the dead, and that if we live worthily of Him, we shall also reign together with Him, provided only we believe. ([Chapters] 1, 5)

The focus is on faith, but he requires works in some sense as well, probably in the sense of works being the fruit of justifying faith. Just before what I quoted in section 1 of the letter, Polycarp refers to how the strong root of your faith, spoken of in days [Phil 1:5] long gone by, endureth even until now, and bringeth forth fruit to our Lord Jesus Christ. He had noted that justification is not of works. He connects that comment in section 1 of the letter to 1 Peter 1:8, which refers to believing in Jesus. . . .

Near the end of Polycarps letter, he refers again to those who shall believe in our Lord Jesus Christ (12). . . . The most natural reading of the references to faith is that theyre meant in an unqualified sense, . . . [i.e., faith alone].

Baptism isnt mentioned in the letter, so we cant know for sure what St. Polycarp thought about that. Jason seems to think that this omission is significant. I do not. Its simply one fairly short letter, so not everything will be mentioned in it. He didnt mention the Eucharist or bishops in it, either, and we know that the entire early Church celebrated the Eucharist, and that he himself was a bishop.

But lets examine whether he believed in faith alone: one of the two pillars of the Protestant so-called Reformation. Jason concedes that St. Polycarp requires works in some sense, but then opines that its probably in the sense of works being the fruit of justifying faith. This is the classic Protestant understanding of works: taught by both Luther and Calvin. It removes from good works any hint of merit or causal relation to to salvation (even if understood as always in conjunction with works and soaked with and enabled by grace).

Works are simply done in gratitude to God for the salvation already granted through faith alone. They have no direct relationship to salvation (even though I have found fifty Bible passages that teach that they definitely do have a very close relationship). Sanctification is formally separated from justification and salvation in Protestant thought. Good works are promoted, but in the final analysis, they arent required for salvation. This is the meaning of faith alone.

The Catholic view, on the other hand, is that a person is justified by grace alone through faith, with the necessary addition (after initial justification) of meritorious good works: without which faith is dead. We do not believe in salvation by works alone. That is the heresy of Pelagianism or Semi-Pelagianism (which we are often falsely accused of believing by those who havent studied Catholic soteriology).

The Wikipedia article on Polycarp takes a view similar to Jasons, as to the Church fathers soteriology:

Polycarps soteriology is not clear; he does cite Ephesians 2:8 to say salvation is by grace rather than works, though later exhorts his readers to do good works. It is not clear from the text how he views works in relation to salvation as his comments are too little to make a clear conclusion. He could have believed that works are mere results of saving grace or that they are necessary to keep salvation and that they have meritorious value, thus we cannot know if he was a monergist or a synergist.

I shall argue that we have enough information in this letter from St. Polycarp, to determine that he held to a Catholic soteriology, not a proto-Protestant one.

St. Polycarp, in asserting that salvation is not of works (citing Ephesians 2) is simply condemning salvation by works or by self-generated works, apart from grace (i.e., Pelagianism). No one disagrees with that, so its not at issue. Its not the same thing as an assertion of faith alone. Many Protestants fail to comprehend the fine but crucial logical distinctions in play.

Jason implies that St. Peter teaches faith alone. He doesnt. In the same First Epistle, he directly ties works and merit to salvation:

1 Peter 4:17-19 (RSV) For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? [18] And If the righteous man is scarcely saved, where will the impious and sinner appear? [19] Therefore let those who suffer according to Gods will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.

He also teaches baptismal regeneration, or justification, stating that baptism saves us (1 Pet 3:21).

Already in his second chapter, St. Polycarp makes it very clear that he believes in the Catholic view of justification by grace alone through faith, with the necessary addition of meritorious good works: without which faith is dead, and salvation unattainable:

But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise us up also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments, and love what He loved, keeping ourselves from all unrighteousness, covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, false witness; not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, or blow for blow, or cursing for cursing, but being mindful of what the Lord said in His teaching: Judge not, that you be not judged; forgive, and it shall be forgiven unto you; be merciful, that you may obtain mercy; with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you again; and once more, Blessed are the poor, and those that are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God. [ch. 2; added verse numbers removed, but he cites five passages in this section; my italics and bolding]

This is extraordinary! Note the bolded if. Our resurrection (which means salvation, since only the saved will be resurrected to glory) is conditional upon doing various works. God will raise us up if we do His will (a work, especially indicated by the do), if we walk in His commandments (several works), and if we avoid nine different sins: the avoidance of which amounts to meritorious action and behavior. Thats at least eleven things that are necessary in order for us to be saved and resurrected, followed by five more things that are opportunities for meritorious actions leading (in faith and grace) to salvation.

If St. Polycarp in fact thought like a Protestant (in this regard of salvation), this section would have been much shorter. He would have written something like, But He who raised Him up from the dead will raise us up also, if we believe in Him in faith alone. All of the rest would have been relegated to a good and praiseworthy, yet optional sanctification: not related to salvation at all. But Polycarp makes our resurrection conditional upon doing all these good works and behaving the right (Christlike) way. Its very Catholic and exceedingly unlike Protestantism.

All of this (!), and yet Jason thinks St. Polycarp believes in faith alone and not in merit and the Catholic conception of sanctification and good works (and the Wikipedia article thinks his soteriology isnt clear)? I dont see how, even giving Jason some slack for his Protestant bias (we all have bias and predispositions one way or another).

If we please Him in this present world, we shall receive also the future world, according as He has promised to us that He will raise us again from the dead, and that if we live worthily of Him, we shall also reign together with Him, [2 Tim 2:12] provided only we believe. (ch. 5; my bolding and italics)

This is again the Catholic doctrine of merit and good works as necessary in salvation, in conjunction with faith. Faith isnt alone. This is the furthest thing imaginable from faith alone. It reminds me of this similar passage: and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him (Rom 8:17).

neither fornicators, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, shall inherit the kingdom of God, [1 Cor 6:9-10] (ch. 5)

He cites St. Paul in agreement. Paul is expressing merit in the opposite manner: those who habitually commit various sins and dont cease, wont be saved, as opposed to writing, those who dont have faith alone wont inherit the kingdom of God.

When you can do good, defer it not, because alms delivers from death. [Tobit 4:10, 12:9] (ch. 10)

Once again, he espouses Catholic meritorious action, leading to salvation, with two deuterocanonical references thrown in as an extra bonus and a Three Stooges-like poke in the Protestant eye. Alms (and doing good in general) arent just nice and touchy-feely, warm fuzzy actions, done in gratitude to God for an existing, salvation that cant be lost. No!; they can actually deliver one from eternal damnation.

St. Polycarp clearly would have flunked out of any evangelical Protestant or Calvinist seminary (but not before mercilessly tormenting his Protestant professors first, with innumerable Catholic verses from the Bible . . .).

***

Practical Matters: Perhaps some of my 4,000+ free online articles (the most comprehensive one-stop Catholic apologetics site) or fifty books have helped you (by Gods grace) to decide to become Catholic or to return to the Church, or better understand some doctrines and why we believe them.

Or you may believe my work is worthy to support for the purpose of apologetics and evangelism in general. If so, please seriously consider a much-needed financial contribution. Im always in need of more funds: especially monthly support. The laborer is worthy of his wages (1 Tim 5:18, NKJV). 1 December 2021 was my 20th anniversary as a full-time Catholic apologist, and February 2022 marked the 25th anniversary of my blog. PayPal donations are the easiest: just send to my email address: apologistdave@gmail.com. Youll see the term Catholic Used Book Service, which is my old side-business. To learn about the different methods of contributing, including 100% tax deduction, etc., see my page: About Catholic Apologist Dave Armstrong / Donation Information. Thanks a million from the bottom of my heart!

***

Photo credit: Arches from ancient Smyrna in western Turkey [Izmir Agora Archs / Benh LIEU SONG from Torcy, France / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license]

***

Summary: St. Polycarp (69-155), disciple of the apostle John, did not believe in faith alone: the Protestant view of salvation, but rather, salvation by faith + meritorious works.
FREMONT -- A children's sex education book will remain in the Keene Memorial Library for now after library director Laura England-Biggs rejected a request from a local grandmother to ban the book.

Sex is a Funny Word won its stay after Sandra Murray's attempt to have the book removed.

England-Biggs made the decision Jan. 16, but had declined to reveal her determination on the advice of city attorneys, she said.

The city turned over the letter of determination to the Fremont Tribune after a public records request.

On Jan. 17, England-Biggs sent a two-page letter to Murray, the local grandmother who complained about the presence of the book at the city library during a Dec. 27 Fremont City Council meeting.

Within days, Murray, who owns downtown clothing store Fia + Belle, filed an official complaint seeking the books removal from Keene Memorial Library.

England-Biggs disagreed and said so in her written decision.

Having looked at professional reviews and taken the time to read Sex is a Funny Word several times, it is my finding that this title is appropriate for inclusion in our collection and remain on shelves, England-Biggs wrote to Murray in the letter.

As a concession, the book "has been relocated from the childrens nonfiction section to the adult nonfiction section," England-Biggs wrote, adding that Fremont's childrens librarian has also ordered materials on abstinence, as Murray suggested.

Besides Sex is a Funny Word, Murray and her daughter also objected to the presence of four LGBTQ+-themed books in the library, although she did not file a complaint seeking the removal of those books.

In subsequent interviews, Murray said she and others have discovered a total of 86 LGBTQ+-themed books in the library that she does not believe should be available.

Murray said she is disappointed in the decision to keep Sex is a Funny Word and plans to appeal England-Biggs decision to the city library advisory board.

I expected that to be the decision," Murray said. "I am going to appeal it. I am not censoring anyone. If anyone wants these books, they can go online or buy them somewhere else. That is an adult subject. I just dont think the library should sexualize kids.

Also, I am not trying to be hateful to the LGBTQ community. I just feel that it is an adult issue. The library wants to sexualize children, not the LGBTQ community. I do not hate the LGBTQ community, I just dont think (the books) should be in the library.

England-Biggs cited four professional literary reviews of Sex is a Funny Word before making her decision.

The book has been available at the library since 2019, England-Biggs said. It is considered a frank approach to sex education and body issues for children ages 8 to 10 years old as well as parents and caregivers, according to its description on Amazon.com.

It has been checked out for use either in the library or for take-home use nine times.

The book has several dozen pages of graphic and explicit cartoon drawings of both male and female genitalia.

In addition to those images, there are descriptions and explanations of masturbation and how children can touch their genitals, breasts and anuses to make them feel, warm and tingly.

On Dec. 27, Murray showed council members a packet of photocopied pages from the book with many of the images she felt were inappropriate.

Id like to address sexually explicit books that are in the Fremont Public Library. You will find graphic descriptions of explicit sex acts as well as pictures of erect adult penises and other genitalia, Murray said. We have to remove these books from our public library.

Following her complaints, city leaders  including Mayor Joey Spellerberg, City Administrator Jody Sanders and Keene Memorial Library Board President Linda McClain  met with England-Biggs the next day and the four came to a mutual decision to move the book, and six other common sex education books, from the childrens section to the adult section of the library.

Murray said she plans to appeal the decision to the librarys five-person advisory board, which next meets on Feb. 20.

Lincoln City Libraries' most popular books of 2022 1. The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles 2. Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi 3. Sparring Partners by John Grisham 4. The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci 5. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 6. Run, Rose, Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson 7. The Hotel Nantucket by Elin Hilderbrand 8. Dream Town by David Baldacci 9. Shattered by James Patterson 10. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney
A Simple Introduction to Zens Koan & Huatou

James Ishmael Ford

It seems we all have a question.

Why was I born? What is it all about? Who am I? What is this?

In my adolescence along with all the other things of changing body and awareness, I realized how desperately I wanted to know if there was a God.

It burned in me in ways that words simply fail to convey.

Questions.

In Zen there are two ways of taking questions as invitations to discoveries a bit different than what we find in conventional answers. One is the koan. The Chinese words gong an. Koan literally means public case, as in a legal document. It is a word, a phrase, a whole story. It is wrestled with, with a spiritual director.

The other is closely related. Huatou is a Chinese word, roughly meaning word head, or essential point. Ive also seen it rendered as a critical phrase. Wato in Japanese.

In our English usage, the Japanese word koan has become normative, as we came to that practice first with Japanese teachers. While we usually use the Chinese word huatou because it comes to English speakers first with Chinese and Korean teachers. As Ralph Waldo Emerson noted a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.

Koans arise in early medieval China as a uniquely Zen discipline. The Scholar priest Victor Sogen Hori suggests they arose when Zen monks overheard Taoists playing a drinking game, where someone would spontaneously offer up a line of poetry, which the next person up needed to match. Winning and losing was determined by the onlookers. Early Zen teachers saw how this could work as a spiritual discipline when attached to those burning questions of the heart.

They soon saw that the form of the question did not have to arise with the individual. Teachers found they could use phrases derived from conversations among Zen masters and from the masters and their students. Once presented to students of the intimate, these phrases were reflected upon, and what they found would be presented to their spiritual director. Eventually collections were gathered together with commentaries. Some of these collections like the Wumenquan, the Gateless Gate, the Biyan Lu, the Blue Cliff Record, and the Congrong Lu, the Book of Serenity, are now considered treasures of world spiritual literature.

There are crucial points within koans, a koan might contain several, I can think of a couple with five and more points. Sometimes the whole koan might be that point. Mu which is the negative response to a question does a dog have Buddha nature, a response that seems to violate the normative teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, is an example.

Theyre meditated on and then come together as questions and answers to be met in usually private interviews between a student and a teacher. In Japan, especially in the school of the eighteenth-century master Hakuin Ekaku, they become curricular, a long list of questions to be met. Each demanding answers. And, yes, right answers. This becomes one of the great gifts of the Zen way, a course in awakening. It offers access into insight, and then, critically, and possibly uniquely among the worlds spiritual disciplines, offers extensive direction following those initial insights into the mysteries of our hearts.

Huatou practice is a variation. Chinese koan practice followed Dahui Zonggaos teachings. At the end of the Eleventh century Dahui felt koan practice had degenerated into mere examples of literary brilliance. Beautiful. Sometimes dazzling. But no longer a discipline on the path of awakening. He even famously tried to destroy the existing copies of his master Yuanwu Keqins collection the Blue Cliff Record, as a distraction from the primary point. Fortunately, he failed there.

He offered a reform to the discipline. And its what we generally call Huatou practice. Huatou can be seen as the original heart of formal koan practice. And through his influence on the Korean master Chinul, the practice we differentiate from koan practice, certainly from curricular koan practice remains the normative form in both China and Korea.

Huatou are very brief phrases like What is God, or Who am I, or What is this? Theyre phrases capable of self-emptying, and bringing us along, toward an intimacy that words in and of themselves find elusive.

In my own pre-Zen days, Is there a God burned hot. As I attended to it, I realized that the question wasnt quite right. Is there a God, was a first draft of my deep question. Somewhere along the line, and I cant say when, or even how, the essential question, the question I really had, reframed itself for me. What is God.

The first draft was intellectual and had to do with falsification. I found the factuality of God an important question. And it led me on a path of trying to understand the shape of the world, actually the shape of the cosmos and the place of humanity within the cosmos. It was important, and Im grateful for that.

But it wasnt the real question. The real question was what is the mystery? How do I understand this life? Are we just meat? And what is the wonderful and terrible thing that I find everywhere around and in me? At some point I found the world God was no longer even necessary. And with that the question changed once more.

The word almost disappeared. Instead, what I had was a burning curiosity. A wondering. Today as I try to name it, I see how words fail. Theyre important. They take us places. But at some point, they fall apart. At least when were looking for the most important thing. That question of meaning and purpose. For me while I could say God, what it became for me was the lens of a telescope or perhaps the lens of a microscope.

If I understand Dahuis reform, it was to worry less about finding an answer to the koan, and more to find what it showed the student of the way, where it took the practitioner. On my own path it was finding in my question, at its heart, was some great doubt. And whether one is following a curriular form of the practice or simply sitting with one question with no expectation however subtle there would someday be another, is the same.

The secret of the practice is discovering the heart of doubt.

This doubt would take me on a path, where I would discover Zens traditions helpful in ways that settled the great hurt and allowed me a way to live into mystery that was so transformative, that, well, gave me my life. Not precisely the life described in the extravagant descriptions of enlightenment, which too often pretend another place; but as it really is, at one with the highs and lows, at one with knowing and forgetting, at one with successes and failures.

Koan and Huatou are the expressions of intimacy. Using the language of my original question, Koan and Huatou show us how to know God.

The contemporary Chan master Sheng Yen offered a simple three stage description of the Huatou as a practice. Its a good framework.

After being assigned the question, I would add, or finding it for oneself, simply repeat the question. You can think of it as a mantra, a sacred phrase to be chanted or recited or sung or, well, the secret is repetition. Slowly while paying attention. Analytically, trying to understand it. Fast, trying to feel it. Live into it. Let it take over. Let the wandering mind, your wandering mind, focus with the Huatou. In some ways this is a gathering of the mind, a form of concentration.

As it becomes intimate, then drop the question into the question. Find the deep curiosity, the longing. Feel it. Explore that sensation. Allow the question to take that shape beneath or behind or within the Huatou. Notice how it is the same or different. Find the doubt that informs the question. Here the mind expands from concentration, and we begin to experience a larger perspective.

From there bring the questioning, the doubt sensation and that larger perspective, that openness of mind together. With this we discover the sense of doubt shifts and mutates. The poet Mary Oliver invites us, you only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. The deep curiosity of the heart plays out with and through the Huatou.

At this point in this map the doubt can shatter. And at that point we discover the purpose of our heart.

In curricular koan practice one takes this practice using a type of koan, what are sometimes called breakthrough koan, such as Mu. And after a time of looking at it from differing angles, to move on to other koans. Although in my experience with Mu, that core of the question; well, we never completely leave it.

In Huatou practice one returns to the question over and over again. It becomes a lifetime touchstone.

In curricular koan practice one often finds the deeper meaning within the meeting with the spiritual director. Or if not exactly in the meeting, in bringing ones experiences to that meeting. Huatou practice relies less on these interviews, although they are important.

In either case the point is the intimate.

Not one. But not two, either.
The Government has reached agreement with the Ghana Insurers Association on the participation of insurance companies in the Domestic Debt Exchange (DDE) programme.



In a joint statement issued by the Ministry of Finance and the Insurers Association said on Thursday, January 26, that per the agreement, insurance companies will participate in the exchange on similar terms as the banks



The government through the solvency window of the Ghana Financial Stability Fund (GFSF) will provide support for the insurance companies that are seriously affected by the DDEP.



The objective is to protect jobs and the stability of the Industry, the statement said.



This come a week after the Government and the Ghana Association of Bankers (GAB) also reached an agreement on the new terms for the Domestic Debt Exchange programme.



Earlier, the GAB directed commercial banks not to sign onto the amended debt exchange offer over uncertainty surrounding the impact of the debt restructuring on the banking industry.



The Association wants its concerns addressed before accepting the debt exchange offer, according to a letter sent to managing directors of banks.

GAB told member banks that may want to consider the debt exchange in its current form to formally inform the association first before doing so.



From the uncertainty surrounding the programme, GAB recommends that all banks must stay any further movement on the exchange until our demands have been met. However, in the event that a bank may have to move forward to exchange, the MD/CEO must inform the CEO of GAB directly of the decision, according to the letter sent to the banks.



However, after an engagement with the Ministry of Finance, the Association of Banks indicated that per the new terms, the participation of member banks is subjected to individual banks internal governance and approval processes.



This is a significant milestone towards addressing our economic challenges, and will thus help to restore macro-economic stability and accelerate Ghanas economic growth.



With this achievement, the Government of Ghana reiterates its commitment to concluding the DDEP in time with all other stakeholders, a joint statement from the Finance Ministry and GAB stated.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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Featured Video
Founder of defunct Capital Bank, William Ato Essien, says he should not be jailed if he fails to pay GH20 million to the state by 28th April 2023.



He wants to rather be given the opportunity to explain why he has defaulted.



This plea is contained in documents filed by Mr Essiens lawyers challenging the 13th December 2022 decision of the High Court presided over by Justice Eric Kyei Baffuor.



Justice Baffuor had on the said date convicted Mr Essien on his own plea of guilty and accepted the terms of an agreement he had entered into with the Attorney Generals Office.



Under the terms of the agreement, Mr Essien who was accused of stealing admitted to the offence.



He was required to pay an amount of GH90 million as restitution and reparation to the state within one year. This would see him pay an initial 30 million (which has been paid) and refund the remaining 60 million in three instalments.



The first is due latest by April 28, 2023, while the second is on August 31, 2023.



Justice Baffuor warned that if there was any default in the payment or it even fell short of the required amount, Mr Essien was to be arrested and produced in court for a custodial sentence to be imposed.



But Mr Essien in fresh court documents, however, points out that current economic challenges make it imperative for him to be given the opportunity to explain a default before any such move is undertaken.



Background



William Ato Essien, Rev. Fitzgerald Odonkor, and Tetteh Nettey, a former managing director of MC Management Service, owned by Mr Essien, were accused of participating in a 23-count conspiracy to steal GH620 million in liquidity support that the Bank of Ghana (BoG) provided to the bank to help it pay off its maturing debt.



The accused opened a number of bank accounts with Capital Bank, according to the prosecution, through which the GH620 million BoG liquidity support was transferred, while others were transported in jute bags to Ato Essien.



Meanwhile, the two individuals standing trial together with the founder of Capital Bank, William Ato Essien, have been acquitted and discharged.

Source: adomonline.com









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The two accused persons in the murder case of Mrs Josephine Asante, a former Marketing and Public Affairs Manager of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), have been discharged.



They were discharged Thursday by the TDC District Court in Tema after four years of trial.



However, Graphic Online's Benjamin Xornam Glover reports from Tema that they were re-arrested by the police.



The two are Amos Apeku, personal driver of the deceased and Christian Adjei, a houseboy.



They were arrested in connection with the death of the former Marketing and Public Affairs Manager of GPHA four years ago.



However, after years of court processes, the Attorney-General's Department advised that the two suspects be discharged after the case had gone cold.



The A-G's advise was read in the court presided over by Benedicta Antwi on Thursday (Jan 26, 2023).



But shortly after the court proceedings, the two were re-arrested by personnel from the Cold Case Unit under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.



Background



Ms Asante died on January 13, 2019 at her residence at EMEFS Estates near Afienya in the Greater Accra Region.



She was said to have been attacked in her bedroom after returning from a staff party.



According to a police report, she was locked inside her room after the alleged murder incident.



The body was discovered the following morning after occupants of the house found the keys to her bedroom on the compound.



The assailant(s) did not take anything away.



The two were arrested as part of police investigations, charged and arraigned at the TDC District Court.



They were granted bail by the High Court in Accra.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has reiterated the need to ensure responsible exploitation of the countrys mineral resources.



The minister, speaking at the Bongo-Soe Community Mining Scheme (CMS) launch at Bongo-Soe, in the Upper East Region, observed that exploiting natural resources must not be in a manner that destroys the environment. This, he explains, is particularly imperative as government continues to clamp down on illegal mining activities while regularising the small-scale mining industry.



More than 3,000 residents are in line to gain employment following the CMS launch.



He was upbeat that operations of the Bongo-Soe Community Mining Scheme will help boost economic activities and provide direct and indirect jobs to the people of Bongo and its environs.



Mr. Jinapor noted that the northern part of the country is blessed with rich mineral deposits, citing the operations of mining companies such as Cardinal Namdini Resources and Perseus Mining, among others.



While mistakes of the past are being corrected through responsible and sustainable mining, he said, government will continue to revamp the sector by raising local giants in the small-scale mining industry.



Against this background, he said the Community Mining Scheme is an ideal way of achieving this vision. The CMS, he said, will create employment in the area and improve the peoples livelihoods.



The minister however cautioned that all guidelines and requirements in the Community Mining Scheme should be religiously adhered to, adding government will not hesitate to revoke the licence of operators found going contrary to measures stipulated in the manual.



He, therefore, urged the Schemes management to work effectively with stakeholders in the area, including local authorities and traditional leaders, to ensure a mutually beneficial relationship.



For his part, the Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, assured that they will implement all measures contained in the CMS manual. He also encouraged the residents commitment to the project so it can succeed.



The Paramount Chief of Bongo Traditional Area, Naba Baba Salifu Atamaale, is optimistic that the mine will provide much-needed employment in the area. He also added that mining should be done within the confines of the law.

Source: B&FT









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Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has called for smart investments into the continents critical infrastructure  a move he said could accelerate the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).



As a continent, we need to produce and trade our way out of poverty and underdevelopment, and we cannot do that without investing in smart infrastructure across the continent, he said at the maiden Africa Prosperity Dialogues dubbed the Kwahu Summit. It was on the theme from ambition to action; delivering prosperity through continental trade.



While the last decades have seen some positive investments, the Vice-President argued that there is a need for additional resources to finance the arteries for trade  physical infrastructure such as roads, rail, energy and digital infrastructure including data centres to facilitate the digital transformation and financial integration of markets.



These investments, he reiterated, will be critical to success for the AfCFTA: It will take concrete, strategic actions by governments and businesses on the continent; the right mix of policies, a greater sense of purpose for more robust intra-African trade must happen to support economic diversification and the continents much-needed industrialisation.



Equally important, he said, is the unleashing of what he termed productive capacities  which can be achieved by creating platforms for knowledge-brokerage and access to information about critical products and services on the continent.



This, Dr. Bawumia added, will allow some 445 million small businesses across the continent to plug into the value chains of these mega-industries. We need to develop Africa into a manufacturing zone that will facilitate the trade of value-added products. These, in my view, will be critical to leapfrog Africas industrialisation and bring enormous socio-economic benefits, he said.



Again, the Vice-President emphasised the need to mobilise finance and investments across the continent, saying Africa needs between US$130billion and US$170billion annually to bridge its infrastructure gap and generate sustainable growth at 5 percent per annum or more.



This, he explains, can only be realised through private sector participation.



The founder and Chairman of Africa Prosperity Network, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko  organiser of the Africa Prosperity Dialogues, said AfCFTA has the all-important goal of turning Africa into the worlds largest single market.



This, we believe, is the biggest promise this century for the prosperity of Africa and the African. It is potentially, the worlds most exciting economic project this century. And this is what brings us here now, he said.



He added that: For our collective ownership and shared benefit, it must be owned by businesses in Africa. The combined voices of Africas businesses  big and small  must be heard and felt. The aggregate value of enterprises and industries across Africa must be networked, coordinated and impactfully leveraged.



On his part, Secretary-General of the AfCFTA, Wamkele Mene, said transforming the continent should be the foremost thing in the minds of governments and businesses in Africa, as predicted by the World Bank.



He said all the necessary legal instruments required by traders and businesses on the continent in order to take advantage of the AfCFTA have been established. I see no reason why our continent cannot be the global economic force that it should have been 60 or 70 years ago.



The maiden Africa Prosperity Dialogues come against a backdrop of immense economic challenges confronting the continent.

Source: B&FT









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The Ghana Armed Forces says it is embarking on stringent measures to deal with the unauthorized use of military uniforms and equipment by civilians.



In a statement released by the military states that The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) wishes to serve notice that it has embarked on more stringent measures in accordance with the law and its rules of engagement, to appropriately deal with the growing menace of individuals and various groups, using military pattern clothing, equipment and another accoutrement in the country.



GAF is putting in these extra measures following disclosures and investigations which indicate that some miscreants have been deliberately acquiring these military pattern clothing and equipment including guns, for diabolical reasons thereby escalating tension in some communities and also placing the Ghana Armed Forces in disrepute.



This comes after GAF recently arrested a man in Bawku engaged in the re-spraying of a vehicle in military pattern colours on Wednesday, December 21, 2022.



Also, reports indicate some persons dressed in military patterns and military colour shades of clothing, have been allegedly engaged in several criminal activities towards the end of last year and early this month. These incidents have led to unsubstantiated allegations and the circulation of false information in the media that military personnel were rather responsible for these acts.



GAF has therefore assured the public that its personnel are putting in all efforts to fish out these alleged perpetrators who wear military pattern clothing and use military equipment to commit crimes and to deceive the unsuspecting public.



These miscreants and imposters are derailing the immense role the Ghana Armed Forces is playing in order to secure the country, restore normalcy to some conflict-prone areas, and deter crime in various parts of the country.



GAF, therefore, requires the maximum cooperation of all Ghanaians as it puts in these stringent measures to curb the sale, wearing of military uniforms and use of military-grade equipment by unauthorised persons as it is prohibited under NLCD 177. Those who continue to violate this Decree and others who connive in this violation will be dealt with and made to face the full rigours of the law if found, the statement further stated.



Ghana Armed Forces have assured the general public of its commitment to protecting the citizenry at all times. It is therefore soliciting the support of all to enforce these measures in the interest of the needed peace and security for Ghanas socio-economic development.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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Five people have reportedly died after eating a meal of rice and beans, popularly known as waakye, they bought from a food joint at Oyibi Bush Canteen Junction, in Accra.



About 40 people were reportedly affected, out of which five, including a pregnant woman and a lotto vendor, died.



The victims including the waakye seller, popularly known as Yellow Sisi, and some of her family members were rushed to the Valley View Hospital, Oyibi Hospital, Dodowa Hospital and other facilities when they complained of severe stomach ache after they had eaten the food last week Friday.



The Yellow Sisi Waakye joint is considered to be one of the popular food joints at Oyibi Bush Canteen.



Food joint



When the Daily Graphic team visited the area, it observed that the joint was quiet and the kiosk locked.



Some shops close to the food joint were also closed as it is believed that the shop owners who also patronised the food that day and suffered the side effects, were also said to be receiving treatment in hospital.



Confirmation, investigation



When the Daily Graphic followed up at the Valley View Hospital for confirmation, hospital officials did confirm the incident, indicating that a number of patients were rushed to the hospital in bad condition but as of today, all the patients have been discharged, an official said.



The Valley View Hospital officials could not provide enough information as to the number of people who might have been affected but only indicated that the data from the hospital had been forwarded to the Kpone Katamanso District Hospital where further investigation was ongoing to ascertain the cause of the problem.



Officials at the district hospital confirmed the story but said they were conducting further tests on patients to find out whether it was indeed a case of food poisoning or something else.



As at now, some other people are still visiting the hospital and, therefore, until all the necessary laboratory tests are complete, we cannot give specific data on the number of people who have been affected or whether it was indeed a case of food poisoning, Dr Esther Danquah from the district hospital said.



Victims narration



One of the victims who gave his name as Justice Ankomah said he started experiencing stomach ache and then diarrhoea later in the day, but did not consider it as a big deal and took some medication to treat himself.



However, he pointed out that three other residents who operated shops around the joint and also patronised the waakye, as they often did, fell very sick and ended up being admitted to the hospital and had not been able to return to open their shops for business since last Friday.



The wife of one of the deceased that the Daily Graphic met and who only gave her husbands name as Kennedy, disclosed that her husband died last Monday at the St Johns Hospital at Amrahia, when he was rushed there after complaining of stomach ache and diarrhoea.



He started complaining that Friday that he was not feeling well, but we thought it was a normal thing. It was later when it became severe that we rushed him to the hospital but he did not survive, the widow disclosed.



She said later on they heard the news that many other people had been affected and were at different hospitals within the community.



Some relatives of Kennedy were spotted at the Oyibi Police Station following up on the issue.



They, however, refused to talk to the Daily Graphic about the incident as they said the police were investigating.



At the Oyibi Police Station, although there was confirmation that a case of food poisoning had been reported there, the police declined to brief the Daily Graphic team but rather, directed the them to seek further information from the police headquarters.

Source: graphic.com.gh









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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.
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 recently 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.

Top Journal Star photos for January 2023
The Institute for Security Disaster and Emergency Studies (ISDES) has advised the MPs for Tamale South and Asawase Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka Mubarakrespectively to call their constituents to order.



Some irate youth believed to be affiliated with the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and supporters of the two lawmakers on Wednesday protested against the removal of the duo as leaders of the party in Parliament.



Speaking to Asaase News on Wednesday (25 January), the president of ISDES, Dr Ishmael Norman called on the security agencies to be tactful in handling the situation.



I praise the Ghana police in Tamale South and Asawase because the people are angry, it is possible to get overboard, he said.



But the police should exercise professionalism to ensure they reduce tension when they arise, and I believe they will be briefed properly by the IGP, Norman said.



Source: Asaaseradio









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A former NDC Constituency Chairman of Ayawaso Central, Greater Accra, Ebenezer Arkutu says contrary to what is being churned out in the media, there is a groundswell of support for Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson as the new Minority Leader in Parliament, especially among the grassroots.



The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Monday, January 23 named the Ajumako-Enya-Essiam Member of Parliament as the new Minority Leader, replacing Haruna Iddrisu.



In a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, the party also stated the names of Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah and Kwame Agbodza as the new Deputy Minority Leader and Chief Whip respectively.



The announcement caused a sharp division among members of parliament with a pocket of party supporters protesting against the decision.



But there appears to be a sharp turn of event to the protestation following Dr. Ato Forsons first public engagement after his appointment.



His call to the rank and file of the party to keep calm seems to have sunk well with a number of party functionaries at the grassroots as many are now beginning to buy into the change.



I will appeal to rank and file of the party to keep calm, he made the clarion call at a press conference on Thursday morning flanked by the incoming Minority Chief Whip, Kwame Agbodza, and other MPs.



Members of Parliament are in good hands, the soft spoken Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam constituency assured the party.



We will work with them [rank and file] in due diligence, obviously we are not new in this house. I have been in this house for 14 years. I know the capabilities of all our colleaguesAnd I can assure you that together we shall succeed, he said.



The former Constituency Chairman, Mr. Ebenezer Arkutu told Newstitbits that majority of NDC functionaries he has engaged points clearly to the fact that the party leadership made a good decision.



He is actually receiving massive grassroots endorsement and support.



His appointment is a statement of recognition of building generational leadership in the party and its a welcoming news to the NDC grassroots.



He called on all who are yet to buy into the shake-up to give him and the party leadership the benefit of the doubt and rather forge ahead to annex power from the failed NPP government as the good people of Ghana look up to the NDC to bring them relief.





A Ward Chairman in the Northern Region, who doesnt want to be named, also noted that the uproar which immediately followed when the news broke, mainly fueled by the Members of Parliament, also came to him and a number of his colleagues as a shock.



All this negative noise by few individuals surrounding his progressive appointment is an attempt to build internal elitism in the NDC party, denying the rising youth the opportunity to serve when the time is due and appropriate, he asserted.



Meanwhile, the Leadership of the NDC in the Central Region has congratulated Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson on his appointment.



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.



We have absolute confidence in Dr Forsons 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, he said in a statement on Thursday.















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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Charles Owusu has applauded the Auditor-General for delving into the government expenditure on the Coronavirus pandemic and making the report public.



The former Head of Monitoring Unit at the Forestry Commission lauded the Auditor-General for exposing the misappropriation of the COVID-19 funds in his latest audit report.



Auditor-General's Report



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 stated; "The Ministry, 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."



"The Ministry of Health 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 revealed 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".



Heads Must Roll



Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" morning show, Charles Owusu called on the Public Accounts Committee in Parliament to take penal action against persons who engaged in financial mismanagement.



"I think we all with one voice should commend the Auditor-General and tell our leaders in Parliament - the honorables sitting on the Public Accounts Committee - to take action as there are some people who must be recommended for prosecution and the court must also help us to punish these people for engaging in corruption", he said.



He expressed disgust over the findings by the Auditor-General which show the poor use of the COVID-19 funds.



"It's sad...we don't care about ourselves. Ghana has become an individual thing; every person is thinking about himself/herself and the other person...Corruption kills people. Corruption destroys a nation", Charles Owusu fumed.



To him, heads must roll immediately to serve as a deterrent to other public officials and Ghanaians at large.



"We pay COVID tax in this country? Don't we?...Every time we keep on shifting blame. We don't take responsibility. It's like the life we are living; Ghanaians can blame every other person but not themselves. This is the life we are living in this country. So, until we make up our minds to fight things like this, we can't fight it. When we keep on defending it, it will continue."





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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B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix pauses while responding to questions during a news conference with his provincial counterparts after the first of two days of meetings, in Vancouver on Nov. 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)  The Memphis police chief on Saturday disbanded the unit whose officers beat to death Tyre Nichols as the nation and the city struggled to come to grips with video showing police pummeling the Black motorist.

Police Director Cerelyn CJ Davis said she listened to Nichols' relatives, community leaders and uninvolved officers in making the decision.

Keep scrolling for a complete timeline of Tyre Nichols' arrest, death

It is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the Scorpion unit, she said in a statement. She said the officers currently assigned to the unit agree unreservedly" with the step.

The footage released Friday left many unanswered questions about the traffic stop involving the Black motorist and about other law enforcement officers who stood by as he lay motionless on the pavement.

The five disgraced former Memphis Police Department officers, who are also Black, have been fired and charged with murder and other crimes in Nichols death three days after the arrest.

The recording shows police savagely beating Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx worker, for three minutes while screaming profanities at him in an assault that the Nichols family legal team has likened to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King. Nichols calls out for his mother before his limp body is propped against a squad car and the officers exchange fist-bumps.

The five officers  Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith  face up to 60 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.

Davis has said other officers are under investigation, and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said two deputies have been relieved of duty without pay while their conduct is investigated. Read the full story here:

Here is the timeline of events in the arrest and death of Tyre Nichols  and what's followed Jan. 7, 2023 Jan. 8 Jan. 15 Jan. 16 Jan. 18 Jan. 20 Jan. 23 Jan. 24 Jan. 25 Jan. 26 Jan. 27 Jan. 28
Toni Kaukua Wins Merit Poker Western Series $5,300 High Roller

January 28, 2023 Jeff McMillan Contributor

The Merit Poker Western Series has reached its conclusion with the $5,300 High Roller coming to an end in the early morning after an exciting final day. Some 147 entries made for a $676,200 prize pool, which was more than double the guarantee. Only 17 players returned today to battle for the $170,000 grand prize.

Coming out on top with the grand prize victory to his name was Toni Kaukua of Finland who scored his biggest live poker result by a significant margin. The mainly online player has a plethora of big online results but had a much lighter live resume before this event, with his biggest live cash prior to this being for just over $29,000.

2023 Merit Western Poker Series Final Table Results

Place Player Prize Money 1 Toni Kaukua $170,000 2 Andreas Christoforou $119,400 3 Roman Kolotiuk $77,100 4 Joseph Mouwad $57,200 5 Viktor Ustimov $43,000 6 Fausto Tantillo $34,500 7 Osman Ihlamur $28,700 8 Iulian-Remus Blebea $23,100 9 Yauhen Kontush $17,500

Winner's Reaction

This victory nearly didnt happen, as he explained afterward. He entered at the very end of registration on Day 2 to ride to the victory.

I used three bullets, and I bought the last one and the very last moment that it was possible, Kaukua said in his post-win interview.

Kaukua entered the day as one of the larger stacks.

I think from the moment I sat down, I just felt good. I just felt that I had such a big edge that I could nail this thing down.

And nail it down, he did indeed, as he was the steady force throughout the day, gathering chips from the onset of the day and continuing to rise. He would hold the advantage at the top for much of the day as the carnage would ensue among the shorter stacks below him.

Action of the Day

Jenya Gavrilovich

The day began with 17 players and would kick off quickly as the third largest stack, Jenya Gavrilovich shockingly went out in 16th place to start of day chip leader Fausto Tantillo to begin the day with some fireworks. After that, the eliminations would come very rapidly as half the field was lost in the ruckus and the final table was reached in under two hours.

After a break, the nine remaining players returned to battle at the final table, where things would not go according to chip count plan. The final table largely became a game of chicken with the multiple very short stacks waiting to see who would blink first.

Yauhen Kontush ran an unsuccessful three-barrel bluff to cut his stack from one of the large ones to the short stack where he would succumb in ninth place as the first exit from the final table. Iulian-Remus Blebea joined him to the rail shortly after in eighth place.

Osman Ihlamur

Turkish local player Osman Ihlamur started the final table as the big chip leader as he had a great start to the day. But things would not go as swimmingly at the final table as he lost multiple big pots and be ousted in seventh place. The same story would happen to Tantillo as his once big stack chip lead would not last and he was eliminated in sixth place.

The main beneficiary of the large stacks faltering was Viktor Ustimov, who was down as low as two big blinds at one point and was able to claw his way to several pay jumps with his small stack into a fifth-place finish.

The elder statesman of the final day by some distance was Joseph Mouwad of Lebanon, who showed his skills by having an impressive display on the stream, which was enough to earn him a fourth-place finish.

Roman Kolotiuk was one of the most interesting characters at the final table as he embraced the western theme with a cowboy hat and was often talking with his opponents. He had an up-and-down day that ended on a high as he gained momentum late to make it to third place.

Andreas Christoforou

Andreas Christoforou was one of the more entertaining players at the final table as he was often the driver of action with a wide opening range and showed multiple times that he was not afraid to put his chips to work. That style worked wonders against many of the short stacks, and Christoforou was able to make it into heads-up play against Kaukua.

Heads-up play would last for about 30 minutes as Kaukuas advantage remained the same throughout with the trading of small pots before the Finn was able to end it for the title.

That wraps things up for PokerNews here on the glistening shores of North Cyprus after a successful Merit Poker Western Series.

Sharelines The 2023 Merit Western Poker Series came to a thrilling conclusion, read all about it here.
A new nonprofit organization is gauging the public about a new high school for southwest Billings.

Specifically, theyre exploring the feasibility of consolidating Billings four independent K-8 school districts (Elysian, Blue Creek, Canyon Creek and Elder Grove) to a single high school district as an alternative to Billings School District 2s three high schools.

Formed late last year, Southwest Billings SMART Growth was started by former SD2 board member Susie Layton and former Elder Grove board member Missy Jones to address long standing issues felt by their communities with overcrowded high schools.

Living in the county, we have been seeing the effects of astronomical growth in our area. In addition to the overcrowding that the current SD2s high schools are facing, I saw very quickly that if we do not start planning ahead to accommodate the growth then we will be behind, Jones said. These projects are years in the making and knowing the process, I recognized the need to start planning for our county students now.

Elysian, Blue Creek, Canyon Creek and Elder Grove schools are collectively located southwest of SD2, where Billings is currently experiencing the most growth in development and population. Currently, most of their students move into SD2 upon entering ninth grade due to the lack of a fourth high school among the four independent districts.

With multiple schools in SD2 currently exceeding their capacities, a new school zone map was recently proposed to distribute students more evenly across the district. Layton and Jones saw this as a temporary solution to a growing population and felt that a new school was a better solution both for SD2 and the independent districts.

The groups intention currently is to gauge public interest through a public survey accessible through their Facebook page until Jan. 31. The survey is intended for residents from all the affected districts  including SD2  to see if they think a new district is needed and if they would support efforts to consolidate the districts.

According to Layton, over 500 people have taken the survey to date with a majority of participants supporting a new district and a bond to build a new school.

Theres a lot of interest in this, she said. And I think, in everybodys minds, the solution was always that School District 2 should build us a high school. But Missy and I are presenting a totally different path.

The thought of combining these districts isnt new, but making it happen is far from easy. To form a new district, it must first be voted in by those residing the current districts in question. Then, another vote must pass to agree on building a high school before a third vote passing a bond to build the high school.

Since a 2017 state law was passed to allow the formation of new high school districts, East Helena and Lockwood proceeded to do so successfully along with passing respective bonds to build new schools.

Where this would differ from those existing districts is in the number of students needed to do so. Montana law allows any K-8 district to create a K-12 high school district if they have a population of 1,000 students or more. East Helena and Lockwood already exceeded 1,000 students at the time SB107 became law, but this new proposed district could only meet that threshold if the independent districts combined. Based on Yellowstone Countys fall 2022-23 enrollment, this would account for 1,555 students.

Its going to be an uphill battle, Layton said.

Since this would involve multiple votes across multiple districts, theres an increased chance of them failing. If they were to pass, it could also lead to some unintended effects on the communities.

Elysian Superintendent Luke Shelton explained that, given the rate of growth the districts are experiencing, they could soon find themselves making many of the decisions SD2 has faced in recent years like developing new middle schools and rezoning school boundaries if they were to come together.

Based on my experiences with districts, I can see that having to be adjusted fairly quickly, he said.

With all these considerations potentially on the horizon, Layton and Jones want to make sure that they are worth exploring going forward. Next month, a public meeting with all four districts superintendents and boards of trustees will take place to present the surveys findings and decide how to proceed.

At this moment we are just focused on gathering the data from our survey to see the local interest and support of this project, Jones said. Then we will evaluate who we need to bring to the table moving forward.
The 2023 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA) $10,300 Main Event is one step closer to crowning a champion. On Day 4 of the competition, the 54 returning players out of an 889-entry-strong field were cut down to the final 16 contenders at the lavish Baha Mar Resort in The Bahamas.

All semifinalists have locked up a payday of $68,000 for their efforts and a pay jump to $78,200 awaits after the next elimination. All hopefuls will have their eyes firmly set on the $1.5 million top prize in two days' time as a new winner in a major PokerStars-sponsored flagship tournament will be crowned.

Over the course of the next two days, the biggest slice of the $8,623,300 prize pool will be awarded and the top four on the leaderboard are separated by only ten big blinds. Portugal's Michel Dattani edged into the lead with 2,900,000 in chips, closely followed by Jamil Wakil (2,840,000), Christoph Csik (2,785,000), and Mitchell Halverson (2,650,000).

Place Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds 1 Michel Dattani Portugal 2,900,000 116 2 Jamil Wakil Canada 2,840,000 114 3 Christoph Csik United States 2,785,000 111 4 Mitchell Halverson United States 2,650,000 106 5 Artur Martirosian Russia 2,285,000 91 6 Clint Tolbert United States 1,950,000 78 7 Sergi Reixach Spain 1,610,000 64 8 Alexandre Raymond Canada 1,475,000 59 9 Ian Matakis United States 1,200,000 48 10 Taylor Paur United States 1,195,000 48

Rising Russian star Artur Martirosian (2,285,000) has 91 big blinds at his disposal. Sergi Reixach, who accumulated the most chips at the end of both Day 1b and Day 3, retained his chance at becoming a PCA Main Event champion and advanced with 1,610,000.

Ian Matakis (1,200,000) and Taylor Paur (1,195,000) are other well-known names to reside in the overnight Top Ten while Jonathan Little (1,195,000) and 2019 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event champion Alexandros Kolonias (900,000) can be found in the bottom half of the chip counts.

When the action resumes on Day 5 at noon local time Saturday, January 28, there will be 03:29 minutes left in Level 23. Returning blinds are 10,000/25,000 with a big blind ante of 25,000 but they will go up almost immediately to 15,000/30,000 with a big blind ante of 30,000. The penultimate tournament day is scheduled to play down to the final six contenders but that plan may be altered.

Dattani was an unlikely chip leader for the end of the night as he was right in the middle of the pack once the final three tables were set. However, a spectacular three-way all-in saw Dattani prevail with aces against the ace-king of PokerStars Ambassador Ramon Colillas and the pocket queens of Elias Gutierrez. Both Spaniards failed to catch any help and received $51,400 for their efforts.

Sam Grafton also represented the red spade on Day 4 but was among the very early casualties, finishing in 52nd place for $29,400. Three former EPT Main Event champions were aiming to add a PCA title to their resumes but Steve O'Dwyer, Anton Wigg, and Noah Boeken were all sent to the payout desk. Boeken fared the best among them but his dominated ace-seven was unable to overcome the ace-king of Giuseppe Iadisernia on the secondary feature table.

Other big names such as Dylan Linde, Justin Bonomo, Alex Kulev, Jesse Lonis, Laszlo Bujtas, Michael Rocco, Chad Eveslage, Chris Brewer, and Nick Petrangelo all suffered the same fate as well.

Maria Konnikova

Maria Konnikova was the last woman standing and once more confirmed her run-good in The Bahamas with another deep run. After her final table appearance in the $1,100 BSOP Bahamas Main Event, the Russian-American writer bowed out in 30th place this time. Once more it was Venezuela's Iadisernia who dealt the final blow when ace-queen suited remained ahead versus ace-ten.

The final 16 hopefuls will return to their seats on the two feature tables at noon local time and try to reach the official final table for the grand finale on Sunday, January 29, 2023. You can follow along right here on PokerNews and on the PokerStars YouTube and Twitch channels with updates available on a 30-minute security delay.
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House Republicans are looking for a way out of their debt ceiling crisis and already considering suspending it until September 30.

Bloomberg reported:

House Republican leaders are considering proposing a short-term extension of the federal debt ceiling to delay the risk of a default until Sept. 30, according a person familiar with their deliberations.

This is a step that would allow more time to resolve an impasse with Democrats and it isnt clear whether the Democratic-controlled Senate or even the White House would agree to briefly putting off a reckoning on the debt ceiling. But at least it shows an opening.

The fact that House Republicans are already looking for a way out is a win for President Biden. The President held firm to his stance of no negotiations, even after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) claimed that Democrats should negotiate with Republicans on the debt ceiling, and the result is that Republicans appear to be in the process of backing down.

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House Republicans wanted a debt ceiling long before they won the House majority. They thought they would be able to extort Social Security and Medicare cuts from Biden and the Democrats.

House Republicans are quickly finding out that they were wrong.

Kevin McCarthy and company can suspend the debt ceiling for as long as they want, but there will be no deal coming from Democrats.

All the GOP tough talk is gone, as Republicans are looking for a way.
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President Biden urged Americans seeking justice after the video footage of five Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols to death was released not to use violence.

President Biden said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:

Like so many, I was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols death. It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.

My heart goes out to Tyre Nichols family and to Americans in Memphis and across the country who are grieving this tremendously painful loss. The footage that was released this evening will leave people justifiably outraged. Those who seek justice should not to resort to violence or destruction. Violence is never acceptable; it is illegal and destructive. I join Mr. Nichols family in calling for peaceful protest.

I spoke with RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, Mr. Nichols mother and stepfather, this afternoon. There are no words to describe the heartbreak and grief of losing a beloved child and young father. Nothing can bring Mr. Nichols back to his family and the Memphis community. But Mr. and Mrs. Wells, Mr. Nichols son, and his whole family deserve a swift, full, and transparent investigation.

We must do everything in our power to ensure our criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, equal treatment, and dignity for all. Real and lasting change will only come if we take action to prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again. That is why I called on Congress to send the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to my desk. When Senate Republicans blocked that bill, I signed an executive order that mandated stricter use of force standards and accountability provisions for federal law enforcement, as well as measures to strengthen accountability at the state and local level.

President Biden was correct. Violence and destruction are not the answer. The President is saying exactly the right thing, but for those of us who are white, imagine if you had to bury your son, your daughter, your husband, or your wife because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and were killed by the police.

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The anger is understandable, and Americas police violence problem may continue to not have a solution until we all get angry. Protesting and saying that Black Lives Matter is not enough. It is time to get angry and demand changes in policing in towns and cities all across the nation.

How many more Americans have to die before we finally get angry and say enough?
The judge handling the case of a Bismarck woman convicted of plotting to kill her husband will take a seat on the state Supreme Court next month but will still handle her March sentencing.

Gov. Doug Burgum recently named South Central District Judge Douglas Bahr to the high court. Bahr last year presided over the trial of Nikki Entzel, 41, who was convicted in October on three conspiracy charges -- murder, arson, and evidence tampering -- for plotting to kill Chad Entzel, 42, in what authorities said was a love triangle and a scheme to collect on insurance policies.

Nikki Entzel is scheduled for sentencing March 6. Bahrs term on the Supreme Court begins Feb. 1.

State Court Administrator Sally Holewa said Bahr after joining the Supreme Court will handle Entzels sentencing and a couple of more state district court cases that are so close to the end that it would be difficult for another judge to ethically step in.

Bahr would have to recuse himself from any appeal made by Entzel to the Supreme Court, Holewa said.

Burgum chose Bahr to replace retiring Justice Gerald VandeWalle, 89, who served on the Supreme Court for 44 years.

Nikki Entzel and a Canadian man, Earl Howard, 44, were charged in early 2020 with planning Chad Entzel's death and attempting to cover it up. A murder charge against Howard was dismissed when prosecutors said they couldn't prove who shot Chad Entzel. Howard pleaded guilty in October 2021 to four conspiracy felonies, and Bahr sentenced him to 25 years in prison. Howard will have to serve 21 years before hes eligible for parole.

The case drew national attention when the investigation turned away from a theory of suicide to one of murder and an attempt at arson to cover it up. At one point amid the COVID-19 pandemic the trial was scheduled to be held in the House Chambers at the state Capitol to allow for social distancing, but it ultimately was held in the Burleigh County Courthouse.

A jury after several days of testimony from prosecution witnesses in Entzel's trial deliberated for two hours before returning guilty verdicts on all counts. She did not take the stand in her own defense. Her attorney called no witnesses, opting instead to focus in closing arguments on how the prosecution's decision not to call Howard as a witness left many questions unanswered.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Cloudy this morning. Scattered thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 73F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%..

Tonight

Some clouds. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 56F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
It could cost over $30 billion for the National Nuclear Security Administration to reestablish plutonium pit production, according to recently released report.

Allison Bawden, director of natural resources and environment at the Government Accountability Office, wrote Thursday the Government Accounting Office has identified between $18-$24 billion in potential costs to begin production of 80 plutonium pits per year by 2036 at the Savannah River Site and Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Plutonium pits are the core of a nuclear weapon into which a neutron is injected to begin an uncontrolled reaction.

The United States has been without a permanent capability for plutonium pit production since 1989 after a combination of environmental mismanagement  the EPA and the FBI raided the facility in 1989 after receiving reports of numerous environmental violations from employees  and the end of the Cold War stopped pit production at the Rocky Flats facility in Colorado.

From 2007-2012, around 10 pits per year were made at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Trying to restart plutonium pit production and modernizing the Los Alamos National Laboratory for production has cost $8.6 billion since 2005 according to the report.

NNSA plans to produce 50 pits per year at the Savannah River Site beginning in 2036 and 30 pit per year at the Los Alamos National Laboratory beginning in 2027.

At the Savannah River Site, the plans call for the failed Mixed-Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility to be converted into the Savannah River Plutonium Production Facility.

Bawden says the NNSA estimates through 2035 a cost of between $6.9-$11.1 billion to make the conversion, which is in three steps: getting the main building ready, providing utilities and other infrastructure to the area and constructing an administration building, security facilities and a training area.

Other costs include $6.94 billion for plutonium modernization program at the Savannah River Site and the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

At the Savannah River Site, Bawden says costs include preparing employees to produce pits and learning from the Los Alamos National Laboratory how to produce pits more efficiently. She says at Los Alamos the costs include designing a pit production line, getting equipment, hiring and training staff and making sure the production line is working and checking the quality of the produced pits.

She adds other costs at the Los Alamos National Laboratory include between $4.17-$5.61 billion for capital projects, $240-244 million for support buildings and $45-46 million for maintenance and recapitalization.

Bawden spends a few pages in the 84-page report discussing activities at other Department of Energy-owned sites that are not included in the NNSA cost estimates.

Those activities include design of a warhead at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the lab making sure the produced pits meet the specifications of the warhead, experimental facilities at the Nevada National Security Site, production of non-nuclear pit components at the Kansas City National Security Campus, disassembling pits at the Pantex Plant in Texas and storing produced waste at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in New Mexico.

Including these costs and developing more thorough estimates of the costs at the Savannah River Site and Los Alamos is one of two recommendations the GAO makes in the report.

The other is for the NNSA to develop a more complete schedule of activities and when they're supposed to happen.

Bawden notes NNSA decision-makers said both recommendations will be implemented later in the process when firm construction plans for the Savannah River Plutonium Production Facility are set in 2024 or 2025. She adds the NNSA decision-makers said they are hesitant to make more thorough cost estimates because of a concern of making an estimate, then paying a higher cost and having the public concerned about rising costs for the project.
WALTERBORO  Alex Murdaugh looked clean from head to toe in his first interview with investigators just hours after his wife and son were brutally shot to death, according to testimony prosecutors elicited on the third day of Murdaughs double murder trial.

In a recording played in the Colleton County courtroom, Murdaugh  a since-disbarred Hampton trial attorney  could be heard telling investigators he had checked the bodies of his wife, Maggie, and son Paul for pulses shortly after arriving at the gruesome scene around 10 p.m. on the evening of June 7, 2021.

Murdaugh said he tried to turn Paul over, though he could see his youngest sons brain  blown out of his skull by a shotgun blast  lying by his feet.

But Murdaughs hands appeared clean in his 12:57 a.m. interview with investigators, Colleton County Sheriffs Office deputy Laura Rutland testified Jan. 27 under questioning from state prosecutor John Meadors. So did his arms. And his shirt. And his shorts. And his shoes, she said.

Rutland, prosecutors seventh witness, testified she saw no blood on Murdaugh at all. Nor could she see footprints or kneeprints near Maggie or Pauls bodies, though both were lying facedown in large pools of blood and brain matter. Later, she testified that it seemed like hed put on fresh clothes; she noticed his shirt was clean, though he was sweating on a warm, humid night.

Rutlands testimony came as prosecutors with the S.C. Attorney Generals Office sought to bolster their case that Murdaugh murdered his wife and son and then quickly worked to cover it up.

In the opening stages of the case, prosecutors have sought to showcase apparent inconsistencies between what Murdaugh told officials about his whereabouts and actions that evening and what investigators observed at the scene and learned afterward.

Murdaugh defense attorney Jim Griffin presented a different conclusion from Rutlands testimony. In cross-examination, he noted the crime scene was covered in blood and brains  matter that could have sprayed onto the shooter as well. Yet Rutland had testified that Murdaugh was spotless.

He didnt look like someone who had just been within feet of blowing Pauls head off, right? Griffin asked.

I cant say that, Rutland replied. There are so many factors that you would have to take into account.

An interview with investigators

Rutland and the State Law Enforcement Divisions lead investigator, Dave Owen, spoke with Murdaugh at 12:57 a.m. in a vehicle as it rained at the familys remote hunting lodge. They were joined by Danny Henderson, a lawyer at the familys high-powered law firm who said he was acting as Murdaughs personal attorney.

Sitting in the front seat, Murdaugh soon broke down in tears, and Henderson reached up to put a hand on his shoulder. At three points in the roughly 30-minute interview, he opened the car door, leaned outside and appeared to spit.

The video shows Murdaugh present an alibi that prosecutors contend does not hold up: He woke up from a nap and decided to visit his mother, who suffers from Alzheimers disease, because his father had gone to the hospital that day. He told investigators he found Maggie and Paul shot dead when he arrived home.

But in his opening statement, lead prosecutor Creighton Waters said investigators found cellphone video placing Murdaugh with his wife and son shortly before the shootings. That video has not been shown in court.

In his interview with investigators, Murdaugh did not mention visiting Paul and Maggie at the dog kennels before finding their bodies.

He also reiterated what he had told the 911 dispatcher and first responders hours earlier: that his son Paul had received threats and even been physically attacked by people angry with him over the 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach.

Paul had been criminally charged with driving the boat that night, Murdaugh told investigators. The drunken boating case was still pending when he was killed.

Agent Owen asked Murdaugh if he thought anybody on that boat had meant Paul harm.

I dont know of any direct threats from the crash survivors, Murdaugh said, adding the threats came from people the Murdaughs didnt know. Months earlier, Paul had gone out in Charleston and come home with a black eye, he said.

Ive never been prouder of him than the way he has handled the pressures and the adversity in that situation. Murdaugh said of Paul and the boat case. Paul is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful kid. Hed do almost anything. He gets along with almost anybody.

New testimony

Rutlands testimony came near the end of the first week of Murdaughs double murder trial, a nationally televised event that has brought food trucks, network TV stars and more than 100 reporters to this lightly populated Lowcountry town.

Prosecutors have so far presented nine witnesses, all of whom responded in some way to Murdaughs frantic 911 call to report finding his wife and sons dead bodies.

Paul Murdaugh was shot first with two shotgun blasts, the latter a fatal shot to the head, as he stood in a feed room by a set of dog kennels at the Murdaugh familys 1,770-acre hunting estate in Colleton County, prosecutors have said.

The shooter then felled Maggie with a .300 Blackout semiautomatic rifle as she tried to run away. The killer fired a fatal shot to the back of her head from close range as she lay on the ground, according to evidence presented in the case.

State prosecutors have said Murdaugh killed Maggie and Paul in a desperate attempt to engender sympathy for himself and distract from a series of inquiries into his bank records that were about to expose his myriad financial crimes. Earlier in the day, his law firms chief financial officer confronted him over $792,000 in legal fees that were unaccounted for, demanding proof that it hadnt gone missing, she testified in another case.

Since the slayings, state investigators have charged Murdaugh with nearly 100 other crimes, most connected to allegations he surreptitiously stole nearly $9 million from legal settlements and fees owed to his legal clients, law partners and others who trusted him.

At Murdaughs trial, which is expected to last at least three weeks, prosecutors have sought to highlight the defendants behavior in the hours after reporting the slayings.

They have unveiled body camera footage and 911 audio, stopping the tapes periodically to note moments where Murdaughs demeanor could be interpreted as strange.

First responders testified earlier this week that Murdaugh wasnt crying when they arrived, though he did seem distraught and whimpered at times when he spoke with deputies. He eyed officers cautiously as they inspected unidentified tire tracks near the scene, one testified.

Murdaughs lawyers have countered that their clients behavior shows only that he was traumatized and in shock at the scene.

Prosecutors also have fixated on where blood was found around the scene  and where it wasnt.

Swabs of 10 separate areas around the driver and front passenger sides of Murdaughs Chevrolet Suburban  the vehicle he used to drive from the main house at the Moselle estate to the crime scene that evening  tested positive for blood, SLED crime scene technician Melinda Worley testified.

Worley said she also swabbed an apparent spot of blood found on the 12-gauge shotgun Murdaugh retrieved from the Moselle home for his own protection after finding Maggie and Pauls bodies. But Worley was not asked  nor did she say  whether the sample tested positive for blood. Worley will finish testifying when court resumes at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 30.

The defense counters

Griffin, one of Murdaughs defense attorneys, established in cross-examination that Alex Murdaugh and his relatives were cooperating with the investigation. Murdaugh, his son Buster and his brothers Randy and John Marvin Murdaugh each allowed state agents to download the contents of their phones, the states witnesses acknowledged.

Griffin said Murdaugh gave investigators carte blanche to search the Moselle home and grounds for possible evidence, regardless of the search warrant investigators obtained for the entire Moselle estate.

Dive teams at one point scoured ponds and waterways on the property looking for possible evidence, including the murder weapons that remain missing, Rutland testified.

Investigators drove around the property on all-terrain vehicles as they hunted for clues, she said.

SLED returned to Moselle with a search warrant on Sept. 16, 2021, investigators testified. They paid particular attention to a wood-paneled gun room on the first floor of the main house, bagging heaps of ammunition, Worley said.

The family kept about 20-25 guns on the property, Murdaugh told investigators in his interview.

Murdaughs defense attorneys have sought to establish that investigators quickly narrowed in on Murdaugh as their first and only suspect, rather than leading an objective investigation to find the true killer.

Defense lawyers have asked two Colleton County sheriffs deputies, including Rutland, about a statement issued by law enforcement shortly after the slayings indicating there was no further danger to the public  perhaps hinting a suspect had been identified already. Both said they didnt think the statement came from their offices.

Griffin asked Rutland on Jan. 27 whether investigators considered Murdaugh a suspect when they first interviewed him after midnight.

That night, Rutland said, everybody was a suspect.

Including Alex? Griffin asked.

Including Alex, Rutland said.
Darren Hick was sitting in his Furman University office going over the take-home tests students in his upper-level philosophy course had completed the previous week when he noticed something unusual about one of the responses.

Hick, an assistant professor of philosophy, asked students to write 500 words on the 18th-century Scottish philosopher David Hume and the paradox of horror. The paradox explores why people enjoy certain negative emotions, such as those who like getting scared during horror movies even though fear is bad.

For his course, Hicks frequently has his students at the Greenville school unravel these and other philosophical problems through take-home tests consisting of essay questions that improve their critical thinking skills.

He was reading a test where the student correctly defined the paradox of horror and knew who Hume was. But Hicks class learned about Humes specific views on the paradox during the course. This student guessed what Humes thoughts would hypothetically be if he were asked about the paradox in her essay. The student also included information about Hume and the paradox that had never been discussed in Hicks class but didnt include material relevant to the question.

The professor was also puzzled by how well the essay was written. In Hicks experience, students plagiarize essays as a last-minute act of desperation because they dont know the material or dont have time to finish the assignment. The plagiarized report winds up being a hodge-podge of writing they found on the internet. But the essay Hick read was eloquent with perfect syntax. Someone who hadnt taken the class would likely have thought it was exceptional work.

Hick had heard about a new artificial intelligence chat application called ChatGPT that was released Nov. 30, three weeks before his students turned in their tests. ChatGPT is, at a base level, a chatbot that interacts with users in a conversational way. The bot has dominated headlines because users can ask it to write an essay about symbolism in the novel The Great Gatsby and it will spit an eloquent, well-researched paper in minutes. It can also write poems, lines of code, answer questions about historical events, and do other such assignments.

Hick decided to investigate.

He went to ChatGPTs website and the company that released it, OpenAI, also created a ChatGPT detection tool. He put a couple of lines of the students essay into the detection tool and found that there was a 99.9 percent chance they were written by ChatGPT. When he put in sections of the same essay written by his other students, it said there was a 99.9 percent chance these sections were written by a human.

But more proof was needed. Hick couldnt definitively say that the student plagiarized the essay, something most professors want to have before accusing a student of something that could destroy their academic career.

Complicating matters is that ChatGPT doesnt give the same answer to a prompted question every time. Hick asked the app his Hume essay question and got a response similar but different than his students paper. He asked the same questions again and got a third variation of the essay.

In Hick's case, he spoke to the student who admitted to using ChatGPT. She signed an affidavit and received an F for the course. But he and college and university professors across the country are worried that this technology will be difficult or impossible to detect in introductory-level courses, or on high school or middle school assignments. Many higher-education institutions honor codes dont say students cant use ChatGPT or other artificial intelligence technology to help them write essays, and are now scrambling to update the language.

The technology also opens the door to another and, in Hicks opinion, potentially more sinister possibly: more students who didnt plagiarize their papers will be accused of cheating.

Systemic bias

Colleges and universities were increasingly giving students online take-home exams prior to the pandemic, but when COVID-19 spread across the United States this became the norm. A modest but growing number of students began using online tools to cheat on these tests.

A study published in the International Journal of Educational Integrity in 2021 found that student requests on sites like Chegg, which allows students to post homework questions and solicit near-instantaneous answers, increased by over 196 percent from 2019 to 2020. Schools like Boston University, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M launched investigations into widespread cheating and plagiarism by students. Professors were concerned about policing their students but also falsely accusing them of cheating or plagiarism.

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Students from historically marginalized communities or low-income students are accused of cheating at a higher rate than their peers. A survey of 2,000 students from 98 universities conducted by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse found Black and Asian/Asian American students were accused of cheating more than any other group. Even if schools try to erase human error by using technology to monitor students, there is a chance of bias.

A plagiarism charge comes with heavy consequences. Christopher Bartel, a professor at Appalachian State University, said students who are charged go through a quasi-legal process at their schools.

If theyre found guilty, they can be expelled, he said. And if theyve racked up a lot of college debt, theyll be out of school without a degree and lots of debt.

Bartel received a few essays from his fall 2022 semester students that he suspected were plagiarized, but when he ran them through the usual plagiarism detectors nothing was flagged. Traditionally, professors like Bartel would be able to find a near-identical essay online and point to that as proof that a student plagiarized. But ChatGPT writes a new essay each time it's asked a question, and the detectors cannot say with absolute certainty whether the writing was produced by the chatbot.

What a student could do is say 'Dr. Bartel doesnt like me, this is a case of bias,'  he said. If they do that, Im stuck.

He redesigned his class this semester returning to in-person blue book exams, something his students were receptive to. Other professors are revamping the way they teach students. One professor at Davidson College in North Carolina is even embracing the technology, seeing it not as a threat but as an opportunity.

A new way to teach

The Post and Courier went to ChatGPTs website on Jan. 25 armed with a list of questions ranging from Hicks essay question to seeing if it could write a sonnet about the Murdaugh trial. First, Hicks essay question was typed in. ChatGPT wrote the essay in less than two minutes typing it out line by line without pausing. The essay began with the following:

David Hume was a Scottish philosopher who lived in the 18th century. One of his most famous contributions to philosophy is his work on emotions, particularly his thoughts on the paradox of horror. The paradox of horror is the idea that people are simultaneously attracted to and repulsed by horrifying things, such as horror movies or haunted houses. Hume believed that this paradox arises from our natural curiosity and desire for novelty.

The response correctly answered the question, but it was clear why Hick would flag it. While the information is factually accurate, it didnt contain the critical reasoning or nuance that is associated with upper-level philosophy course essays. When asked the question again, it wrote:

David Hume was a Scottish philosopher who lived in the 18th century. He is considered one of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy and his contributions to the field of philosophy are still widely studied today. One of his most famous contributions is his work on emotions, particularly his thoughts on the paradox of horror.

ChatGPTs flaws emerged when it was asked to write a sonnet about Alex Murdaughs trial. It contained severe inaccuracies, though right after the sonnet the bot included the caveat that the sonnet was a fiction representation since it didnt have a specific knowledge regarding the Murdaugh trial. ChatGPT recommended looking into reputable sources to know the true story.

Chris Marsicano, an assistant professor of educational studies and public policy at Davidson, noticed these and other limits to ChatGPT when he played around with the technology. He wanted to see to what extent the chatbot could answer his test essay questions and found that ChatGPT was good at defining words or terms but struggled with applying them.

He saw this as a chance to redesign his course for the better. He no longer had to test students comprehension of his course material by quizzing them about definitions but could focus on honing their critical thinking skills. In his syllabi, he wrote that students could use ChatGPT or another type of artificial intelligence system for language generation if they cite the program somewhere in their paper.

"If you're setting the bar low enough where (artificial intelligence) can do well in your class, that's a teaching problem, not a plagiarism problem," he said.
One reason the Legislature often struggles to complete its work in 80 days is because of frivolous or meaningless bills that soak up time. Case in point this session is House Bill 1155, which bars the state, cities, counties and higher education institutions from adopting policies that hinder cooperation with immigration officials.

What's commonly known as sanctuary cities provide protection for undocumented immigrants. Forum News Service couldnt find evidence that any North Dakota jurisdiction has adopted a policy to interfere with immigration officials.

Its not an issue in North Dakota and theres no indication that it ever will be an issue. But the Legislature has to go through committee hearings and floor action to determine the fate of the bill, which takes time that could be better used.

To be clear, the Tribune editorial board isnt supporting action that would hinder immigration officials. We're commenting on the need for a bill on the matter, since its not a problem and realistically not a potential problem. And House Bill 1155 isn't the only bill before the Legislature thats seeking to remedy a problem that doesnt exist. Some bills, unfortunately, are political or personal statements that dont solve anything.

Some people argue the state should go to annual sessions to handle the workload and react to current developments. One way to reduce the workload is to weed out the unnecessary bills. It wont happen, but it should be considered.

While the editorial board doesnt believe 1155 is needed to prevent sanctuary cities, we do feel it sends the wrong message.

In recent years theres been a growing tide of opposition to allowing legal, vetted immigrants into the state. Theres been a variety of arguments for keeping them out, ranging from a fear of terrorists to cultural concerns to the possibility of them taking jobs away from residents. The Tribune doesnt believe these are valid reasons.

In fact, the state has workforce shortages. If anything, 1155 sends a message to legal immigrants that they arent welcome.

Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, has introduced two bills to recruit workers from other countries -- an effort to bring professionals into the state as legal immigrants. The bills have garnered support from Republicans, which the bills will need.

Senate Bill 2142 would create an immigration office within the Department of Commerce for the recruitment of foreign health workers. The state has a shortage of nurses among the many workforce needs.

Senate Bill 2151 would establish an immigration office in the Bank of North Dakota to encourage the resettlement of legal refugees and immigrants. The bill provides for incentives.

Both bills have merit, though some would like to amend 2142 to include all workers, not just health workers.

North Dakota needs to welcome legal refugees and immigrants. They can provide a boost to our economy and help our communities grow. They also can expand our understanding of other parts of the world.

North Dakota grew and prospered because of immigrants, and we must make them a part of our future.

The Legislature needs to spend its time solving problems that exist -- such as workforce needs -- not pushing bills dealing with nonexistent issues. Matherns bills could be game-changers.
GREENVILLE  An American-style restaurant and bar with a New Orleans flair will soon offer visitors to Hampton Station a late-night food and drink option.

Six months after launching Warehouse at Midtown  the latest food hall concept on the outskirts of downtown Greenville  the founders of Dine Development Group, Thomas and Angie Wirthlin, are preparing to add a standalone version of their restaurant Bourbon St. Burgers to the Hampton Station retail complex west of downtown.

The restaurant will open Feb. 1.

The Wirthlin family already has two versions of the restaurant at both of their food halls  Warehouse at Vaughns in Simpsonville and Warehouse at Midtown along Laurens Road.

Unlike the existing two locations, the Hampton Station restaurant will have more of a nighttime, dinner menu, Thomas Wirthlin told The Post and Courier.

"We are diving into the downtown Greenville date night-type menu," Wirthlin said.

Bourbon St. Burgers, as its name implies, serves burgers and an extensive collection of bourbons. But beyond those offerings, the menu will also feature shrimp and grits, blackened ribeye, short rib, mussel pots, bone-in pork chops and nightly chefs specials.

Diners will watch as a chef prepares meat-and-cheese charcuterie boards and dessert boards from a cold kitchen next to the bar.

The restaurant, in planning stages for more than a year, will soon open its roll-up garage doors in the former Lion's Roar CrossFit gym and near the Georgian restaurant Keipi.

Inside, the exposed brick walls and timber wood ceilings echo back to Hampton Station's cotton warehouse past during Greenvilles textile heyday.

Art hangs throughout: a framed print of Picasso's The Old Guitarist, a retro United Airlines advertisement and even a piece made by Angie Wirthlin herself.

The 30-seat bar at the front once belonged to Greenville's Liberty Tap Room before it shuttered in late 2021. The Wirthlins bought it during the closing auction, divided it into thirds and reconstructed it once it was inside the Hampton Station space.

Other than bourbon, there will be over 50 different tequila options for cocktails, and 26 taps with a range of craft and domestic beer choices.

Some of the bartenders might look familiar to guests because many have worked at other places in Greenville like Vault and Vator, Perch and Woodside Bistro.

Other Hampton Station businesses serve alcohol such as beers at Birds Fly South Ale Project, wine and margaritas at White Duck Taco, and mead at the Wandering Bard Meadery. But, Wirthlin expects Bourbon St. Burgers to "be hopping" as the only full bar in the complex.

While many tenants close at 9 p.m. or earlier, Bourbon St. Burgers will stay open until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

"We just felt like this area needed something for late night," Wirthlin said.

The space can hold close to 170 people across its main dining room, bar and outside on the deck and back patio.

Bourbon St. Burgers at Hampton Station will be closed on Mondays and open during nights on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday through Saturday it will be open both day and night. On Sunday, the restaurant will serve brunch from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m

Stay up-to-date with the restaurant and its events on social media. Reservations will be accepted soon.

Restaurant pipeline

The Wirthlins will soon operate three food halls and three standalone concepts in the greater Greenville area. The family has another food hall planned for BridgeWay Station, a mixed-use development off the Bridges Road exit of Interstate 385 in Mauldin.

The nearly 10,000-square-foot City Market will have five food concepts, including another Bourbon St. Burgers, along with a public house that serves 100 different beers. A 4,000-square-foot rooftop with a private stage will be attached. Wirthlin expects it to open in midsummer with BridgeWay Station teasing a spring 2023 grand opening.

Wirthlin shared his plans to open two additional concepts at BridgeWay Station. The next will be an Italian-American eatery called Restaurant Rocco. On the second story will be a charcuterie wine and spirits bar called The Plank.

The familys first nine-restaurant food hall, Warehouse and Vaughn's opened in 2020 on Trade Street in Simpsonville. In August 2022, the concept was replicated on Laurens Road as Warehouse at Midtown.
MYRTLE BEACH  Steve Bentz rises to his tiptoes and drops his heels on the floor of a concrete parking garage with its underground level blocked off. The ground shakes.

It's a basic test engineers like Bentz use to gauge the amount of bounce. More bounce is bad, kind of like worn out shocks on a car.

His business partner, Mark Howell, doesn't need to feel the ground shift below him before vowing he would never park here. He can see the caulked cracks and exposed concrete.

"If our truck drives on, it's gonna be in the basement," Howell says.

The parking garage and the 8-story motel between it and the beach have stood here for more than three decades. They are among hundreds of tall, aging buildings along the South Carolina coast that are vulnerable to structural decay from the corrosive effects of the sea and the salty oceanfront climate.

Coastal counties have been largely unable to say just how many tall buildings lie in harms way. But a Post and Courier investigation has identified more than 500 tall structures that sit close enough to the coast to be vulnerable to storm surge flooding during a hurricane.

Using elevator permit data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, the newspaper pinpointed the location and approximate age of every high-rise building and parking garage that is near the ocean and is at least six stories tall. That is the height targeted in proposed state legislation aimed at ensuring the structural integrity of high-rise buildings.

About 230 of the 550 structures are at least 30 years old, the newspapers analysis found. They have survived the immediate impacts of flooding and hurricanes but have reached an age where corrosion can threaten their long-term viability, engineers have told The Post and Courier.

As buildings age, and the ocean creeps closer, the salty water and air pose a growing risk: Water drives corrosion; salt speeds it up.

The urgency of that threat was revealed five miles south of here in October, when the discovery of severely corroded columns in a 22-story high-rise prompted an emergency evacuation, leaving several residents homeless. Renaissance Tower remains empty three months later.

After the deadly 2021 collapse of a high-rise building in Florida, officials there ordered emergency inspections and strengthened safety rules for high-rises near the coast, which must be inspected when they reach 25 years old.

In South Carolina, officials have so far avoided adopting similar measures. In Myrtle Beach, home to more high-rises than any other city in the state, a spokesman described requiring inspections as an unnecessary and costly endeavor when the city already has strong building and fire codes.

Even producing a count of tall buildings along the coast has proved difficult for localities, whose computer systems often don't have a reliable way to search for them.

The Post and Courier's makeshift map offers a glimpse into which buildings are aging in the harsher coastal environment, but it reveals nothing about how well they have been maintained.

Of the 230 oldest structures, those that have been standing for at least three decades, the majority are in Horry County. More than 100 are in Myrtle Beach.

'Wood rots, steel grows'

A bill sponsored by Democratic State Rep. Wendell Gilliard of Charleston, identical to one that died in the House last year, calls for a committee to study requiring structural inspections for coastal buildings with six or more floors.

Gilliard said he has fielded calls about the issue from Renaissance Tower residents and others in high-rises along the coast, but he is not sure he will have enough votes in the General Assembly.

Howell and Bentz said requiring building facade inspections by someone like an engineer or architect could help identify issues earlier and prevent water from reaching and rusting steel supports  before a leak becomes a million-dollar problem.

Howell and Bentz lead a company called Building Envelope Consultants and Scientists, where they work with building owners up and down the East Coast to help identify the root causes of their structures' problems.

Along the coast, they said, it's almost always going to be corrosion from exposure to water and salt.

On a January afternoon stroll along South Ocean Boulevard, they point out the ways that water damage reveals itself, cracking concrete and corroding metal.

Winter in Myrtle Beach is renovation season. Howell and Bentz pass one man using suction cups to scale and seal a slanted roof and another who tied a ladder across the railing and is balancing five stories high to patch the underside of a balcony.

Their eyes scan for corners, checking windows, balconies, doors and other edges for cracks and the telltale orange stains of water rusting metal. A drip pattern from a rooftop or rust covering the back of an air conditioning unit could be signs that water is making its way inside.

How we did it After the hasty evacuation of an oceanfront South Carolina high-rise, The Post and Courier wanted to know how many other tall buildings may be at risk. South Carolina doesn't require regular inspections, meaning there are no public records to directly identify problems. Experts say risk factors include the age and height of buildings along with their location in a saltier coastal environment. First, we asked all coastal counties for tax assessment records on buildings six stories or taller. But the counties with the largest number of high-rises have so far been unable to produce the information. Charleston County said it had no responsive records. Horry County estimated the records would cost $100 to compile, but has not yet provided them. As a workaround, we asked the state Office of Elevators and Amusement Rides for portions of its elevator permit database that aren't available on the website, including how many floors the elevator was designed to service and the date it was first installed. We reduced the risk of counting elevators in the same structure twice by deleting duplicate entries that had matching building names, addresses and number of floors. To narrow down the addresses to those closest to the coast, we included only locations that fall inside of federal storm surge zones, meaning places near enough to the sea to be vulnerable to hurricane flooding. We found about 230 structures in those zones that are more than 30 years old. We see the resulting map as a starting point  a guidepost pointing toward the coastal buildings most deserving of a closer look. This set of data can tell us where the buildings are along with their approximate ages, but it offers no information on how it has been maintained over the years.

"And as soon as sealants and waterproofing breaks down, water gets in, wood rots, steel grows. Now we're off and running to a Renaissance," Howell says. "When you have steel frame corrosion issues, its kind of like cancer."

But some old buildings appear in better shape than others, at least from the ground. Bentz and Howell check the buildings they work on by climbing them, knocking on stucco to listen for the hollow sound that means it's separating from the building or chipping away at cracked concrete to find out how deep the water damage goes. And they look for what's causing the damage in the first place.

Standing in front of The Palace, Bentz asks if it is new. The 23-story hotel opened in 1985, the same year as Renaissance Tower.

"I don't see any signs of corrosion there, so they've certainly cleaned it up," Bentz says. "It's hard to say at this point if there's anything going on behind the scenes."

They say older hotels are typically better maintained than condos because homeowners associations are sometimes more hesitant to raise fees or keep enough savings for repairs  or regular inspections.

The pair are organizing a seminar this spring in Myrtle Beach to discuss how different facades and building types are affected by coastal environments and walk through steps HOAs can take to preserve or repair concrete or rotting wood. And they will offer pointers on protecting buildings to keep water from causing further damage in their core, a problem that can be made worse if repairs aren't done correctly.

Howell and Bentz see regular inspections of high-rises and parking garages as a public safety issue. Along Myrtle Beach, the buildings overlook pools and parks and sidewalks that every summer are packed with millions of visitors who cycle through during tourist season.

'Everyone ages'

Just over a dozen U.S. cities have mandatory facade inspections, many put in place in the wake of close calls or deadly accidents.

Chicago passed the nation's first facade inspection law in 1978, after a death caused by tile falling from a building.

In Cleveland, the impetus was a pile of bricks that fell from a historic downtown building, smashing an empty van parked below.

And in Dayton, Ohio, a city councilman lost his leg and several others were injured in 1984 when a chunk of a building crashed to the sidewalk.

New York City's law first took effect in 1980 after a piece of terra cotta fell from eight stories high and killed a woman. The ordinance required facade inspections by an architect or engineer every five years for buildings at least six stories tall. The city tightened its rules in 2020 after a similar death.

Howell and Bentz don't want to wait for a tragedy to start the conversation.

Without regular inspections, "you get what we see here, which are buildings that have gone beyond their useful life and nobody's really doing anything about it until there's a bigger problem," Howell said.

"With the right people looking at them, the buildings will tell you what they need."

Among those planning to speak at the corrosion seminar is Jorge Costa, an engineer and corrosion specialist with more than a decade of experience along the South Carolina and North Carolina coasts.

"We used to think of concrete structures as massive pieces of nothing that stay there," Costa said. "They are living, breathing organisms. They move, they expand, they crack."

Costa suggested South Carolina look to South Florida for a playbook on getting aging buildings inspected and repaired. In Miami-Dade County, officials ordered emergency inspections for hundreds of condominiums after the deadly Champlain Towers collapse. And Florida lawmakers last year required periodic structural inspections for buildings three stories or taller, with a shorter timeline for those within three miles of the coast.

All three men said they have received numerous calls from homeowners associations after the deadly building collapse in Florida asking the same question: Can you come tell me my building won't fall down?

A few South Carolina high-rises have installed new sensors that can detect corrosion, Costa said, but it's still impossible to predict how that process will play out. The key is to deal with it as soon as possible, he said.

Costa said coastal communities in South Carolina and beyond are likely to face the same difficulties as Florida over time.

"Some structures age more gracefully than others," Costa said, "but everyone ages."

Renaissance Tower: On the verge of reopening?

When he was looking for a spot to keep an office for his Maryland-based company, Howell bought a condo along the Myrtle Beach oceanfront in a building with new windows and doors. He checked to see that the building had been maintained and the owners had a sufficient reserve fund for the inevitable repair cycles. He's trained to see the flaws in these buildings.

"If you dont do what I do for a living, how do you know?" Howell said.

Some condo owners at Renaissance Tower have said they were blindsided by the extensive damage to the building. A class-action lawsuit accuses members of the condo board of failing to act or keep enough money in its reserve fund after an engineer told them about the corrosion in 2018.

The extent of the compromised columns wasn't clear until workers removed the facade from the building, exposing columns that one witness said were so disintegrated in some spots that he could see completely through them.

The plan to stabilize the building calls for 1,300-pound beams bolted on either side of seven corroded columns along with more temporary support beams to distribute the load, according to the permit filed in Horry County. It notes the need for a 300-ton low-profile hydraulic jack to raise the building.

Lifting the building would potentially allow workers using a torch or saw to cut away and replace the corroded sections of the columns, Bentz says while reviewing the permit in the county code enforcement office. The planning document notes extensive damage in the columns and notes repairs are to be determined.

Bentz says there are clues in the permit that Renaissance Tower's problems were created by repeated water infiltration from above, not below. Years of rain seeping through, settling at the bottom. Workers were installing new balcony doors and windows because of leaks the same day the evacuation was ordered.

"This has to be almost constant. Every season. Every heavy rainfall," he says. "Water gets in and gets trapped and eats away at this thing."

Bentz says some types of the fireproofing spray applied to the columns can soak up moisture and keep water trapped next to the steel.

Later, from the beachfront in front of the building, where the concrete between the tower and the beach had been chipped away to allow workers access to the foundation, Bentz said the lack of rust on a ground level beam is another indicator that the culprit was likely water leaking down through the building. Constant flooding would have rusted it, too.

On a morning where the fog is so thick the top of the tower is barely visible, Bentz says the tower has numerous potential entry points for water on its facade, including the small, barely visible joints along the surface. He says the tower has most of the typical problems he would expect to see in a building its style and age.

"This is the first bucket of money that they're going to throw at this," Bentz says. "And hopefully someone has prepared them for this, but this is probably the smallest bucket of money they're going to be throwing at this."

The management company for Renaissance Tower declined to comment.

The costs to unit owners for stabilization and the window and door replacements, which haven't been completed, are already thousands of dollars each.

The homeowners association for Renaissance Tower had initially promised steep penalties for owners who missed payments for the $1 million job. But many haven't paid their full assessments after their rental income evaporated with the evacuation, according to two owners. The resort is also considering parking fees and other ways to deflect some of the cost.

Some residents have lingering fears about returning to the building, which could happen by mid-February. But first, county inspectors must sign off on the stabilization work

Others have seemingly decided it's all too much, including a pair of people who lived in tents at the campground next door in the immediate aftermath, according to the lawsuit. They're among a few owners who have already sold their units for below their appraisal value in the wake of the evacuation order.

Other owners have started fielding calls from people eager to visit this spring, undeterred by the prospect of construction noises below meant to make sure the building will stand on its own.

Briah Lumpkins and Doug Pardue contributed to this article.
A Charleston jury couldn't reach a unanimous verdict Jan. 27 in the case of a Georgia man accused of participating in a staged bank truck robbery that netted the perpetrators nearly $2 million.

Jurors disagreed whether the U.S. government met its burden of proof that Terry Tyrone Pollard, 27, conspired with four other men and stole $1.9 million Jan. 16, 2021, from an armored vehicle transporting bank cash to an ATM in North Charleston.

Pollard's co-defendants entered guilty pleas after the five men from Cedartown, Ga., were indicted in March 2021 with conspiracy to commit bank larceny and bank larceny.

Those defendants are James Edward Sewell, 26; Thomas Scoona Calhoun, 22; Anthony D-Trill Burge, 24; and Quantavius Popeye Murphy, 21. All men hail from the northwest Georgia town with a population of 10,000.

But Pollard took his chances at a trial in Charleston's U.S. District Court, which began Jan. 24.

The architect of the heist, Sewell, testified against Pollard on behalf of the government.

A former Marine sergeant, Sewell drove for GardaWorld, a private service that transports U.S. bank money in armored trucks. The work put him in proximity to millions of dollars in cash on a daily basis. The North Charleston resident hatched the plan to stage his own robbery and recruited men from his hometown.

Sewell, who has known Pollard since the fifth grade, testified that Pollard participated in planning the heist and transported bank cash from the armored truck into a car during the commission of the theft, which occurred on Core Road near a drive-thru Bank of America ATM. The car raced Sewell's co-defendants and the $1.9 million across the border into Georgia, while the driver called 911 to report he was the victim of a robbery.

The government presented circumstantial evidence intended to corroborate Sewell's testimony, including phone location data, Snapchat footage, call logs and video surveillance from the armored truck.

"This was a bold plan to steal $1.9 million that went terribly wrong," Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Lietzow said in his closing argument.

Pollard's attorney, Cameron L. Marshall, focused his argument on undermining Sewell's credibility. The Charleston attorney painted the 26-year-old man as a selfish and unprincipled criminal  a "serious, chronic liar"  who would throw anyone under the bus to save himself.

Sewell, who was arrested in North Charleston the day of the bank larceny, testified for the United States in the hopes that the court will look favorably upon his cooperation. The former bank truck driver is currently out on bail awaiting sentencing.

Murphy, Burge and Calhoun are lodged in the Charleston County jail, records show. They pleaded guilty to the charges in 2022 and have not entered into agreements with the federal government, according to court records.

The government has recovered only $130,600 of the $1.9 million of bank cash stolen. It is unclear where the rest of it went.

Sentencing hearings have not yet been scheduled for the four convicted defendants. Conspiracy to commit bank larceny and bank larceny carry a total maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.

It is unclear if the government plans to retry its case. A spokesman for the South Carolina U.S. Attorneys Office declined to comment Jan. 28.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then partly cloudy during the afternoon hours. High 78F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 61F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
Youll hear plenty in the next few months about the really dumb ideas legislators took to the Statehouse this year, because legislators who have dumb proposals tend to be the most vocal. And youll hear a lot about the good and bad ideas legislative leaders have made their priorities, from criminal bail reform, school vouchers and teacher retention efforts to abortion limitations, workforce development and what critics call critical race theory.

What you probably wont hear much about are the smart ideas legislators have proposed to solve lower-profile problems in our state  some major, some nichey. Id like to change that, and maybe do better  help them gain some traction  by writing about some of those good ideas even if they dont seem to have a prayer of becoming law.

That was the idea behind my column last week on a package of envelope-pushing education reform bills offered by Rep. Neal Collins, and before that, though to a lesser degree, my column about House Speaker Murrell Smiths adoption bills. Ive identified bills on several other topics that I want to examine more closely in coming weeks  from creative ways to reform our ethically challenged magistrate system and our legislative ethics regime to a couple that would repeal a nasty little law that punishes teachers for doing things the rest of us wouldnt hesitate to do.

For today, I thought Id give you a brief overview of a few of the best ideas that have been proposed so far this year, to address new or lingering problems that are in danger of being forgotten before a solution is adopted:

 S.94 by Sen. Chip Campsen would repeal South Carolinas citizens arrest law, which says if its dark, and someone thinks youre planning to steal something or commit a felony, and she tells you to stop but you run, she can kill you. I wish I were making that up. Its an awful law that makes the controversial Georgia law that was used unsuccessfully to defend the 2020 murder of Ahmaud Arbery look reasonable. Georgia, by the way, repealed its version of this law two years ago.

 S.76 by Sen. Gerald Malloy would specify that people have a right to video police encounters, which the cops who shouldnt be cops seem to believe is a crime, punishable at their discretion by seizure and fisticuffs.

 S.134 by Sen. Greg Hembree would require school districts to livestream school board meetings; several still don't. If they have technical problems, they could post video after the meeting.

 S.166 by Sen. Wes Climer would prohibit the Commerce Department from forgiving clawback provisions, which require companies to return state economic development incentives if they dont meet their job promises. I dont think the agency is doing this as much as it used to, but a few years ago it was routinely undermining its own credibility and inviting companies to take advantage of our state by saying never mind whenever they didnt hold up their end of the deal.

 S.232 by Sen. Dick Harpootlian repeals the provision that hides some details of economic development deals from public scrutiny. Again here, the Commerce Department has agreed to quit abusing the current law, but as long as any secrecy is allowed, theres too big a chance that the abuse will return.

 H.3159 by Rep. Leon Stavrinakis prohibits regulated monopolies from making campaign donations to legislators or constitutional officers, and requires their lobbyists to report any relationships they have with regulators. Its one of those reforms that should have happened as soon as we found out about the V.C. Summer debacle, but it still hasnt.

 H.3164 by Rep. Paula Calhoun requires the paperwork that candidates fill out to run for office to include the qualifications for office  from that masters degree for the state education superintendent to the ban on felons who havent been out of prison and off parole for at least 15 years.

 H.3236 by Rep. Joe Bustos would allow cities to annex small tracts of land that are completely surrounded by the city  called doughnut holes  without getting the owners' blessing.

 H.3471 by Rep. Jermaine Johnson would make it a crime for candidates to leave their campaign signs up more than 21 days after an election. Which needs no explanation.

 H.3479 by Rep. Joseph Jefferson would allow people to mount so-called granny cams in their relatives nursing home room, a practice whose prohibition shows the obscene power the nursing home industry has over our Legislature.

 H.3545 by Rep. Ivory Thigpen makes it a crime to destroy police bodycam video and makes that video public record, like dash-cam video already is. S.308 by Sen. Marlon Kimpson allows a jury to infer negligence when an officer fails to engage his body camera, as seems to happen too often with those bad cops who shouldnt be cops.

 H.3577 by Rep. Michael Rivers would require utilities to post cameras at their electric substations and would add a mandatory $30,000 fine for willfully damaging a substation  a minimum necessary response to last fall's attack on a Duke Energy substation near Pinehurst, N.C.

 H.3584 by Rep. Brandon Newton would solve one problem we discovered last year with our new election law, by extending the time to file an election protest if the deadline falls on a legal holiday, as it did last year after the primary runoffs. Unfortunately, no one has filed a bill to address the even bigger holiday problem with that law, which makes it impossible for some people to get their runoff absentee ballot mailed back in time to be counted.

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As people all across the political spectrum grow increasingly upset over what they consider inappropriate influences in our schools  be it the woke compulsion on the far left or the back-to-the-'50s fantasy of the far right  its astounding how little interest they have in what nearly all of us could agree are inappropriate influences that have been there for decades.

So we were glad to see S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster raise the issue of unregistered lobbyists during his State of the State address to a joint session of the General Assembly on Wednesday. It would have been easy to miss the single-paragraph reference to these murkier influences; it was tucked in between his expansive spending proposals and hot-button topics such as abortion, nearly halfway through his 57-minute speech. But the issue merits more attention from all of us, and especially from our legislators.

After thanking legislators for their smart new law allowing the state inspector general to review school districts, he called on lawmakers to expand this transparency and increase public confidence in school boards by taking action to ensure that we know who is getting paid to influence decisions made by county, municipal or school board officials.

These lobbyists should be required to register with the State Ethics Commission, just like those who are paid to lobby the Legislature, he said. Whats good for the Statehouse is good for the schoolhouse.

In this case, hes right.

Although we dont like the Legislature dictating local decisions to city and county councils, such as tax rates or land-use policies, its perfectly appropriate to standardize policies about how government operates, by deciding for instance that all governments have to release certain types of information to the public and that all elected officials must report any campaign donations they accept, as state law already does. Its also appropriate for the Legislature to apply the same lobbying rules at the local level that apply at the state level.

Regulating the people who are paid to influence local government and school boards isnt a new idea. Mr. McMaster has been pushing it since 2012, when then-Gov. Nikki Haley appointed him and former S.C. Attorney General Travis Medlock to recommend reforms to the ethics law.

But its never gotten any traction at the Statehouse, despite ample evidence that businesses that stand to profit from school board decisions  most obviously those in the real estate and construction industries but also companies that market everything from textbooks to vending machines  are lavishing school board members and administrators with the sorts of gifts and favors that theyd be barred by law from giving to state officials.

When the Legislature passed our current lobbying law three decades ago  requiring lobbyists to register and report their activities and prohibiting them from giving gifts to legislators  it made sense to apply it only to legislative lobbyists. In the wake of the worst corruption scandal in modern state history, newspaper reporting and court testimony had documented a too-cozy relationship between legislators and those who were paid to influence their votes. That scandal resulted in a tenth of the members of the Legislature being indicted on bribery and drug charges and demanded immediate refeorm.

We dont have evidence that the culture is as thoroughly corrupted at the school district, county and municipal levels. But we do know that school boards, county councils and city and town councils spend a lot of money on a wide variety of contracts. We know that state law doesn't restrict how local elected officials interact with those who want their business.

And we know human nature: In many cases, companies vying for those contracts will spend a lot of time and money cultivating friendly relationships with board and council members, and those relationships sometimes include wining and dining and handing out other gifts that are considered acceptable in the private sector but that we should no more tolerate in school districts and local governments than we do in our Legislature.

Unlike a lot of restrictions the Legislature wants to place on schools and local governments, this is one that would serve all South Carolinians, regardless of their political orientation. Well, everyone except businesses that are making a lot of money off the taxpayers thanks to the lack of restrictions.

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South Carolina Republican lawmakers are taking the next step to salvage their new congressional maps, asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a federal court ruling that concluded their political boundaries violated the rights of Black voters.

The challenge, filed Jan. 27, came about three weeks after a panel of federal judges unanimously ruled that the coastal 1st Congressional District held by Nancy Mace, R-Isle of Palms, had been unconstitutionally drawn to dilute Black voting power for partisan gain.

Mace's hold on the office is not immediately affected by the back-and-forth in the courts.

Depending on what the courts decide, it will determine whether a different congressional map will be in place in 2024 for voters in Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester and Jasper counties.

In asking the nation's highest course to revisit the ruling, attorneys for the S.C. House and Senate and the State Election Commission are also asking the court to block the Jan. 6 order issued by the lower court panel.

The judges on that panel ordered the 1st District's boundaries be redrawn before future elections are held. They gave lawmakers a March 31 deadline to submit new, fairer maps.

In their 29-page filing, attorneys argued the order and findings by the U.S. District Court were "riddled with legal and factual mistakes" and misapplied the law. They further alleged the plaintiffs in the case failed to provide "direct evidence of a racial gerrymander" and therefore needed to rely on forgone alternatives to prove their claims.

Attorneys also challenged the figures judges cited in the order, claiming the court's assertion that the new map moved more than 30,000 African Americans in Charleston County from District 1 to the majority-Democratic District 6 was "simply wrong."

The filing represents the latest legal challenge in the saga over South Carolina's congressional maps.

The redistricting case stemmed from an amended complaint filed in 2022 by the South Carolina chapter of the NAACP and Taiwan Scott, a Hilton Head Island resident and a Black constituent who lives in the 1st District.

The lawsuit also accused state Republican lawmakers of unconstitutionally redrawing lines for the states 1st, 2nd and 5th congressional seats to disadvantage Black voters  a violation of the 14th and 15th Amendments.

In their decision, the panel of judges did not find constitutional violations in the 2nd and 5th districts.

But when it came to the 1st District, the judges concluded that the post-2020 census district lines reduced the overall Black percentage in the 1st District for political gain, a process they wrote was "no easy task and was effectively impossible without the gerrymandering of the African American population of Charleston County."

The judges  Richard Gergel, Mary Geiger Lewis and Toby Heytens  concluded the Republican-led Legislature had deliberately moved more than 30,000 Black voters from one congressional district to another for partisan gain.

In their ruling, judges concluded the map lines had violated the rights of Black voters.

During the trial in downtown Charleston, lawyers for the Republican Legislature argued that politics, not race, had motivated how the congressional lines were drawn.

Soon after federal judges announced their ruling on Jan. 6, S.C. House Speaker Murrell Smith, R-Sumter, released a statement disagreeing with the panel and promising legal action.

"I maintain that the House drew maps without racial bias and in the best interest of all the people of this state," he said, adding at the time that he expected an appeal to be filed.

It is unclear whether the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the case.

South Carolinas 1st District seat has long been a reliable seat for Republicans in ruby-red South Carolina. That briefly changed in 2018 when Democrat Joe Cunningham flipped the seat out of GOP control for the first time in nearly 40 years.

His victory over Republican state Rep. Katie Arrington of Summerville was one of the biggest upsets in that years midterm cycle.

In 2020, the seat returned to GOP control with Mace winning the election. Her margin of victory over Cunningham was 1.27 percentage points.

Mace easily won her 2022 reelection bid by 14 percentage points against Democrat Annie Andrews under the new district lines.

In their filing challenging the ruling, attorneys said the court never mentioned the testimony provided by Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, and state Sen. Chip Campsen, R-Isle of Palms, who both said that the Republican-controlled Legislature "would never have enacted, for obvious political reasons, any plan that turned District 1 into a majority-Democratic district."
Breaking nerd news: Hasbro/Wizards of the Coast has done a complete about-face on their controversial plans to deauthorize the Open Game License 1.0 and replace it with a far more restrictive one that would have seriously compromised a lot of content creators.



See the DungeonCraft video above and this piece on Polygon:

Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast will abandon attempts to alter the Open Gaming License (OGL). The announcement, made Friday, comes after weeks of virulent anger from fans and third-party publishers caused the story to make international headlines  and on the eve of a high-profile movie starring Chris Pine.

The OGL was developed and refined in the lead-up to D&D's 3rd edition, and a version of it has been in place for more than 20 years. It provides a legal framework by which people have been able to build their own tabletop RPGs alongside the Hasbro-owned brand. It has also buoyed the entire role-playing game industry, giving rise to popular products from Paizo, Kobold Press, and many individual creators. But proposed changes to the OGL, leaked to and first reported on by io9 on Jan. 5, seemed like they would create an adversarial relationship between Wizards and its community. The story has since made headlines around the world  including a nearly 10-minute segment this week on NPR's All Things Considered and lengthy write-ups by organizations such as CNBC.
Last Saturday, George Kaduna, a senior content producer with Nigerias foremost investigative newspaper, PREMIUM TIMES, tied the knot with his sweetheart, Kate Aniah, at a colourful ceremony in Abuja.

The wedding was a twin event with the theme #KKDUNION, a coinage from the couples initials.

The couple were joined in matrimony before a church congregation at the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) Area 1 in the capital city.

This was followed by a glamorous reception held in the expansive and highly decorated H&C event Centre in Area 1.

In a harmonious blend of navy blue, sky blue, ash and white attires, thrills and frills of cheers enveloped the atmosphere as the grooms family from Plateau State and the brides family from Cross River were ushered into the arena with mellifluous traditional songs.

On 27 August, the couple had their traditional marriage at the brides hometown in Obudu, Cross River State, where they had the blessing of both parents and were legally wedded.

From NYSC to the Altar

Mr Kaduna, a graduate of Economics from the University of Jos (UNIJOS), said he met his wife in 2016 while performing his one-year mandatory national youth service camping in Edo State. Afterwards, the lovebirds continued to relate closely while getting to know each other deeper.

We met in NYSC Camp, Okada, Edo State. That was in 2016. We spoke to each other because we found out we both went to UNIJOS. We remained friends for a while, but I used to comment on her fine pictures on Instagram and WhatsApp. I think I was using style to toast her when I realised that wife material dey there, an elated Mr Kaduna told PREMIUM TIMES.

He described his wedding to his sweetheart as eliciting brand new feeling and that anyone around him of late would know that things are changing.

I am happy and ready to learn to become a better husband and man, he added.

Mr Kaduna said good women and men are hard to come by these days but that he was convinced to go ahead with the union because his wife ticked the boxes of what he admires in a good woman.

She loves God, she has family values, she is honest, and a few other attributes made me realise that we can work together, he said.

Mrs Kaduna said she feels fortunate and excited.

The graduate of Biochemistry from the same school (UNIJOS) as her husband described Mr Kaduna as a nice man any woman wouldnt let go of.

George is a nice man, and no woman should let go of that, and as I saw my opportunity, I just had to hold on, Mrs Kaduna said.

She further prayed for Gods blessings on the marriage until the end of time.

The couple is based in Abuja.

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Nigerias permanent mission to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) on Friday commissioned a new chancery building.

The Mission is one of the 110 Nigerian Diplomatic Missions and was established in compliance with the provisions of the ECOWAS 2010 Supplementary Act which mandates all Member States to accredit a Permanent Representative.

Musa Nuhu, Nigerias permanent ambassador to ECOWAS said the mission is unique as it is located in Nigeria and not abroad and serves as a link between Nigeria and the ECOWAS.

He described acquiring the building as a giant stride as against leasing building which is commonplace with most Nigerian missions abroad.

According to Mr Nuhu, given Nigerias leadership role in the sub-region, the Mission is considered critical for the articulation and advancement of Nigerias positions and engagement with other West African Member States and Community Institutions.

In attendance was Nigerias Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffery Onyeama, ECOWAS Commission President Alieu Touray, ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs Satou Sarr, and other members of the ECOWAS diplomat community.

About Nigerias permanent mission to ECOWAS

The Permanent Mission of Nigeria to ECOWAS was established with the approval of former President Goodluck Jonathan, in 2012.

Since inception, the mission has been headed by three substantive Ambassadors namely: Sunday Omoigiade, the pioneer Permanent Representative, Babatunde Anyinla Nurudeen, the immediate past Permanent Representative, and Musa Nuhu, the incumbent Permanent Representative.

The Mission serves as a think tank, making recommendations to the positions of the Nigerian Government, which invariably shapes the policies of the Organisation.

It performs several functions which include, representing Nigeria, and by extension the president in ECOWAS events and forums; it provides technical support for Nigerias participation in all ECOWAS conferences and meetings.

The mission also facilitates the implementation of ECOWAS Protocols and programmes in Nigeria; coordinates the articulation of Nigerias position in ECOWAS activities and Nigerias participation in ECOWAS Statutory Meetings.

Other roles include ensuring that Nigerian businesses carrying out business under the ECOWAS schemes and mechanisms in the Sub-region are protected; assist Nigerians seeking access to ECOWAS, including Nigerian consulting firms/academia/institutions amongst others.

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The federal governments plan to commercialise the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) is facing resistance from its staff union, which alleges a ploy to make the service extinct.

The National Union of Postal and Telecommunications Employees (NUPTE) is supported by the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC) on this stance.

In a joint statement on Friday, the unions said the commercialisation plan by the federal government through the Bureau of Public Enterprises was to tactically make NIPOST extinct under the guise of reform/commercialization.

In June 2020, the government said it had begun the process of unbundling NIPOST into three subsidiary companies which would operate on the principle of commercial viability.

BPEs Director-General, Alex Okoh, announced at the time that the reform would not only improve the traditional services of NIPOST but also bring about new revenue streams for the organisation.

However, in their statement on Friday, the two unions said it is so glaring that the shrewd plan of the BPE, Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy (FMoCDE), the Federal Ministry of Finance and other self-centred individuals involved in this process was to tactically reap NIPOST of its assets and leave the Organisation high and dry as against the promised growth and improvement.

Hence, every aspect of the proposed commercialisation has been shrewd in utmost secrecy, added the statement signed by Ayo Olorunfemi, the general secretary of SSASCGOC.

The statement said the two unions have engaged all relevant authorities on issues that bother around this reform, particularly the two subsidiary companies that were created (NIPOST Properties & Development Company Limited and NIPOST Transport & Logistics Services Limited).

The Unions had on several occasions presented their position, stressing that the reform process is manned with fraud and irregularities but the BPE, FMoCDE, NIPOST Governing Board and the Postmaster-General/CEO have decided to pay lip services to the issues, instead, the Honourable Minister further directed those concerned to commence the take-off of these subsidiaries without recourse to our concerns, the statement added.

It also raised concerns that the composition of the Board of Directors of these companies clearly shows that NIPOST as an entity has no influence or stake in these subsidiaries.

Other concerns of the unions are that Section C of the objects for which the NIPOST Properties & Development Company Limited is established clearly states that the Company can SELL, lease or exchange the assets of NIPOST, a provision that empowers the company to sell off NIPOST assets if they so desire.

They also said the recruitment of management staff of these companies was carried out without considering the current management staff of NIPOST who are experienced in this sector and the salaries of the management staff of these companies far outweigh the wages of top management of NIPOST, a disparity that is alarming, Mr Olorunfemi said in the statement.

In light of the above concerns, the unions concluded that the so-called NIPOST reform is an affront against the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially the NIPOST Act.

They said the structure and process of the reform are not in any way in tandem with a reform of this nature as witnessed in other sectors that have undergone similar reforms, as this process is clearly an attempt to kill and bury the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) and throw our members into the labour market.

READ ALSO:

That NIPOST in the last 15 years has not been receiving any form of capital funding from the Federal Government and instead of releasing funds to strengthen this critical national infrastructure of government, funds are being diverted to the subsidiaries, which are being run and managed by a few individuals for their self-gains, the unions said, calling on the government to suspend the take-off of the subsidiaries and critically examine the concerns raised above with a view to addressing these anomalies.

PREMIUM TIMES has contacted BPE for comment but the agency has yet to respond. An email sent to the official email of the BPE was not replied while a spokesperson, Joseph Anwoh, did also not respond to a text message.

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If your institution receives state funding, a Republican lawmaker from North Dakota, David Clemons, "would fine people $1,500 if they refer to trans people using their correct pronouns, rather than the pronouns they were assigned at birth."

Like Texas and Florida, North Dakota Republican politicians have already proposed some anti-transgender legislation .

Anya Zoledziowski of Vice News reports, "This latest proposal, "which has received basically zero support, according to local news station KFYR. In fact, the state's senate judiciary committee recommended the bill shouldn't pass, in part because it was poorly written and would be difficult to enforce. Still, the bill will move to the Senate floor, and is a sign of just how emboldened many conservative lawmakers are getting in their crusades against trans and nonbinary people."

Clemon's Republican colleagues stalled the bill in committee as it was "poorly written and unenforceable."

"Following the committee meeting, Christina Feldmann, a local resident and mother of a trans woman who died by suicide in 2021, confronted Clemens, the Bismark Tribune reported.

"If she were to have gone to a school that referred to her as he/him, we would have lost her much sooner," Feldmann reportedly told Clemens. "Your bill will kill children. It's important that you be aware of that."

While the Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Map created by Erin Reed identifies Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Alabama, and Florida as having the "Worst Active Anti-Trans Laws," North Dakota is in the next most dangerous tier. The safest states that count with legislative protections include California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

Sadly, and with security and safety in mind, look for a newly revised bill soon. Cruelty takes many forms, but one that has existed for hundreds of years on this continent is Christian judging of others in the name of love and Jesus.
Members of the G5 governors have endorsed all the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Enugu State.

The group disclosed this during the campaign rally of the PDP in Enugu on Friday.

The G5, a group of aggrieved PDP governors, is being led by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

The governors are aggrieved with the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and the partys national leadership.

Apart from Mr Wike, other members of the group include Governor Samuel Ortom (Benue), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and their Abia State counterpart, Okezie Ikpeazu.

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 has 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.

Endorsing PDP candidates in Enugu

The PDP unveiled all its candidates and presented them with the partys flag during the rally held at the popular Michael Okpara Square, Enugu.

Aside from Chimaroke Nnamani, the PDPs senatorial candidate for Enugu East District, all other candidates of the party in the state, ranging from governorship, House of Representatives, Senate and House of Assembly candidates, were all presented with the flag.

Mr Nnamani, who did not attend the rally, was recently suspended by the PDP over alleged anti-party activities.

The G5 governors, during the PDP rally, endorsed the candidates of the party in the state, but were silent on Atiku, the partys presidential candidate.

Mr Ikpeazu, governor of Abia State, was the only member of the G5 absent during the rally.

His absence was linked to the death of the PDP governorship candidate in Abia State, Uchenna Ikonne, whom he had picked as his preferred successor.

Let me assure you that we will all pray for him, the governorship candidate, Peter Mbah and his deputy, Ifeanyi Ossai, our colleague, Governor Ugwuanyi, who is going to Senate and other candidates for the senatorial, House of Representatives and State Assembly elections in the state, Mr Wike, the G5 leader, said on behalf the group during the rally.

We will all give the necessary support and make sure you emerge victorious in these elections coming 25 February and 11 March, he added.

The Rivers State said he and other members of the G5 were in Enugu to show the people that the group was solidly behind Mr Ugwuanyi.

Ugwuanyi is a dependable person. Ugwuanyi is somebody you can go to war with and your two eyes will be closed. Ugwuanyi is somebody that when he says yes, his yes is yes, he said.

And no wonder the entire people of Enugu State have shown it by coming to say, my brothers, Ugwuanyi is our own, Mbah is our own.

In their separate remarks, Governors Ortom and Makinde of Benue and Oyo States respectively said the large crowd at the rally was an indication that Enugu will remain a PDP state and that all candidates of the party in the state would win in the general elections.

On his part, Mr Ugwuanyi applauded the people of the state for their support to the PDP in the state since 1999.

The governor urged the people to continue to support the PDP by voting for the partys governorship candidate, Mr Mbah and other candidates of the party in the state, assuring that his administration would finish strong and well on 29 May.

Speaking on behalf of all the PDP candidates in the state who received the partys flag, Mr Mbah commended the G5 governors for their tireless pursuit of equity, justice and fairness in the party and country.

The governorship candidate lauded Mr Ugwuanyi for his provision of infrastructure and investments in education and security in the state, and assured that he (Mbah) would sustain and consolidate on the achievements if elected.

Mr Mbah commiserated with Mr Ikpeazu and the people of Abia State over the death of Mr Ikonne, the partys governorship candidate in the state.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has again extended the deadline for the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by an additional one week.

The PVC collection earlier scheduled to end on 29th January is now to continue until 5th February, said a statement by INECs National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye.

INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, had on Friday said his meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) will deliberate on the ongoing collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) in its 774 Local Government Offices nationwide.

Arising from reports from the various States and discussions with Resident Electoral Commissioners, the Commission has decided to further extend PVC collection in all its Local Government Offices nationwide by an additional one week, Mr Okoye said.

Collection period has further been extended by an additional two hours and will start at 9am and end at 5pm daily including Saturdays and Sundays.

Double Registration

The Commission, however, said it did not print the PVCs of voters who engaged in double registration.

The Commission will continue to act on all reported cases of sharp practices during the ongoing PVC collection and will ensure that no Nigerian is disadvantaged and all those that carried out valid registration have an opportunity of collecting their PVCs, he added.

The Commission once again salutes the patience and doggedness of citizens.

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe

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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine has named former Vice President of the World Bank and Nigerias former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, and two other African leaders, as ambassadors of the Ukrainian governments Grain from Ukraine programme.

Ms Ezekwesili is also the Senior Advisor at the Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative; Founder of School of Politics, Policy and Governance and President of Human Capital Africa.

The other two African ambassadors of the initiative are former President of Malawi, Joyce Banda, and Regional Director for Central and West Africa Programmes at the National Democratic Institute, United States of America, Christopher Fomunyoh.

Ms Banda is a committee member of the African Women Leaders Network, board member of Tana Forum for Peace and Security in Africa, as well as Club de Madrid, the global organisation of former heads of state and government.

Grain from Ukraine is an initiative of the Ukrainian government to assist countries suffering from acute food crises as a result of the war with Russia.

Ukraine is one of the worlds largest grain producers and, together with Russia, exports nearly a third of the worlds wheat and barley.

In addition to interacting with other experts, globally, the African ambassadors for Grain from Ukraine also discussed the results of involving international donor partners in the implementation of the initiative, improving the mechanism for receiving funds from partners, food shipment and visits of Ukrainian delegations to Africa.

Head, Office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, had, in a recent virtual meeting, disclosed that the three Africans were joining international experts and leaders to support the initiative.

According to him, since the launch of the initiative in November 2022, more than 30 donor countries have signed up. They include Qatar, Turkey, Japan, Norway, Korea, Canada and the USA. So far, participants have pledged nearly $200m.

We see the prospect of expanding the project. To do this, we need reliable partners with knowledge and extensive connections, said Mr Yerimak.

At the meeting, last week, he introduced and welcomed Ms Ezekwesili, Ms Banda and Mr Fomunyoh as the first set of African ambassadors of the initiative.

In her remarks, Ms Ezekwesili noted that Ukraines active and effective initiatives to combat the food crisis were not only on the African continent, but also around the world.

We are talking about several millions of people around the world, who will receive this support. These people will suffer if they dont have food on their table, she said, adding that 62 million people in Africa suffer from food insecurity for one reason or another.

This initiative should, therefore, support the continents longer-term policy measures for increasing investment and raising agricultural productivity. That is why we and the world really consider Ukraine as a country that, despite the war, is doing such important things to help ensure food security, she added.

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The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has congratulated the immediate past governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola, on his victory at the Osun Election Petition Tribunal.

A three-person election tribunal chaired by Justice Tertsea Kume on Friday in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, ruled that Mr Oyetola is the duly elected governor of the state and ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to issue a Certificate of Return to him.

The tribunal declared the result that produced Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as governor as null and void.

A minority judgement, however, upheld the mandate of Mr Adeleke who has vowed to appeal the judgement giving victory in the 16 July 2022 election to Mr Oyetola.

Pending the determination of the appeal at the higher courts, Mr Adeleke remains the governor of the state.

In a congratulatory message to Mr Oyetola, Mr Tinubu said his victory was deserving, describing it as a triumph of courage and perseverance, and light over the forces of darkness that sought to arrest the progressive good governance the APC administration delivered to the people of Osun State under the leadership of Oyetola.

The presidential candidate of the APC said this in a statement signed by his media aide, Tunde Rahman.

I heartily rejoice with Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola on his much deserved victory at the Election Tribunal today. It is the victory of light over darkness. A triumph of perseverance, courage and justice over electoral fraud and democratic perversion.

The forces of darkness plotted to extinguish the able leadership and progressive good governance that improved the quality of life of our people under your leadership. But today, the Tribunal delivered justice and restored the mandate freely given to you and our great party.

I am confident that the good work you championed that was momentarily paused will soon resume and Osun people will be happy again.

And together we can renew their hope of shared prosperity.

Meanwhile, Governor Adeleke has appealed to his supporters to remain calm and be law-abiding, saying he will retrieve his mandate via the higher courts.

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A bill seeking to conserve and protect highly endangered species from extinction and trafficking passed first reading in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

The bill, which was prepared by the Nigerian Ministry of Environment and jointly sponsored by Johnson Oghuma and Sam Onuigbo, seeks to establish a legal framework that would make Nigeria compliant with international conventions on endangered species, organised crime and corruption.

It also seeks to increase investigative powers to include financial enquiries and intelligence-led operations.

The bill, if enacted, will among other things create offences for damaging critical habitats of endangered species.

According to the sponsors of the bill, it would further provide for increased penalties to reflect the seriousness of the crimes and their impact on endangered species, expand courts ability to expedite wildlife cases and recover assets, create corporate liability and support international cooperation.

Mr Oghuma, who serves as the chairman house committee on environment, said: The rate at which some species of fauna and flora are being extinguished is assuming a frightening dimension. Every day, more and more species are becoming endangered and pushed to the brink of extinction.

Just as humans have the right to life, so do the plants and animals, Mr Oghuma said.

We [Nigeria] must therefore do everything within our strength to ensure their sustainability. It is time to act to stop environmental degradation and protect our wildlife and plants globally and Nigeria cannot afford to be the last.

Within the last decade, Africa Nature Investors Foundation (ANI), the London-based Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Wild Africa Fund have been actively supporting the Nigerian Governments upscale efforts to fight illegal wildlife trafficking.

This is done through support from the United Kingdoms Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund and the US Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

Commenting on the bill, ANI Executive Director, Tunde Morakinyo, described the bill as a momentous thing for Nigeria, adding that the whole world is watching.

He said: Lets get it right and show the world how we can be the leaders in Africa on fighting the illegal trade in wildlife.

We salute the politicians for giving this their attention so close to the elections. They know how important this is for Nigeria, Mr Morakinyo added.

Similarly, EIA Executive Director, Mary Rice, said: This comprehensive legislation is cutting-edge and a potential game-changer.

Working alongside our partners, EIA sees this as a key step in tackling trafficking and protecting critically endangered wildlife in Nigeria and across Africa. We hope it can be rapidly adopted to address the current crisis, she noted.

On his part, Wild Africa Fund CEO, Peter Knights, said Nigeria has become the epicentre of the illegal trade in ivory and pangolin scales.

If passed, this Bill would give authorities the legal tools to close down trafficking  border agencies have made huge seizures but have struggled to prosecute and pursue criminals internationally due to weak laws previously, he added.

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Sometimes last month, President Buhari assented to some critical matters of constitutional amendment. Chief of these amendments were that state...
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lifted the suspension slammed on two of its members in Ekiti State, Funso Ayeni and Ajayi Samuel.

This is contained in a statement by Debo Ologunagba, the PDP national publicity secretary on Saturday in Abuja.

Mr Ologunagba said that the action was sequel to the adoption of the report of the disciplinary committee of the party, which recommended the lifting of the suspension.

By the lifting of the suspension, the status of Ayeni and Samuel as members of the PDP and especially as PDP candidates for Ekiti North Senatorial District and Ekiti North II Federal Constituency respectively in the 2023 general election are fully restored.

READ ALSO:

The NWC urged all members, supporters and teeming members of PDP in Ekiti State to remain united and continue to work together for the success of the party at all levels in the 2023 general election, he said.

The NWC had on 20 January approved the suspension of Messrs Ayeni and Samuel as well as Oluwajomiloju Fayose, son of former governor of the state, Ayo Fayose, Chimaroke Nnamani, the senator for Enugu East Senatorial District and Chris Ogbu.

(NAN)

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As preparations for next months elections reach an advanced stage, a coalition of 10 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have said 22 Nigerian states are at high risk of election manipulation.

The group made this known in a 26-page Election Manipulation Risk Index (EMRI) report released on Friday.

The report is an evidence-based tool designed to curb election manipulation, facilitate strategic election planning and promote citizens oversight of the electoral process, the group said

The 10 CSOs are Yiaga Africa, Center for Journalism Innovation and Development, SBM Intelligence, Dataphye, International Press Centre, Institute for Media and Society, Partners for Electoral Reform, The Albino Foundation, The Kukah Centre and Enough is Enough Nigeria.

The index focuses on six variables for tracking election manipulation. They include INEC capture, voter register manipulation, voter suppression, resistance to the election technology, history of election manipulation, and election litigation.

The researchers said these six indicators reflect a comprehensive understanding of the electoral process and the interplay of actors in the election value-chain.

The EMRI is a qualitative tool of analysis that relies heavily on observation, content analysis and expert interviews. Data collected through these methods are triangulated to reflect how they result in election manipulation.

Following the aggregation of data, the EMRI then highlights the states according to the risk of election manipulation, using a ranking system based on the prevalence of the election manipulation indicators divided into three categories: High Risk, Medium Risk, and Low-Risk states.

The 22 states with high-risk of election manipulation are Imo, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Abia, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom, Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti, Kwara, Niger, Plateau, Taraba, Kaduna, Bauchi, Adamawa, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Jigawa.

EMRI also lists 12 states with medium election manipulation risks. The states include Borno, Yobe, Nasarawa, Benue, Kogi, Zamfara, Kebbi, Ogun, Edo, Delta, Bayelsa and Cross River.

Three states are classified as low risk. They include Gombe, Ondo and the Federal Capital Territory, the report said

The EMRI monitors strategies and tools employed by election stakeholders to manipulate the electoral process.

The central focus of the EMRI is election administration and It highlights potential risks capable of undermining election integrity. In addition, EMRI outlines mitigation measures to avert the risks posed by these actors, the report read.

The central objective of the EMRI is to facilitate systematic and coherent monitoring of the insidious nature of election manipulation in the build-up to Nigerias 2023 general elections.

Though limited in scope, the EMRI can be used by election stakeholders to spotlight issues likely to impact the integrity of the 2023 general elections.

It should be seen as a rapid scanning tool, rather than an in-depth solution for threats of election manipulation.

The report warned that attempts to distort election outcomes using manipulation strategies are on the rise.

Key actors are devising strategies to punctuate electoral preparations and neutralise the impact of laudable reforms aimed at enhancing the integrity of the electoral process.

Citizens are urged to leverage EMRI as an advocacy tool for mobilisation and campaigns against election manipulation, the report said.

Election manipulation is conceived as the illegal interference with the electoral process with the intention of influencing the outcome of the elections. It also includes the intentional, illegal actions aimed at changing or influencing or forcing the results of an election, by either depressing or increasing the vote share for a particular candidate or party.

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The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Saturday, wrote President Muhammadu Buhari, asking the president to postpone his visit to the state. Mr Ganduje said his request follows complaints by Kano residents over the hardship being faced in getting the new naira notes.

The governor said lawmakers from the state, political leaders, and the business community backed the decision to postpone the planned visit while urging for the extension of the deadline to return old naira notes.

Deeply concerned with the hardship caused by the limited time given for halting the use of old Naira notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and for security reasons, Kano State governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje reveals that the state resolved and wrote to Presidency that, the visit of the President to commission some projects to be postponed, the governors media aide Abba Anwar said in a statement.

The statement said the decision was taken on Friday at the Government House during an interactive session with scholars, legislators, political leaders and the business community.

The decision was taken to avoid any unforeseen circumstance, the statement added.

The president was scheduled to visit the state between 30 and 31 January to commission some projects built by the Ganduje administration.

As we are waiting for this important visit, we found ourselves in this situation, which puts citizens into untold hardship. For security purposes, we wrote to Presidency that President Muhammadu Buharis visit to Kano is postponed.

We got an acknowledgement copy of the letter. People are suffering because of this policy, the governor said.

During the meeting with sections of citizens in the state, they accepted that the decision was a unanimous one. As they all spoke in support of the letter sent to the Presidency.

Two serving senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya and Barau Jibrin, twenty members of the House of Representatives and yhirty legislators from the State House of Assembly were amongst the groups that put their weight behind the governor.

There are no banks in most of our rural communities. How these people get new Naira notes is of great concern. Just look at what is happening in our urban areas, people go and spend hours upon hours in banks. And without any assurances of getting the new notes, the governor lamented.

Even at Point of Sales (POS) according to the governor, one cannot transact with ease, hinting that, many of them closed shops due to uncertainty, the governor added.

The governor said Kano, being a commercial hub, must be heard loudly and clearly because this problem affects all of us. Therefore our voice must be heard in all nooks and crannies.

Mr Ganduje also said that Nigerian governors, across party lines, sent delegates to President Buhari to complain to him about the hardship caused by the new development.

Governors from all the political parties put heads together and sent delegates, but to no avail. So also traditional rulers followed the same path, but individually. But up to now, there is nothing in that respect, Mr Ganduje said.

The governor and other leaders from the state are expected to see President Buhari to demand the extension of the deadline for the use of old naira notes.

The governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, had repeatedly said that the 31 January deadline for the use of the old notes is sacrosanct.

Many Nigerians have, however, demanded an extension due to the scarcity of the new notes.

The CBN announced the redesign of the three largest denominations of the naira  N200, N500, and N1,000  last October.

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Cariol Horne, whose advocacy for a local law requiring officers to intercede when another officer is using excessive force led to Cariol's Law in Buffalo, was arraigned Friday in City Court on charges she interfered with city police officers arresting two suspected Christmas blizzard looters.

Mayor Byron Brown signs 'Cariol's Law' Under the new law, when an officer fails to intervene in an incident that results in death or serious bodily injury, the incident would be turned over to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

Horne, 55, was charged with obstruction of governmental administration, harassment and disorderly conduct following her Christmas Day arrest, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

Horne pointed her finger in the face of one police officer and pushed the officer during the incident, according to the Erie County District Attorney's Office.

At about 10:50 p.m. on Dec. 25, the police officers were interviewing two suspects during an investigation into a store looting on the 2800 block of Bailey Avenue when Horne prevented them from their official duties, according to the DA's Office. The officers said Horne demanded they release the two suspects, an accusation Horne denied in a telephone interview with The Buffalo News.

"I never, never suggested that he unarrest them," she said of the police officer. "The only thing I said was for him to get them off the ground."

Hochul signs law giving pension to Buffalo police officer fired amid controversy in 2008 "New York owes Cariol Horne a debt of gratitude for her service to the Buffalo community and for her bravery in a moment of crisis," Hochul said in a statement.

Horne said she was in her vehicle when she saw the looting suspects forced to sit on the ground in the snow.

"So I just got out to observe," Horne said. "The cop came up to me and asked me if he could help me and I said, 'Yeah. I understand that these people are probably stealing, but you need to get them off the ground.' "

Horne said the officer told her she would be the one on the ground if she continued to impede the officer's investigation. Prior to that exchange, she described the officer's initial demeanor as polite.

Horne said it was the officer who pointed his finger in her face and then pushed her first.

"Now, he approached me and then told me I was impeding his arrest," she said.

"Like, 'How am I impeding you when you approached me and asked me if you could help me?' Of course, after he did that, I pointed back," Horne said.

She said she then repeated her request that the officer get the suspects off the ground, and he pushed her.

"Then he told me I was going to jail for putting my hands on him and I said, 'I did, but only after you put your hands me,' " Horne said.

"After that, I did not resist or anything, and then he locked me up and charged me with the same thing he did to me, but also charged me with saying that I wanted him to unarrest the people, which was not true," she added.

Horne accused the officer of having abused his power and falsely charging her by accusing her of demanding the release of the two suspects.

Judge renews defamation judgment against Cariol Horne, but court fight may not be over A judge recently ruled in favor of Gregory M. Kwiatkowski, renewing his judgment against Horne for $46,862  plus interest costs put at more than $44,000. But the judge left open the possibility that Horne could seek to vacate the defamation judgment before a different judge in the proper venue.

"So my crime was caring for people," Horne said.

"I want to implement Cariol's Law for him, because that's the reason that I wrote the law, was so that officers would stop abusing their power, and one is falsifying reports, which is what he did," she added.

In 2006, Horne was fired from the police force following 19 years of service after she said she tried to stop another police officer she accused of choking a suspect, which that police officer denied.

In May 2021, a State Supreme Court justice vacated her firing and awarded her the financial compensation she would have earned had she continued working as a police officer until she hit her 20-year mark.

Horne is scheduled to return to court on March 2 for further proceedings. She was released on her own recognizance.

If convicted of the highest charge, Horne faces a maximum sentence of one year in jail.
The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has released the timetable for a fresh governorship primary in Abia State.

Dele Ologunagba, the spokesperson of the PDP, disclosed this in a statement on Friday.

Mr Ologunagba said the decision of the NWC to hold the fresh primary followed the death of the partys governorship candidate in Abia State, Uchenna Ikonne.

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.

The PDP spokesperson noted that the decision was in line with Section 33 of the 2022 Electoral Act.

Timetable

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was notified on Friday about the primary, according to the statement.

The sale of forms for the primary will last between 27 and 31 January and the last day for submission of purchased forms will be Wednesday 1 February.

Aspirants will be screened the following day, 2 February while the screening appeal was slated for 3 February, the time-table showed.

The primary will be held on Saturday 4 February at Umuahia Township Stadium, the party said.

Fresh aspirants are permitted to participate in the current exercise alongside those who contested in the earlier primary, Mr Ologunagba, the party spokesperson, said.

He said the party leaders, members and supporters should be guided by the arrangement.

The position of the law

As previously reported by PREMIUM TIMES, the PDP must hold a fresh primary to replace its deceased governorship candidate within 14 days from the death of the candidate, according to Section 33 (1) of the 2022 Electoral Law.

The law said 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 to produce Mr Ikonnes replacement or face the possibility of not fielding a governorship candidate in the 11 March election in the state.

The 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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Kano State Chapter of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) on Saturday, called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to extend the deadline for the return of the old naira notes to help rural communities who are are unaware of the redesign of the currency.

The ACFs spokesperson, Bello Galadanci, in a statement to reporters in Kano, said the government should always consider democratic governments are about the people who in the first instance brought them to power.

The ACF also stands with the Sultan of Sokoto, Abubakar Saad, who earlier blamed poor sensitisation, and engagement of the traditional institutions before embarking on the currency swap at the rural communities.

The forum alleged that the currency redesign has been sabotaged by Nigerian banks. It blamed the CBN for not engaging critical stakeholders before embarking on the exercise.

Arising from the confusion emanating from almost all the nooks and corners of our Great Fatherland since the announcement by Nigerias apex bank, the CBN in the last quarter of 2022, it has become imperative for all patriotic citizens including leaders, professional groups, farmers, traders, civil society and all persons of goodwill to review the development accordingly.

As a cultural, non-partisan and non-political voluntary organization with a focus on the immediate aspirations and greater interests of our communities, ACF, Kano State Chapter has found it expedient to join the strident calls by Eminent persons and institutions for an amicable solution to the apparent stalemate.

We believe legitimate reasons exist for the authorities concerned to shift the deadline from January 31 2023 in the greater interest of the majority of our people, particularly communities with no banking facilities and others ravaged by the incessant insecurity.

READ ALSO:

While we believe the President might have good intentions for the currency swap, the banks have not helped the process.

Right from day one, Nigerian banks had shown lethargy in complying with the plans of the apex bank, the CBN as their regulator. Their posture suggested they were not part of the scheme. A few days before the deadline, our ATMs continued to dispense old notes while the regulator kept making allegations the banks were not picking up the new notes.

Overwhelming evidence suggests the non-availability of the new notes in key commercial centres of the federation. The ugly scenario has cast doubts about the genuineness and practicability of the January 31 deadline.

ACF Kano State calls on the Federal Government, particularly the two chambers of the National Assembly, to prevail on the authorities at the CBN to save us from a catastrophe that may engulf the nation, as the CBNs hard-line stance is seemingly an act that may plunge our lives into an avoidable disaster.

In most urban and rural areas, ATMs are no longer dispensing cash; those that do dispense old notes. Presently, the old notes are more in circulation than the new ones, less than 5 days to the decreed deadline. The picture this unhealthy development gives could mean the sensitization campaign on the new currency notes had not been effective.

Hear what His Eminence, the Sultan remarked when the CBN Comptroller in charge of Sokoto went to brief him on the new currency regime.

We still have people who didnt know that our Naira was redesigned. They could reject the new Naira notes when given. The CBN ought to have considered stakeholders ( traditional rulers) right from the day the redesign was announced.

We have credible means to step down the information to the common man because the conventional media is for the elite.

ACF Kano re-echoes the revered traditional rulers position. We salute him, other community leaders and the NASS for their doggedness It is very clear, large sections of the populace particularly our local traders and business premises, farmers and artisans have been expressing fears about losses. Unlike the bitterness, hardship and suffering that accompanied the 1984 currency swap under military dictatorship, Nigeria is thankfully now under democracy.

Democratic governments are about the people who in the first instance brought them to power. The nation must avoid a statement, the ACFs official statement said.

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The US Government says it has disbursed more than $7.8 billion through its Presidents Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to help Nigeria boost the fight against HIV/AIDS.

This is contained in a statement on Saturday by the US diplomatic mission to Nigeria commemorating the 20th anniversary of Impact through PEPFAR, marked annually on 28 January.

The statement said the $7.8 billion was to ensure that Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS had comprehensive access to quality HIV prevention, care, and treatment services.

It said the investment translated to providing more than 1.9 million Nigerians with access to antiretroviral treatment (ART).

In Nigeria, PEPFAR has disbursed over 7.8 billion dollars to ensure that all Nigerians living with HIV/AIDS have comprehensive access to quality HIV prevention, care, and treatment services.

Today, Nigeria is on the cusp of HIV epidemic control and is approaching the global 95-95-95 goals.

That is 95 per cent of people with HIV know their HIV status, 95 per cent of those with diagnosed HIV infection are accessing treatment and 95 per cent of those receiving treatment have achieved an undetectable viral load.

Our commitment to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 is an ambitious but achievable goal, it said.

According to the statement, PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation to addressing a single disease in history and represents the best of American values.

It said the US had invested more than $100 billion in the global fight against HIV/AIDS and supported over 20.1 million people on HIV treatment in over 50 countries globally in the last 20 years.

Our two decades of investments have changed the course of the HIV pandemic by controlling it without a vaccine or a cure. Through PEPFAR, we have laid the groundwork for the eventual eradication of HIV.

As President Joe Biden declared on World AIDS Day 2022 We finally have the scientific understanding, treatments and tools to build an AIDS-free future where everyone  no matter who they are, where they come from, or whom they love  can get the care and respect they deserve.

(NAN)

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A lawyer, Joshua Alobo, has sued the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), over the 31 January deadline set to end the use of the old notes.

Mr Alobo, a professor of law, asked the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the CBN from making 31 January deadline for old 1000, 500 and 200 naira notes.

Specifically, the plaintiff begged the court to issue an order, extending the duration where the old notes cease to become legal tender to period of three weeks when the redesign notes will be sufficiently dispense by the commercial banks.

He listed the CBN, its governor, Godwin Emefiele, and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) as defendants.

Mr Alobo acknowledged in an affidavit deposed to by Musa Damudi, that the central bank had on 26 October, 2022, announced the introduction of redesigned N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes into the financial system.

The plaintiff lamented that the less-privileged Nigerians were yet to have the new naira notes that were unveiled last November by President Muhammadu Buhari.

New notes not in circulation

Mr Alobo accused money deposit banks of failing to make the redesigned notes available to their customers.

He said as of 25 January, he was still given the old notes on the counter and through the Automatic Teller Machine (ATM).

The plaintiff further noted that shopping malls in Abuja are rejecting the old notes, while ATM daily limit withdrawal is pegged at N20,000.

He contended that the terminal date of 31 January for old notes is discriminatory against the rural dwellers, poor and less-privileged persons in the society, as politically exposed persons are paid with the redesigned notes.

The lawyer admitted that the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria is innovative and welcome development, but the rural dwellers that constitute bulk of the population do not have access to internet and banking facilities.

We respectfully submit that the dateline January 31, 2023 for phasing old Naira notes is of grave constitutional importance for the economic survival of the vast population that constitute the entity called Nigeria.

The percentage of persons with lower educational background and economic realities of rural dwellers and some Local Governments in Nigeria without a single bank is high, the plaintiff argued.

Citing plots by the State Security Service (SSS) to arrest Mr Emefiele over allegations of terrorism financing, Mr Alobo said the situation resulted in uncertainty as to the full implementation of the redesigned naira notes.

The Federal High Court in Abuja, had declined an exparte application by the SSS in which it sought to arrest the CBN, a move many Nigerians have attributed to the apex banks monetary policy to redesign Nigerias legal tender, the naira.

The standoff between the SSS and Mr Emefiele lingered on until the latters return to Nigeria. He arrived into the country on 13 January and later met with Mr Buhari.

Many Nigerians have criticised CBNs naira redesign policy, with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, saying the policy was intended to scuttle his presidential ambition.

With Tuesday as the deadline, Nigerians in their numbers have thronged the banks in major cities across the country to lodge their old bank notes.

The scramble by many Nigerians to meet the 31January deadline has been chaotic as many of them flood banking halls with huge cash in old notes to exchange them with the new ones.

Others are seen on long queues at the few ATM points having the new naira notes in different parts of the country to have have access.

Amid the scarcity of the new notes and with CBNs adamant stance of sticking to the 31 January deadline, many Nigerians are no longer able to perform basic transactions as business owners have stopped collecting the old notes.

No date has been slated for the hearing of the suit.

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended its chairperson in Ebonyi State, Okorie Okoroafor, over alleged anti-party activities.

Dele Ologunagba, the spokesperson of the PDP, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Abuja, according to the News Agencyof Nigeria (NAN).

Mr Ologunagba said the suspension was ratified by the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) after an emergency meeting on Friday in Abuja.

Pursuant to Section 29 (2)(b) and 57(3) of the constitution of the PDP (as amended) the NWC on behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) approved the suspension of Okoroafor with effect from Friday 27 January.

The suspension was over allegations of anti-party activities and violations of provisions of Section 58(1) of the PDP constitution (as amended in 2017), he said.

Mr Ologunagba added that the suspended PDP chairperson had been referred to the partys appropriate disciplinary committee for further action.

Background

Although the PDP did not give details of the alleged anti-party activities against Mr Okoroafor, his suspension, sources told PREMIUM TIMES, was linked to his recent boycott of a presidential rally in the state attended by Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP.

Some PDP members have been accusing him of having romance with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ebonyi State.

The PDP has been suspending its members in recent times over anti-party activities.

The party recently, suspended former governor of Enugu State and its senatorial candidate for Enugu East District, Chimaroke Nnamani, over similar anti-party activities.

Mr Nnamani was accused of supporting the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

The former governor was suspended alongside nine others who were also accused of committing the same offence.

(NAN)

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The first edition of the summer school organised for students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, by the institution in partnership with Jean Monnet Module Programme, ended on Friday, in Lagos.

The programme, which is tagged: European Union-Africa Connectivity Project, had 40 200-level UNILAG students as participants who experienced a hands-on demonstration of the European Union systems processes and procedures.

The students were assigned to different countries and political parties in the EU and its parliament to adopt these countries as their nationality and study their peculiarities during the summer school.

The Project Coordinator and Professor of Economics on the campus, Olufemi Saibu, said many European countries have several institutes of African studies where they gain an understanding of Africa but that Africa has very few centres or institutes of European studies to understand Europe, he said.

Mr Saibu recalled that in 2018 and 2019 in the course of interacting with scholars from Italy, they agreed to explore opportunities that are available in the EU programmes.

This initiative is important because whatever career you pick up in this world today, what happens in the global environment would affect it. So we feel that exposing students to these programmes gives them greater opportunities to explore across the globe, he said.

African values

In her remarks, the UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Folasade Ogunsola, commended the students for their presentations, urging them to never let go of their values as Africans.

Mrs Ogunsola said; Theres nothing wrong with you as Africans, we know our values. I think what we now need to be is proud of them. The problem is that were not proud of our values. So I want to say as we work with Europeans or Americans, we should know who you are.

So I wish you all the best and I want to challenge that we will bring up the Nigerian policies of internationalisation and I hope you study them as well as youve studied this.

Also in his comment, the Bulgarian Ambassador to Nigeria, Yanko Yordanov, applauded the students for their performance, recounting how proud Bulgarian is with Nigeria on different projects.

He said the EU recently initiated two major initiatives, saying in December, Bulgaria signed a key agreement with the National Institute for Pharmaceutical and Medical Research on resources needed to develop locally-made vaccines in Nigeria.

So Europe has concluded that Africa is no longer somebody we have to help. Its an equal partner for strategic partnership and friendship, he said.

More projects with Nigeria

Mr Yordanov further noted that Bulgaria has already embarked on a programme for the exchange of tomato seeds with Nigeria.

He said: So in Plateau and Taraba states, we are already cultivating Bulgarian tomatoes on your soil. And its interesting enough because nobody in Bulgaria believes we are cultivating Bulgarian tomatoes in Nigeria.

The agricultural potential of your country in Africa is glamorous. It can change the whole dynamic of food security on earth and Im sure that its a matter of time before Africa will be the food security hub in the world.

Also speaking on the cooperation between the EU and Nigeria, the Senior Officer at the Delegation of the European Union in Nigeria, Esme Stuart, said it focuses on economic, political and social developments which date back to 1976.

ALSO READ: Africa has rare chance to shape the international order

And here at the EU delegation in Nigeria, we work closely together with the Nigerian government and member states to implement the priorities of this extensive EU Africa partnership, which is called Team Europe.

So its the team of European countries working together here in Nigeria and all countries across the world because the EU has delegations in almost every country worldwide, she said.

N500 billion fund

Ms Stuart further noted that the EU has a big portfolio for Nigeria with current funding of about 1 billion Euros which is equivalent to N500 billion to execute projects on three priority areas of education, health and social protection.

She added that the EU has a key focus on youth and gender equality, citing the EU Youth Sounding Boards, which is a group of 25 young Nigerians that advise us and help us to make our programmes more relevant and more interesting to young people.

Commenting on the summer school, she said that it is one of the collaborations between Nigeria and Europe, which is funded under the EU Erasmus programme, a key flagship programme of the EU.

She noted that one of the most well-known elements of the Erasmus programme is its scholarship, adding that there was a record number of over 200 students from Nigeria who won the scholarship.

About summer school programme

EU-Africa Connect Project is a University of Lagos (UNILAG) three-year programme, which is under the EU-Erasmus plus Jean Monnet Action for Higher Education Modular programme, comprising summer school, research workshops, Mock EU parliament sessions and a final international conference on EU-Africa Connectivity.

The programme is designed for university students seeking careers in international relations and diplomacy.

According to the university, the aim is to generate a new pool of resource persons who can advocate, promote and project the EU policy goals and agenda for the global community, and in particular in Africa, correct the stereotypes and build a new understanding of the promotion of EU-AU Partnership.

In the first three years, the summer school will run at least once per academic year before being transformed into a centre of excellence where the summer school will be sustained permanently and institutionalised.

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A State High Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers State has sentenced a kidnapper to death for killing four persons in the state.

The convict, Bestman Lekia and his gang members reportedly killed and used their victims intestines for pepper soup meal in Okwali community, Khana Local Government Area of the state.

The judge, Adolphus Enebeli in his judgment convicted Mr Lekia, also known as Bigie, of murder, armed robbery, burglary, kidnapping and cultism.

The judge said the prosecution counsel had proven his case beyond reasonable doubt and ruled that the convict should be hanged on his neck until confirmed death, the Punch newspaper reported.

The newspaper did not state when the judgment was delivered.

Justice Enebeli said if possible, the convict ought to be hanged four times and die four times, adding that his attitude throughout the trial has proved that he was a hardened criminal, cultist and a terror.

The convict, Mr Lekia and others at large murdered their kidnapped victims, Gbodu Nobaale, Etim Ekpe, Nenalebarri Mmeabe and Loveday Mmeabe after they were abducted and taken to an undisclosed location.

According to the Punch report, one of the victims, Mmeable had his stomach ripped open and his intestine used to prepare peppered soup and plantain meal by his abductors in 2019.

Kidnap-for-ransom has been on the increase in the oil-rich state with many victims killed while in the kidnappers den.

Five months ago, kidnappers killed and buried a cleric in Rivers State after collecting ransom.

The decomposing remains of the deceased, Friday Olakada, 56, the General Overseer of God is God Ministry in Eleme Local Government Area of the state, was exhumed by the police.

The abductors had killed and buried the cleric in a shallow grave after collecting N500, 000 ransom.

In April last year, kidnappers of a traditional ruler in the state released a video of the monarch kneeling and making promises to them.

The monarch, Aaron Ikuru, of Ikuru town in Andoni Local Government Area of the state, was forced to read their lists of demands.

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Israel wants members of the international community to cut ties with Iran until it changes its approach towards the former.

The Israeli ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, said this in Abuja while addressing journalists on Friday at an event to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day.

We have a country who is openly speaking about the destruction of another country within the UN and I think the only way that we will ever make a difference is the rest of the international community clear that it is unacceptable to say we will not have dealings with a country that is calling for the destruction of another, Mr Freeman said this in his response to a question.

Mr Freeman said that until Iran recognises Israel as a legitimate member of the world, and stops its call to destroy Israel and its nuclear weapon threat, it should be excluded.

Israel has repeatedly claimed that Iran seeks nuclear weapons for military purposes, an allegation the latter denies. Iran has been under sanctions by global powers for its nuclear programme. A deal Iran signed with world powers including the US and EU on its nuclear programme was unilaterally terminated by the US during the Donald Trump presidency.

Israel, which supported the US decision to cancel the nuclear deal, is not a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and has never admitted to owning nuclear weapons even though it is believed to possess some.

The rift between Israel and Iran dates back to 1979 after an Iranian revolution sacked the Shah of Iran who was an Israeli ally. An Islamic cleric, Ayatollah Khomeini, who took over the leadership of Iran was quoted as saying he wants Israel to disappear in order to liberate Jerusalem.

Iran has since refused to recognise Israel and has been a key ally of Palestinians who want their own country.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

Holocaust Remembrance Day is marked every 27 January to commemorate the date when the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated by the Red Army in 1945.

The holocaust resulted in the murder of six million Jewish people as well as the Sinti and Roma, the people with disabilities, and countless others, between 1933 and 1945, by Nazi Germany, in an attempt to implement their final solution to the Jewish question.

The commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day was an initiative of the State of Israel and was established through the UN General Assembly resolution 60/7, eighteen years ago.

Holocaust was not inevitable

Speaking at the same event in Abuja, the UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, noted that the holocaust, like any other genocide, was not inevitable.

The Nazis moved from the discrimination of Jewish people to their annihilation because so few stood up and so few spoke out, he said, adding that a deafening silence enabled their calculated cruelty and emboldened their murderous ambitions.

A similar message reverberated at the UN headquarters when UN Chief Antonio Guterres said It was the deafening silence  both at home and abroad  that emboldened them. The alarm bells were ringing from the very beginning.

He noted that hate speech and disinformation; contempt for human rights and the rule of law; glorification of violence and tales of racial supremacy, and disdain for democracy and diversity were at the centre of the holocaust.

In remembering the Holocaust, we recognize threats to freedom, dignity, and humanity  including in our own time, Mr Guterres said.

He added that the world must be more outspoken than it has ever been as the world contends with growing economic discontent and political instability, escalating white supremacists, terrorism, surging hate and religious bigotry.

The UN Chief said the world must never forget, nor allow others to ever forget, distort or deny the Holocaust.

Mr Schmale noted that the UN is at the forefront of making sure the world does not forget through its Holocaust Outreach Programme which has built a global network of educational resources, development programmes, film series, and exhibitions.

We must go beyond remembrance, to ensure that younger generations know the history and apply the lessons of the Holocaust to the world of today, he said.

The programme, he said, has helped share the stories of survivors, giving voice to this terrible warning from history, while informing audiences around the world.

Today and every day, let us resolve to never again remain silent in the face of evil  and to always defend the dignity and rights of all, Mr Guterres encouraged.

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India is bringing a new voice and a unique emphasis to how the leading voices in world economics, democracy and development are trying to reshape the world, an official has said.

We have basically four priorities and they are inclusive, equitable and sustainable growth; lifestyle for environment and climate change; technology-enabled transformation, and multilateral reforms, Indias High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gangadharan Balasubramanian, told PREMIUM TIMES in an exclusive interview.

India is the current president of the Group of Twenty (G20); a group of 19 countries and the European Union whose focus is global economics and development.

Indias new strategy is reflected in a series of preparatory steps it has taken as a build-up to the September grand summit of the G20.

First was the invitation of nine countries including Nigeria, who are not part of the G20.

Second, Indias Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 12 and 13 January 2023 held a virtual Voice of the Global South Summit  where leaders from the global south including Nigerias president spoke.

Other countries in this league are Egypt, Bangladesh, Mauritius, Netherlands, Oman, Singapore, UAE, and Spain.

That summit, according to Mr Balasubramanian, was an occasion to discuss the priorities and imperatives of developing countries, how they view the global commons and how they will like to be positioned within the global commons.

This is useful for India as it will bring all these together to the forefront at the G20 summit.

The high commissioner said developing countries are important powers whose presence and ambitions have a major role to play in deciding the concept of global commons.

Speaking on Nigerias invitation, he said, India has a special relationship with Nigeria and the potential and strength of Nigeria is visible and with such a large population, it is but natural that your viewpoint will certainly have advantage which is important for everybody to understand and that this is an opportunity for both India and Nigeria and other countries who have been invited to present their viewpoint in a combined manner which will certainly be good for the G20.

India and G20

India took over the presidency of the G20 in December 2022. The G20 summit will be held in New Delhi on 9 and 10 September 2023.

The summit will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

Indonesia was the previous president, India the current and Brazil the next.

It is a unique opportunity that these three developing countries are having consecutive presidents and I am sure this will certainly help in terms of bringing other viewpoints to the table, Mr Balasubramanian said.

The G20 was founded in 1999 after the Asian financial crisis as a forum for Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors to discuss global economic and financial issues.

The G20 was upgraded to the level of Heads of State/Government in the wake of the global economic and financial crisis of 2007, and, in 2009, was designated the premier forum for international economic cooperation.

The G20 Summit is held annually, under the leadership of a rotating presidency. The G20 initially focused largely on broad macroeconomic issues, but it has since expanded its agenda to include trade, climate change, sustainable development, health, agriculture, energy, environment, climate change, and anti-corruption.

The Group of Twenty (G20) comprises 19 countries; Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Union.

They represent around 85 per cent of the global GDP, over 75 per cent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.

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President Muhammadu Buhari says government will ensure that Nigerians are unharmed in their businesses and no disruption is caused to the entire supply chain arising from the currency swap due to end shortly.

The president gave the assurance in a statement by his spokespersons, Garba Shehu, on Saturday in Abuja.

The president was reacting to reports of long queues of people waiting for hours for their turn to deposit old notes and get new ones, triggering public anger and oppositions criticism.

Mr Buhari reiterated that the currency changes were aimed at people hoarding illicit funds and not the common man, and that it had become necessary to prevent counterfeits, corruption, and terrorist funding.

This, he assured, would stabilise and strengthen the economy.

While taking note that the poorest section of society was facing hardship as they often kept hard cash at home for various expenses, Mr Buhari gave strong assurances that the government would not leave them to their own fate.

According to him, a number of initiatives by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and all commercial banks are underway to speed up distribution of the new notes and do all that is necessary to forestall cash squeeze and chaos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the CBN had fixed 31 January as the deadline for the use of the old naira notes.

The redesigned naira notes, comprising N200, N500 and N1,000, became legal tender on 15 December, 2022, after they were unveiled by Mr Buhari on 23 November, 2022, in Abuja.

Reports across the country on Saturday indicated that traders and business owners were asking their constomers to pay with new notes.

It was also discovered that some of the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) across states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), were still dispensing the old naira notes while there were long queues at few ATMs dispensing the redesigned naira notes.

Some banks dispensing the new notes had configured their ATMs to dispense N5,000 or N10,000 per transaction.

Also, some Point of Sale (PoS) operators were still paying with old naira notes while some who had the redesigned naira notes increased their charges by 100 to 200 per cent.

(NAN)

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The parents of a Pennsylvania toddler who died after ingesting fentanyl last summer in their Bethlehem home were arrested Thursday in Ellicottville and are awaiting extradition, the Cattaraugus County Sheriff's Office said.

Nicole Ann Stauffer, 45, of Bethlehem, and Christian R. Brewster, 25, of Friendship, were wanted on a fugitive from justice warrant for involuntary manslaughter of their 2-year-old son.

The Bethlehem Pennsylvania City Police Department contacted the sheriff's office for help in locating the couple's vehicle. Deputies, working with Ellicottville police and state police, conducted a traffic stop of the vehicle at 3:05 p.m. Thursday on Route 242. Both Brewster and Stauffer were taken into custody and arraigned in Town of Ellicottville Court.

On the night of July 5, first responders were dispatched to their home in Pennsylvania and found the toddler not breathing, according to Lehigh Valley Live. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The coroner's office determined the boy had died of fentanyl toxicity, according to the news website. Police told Lehigh Valley Live that police searched the home the day after the boy's death and found narcotics and drug paraphernalia in a bedroom where the parents allegedly told the police they and the child were sleeping.
But truth be told, no system is pitch perfect and devoid of unique encumbrances, be it parliamentary, presidential or even a hybrid of both. Every system needs a critical mass of men and women, willing, ready and committed to protecting the guardrails of democracy, for it to work. That is the only way to put a check on the excesses of men in the corridors of power.

With the resignation of Liz Truss in October last year, barely six weeks after being sworn in office, the 42-years old Rishi Sunak became the fifth prime minister of Britain within the last six years, since the Brexit vote of June 2016. Like a revolving door, No. 10 Downing Street witnessed the exit of four of its occupants within that mentioned timeframe. Now, thats a record turnover, especially for a country with a system that, for centuries, was synonymous with stability and dependability, even if sometimes dull governance. But even as chaotic and polarised as British politics has become in recent years, the country continues to enjoy an orderly transfer of power every single time and, thus far, no group of insurrectionists has descended upon the Palace of Westminster. There has to be a reason for that and its not because there is a shortage of British versions of Donald Trump and Trump wannabes.

In December 2022, Pedro Castillo, the leftist union leader who has served as the president of Peru since July 2021, ordered a reorganisation of his countrys judiciary and prosecutors office, which at the time was investigating him for alleged corruption and influence-trafficking. He also proceeded to dissolve the legislature in a last-ditch effort to prevent the body from holding an impeachment vote against him and he imposed a night-time curfew to stop potential protesters. That led to weeks of nationwide political turmoil that, thus far, has resulted in the death of more than fifty people and eventually led to Mr Castillos removal from office.

Jair Bolsonaro was sworn in as the president of the Republic of Brazil in January 2019 but lost re-election in December 2022 to a leftist former president, Lula da Silva. He, however, refused to concede defeat and his sympathisers stormed the Planalto Presidential Palace, destroying government property and clashing with authorities, in a manner reminiscent of the attack on the US Capitol on the 6th of January, 2021, by supporters of the then President Donald Trump.

From Donald Trump of the United States, Pedro Castillo of Peru and Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, democracy has come under serious threat globally by the worlds strongmen and narcissists  duly elected presidents who have been clinging ferociously to power, even when they lost elections.

The three countries aforementioned are all presidential democracies, in comparison to countries like the UK, Canada, New Zealand or Germany that practice the parliamentary system. In New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, the nations 40th prime minister and leader of the Labour Party since 2017, just announced her plan to resign from those positions by the 7th of February. Germanys Angela Merkel, the longtime serving chancellor, stepped aside voluntarily in December 2021. There is an emerging pattern, which seems to suggest that governments within the presidential system are unusually likely to collapse into coups or other violence in comparison to parliamentary democracies.

The separation of power between the legislative and executive branches in a presidential system means that a ruling party cannot simply change an unpopular leader, as easily as in the parliamentary systems. Both the ruling party and the opposition are keenly aware that impeachment is difficult and messy; hence many Republican congressmen did not have qualms in urging Donald Trump, a president seen as a threat to America, to stay on in office.

Those who have studied the pattern, like Dr Juan Linz and his group identified several reasons for it. Not in the least is the fact that presidential systems are set up in a way that makes removing a leader far more difficult and cumbersome, raises the stakes so much higher, while at the same time also effectively discouraging leaders from stepping down voluntarily. Dr Linz, an emeritus professor of Sociology and Political Science at Yale University, specialised in comparative politics. He once submitted that the the vast majority of the stable democracies in the world today are parliamentary regimes, where executive power is generated by legislative majorities and depends on such majorities for survival.

The separation of power between the legislative and executive branches in a presidential system means that a ruling party cannot simply change an unpopular leader, as easily as in the parliamentary systems. Both the ruling party and the opposition are keenly aware that impeachment is difficult and messy; hence many Republican congressmen did not have qualms in urging Donald Trump, a president seen as a threat to America, to stay on in office.

The parliamentary system is also not without its own serious drawbacks. Unlike in the presidential system, the head of government is not directly elected by the people but chosen by the majority party in congress. This also means that the Prime Minister can easily be changed on a whim by his party members in parliament who pass a vote of no confidence on him or her, even when such a leader might still be enjoying huge popularity among citizens. That happened recently in Pakistan when Prime Minister Imran Khan, hugely popular in his country, was ousted by the nations National Assembly alleged to be under the control of the military top brass.

France operates a semi-presidential system, some kind of a hybrid between the parliamentary and presidential systems of government. The nations political system consists of the executive, legislative and judicial branches. The president of France is directly elected by the people and the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country. His position is the highest office in France and whoever occupies it is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. The prime minister is appointed by the president and oversees much of the nations actual day-to-day domestic affairs, though the president still wields significant influence and authority, especially in the fields of national security and foreign policy. The prime minister is only answerable to the National Assembly and once appointed, cannot be dismissed by the president. The whole idea is to reap the benefit of both the parliamentary and presidential models, while attempting to mitigate the inherent systemic weakness of each design.

Eternal vigilance, Thomas Jefferson cautioned, is the price of liberty. We are reminded that all it takes to bring the worlds most enduring democracy to its knees is a very ambitious narcissist, supported by a bunch of loonies. John Philpot Curran summed it up so nicely when he said: The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he breaks, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.

But truth be told, no system is pitch perfect and devoid of unique encumbrances, be it parliamentary, presidential or even a hybrid of both. Every system needs a critical mass of men and women, willing, ready and committed to protecting the guardrails of democracy, for it to work. That is the only way to put a check on the excesses of men in the corridors of power.

For far too long, the world has always believed in the naive concept of benevolent dictators and leaders who will voluntarily relinquish power when they have served out their time and purpose. But over and over again, that has proven to be an illusion. In reality, what separates those leaders who step down from those who do not, often turns out to be less on that leaders goodwill than on the simple nature of their political systems. Even in parliamentary systems, resignations often appears voluntary but most often its not. It comes from quiet nudging and some internal pressure coming from party members to do the right thing or face the threat of impeachment upon refusal. That was the case with the former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, before he was finally forced to resign.

Eternal vigilance, Thomas Jefferson cautioned, is the price of liberty. We are reminded that all it takes to bring the worlds most enduring democracy to its knees is a very ambitious narcissist, supported by a bunch of loonies. John Philpot Curran summed it up so nicely when he said: The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he breaks, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime and the punishment of his guilt.

The ripple effect of the egregious and multi-pronged attacks, targeting all the pillars of democracy in the United States offers a cautionary tale.

Osmund Agbo writes from Houston, Texas. Email: eagleosmund@yahoo.com.

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projections may change as the candidates make their final moves to woe undecided voters. For now, the forecast points to a runoff, but it is unclear who will be contesting the runoff and the alliances that may precede it. Beyond the anxiety of the elections, Nigerians collectively celebrate the imminent end of the disaster personified by the Buhari administration, which they consider a misadventure.

Though a late entrant into the race, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party and former governor of Anambra State, Mr Peter Obi, is gathering momentum. He appears quite popular among young people and many dissatisfied elites across the country. His party platform is not mainstream and enjoys a lean network across the country, with many people suggesting that this may adversely affect his chances. Many politicians insist that he lacks the structure to win elections and dismiss him as a mere spoiler. However, Mr Obis promises of wide-ranging reforms, especially in the power sector and his commitment to revamping Africas ailing and biggest economy, and moving it away from the path of consumption to that of production, appear to resonate among many citizens, including those in the diaspora.

But between Mr Peter Obis popularity and electoral victory are some influential stakeholders and elite gatekeepers, who fear his emergence will send them into abrupt retirement. They are, therefore, determined to constitute stumbling blocks to his emergence. Yet the Labour Party candidate appears resolute, energetic and fired up, traversing the country and boldly asking voters to elect him due to his character, competence and compassion.

Stringent Requirements for Victory Place the Ruling Party At An Advantage, But

Nigeria is a complex heterogeneous country where winning elections often involve building a financial war chest, which can be utilised to lubricate alliances of loyalty and patronage. These structures are expected to provide the necessary leverage for winning elections. For instance, Nigerias ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is currently in charge in 22 out of 36 states of the country. The constitutional requirement for the winner of the presidential election is that the individual must score the highest number of votes and a required 25% of the votes in at least 24 (two-thirds) of the states in the country.

Coming into the contest with 22 governors confers a considerable advantage on the ruling partys candidate. In addition, the ruling party controls the security apparatus and other instruments of coercion that can come in handy during an election. However, to win, the candidate in question needs to command more grassroots popularity, and this is where the ruling party is said to be deficient. The partys candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu appears unperturbed about this. He is reportedly grounded in the art of money politics and he deployed extensive resources to emerge as his partys preferred candidate. He is said to have sufficient funds to induce the electorate to favour his party in the coming weeks.

to the surprise of many, the ruling party went ahead to announce a Muslim-Muslim ticket which sparked stiff opposition, even within its own fold. Many Christian leaders voiced disapproval against the decision, and others quietly started mobilising support for the opposition. As the only Christian among the three top contenders for the Presidency, Mr Peter Obi may benefit massively from block votes from Christians nationwide. Going by available statistics, that could be huge.

Obi Remains the Symbol, But the Energy of the Obidient Movement Is Beyond Him

To market his candidature, supporters of Mr Obi founded a bi-partisan organisation known as the Obidient movement across the country. The movement is made of vibrant, media-savvy volunteers predominantly of young age, including many Nigerians in the diaspora. The movement is bubbling with enthusiasm for change and is driven by a shared passion. Devotees claim they are self-motivated and unique, as they claim not to have been offered any form of monetary reward to join or remain in the movement. Instead, volunteers contribute their resources to conduct sensitisation activities and attend campaign rallies.

It is believed that many young people see the platform as one that can be used to amplify their voices, which have been excluded in the past. The determination of these young people remains a credible threat to the status quo; however, many politicians still dismiss the movement as noise in the air that is not sufficiently grounded. While Mr Obi remains the symbol of the movement, the energy propelling it seems to come from the collective feeling of frustration at the ongoing decay and bad governance in the country. Nigerias former President Olusegun Obasanjo has endorsed Peter Obi in a widely circulated open letter, insisting he has what it takes to resolve the problems of Nigeria.

Many Christians and Opponents of the Same Faith Ticket Support the Labour Party Candidate

Religion is a very sensitive issue in Nigeria and it remains one of the bases for political mobilisation. The announcement of the ruling APC to adopt a same-faith ticket sparked outrage across the Christian population in the country, especially in Northern Nigeria. Christianity and Islam appear to be equitably represented in the country, with a majority of Christians living in the South and Muslims living in the North. In order to achieve inclusion and balance, the two faiths are reflected in the two highest positions in the land, except in rare cases. However, to the surprise of many, the ruling party went ahead to announce a Muslim-Muslim ticket which sparked stiff opposition, even within its own fold. Many Christian leaders voiced disapproval against the decision, and others quietly started mobilising support for the opposition. As the only Christian among the three top contenders for the Presidency, Mr Peter Obi may benefit massively from block votes from Christians nationwide. Going by available statistics, that could be huge.

With the elections fast approaching, the outlook remains rather hazy as it is difficult to predict a straight victory for any of the top three candidates in the first run. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has repeatedly promised that the elections will be free, fair and a reflection of the voices of the people.

A Likely Tie In the Presidential Elections May Lead To A Runoff

With the elections fast approaching, the outlook remains rather hazy as it is difficult to predict a straight victory for any of the top three candidates in the first run. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has repeatedly promised that the elections will be free, fair and a reflection of the voices of the people. The projection is that the ruling party will gather votes that will give it presence and spread in at least fifteen states. However, in the current circumstances, it is unclear if it will have the numbers to win the election outright. The deployment of technology and the new impetus of young people across the country will likely work to the advantage of the Labour Party candidate.

Mr Peter Obi might win the majority of the youth and Christian votes, which will give him a higher number of votes and could potentially propel him to victory. However, the probability of a spread for him to be validly elected in the first round remain slim. Yet, Labour Party will win massively in the South-East, South-South and North-Central regions, totalling seventeen states plus the Federal Capital territory. Mr Atiku Abubakar will inherit the residue of the eroding support base of President Buhari, in addition to winning a few states that his party is currently in charge of.

These projections may change as the candidates make their final moves to woe undecided voters. For now, the forecast points to a runoff, but it is unclear who will be contesting the runoff and the alliances that may precede it. Beyond the anxiety of the elections, Nigerians collectively celebrate the imminent end of the disaster personified by the Buhari administration, which they consider a misadventure.

Uche Igwe is a Visiting Fellow at Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He can be reached on u.igwe@lse.ac.uk

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Thulani Maseko was the outstanding lawyer of his generation. His crime was to believe that his beloved eSwatini, Africas last absolute monarchy, could be and deserved to be better. He believed that this cause was best served by reforming the country into a constitutional monarchy and he forged a formidable coalition to advance this goal. For this, he has given his life. His killers and those who procured them believe they can decapitate the movement he led. In this circumstance, it is not right to say Hamba Kahle.

On 18 March, 2014, Mpendulo Simelane, a judge of the High Court of eSwatini  the country formerly known as Swaziland  convicted Thulani Maseko and Bheki Makhubu of criminal contempt, sentencing them to 18 months in prison. Bheki, a journalist, worked as editor of The Nation, the leading new magazine in the country. At the time, Thulani led the Lawyers for Human Rights, eSwatinis leading non-governmental organisation. Both had in separate articles criticised then Chief Justice, Michael Ramodibedi, for various acts of abuse of power.

Thulani did in fact publicly call for the Chief Justice to step down. His position would later be vindicated when Ramodibedi suffered the unique distinction of being forced to relinquish two high judicial positions in one year. In 2014, he resigned as president of the Court of Appeal of Lesotho, where he faced judicial impeachment. Back home in Swaziland, in June 2015, King Mswati III fired him from the office of Chief Justice of eSwatini.

Invited to speak for himself from the dock before the court sentenced him, Thulani, who was assassinated on 21 January, while relaxing with his family in his home near Mbabane, capital of eSwatini, outlined his mission and worldview succinctly: We deny that the call for a constitutional monarchy is a call to overthrow the monarch in Swaziland. We are calling for a system of government where democratic governance can and will co-exist with a monarchy whose powers are properly limited by law so that nobody is above the law, but the law, is the ruler

Following their conviction, Amnesty International adopted both men as prisoners of conscience. 14 months later, on 30 June, 2015, the Supreme Court of eSwatini set aside the convictions.

When the King changed the name of the country at a whim to mark his 50th birthday in 2018, Thulani disagreed and sued to challenge it. It was an extraordinary act of courage in a country where powers over life and death reside in a rampantly over-sexed King Mswati III, whose harem includes at least 15 wives.

Born on 1 March, 1971, Thulani qualified as a lawyer in eSwatini in 1997. He undertook graduate studies in human rights law, receiving advanced degrees from universities in Pretoria, South Africa and Washington DC, United States of America. Seven years into a professional life dedicated to fighting for human rights, he founded eSwatinis Lawyers for Human Rights.

In July 2021, King Mswati met the peaceful advocacy led by Thulani and the Forum with cowardly brutality, leading to the killing of scores and the disappearance and torture of many more On Saturday, 21 January, the king warned pro-democracy advocates not to cry when mercenaries deal with you. Hours later, unknown marksmen, escorted by a convoy of King Mswatis Police officers, shot and killed Thulani in his house.

In my own occasional scrapes with made-in-Nigeria tin-gods, Thulani was always a source of both inspiration and committed solidarity.

The cause of creating a more accountable country would increasingly draw Thulani into the vocation of advocacy for democracy and constitutional reform in eSwatini. Upon stepping down from the leadership of the organisation in 2018, he became the leader of the Multi-Stakeholder Forum, a coalition of civic organisations for constitutional reform in eSwatini.

In July 2021, King Mswati met the peaceful advocacy led by Thulani and the Forum with cowardly brutality, leading to the killing of scores and the disappearance and torture of many more.

On Saturday, 21 January, the king warned pro-democracy advocates not to cry when mercenaries deal with you. Hours later, unknown marksmen, escorted by a convoy of King Mswatis Police officers, shot and killed Thulani in his house.

On 25 January, Namibias President Hage Geingob, on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), publicly asked the authorities in eSwatini to ensure Thulanis killing be swiftly, transparently and comprehensively investigated, and that any and all persons suspected of committing this heinous crime are brought to justice. In a break with precedent, the African Union joined the SADCs call for a full and transparent investigation into what it described as the brutal killing of Thulani. Both the SADC and the AU must go further and insist on an independent investigation.

Thulani Maseko was the outstanding lawyer of his generation. His crime was to believe that his beloved eSwatini, Africas last absolute monarchy, could be and deserved to be better. He believed that this cause was best served by reforming the country into a constitutional monarchy and he forged a formidable coalition to advance this goal. For this, he has given his life. His killers and those who procured them believe they can decapitate the movement he led. In this circumstance, it is not right to say Hamba Kahle. Instead, his soul will haunt his killers and his legacy will continue to inspire the living.

Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, a lawyer, teaches at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu.

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In the last eight years, Nigeria has witnessed dramatic changes that have reshaped our social, economic and political environment in negative ways. Solutions that were promised have been clearly incapable of providing meals on our tables, or sustaining unity, peace and progress for the generality of our people.

All across the country, lives and properties of our citizens have been lost to communal clashes, some between long existing neighbours, that could have been managed by a committed government.

An insurgency in the North-East that we were promised would be wiped out in the first four years of the APC has persisted without control.

In the midst of all these violence, the current government has remained silent and has shown its incapacity in dealing with these challenges, even exhibiting extreme bias.

Today, they still claim, without shame, that only they can solve the problems they have obviously made worse.

In the coming election, the decision to be made is obvious. Do we continue with the failed policies that rendered Nigeria economically, politically and socially or do we change path and elect a leadership that has proven itself most adequately prepared to address these challenges?

As we search for a leader who will provide ingenious solutions to move Nigeria out of its current challenges, it is fundamental that our next president must have a history of building bridges to connect all the different groups that make up the Nigerian nation and must possess certain qualities that reveal a commitment to the Democratic principle in his private and public life, and in the way they delegate responsibilities.

Unlike candidates who celebrate the mentorship of political disciples from within their limited political space, Atikus mentorship cuts across the entire nation, regardless of ethnicity, religion or geopolitical space.

His emergence as a candidate is seen as the much awaited opportunity to reintroduce a government that is built on a wealth of experience in economic management, and that is driven

Beyond his strong record in the defence of democratic values, Atikus role in nurturing one of the greatest period of growth the Nigerian economy ever witnessed speaks volumes for his ability to address our current crises.

Atiku is the only presidential aspirant that has a verifiable track-record of canvassing the need for restructuring the Federal administration process in order for Nigeria to achieve sustainable peace, unity and progress.

Atikus consistent call for restructuring has now been accepted as the only condition for sustainable peace, unity and progress in Nigeria.

He stands as the first presidential aspirant to genuinely seek a complete reappraisal of our current fiscal arrangement to ensure equity for all In a true federal system.

It is on record that Atiku was the prime mover of 13% derivation on oil revenue to oil producing states. Atiku believes that no amount of resources is too much to be sacrificed to allay the feelings and fears of marginalisation by any group in Nigeria.

It is much to his credit also that the 13% derivation principle is enshrined and sustained in the present constitution.

Judging from Atiku Abubakars visions, and his commitment to execute his visions for the development of Nigeria, a desire he has consistently pursued for many years now, he remains the best man for the job in 2023.

Atiku Abubakars intention to run for the office of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria has reignited the hopes of many.

Sponsored by the National Conscience Movement.

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The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has said his support for President Muhammadu Buhari is enduring.

This is even as he said there is no friction between him and the president.

Mr Tinubu had recently said the fuel scarcity and the unavailability of the new Naira notes are efforts to sabotage his chances in the election.

Though he didnt mention those he suspected of sabotaging him, it is widely believed that he was referring to the president who gave the go ahead for the naira to be redesigned.

He was also in Daura Friday night to meet the president on what many think is a last ditch move to convince the president to extend the deadline.

President Buharis great supporter

Mr Tinubu spoke while addressing APC rally in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital on Saturday.

In a statement by Abdulaziz Abdulaziz, a media aide to Mr Tinubu, the presidential candidate promised to tackle the problems bedevilling the state and improve agricultural productivity.

I have supported President Buhari even before his first day in office. I will continue to be his supporter and friend after his last day in office, Mr Tinubu said.

Mr Tinubu said President Buhari is leading the nation with courage and selflessness.

He tackled the problems other leaders ran from. He has earned a place in history that cannot be denied. I have said this before and will say it again now: when the true history of this moment is written, President Buhari shall be treated very kindly because of his contributions to the nation, he said.

In an obvious jab at opposition politicians, Mr Tinubu said theyre misguided people wishing the country bad luck.

Their vision for Nigeria is the vision of one who cannot see. They seek to enrich themselves by making you poor. They want to eat everything so that you might go hungry. They want to own everything but leave you with nothing.

We stand here today to affirm that our vision for a greater Nigeria will triumph over their blind vision for a broken Nigeria. Remember, where there is blind vision, there is also blind ambition.

We will not allow their selfish games to overtake you. President Buhari has done his part to free Nigeria from their mean grip. Now we must do our part by freeing you from the selfish plans they have for you and our beloved land.

Do not let those others fool you into returning to the past where you had no hope and had no say regarding the life you shall live and the future you shall enter. The APC remains the best and only hope for a more prosperous and peaceful nation, the statement quoted Mr Tinubu.

Plans for Zamfara

The former Lagos state governor promised to tackle insecurity and revive the agricultural fortunes of the state.

He said President Buhari and Governor Bello Matawalle had been doing their best to end the banditry problem, pledging to consolidate on the gains recorded.

My running mate has battled Boko Haram. As governor of Lagos, I too have fought kidnappers and violent criminals. We will use our experience and our vision to defeat the wrongdoers.

My security plan will empower all branches of security forces. There will be more personnel and we shall improve their ability to identify, pursue and stop the evil  doers. We will use modern air and ground technology to trace and capture these criminals, he said.

Zamfara State has great deposits of natural resources. My economic plan is to closely cooperate with the state government to attract the right type of investment in mining. This investment will not exploit the people of Zamfara. Instead, it will open the door to safer mining, better jobs and increased economic growth for the state, he said.

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Claim

Godswill Akpabio, the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for the 2023 election in Akwa Ibom North-West District, flagged off his campaign on Wednesday with a lie that Peter Ogban, a professor jailed over 2019 election fraud in the state was used to rob him of victory.

Mr Ogban, a professor of Soil Science at the University of Calabar, was the returning officer in the district election in 2019.

You people voted overwhelmingly for me, but some people colluded to rob me of my victory. The professor who was used to rob me of that victory in 2019 is now in jail, Mr Akpabio said at a rally in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.

This is not the first time Mr Akpabio would be making such a false claim even when the facts  testimonies and evidence in court  clearly showed that the disgraced professor falsified some results of the 2019 election in the Akwa Ibom North-West District in Mr Akpabios favour.

Shortly after a State High Court in Uyo, on 25 March, 2021, convicted and sentenced Mr Ogban to three years imprisonment and a fine of N100, 000 for fraudulent manipulation of the 2019 election results, and publishing and announcing of false results, Mr Akpabio claimed he was a victim of the election fraud and that he had been vindicated by the judgment.

He (Akpabio) is vindicated that the perpetrators of the electoral fraud are being brought to justice, at last the chickens are coming home to roost, Anietie Ekong, who was a spokesperson then to Mr Akpabio, said in a statement in Abuja.

Mr Akpabio was the minister of Niger Delta Affairs, an appointment he got as some kind of compensation from President Muhammadu Buhari after he lost the 2019 senatorial election.

Mr Ekong said the jailed professor joined the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Mike Igini, to deny him (Akpabio) victory in the election.

In that election, Akpabios votes totaling about 61,329 scored at his home Local Government Area  Essien Udim, having been collated, were not announced by Ogban in accordance with the provisions of the Electoral Act.

Rather, Ogban who served as the Senatorial District Returning Officer joined the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Uyo where the votes and scores of Akpabio were cancelled in various polling units and collation centers of various LGAs constituting Akwa Ibom North-West Senatorial District.

This was including 61,329 votes of his home LGA, Mr Ekong said.

Mr Ogban was not working for Mr Akpabio who had challenged the election result at the tribunal, Mr Ekong said.

Continuing, Mr Ekong said: For the avoidance of doubt Ogban never announced Akpabio as the winner of any election, instead he cancelled his lawful votes and announced his opponent as the winner of the manipulated election.

It is the height of mischief for anyone to say that a man who arbitrarily cancelled lawfully collated votes of the APC and announced PDP winner of the election was working for Akpabio.

In due time, we believe all the conspirators will be brought to justice as Ogban, either through the judiciary or divine intervention.

Evidence

Mr Akpabio, who was seeking a second term in the Nigerian Senate, was the APC candidate for the 2019 senatorial election in the Akwa Ibom North-west District. He first contested the district election and won in 2015 as a PDP candidate before he defected to the APC in 2018.

The PDP candidate, Christopher Ekpenyong, a former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom, was Mr Akpabios major rival in the 2019 senatorial election.

As previously reported by PREMIUM TIMES, before his conviction and sentencing, Mr Ogban, in one of the court sessions, clearly told the court how the results of the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-west District election were falsified in Oruk Anam and Etim Ekpo local government areas to give the APC an unfair advantage over its main rival, the PDP.

For instance, 5,000 fake votes were added to the APCs score in Oruk Anam Local Government Area in the election.

Mr Ogban, during cross examination by the prosecution counsel, admitted that the votes he entered for both APC and the PDP in the two local government areas were not taken from results collated at the constituency.

As his defence, Mr Ogban said the votes he entered were read out to him by the local government areas returning officers.

However, two witnesses of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  John Enoidem and Itemobong Ekaidem  contradicted the professors claim.

The witnesses, who are university lecturers, were collation officers in the two local government areas. They told the court that what Mr Ogban entered as scores for APC and PDP were not what they presented to him.

The Guardian newspaper captured the court session where the two INEC witnesses were cross examined.

In their testimonies, they said the results they collated at the council level, which were presented to Ogban, differed from the results he finally declared.

For the Oruk Anam Council result, Enoidem noted that while his result showed that the APC scored 10,534 votes and the PDP 25,123 votes, the accused declared that the APC polled 15,534, while PDP got 20,123 votes.

He, thereby, reduced PDPs votes by 5,000 and increased APC score by the same number of ballots. Ekaidem added that while the results for Etim Ekpo Council showed that APC scored 2,671 votes and PDP got 6,603, the result Ogban finally declared showed that APC scored 5,671 votes compared to PDPs 3,306, amounting to a difference of 3,000 in favour of the former, the paper reported.

During the 2019 Akwa Ibom North-West District election, Mr Akpabios challenger, Mr Ekpenyong of the PDP, was leading with a wide margin until the APC scrambled for suspicious votes which they could use to change the election course.

INEC, at some point, suspended the announcement of the election results in Essien Udim Local Government Area where Mr Akpabio hails from.

If we accept the results from the local government area, Akpabios votes will overshoot that of Chris Ekpenyong, an INEC official had told PREMIUM TIMES.

There are issues in the results which we are yet to be resolved, the official had said.

The elections in the area were marred by pockets of violence.

I have records of presiding officers who were speaking to me in low tones because of where they were and what was going on. God gave the returning officer wisdom, and today he is alive, the then Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Igini had said, when he told journalists and representatives of political parties why the commission could not announce the results from Essien Udim.

INEC later conducted a rerun election in Essien Udim, as ordered by the Court of Appeal, Calabar, following a suit filed by Mr Akpabio.

But Mr Akpabio backed out of the election, leaving the PDP to win easily, even though the election was still characterised by violence, including INEC officials being held hostage in Mr Akpabios ward.

What the disgraced professor said

Before he received his jail sentence, Mr Ogban, while begging the judge, Augustine Odokwo, to have mercy on him, said his case was an eye-opener.

This is an eye-opener for anyone who participated in local, state or national activities to do so with dexterity and not take anything for granted to avoid an innocent person being embarrassed, he said to the judge.

I should be pardoned for the inability to do this which is why I am here today. I plead that you grant me 100 per cent mercy and allow me to go and continue with my responsibilities.

If I lose my source of income, it means all of my dependents I have mentioned will suffer, especially the condition of my aged mother, the professor said in court.

Conclusion

Mr Akpabio lied that the jailed professor, Mr Ogban, rigged the 2019 senatorial election in Akwa Ibom North-west District for the PDP candidate; available evidence showed that he rigged the election for Mr Akpabio.

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A reported proposal for the deployment of some state police chiefs has generated a controversy in Lagos.

The Lagos State Police Command has refuted the claim that a new commissioner of police has been deployed in the state, although the police authorities in Abuja confirmed the proposal.

The Lagos commands spokesperson, Benjamin Hundeyin, in a statement on Friday said the news that a new police chief had been posted to the state was false.

We wish to state categorically that the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State is still CP Abiodun Alabi, fdc, mnim, psc, the statement reads.

The Lagos State Police Command has been inundated with requests for clarification on the status of the Commissioner of Police in the Command.

We wish to state categorically that the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State is still CP Abiodun Alabi, fdc, mnim, psc. For the avoidance of doubt, no Commissioner of Police has been posted to Lagos State.

Members of the public are therefore urged to disregard fake news making the rounds that a new Commissioner of Police has been deployed to Lagos State Police Command.

Fake news

On Friday, a letter  Proposed Posting (of) Commissioners of police signed by Hafiz Inuwa, assistant inspector-general of police, saturated the internet.

The letter addressed to the chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) proposed that Frank Mba and Idowu Owohunwa be considered as police commissioners.

The letter dated 24 January said that Mr Owohunwa would be replacing Abiodun Alabi in Lagos, while Mr Mba will to take over from Lanre Bankole in Ogun State.

I am directed to humbly write and forward the proposed posting of the under-mentioned commissioners of police to state commands indicated against their names for the commissions kind consideration and approval, the letter reads.

The inspector-general of police is deploying the under-mentioned commissioners of police to strengthen the strategic and operational control of the commands.

The news comes one month before the general elections.

However, speaking with TheCable, Ikechukwu Ani, spokesperson of the PSC, said that the IGP made a recommendation on the matter to the commission.

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Eneke the bird made a rare apprarance in court on Friday as the Osun State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal cited the proverbial bird in its judgement.

Eneke is a proverbial bird to which an unforgettable line on survival was attributed in Mr Achebes classic novel, Things Fall Apart.

In the majority judgement, read by its chairman, Terste Kume, the tribunal said former Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the election and not Governor Ademola Adeleke of the PDP, who was returned by INEC.

Mr Kume accused INEC officials of tampering with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines to compromise the election in favour of Mr Adeleke.

The said conduct of the officials of the 1st Respondent, as shown in this judgement, makes the proactive decision of Eneke, the bird in the Novel, Things Fall Apart, 1958 by Chinua Achebe very instructive. In the said novel appears these words; Men have learnt to shoot without missing, she has learnt to fly without perching.

Mr Achebe used the quote by the proverbial bird to illustrate how people were adapting to changes in the society in colonial time Igbo land in now South-east Nigeria.

The tribunal chairman said electoral officials manipulated the BVAS machines but did not cover their tracks.

Manipulation

Mr Kume faulted the synchronisation of the BVAS machines after the election, which INEC had cited as explanation for producing two contradictory sets of data on accredited voters.

The INEC counsel, Paul Ananaba, had during cross-examination argued that the election results in possession of the petitioners were incomplete because it was issued to them before the BVAS machines were synchronised.

The INEC counsel said the petitioners had therefore challenged the outcome of the election with incomplete data.

But the tribunal chairman insisted that the results of the election were still not accurate after the said synchronisation of the BVAS machines.

We have looked, and evaluated the evidence of the parties as shown in the exhibits before this Tribunal. The contents of the exhibits are clear as day. The said evidence is not from the fertile and creative imagination of learned counsel for the Petitioners, as erroneously submitted by learned counsel for the Respondents in their respective reply addresses on points of law to the issues under consideration, he said.

The synchronisation of the documents made by the 1st Respondent, and the physical inspection of same done by the 2nd and 3rd Respondents, as shown in the table herein before reproduced, run riot to the defences raised by each of the Respondents to this petition in respect of issues 2 and 3 under consideration, he added.

The said synchronisation, rather than rhyme with each other are inconsistent and contradictory. The said exhibits tendered by the Respondents have not rebutted the presumption of regularity in favour of exhibit BVR and the other documents tendered by the Petitioners in this petition,

In other words, the defences of the Respondents are plagued with fundamental mortal flaws highly irreconcilable and unreliable, incapable of defeating the credible evidence tendered by the Petitioners in respect of the 744 Polling Units were over-voting has been established.

The Tribunal chairman maintained that evidence before the panel showed that the governorship election was not conducted in compliance with the provision of the Electoral Act.

The inference, we hereby draw from the facts established by the evidence on record is that, the election conducted on the 16th day of July, 2022 was done in substantial non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act (Supra), and the extant regulations made thereunder, he noted.

Moreover, exhibit BVR has not been withdrawn by the 1st Respondent who made and issued it. The Petitioners relied on exhibit BVR in maintaining this petition. The Respondents are hereby stopped from acting inconsistent with the import and tenor of exhibit BVR. See Section 169 of the Evidence Act (Supra). See also Thaddeus v. Atule (2022) LPELR-57539 (CA) 1 at 57-59, paras, F-A; Agboguuleri v. Depo & Ors (2008) LPELR-243 (SC) 1 at 17-18, paras, C-C; AG. Rivers State v. A.G Akwa Ibom State & Anor (2011) LPELR-633 (SC) 1 at 21-22 paras F-A and Mabamije v. Otto (2016) LPELR-26058 (SC) 1 at 15-16 paras C-B, he cited.

Similarly, the exhibits tendered by the Respondents after exhibit BVR, as rightly submitted by learned counsel for the Petitioners were thought of after the declaration of result on the 17th day of July, 2022. See Agbonifo v. Aiwereoba (Supra); Lawal v. State (2010) LPELR-46221 (CA) 1 at 23 paras B-C; PDP & Anor v. Aminu & Anor (2019) LPELR-47330 (CA) 1 at 34-35 paras C-D and Agbo v. State (2006) LPELR-242 (SC) 1 at 43-44 paras G-B,

The said conduct of the Respondents, especially, the 1st Respondent amounts to tampering with official records. See Agbonifo v. Aiwereoba (Supra) at 20  21 paras F-A, per Nnaemeka-Agu (JSC) of blessed memory,

The conduct of the 1st Respondent in the said election under consideration has produced multiple accreditation reports contrary to its avowed declaration to conduct free, fair and credible elections on the basis of one man or woman with one vote.

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ABU DHABI, UAE, Jan. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sungrow, the global leading inverter and energy storage system solution supplier, signed a strategic distribution agreement for PV inverter solutions with the reputed Al-Babtain Leblanc, further facilitating Saudi Vision 2030 ambitions to accelerate the energy transition and achieve sustainability goals, proven their level of commitment with the region.

Sungrow Signs Distribution Agreement in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with Al-Babtain LeBlanc

The distribution agreement plays a vital role in positioning Al-Babtain LeBlanc as the "partner of choice" for the KSA market as a new distributor in the country for residential, commercial, and industrial solar energy products.

In line with its vision to develop a sustainable environment for a greener tomorrow, Al-Babtain LeBlanc, through innovative, energy-efficient, eco-friendly, and reliable quality serves to the best their valued customers in KSA. Together with Sungrow, Al-Babtain LeBlanc will meet a wide range of distributed applications with a comprehensive product portfolio covering commercial and industrial, residential, and hybrid market needs.

Commenting on the agreement, Mr. Saleh Al Bedaiwi, General Manager at Al-Babtain LeBlanc said, "Sungrow has profound and sustained research and high level of localization on the distributed market in the Middle East. The signing of the strategic distribution agreement with Sungrow will further deepen our cooperation relationship, it is hoped that we can cooperatively expand the distribution PV market of KSA and accelerate the local energy transition."

Mr. Alvin Shi, Managing Director of Sungrow MENA, said, "We appreciate Al-Babtain LeBlanc's support and trust. Sungrow always attaches great importance to the development of clean energy in MENA region, KSA takes prominent part. And we have been deeply cultivating in KSA market with advanced products, attentive service and professional local team. Together with Al-Babtain LeBlanc, we are looking forward to jointly shaping a greener KSA in the near future."

About Sungrow

Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd. ("Sungrow") is the world's most bankable inverter brand with over 269GW installed worldwide as of June 2022. Founded in 1997 by Professor Cao Renxian, Sungrow is a leader in the research and development of solar inverters with the largest dedicated R&D team in the industry and a broad product portfolio offering PV inverter solutions and energy storage systems for utility-scale, commercial & industrial, and residential applications, as well as internationally recognized floating PV plant solutions, NEV driving solutions, EV charging station solutions and renewable hydrogen production systems. With a strong 25-year track record in the PV space, Sungrow products power over 150 countries worldwide. Learn more about Sungrow by visiting www.sungrowpower.com.

About Al-Babtain LeBlanc

For the past 30 years, Al-Babtain LeBlanc has provided highly developed communication infrastructure systems across the MENA region. Today, the company has the scale and agility to offer our clients a total solution across the sectors of communication, infrastructure, renewable energy, security, mobility, power, building, sports, marine, and more with a well-earned reputation in the industry. Al-Babtain LeBlanc included the solar solutions to its portfolio as an expansion strategy in line with Saudi Arabia's vision 2030 for renewable energy and sustainability. Our trusted reputation revolves around industry knowledge, experience and state of the art facilities that yield top-notch quality for our clients. Learn more about Al-Babtain LeBlanc by visiting www.abltel.com.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1990919/Sungrow_Signs_Distribution_Agreement_in_the_Kingdom_of_Saudi_Arabia_with_Al_Babtain_LeBlanc.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1344575/Logo.jpg

SOURCE Sungrow Power Supply Co., Ltd
NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until February 6, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against F45 Training Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: FXLV), if they purchased or acquired the Company's shares pursuant and/or traceable to the Company's July 2021 initial public offering (the "IPO"). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas.

Get Help

F45 investors should visit us at https://claimsfiler.com/cases/nyse-fxlv/ or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.

About the Lawsuit

F45 and certain of its executives and others are charged with failing to disclose material information in its IPO Registration Statement and Prospectus (collectively, the "Offering Documents"), violating federal securities laws.

On July 26, 2022, the Company disclosed that its CEO had resigned, that about 60% fewer exercise studios would be opening than previously stated, that a $250 million credit line was no longer available, and that it made significant cuts to its financial guidance including decreasing full-year 2022 revenue to just between $120 million and $130 million, compared to the prior guidance of $255 million to $275 million, and full-year Adjusted EBITDA between $25 million and $30 million, compared to the prior guidance of $90 million to $100 million.

On this news, shares of F45 plummeted over 60%, from a close of $3.51 on July 26 to close at $1.35 on July 27, 2022, more than a 78% decline from its offering price of $16 per share on July 16, 2021.

The case is Kenzie Goer v. F45 Training Holdings, Inc., et al., No. 1:22-cv-01291.

About ClaimsFiler

ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations.

To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com.

SOURCE ClaimsFiler
BEIJING, Jan. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The global landscape has, in recent years, gone through profound, complex and turbulent changes since the end of the Cold War. In the eyes of geopolitical observers, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the intensifying geopolitical tensions and the "ripple effects" of the Ukraine crisis have led to growing upheaval in the global financial and economic sectors, while also posing a serious threat to food and energy security. Certain countries continue to blatantly advocate for decoupling, confrontation, and division, further exacerbating an already dire global situation.

In the face of growing challenges, China fully underscores its responsibility as a major country, actively promoting international cooperation and injecting stability into a turbulent world, providing new growth momentum to global governance.

Chinese President Xi Jinping made three trips overseas in 2022 and visited five countries between September and December, offering China's solution, contribution and wisdom to global governance. Such trips are not only proof of the busy schedules maintained by a major country's top leader, but also bear witness to China's undeniable successes in initiating and executing major-country diplomacy, observers said.

Diplomatic footprints

On September 14, 2022, Xi arrived in Nur-Sultan and began his state visit to the Republic of Kazakhstan, and was warmly received at the airport by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, accompanied by senior Kazakh officials.

The golden autumn brought fair winds and wispy clouds to the city of Nur-Sultan, now called Astana. Atop flagpoles lining the streets, China's red five-starred national flags flew high.

Xi's visit, albeit a brief one, was highly productive and fruitful. Xi and Tokayev reached many important consensus, which will steer China-Kazakhstan relations toward an even more prosperous future.

Over the course of three days and two nights, Xi flew to Nur-Sultan and then Samarkand and, during a 48-hour stay, attended nearly 30 multilateral and bilateral events with twin focuses on security and development. Despite its brevity, the visit had many highlights and resulted in fruitful outcomes. With the visit's facilitation, the expansion of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) took a new step forward. The visit also successfully propelled China's relations with relevant countries to new levels.

"It was the first foreign trip made by President Xi since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was warmly welcomed by host countries and closely observed by the international community. His attendance at the Samarkand Summit of the SCO and his state visits to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan restarted the head of state's diplomatic visits," Xu Bu, secretary-general of Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy Studies Center and president of the China Institute of International Studies, told the Global Times in a recent interview.

On November 14, 2022, Xi flew to Bali, Indonesia, which was also his first foreign trip after the conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

Xi both attended bilateral gatherings and participated in more than 30 events in six days, which sent out resounding messages on the promotion of global development, while demonstrating China's role as a rational, confident and responsible major country.

In his speech at the G20 summit, Xi called on G20 members to stand with each other in the face of risks and challenges, join hands together, and elevate win-win cooperation to new heights.

Xi's speeches conveyed an important message which highlighted the concept of building a global community with a shared future, emphasizing that countries with different cultural, religious, racial, historical and political systems as well as ideologies can entirely achieve stable mutual relations on the basis of mutual respect, Li Haidong, a professor at the Institute of International Relations at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times in a recent interview.

"We are in a multipolar world. To let most countries share the dividends of the joint development and cooperation is the main target of restructuring the global order," Li said.

Reviewing past decades characterized by robust economic cooperation and remarkable growth in the region, Xi said in a written speech at the APEC CEO Summit in Thailand that "the Asia-Pacific miracle has been created by all of us working hand in hand and overcoming difficulties and obstacles."

The region owes decades of rapid growth to a peaceful and stable environment, Xi said at the 29th APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on November 18, 2022. "History has proven time and again that only openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation is the right way forward for humanity," the Chinese president said.

"Xi's series of multilateral and bilateral diplomatic activities have underscored China's international status and influence," Xu said.

President Xi visited Saudi Arabia from December 7 to 10, 2022, which not only yielded fruitful results in the economic and trade sectors but also demonstrated that China will increasingly contribute to peace in the strategically important Middle East while continuing to play the role of a contributor to regional development.

Forward looking

China greatly advanced its diplomatic agenda in 2022, with head-of-state diplomacy setting the pace for the country's overall diplomatic work, which was highlighted by one home-ground event, two major initiatives, and three important visits, former Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said in December when reviewing the country's diplomatic work in 2022. Wang is currently the director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Experts believe that the overall success of China's diplomatic efforts helped China navigate complex global and regional issues, consolidate consensus, and strike a balance in maintaining strategic stability in its relations with other major countries such as the US and Russia.

Since the APEC 2023 meeting of economies will be hosted by the US and the G20 Summit will be hosted by India later in 2023, Chinese observers, who have closely followed the Chinese president's diplomatic footprints, predict that major issues and questions such as the Ukraine crisis, relations between major powers such as US-EU relations and China-US relations will continue being the focus in line with the current geopolitical trend.

"In 2023, the global situation will focus on two major topics - security and development. " Xu said.

It remains to be seen whether the US-Russia relations, the China-US relations and the US-EU relations will be more volatile or moderate. But either outcome will have a significant impact on global peace and development, he said.

Also, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during a video conference with Xi at the end of 2022 that he looks forward to having an in-person meeting with Xi when the latter is on a "state visit to Moscow in the spring of 2023," TASS reported.

Wang Yi, the former foreign minister, also said in the review of China's 2022 diplomatic work that the head-of-state diplomacy will reach a new climax in 2023. With the adjustment and optimization of China's epidemic measures, Chinese experts also expect more renewed people-to-people exchanges between China and the rest of the world, creating more opportunities for face-to-face communication and cooperation.

"In 2023, China will actively expand its global partnership featuring equality, openness, and cooperation, and promote the building of major-country relations featuring peaceful coexistence, overall stability, and balanced development," Xu said.

This includes China deepening strategic mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and Russia, and cement the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination. Meanwhile, China will follow through on the common understandings reached between the Chinese and US presidents, strive to recalibrate the China-US relationship, and bring it back on the right track, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

China will take a clear stand against all hegemony and power politics, fighting back against external forces' attempts to interfere in China's internal affairs, and firmly safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests, Xu noted.

"It will also actively advocate for the common values of all mankind and promote a new type of international relations in implementing the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative that China has proposed," he said.

SOURCE Global Times
HG004 is a one-time, direct-to-RPE treatment of inherited retinal disease caused by mutations in the RPE65 gene

gene  10-fold lower vector doses than other AAV2 gene therapy clinical trials to be tested in this planned trial

On track to initiate the multi-national trial by H1-2023

SHANGHAI and CLINTON, N.J., Jan. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HuidaGene Therapeutics (HuidaGene), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing CRISPR-based programmable genomic medicine, announces that the US. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared its investigational new drug (IND) application for the planned multi-national clinical trial of HG004 for the treatment of patients suffering from RPE65 mutation-associated inherited retinal dystrophies, a group of genetic diseases caused by the mutations in RPE65 gene affecting the retina and passed on to the children.

"We are thrilled to have received the IND clearance of our HG004 program from US FDA, marking our first IND clearance as a company and our first retinal disorder program to reach clinical development stage," said Xuan Yao, Ph.D., Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of HuidaGene. "Clearance of this IND is a testament to the in-house pipeline development capabilities and high-quality preclinical data supporting HG004, as well as the strong CMC and analytics capabilities through our partnership with WuXi Advanced Therapies. The goal of the HG004 program is to develop a one-time, non-AAV2 gene replacement therapy to restore, treat, and prevent blindness of children and adults with severe visual impairment or blindness due to RPE65 mutation-associated retinopathies globally."

Investigational HG004 is a novel ophthalmic injection that is being developed to treat RPE65 retinopathies. Based on the head-to-head preclinical comparison study of HG004 and adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) at the same dose, the recovery of the retinal functions was increased by 67.6% (HG004) and 35.8% (AAV2 products) when compared to the wild-type mice in the Rpe65 knockout murine model at Week 17 after a single injection. Therefore, HG004 demonstrates better transduction efficiency of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) compared with AAV2 and has the potential to lower the total vector doses, which may reduce the risk of AAV vector-associated immunogenicity or ocular adverse events in humans.

"We are excited by the promise of HG004 to offer a potential transformative treatment better than AAV2-mediated gene replacement therapy," said Hui Yang, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor of HuidaGene. "Our extensive preclinical studies demonstrated superior transduction efficiency and substantial restoration of vision loss at the RPE layer when HG004 compared to AAV2 through our independently-developed Rpe65 gene knockout murine disease model, which is found to mimic the retinal phenotypes and functions of patients with RPE65 mutation-associated inherited retinal dystrophies."

"Our preclinical data supported our planned multi-national clinical trial with a starting effective dose far lower than the approved AAV2-hRPE65 gene therapy product and with less volume need to be injected into the retina," said Dr. Xuan Yao. "We had already enrolled patients at the end of 2022 in our investigator-initiated trial (IIT) in China, and we saw a substantial restoration of vision that were progressing toward complete blindness even with nearly 25-fold lower vector doses of HG004 than the approved AAV2-hRPE65 gene therapy product within seven days after the single-injection of HG004."

About Multi-national Clinical Trial of HG004

HG004 will be evaluated in a multinational, multicenter, multiple-cohort, dose-finding study of adult and pediatric subjects with RPE65 retinopathies under one master protocol in different countries. The purposes of the study are to evaluate the safety, tolerability, efficacy, and long-term clinical durability of a single injection of HG004 for up to 52 weeks. Primary endpoints include adverse events, certain laboratory measures, and ophthalmic examinations. The study will also assess visual function via a multiluminance mobility test (MLMT), where subjects will navigate a mobility course under various light levels. After completing the primary study period, subjects will continue to be assessed in a long-term follow-up study of HG004.

About RPE65 Mutation-Associated Inherited Retinal Dystrophies

Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are a group of rare blinding conditions caused by mutations in any 1 of more than 250 genes. Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA), severe early childhood-onset retinal dystrophy (SECORD), early-onset severe retinal dystrophy (EOSRD), and retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which may all be grouped under the heading of RPE65 mutation-associated inherited retinal dystrophies, are considered to represent a phenotypic continuum of the same disease. The RPE65 mutation-associated inherited retinal dystrophies with a typical onset between birth and five years of age exhibit several common clinical findings, chiefly night blindness (light staring with profound nyctalopia and nystagmus), progressive loss of visual fields, and loss of central vision. The percentage of patients (with biallelic RPE65 mutations) meeting the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for blindness increased with age and reached 100% after the age of 40 years. Given the often severe and early visual loss associated with RPE65 inherited retinal dystrophies, other areas of development, including speech, social skills, and behavior, may also be delayed.

About HuidaGene

HuidaGene Therapeutics is a global clinical-stage biotechnology company focusing on discovering, engineering, and developing CRISPR-based genetic medicine to rewrite the future of genomic medicine. Based in Shanghai and New Jersey, HuidaGene is committed to addressing patients' needs globally with various preclinical therapeutic programs covering ophthalmology, otology, myology, and neurology. Company's CRISPR-based therapeutics offer the potential to cure patients with life-threatening conditions by repairing the cause of their disease. HuidaGene is committed to transforming the future of genome-editing medicine.

For more information, please visit http://www.huidagene.com

or follow us on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/huidagene

SOURCE Huidagene Therapeutics
DUBLIN, Jan. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Local Anesthesia Drugs Market: Global Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.





The global local anesthesia drugs market size reached US$ 2.77 Billion in 2021. Looking forward, the publisher expects the market to reach US$ 3.62 Billion by 2027, exhibiting a CAGR of 4.56% during 2021-2027.

Keeping in mind the uncertainties of COVID-19, we are continuously tracking and evaluating the direct as well as the indirect influence of the pandemic. These insights are included in the report as a major market contributor.



Local anesthesia drugs are chemical compounds producing anesthesia by inhibiting the excitation of nerve endings or blocking conduction in peripheral nerves. They are generally available as topical creams or administered via injections or sprays during minor surgeries, biopsies, dental care, labor and delivery, and obstetrical procedures.

They help treat painful conditions, such as mouth ulcers and sore throat, and relieve itching caused by cuts, minor burns, sunburns, scratches, insect bites, and poison ivy. They also assist in rapid and effective pain relief during gastritis, esophagitis, hiatus hernia, and heartburn of peptic ulcer.



Local Anesthesia Drugs Market Trends:



The rising prevalence of cardiovascular, respiratory, and other chronic diseases that need several procedures, such as cochlear implantation, laparoscopic colectomy, laparoscopic hysterectomy, secondary hip replacement, and knee replacement, represents one of the key factors bolstering the market growth.

Furthermore, the growing geriatric population undergoing surgical interventions that require post-operative pain relief is catalyzing the demand for local anesthesia drugs across the globe. Moreover, the increasing number of dental surgeries, in confluence with the introduction of novel and effective medicines like articaine, levobupivacaine and ropivacaine, is propelling the market growth.

Apart from this, due to the increasing consciousness about physical appearance among individuals, there is a rise in the demand for minimally invasive (MI) cosmetic surgical procedures, such as botulinum toxin and facial filler injections, which is contributing to the market growth.

In addition to this, expanding medical tourism activities, along with developments in the healthcare infrastructure, are creating a positive market outlook. Besides this, technological advancements, including computer-based local anesthetic delivery and vibrotactile devices, are anticipated to provide a positive thrust to the market.

Competitive Landscape:



The competitive landscape of the industry has also been examined along with the profiles of the key players being Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited, B. Braun Melsungen AG, Baxter International Inc., Endo International plc, Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA, Hikma Pharmaceuticals plc, Pacira Biosciences Inc., Pfizer Inc., Pierrel S.p.A. and Septodont.



Key Questions Answered in This Report:

How has the global local anesthesia drugs market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?

What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global local anesthesia drugs market?

What are the key regional markets?

What is the breakup of the market based on the drug type?

What is the breakup of the market based on the mode of administration?

What is the breakup of the market based on the distribution channel?

What are the various stages in the value chain of the industry?

What are the key driving factors and challenges in the industry?

What is the structure of the global local anesthesia drugs market and who are the key players?

What is the degree of competition in the industry?

Key Topics Covered:



1 Preface



2 Scope and Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Introduction

4.1 Overview

4.2 Key Industry Trends



5 Global Local Anesthesia Drugs Market

5.1 Market Overview

5.2 Market Performance

5.3 Impact of COVID-19

5.4 Market Forecast



6 Market Breakup by Drug Type

6.1 Lidocaine

6.1.1 Market Trends

6.1.2 Market Forecast

6.2 Bupivacaine

6.2.1 Market Trends

6.2.2 Market Forecast

6.3 Benzocaine

6.3.1 Market Trends

6.3.2 Market Forecast

6.4 Ropivacaine

6.4.1 Market Trends

6.4.2 Market Forecast

6.5 Prilocaine

6.5.1 Market Trends

6.5.2 Market Forecast

6.6 Chloroprocaine

6.6.1 Market Trends

6.6.2 Market Forecast

6.7 Others

6.7.1 Market Trends

6.7.2 Market Forecast



7 Market Breakup by Mode of Administration

7.1 Injectables

7.1.1 Market Trends

7.1.2 Market Forecast

7.2 Surface Anesthetic

7.2.1 Market Trends

7.2.2 Market Forecast



8 Market Breakup by Distribution Channel

8.1 Hospital Pharmacy

8.1.1 Market Trends

8.1.2 Market Forecast

8.2 Pharmacy Stores

8.2.1 Market Trends

8.2.2 Market Forecast

8.3 Others

8.3.1 Market Trends

8.3.2 Market Forecast



9 Market Breakup by Region



10 SWOT Analysis



11 Value Chain Analysis



12 Porters Five Forces Analysis



13 Price Analysis



14 Competitive Landscape

14.1 Market Structure

14.2 Key Players

14.3 Profiles of Key Players

14.3.1 Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited

14.3.1.1 Company Overview

14.3.1.2 Drug Type Portfolio

14.3.1.3 Financials

14.3.1.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.2 B. Braun Melsungen AG

14.3.2.1 Company Overview

14.3.2.2 Drug Type Portfolio

14.3.2.3 SWOT Analysis

14.3.3 Baxter International Inc.

14.3.3.1 Company Overview

14.3.3.2 Drug Type Portfolio

14.3.3.3 Financials

14.3.3.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.4 Endo International plc

14.3.4.1 Company Overview

14.3.4.2 Drug Type Portfolio

14.3.4.3 Financials

14.3.4.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.5 Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA

14.3.5.1 Company Overview

14.3.5.2 Drug Type Portfolio

14.3.5.3 Financials

14.3.5.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.6 Hikma Pharmaceuticals plc

14.3.6.1 Company Overview

14.3.6.2 Drug Type Portfolio

14.3.6.3 Financials

14.3.6.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.7 Pacira Biosciences Inc.

14.3.7.1 Company Overview

14.3.7.2 Drug Type Portfolio

14.3.7.3 Financials

14.3.7.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.8 Pfizer Inc.

14.3.8.1 Company Overview

14.3.8.2 Drug Type Portfolio

14.3.8.3 Financials

14.3.8.4 SWOT Analysis

14.3.9 Pierrel S.p.A.

14.3.9.1 Company Overview

14.3.9.2 Drug Type Portfolio

14.3.9.3 Financials

14.3.10 Septodont

14.3.10.1 Company Overview

14.3.10.2 Drug Type Portfolio



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8vtwns-anesthesia?w=5



Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets
NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Avaya Holdings Corp. (NYSE: AVYA), and certain officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina, and docketed under 23-cv-00003, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Avaya securities between November 22, 2021 and November 29, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants' violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.

If you are a shareholder who purchase or otherwise acquired Avaya securities, you have until March 6, 2023 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. 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 the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

Avaya purports to be a "global leader in digital communications products, solutions and services for businesses of all sizes delivering its technology predominantly through software and services." The Company claims that its "global, experienced team of professionals delivers award-winning services from initial planning and design to seamless implementation and integration, to ongoing managed operations, optimization, training and support."

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Company's internal control over financial reporting ("ICFR") was deficient in several areas; (ii) as a result of these deficiencies, the Company had failed to design and maintain effective controls over its whistleblower policies and its ethics and compliance program; (iii) the Company's deteriorating financial condition was likely to raise substantial doubt as to its ability to continue as a going concern; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On July 28, 2022, Avaya announced the termination of its Chief Executive Officer James M. Chirico, Jr.. The Company also announced preliminary Q3 2022 financial results that included expected revenues and adjusted EBITDA well below previously given guidance and an unquantified but "significant" impairment charge. In addition, Avaya withdrew its 2022 guidance.

On this news, Avaya's stock price fell $1.19 per share, or 56.99%, to close at $0.90 per share on July 29, 2022.

Then, on August 9, 2022, Avaya announced that: (1) it determined there was substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern; (2) it would not timely file its financial statements for the quarter ended June 30, 2022; (3) its Audit Committee commenced internal investigations into circumstances surrounding the Company's financial results for the quarter; and (4) the Audit Committee also commenced an investigation into matters raised by a whistleblower.

On this news, Avaya's stock price fell $0.51 per share, or 45.54%, to close at $0.61 per share on August 9, 2022.

Finally, before the market opened on November 30, 2022, Avaya disclosed in a Current Report filed on Form 8-K with the SEC that "control deficiencies [] management had been reviewing represent material weaknesses in the Company's internal control over financial reporting" and that "management's assessment of ICFR included in Item 9A of the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for its fiscal year 2021 ended September 30, 2021, filed with the [SEC] on November 22, 2021 [] should no longer be relied upon." Specifically, the Form 8-K stated that the Company "did not design and maintain effective controls related to the information and communication component of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission framework," "did not design and maintain effective controls to ensure appropriate communication between certain functions within the Company," and "did not design and maintain effective controls over the ethics and compliance program."

On this news, Avaya's stock price fell $0.16 per share, or 14.28%, to close at $0.96 per share on November 30, 2022.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, 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, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz 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.pomlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
NEW YORK, Jan. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Silvergate Capital Corporation (NYSE: SI), and certain officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, and docketed under 22-cv-01968, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Silvergate securities between November 9, 2021 and November 17, 2022, inclusive (the "Class Period"). Plaintiff pursues claims against the Defendants under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act").

If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired Silvergate securities during the Class Period, you have until February 6, 2023 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. 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 the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

Silvergate is a digital currency company. Its platform, the Silvergate Exchange Network, provides payments, lending, and funding solutions for an expanding class of digital currency companies and investors. Silvergate is also the parent company of Silvergate Bank which provides financial services that include commercial banking, commercial and residential real estate lending, mortgage warehouse lending, and commercial business lending.

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that the Company's platform lacked sufficient controls and procedures to detect instances of money laundering; (2) that Silvergate's customers had engaged in money laundering in amounts exceeding $425 million; (3) that, as a result of the foregoing, the Company was reasonably likely to receive regulatory scrutiny and face damages, including penalties and reputational harm; and (4) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendant's positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

On November 15, 2022, Marcus Aurelius Research tweeted that "Recently subpoenaed Silvergate bank records reveal $425 million in transfers from $SI crypto bank accounts to South American money launderers. Affidavit from investigation into crypto crime ring linked to smugglers/drug traffickers."

On this news, the Company's Class A common stock price fell $6.13, or 17%, to close at $29.36 per share on November 15, 2022, on unusually heavy trading volume.

On November 17, 2022, The Bear Cave newsletter released an article about several companies with potential exposure to recently collapsed cryptocurrency exchange FTX, including Silvergate. The article highlighted the connection linking Silvergate to a money laundering operation that transferred $425 million off cryptocurrency trading platforms.

On this news, the Company's Class A common stock price fell $3.00, or 10.7%, to close at $24.90 per share on November 18, 2022, on unusually heavy trading volume.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, 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, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz 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.pomlaw.com

CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980

SOURCE Pomerantz LLP
JERUSALEM  An Israeli group raising funds for Jewish extremists convicted in some of the countrys most notorious hate crimes is collecting tax-exempt donations from Americans, according to findings by The Associated Press and the Israeli investigative platform Shomrim.

The records in the case suggest that Israels far right is gaining a new foothold in the United States.

The amount of money raised through a U.S. nonprofit is not known. But the AP and Shomrim have documented the money trail from New Jersey to imprisoned Israeli radicals who include Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassin and people convicted in deadly attacks on Palestinians.

This overseas fundraising arrangement has made it easier for the Israeli group, Shlom Asiraich, to collect money from Americans, who can make their contributions through the U.S. nonprofit with a credit card and claim a tax deduction.

Many Israeli causes, from hospitals to universities to charities, raise money through U.S.-based arms. But having the strategy adopted by a group assisting Jewish radicals raises legal and moral questions.

It also comes against the backdrop of a new, far-right government in Israel led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where ultranationalists and extremist lawmakers have gained unprecedented power.

According to Shlom Asiraichs promotional pamphlets, its beneficiaries include Yigal Amir, who assassinated Rabin in 1995; Amiram Ben-Uliel, convicted in the 2015 murder of a Palestinian baby and his parents in an arson attack; and Yosef Chaim Ben David, convicted of abducting and killing a 16-year-old Palestinian boy in Jerusalem in 2014. The group also assists an extremist ultra-Orthodox man who fatally stabbed a 16-year-old Israeli girl at Jerusalems gay pride parade in 2015.

Shlom Asiraich, or The Well-Being of Your Prisoners, has been raising money in Israel since at least 2018, and officially registered as a nonprofit in 2020 by a group mostly consisting of Israelis from hard-line settlements in the West Bank. At least five of the groups seven founders have themselves been questioned by Israeli authorities for crimes related to their activities against Palestinians. Some have been arrested and charged.

Recipients of its largesse have hailed the group for coming through in difficult times.

You have no idea how much you help us, the family of Ben-Uliel, who is serving three life sentences, wrote in a hand-written letter posted to the groups Facebook page.

Being a relatively new organization, Shlom Asiraichs official filing to Israels nonprofit registry provides little data and does not indicate how much money it has raised. But in its promotional flyers, recently broadcast by Israeli Channel 13 news, the organization indicated it has raised 150,000 shekels (about $43,000).

Israeli right-wing groups have long raised funds in the U.S. But Dvir Kariv, a former official in the department of Israels domestic security agency Shin Bet that deals with Jewish violence, said it is unusual for extremist Jews such as the ones who run Shlom Asiraich to do so.

It is not clear when Shlom Asiraich began working with the New Jersey-based World of Tzedaka, a nonprofit that says it works to enable any individual or organization to raise money for their specific cause.

Donors in the U.S. can enter the Shlom Asiraich site and click on a link that takes them to a donation page hosted by World of Tzedaka. They can also donate directly from World of Tzedakas site.

According to an instructional video on the World of Tzedaka site, fundraisers must list a rabbi as a reference and receive approval from a Lakewood religious committee. World of Tzedaka charges $28 a month and a 3% processing fee for transferring funds to an Israeli bank account, the site says.

World of Tzedaka supports other charitable ventures, most of them focused on assisting Jewish families in distress, according to its website.

Ellen Aprill, an expert on tax and charities at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, said convicted criminals and their families could be considered in need and qualify as a permissible charitable purpose.

While supporting someone convicted of acts of terrorism could be seen as encouraging criminal activity, that would need to be proven, she said.

Marcus Owens, a lawyer who ran the IRSs nonprofit unit in the 1990s, took a tougher stance.

The U.S. Department of Justice views assistance to the families of terrorists as a form of material support for terrorism, he said.
CHONGQING, China, Jan. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A news report by iChongqing:

The first Blessing Cultural Festival in Fengdu County, Chongqing, opened on January 23. More than 20 activities will be held in the following month, including the opening ceremony of the Blessing Culture Festival, the light and shadow show of phoenix ascension, the blessing ceremony, and the Fengdu Cultural International Exchange Seminar.

The fireworks of the blessing festival opening ceremony.

At the blessing ceremony, the host led the audience and visitors to pray for the people of Fengdu. The classic mythical characters played by actors paraded around the Mingshan scenic spot, shared the blessing ceremony, experienced the traditional ritual system of the Chinese nation, and appreciated the blessing culture of Fengdu. It allowed citizens to participate in the festival in an in-depth way.

The light and shadow show of the phoenix ascension was an important event of the Cultural Blessing Festival. Based on the 5,000-year-old Phoenix City of Fengdu, the show took the phoenix culture as the core and the national treasure cultural relic "Bayu Divine Bird" as the foundation to deeply explore the cultural connotation behind the cultural relics. Through five chapters about the beautiful meaning of the phoenix, it demonstrated the humanistic spirit of the Fengdu people with firm belief, hard work, and brilliant rebirth.

The entire light and shadow show was upgraded and applied with new visual, sound, and light technology, linking the Yangtze River Bridge and the mountains on both sides of the north and south banks for light and shadow performance. The show was the country's first light and shadow show to integrate laser show, scene interpretation, and digital multimedia. At the same time, a variety of human-computer interaction experience projects have been designed, breaking through the shortcomings of traditional light and shadow shows that can only be watched and greatly enhancing interactive participation.

It's the first time that Fengdu has held the Blessing Cultural Festival, which is a pragmatic move for Fengdu to implement cultural creativity and tourism entrepreneurship. It is an innovative practice to explore the integration of culture and tourism. The Blessing Cultural Festival will last until the end of February 21.

SOURCE iChongqing
While Rejoicing and Remembering the Past, The Fellowship Continues to Unite Christians and Jews Like Our World Has Never Seen

CHICAGO, Jan. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2023 with purposeful events highlighting its mission and work, past and present. Recently recognized as the 85th largest charity in the United States by Forbes with consistent high marks from Charity Navigator, The Fellowship began from Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein's dream of building bridges of understanding and cooperation between Christians and Jews.

Today, led by Rabbi Eckstein's daughter, Yael Eckstein, The Fellowship is known as the largest provider of humanitarian aid in Israel, with programs focused on alleviating poverty, providing security, and supporting aliyah (immigration to Israel). Further fueled by two consecutive years of double digit growth, The Fellowship has cumulatively raised more than $2.6 billion for Jewish people in need and saved countless lives, and has distributed millions of dollars in emergency aid and provided emergency response in countries around the world.

"It is so amazing to think that The Fellowship's biblical work  feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, providing hope to the hopeless  has gone on for 40 years," Eckstein said. "But this year, even as we celebrate and honor our past, we'll be doing so with an eye toward the future, and doing what we do every day: serving those in need, and looking for new ways to save even more Jewish lives. We could not do so without the grace of God, and our wonderful supporters, who give so generously to support this cause. As people of faith, we are called to be God's partner in fulfilling biblical prophecy, which makes this next chapter so exciting for me personally."

The Fellowship work will continue in its 40th year under a heightened mission to unite Christians and Jews and provide aid like the world has never seen. Emergency response work has increased this past year with the war in Ukraine and is predicted to be sorely needed in 2023.

"This special anniversary year is a wonderful time to stop and reflect on what started as one man's vision 40 years ago, to where The Fellowship is today," said Robin Van Etten, Global Chief Operating Officer of The Fellowship. "I am excited about this special year as we continue to expand our impact by reaching more Jews in need in Israel, Ukraine, and around the world. We continue to share our ministry with Christians around the world as we expand the bridge that was built to even greater horizons."

Events to celebrate the legacy of The Fellowship will continue all year, with an observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27, and on February 23, The Fellowship will partner with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) to dedicate a memorial plaque for Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein in Israel. Other key moments include the observances of Passover, Yom HaShoah, Israel's 75th Anniversary, Prayer at the Wall, and The Fellowship's Genesis 12:3 Challenge.

This year, The Fellowship will devote itself to acts of compassion, remembrance, and prayer like our world has never seen. By activating donors, partners, influencers and expanding its reach, The Fellowship will continue to nourish the seeds planted during the last 40 years while preparing itself for the next 40, further uniting Christians and Jews to support those in need.

To learn more about The Fellowship and how to participate in its 40th anniversary celebrations, visit https://www.ifcj.org/40th-anniversary .

About The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

For 40 years, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews has been leading efforts to build bridges between Christians and Jews and provide humanitarian care and lifesaving aid for Israel and the Jewish people. Through the generosity and loyalty each year of its donors, partners, and staff, The Fellowship helps over 1 million people living in poverty, has provided nearly 3,000 bomb shelters for security, and has helped 770,000 make aliyah back to their homeland, Israel. The Fellowship will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, continuing a mission to bless Israel and the Jewish people  like our world has never seen.

SOURCE International Fellowship of Christians and Jews
Gary Rome, Owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke, MA, Wins Annual Award at 106th National Automotive Dealers Association Show

DALLAS, Jan. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of automotive industry champions who possess a relentless commitment to their communities, Ally Financial (NYSE: ALLY) and TIME announced Gary Rome, owner of Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke, Mass., as the 2023 TIME Dealer of the Year at the 106th National Automotive Dealers Association (NADA) show in Dallas.

Gary Rome is named 2023 TIME Dealer of the Year

Now in its 54th year, the TIME Dealer of the Year award is one of the auto industry's most prestigious and highly coveted honors. Rome's credo of treating both employees and clients like family, and his commitment to embracing new energy-efficient technologies that will move the industry forward helped earn him the top recognition from a field of more than 16,000 franchised dealers across the country. His state-of-the-art Hyundai store is fueled by a solar field that he owns, and he has increased investment in EV infrastructure and inventory, becoming one of the first dealers in the U.S. to deliver an electric vehicle from Hyundai. Rome's commitment to energy-efficient technologies led to his electric vehicle (EV) sales being up 38% over the last year.

Doug Timmerman, president of Ally Auto, and Jessica Sibley, CEO of TIME, announced Rome as the winner at a ceremony that honored all 48 nominees.

"As the auto industry continues to evolve, it is imperative that auto dealers continue to embrace new technologies that will move the industry forward," said Timmerman. "Year after year, we see these auto dealers go above and beyond for their customers, communities, and employees  and TIME Dealer of the Year nominees are more than deserving of this special recognition."

"For over 50 years, TIME has recognized the impact of automotive dealers on their communities with the TIME Dealer of the Year award," said Sibley. "We are proud to continue the legacy of honoring these works of service with our partners at Ally."

The TIME Dealer of the Year is chosen by a panel composed of faculty from the Tauber Institute for Global Operations at the University of Michigan, which selects one finalist from each of the four NADA regions, and, ultimately, a national winner.

In addition to Rome, three other dealers were recognized as 2023 TIME Dealer of the Year finalists:

Mark Brickey , Sand Mountain Toyota, Albertville, Ala.

, Sand Mountain Toyota, Bruce Daniels , Honda Marysville, Marysville, Ohio

, Honda Marysville, Tim Hutcherson , Downey Nissan , Downey, Calif.

As the exclusive sponsor of the TIME Dealer of the Year program for the 12th year in a row, Ally will provide grants to eligible 501c3 charitable organizations selected by the nominees, finalists, and winner. For more than a decade, Ally has made donations in connection with the program, totaling nearly $1 million. This year, Ally will give $10,000 to the charity of Rome's choice and $5,000 to each of the nonprofit organizations selected by the three finalists. In recognition of their achievements, Ally also will give $1,000 to the charities of choice for each of the 48 nominees.

For more information on the nominees, finalists, and winner, please visit: https://www.ally.com/go/allydealerheroes/nominees.

How Rome Became a Legacy in the Automotive Industry

Following in his father's footsteps, Rome became general manager of his father's Nissan store in 1984, after graduating from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York, and attending the NADA Academy. Less than a decade later, in 1997, Rome purchased the original building from his father and founded his own dealership, Gary Rome Hyundai in Holyoke. Today, the Gary Rome Auto Group also includes Gary Rome Kia of Enfield in Enfield, Connecticut.

Rome's dealerships strive to be welcoming havens for both employees and customers. Rome engages his team and community by celebrating milestone events, holding monthly raffles, and hosting themed luncheons. In addition to his passion for excellent customer service and employee appreciation, Rome is the president of the Hyundai Dealers Advertising Association and has served on national dealer councils for 16 years.

Rome is a stand-out community leader who devotes himself to helping numerous charitable organizations, including Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Jimmy Fund, Hyundai Hope on Wheels, and breast cancer research organizations. He also hosts the annual Gary Rome Academic Achievement Award of a Brand New Hyundai Car Giveaway, a program that rewards one deserving Holyoke High School senior with a new car.

About TIME

TIME is the 99-year-old global media brand that reaches a combined audience of more than 100 million around the world through its iconic magazine and digital platforms. With unparalleled access to the world's most influential people, the immeasurable trust of consumers and partners globally, and an unrivaled power to convene, TIME's mission is to tell the essential stories of the people and ideas that shape and improve the world. Today, TIME also includes the Emmy Award-winning film and television division TIME Studios, a significantly expanded live events business built on the powerful TIME100 and Person of the Year franchises, an industry-leading web3 division, an award-winning branded content studio, the website-building platform TIME Sites, the sustainability and climate-action platform TIME CO2, and more.

About Ally Financial Inc.

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a financial services company with the nation's largest all-digital bank and an industry-leading auto financing business, driven by a mission to "Do It Right" and be a relentless ally for customers and communities. The company serves more than 10.5 million customers through a full range of online banking services (including deposits, mortgage, point-of-sale personal lending, and credit card products) and securities brokerage and investment advisory services. The company also includes a robust corporate finance business that offers capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies, as well as auto financing and insurance offerings through more than 22,000 dealers nationwide. For more information, please visit www.ally.com and follow @allyfinancial.

For more information and disclosures about Ally, visit https://www.ally.com/#disclosures.

For further images and news on Ally, please visit http://media.ally.com.

About the NADA Show

The annual NADA Show brings together more than 20,000 franchised dealers and their employees, industry leaders, manufacturers, and exhibitors to learn about the latest auto industry tools, trends, products and technologies.

Contact:

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Ally Financial

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SOURCE Ally Financial
The First-Ever Chinese Stand-up Comedy Tour Lands in the US

SEATTLE, Jan. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- China's Xiaoguo Comedy kicks off its first-ever North American city tour on January 27th, playing to a packed house of 2,000 people to welcome in the Chinese New Year at McCaw Hall in downtown Seattle, USA.

Xiaoguo Comedy Brings Chinese New Year Cheer with US Debut, Starting from Seattle, US, with Stunning Comics Lineup of Li Dan, Cheng Lu, Yang Mengen, Doudou, Liang Haiyuan, Rock, Xiao Bei, Xiao Lu, Mao Dou, House, Kid, and Hangge.

While sending Chinese New Year wishes to the North American audience, the show also successfully brings Chinese stand-up comedy to a North American stage for the first time. Mainstays from the hugely successful show performed on stage, including the famous comedian, Li Dan, along with a raft of comics from China, including Cheng Lu, Yang Meng'en, Doudou, Liang Haiyuan, Rock, Xiao Bei, Xiao Lu, Mao Dou, House, Kid, and Hangge. The performers bring out brand-new material exclusively for the American audience in a show lasting about 3 hours, leaving those watching in fits of laughter and hysterics.

While stand-up comedy originated in Europe and the US, the art form has been growing rapidly in popularity in China in recent years. Chinese stand-ups typically draw more from their own experiences and current lives in China, incorporating painful points in life into their segments and winning the hearts of domestic audiences with their sharp observations and expressions. Stand-up comedy has gradually become a "mouthpiece" for many young Chinese people to express themselves and a unique way to tell the stories of contemporary society.

"Back in 2020, Xiaoguo Comedy was invited to participate in the Mandarin Comedy Week during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and tickets sold very well for the 1,000-seater theater," said He Xiaoxi, co-founder and CEO of Xiaoguo Comedy. "After that, we immediately started planning overseas tours in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. With the gradual optimized pandemic restrictions this year, we were able to put the first North American tour for Chinese stand-up comedy high up on our agenda as a means of letting the world know more about Chinese young people and comedy."

With the successful conclusion of the tour's first stop in Seattle, the show now rolls on in the US with dates in San Jose, Los Angeles, and New York City, with the staff of the Chinese Consulate to pay the visit to the show, as well as Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, along with five other cities in the North America. Venues have been carefully selected from a series of landmark and large professional theaters in order to bring the show to more than ten thousand spectators during the tour. The comedy lineup will also participate in the NBA's Lunar New Year celebration activities.

After only a few years of development, stand-up comedy has gradually become one of the most popular forms of comedy among Chinese audiences, especially the young audiences. During the Spring Festival break this year, the stand-up comics from Xiaoguo Comedy appeared in multiple broadcasting networks' produced galas, among them were He Guangzhi, Xu Zhisheng, Zhao Xiaohui, and Qiu Rui, who jointly appeared on the CCTV (China Central Television) Spring Festival Gala stage, sending the blessings of the new year to Chinese people all over the world.

Pressure and anxiety expressed by Xiaoguo Comedy's stand-up comedian, including the struggle to settle down in big cities and pressure from marriage and the workplace, resonate with Chinese young people. It is also the deep-seated reason why this form of art is becoming popular. In 2022, Xiaoguo Comedy set up its YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts to communicate with global stand-up show fans, attracting more than 120,000 followers in just over half a year and feeling the love and passion of overseas fans.

"Xiaoguo Culture has always wanted to share the country's comedy with fans of the art form from all around the world," He said, adding that he expects this North American tour to send international students in the US laughing into the Year of the Rabbit. The troupe also plans more overseas tours in the future to share the humor and joy of China with even more parts of the world.

For more information, please visit Xiaoguo Comedy's pages on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

SOURCE Xiaoguo Comedy
United Nations, Jan 28 : UN humanitarians report that recent clashes between Congolese forces and M23 rebels have displaced about 90,000 people, a UN spokesman said.

The chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, said on Friday that initial reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) centered the fighting in and around Kitchanga in North Kivu province in eastern Congo.

"Many of the displaced are seeking refuge in nearby Mweso, in schools and churches and with host families," Dujarric added.

"As more displaced people arrive in Mweso, humanitarian organisations are concerned about the spread of cholera, following an outbreak last month." He said the clashes also impeded road access, making it difficult to deliver humanitarian aid, Xinhua news agency reported.

The spokesman added the UN peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, provides physical security and immediate assistance, including shelter, water and medical care, to about 500 displaced civilians in and around the UN base in Kitchanga.

Dujarric said the UN reiterates the Secretary-General's call on all armed groups to lay down their weapons and join the national Disarmament, Demobilisation, Community Recovery and Stabilisation program.
As one of only two members of the public who spoke at the first Erie County Legislature redistricting hearing at Erie Community College-City Campus, I wish to commend Elections Commissioner Ralph Mohr on his lawsuit regarding the approved plan. It seemed like the process may have been flawed from the start, and Mohrs court action might finally shed some needed light on this exercise in democracy and transparency.

At this ostensibly pro-forma hearing, citizens were not provided any direction or guidelines as to the specific areas on which the committee was seeking comment. I didnt have much time to prepare, so without notes or a written statement, I relied on my background as a regional land planner who has submitted previous redistricting maps.

I asked the bipartisan Advisory Committee on Reapportionment to ensure that certain criteria, including compactness, contiguity, and communities of interest, were met in creating the new districts. Further considerations were transportation patterns and other local characteristics. I also lamented that given the previous ill-considered legislative downsizings from 20 to 17 districts, and then from 15 to the current 11, it would be virtually impossible to create even one predominantly rural district that met the main criteria.

One member of the panel, having lived in a rural area of another state, commiserated with this concern, while another member to her right barely looked up from his phone during the entire hearing, even while the public was offering testimony on camera. This was disrespectful to the citizens of Erie County, including a representative of the League of Women Voters, who made the time and effort to attend.

Faced with criticism on the low public attendance, the committee promised to more widely publicize its subsequent events at the other ECC campuses. I learned later that the proposed plan was recommended to the Legislature along a party line vote, with minority members not publicly stating their objections or offering maps of their own. The Legislature then voted to approve the committees recommend maps and descriptions.

Growing up with paper maps, but knowing a little GIS, Ill admit I was a bit confused when I saw the bright fluorescent swaths of land glaring from the computer screen. It was hard to discern the actual district boundaries. I emailed the Legislatures chief of staff about what appeared to be district lines jutting into Lake Erie, but could spend no more time on it.

I am gratified that Commissioner Mohr can and will.

Rich Taczkowski, M.U.P. a former NYS Assembly staffer, served on the village and town boards of North Collins for most of the 1990s.
Aden : , Jan 28 (IANS) At least eight people were killed on Friday in an attack launched by the Houthi fighters on military sites of the Yemeni government forces in the southern province of Lahj, a local military official said.

"A group of Houthi fighters carried out an attack and attempted to advance militarily on the ground in order to capture key sites controlled by the government forces in the northern part of Lahj province," the official added on condition of anonymity on Friday.

The Houthi attack sparked intense fighting, leaving at least five rebels and three government soldiers killed, he said, adding the rebel fighters were forced to retreat following hours of intense fighting, Xinhua news agency reported.

Following the attack, large Houthi reinforcements were dispatched from the neighbouring province of Taiz to key areas located near Lahj that houses a number of military bases of the Yemeni government forces, according to the official.

Earlier this month, local officials said Yemen's warring parties are gearing up for new waves of conflict in 2023 amid a lack of decisive steps toward sustainable peace.

Various regions in Yemen have witnessed sporadic armed confrontations between the local warring factions after a cease-fire brokered by the UN in April expired in October last year.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia stormed several northern cities and forced the Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.
Jerusalem, Jan 28 : At least eight people were killed and 10 others injured in a shooting attack in a settlement in East Jerusalem on Friday night, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a tweet.

According to Israel's Magen David Adom emergency service, several people were being treated for life-threatening injuries and the assailant had been shot dead.

Israeli media reported that the attack began at a synagogue before spreading to a street in the neighbourhood, Xinhua news agency reported.

The incident came hours after Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip fired rockets into Israel, which retaliated by launching airstrikes. No casualties were reported yet.

Tensions have been high since Israeli forces killed nine Palestinians, including a 61-year-old woman, in a raid in the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank on Thursday. Israel said the raid was carried out to foil "a terror squad" that planned an attack against Israelis.
Madrid, Jan 28 : Spain's economy grew by 5.5 per cent in 2022, the country's Statistical Office (INE) said on Friday.

The GDP increased by 0.2 per cent in the final quarter of 2022, allowing for an annual growth of 5.5 per cent, despite the negative effects of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Economic growth was considerably higher in 2022 than the government's forecast of 4.4 per cent and the Bank of Spain's projection of 4.5 per cent, Xinhua news agency reported.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez welcomed the news, highlighting "the solidity and resilience of the Spanish economy". He also recalled that Spain had created 278,900 jobs in 2022 and had its lowest unemployment rate since 2008.

In 2021, the country logged 5.1 per cent GDP growth against a 10.8 per cent contraction the year before due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Predictions for 2023 are not as optimistic in the context of a global economic downturn, with the government expecting GDP to rise by 2.1 per cent. Other organisations count on an increase between 1 and 1.5 per cent.
Stockholm, Jan 28 : Judicial cooperation in the fight against organised crime topped the agenda of an informal meeting of the EU member states' justice and home affairs ministers here.

"Organised crime has never posed such a threat to the EU and its citizens as it does today," Sweden's Minister for Justice Gunnar Strommer said in a statement on Friday.

"This is particularly true in Sweden. Effective judicial cooperation is therefore crucial as we step up the fight against cross-border crime." At the meeting, the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) presented its work to support the coordination of cross-border criminal investigations by national authorities. The ministers discussed the important role of Eurojust and a new instrument for the transfer of proceedings and how this contributes to the fight against organised crime, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It is important that (EU) member states draw on the experience of previous national prosecutions of core international crimes and cooperate through Eurojust," Strommer added.

The participants in the two-day meeting, which started on Thursday, also discussed migration challenges.
Los Angeles, Jan 28 : Omicron's new subvariant XBB.1.5 is estimated to account for over 60 per cent of the Covid-19 cases in the US for the week ending January 28, according to data released on Friday by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

XBB.1.5 is spreading quickly in the US. It made up 37.5 per cent of the total cases in the week ending January 14, and rose to 49.5 per cent in the week ending January 21, according to the CDC.

XBB.1.5 is currently the most transmissible variant in the country. The subvariant may spur more Covid-19 cases based on genetic characteristics and early growth rate estimates, according to the WHO.

Another two dominant Omicron subvariants BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 accounted for about 30 per cent of new Covid-19 cases in the US in the latest week, CDC data showed as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.

The CDC this week published the first estimate of the updated Covid-19 booster shot's efficacy against XBB.1.5, finding that the shots are at least 40 per cent effective against symptomatic illness from subvariants XBB.1.5 and XBB among fully vaccinated adults within three months of the shot's administration.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Athens, Jan 28 : A motion of censure against the Greek government over allegations of extensive wiretapping was outvoted on Friday, Greek national broadcaster ERT has reported.

The motion was tabled by the main opposition party, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, over alleged surveillance of ministers, legislators, military officers, journalists, and businessmen by the Greek National Intelligence Service (EYP).

A total of 143 Members of Parliament voted in favour of the motion of censure, while 156 deputies voted against, Greek national broadcaster ERT reported.

Addressing the plenary shortly before the vote, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that he had been calling on the main opposition party to table a censure motion for the past five months, as it is the procedure in parliament and general elections for political parties to resolve their differences, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Prime Minister has reiterated several times lately that general elections will be held in Greece this spring. His conservative New Democracy party was elected to office in July 2019, and is leading in recent opinion polls.

Mitsotakis and the government claim that they were not aware of any surveillance activities, and all procedures carried out were legal.

For several months, the Greek media has been reporting that many people have been under surveillance by EYP in recent years.
Protests in US after footage releases of Tyre Nichols being beaten by police in Memphis.(photo:vimeo.com/cityofmemphis) Image Source: IANS News

Protests in US after footage releases of Tyre Nichols being beaten by police in Memphis.(photo:vimeo.com/cityofmemphis) Image Source: IANS News

Washington, Jan 28 : Protests erupted across the US after the release of a footage which showed five former police officers in Memphis brutally beating an African-American man who died three days later after the gruesome incident.

The police officers, who are all Black and charged with murder, are seen taking turns to kick and punch the 29-year-old victim Tyre Nichols on January 7 as he screamed for his mother during the incident at a traffic stop, the BBC reported.

On Friday, the Memphis Police Department released four graphic videos, totalling more than an hour of footage.

The first video shows officers pulling Nichols out of his vehicle and shouting at him to get on the ground.

"I didn't do anything!" he says. Officers demand that he lie down flat.

Within seconds, one of the officers fires a Taser at the victim, who leaps up and manages to run away.

A separate video, from a CCTV camera mounted on a utility pole, shows officers beating Nichols after catching up with him in a residential area.

Two officers are seen holding him down while others take turns kicking and punching him and striking him with an expandable baton.

They drag him across the ground and prop him sitting up against a squad car.

The third and fourth videos show police body camera footage of the beating, with Nichols being held down, pepper-sprayed and assaulted as he repeatedly shouts: "Mom!" The five officers -- Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith -- were fired last week and were taken into custody on Thursday, the BBC reported.

Each faces charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

Four of the five posted bail and were released from custody by Friday morning, according to jail records.

Shortly after the footage was released, protests erupted in New York and Memphis.

Rallies and demonstrations were also planned to be held in Washington, Chicago, Boston, Detroit, Dallas, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Diego, Atlanta and Portland.

President Joe Biden, who has called for demonstrations to remain peaceful, said in a statement: "Like so many, I was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols' death."
Warsaw, Jan 28 : For the first time, Russia was not invited to an annual ceremony marking the liberation of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp in Poland.

Friday's event marked the 78th anniversary of the Soviet army liberating the concentration and extermination camp in German-occupied Poland, where more than one million people were murdered by the Nazis.

Auschwitz-Birkenau was created as a part of the Holocaust, a process that started with discrimination against Jewish people, and ended with six million Jews being killed because of who they were.

In total, 1.1 million people died in the camp, around one million Jews from across Europe as well as Poles, Soviet POWs, Roma and Sinti.

The event was attended by a group of 18 Auschwitz and Holocaust survivors, as well as Polish President Andrzej Duda and Second Gentleman of the US, Doug Emhoff.

Russia is usually represented at the ceremony, as the camp in occupied Poland was liberated by the Soviet Army.

But this time in the wake of Russia's ongoing war against Ukraine, the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum declined to invite Russian officials and its director, Piotr M. A. Cywinski, likened Moscow's invasion to the horrors of the Holocaust.

In his address at the event, Cywinski said: "It is difficult for us to stand here. More difficult than before. First, war violates treaties, then borders, finally people. Civilian victims, dehumanised, terrorised, humiliated, they do not die by chance. They are taken hostage by wartime megalomania.

"The Warsaw district of Wola, Zamojszczyzna, Oradour and Lidice, now bear different names: Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel, Mariupol and Donetsk (all war-affected regions in Ukraine). Similar sick megalomania, similar lust for power. And almost same-sounding myths of exceptionalism, of greatness, of primacy, but written in Russian.

"Being silent means giving voice to the perpetrators, staying neutral means reaching out to the rapist, remaining indifferent is tantamount to condoning murder. And today, before our very eyes, our memory is putting us to the test..." At the event, Auschwitz survivors also expressed their fears over the fallout of the war in Ukraine.

Polish survivor Zdzislawa Wlodarczyk said she was "scared to hear what is happening in the East".

She told the audience that she had arrived in Auschwitz as an 11-year-old following the Warsaw Uprising, a failed attempt by the Polish resistance in 1944 to liberate the city from the German occupiers.

She and her seven-year-old brother remained in the camp until the Soviet army liberated it on January 27, 1945.

"Today, when I stand in the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, I am frightened when I follow the news coming from the East about the war. The Russian army, that liberated us here, now wages war in Ukraine. Why? Why?" she said.

In response to not being invited to the event, Russia accused the museum of attempting to "rewrite history", reports the BBC.

"No matter how our European 'non-partners' contrived in their attempts to rewrite history in a new way, the memory of the Soviet heroes-liberators and horrors of Nazism cannot be erased," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote in a social media post.

Russia's Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar also spoke about his regret that Moscow had been excluded from the commemoration, warning that "these political games have no place on Holocaust day".

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Kiev, Jan 28 : After concluding a six-day visit to Ukraine, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) chief Filippo Grandi said he was "appalled by the level of destruction" he saw in the war-torn nation and called on donors to stay the course and support the people who are suffering acutely as a result of Russia's ongoing invasion.

During his visit, Grandi travelled through the south and east of the country, seeing the destruction and devastation, meeting chiefs of seven regional administrations, several mayors and many war-affected civilians in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kharkiv, and Kiev, said an official statement released by the UN agency on Friday.

He also met President Volodymyr Zelensky, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

"I was appalled by the level of destruction I saw as a result of Russian missiles and shelling," Grandi said while concluding his trip on Friday.

"Civilian infrastructure like power plants, water systems, kindergartens and apartment buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Civilians, including children and the elderly, have been killed or fled their homes, having their entire lives uprooted by these senseless attacks," he said.

Grandi also witnessed Ukrainian officials and citizens repairing and rebuilding damaged infrastructure.

"While buildings have been destroyed, the spirit of the Ukrainian people is unbroken. I'm so inspired by their strength and resilience. It's up to all of us, the international community, to support them as they embark on recovery.

"I call on states, international financial institutions and others to contribute to this task and quickly," the UNHCR chief added.

Grandi however, warned that humanitarian needs remain acute, especially in the frontline regions of the country.

Noting that the UN appeals for both inside Ukraine and refugee response will be launched in Geneva on February 15, he added: "Donors -- governments, business, and private individuals -- have been incredibly generous over the past year. This must be sustained if we are to provide people with the support they urgently need today and for the coming year. I hope all our donors will continue to enable the response to these humanitarian needs." He further said that the the UNHCR, with other international partners, will seek additional access to unaccompanied and separated Ukrainian children currently in Russia.

He also reiterated that, "in a situation of conflict, giving nationality and opening avenues for formal adoption of children violates international norms and practices".

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New York, Jan 28 : Chandigarh-born Harmeet Dhillon has lost her bid to head the Republican National Committee (RNC) despite a spirited fight against the US party's establishment that drew broad support.

The current RNC chair Ronna McDaniels was re-elected on Friday at the Committee's meeting in California despite criticism for having led the party through three successive defeats and an underperformance.

Dhillon, who polled 51 votes to McDaniel's 111 in the 168-member RNC, ran a grassroots campaign that brought out the discontent in the ranks of the party that must face a presidential election next year.

After the election, Dhillon said" "At the end of the day, if our party is perceived as totally out of touch with the grassroots, which I think some may take away from this outcome, we have some work to do." The Republican Party has two high-profile women with roots in Punjab -- Dhillon, who proudly broadcasts it with the Twitter handle "@pnjaban"; and Nikki Haley, the first Indian-American to be on the US Cabinet, who has said is "looking in a serious way" a run for the party's presidential nomination.

The run-up to the RNC election was marred by allegations that McDaniels's supporters had run a whispering campaign against Dhillon based on her Sikh faith.

Dhillon tweeted during the campaign: "No amount of threats to me or my team, or bigoted attacks on my faith traceable directly to associates of the chair, will deter me from advancing positive change at the RNC." McDaniels condemned the efforts to use religion against Dhillon citing her own membership in the minority Mormon faith that is often portrayed negatively.

Dhillon received the support of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a rising figure in the party and a likely challenger to former President Donald Trump for the party's presidential nomination next year.

Endorsing Dhillon, DeSantis said in an interview with the leader of a conservative group within the party, "I think we need to get some new blood in the RNC".

With McDaniels as chair, the party lost the House of Representatives in 2018 and Senate and the presidential election in 2020 and underperformed in the mid-term elections last year whipping up criticism of the leadership..

Dhillon had picked up support from two state committees, Nevada and Washington, the heads of the party in four states and from several high-profile party donors, as well as media figures influential within the party.

Trump who had connections to both McDaniels and Dhillon stayed neutral in the open, but according to some media reports secretly backed the incumbent.

He had picked McDaniels in 2017 to head the RNC, while Dhillon was one of his lawyers during the last presidential election and the House probe into the January 2021 Capitol riots.

McDaniel is seen as closely aligned herself with Trump and while Dhillon has not openly gone against him, she repudiated Trump's continued claim that he was the rightful winner in 2020.

But many conservative diehard Trump supporters backed Dhillon and this may have turned off some of the moderate voters.

According to Politico, many had reservations in particular about one "firebrand conservative figure" Charlie Kirk who they feared might exert influence on the party if she were elected.

Dhillon immigrated to the US as a child, said a Sikh prayer at the opening of a session of the RNC in 2016 -- the first time a non-Abrahamic religion figured in a national party convention.

Dhillon, whose law practice takes on discrimination cases, mainly by conservatives, has been associated with the American Civil Liberties Union, which is reviled by many Republicans.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
Small-town charm is making a comeback.

And hard work is paying off for Lancaster Mayor Lynne Ruda and other community leaders who, like her, believe that the village of Lancaster can revitalize its historic downtown, which was harmed over the decades by both unforeseen disasters and deliberate planning mistakes.

A well-deserved $4.5 million grant from the states New York Forward program will help Lancaster continue the projects it began in 2016, including the restoration of its central business district. Not many of New Yorks once-thriving small towns and villages get second chances to undo the mistakes of midcentury urban renewal, but thanks to visionary leadership, Lancaster is wisely positioned to use this funding.

It has already accomplished so much, including the re-creation of its West Main Street streetscape, which had been partially destroyed in the '60s by fire and then replaced in 1970 with a large superstore (which closed within a year) and a four-acre parking lot.

A new West Main Street now runs between Lancasters main drag, Central Avenue and Aurora Street with a roundabout at the end. And the acreage in between  where the superstore and its lot had been  is in the process of being filled in with walkable mixed-use development, complete with bike lanes and green space.

Supersizing is just as unhealthy in rural villages as it is on fast-food menus. One obvious reason is that once the tenant of a 150,000-square-foot big box store leaves, its necessary to find  i.e., beg  another gigantic entity to move in. A small storefront may regrettably become vacant, but it leaves a viable commercial block behind.

There are many other reasons human-scale development is preferable  aesthetics, alone, is enough justification for most of us.

The viability of Americas small towns is threatened by many factors but one major issue is that they often lose their personalities, as chain stores dominate the business districts, historic structures are torn down and bland developments replace real neighborhoods.

Lancaster, which was founded in 1849, seems to be protecting its identity; it instituted two historic preservation districts and continues to restore density  including residential units  to its commercial core.

As of June, at least a dozen new storefronts had opened in Lancasters central business district. Ruda indicates that the new state funds may be used to extend that streetscape and make historic restorations to such structures as the Lancaster Opera House.

In assessing the momentum thats powering Lancasters revitalization, it makes sense to consider how other small municipalities in Western New York are dealing with similar challenges. Niagara Countys seat, Lockport, has recently been making good use of its undeniable attractions  such as the presence of the Erie Canal and the citys remaining historic architecture  to attract new development. Like Lancaster, Lockport was the victim of disastrous urban renewal mistakes in the '60s and '70s, which leveled much of its downtown. For decades, acres of urban prairie marred its central business district. Lockport has begun to recover. Small-scale, mixed use projects have entered the mix; more are needed.

Theres no one-size-fits-all solution to maintain a healthy small-town ecosystem. Another newly announced recipient of a New York State grant, Dunkirk, is contemplating adding an indoor water park and improvements to its marina. That makes sense: The small city is bounded on the north by Lake Erie. Water is part of its personality.

In many ways, Western New York derives its identity just as much from the character of distinctive towns and villages like East Aurora, Williamsville, Hamburg and Lancaster as it does from its urban center, Buffalo.

Any state largesse that strengthens the ability of these places to thrive within their own communities as well as attract the interest of visitors from near and far is heartily welcome.

Especially when the community in question knows what its doing.

  

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.
New Delhi, Jan 28 : Fintech platform BharatPe paid a salary of Rs 1.69 crore to its Co-founder and managing director Ashneer Grover in FY22, while his wife Madhuri Jain Grover who was former head of controls at the company took home Rs 63 lakhs.

Currently, the company is involved in a legal battle with Ashneer, after suing him and his family for allegedly siphoning off company funds worth Rs 88.6 crore.

According to its financial statement filed with the Registrar of Company (RoC), its former CEO Suhail Sameer took home Rs 2.1 crore in FY22.

Rajnish Kumar, BharatPe Chairman, received Rs 21.4 lakhs, while BharatPe board member Shashvat Nakrani was paid Rs 29.8 lakhs.

However, these remunerations do not take stock payments into account as the company incurred Rs 70 crore worth stock-based payment expenses in FY22, up 218 per cent (YoY).

MoneyControl was first to report about the remunerations to top BharatPe executives.

Meanwhile, BharatPe suffered huge losses to the tune of Rs 5,610.7 crore in the financial year 2021-22, due to a one-time non-cash expense related to change in fair value of compulsory convertible preference shares (CCPS).

In FY21, the company had posted a net loss of Rs 1,619.2 crore.

Apart from the CCPS cost, the company's adjusted loss grew 2.2 times to Rs 828.2 crore in FY22, from Rs 227.3 crore in the earlier fiscal year, according to its financial statement with the Registrar of Company (RoC).

Earlier this month, the company had clarified that the CCPS-related item is a "one-off and shall not be there from next year as we have now reclassified the compulsorily convertible preference shares from liability to equity".

Meanwhile, its revenue from operations went up 3.8 times to Rs 456.8 crore from Rs 119 crore in FY21, owing to a surge in payments volumes on loan disbursals.

Founded in 2018, BharatPe is currently serving 1 crore merchants across more than 400 cities.
Amit Shah in K'taka; his visit has created momentum in state says CM Bommai. Image Source: IANS News

Amit Shah in K'taka; his visit has created momentum in state says CM Bommai.(photo:Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Amit Shah in K'taka; his visit has created momentum in state says CM Bommai.(photo:Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Amit Shah in K'taka; his visit has created momentum in state says CM Bommai. Image Source: IANS News

Amit Shah in K'taka; his visit has created momentum in state says CM Bommai. Image Source: IANS News

Hubballi, Jan 28 : Union Home Minister Amit Shah's visit to poll-bound Karnataka is giving impetus to BJP's poll preparedness in the state, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said here on Saturday.

Talking to reporters, the Chief Minister stated that Shah will be touring across the state. "He plays an important role whenever there is an election. Earlier, he had visited Mandya in south Karnataka and is now in Kalyan Karnataka region.

The Home Minister arrived in the city on Friday night. During his one-day visit, he will participate in various programmes, including a mega roadshow and public rallies in Dharwad and Belagavi cities.

Kittur Karnataka region is the BJP party's strong base. Amit Shah will visit Hyderabad-Karnataka region next month to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for various central government projects in the region, Chief Minister Bommai stated.

"The party wants to utilise this opportunity of senior national leaders visiting the state to its benefit. We will use their influence for the good of the state," he said.

On a question whether the state unit of BJP is facing an internal strife, CM Bommai said, "There is no dissidence in the BJP. Not a word of dissidence is being spoken by any of the leaders regarding the party." Party's growth is most important and everyone should strive towards it. The party has to grow in all regions of the state. He maintained that Congress leaders are fearing BJP and issuing statements.

Notably, Home Minister Shah will inaugurate the indoor stadium of BVB Engineering college of Karnataka Lingayat Society (KLE). Later, he will also take part in Amrit Mahotsav organised on the occasion of completion of 75 years of KLE.

Later, he will lay the foundation stone for the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in Dharwad.

Besides taking part in 'Vijaya Sankalp Yatra' in Kundagol, he will also offer worship in the 300-year-old ancient Shambhuling temple there. He will pay a visit to Basavanna Mutt as well.

The party has organized a mega road show for one-and-a-half kilometers. He will address a massive public rally in M.K. Hubballi of Kittur Assembly constituency and deliver a speech. He will interact with senior members of Sangh Parivar and hold three meetings with party leaders to strategise for the BJP party in the region.
Dhanbad, Jan 28 : Six people, including two doctors, died after a fire broke out in Hazra hospital in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday.

When the fire department got the information, six fire tenders were pressed into service to put out the fire.

The fire, which broke out at 02.30 a.m. at the second floor and soon spread to the entire hospital, could be brought under control by 10.00 a.m.

Dr Prema, Dr Vikas Hazra and four employees of the hospital who were sleeping in the residential complex of the medical facility on the second floor died.

On the basis of situation at the spot, it is being said that Dr Vikas used water and tub from the washroom but in vain.

The firefighters rescued nine people, who were being treated at the hospital, and rushed them to Patliputra Nursing Home.

The cause of the blaze is said to be short circuit.

A fire official said the hospital did not have adequate arrangement for putting out the blaze and even anti-fire machine was also not operational.

IMA's state President A.K. Singh and district unit chief Major Chandan expressed grief over the tragedy.
Guwahati, Jan 28 : A minor confrontation occurred between Assam Rifles troopers and cadres of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim-Isak Muivah (NSCN-IM) in Nagaland's Peren district, according to army sources.

The sources revealed that multiple domination patrols of the Assam Rifles were out for durations varying from 72 hours to 96 hours in the run-up to Republic Day.

One such patrol team, while returning after completing assigned tasks, took an administrative break at at Ntangki National Park in Peren at around 4 p.m. on Friday evening.

At that time, the Assam Rifles patrolling team observed that NSCN-IM cadres were also moving on the same path, and the two parties had a minor confrontation there.

The NSCN-IM had signed a ceasefire agreement with the Central government 1997 that ended decades of insurgency in Nagaland that began shortly after India's independence in 1947.

The agreement was extended last year.

The sources mentioned that the Assam Rifles followed the ground rules of the agreement and ensured that the incident did not escalate.

The patrol team leader decided to disengage the troops. The whole incident did not last more than 40 minutes.

On August 3, 2015, the Centre had also inked a framework deal with the influential Naga faction after more than 80 rounds of talks between the two sides.

The NSCN-IM is still insistent that the Naga people have a separate flag and constitution, hence the ultimate resolution in talks is yet to be materialised.
New York, Jan 28 : The US diplomat in charge of political affairs is visiting India for consultations with the External Affairs Ministry in New Delhi, according to the State Department.

During her visit, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland will lead the US delegation to the annual foreign office consultations "which cover the full range of bilateral, regional, and global issues", the Department said on Friday.

She is also scheduled to meet young tech leaders, it added.

Her visit to India will be a part of a week-long swing through Asia that starts on Saturday and take her also to Nepal, Sri Lanka and Qatar.

During her visit to Sri Lanka that will mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between that country and the US, she will convey Washington's "support for Sri Lanka's efforts to stabilise the economy, protect human rights, and promote reconciliation", the Department said.

In Nepal, Nuland will engage with the new government of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal who took office last month on the broad agenda of the partnership between the two countries.

Qatar, which plays a pivotal role in international diplomacy relating to the Taliban regime, represents US interests in Afghanistan as Washington has not recognised the regime.

The Department said that there Nuland will discuss "our bilateral arrangement on the protection of US interests in Afghanistan".

"Global issues under the framework of the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue and that country's critical support for the relocation of Afghans with ties to the US," will also figure in her discussions with leaders there, it noted.

The foreign office consultations are an annual affair to review the entire range of cooperation between the two countries under the India-US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership, including political, economic, commercial, regional and international cooperation.

The last such consultation was in March last year.

Although the US and India have been drawing closer together, New Delhi's apparent neutrality in the Ukraine war and its continued purchase of oil from Russia remains a sticking point, although Washington's diplomats gloss over it.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)
Kolkata, Jan 28 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED), probing the multi-crore teachers' recruitment scam, has recovered WhatsApp chats hinting at possible advance leaking of question papers to select candidates who took the written examination for primary teachers' posts in West Bengal in 2016.

Sources said that the selective leaking of question papers were mainly done by the youth Trinamool Congress leader, Kuntal Ghosh, who was arrested by the ED from his residence on January 21.

The probe agency has also recovered Whatsapp chats indicating that Ghosh enjoyed the patronage of former state education minister and Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee.

From the documents seized from Ghosh's residence, the central agency officials have also recovered copies of the admit cards of certain candidates who appeared for the recruitment examination for primary teachers in 2016.

The ED sleuths have come across the names of 35 individuals who secured jobs as teachers in state- run schools by paying money to the arrested youth leader and all of them are currently employed with different schools. Each and every one of them will be questioned to take the investigation forward.

"The recruitment scam seems to be in multiple layers, which again have sub-layers involving multiple players and multiple angles. The uncovering of one layer is leading to other layers. That's why the investigation process is getting prolonged," said a legal associate of ED.

The fact that question papers were leaked to select candidates was established after the ED sleuths noticed that some extremely below-average candidates, as per their academic records, scored exorbitantly in the recruitment examination.

Sources said that the marks secured in their academic examinations did not justify their scores in their optical mark recognition (OMR) sheets.
New Delhi, Jan 28 : On February 24, 25, and 26, 2023, Mumbai will host the Mahindra Roots festival, which aims to reintroduce and celebrate the magnificent fusion of India's vast and diverse cultural past via a contemporary lens.

India is a country with a rich history of diverse cultures and customs, as well as a mingling of many languages and dialects. Indian culture is vibrant and ever-evolving, altering every 50 to 100 kilometres, where people both make and are made by culture. The Mahindra Group has launched the Mahindra Roots Festival, which Hyperlink Brand Solutions conceptualised, developed, and produced in order to honour this time in Indian culture and encourage the next generation of Indians to appreciate, protect, and nurture their cultural roots.

The three-day festival aims to bring to life a world where Indian artists' history and culture are celebrated in cutting-edge, contemporary ways. It aims to compile and present a mesmerising combination of folk music, performing arts, and other art forms from various pockets of India, modernised to appeal to millennials and Gen Z as a modern, interesting, and immersive experience.

Astonishing decorations, displays that are larger than life, and artwork will reacquaint audiences with their rich cultural history. Mahindra Roots will honour Indian arts and culture while also creating a long-lasting community thanks to the wide range of artists from diverse subcultures who will be present at the festival.

Additionally, performers from a variety of genres, tongues, and cultures will wow audiences with performances that will be a visual and audible feast. The festival will bring audiences closer to cultures from all over the nation through theatre productions, immersive storytelling, folk music, classical music, and poetry in Hindi, Punjabi, English, and Kannada, among other languages, as well as tribal music forms, contemporary Sufi, Abhangas, Bengal's Baul music tradition, and more.

Jay Shah, Vice President - Cultural Outreach at Mahindra Group, said: "Mahindra Group has always strived to make an impact on people's lives in a way that stretches beyond corporate boundaries, enabling audiences to explore art, music and culture. India's culture is a melting pot of diversity, steeped in rich history and heritage and infused with numerous art forms, dialects and languages. And with Mahindra Roots, we seek to celebrate the essence of this legacy and put it into the limelight. At the same time, we also wish to inspire the millennials and Gen Z, the future change-makers, dreamers and shapers of our societies, to rise to our roots through this festival." VG Jairam, Founder of Hyperlink Brand Solutions, added: "Hyperlink has always been at the core of movements that connect cultures and powerful stories with people. And Mahindra Roots pushes the envelope to expand on this philosophy by bringing the roots of our diverse Indian culture on one platform while imbibing it in contemporary thought and style to connect with new-age audiences. The festival is our attempt to give cultural art forms pushed to the peripherals of stage wings a mainstream centre stage, and we are looking forward to many more editions in the future." The festival's opening night will be held on 24th February at Bal Gandharva Mandir while the subsequent performances will be hosted at Bandra Fort Amphitheatre on 25th & 26th February, and antiSOCIAL on 25th February 2023. Mahindra Roots will, indeed, weave a rich tapestry reflecting India's multifaceted culture with threads of classic and folk art injected with contemporary storytelling.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
New Delhi, Jan 28 : South African Tourism announced its participation at South Asia's leading travel show, SATTE 2023 for the third consecutive year. Kickstarting a milestone year and celebrating 30 years of bilateral relations with India, the tourism board is geared up to promote South African provinces, unique experiences and unveil its plans for the year. The board will also host closed room trade and corporate events on 09th and 10th February respectively. Led by Neliswa Nkani - Hub Head - Middle East, India and South East Asia, South African Tourism, and few key executives and board members from South African Tourism, the briefings will be followed by an interactive consumer event showcasing the sights, sounds and taste of South Africa at DLF Avenue, Saket, New Delhi on 11th and 12th February.

20 eminent South African exhibitors will work with South African Tourism to deliver cutting-edge and distinctive tourism offerings for Indian business partners. Sun International, Glamping Adventures, Mbombela Experience, and Kwantu Private Game Reserve are a few of the companies on the list of vendors. They provide first-rate accommodations, luxurious experiences, unusual activities, cutting-edge MICE infrastructure, as well as adventure, wildlife, and culinary activities.

Former Master Chef South Africa candidates Chef Siphokazi Mdlankomo and Chef Abigail Mbalo will be present at the trade, corporate, and consumer events to supervise the preparation of genuine South African fare and tasting menus. Through a visual portrayal of South Africa, visitors to South African Tourism's consumer exhibition will have a first-hand understanding of the nation. In addition, the MasterChefs will work with Crowne Plaza, Delhi, to organise a "South African Food Festival" from February 3 through February 12 that will serve genuine, native foods.

The board will hold its annual "India Roadshow 2023" in important markets like Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Mumbai between February 13 and 16 as part of its ongoing recovery efforts. India is now South Africa's sixth-largest foreign tourism market as a result of the pandemic. The tourist board's continued efforts to revitalise the nation's tourism industry are attested to by such successful partnerships with trade associations and tour operators in India.

Talking about the association Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head - Middle East, India and South East Asia, South African Tourism said: "2022 has been a great year for us at South African Tourism as we continued to welcome Indian travellers who were eager to explore the length and breadth of South Africa. At the start of this year, we outlined a strategic roadmap which helped us successfully garner a 64% year on year increase in Indian arrivals to South Africa. The response has been extremely moving and we are keen to build on this recovery momentum by diversifying the way we promote South Africa and appeal to the core passions of Indian travellers." "With South Africa and India completing 30 years of bilateral ties this year, we plan to launch a series of trade and consumer activations celebrating our shared culture, history and emotions. Kickstarting our campaign with SATTE 2023 we will also be hosting roadshows in key Indian cities followed by marketing initiatives spaced throughout the year to entice potential travellers. I am confident that our efforts will lead to mutually beneficial associations between South African exhibitors and global Indian buyers," she continued.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Washington, Jan 28 : The US plans to ban Chinese short video-making app TikTok nationwide, and the House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a vote next month on a bill to completely block the platform.

According to reports, the bill will give the White House the legal power to ban TikTok over larger national security concerns.

Last month, the Chinese short-form video making app was banned on mobile devices issued by the US House of Representatives. The House ordered staff to delete TikTok from all mobile phones.

A TikTok spokesperson told South China Morning Post that a total ban of the app is a "piecemeal approach to national security and a piecemeal approach to broad industry issues like data security, privacy and online harms".

"We hope that lawmakers will focus their energies on efforts to address those issues holistically, rather than pretending that banning a single service would solve any of the problems they're concerned about or make Americans any safer," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Local administrations in 19 US states have already banned TikTok on government issued-devices.

TikTok is currently negotiating a deal with the US Justice Department to resolve national security concerns.

Earlier reports claimed that China-based ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, accessed data of at least two US journalists and a "small number" of other people connected to them.

In October last year, TikTok denied that it used specific location data to track certain U.S. individuals, pushing back against a Forbes report that alleged the app was planning on carrying out such monitoring.

In June, TikTok said it started routing US user data through Oracle to appease concerns that China-based employees could access U.S. information.

In 2020, India banned TikTok and several other Chinese apps for allegedly sharing user data with China.
Mumbai, Jan 28 : On Saturday morning, actress-filmmaker Kangana Ranaut warned Bollywood and asked them to 'enjoy their success' and 'stay away from politics' amid the roaring success of Shah Rukh Khan's latest release 'Pathaan'.

Kangana wrote: "Bollywood walon yeh narrative banane ki koshish mat karna ki iss desh mein tum Hindu hate se suffer kar rahe ho, agar maine phir se yeh word suna 'triumph over hate' toh tum logon ki wahi class lagegi jo kal lagi thi. Enjoy your success and do good work, stay away from politics."

However, the 'Dhaakad' actress' tweet did not go down well with many users.

"Enjoy your success and do good work. Stay away from politics. Wonder who needs to hear that most," a netizen commented.

One said: "Aap Bollywood se nahi ho? Aap Hollywood se ho? Aap kyun aisi baatein karti ho?"

"Chalo #Pathaan ko side mein karte hai.. another example of 'triumph over hate' is how your last 9 movies tanked one after another. Audience has rejected @KanganaTeam we know you are desperate now to be where Smriti Irani is," wrote another.

"Stay away from politics? look who's talking," said a user.

Kangana had earlier said that the film shows 'enemy' Pakistan in good light.

-- Syndicated from IANS
Of the two lifetime inevitabilities  death and taxes  the latter seems to get most of the headlines. This is about death and whether its inevitability should cause us to rethink what we allow when its certain approach is accompanied by unbearable pain.

The answer is, yes, it should. Legislation is pending. Albany needs to act.

Medical aid in dying is a hard subject and for obvious reasons. Life is precious. It shouldnt be discarded wantonly or lightly. Yet, in some few cases, the alternative can be unbearable suffering that no leads nowhere but the funeral home. Those people need our compassion and our help.

Society has long wrestled with these conflicting forces but as several states  including neighboring Vermont and New Jersey  have shown, they are not irreconcilable. Governors and legislatures in those states have managed to navigate the moral and ethical challenges, writing carefully sculpted laws that allow the terminally ill to avoid agonizing deaths and to die peacefully, on their terms, with their dignity intact.

Sadly, New York  not always the progressive state it imagines  is among the holdouts. As a result, the terminally ill have no legal option but to suffer agonizing deaths, if the nature of their disease and limits of medicine so decree.

New Yorks elected officials have long turned away from this issue. Some politicians wont even talk about it, advocates say. But it doesnt have to be that way. Leadership on this subject is less difficult than legislators might imagine. A 2021 Marist Poll of New Yorkers found that 59% of New Yorkers support legalizing medical aid in dying as an option for terminally ill adults.

New Jersey passed its law in 2019. As of last June, in a state of more than 9 million people, it has been used 95 times. There seems no reason to fear abuses of a carefully written law and reason to believe that when it is used, it is the last resort of individuals whose suffering most of us can hardly imagine but insist upon prolonging.

New Jerseys law is a model. Those who invoke it must be legal residents who are at least 18 years old, who are mentally capable of making and communicating health care decisions and who have been diagnosed with a terminal disease that will end their lives within six months.

Thats only the start. In addition, those who want medical help ending their lives must make two verbal requests to their doctor, at least 15 days apart and must also present a written request to the doctor, signed in front of two witnesses. The law demands confirmation of the diagnosis; a psychological examination, if warranted; and protections against coercion.

In addition, patients must be able to ingest the life-ending medication on their own; anyone else who administers it may face criminal charges. In that, the law allays fears of a Dr. Kevorkian on the loose. Those are just some of the protections written into the measure.

The New Jersey statute has been upheld both in a state trial court and, last year, in the Appellate Division of Superior Court, which dismissed as meritless the constitutional and religious objections raised by a doctor and pharmacist. Judge Arnold L. Natali Jr. also observed that, to the courts knowledge, patients using the law did so without a single family member or interested party objecting to those unquestionably difficult end of life decisions. Nor, he said, has any report surfaced that any person utilized the Act for an improper or illegal purpose.

New Jersey is not alone. Other states allowing medical aid in dying are Colorado, Montana, Hawaii, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. The District of Columbia also has a law. Now, its time for New York to act.

Legislation has been reintroduced in the Senate and Assembly. It features similar requirements and protections, including one ensuring that medical professionals who object are not compelled to offer their assistance.

No doubt, there will be objections in Albany, but this states history is to stay out of such personal decisions. It supports abortion rights and same-sex marriage. In 2010, it relaxed the states strict divorce laws, allowing for no-fault divorce. Some people who could use the law might refuse. That, too, is their choice. This legislation harms no one and may ease an otherwise horrifying path for those who make use of it.

Medical aid in dying is, to be sure, in its own category and its easy to understand anyones hesitations. But this is a reasonable, necessary law. Worried lawmakers need to imagine the plight of their own loved ones suffering terminal illness in unrelieved agony. This legislation would offer them a choice, not a mandate. Why would we continue to condemn people to a horrible death when, around the country, we see that safe and workable options exist?

Its time. New Yorkers support this measure. Legislators should commit to approving it, and Gov. Kathy Hochul should pledge to sign it. To do otherwise is to promote needless suffering.

  

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.
Chandigarh, Jan 28: Chief Engineer : Surinder Pal Pahalwan, a protege of Shiromani Akali Dal president and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal who is facing trial in a Rs 600 crore GMADA scam has been making desperate attempts get his case transferred out from the court of Additional Sessions Judge, Mohali, Parminder Singh Grewal.

The CE had earlier moved an application in the special court, Mohali, requesting the case be passed on to some other court as he felt that he would not get justice from Grewal. The case was sent to District and Sessions Judge Harpal Singh for a decision. The Sessions judge rejected Pahalwan's petition and ordered that the case would be heard by Grewal only as the trial was nearing completion.

As advised by his lawyers, Surinder Pal, early this month, challenged the Session Court's order in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The High Court, on January 19, 2023, rejected his prayer upholding the order of the Sessions Judge.

The trial in the Rs 600 crores scam has to be completed by March 25, 2023, as directed by the High Court.

The 10-other accused in the same case, including Balwinder Singh, now working as CE Greater Mohali Area Development Authority, did not join Pahalwan to get the case transferred.

The main accused Pahalwan made yet another attempt to pressure ASJ Grewal using a social activist. The activist spoke of Grewal's "dictatorial" behaviour in dealing with litigants and advocates on his YouTube channel. ASJ Grewal is otherwise known for his honesty and a good understanding of the law.

The CE told Indianarrative.com that he raised 10-specific points in his petition to get the case transferred. But the courts addressed none. "I am innocent. My trial needs to be videographed. I am not getting justice from the trial court," he said.

The Vigilance Bureau registered a case under the Prevention of Corruption Act in 2017 against the 11 accused, including 4-government officials and 4-contractors who acted in tandem to fleece the state exchequer in 50 projects to the tune of Rs 600 crores during the 5-year tenure of Surinder Pal Pahalwan as Chief Engineer GMADA.

There is a separate case going on against Pahalwan for tampering with his date of birth. Though born in 1967, he somehow managed to get it changed to 1972 with the help of a Punjab School Education Board officer.

Such was the closeness between Sukhbir Badal and the accused CE that the latter functioned as a top man in at least 22 government bodies like Mandi Board, GMADA, GLADA, and Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana, in flagrant violation of service rules.

A former senior officer of the Mandi Board disclosed Surinder Pal Pahalwan as CE, also worked as CE GMADA, without officially being called on deputation. S.K. Sandhu IAS, now retired, was the Housing Secretary at that time.

It is a common knowledge among Mandi Board staff that when a former MD tried to discipline Pahalwan by asking him to attend office regularly, Sukhbir telephoned the MD and admonished him for "tightening" his chum.

The prosecution i.e. VB presented 76 witnesses, and their cross-examination has been completed. As many as 16 witnesses have turned hostile, including 2-serving officers, Pankaj Mehmi and Harpreet Singh.

The accused CE owns over 92 prime properties in Punjab in his name and in the name of members of his family and associates.

At the time of the scam in GMADA, Sukhbir Badal, deputy chief minister, was in charge of the housing and urban development department. Ostensibly, there is no evidence on record showing the direct involvement of Sukhbir Badal in the scam. Pahalwan is the son-in-law of a cousin of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.

VB informed the court that Pehalwan floated 5-bogus companies to launder his ill-gotten wealth. The companies are Access Agro Seed Pvt Limited, Award Agro Traders Pvt Ltd, Auster Agro Traders Pvt Ltd, Akme Crushers and Builders Pvt Ltd, and Ek Onkar Builders and Contractors Pvt Ltd.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Chennai, Jan 28 : Anna University, Chennai will be conducting an academic audit of all students of engineering colleges affiliated with the university.

Director of centre for academic studies of Anna university, in a communique to the engineering colleges, directed to conduct an academic audit to ensure that all the internals were being properly conducted.

The audit will also record the attendance of the students in these engineering colleges as well as the quality of teaching in these institutions.

The engineering colleges are also to maintain the records of the internal assessment results of each student in the college during every semester. The Anna university communique also stated that the academic audit should be conducted for every course taught during each semester.

The colleges providing leniency to students during internal assessments including laboratory assignments can be easily identified during the academic audit. This, according to Anna university officials, would increase the quality of teaching and the standard of the students who are undergoing courses in these colleges affiliated with Anna university. This will improve the standard and rating of the colleges and thereby the university.

An external course expert from a reputed technical institution is required to be on the committees to be formed by the head of the department of the concerned engineering college and this is to ensure that the academic audits are carried out in a transparent manner.

The university has also informed the concerned colleges that the academic audit report of the present and previous semesters will be verified during the inspection for the affiliation of the colleges that were given temporary affiliation. However, colleges having permanent affiliations will also have to conduct academic audits.
Lima, Jan 28 : Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has urged Congress to move general elections forward to December 2023, in order to get the country out of the "quagmire" with near-daily protests.

The government initially proposed holding the elections in April 2024, rather than a previously scheduled date in 2026, reports Xinhua news agency.

The proposal was already approved by the legislature in December 2022.

With support growing among lawmakers to bring the elections forward even earlier to December 2023, a Congressional debate on the issue will be held in February.

At least 87 votes in favour are needed to pass the new proposal since it is a constitutional reform.

Advancing the elections to later this year could help Peru "get out of this quagmire we're in", Boluarte said on Friday, noting protests continued in Peru with "more violence" in the streets.

"No one has any interest in clinging to power and I, Dina Boluarte, have no interest in remaining in the presidency any longer," she said.

Political unrest in Peru was sparked on December 7, 2022, when Boluarte took office following the ouster of her predecessor Pedro Castillo. The Peruvian Congress impeached Castillo just hours after his failed attempt to dissolve the legislature.

Castillo was then detained by security forces.

Among the protesters' demands are early elections and Castillo's release from custody.

At least 56 people have died in the subsequent unrest, which continues across the country.

The government has been accused of using excessive force in its efforts to quell the protests, and Peru's ombudsman said that, of the victims, 46 were involved in clashes with the security forces.

The Governors of Puno, Cusco and Apurimac regions have also called for the President's resignation and, earlier this week, opposition politicians submitted a motion to impeach Boluarte.
New Delhi, Jan 28 : In the first year of its acquisition from the Centre, Air India not only took major steps in terms of turnaround and transformation, but also ran into major controversies on issues ranging from pilots' discontent to inept handling of certain sensitive matters.

After 69 years as a Government-owned enterprise, Air India and Air India Express were welcomed back into the Tata group on January 27, 2022.

Hailing its performance, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson on Friday said, "Taken together, the progress over the last 12 months has been nothing short of stunning, even if so much of what we have been working on has been behind the scenes, building platforms and capabilities so that our future ambitions can take flight. There is of course much more that needs to be done, and everyone - internally and externally - is hungry for us to do it," he said.

However, the Tata management courted its first set of controversies with the appointment of Ilker Ayci, a former Chairman of Turkish Airlines, as the CEO and MD of the airline in February, 2022. The appointment raised eyebrows with RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch expressing its reservations about the Tata Group appointing former Turkish Airlines chairman as Air India's Managing Director and CEO. Amid controversies, the appointment of Ilker Ayci could not last as he turned down the job.

Thereafter, Air India senior management faced discontent from senior pilots who protested on several issues ranging from ignoring the Indian pilots and hiring the foreign counterparts on hefty pay packages to alleged change in conditions of service of its member Pilots.

The Indian Commercial Pilot Association issued many notices demanding that the Air India management comply with the statutory mandate of the Industrial Disputes (ID) Act, including Section 9A, in letter and in spirit; and not undertake any change in the conditions of service of Pilots without following the applicable provisions of the ID Act.

The pilots' body also demanded to be involved, as representatives of the Pilots, in deliberations regarding any change in conditions of service before any precipitative steps are taken. It had said that it was important for the morale of the Pilots and for maintenance of trust between the Pilots and the Management of Air India Ltd., especially given the transition to the new management, that Pilots be consulted and taken into confidence before any condition of their service is changed, especially when such change may ultimately prove to be to their detriment.

Thereafter, the peeing incident on November 26 in the Air India New York- Delhi flight and mishandling of the issues emerging thereafter brought enough embarrassment to Tata so much so that the Air India CEO and Tata sons chairman had to issue statements. N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons and Air India on January 8 said that the airline's response to the incident on its New York-Delhi flight on November 26 should have been "much swifter". A day earlier, the Air India CEO had said that the airline could have handled the situation better.

The peeing incident brought much controversy and embarrassment coupled with action by the aviation regulator. Aviation regulator DGCA on January 20 imposed a fine of Rs 30 lakh on Air India and suspended the License 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.

In another case, the regulator DGCA imposed a Financial Penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Air India for not reporting the incidents which occurred on AI-142 Paris-New Delhi flight on December 6, 2022. Two incidents had occurred in the flight. While one passenger was caught smoking in the lavatory, was drunk and not adhering to the crew instructions; another allegedly relieved himself on a vacant seat and blanket of a fellow female passenger when she went to the lavatory.
Mysuru : , Jan 28 (IANS) Karnataka BJP MLC, senior leader H. Vishwanath on Saturday confirmed that he is quitting the ruling BJP and joining Congress party.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar and state in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, he said, he would join Congress either before the elections or after the elections in the state.

He also maintained that he does not have any difference of opinion with Opposition party leader Siddaramaiah. "We are always fine on personal levels. We studied law together and are friends," he said.

"I was with Congress party for 40 years. I don't bother about anything. I have always seen Congress party like a mother. I will not contest in upcoming assembly elections. Not even my children will face the polls," he said.

"I was with JD(S) party and it was a party of one family members. Seven family members of former Chief Minister Kumaraswamy were cabinet ministers in the coalition government. Later, BJP came to power and administration was not good during BJP's rule as well. Yediyurappa has continued corruption till date in the state," he said.

"For all these reasons, I am supporting Congress. Pro-people governance is very important. More than joining Congress party, I support the party," he added.

Vishwanath, who was the President of JD(S), had quit the party to join BJP. He was in the forefront of rebellion while 'operation lotus' was carried out in Karnataka by the ruling BJP.
Bharatpur: People gather near the wreckage of a crashed aircraft in Bharatpur district on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Yuvnish) Image Source: IANS News

Bharatpur: The wreckage of a chartered plane that crashed in Bharatpur district on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (Photo:IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Bharatpur: The wreckage of a chartered plane that crashed in Bharatpur district on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. (Photo:IANS/Yuvnish) Image Source: IANS News

Jaipur, Jan 28 : A chartered plane crashed in Rajasthan's Bharatpur district on Saturday, officials said.

Administration officials and the police rushed to crash spot shortly after the accident occured, said Bharatpur District Collector Alok Ranjan.

While Bharatpur administration said that it was a chartered plane which crashed, defence sources maintained that it was one the two IAF jets that crashed after collision during a routine exercise in Madhya Pradesh's border district of Morena.

Details will only be furnished when defence officials give an official note.

However, Rajasthan defence officials said that "it may take time for an official note as officials are checking all details".
San Francisco, Jan 28 : Google-owned music streaming platform YouTube Music gets mood filters, i.e. "activity bar" with various moods to tune what appears in the Home feed on the web.

In the web version, it is left-aligned (as on tablets) and appears beneath the app bar, which can be used to switch between Home, Explore, Library, and Search, reports 9to5Google.

For a less Material You look, pill-shaped buttons are used instead of rectangles with rounded corners.

By selecting one of the options -- Energise, Workout, Relax, Commute, and Focus -- YouTube Music gets updated with a feed of songs, albums, and playlists that match the mood.

Moreover, the music streaming platform also updates the background image at the top.

To go back to the main feed, users will need to click the mood they selected again, said the report.

Meanwhile, YouTube Music is reportedly testing a feature called -- "live lyrics" with a tweaked Casting user interface (UI).

Some users have already received the new feature.

A Reddit user noticed a new UI while casting YouTube Music from an Android phone to a Chromecast Ultra.

Instead of album artwork, song name and artist being centred on the screen, they were on the right with left-aligned text.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Tokyo, Jan 28 : Governor of Japan's Okinawa prefecture Denny Tamaki has requested a detailed explanation from the government in Tokyo on its plan to strengthen defence forces in the southwest region, which was mentioned in the updated security documents.

The Governor made the request when submitting a petition to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Xinhua news agency quoted local media as saying.

Tamaki met State Minister for Foreign Affairs Kenji Yamada and handed over the petition, asking the government to immediately elaborate on the development process of the new security documents, its impact on local areas, and the changes it might bring to the residents of Okinawa, Kyodo News reported.

Last December, the Japanese government approved three updated documents on its security and defence policies, namely the new National Security Strategy, the National Defence Strategy and the Defence Buildup Program.

The documents all mentioned strengthening Japan's Self-Defence Forces in Okinawa with greater access to local airfields and ports.

Analysts here said the release of the documents marks a fundamental shift in Japan's post-war security ideology and defence policy, in complete violation of its exclusively defence-oriented policy and pacifism embodied in the Constitution of Japan.

Such a major policy shift lacked parliament discussion or any explanation to Okinawa residents who will be most affected, experts noted.
Los Angeles, Jan 28 : Hollywood star Viola Davis "loves" her age and finds it frustrating that Hollywood shames older women.

The 57-year-old Hollywood actress has hit out at the "societal pressure" placed on women in the "image-conscious" movie business to maintain their youthful looks, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

She told the latest issue of Platinum magazine: "I'm probably not the best person to ask about my age, I love my age. Even when I was younger, I'd look in the face of Helen Mirren and Jane Fonda and Cicely Tyson, and all I'd see was beauty.

"But yes, the industry is very image-conscious, then you have the societal pressure on people, then you have a perfect storm of there being a lot of age discrimination. But this is where I actually think midlife crisis comes into play.

"It's about liberating yourself from all that. I just find that a lot of times with Hollywood, there is a huge shame factor with getting older and it doesn't help women, especially because our value is so often really place in how we look, how well we cook, and how we raise our children." The 'Woman King' star, who has 12-year-old adopted daughter Genesis with her husband Julius Tennon, "honours" her looks when she was younger like she would her daughter's.

She added: "And now I can look back at six-year-old Viola, and I want to honour her.

"I can't honour her by going out there saying, 'Oh, I'm still not pretty enough, I'm too old.' I can honour her the way I honour my daughter and other young people by looking at six-year-old Viola and reconciling her beauty and going back and literally saying, 'Viola, you were beautiful.' When I look in the mirror now, I'm literally reconciling with my lips, my nose, my skin tone.

"I celebrate it. That's what makes me take risks. That's what makes me Viola Davis."
Chennai, Jan 28 : The Tamil Nadu government's flagship 'Naan Mudhalvan' scheme, aimed at the upskilling students to make them industry-friendly, will now be extended to students of Arts and Science colleges of the state.

At present, training is being provided to 3 lakh engineering students of the state.

With the government in for providing training to students of Arts and Science colleges which has a strength of 4.5 lakh students, there will be a total of 7.5 lakh students who will be given enhanced professional skill training so that they would be industry ready by the time they graduate.

The scheme launched by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on March 1, 2022, was primarily intended for Engineering students.

It was launched after massive complaints that students graduating from engineering colleges of states lacked proper skills.

After the launch of the 'Naan Mudhalvan' scheme, several students were upskilled and it helped them be confident while giving interviews for jobs.

The nodal agency for the promotion of the scheme is Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC).

The TNSDC is presently offering training in Information Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Manufacturing, Banking and Finance, Green Energy, Logistics, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Personality development as also training for appearing in competitive exams.

The skill development body is also providing jobs to the students who have undergone training, mostly in the areas of construction, leather industry, automotive, banking, financial and insurance services. The authorities, however, said that jobs would be provided in more sectors in the days to come and added that discussions are on with various industries to provide breaks to graduate students.

The Tamil Nadu government is also planning to provide a mentorship programme for the students that would help them meet, interact and learn from these mentors who are industry leaders. The experience and expertise of these mentors would be a major support system for these students in their future endeavours.

The Skill development corporation has also organised a 'Naan Mudhalvan' short film festival so that students make films on importance of skill development at an early age in school.
A mess of luggage and passengers at a baggage terminal inside Vancouver International Airport amid mass cancellations and suspended flights during a snowstorm on Dec. 19, 2022. (Supplied by Craig Minielly - image credit)

Deborah Cleary was exasperated.

When she landed in Montreal on Dec. 19, following a trip to Italy, she discovered her suitcase was missing. More than a month later, Air Canada still hadn't found her bag.

"I've spent so much time thinking about it, worrying about it, checking online, calling Air Canada," said Cleary from her home in Plattsburg, N.Y., on Tuesday. "I'm just sort of desperate to get my bag back."

The return to travel since the worst of the COVID crisis has been turbulent, plagued by mass flight disruptions and missing baggage piling up at airports. That has led to calls for airlines to improve their baggage delivery systems.

"It's broken, so I think they need to fix that," said Cleary, who visited the Montreal airport two weeks ago to search for her bag amidst a sea of unclaimed luggage. She didn't find it.

However, following a CBC News inquiry to Air Canada, Cleary learned on Friday that her suitcase is being shipped to her home.

"I'm very, very happy," she said. "I had almost resigned myself, I was never going to see it again."

submitted by Deborah Cleary

Canada's first round of missing baggage chaos erupted in the summer, largely sparked by staffing shortages as airports and airlines scrambled to ramp up operations.

Have a question or something to say? Email: ask@cbc.ca or join us live in the comments now.

There were high hopes the holiday travel season would go more smoothly -- until severe winter storms hit much of Canada, causing hundreds of delayed and cancelled flights, plus a backlog of lost luggage.

"In the airline industry, a delay of greater than 15 minutes generally results in missed connections," said former Air Canada executive Duncan Dee. "Delays equal missing bags."

CBC

Dee said airlines need to do a better job keeping track of luggage, and the federal government also needs to invest more in airports.

In late December, cold weather caused a baggage belt to freeze at Toronto's international airport; a fierce snow storm caused widespread flight delays and cancellations at Vancouver's international airport.

Story continues

"There's obviously a need for better infrastructure, better resources for airports  to make them more resilient to these weather events," said Dee.

What about the airlines?

When asked this week about recent travel chaos, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said airports will get the tools they need, but did not elaborate.

On the baggage issue, he pointed the finger at airlines.

"I find it extremely frustrating when I hear stories of people not having their luggage for days on end," he said during an event in Hamilton. "Airlines should be doing more."

His comments follow several recent media reports about air passengers' struggles to find their missing luggage

They include the saga of Nakita Rees and Tom Wilson of Cambridge, Ont., who battled with Air Canada for more than four months to retrieve Wilson's missing suitcase.

WATCH |Ontario couple told their luggage was lost  but it wasn't:

The bag vanished during their flight home from Greece in September. Because the couple had put an air tag tracker inside the suitcase, they were able to track its journey to a storage facility in nearby Etobicoke, Ont.

Even though Rees shared with Air Canada the whereabouts of the bag, the airline deemed it lost.

"The most frustrating thing about it was we had no way of getting it, even though we knew the location and we told the airline so many times," said Rees. "Because the air tags are newer, I just don't think airlines know how to even use that information."

The couple finally got the suitcase back this week  after their story was picked up by the media.

Airlines respond

Other passengers have also complained about similar experiences when tracking their lost luggage with air tags.

Former Air Canada executive Dee said airlines typically track luggage by scanning their baggage tags and that their systems currently can't accommodate air tracking technology.

"That's something where airline processes have not caught up to the technology that's available," he said. "No airline in the world has the ability right now to accept information from travellers."

Alghabra suggested airlines need to change with the times.

"We hear about how Amazon is able to identify where their items [are at] every moment," he said. "It's frustrating that airlines still have not modernized their luggage handling system."

Air Canada told CBC News it's constantly exploring new technologies. The airline added that its baggage delivery rate has returned to normal, following the stormy holiday weather.

Air Canada said that in Rees' case, the baggage tag had fallen off the suitcase. The airline didn't say how it eventually located the couple's bag, but did indicate that they get to keep the $2,300 in compensation they received for lost luggage.

WestJet said it has launched a strategic review to fine-tune its baggage systems. "[We] are committed to working together with our third-party service partners  to ensure we improve in this area," said spokesperson Madison Kruger in an email.

Baggage compensation

Travellers can claim up to approximately $2,350 for luggage that is lost or delayed on an international flight. For delayed baggage on domestic flights, the airlines design their own rules.

Alghabra's office told CBC News this week the government is exploring ways to strengthen rights for air passengers, including for delayed and lost baggage.

As for passenger Cleary, she had applied for compensation for a lost bag, but said getting it back is a better outcome.

"I would much prefer to have my bag back than any money from Air Canada."
Mumbai, Jan 28 : The Producers Guild of India on Saturday have issued a statement to thank state governments of the country for ensuring peaceful release of Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham-starrer 'Pathaan' across the nation, especially after the series of controversies that the film faced ahead of its release on January 25.

The statement was shared on the official Instagram account of the Producers Guild of India.

It read: "Producers Guild of India thanks all state governments for ensuring peaceful release of historic blockbuster Pathan across India! Tens of thousands of hard-working people make up the Hindi film industry and the larger content producing fraternity for television and steaming services." "The industry generates employment, contributes to the country's economy and is among the most powerful and effective purveyors of India's soft power across the world. The Producers Guild of India is deeply grateful to all the state governments for maintaining law and order, and ensuring peaceful release of the historic blockbuster Pathan across India!" the statement further read.

"Your efforts in safeguarding the sanctity of cinema so that it can entertain India and Indians has boosted the confidence of the Indian film industry. The industry has existed and grown exponentially for over a century and we are among the few countries where homegrown content still dominates." "This has been made possible by one thing and one thing alone - the patronage of millions of film lovers across the length and breadth of our great country. Pathan's success is one of hope, one that makes us believe that the power of love can triumph over everything." "We share this moment of victory with you all. Thank you for making this happen. Thank you for being enabler of history being scripted in India," the statement concluded.
Patna, Jan 28 : Younger brother of Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Chaubey has died after suffering a heart attack in Mayaganj hospital in Bhagalpur district of Bihar, sources said on Saturday.

However, the family claimed that there were no doctors in the ICU ward of the hospital where he was admitted.

Nirmal Chaubey complained of heart attack on Friday night and was immediately rushed to a hospital where he was admitted in the ICU. As per Chandan Chaubey, the deceased's relative, no doctor was present in the ICU and that the nurses were managing it.

"He complained of pain in the heart and vomited blood. We immediately rushed him to the hospital where he remained in the ICU for two hours and succumbed due to lack of treatment. Despite giving the union minister's reference, the staff did nothing. When a union minister's brother can meet this fate here, the plight of the common man can be imagined," Chandhan said.

When Nirmal Chaubey's family members created a ruckus, the doctors fled from the hospital.

Responding to the allegations, Dr Asim Kumar Das, the hospital superintendent said: "Senior doctors at the hospital had administered medicines and shifted him to the ICU. But there was no doctor present in the ICU. We have suspended two doctors for their absence in the hospital.

Ajay Kumar Chaudhary, the SP of Bhagalpur said, "We have not received any complaint so far. We will take action after a complaint is logded."
New Delhi, Jan 28 : Kicking off the proceedings for the 65th annual Grammy Awards, the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will return to the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on 5th February 2023. In an exciting development, the ceremony will be marked by a stirring performance by current Grammy nominee Anoushka Shankar, making it her third Grammy performance.

The masterful sitar player, producer, film composer, activist, and nine-time Grammy Award Nominee will perform alongside vocalist Arooj Aftab on their Grammy -nominated track Udhero Na from Arooj's new album, Vulture Prince.

While Udhero Na is up for Best Global Music Performance, Anoushka's latest album, Between Us... (Live) with Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley featuring Manu Delago has also been nominated for Best Global Music Album this year. This earns Anoushka the massive coup of being the first Indian female musician to receive two Grammy nominations in one year.

Anoushka Shankar said, "I'm genuinely over the moon to be performing at the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony for the third time. This time I'm excited to share the stage with the wonderful Arooj Aftab, playing her beautiful song Udhero Na. I'm grateful my music on this song and on my album Between Us... has been recognized with a nomination again and am proud to represent India and my instrument, the sitar, on this world stage." This announcement coincides with Anoushka's fresh inaugural empanelment as a Visiting Professor in Music at Oxford University. This new role by the Oxford Faculty of Music, in conjunction with the Said Business School and Jesus College is designed to recognize the achievements and contributions of diverse figures across the music industry, and to forge connections and expand the dialogue between students and academics in the University and the wider industry.

In 2016, in a similar vein, Anoushka made an impactful presence within the UK education system, when she became one of the first five female composers to be added to the UK A-level music syllabus, a move that heralded a more diverse, inclusive, and representative syllabus and guaranteed better female representation in the Western classical tradition.

Anoushka Shankar further adds, "What a true honor to be invited as the Inaugural Visiting Professor in Music Business at Oxford University! I'm deeply grateful to embark upon this new journey." The award ceremony will stream live on Sun, Feb. 5, 2023, at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on the Recording Academy's YouTube channel and on live.grammy.com.

(IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
Awantipora : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with PDP chief Mehabooba Mufti and others during Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra in Awantipora area, on Saturday, Jan 28, 2023. (Photo: Nisar Malik /IANS) Image Source: IANS News

Pulwama : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and PDP chief Mehabooba Mufti along with supporters duirng Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra in Awantipora area of Pulwama, on Saturday, Jan 28, 2023. (Photo: IANS/Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Pulwama : Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and PDP chief Mehabooba Mufti along with supporters duirng Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra in Awantipora area of Pulwama, on Saturday, Jan 28, 2023. (Photo: IANS/Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Srinagar, Jan 28 : Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mehbooba Mufti joined Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra on Saturday in Anantnag district.

After a day's halt at Chersoo village, Rahul Gandhi started the mega walkathon towards Srinagar on Saturday morning.

In Awantipora town, the former Chief Minister and her daughter Iltija Mufti joined the yatra and walked alongside the senior Congress leader.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also the walkathon in Lethpora, Pulwama district.

Authorities said tight security arrangements have been made along the yatra's route.

"We're giving three-tier protection, all security arrangements have been done. The Bharat Jodo Yatra is going on smoothly. Traffic has also been diverted, there won't be any problem. No security lapses happened yesterday (Friday) and many people joined the walkathon," said Kashmir ADGP Vijay Kumar Congress sources said the yatra will end at the Pantha Chowk on the outskirts of Srinagar city on Saturday and will start from there on Sunday morning.
Chennai, Jan 28 : The Tamil Nadu Doctors Association for Social Equality (DASE) has urged the state government not to recruit doctors on a contract basis.

Association general secretary Dr. G.S. Raveendranath in a statement said that the government must withdraw its decision to recruit doctors, nurses, dentists, dental technicians, medical technicians, and others through contract basis.

The general secretary said that recruitment of medical professionals on a contract basis through the District Health Societies should be dropped.

He also pointed out that in 2005, doctors were recruited on a contract basis at a consolidated salary of Rs 8,000 per month and added that the DASE relentlessly conducted campaign against this.

Dr. Raveendranath stated that in 2006 when the DMK government under M. Karunanidhi assumed office, it regularised the services of these doctors following continuous demands on the part of the doctors association.

The DASE general secretary said that the DMK in the past had not made such recruitments and that the present decision to recruit doctors on a contract basis through District Health Societies was against its policy.

He said that doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical lab technicians, and other medical professionals must be recruited through the Medical Services Recruitment Board after conducting examinations.

He also said that recruitment should not be done on the basis of the weightage of marks and interviews as it would lead to irregularities.
New Delhi, Jan 28 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday made four fresh arrests in Chhattisgarh in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering case pertaining to illegal commission on coal sale by state government officials The accused were identified as Dipesh Tonk, Sandeep Nayak, Shiv Shankar Nag and Rajesh Chaudhary.

Tonk is said to be a close associate of Saumya Chaurasia, the Deputy Secretary to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel.

Meanwhile, Chaudhary had carried a fake ED ID card to dupe the probe agencies.

Meanwhile, Chaurasia, IAS Sameer Vishnoi and a few others are under the scanner in the case.

Vishnoi and Chaurasia were already arrested by the ED.

In December 2022, the ED had attached movable and immovable properties worth Rs 152.31 crore belonging to Suryakant Tiwari, Chaurasia, Vishnoi, Sunil Agarwal of the Indramani Group and others in the matter.

In September, the ED had arrested Vishnoi, Agarwal and Laxmikant Tiwari.

The following month, the absconding accused Suryakant Tiwari surrendered before a court and was arrested.A IAS Ranu Sahu was reportedly missing but she wrote a letter to the ED in October and told the officials that she was on medical leave.

Later, the probe agency conducted search operations at her mother's house.

Bishnoi was questioned by the ED officials regarding alleged commission of Rs 25 per ton coal which would be taken out from mines.

The ED had also raided locations in Chhatisgarh for two consecutive days and had recovered around Rs 4 crore.

The Income Tax Department had earlier written a letter to the Chhatisgarh government in which it was alleged that a few officials very close to the Chief Minister were involved in getting commission/bribe from coal and other businessmen.

However, no action was taken by the state government in this respect.
Madrid/New Delhi, Jan 28 : An Indian woman was stranded in a foreign country with no passport as robbers allegedly snatched all her belongings at Hilton Hotel, Madrid, one of the most prestigious hotels in the capital city of Spain.

The victim, identified as Jasmeet Kaur (49), a resident of Noida, Uttar Pradesh, was on a business trip to Madrid where the robbers assaulted her.

In a video message on social media, she has shared her plight and narrated the untoward incident.

She alleged, "No one is helping me out in this hour of distress. I have been running pillar to post with my complaints but the authorities are ignoring it. The Indian Embassy in Spain is sitting over my complaints for days. I have run out of cash. I don't know what to do now. Despite filing an FIR in the nearest police station in Madrid, no actions so far have been taken against the culprits. The robbers hit me, pushed me down and took away my bag inside the hotel's lobby area. The hotel authorities aren't helping me. I have stayed in this hotel in the past too but no such things ever happened to me. I have lost all my important belongings including my passport." Kaur alleged that she raised the complaint to other Indian diplomats in Spain but no redressal has been made.

She said, "Women aren't safe anywhere in the world. I humbly request the Indian Foreign Minister Dr. Jaishankar, Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, and other authorities to please help me in this situation. I want to get back to my country India. Please help me out." In her police complaint in Madrid, she has written that while she was inside hotel with a guest, the men snatched her belongings including the passport, and ran away.
Mumbai, Jan 28 : Actor Boman Irani, who is known for his work in the 'Munna Bhai' franchise, 'Don' and several others, is celebrating his wedding anniversary on Saturday.

To mark the occasion, the actor shared a series of adorable pictures with wife Zenobia on their 38th wedding anniversary.

The actor, who was recently seen in the film 'Uunchai' wished his better half through a witty post that read: "Living under the same roof for 38 years. Living with the same heartbeat for 41. You taught me that winning an argument is actually a loss. Because it's a stupid, pointless victory." "So don't waste time. But you always said this only when you lost an argument.

Happy anniversary Zeenu," the post further read.

As for his work, Boman Irani will next be seen alongside Shah Rukh Khan in Raj Kumar Hirani's 'Dunki'.
Patna, Jan 28 : Former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday demanded lifting of liquor ban in the state as it is "impacting" foreign tourists' arrival and foreign exchange earnings.

He asked Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav to talk to CM Nitish Kumar and get the ban removed.

Manjhi, while addressing a gathering during Budha Mahotsava in Bodh Gaya, claimed that Bihar is losing huge amounts of foreign exchange earnings due to liquor ban.

"Despite it being an international tourist place, the foreigners do not spend more than 2-3 hours in Bodh Gaya. They come to Bodh Gaya and Gaya, visit important places and return to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh or Hazaribagh in Jharkhand," Manjhi said.

"I request Tejashwi to talk to the chief minister and restart the liquor operation in the state. If we want the foreign tourists to stay longer and spend more here, their meals and drinks will have to be taken care of. If liquor is restarted, their arrival will surely increase ten-fold," Manjhi said.

The Budha Mahotsava is being organised after two years in the Kaal Chakra ground in Bodh Gaya and it was inaugurated by deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav.

Notably, liquor ban in the state has led to spurt in hooch tragedies. The latest occurred in Siwan on January 22 in which 15 persons have lost their lives so far. One of the victims succumbed to it on Friday night.
Jamnagar, Jan 28 : Two police constables have been suspended in Gujarat's Jamnagar for allegedly beating a minor.

The suspension order was given by Jamnagar District Superintendent of Police (DSP) Prem Sukh Delu and on Friday, he had also ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Addressing reporters, the DSP said that the minor's parents personally complained to him against two constables Hitesh Chavda and Vanraj Khavad that they had beaten their 17-year-old son.

"As a minor is the said victim of alleged atrocity, I can't take it lightly and so immediate action of suspension was taken and an inquiry has been ordered," he added.

Chavda and Khavad were posted at Jamnagar's B division police station.

However, Inspector H.P. Zala told IANS: "The DSP have suspended the constables on an oral complaint from the parents, the victim was never brought to the police station. No idea whether the constables had beaten the minor or not and for what reasons." According to police sources, the two constables suspected the minor to be involved in illegal liquor business and in an attempt to get information from him, they must have beaten him.
A report released Monday details the racism faced by Black Muslims in Edmonton and put forth recommendations to improve inclusivity. (Dave Bajer/CBC - image credit)

A team of Muslim community members in Edmonton are working to address racism in faith spaces.

The Anti-Racism Muslim Collaborative (AMC) conducted community engagement to better understand anti-Black racism to resolve the issue.

Hanan Attitalla, education coordinator with the advocacy group John Humphrey for Peace and Human Rights, facilitated the project and said anti-Black racism "is rampant in most spaces in our city."

"It's validating to know that these concerns are shared across our sisterhoods, your brotherhoods, that we all share these experiences ... it's not me being overly sensitive," Attitalla said.

"But it's not something that's just in Muslim spaces, it's everywhere."

AMC released a report based on the community engagement sessions noting areas of improvement to make Muslim spaces more inclusive, safe and welcoming for Black Muslims.

Some issues the report identified include the lack of spaces for Black people in Muslim communities, inclusivity for non-Arabic speaking Muslims and representation in Muslim leadership.

Black Muslims, most notably women, have been targets of hate-based violence and racist attacks in recent years.

Police-reported hate crimes against Muslim people in Canada rose from 84 incidents in 2020, to 144 incidents in 2021, Statistics Canada data shows.

The 23-page report identifies solutions to the issues community members say they face.

During the community sessions conducted to create the report and its data, participants were asked which Muslim spaces in Edmonton are perceived as the least inclusive or safe for Black Muslims.

The most common answers included the Edmonton Islamic Academy and Al Rashid Mosque.

Noor Al-Henedy, spokesperson for Edmonton Islamic Academy and Al Rashid Mosque, said both groups identified the issue of anti-Black racism and lack of inclusivity nearly four years ago which sparked their participation in the report.

Al Rashid Mosque hosts anywhere from 2,000 people for Friday prayer to 15,000 members during Eid, Al-Henedy said.

Story continues

"Our spaces are meant to be a safe space for everybody," she said.

"So we took the concerns that came to us very seriously and we were very adamant to make changes within our structure, within the mosque, and the school to ensure that proper representation is there."

Report participants acknowledged organizations who are doing work to address racism against Black Muslims such as Black Women United, Sahaba Mosque and the Canadian Somali Association.

Report recommendations include encouraging open discussion about racism, ensuring there is adequate translation at Friday prayer for non-Arabic speaking Muslims and understanding how colonialism impacts the existing spaces.

Irfan Chaudhry, director of the office of human rights, diversity, and equity at MacEwan University, said Black Muslims have repeatedly been excluded from Islamic places.

"I think [the report] does highlight both the real and perceived layers of bias and discrimination toward the Black Muslim community," Chaudhry said.

He said between his work and lived experience as a Muslim, he has seen Black Muslims excluded from places of worship but has also seen the Muslim community become more receptive to change.

The Muslim population in Edmonton is diverse, with many coming from East African and non-Arabic speaking countries, Chaudhry said.

"Some of these mosques have been established through previous generational influence where they're limited to be as welcoming or inviting as they could be," Chaudhry said about how immigration patterns were a factor but have evolved over time.

"Black Muslim mosques have been opening in and around Edmonton, but also ... trying to carve their own space," Chaudhry said.

"Versus trying to be actively included into some of the existing dominant spaces that are there."

Attitalla said the report has been widely shared within Muslim communities to improve the atmosphere for Black Muslims which she said has been received positively.
Chennai, Jan 28 : Even as the farmers and local residents of Perandur in Chennai have been protesting against a second airport coming up at Perandur, the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) has extended the deadline for bids to select a consultant to February 6.

Sources in TIDCO told IANS that the date is extended as time is required for the preparation of the bids.

The consultant has a major role to play as one of the clauses in the tender is to reassess the land requirement. The consultant will also determine phase-wise development of the project as well as exact requirement of land parcels for the airport.

The farmers of the Ekanapuram village whose land is to be acquired will be closely monitoring the development. The farmers and villagers have been opposing the proposed airport and have passed a fourth resolution against it.

The TIDCO requires 4563.56 acres of land spread over 13 villages of the state.
Chennai, Jan 28 : With the Indian banking sector stable plank with the ghosts of non-performing assets (NPA) vanishing -- at least for now -- there may not be any major announcements by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as to capital infusion in public sector banks or even their disinvestment in the upcoming Union Budget, said experts.

With the credit offtake being good while deposit mobilisation lagging behind, the Centre may announce something to increase bank deposits, they added.

"The banking sector -- government and private -- is stable now. We don't expect any capital infusion announcement by the Finance Minister for the public sector banks," Sanjay Agarwal, Senior Director, CARE Ratings, told IANS.

He also said there may not be any announcement relating to disinvestment of the public sector banks.

"The privatisation of IDBI Bank is moving ahead. The government may wait and watch post IDBI Bank privatisation relating to disinvestment in public sector banks. The process of privatisation of government banks has to be streamlined," Agarwal added.

According to a report by Emkay Global Financial Services, the government may name the two banks that would be privatised.

The report also said the banking sector witnessed slight moderation in credit growth to 15 per cent year-on-year (YoY) for the fortnight ended December 30, 2022 (vs 17.4 per cent the previous fortnight), mainly due to the base effect (heavy lending to oil PSUs last year), while underlying growth in absolute terms remained robust.

"Deposit growth continued to be a laggard, at 9.2 per cent YoY, which remains a concern amid the tight liquidity situation, resulting in most banks turning aggressive in raising deposit rates in the last quarter," Emkay Global said.

"The interest on deposits has to be hiked by the banks. The budget may have some announcements on credit support or tax support for bank depositors," Agarwal said.

According to Emkay Global, the banking industry would look for growth boosters in the budget like: 1. Announcement of large infra/power and defence projects with private participation, to revive capex demand; 2. Increase in bad-debt-provision deduction, under Sec 36(1)(viia) from the current 7.5 per cent of adjusted total income plus 10 per cent of average aggregate advances made by rural branches, can be expected; 3. Increase in the FPI/FII limit for public sector banks, which though looks unlikely, given there is already enough headroom; 4. Update on the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), post the initial pilot run by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), and measures to further boost digital adoption; 5. Tax relief on merger/de-merger transactions, to facilitate implementation of a holding company structure.

According to CARE Ratings' Agarwal, the budget may have an announcement relating to support to micro small medium enterprises (MSME).

"Introduction of new incentives to encourage domestic production targeting MSMEs would help us move towards becoming Atmanirbhar. This would promote domestic economy, employment and help us avoid importing of low value-add products," opined Venkatraman Venkateswaran, Group President & CFO, Federal Bank.

"We anticipate that the government will establish an export promotion fund to help MSMEs expand their footprint globally. Additionally, developing a broad-based interest equalisation or subsidy schemes for exporters, along with measures for simplifying taxation, incentives towards ESG spending and tax incentives linked to employment generation can help re-energise the small business ecosystem," said Sudarshan Chari, Executive Director & Head, Business Banking, DBS Bank India.

Queried about the non-banking finance companies (NBFC), Agarwal said the government may extend the provisions of the SARFAESI regulations.

In a survey conducted by CARE Ratings NBFC officials had wished that the government would bring their sector at par with banks, small finance banks and housing finance companies in terms of SARFAESI regulations, wherein they are also allowed to apply for loans above Rs1 lakh as against the cut-off of Rs 20 lakh as of now.

"Gold loans provided by NBFCs are not considered priority status and hence, specifically to gold loans NBFCs we expect restoring priority sector status to eligible gold loans, including microloans, loans to farmers and microbusinesses. We also hope that the Government will now permit the securitisation of short-term gold loans without the minimum holding period (MHP) requirement but with a minimum retention requirement (MRR) of 20 per cent of the book value of the loans being securitized/20 per cent of the cash flows from the assets assigned," George Alexander Muthoot, MD, Muthoot Finance Agarwal also said the Finance Minister Sitharaman may not announce anything relating to disinvestment in its insurance companies while the three general insurers need additional capital infusion.

It should be said, the government owned four general insurers -- The Oriental Insurance Company Limited, National Insurance Company Limited, The New India Assurance Company Limited and United India Insurance Company Limited -- are in the process of implementing the rejig measures suggested by consultancy firm EY.

(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
Bhilwara, Jan 28 : Striking a chord with the Gurjjars in poll-bound Rajasthan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday termed it a "coincidence" that India assumed the G20 presidency which has a lotus emblem in its logo in the 1111th year of Bhagwan Devnarayanji who also appeared on a lotus.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Bhilwara this morning to attend a ceremony commemorating the 1111th 'Avataran Mahotsav' of Bhagwan Shri Devnarayan, the deity of Gurjjars.

On this occasion, he performed 'mandir darshan' and 'parikrama' and planted a neem sapling. He also performed Purnahuti in the ongoing Vishnu Mahayagya at Yagya Shala.

Expressing his happiness for getting an opportunity to be present on the auspicious occasion, the PM said that he was not there in the capacity of a Prime Minister but as a pilgrim who wishes to seek blessings of Bhagwan Shri Devnarayan Ji.

He also expressed gratitude for being able to perform 'purnahuti' in the ongoing Vishnu Mahayagya at the Yagya Shala. "I feel blessed to get 'darshan' of both Devnarayan ji and 'Janta Janardan'", Modi said. "Like any other devout here, I also seek blessings from Bhagwan Shri Devnarayan Ji for the constant development of the nation and welfare of the poor '', the Prime Minister further remarked.

Referring to the continued ancient flow of Indian consciousness, the Prime Minister said that India is not just a land mass but is an expression of civilisation, culture, harmony and possibilities. He talked about the resilience of the Indian civilization as many other civilizations could not adapt to the changing times and perished. Despite many efforts taking place to break India geographically, culturally, socially and ideologically, no power could finish India, the PM said.

"The India of today is laying the foundation for a grand future", the Prime Minister said as he credited the strength and inspiration of the Indian society that preserves the immortality of the nation. Throwing light on the contributions of the strength of the society in the thousand-year-old journey of India, the Prime Minister noted the energy that stems from within the society in every period of history and acts as the guiding light for everyone.

The Prime Minister recounted Shri Devnarayan's devotion to the people's welfare and his choice of service to humanity. "Path shown by Bhagwan Devnarayan is of 'Sabka Vikas' through 'Sabka Saath' and the country, today, is following the same path".

Referring to Bhagwan Devnarayan's campaign to make 'Gau Seva' a medium of social service and social empowerment, the Prime Minister pointed out the growing spirit of Gau Seva in the country. He also spoke about the nationwide vaccination campaign for foot and mouth disease, the establishment of Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog and Rashtriya Gokul Mission.

Modi noted the invaluable contribution of personalities like Tejaji to Pabuji, Gogaji to Ramdevji, Bappa Rawal to Maharana Pratap and said great personalities, leaders and local deities from this land have always guided the country. He also underlined the bravery and contribution of Gurjjar women and paid tributes to Rampyari Gurjjar and Panna Dhai. "This tradition continues to flourish even today. It is the country's misfortune that such countless fighters could not get the place they deserve in our history. But New India is rectifying these mistakes of the past decades", he added.

"Today the whole world is looking towards India with great hope", the Prime Minister said. He further added that the pride of this land of warriors has also increased with India's show of strength in the whole world. "Today, India speaks on every major platform of the world with unfettered confidence while reducing its dependence on other countries. We have to live up to the expectations of the world by proving our resolutions", the Prime Minister remarked as he expressed faith in succeeding with the blessings of Bhagwan Devnarayan Ji and Sabka Prayas (everyone's effort).

Union Minister of State for Culture Arjun Ram Meghwal, Head Priest of Malaseri Dungri Hemraj Ji Gurjjar and Member of Parliament Subhas Chandra Baheria among others were present on the occasion.
Mumbai, Jan 28 : Bollywood producer-director Karan Johar, whose directorial 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani' is set to release this year, is rooting for his 'bhai' Shah Rukh Khan and 'bhaijaan' Salman Khan.

On Saturday, KJo took to the story section of his Instagram handle to share a sweet note for the cast of 'Pathaan', his cousin Aditya Chopra and the director of 'Pathaan', Sidharth Anand.

Sharing the poster of the spy-action thriller, the filmmaker wrote, "Nothing matters more than a great film. The mega blockbuster succes proves that excessive promotions, fear of trolling, boycott threats, just about all the myths that we as an industry propagate or believe in are redundant when a film like 'Pathaan' kills all of them." The 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' helmer further mentioned in his note, "Old school conviction and a kick-ass trailer is what we all need. So thrilled for you Adi, Sid, bhai, bhaijaan, John and DP. Rooting for you till we reach that magic number".

'Pathaan', which marked the return of Shah Rukh on the silver screen after four years, has been pulling in crowds since the day of its release with theatres running to packed houses.

The film also released in Tamil and Telugu, apart from Hindi, on January 25.
Tokyo, Jan 28 : A gum disease called periodontitis can lead to a litany of dental issues from bad breath to bleeding and lost teeth, and now it is found that it could also lead to a serious heart problem, a new study has shown.

According to the study published in Clinical Electrophysiology, the team of researchers found a significant correlation between periodontitis and fibrosis -- scarring to an appendage of the heart's left atrium that can lead to an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation -- in a sample of 76 patients with cardiac disease.

"Periodontitis is associated with a long-standing inflammation, and inflammation plays a key role in atrial fibrosis progression and atrial fibrillation pathogenesis," said first author Shunsuke Miyauchi, assistant professor at the Japan-based Hiroshima University.

"We hypothesised that periodontitis exacerbates atrial fibrosis. This histological study of left atrial appendages aimed to clarify the relationship between clinical periodontitis status and degree of atrial fibrosis," he added.

Moreover, the study mentioned that the patient's left atrial appendages were surgically removed, and the researchers analysed the tissue to determine the correlation between atrial fibrosis and gum disease severity.

They found that the worse the periodontitis, the worse the fibrosis, suggesting that the inflammation of gums may intensify inflammation and disease in the heart.

"This study provides basic evidence that periodontitis can aggravate atrial fibrosis and can be a novel modifiable risk factor for atrial fibrillation," said corresponding author Yukiko Nakano, professor of cardiovascular medicine at Hiroshima University's Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences.

Further, Nakano suggests that in addition to improving other risk factors such as weight, activity level, and tobacco and alcohol use, periodontal care could help manage atrial fibrillation comprehensively.
Seoul, Jan 28 : Twelve South Korean websites attacked by a Chinese hacking group remain unable to be accessed five days after the incident, industry sources said.

The Chinese attackers, identifying themselves as Xiaoqiying, hacked into the websites of 12 academic organizations and institutions Sunday, including the Korea Research Institute for Construction Policy, the Korean Archaeological Society and the Korean Academy of Basic Medicine & Health Science.

The attack took place in the middle of the four-day Lunar New Year holiday that began last Saturday, reports Yonhap news agency.

According to the Korean internet safety watchdog, the hackers used the SQL injection technique to exploit a security vulnerability in the websites' software and corrupt the database contents.

After the breach, most of the attacked websites showed an error page or a warning message by the hacking group.

"We are working on determining the exact cause of the case and restoring the damage, but it takes some time," said an official from the cybersecurity authorities, asking for anonymity.

The South Korean government is now looking into some 40 files disclosed by the Chinese hacking group Thursday. The group claimed it had stolen the data from South Korea's government and public institutions.

It also said it had successfully compromised the computer networks of 70 South Korean educational institutions around the Lunar New Year holiday that ran from Saturday to Tuesday.
New Delhi, Jan 28 : Amid the ongoing row between the Centre and the judiciary over judges appointment, former Supreme Court Judge Rohinton Fali Nariman, speaking at a public event, slammed Law Minister Kiren Rijiju for his "diatribe" against the collegium system for appointment of judges.

On Centre sitting on candidates recommended by the collegium for judgeship, Justice Nariman termed it "deadly for democracy".

"This sitting on names is a very deadly thing which is against the democracy of this country. Because what you are merely doing is you are waiting for a particular collegium and hoping that the next collegium changes its mind." Nariman was part of the Supreme Court collegium till he retired in August 2021.

He also suggested a 30-day deadline for the government to respond to the recommendations made by the collegium.

Nariman also called for the formation of a special five-judge bench, and a judgment should be passed that when collegium sends a name to the government, and if there is nothing comes the government within a period of 30 days, then it will be taken as it has nothing to say.

Nariman was speaking on Friday at the Mumbai University while delivering the seventh Chief Justice M.C. Chagla Memorial Lecture.

He said if the last bastion of independent judiciary falls, the country would enter the "abyss of a new dark age", and added that what is the independence of the judiciary if judges, who are fearless and independent, are not appointed.

Nariman said, "If you don't have fearless and independent judges, say goodbye... There is nothing left. As a matter of fact, according to me, if finally this last bastion falls or is to fall, we would enter the abyss of a new dark age.

"In which, R.K. Laxman's Common Man will ask himself only one question: If the salt has lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted?" The Law Minister had termed the collegium system alien to the Constitution, and had also said that it is "opaque and not transparent".

Nariman said, "We have heard a diatribe by the Union Law Minister of the day against this process (judges' appointment). Let me assure the Law Minister that there are very basic constitutional fundamentals he must know. Unlike the United States, a minimum of five unelected judges are trusted with the interpretation of the Constitution." He pointed out that judicial appointments in the United States do not involve any decision-making process from the judiciary at all, but India adopted a different approach.

The former apex court judge, on a basic doctrine structure issue, said that in the past over 40 years ago, it was sought to be undone twice and since then not a word has been said against it, except very recently.

"So let us be clear that this is something that has come to stay, and thank god it has come to stay," Nariman said.
Agartala, Jan 28 : The opposition Congress, which would contest the February 16 elections to the 60-member Tripura Assembly in alliance with the CPI-M-led Left parties, announced 17 candidates' names on Saturday.

The five Left parties led by CPI-M announced the names of 47 candidates on Wednesday, leaving 13 seats to their new ally Congress while dropping eight sitting MLAs.

Congress leaders, who were upset over the paltry allotment of seats by the Left parties, refused to make any comments about the candidates' list.

Congress leader and the party's lone MLA in Trpura, Sudip Roy Barman, had said that they had first demanded 27 seats, and then 23 seats from the Left parties.

"They (Left parties) have taken the decision as per their whims and fancies, but we would go as per the wishes of the people," Roy Barman told IANS.

According to the Congress candidates' list, announced by the party's General Secretary in-charge of Central Election Committee, Mukul Wasnik, Roy Barman would seek re-election from the Agartala constituency while state party President Birajit Sinha would contest from Kailasahar, from where he was earlier elected to the state Assembly.

Former Tripura Congress President Gopal Roy would contest from Banamalipur, while ex-MLA Ashish Kumar Saha has been fielded for the Bordowali seat.

Tripura Chief Minister and BJP nominee Manik Saha and state BJP chief Rajib Bhattacharjee will also contest from Bordowali and Banamalipur seats, respectively.

Interestingly, three parties -- BJP, Congress and Forward Bloc -- have nominated their candidates for the Badharghat constituency, traditionally a Congress bastion, from the same family.

While BJP nominated Mina Rani Sarkar, her elder brother Raj Kumar Sarkar has been fielded by the Congress, while Forward Bloc has nominated their nephew Partha Ranjan Sarkar, a lawyer.

The trio joined different parties after the death of Congress MLA and former minister Dilip Sarkar, who passed away three years ago.

Despite the seat adjustments between the Left parties and the Congress, both sides nominated candidates in the SC reserve seat.
Bengaluru, Jan 28 : The health condition of Jr NTR's cousin Nandamuri Taaraka Ratna, who was hospitalised after suffering a cardiac arrest, still critical, the health bulletin from Narayana Hrudayalaya in Bengaluru released on Saturday stated.

Taaraka Ratna is a member of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP).

The hospital bulletin reads: "He is currently under the care of a multi- disciplinary clinical team including cardiologists, intensivists and other specialists. He remains in a critical state of maximum support. He will continue to be under rigorous evaluation and treatment in the coming days.

"Nandamuri Taaraka Ratna suffered cardiac arrest in Kuppam on January 27 and shifted to a hospital in Kuppam with resuscitation for 45 minutes and primary treatment.

"Doctors there advised to move him to a tertiary centre. Due to his critical condition, we were requested to transfer him to Narayana Institute of Cardiac Sciences (Narayana Hrudayalaya), Bengaluru when a team of doctors from NH travelled to Kuppam to evaluate his condition," the health bulletin noted.

Narayana Hrudayalaya hospital also said that Taaraka Ratna was found to have an anterior wall myocardial infarction with balloon angioplasty, on intra-aortic balloon pump and vasoactive support.

"He was shifted to Narayana Hrudalaya via road at 1 a.m. on January 28. His condition was highly critical due to cardiogenic shock after the myocardial infarction, and evaluation of his condition will continue with treatment under standard guidelines and protocols," the health bulletin read.

Meanwhile, Telugu superstar Nandamuri Balakrishna has visited Taaraka Ratna at the hospital.

Police said that they have beefed up the security in the surrounding areas of the hospital as TDP chief and former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu is expected to visit the hospital.
Ahmedabad, Jan 28 : A man attempted suicide after his in-laws "kidnapped" his wife in Ahmedabad.

Sachin Nai, who attempted suicide on Friday evening, is struggling for his life in hospital.

Sachin's father Subhash alleged: "Since my son married Manasvi on December 9, he was harassed and tortured by his in-laws and upper caste members of the Bhutavad village as we are from barber 'Nai' community." "Our community members faced social boycott at the hands of upper caste villagers, and after the Aravalli police and district administration intervened, the boycott ended," Subhash alleged.

However, after that, Manasvi was kidnapped by his father Arvind Chaudhary and three others on January 20 from Ahmedabad, where the couple used to reside, Subhash claimed.

Subhash said, "Almost seven days have passed since Manasvi was kidnapped, but there is no action by the police. Due to continous pressure by his in-laws to sever relationship with Manasvi, my son attempted suicide."
A tooth fossil belonging to Edworthia greggi. Researchers were able to identify the new species based on tooth morphology. (Submitted by Craig Scott/Royal Tyrrell Museum - image credit)

Around 60 million years ago, when southern Alberta was a humid subtropical wetland, two tiny primates lived in the Calgary area, perhaps climbing through the ancient trees and plucking fruit with their fingers.

A new paper published this month in the Journal of Paleontology identified the two new species from fossils taken from a handful of sites between Calgary and Cochrane. The discoveries provide a deeper insight into the diversity of ancient mammals following the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Craig Scott, the director of preservation and research at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, was a co-author on the study, which included researchers from around the world.

Submitted by Craig Scott/Royal Tyrrell Museum

"It may be surprising to a lot of people that there were primates known from that far back in the past," he said. "And that we find them here in Western Canada."





These prehistoric primates, named Edworthia greggi and Ignacius glenbowensis, were not like apes. They were tiny and looked something like small lemurs with a long face, eyes toward the sides of their heads.

"They were probably dining on fruit," Scott said. "From other closely related small primates, we can say that they may have been arboreal, living in trees."

Researchers were able to identify the new species through the morphology of teeth fossils  the enamel is the hardest and most durable tissue of the mammalian body.





"We are essentially paleo-dentists," Scott said, describing himself and his fellow researchers, who studied a number of fossils dug up over the past few decades.

Submitted by Craig Scott/Royal Tyrrell Museum

The new species were found at four sites, including an exposed cutbank along West Nose Creek in northwest Calgary and a rail cut along Cochrane's eastern edge.



Two other sites are along the north side of the Bow River between the two communities, including one in Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park  hence the name "glenbowensis" for one the species.





According to Scott, the fossil record in Alberta displays an increasingly diverse range of prehistoric life, from dinosaurs to the archaic primates he helped name.

Story continues

The discovery of these new species helps scientists fill in the gaps in their understanding of evolutionary history, particularly when it comes to early primates.

"As human beings, we have a vested interest in understanding that a lot better," Scott said.

The two new species are thought to have lived during the Paleocene epoch, about 66 to 56 million years ago, after the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs.

One of the species, Edworthia Greggi, is thought to be slightly older than the other, Scott said, adding that the small primates would not have crossed paths in the ancient forests as they existed one after the other.

Both of the species belong to a group of archaic primates that had a huge geographic range, spanning from the southern United States to the High Arctic. Like most branches in the evolutionary tree, this group eventually went extinct.
Chennai, Jan 28 : The recent visuals of Tamil Nadu Minister for Urban Development, K.N. Nehru, who allegedly held a party cadre by the cuff of his neck and shoved another one during a programme at Salem, were caught on camera.

The video of the incident has gone viral. The function held at Salem was to felicitate party youth leader and Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Udayanidhi Stalin who had reached the city.

With a heavy queue of party cadres lining up to felicitate Udayanidhi, who is also Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's son, K.N. Nehru lost his cool and pushed and shoved a party cadre. After some time, he was seen holding another party worker by the cuff of his collar.

The action of the minister was caught on camera and turned viral with several people sharing the same on social media.

BJP Tamil Nadu unit president, K. Annamalai in a tweet said, "Looks like the DMK ministers have taken a pledge to beat up people. A minister throwing stones at party cadre a few days back and now another roughing up people. Request the Chief Minister to provide protective equipment to keep us safe." It may be recalled that K.N. Nehru had a few days before was caught on camera hitting a DMK councillor.

A few days back, DMK leader and Minister for Dairy development, S.M. Nasar, in a video, was seen throwing a chair at party workers during a programme at Tiruvallur district. The minister was infuriated as the party cadres were taking time to bring him a chair to sit on.

With the actions of the party minister being caught on camera and turning viral, the party leadership is in a spot. Sources told IANS that the Chief Minister had pulled up both the ministers and told them strictly not to go overboard even in extremely tense situations.

While speaking to IANS, G.R. Mukunda Raja, Professor of Sociology in a college at Tirunelveli, said, "The ministers are slowly showing their true colours. The DMK is a political party which has always had a violent past and the ministers throwing stones at party cadres and holding a cadre by the cuff of his neck are scenes which we will witness in the days to come. If the party and its allies win a large chunk of Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 general elections, the party cadres and leaders will show their true colours to the people. It is better for Chief Minister Stalin to control these arrogant ministers, lest it will affect the image of the party badly."
Bengaluru, Jan 28 : The Karnataka High Court has permitted a woman to settle down in Australia with her kid as the father did not turn up to see his child for eight years after getting divorce.

The bench headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna has accepted the petition in this regard by the mother seeking to settle down permanently in Australia with the kid. The father also did not turn up to attend the court proceedings in this regard.

The petitioner had claimed that after divorce, she had settled down in Australia with her second husband. She had questioned the order by the local civil court in Maddur quashing her request to get visa for her child to settle with her in Australia.

The bench observed that the father had not come to see the child for eight years after obtaining divorce. He did not attend the inquiry regarding visa. All this shows that he does not have any interest in taking care of the child in future.

The couple got married in 2006 and they had a son. They applied for divorce. The court had given custody of the minor kid to the mother. The court had granted divorce and given permission for the father to meet the kid once in a month.

But, the father did not turn up to visit his son. Mother got married to another person and settled down in Australia with her kid. The lower court had withdrawn the permission granted to the father of the kid as he did not turn up to see his kid or to attend court proceedings.

According to Australian law, visa is required for the minor children to stay. The mother had applied in the local court through her father in this regard to obtain visa for her kid. As the local court refused to grant permission, she had appealed the order in the High Court.
New Delhi, Jan 28 : India Ahead, a private English news channel, shut down its operations, leaving its employees in a state of uncertainty.

The employees have alleged that they have not been paid their salaries for several months.

All the employees, including reporters and anchors, are now demanding their dues and have come down heavily on the authorities.

Speaking to IANS, a top management official, who didnt wish to be named, said that the management is doing everything possible to pay salary to the employees.

Ridhima Kedia, a journalist, tweeted, "We had the company's back till the end, like the very end, the least we would ask for is honesty. The HR also has no answer as far as salaries are concerned and this is unfair! This is simply unacceptable." Soon after this tweet, Bhupender Chaubey, former Editor-in Chief at India Ahead, responded that owners of the company is doing everything possible to help all the employees.

Another ex-employee blamed the India Ahead management for not responding to her calls.

"It's true. I am an ex-employee and I didn't receive nearly two months' pay. My mails to HR and accounts team went unanswered," tweeted Akanksha Verma.
Chennai, Jan 28 : A consensus on prediction and management of small for size syndrome in living-donor liver transplant was arrived at an international conference of liver surgeons, hepatologists, liver anesthesia team and researches who assembled here from across the world, said Mohammed Rela, President, International Liver Transplant Society.

The conference proceedings will be used to generate practice guidelines for publication in Transplantation Journal, said Rela, who is also the Chairman of the 450-bed Rela Hospital here.

The first International Consensus Conference on Prediction and Management of Small for Size Syndrome in Living-Donor Liver Transplant and the 13th Edition of Master Class in Liver Disease is being held here between January 27 and 29.

The conference is jointly organised by the International Liver Transplantation Society (ILTS), the International Liver Donor Liver Transplantation Study Group (iLDLT) and the Liver Transplant Society of India (LTSI).

According to Rela, a workshop on robotic donor hepatectomy will be held on Sunday, where two robotic living-donor operations will be demonstrated to the conference participants.

"This ground-breaking event has brought together liver transplant society heads from across the world along with more than 150 leading surgeons, hepatologists, liver anesthesia team and researchers in the field of liver transplantation, sharing the latest advancements, research and best practices in the field," Rela added.

Living-donor transplant was initially small in number and it grew after the Japanese took it up.

A living-donor liver transplant is a surgery in which a portion of the liver from a healthy living person is removed and placed into someone whose liver is no longer working properly.

Specialists in the field acknowledged India's rapid growth in living-donor liver transplant.

"Chennai is the Mecca for liver transplant. We are doing smaller grafts. We came here for a consensus. In Turkey, we do living-donor transplants," said Yaman Toilat.

"Tamil Nadu leads India in this area. At our hospital itself, we perform about 300 liver transplant operations per year," Rela added.

Queried about the impact of Covid-19 on liver, Toilat told IANS that if the Covid patient was already suffering from liver cirrhosis, the impact will be greater.

John Fung, President, The Transplantation Society, USA; Hiroto Egawa, President, International Living-Donor Liver Transplantation, Japan; Elizabeth Pomfret, former President, ILTS; and Mark Gobriel, President-elect, ILTS participated in the event, among others.
Los Angeles, Jan 28 : Kanye West got into an argument with one of them earlier this week, rapper was seen in a viral video snatching a paparazzo's phone before throwing it in the middle of the street.

In the clip which emerged online, Kanye pulled up to ask a photographer to stop filming him, reports aceshowbiz.com.

"I wanna just see my kids," the rapper said while inside his car.

The photographer then responded, "I understand, but it's not just me. There's a hundred of us." "Everybody gotta stop when I see my kids," he insisted.

When the pap once again asked: "What do you want us to do? It's a hundred of us," the hip-hop star replied, "I don't care how many of you. You want to hear what I want you to do? If I need to see my kids, don't photograph them." Still, the pap insisted that he's allowed to take pictures of him because it's a public place. "It's called human rights," Kanye said before driving away.

On another occasion, Ye was seen confronting a woman who was caught filming him. Even during the confrontation, the woman didn't stop her camera. At one point, Ye snatched the phone and threw it into the street.

After watching the intense video, fans urged people to stop being intrusive to celebrities. "They doing too much! Like it's dangerous & intrusive," one person wrote in an Instagram comment.

"I feel like he's being harassed and people want him to snap. They want him to have a meltdown. This is so sad," another added. Someone else similarly opined, "Now that he's quiet, now y'all going out here messing with him. Leave that man alone." Another user questioned, "Why they treating him like that? He's human being too you know!" The new video arrived after Ye was caught on camera arguing with a paparazzo who disturbed his date with new wife Bianca Censori. When the pap asked him about his honeymoon following his secret wedding to the Yeezy employee, Ye demanded, "Stop, just stop," before calling the person "antagonistic." He went on to rant, "You know the first time when I took medication, where I was? I got mad at the paparazzi. You know who the paparazzi was? The same one that shot (Britney Spears)." He also implied that the paparazzi treated him like he's "some type of caged animal".

At one point, the "Jesus Is King" artist talked about how celebrities didn't profit from pictures which were taken by paparazzi.

"The media doesn't have a right to just, boom, pop up," he pointed out. "We ain't have no idea. Then I have no say so in the shot. It's not just that. It's the entire media. Y'all find out where we are at. Y'all take this photo. What percentage of the money do we get off these photos?"
New Delhi, Jan 28: Driven by a near collapse of the economy, uncertainty and risks in Pakistan's political and security have risen further with impending elections intensifying the struggle for power.

A shortage of fuel and food has led to severe disruption in the supply chain. The fuel shortage has started to have an impact on the country's business operations and transport services while the liquid petroleum gas (LPG) distributors are now threatening to go on a strike in protest of the government's move to increase prices.

"It is a grave situation in Pakistan and problems are now erupting from every corner. It is almost like the replay of what we saw in Sri Lanka," a foreign policy expert told India Narrative. "The current volatility could further push the country into darkness -- something that unfolded in Sri Lanka a few months ago," he said.

The foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan currently stand at $3.67 billion -- not enough to cover even a month's imports.

In a bid to save foreign exchange, Islamabad has had to halt imports of several goods. The country's currency has been sliding and hit an all-time low of Rs 266.6 against a US dollar on Friday.

The country's political class has now resorted to doing what it does best -- shifting blame instead of charting a roadmap of economic revival.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has blamed his predecessor Imran Khan for the current economic situation.

His Finance Minister Ishaq Dar went a step ahead and said that the Almighty is responsible for the country's prosperity besides accusing the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for this economic crisis.

"(Imran) Khan sahab, what have you really done? All this time, you were just busy with politics of persecution and didn't care about the public," Dar said in a televised statement.

"In a nutshell, you brought Pakistan's economy down to the 47th rank. This is the reason why IMF gives us dictation today... we are fulfilling your sovereign commitments," he said.

Meanwhile, Khan warned that the deepening economic situation may affect Pakistan's security.

"Today, every Pakistani is worried about security, except for those who do not have a stake in Pakistan... and I am the most worried about it," Khan said.

Threats from the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), a terror outfit, are already rising.

In November, the group claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb blast in Quetta.

According to the European Foundation for South Asian Studies (EFSAS), the TTP's renewed rise, enabled by the Taliban's steadfast support, will also expand the threat of terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including against civilian targets.

The only silver lining at this point is the fact that the International Monetary Fund could revive its stalled loan programme.

An IMF team is expected to visit Islamabad to continue discussions under the ninth review of its loan programme under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). But to revive the economy, Pakistan would need concrete plan.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
New Delhi, Jan 28 : An Indian Mujahideen terrorist, Shehzad Ahmed alias Pappu (33), who was convicted and awarded life imprisonment by a Delhi court in connection with the 2008 Batla House encounter case, died during the course of treatment on Saturday morning.

He was undergoing treatment at AIIMS hospital for pancreatitis.

Ahmed was a resident of Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. On February 6, 2010, he was lodged at Tihar Jail in connection with Batla House Encounter case. Later on, he was transferred to central jail number 15 in Mandoli on July 7, 2022.

Apart from Batla House encounter, he was also facing prosecution in six other cases. One of the cases was lodged against him with Bengaluru Police.

On December 8, 2022, Ahmed was admitted at GTB Hospital for the treatment of gallbladder stone-induced acute necrotizing pancreatitis with modified CTSI.

His condition deteriorated and he was referred to Safdarjung Hospital on December 27. On January 11, he was shifdted to AIIMS for further treatment.

"He was undergoing treatment at AIIMS where he died. The doctors told us that he died at around 7:42 a.m.," the police said.

The Special Cell conducted a raid in Batla House in Jamia Nagar to nab the terrorists who were involved in Delhi serial blasts. In this encounter, Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma suffered a gunshot injury and later died.
New Delhi, Jan 28: The dramatic arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf (PTI)'s former Information Minister, Fawad Chaudhry from outside his Lahore house in the early hours of Wednesday, January 25 by a posse from Kohsar Police Station, Islamabad represented a sharp rap on the knuckles of former Prime Minister, Imran Khan.

It signifies that with the PTI- Pakistan Muslim League (Q) coalition government of former Chief Minister Pervez Elahi dissolved in Punjab, and the Caretaker regime under Syed Mohsin Naqvi firmly in the saddle, outspoken PTI leaders would no longer have leeway to keep lambasting the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government at the Centre or senior government officials discharging their official duties.

52-year-old Fawad Chaudhry hails from a prominent political family from Dina, Jhelum district with old moorings in the Pakistan Muslim League. His uncle, Chaudhry Iftikhar Hussain served as Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court from 2002 to 2007. Himself a lawyer, Fawad had developed typical political ambitions during a career which saw him peregrinating from various ruling dispensations in quest of perks of office.

Starting from contesting the Member Provincial Assembly seat from Dina (MP-25) as an independent candidate, he joined the All-Pakistan Muslim League floated by sycophants of former President Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf in 2011. He then moved to the People's Party of Pakistan in January, 2012 and was inducted as Special Assistant to Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani for Information. In 2016, he contested the National Assembly NA-63 seat from Jhelum on a Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e Azam) party ticket but lost.

In 2018, he joined the PTI and won from both the NA -67 Jhelum National Assembly and the Punjab Provincial Assembly seat PP-27 Jhelum, becoming in the process an articulate loyalist of emerging Prime Ministerial aspirant, Imran Khan and even an aspirant for the post of CM Punjab.

Possessing the gift of the gab, he supplicated Imran in earnest, holding the prestigious Information Ministry at the Centre briefly (Aug 2018) before being shafted, for a temporary gaffe, to the less important Ministry of Science and Technology (April, 2019). He made a comeback, however, to the Information Ministry (April, 2021). Especially after Imran' ouster from power in April, 2022, Fawad Chaudhry came to the forefront echoing his master's vituperations against Federal Government Ministers, officials and even Army Generals.

In recent times, as cases for violation of rules in the Toshakhana (false declaration/concealment of assets) and illegal foreign funding were taken up in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), making Imran's disqualification and possible arrest imminent, both Imran and Fawad Chaudhry had become very offensive in their criticism of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of Pakistan, Sikandar Sultan Raja and his team of officials. Raja is a former bureaucrat appointed, ironically enough, by Imran Khan himself when he was Prime Minister.

According to the FIR filed by a senior ECP office Chaudhry called the ECP a 'munshi' and threatened the CEC, ECP members and their families that they will pay back in kind (read 'violence') if anything 'unjust' happened to the PTI.

The charges in the FIR against Fawad Chaudhry include Section 124-A (sedition), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups, etc.), 505 (statements conducive to public mischief) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation).

Chaudhry's arrest on Jan 25 morning was likened, by his wife, Hiba to a 'kidnapping'.

Another PTI politician, Farrukh Habib tried to jump before the police cars whisking him away.

The Islamabad Police took transit remand from a Lahore judicial magistrate before taking him away. Despite this, PTI supporters moved a habeas corpus petition before the Court of Justice Tariq Saleem of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

It may be noted in this context, that recent judgements of the LHC were perceived to be one-sided and partial to the PTI.

Predictably, Justice Saleem demanded immediate return and production before him of Fawad Chaudhry.

He summoned the newly appointed Inspector General of Police, Punjab, Usman Anwar as well as the IGP, Islamabad to appear before him in person by 6 p.m. the same evening.

However, after a quick medical examination and production of Fawad Chaudhry in the court of Islamabad judicial magistrate, Naveed Khan on January 25 afternoon, the case petered out.

IGP, Punjab, Dr Anwar appeared before Justice Saleem, explaining that the Punjab Police no longer had jurisdiction.

Thereafter, the habeas corpus petition was dismissed.

After an initial 2-day police remand, Fawad Chaudhry has been given 12-days' judicial remand by Judge Raja Waqas Ahmed and lodged in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

After Chaudhry's arrest, Imran Khan held a press conference alleging this was an attempt to silence him and scuttle his election agenda.

He also asked President Arif Alvi to help. The latter came down to Lahore, this time staying only at the Governor's house but apparently explained his limitations in this regard.

Fawad Chaudhry resorted to bravado during his arrest, claiming to have been victimized like Nelson Mandela, but later toned down his defiance by stating during court deposition that as party spokesperson, he was opining what was the party's policy, not his personal opinion.

Media personnel in Pakistan criticised his arrest as an attempt to muzzle freedom of opinion.

The Supreme Court Bar Association also took up cudgels on his behalf.

However, protests on the streets of Lahore and Islamabad, called for by Imran Khan's supporters fizzled out.

The perception predominantly prevails in Pakistani public opinion now that Chaudhry is paying for the wild oats he sowed in his recent attacks on Army Generals by name and he is likely to cool his heels in custody for a while.

The message has clearly been conveyed to Imran Khan by the new military establishment that he better behave in a more civil manner, eschew unparliamentary language and curtail frequent press appearances to sustain his narrative of unfair ouster and conspiracy, which has started to wear thin.

(Rana Banerji was Special Secretary (Retd.) in the Cabinet Secretariat. Views expressed are personal and exclusive to India Narrative) (The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Lucknow, Jan 28 : Political experts believe that the Ramcharitmanas, a famous Hindu text penned in the Awadhi language by Tulsidas in the 16th century, has been caught in the midst of the conflict between political parties.

They believe that Ramcharitmanas has been the centre of political criticism for the first time in its rich history.

In several places, its Sunderkand is recited by the Ramayana Mandals on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

According to historians, Ramcharitmanas, which consists of 12,800 lines divided into 1,073 couplets and seven kandas, is considered a popular work of Awadhi literature (Hindi literature).

Senior political analyst K. Vikram Rao said that raising questions on the text is basically irrelevant as it is a 500-year-old book. Its readings have been prevalent in Hindu weddings in India.

Rao added that the sudden questioning of it in 2023 reveals a certain motive of Hindus becoming "unified." He said: "Secular Hindus can support the view that this is an attempt to secure votes." Rao added that Ramcharitmanas has never been a subject of controversy if seen through the national perspective.

He commented: "Ram Manohar Lohia himself was an atheist. He started the Ramayana Mela. Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh also used to visit this fair. I don't know why the people of his party are raising questions." Analyst Ratanmani Lal said that the discussion on the Ram Mandir issue will start in the next few months. "The talk of the temple's inauguration in January, 2024 is coming to light. In such a situation, the support of the Hindus may go to the ruling party. The opposition will definitely try to weaken this support, which is why they are questioning the book and the characters instead of raising questions about Ram Mandir," he added.

Honoured with the Sahitya Bhushan award and well versed in spirituality, Pramodkant Mishra said: "It is foolish to question the character of Lord Rama and it is not a matter of politics. Those who want to achieve cheap popularity engage in politics on this. The book is widely read in every household. This epic composed by Goswami Tulsidas, 500 years ago cannot become a means of selfishness." He claimed that questioning the scriptures is a cheap means to get popularity.

Samajwadi Party National Spokesperson Ashutosh Verma said that objections are raised on a book if it creates a rift in the society, however this is not done by political leaders but by religious ones.

BJP state spokesperson Avneesh Tyagi said: "Ramcharitmanas is the book of faith of Hindus. It is considered epic. Opposing it shows mental bankruptcy." The beginning of the dispute:

Retired Professor and writer K.S. Bhagawan from Karnataka stirred a controversy by making objectionable remarks against Hindu deity Lord Ram.

He commented: "He [Ram] used to sit and drink alcohol with Sita during the day, so Lord Ram is not ideal." Bihar Education Minister Chandrashekhar while addressing the students at the convocation of Nalanda Open University in Patna, alleged that Ramcharitmanas is a book that spreads hatred and divides the society.

Uttar Pradesh's SP leader and Legislative Council member Swami Prasad said that the Shudra community was insulted in the Ramcharitmanas.

He said that certain couplets should be removed from such books or they should be banned.
Chandigarh, Jan 28: Controversial IPS officer Kuldip Singh Chahal, former SSP of Chandigarh, seems to have deliberately absented himself from a state-level Republic Day function at Jalandhar presided over by the Punjab Governor, raising eyebrows in official circles.

Chahal was prematurely repatriated to Punjab from the post of SSP Chandigarh by the UT Administrator-cum-Governor Punjab on the "authentic" charge of "serious misconduct". This has caused a lot of heartburn to the IPS officer.

While Punjab Chief Secretary, V.K. Janjua and Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav (DGP) attended the Republic Day function presided by the Punjab Governor in Jalandhar, Chahal proceeded on a two-day casual leave citing personal reasons. He was promoted to the rank of DIG and appointed as Commissioner of Police (CP), Jalandhar, on January 22, 2023.

When contacted, Chahal told indianarrative.com that he had some urgent personal work for which he took leave i.e. for January 25 and 26, adding that the charge of CP was with the link officer, the IG of the range.

A senior serving police officer maintains that the leave sanctioning authority is not empowered to deny casual leave. Taking casual leave is the right of an employee. The Supreme Court has in various judgments, laid down that the leave sanctioning authority is not empowered to deny casual leave application, he said.

The other view expressed by a senior retired officer is that casual leave is not a right of the employee but is a privilege. The government, if it feels the need, could deny or even cancel the sanctioned leave at any time.

"If leave cannot be denied then where is the need to sanction it? A simple application should be enough. When it is said that the leave sanctioning authority has allowed the application, it implies that the same authority is empowered to disallow it," explains the officer.

However, it is common knowledge there is no love lost between Governor Banwari Lal Purohit and Kuldip Singh Chahal. Taking leave by Chahal on an a day of national importance like January 26 gave an impression that the officer deliberately proceeded on leave to avoid facing and saluting the Governor.

The Governor's Principal Secretary, Rakhi Gupta IAS, did not respond to queries sent to her by this correspondent about whether the Governor found Chahal's conduct reasonable and justified.

The other query that went unanswered was whether an inquiry had been ordered by the UT Administration into the "serious misconduct" by Chahal, for which he was unceremoniously shunted out of Chandigarh.

Sources say that to date, no inquiry had been ordered into the controversy that brought Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and UT Administrator-cum-Governor Punjab Banwarilal Purohit into a confrontation at that point.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Nanaimo bars have been around for decades  and they've even caused a little controversy. (Lauri Patterson/iStock - image credit)

The Nanaimo bar. It's a sweet treat made from chocolate, custard, coconut and walnuts. Love it or hate it, it's uniquely British Columbian.

But where did this chocolatey delicacy come from?

To celebrate the launch of CBC's new permanent Nanaimo bureau, North by Northwest host Margaret Gallagher spoke to food historian Lenore Newman about the origins of the treat that shares the city's name.

Newman says it can be traced back to three women in Nanaimo after the Second World War.

Originally  and uncreatively  called chocolate slices, Newman says the "dainties" popped up around 1952, in, no surprise here, Nanaimo. The base layer, made of graham wafer crumbs, shows up earlier, but the square as we know it with the thick custard middle and chocolate on top appeared in a local hospital auxiliary cookbook in the early '50s, Newman said.

WATCH | A 1987 CBC broadcast features the woman with the 'ultimate' Nanaimo bar recipe:

It was first deemed the Nanaimo bar by Vancouver Sun columnist Edith Adams in 1953 when she wrote that the dessert came from Nanaimo.

This is important to note, Newman says, because other places such as Mississauga and England have tried to claim it as their own.

The bar was later featured in the Expo '86 cookbook, giving it a little more notoriety.

"I think if it had been called the chocolate slice, it would have faded into the past, but the fact that it was called the Nanaimo bar kept it rolling forward," Newman said.

WATCH | A modern take on the beloved Nanaimo bar:

The Nanaimo bar's fame has been far-reaching; when Harry and Megan visited B.C. in 2020, their interest in the treats caused a media frenzy in the U.K. and the U.S., prompting questions of what the square was and where it came from.

The Daily Mail even printed a headline titled: Were Harry and Meghan Markle lured to Canada by chocolate treats?

And in 2021, British Columbians were nonplussed when the New York Times published a recipe and photo of a Nanaimo bar that was, quite frankly, all wrong.

Story continues

That wasn't the first time people were offended over Nanaimo bars. In 2019, a Canada Post stamp featuring the dessert showed far too much of the middle layer, prompting outrage from Nanaimo bar enthusiasts.

Famous, infamous

Canada Post

"I like to say it's like the Kardashian of Canadian desserts in that it's famous for being famous and sometimes infamous, and it's amazing how much play it gets," Newman said.

So, how do you make the perfect Nanaimo bar? Here's a recipe from The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 cup graham wafer crumbs.

3/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut.

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts.

1/3 cup cocoa.

1/4 cup sugar.

1/4 tsp salt.

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted.

1 egg, beaten.

1/2 tsp vanilla.

For the middle layer:

1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened.

2 tbsp custard powder.

2 tbsp milk.

1/2 tsp vanilla.

1/8 tsp salt.

2 cups icing sugar.

For the glaze:

110 g semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped (about 3/4 cup).

2 tbsp unsalted butter.

Instructions

Heat oven to 350F. Line an eight-inch pan with parchment paper, with ends extending over the sides of the pan. Set aside.

Stir together graham crumbs, coconut, walnuts, cocoa, sugar and salt. Add butter, egg and vanilla, stirring to combine. Press firmly into the prepared pan.

Bake until firm, about 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the middle layer. Mix butter and custard powder in a large bowl with a hand mixer. Add milk, vanilla and salt and mix to incorporate. Add icing sugar in two additions. Mix until light and fluffy. Spread over the bottom layer. Refrigerate for one hour.

While the crust and middle layer are in the refrigerator, stir chocolate and butter together in a medium heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water until melted.

Spread chocolate glaze over the middle layer. Chill for 30 minutes. Remove from the pan with parchment edges and cut into 25 squares.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Bhopal, Jan 28 : Senior Congress MLA and Leader of the Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Govind Singh said on Saturday that he has received a notice from the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The Congress leader was asked for a physical appearance at ED's headquarters in New Delhi on January 27, however, instead of appearing, Singh has sought reason for notice.

During a Press conference on Saturday, Singh said the ED has issued a notice to him, but the Central agency has not mentioned any reason for calling him for questioning.

Singh said after consulting with advocate and party colleague - Vivek Tankha (Rajya Sabha MP), he has asked the ED to clarify that - why he has been issued notice? Singh also said if the ED failed to reply to his query, he will take issue before the Supreme Court.

Singh said he had received ED's notice on January 24, according to which he was asked to appear at the agency's headquarters in New Delhi on January 27.

"I went to Delhi, but when I consulted with two senior advocates - Vivek Tankha and Kapil Sibbal, they were too amazed to see the notice. In that notice, I was asked to appear for questioning, but no reason was mentioned in it. Through my advocates, I have asked the ED to clarify as to why I was summoned. I have given them four week times, if it fails to reply, I will approach the Supreme Court," Singh added.

Meanwhile, Singh, who is an MLA from Lahar Assembly constituency in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior-Chambal, accused the ruling BJP of misusing the Central agencies for harassing and tarnishing the image of non-BJP politicians.

"I have always furnished detailed information about my properties in my election affidavits. This is the first time I was issued such notice and without any reason. This notice against me was issued at the behest of ruling BJP, because they want to create a panic situation among the Congress leaders when the elections are coming in Madhya Pradesh," Singh added.

The notice issued by Assistant Director of Enforcement Directorate, Deepak Kumar Chunbouk, noted that Singh was asked to appear before the Central agency under "Prevention of Money Laundering Act - 2002."
Kolkata, Jan 28 : In view of the forthcoming polls to the three-tier panchayat system in West Bengal scheduled this year, the state unit of BJP has decided to set up a special district-level committee in each of the 23 districts of the state.

Apprehending that widespread violence might be unleashed by the ruling Trinamool Congress both on the polling day as well as before the polls, the BJP leadership is trying to include one retired police officer and a couple of criminal lawyers in each such district level committee.

In fact, retired IPS officer Bharati Ghosh has been made the in-charge for coordinating on behalf of the party with the administration and the State Election Commission.

When contacted, Ghosh told IANS that the typical feature in the rural civic body polls is that more than the polling day, violence is unleashed by the ruling party before the elections.

"Either the opposition candidates are not allowed to file nominations, or those who have filed nominations are terrorised by the ruling party to withdraw the same. So, we, on behalf of BJP, are working out various strategies to counter this menace this time. The final strategy is yet to be chalked out. Once it is done, I will be able to share more information with you," she said.

Meanwhile, a state committee leader of the BJP said that the party leadership is keeping ready a list of at least 10 lawyers in each of the 23 districts who are experts in criminal law.

"As soon as there is a complaint of pre-poll violence, this team will be ready to file a suit in the matter. The special district-level committees will be ready with the contact numbers and emails of the top administrative officials as well as the officials of the State Election Commission so that each and every complaint of poll- related violence is recorded immediately," he said.
Bengaluru, Jan 28 : The Karnataka unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has posed several questions to the ruling BJP government in Karnataka about the investigation in power broker 'Santro Ravi's' case.

K.S. Manjunath, also known as 'Santro Ravi', was nabbed by the Gujarat Police earlier this moth. The alleged human trafficker was on the run for the past 11 days. Ravi was in the eye of a political storm over his alleged role in police transfers and links to several politicians. He has at least 21 criminal cases lodged against him related to human trafficking, murder, fraud, and kidnapping.

Speaking to the press at the party office here, AAP's communication in-charge for Karnataka, Brijesh Kalappa, said, "It has been over two weeks since the arrest of Santro Ravi, but the government has not goven any information about the investigation. Are they trying to shield him or do away with him?" Kalappa asked several pointed questions to the government, including why Ravi was apprehended in Gujarat and not in Karnataka, what was the reason for his visit to Gujarat, and who were the people with whom Ravi had business dealings.

He also questioned the government's lack of action against those who may have helped Ravi amass a wealth of Rs 1000 crore, and asked why the ED, CBI, or the Income Tax department are not probing how Ravi acquired so much money.

In response to a question about ADGP Alok Kumar's comment that the investigation only pertains to the harassment complaint filed by Ravi's wife, Kalappa said, "Why is the ADGP not investigating the links of this white-collar criminal with the politicians? Alok Kumar should not give in to political pressure. If he is working on the behest of politicians, he is incompetent to hold to his post." Kalappa also asked who helped Ravi stay in the Kumara Kurpa government guest house and questioned the reported overdose of drugs found in Ravi's system. He compared the lack of information about Ravi's case to that of Ajmal Kasab, pointing out that the public had more information about Kasab's whereabouts and daily activities.

"Of the three political parties, both Congress and JD(S) have fallen silent on the issue of Santro Ravi, after Ravi himself said that he has provided his services to all the three political parties. They are hand-in-glove in both Santro Ravi and Shirki's case and are happy with the government's inaction against these criminals," the AAP leader said.
Chennai, Jan 28 : The Tamil Nadu government has released 60 prisoners as part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' celebrations.

According to the Tamil Nadu Jail department, 11 prisoners from Puzhal central prison, 12 prisoners from Cuddalore and 12 prisoners from Coimbatore central prisons, 9 prisoners each from Vellore and Tiruchi central prisons, one prisoner from Madurai central prison, while four prisoners from Palaymokottai central prison were released.

A woman prisoner was released from Special Central prison, Puzhal, while another woman prisoner was released from Coimbatore Central prison.

Tamil Nadu Jail DG (Prisons) Amaraesh Pujari while speaking to media persons said that those released were not involved in heinous crimes.

They have already served 66 per cent of their prison term. The state government issued an order releasing these prisoners after studying the recommendations from the respective prison superintendents.

The jail officials told IANS that the released prisoners would be assisted to find jobs with the support of certain NGOs.

The released prisoners were provided sweets and groceries as a goodwill gesture.

Jail department officials said another batch of prisoners would be released on August 15 under the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' scheme.
New Delhi, Jan 28 : An 18-year-old boy was injured after he was stabbed by four minors following a quarrel over some petty issue in Delhi's Dwarka area.

The police said that the incident occurred on Friday night following which two of the accused have been apprehended, while search is on to nab the remaining two juveniles.

According to M. Harsha Vardhan, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka), at 8:37 p.m. on on Friday, information regarding a quarrel was received at the Bindapur police station wherein the caller stated that some people have beaten up one person in the Vishwas Park area, following which a police team was rushed to the spot.

"On reaching the spot, the police found that the injured youth, Harsh, was already shifted to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) hospital for treatment of stab injuries," said the DCP.

Harsh later told the police that some people assaulted him as he had a quarrel with one of them a week back.

"A case under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the Bindapur police station and all the four accused persons have been identified. They are all juveniles. Two of them have been apprehended," said the DCP.
Chennai, Jan 28 : The G20 Education working group meeting will be held at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras campus on February 1 and 2.

Thirteen G20 member countries and guest countries would be attending the seminar.

The programme would be held at the research park in IIT -Madras.

As a curtain raiser to the event, a seminar on the 'Role of Digital Technology In Education' will be held on January 31.

The Tamil Nadu government's skill development programme aimed at engineering graduates and arts and science graduates, 'Naan Mudalvan', will be showcased during the seminar.

The meeting will focus on tech-enabled learning to be more inclusive as well as qualitative and collaborative at every level. The seminar will also ensure foundational literacy and numeracy in the context of blended learning.

There will be three sessions of panel discussions during the seminar. The meeting also aims to build a skilling ecosystem as well as to realise the creative potential of each learner as stated in the National Educational Policy 2020.

The delegates will be taken on a trip to Mammalapuram as part of the heritage site tour on February 1.
New Delhi, Jan 28 : A country that wanted to snatch Jammu and Kashmir from India has plunged into a deep economic crisis. The Pakistani rupee has fallen to an all-time low, medicine stocks are at the verge of getting exhausted, prices of wheat have skyrocketed and cash reservoirs stand depleted. Even petrol and diesel are about to dry up.

Pakistan is paying a heavy price for breeding terror in its backyard and is staring at bankruptcy as the international community too has dragged its feet.

For the past three decades, the neighbouring country has been fighting a proxy war with India by sending terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir. Rather than building Pakistan, its rulers have been daydreaming about annexing Kashmir.

They tried taking Kashmir by fighting conventional wars, but the Pakistan Army couldn't match the skills and expertise of the Indian Army and was defeated.

In 1990, Pakistan launched a proxy war in J&K by sending terrorists and arms and ammunition into the Himalayan region. Soon after the armed insurgency broke out in J&K, terrorists carried out target killings of the members of Kashmiri Pandit community, forcing them to leave everything behind and flee from the Valley.

Pakistani stooges, hired by the terror bosses sitting across the Line of Control, organised protests and shutdowns to create uncertainty and chaos in Kashmir. They sold an illusion called 'Azadi'. Terrorists sponsored by Pakistan resorted to bloodshed and large-scale violence to achieve the goal they were trained for. But they failed as the security forces either neutralised them or sent them packing.

Pakistan used all resources to bleed J&K From 1990 to 2019, Pakistan used all its resources to bleed J&K and annex Kashmir. It spent millions on building terror infrastructure and training the terrorists in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). The neighbouring country pumped Hawala money into J&K through various channels to orchestrate violence on the streets and to disrupt normal life.

It didn't leave any opportunity to bleed India. The attack on Parliament in Delhi and the Mumbai terror attacks are grim reminders of how Pakistan-sponsored terrorists infiltrated into the metropolitan cities of India to target innocent people.

Pakistan turned Jammu and Kashmir into a theatre of terrorism as the terrorists carried out numerous attacks on security forces, civilians, politicians and others for three decades.

New Delhi's August 5, 2019 decision Till August 5, 2019 -- when the Centre announced its decision to abrogate J&K's special status and bifurcated it into two Union Territories -- Pakistan-sponsored separatists and terrorists used to call the shots in the Himalayan region.

However, J&K's complete integration with the Union of India changed the entire scenario. The bold decision taken by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led regime to end the 70-year long status-quo proved to be a decisive step towards ending Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in J&K.

Desperate attempts of the neighbouring country to challenge India's decision to revoke Article 370, a temporary provision in the Indian Constitution, went in vain as the international community, including Muslim countries, closed all the doors on Pakistan leaders by terming New Delhi's decision as its internal matter.

Pakistan grapples to make ends meet After facing defeat on all fronts, Pakistan is grappling to make its ends meet and provide two square meals to its citizens. The country of 23 crore people is now paying for the crimes committed by its leaders and the deep state.

It's an open secret that successive Pakistan regimes always used terrorism as an instrument of their state policy. Rulers overlooked governance and focused all their energies on using terror as a strategic weapon.

A small part of Kashmir under the occupation of Pakistan since 1947 is a glaring instance of the colonial mindset of Islamabad. Its population has remained deprived of the basic amenities and no development has taken place in the region.

Pakistan turned PoK into a breeding ground for terrorists as maximum of the terror training camps are located there. After J&K's complete merger with the Union of India in 2019, voices in PoK, Gilgit and Baltistan to seek freedom from Islamabad have become shriller.

During the past few years, all the three regions have witnessed many protests against the tyrannical rule of Islamabad with people openly saying that they will be better off with India.

J&K witnessing an unprecedented development is an endorsement of the fact that the Himalayan region is an integral part of India and it's not a colony like PoK, Gilgit and Baltistan.

J&K people come out of illusion The people of J&K have been watching the developments in Pakistan keenly. They are seeing the country, which sold them the dreams of 'Azadi', crumbling. They have understood that the gun which was sent by Pakistan brought nothing except destruction and led to graveyards coming up in every nook and corner of Kashmir.

People of J&K have turned their backs towards terrorism and the agenda of separatism. They are seeing how people in Pakistan are struggling to purchase wheat, medicines and milk. How difficult it's for a common man even to feed his family, while people of J&K have been provided with all the facilities.

The government has never allowed them to feel the pinch as the helmsmen have always focused on increasing per capita income. They have always tried their best to keep the prices of essential commodities under check.

The economic crisis being faced by the people of Pakistan should serve as an eye opener for the ones who acted as stooges of the neighbouring country in J&K.

The country which is unable to feed its own people is still dreaming about Kashmir. What an irony! If Pakistan doesn't give up its obsession with terrorism and Kashmir, no one can save it from turning bankrupt. Its rulers need to understand that Pakistan is collapsing and the world is least interested in helping the country which supports violence and breeds terrorism in its backyard.

Pakistan is paying a heavy price for its misadventures and if it fails to rectify the mistakes that have been committed in the past, the country can end up in a big mess from where no one would be able to pull it out.
Godhra, Jan 28 : The Panchmahal rural police on Saturday arrested a sadhu named Ramkrishna Kumar on charges of raping a married woman.

Inspector R.R. Barot said that the victim had lodged a complaint on Friday in which she said that she is married for the last 10 years, but could not conceive. So she was regularly paying visit to the Ram Tekri temple in Timbi ashram, where she came in touch with Krishnakumar, a sadhu, who promised to help her in conceiving a child." The victim said that Krishnakumar had called her two to three times in the name of some religious rituals, which will help her conceive. On Friday, the accused had again called the woman on the pretext of some religious ritual, but he raped her when she reached his place.
Pune, Jan 28 : The banned BBC documentary 'India: The Modi Question' was screened at the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), the students' association informed on Saturday.

The FTII Students' Association (FTIISA) said the documentary was screened on January 26, coinciding with the 74th Republic Day celebrations.

"On 26/01/23, we screened the banned BBC documentary 'India: The Modi Question' at FTII," said an FTIISA statement issued on social media on Saturday.

"Throughout history, banning of literature, music, and in recent times, media, has been a sign of a crumbling society. The act of scrutiny should be welcomed by our elected representatives. Instead, they quickly tag it as false propaganda and try to shove it under the rug. They should know that the most sure-fire way for something to be watched is to ban it," the FTIISA said in the Instagram post.

"However, the BBC documentary barely scratches the surface of the kind of violence that has been perpetuated throughout the country for a dedicated, singular, vicious purpose," the FTIISA added.

"It would be startling to us if anyone in India is surprised by the happenings in this documentary. Communal violence has become a part and parcel of the ruling party's politics," it said.

Meanwhile, it's learnt that the FTII management has initiated a probe into the screening of the documentary on the campus.

Earlier on Saturday, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai had called off its planned screening of the BBC documentary, following protests by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.

However, though the TISS management had warned against the screening and did not allow the use of projector, the Progressive Students Forum showed the documentary on students' mobile phones, laptops and tablets.
Chennai, Jan 28 : The February 27 bypoll to the Erode East Assembly constituency in Tamil Nadu, which has been necessitated following the demise of Congress MLA E. Thirumahan Everaa earlier this month, is heating up with Congress nominee and former Union minister E.V.K.S. Elangovan all set to file his nomination on February 3.

Elangovan is the father of the deceased Congress MLA, Thirumahan Everaa. Elangovan has already stated that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin's popularity will be a major factor that help him sail through in the elections.

The AIADMK has already announced that the party would be contesting the polls against the DMK front candidate, Elangovan. The party will announce its candidate in a couple of days, with former MLA and party leader Thenarasu being the front-runner.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, Congress candidate Thirumahan Everaa had defeated M. Yuvaraj of the Tamil Manila Congress by a margin of 8,294 votes.

While there are speculations of the O. Panneerselvam faction of the AIADMK contesting the polls from Erode East, the possibility seems slim.

One of the founder leaders of AIADMK and presently the President of the National Justice Party, Shanmugham has called upon Panneerselvam not to contest the polls. He also told both Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) and O. Panneerselvam (OPS) that he would mediate in their dispute and settle it at the earliest for the benefit of the party.

With election scheduled on February 27 and the two major fronts taking on each other, it will be a prestige fight for EPS.

The AIADMK is in the middle of a bitter power struggle between OPS, who is the deposed coordinator of the party, and EPS, the present interim general secretary of AIADMK.
Visakhapatnam, Jan 28 : The controversy surrounding the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached Visakhapatnam with the members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) stalling the screening of the documentary on the campus of Andhra University here.

Members of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) had organised a screening of the contentious documentary on the Andhra University campus on January 27.

However, a group of ABVP activists entered the Satavahana hostel on the campus at 10 p.m. and demanded that the screening of the documentary should be stopped as it is banned in the country.

This led to a minor clash between the supporters of the two groups, eye witnesses said.

The situation was brought under control after the university's chief warden for arts college hostels, G. Veerraju, and the police reached the spot.

G. Subbaraju, ABVP's organising secretary, said that though the documentary is banned in the country, SFI wanted to show it on the University campus, which was against the law, adding that a petition will be submitted to the Vice Chancellor not to encourage such developments on the campus.

However, SFI members claimed that they are not against the Prime Minister, and that the screening was organised in the interest of freedom of expression of the people of this country.
Panaji, Jan 28 : The opposition parties in Goa on Saturday criticised the BJP government after Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a rally in Karnataka's Belagavi said that the BJP has provided water to the neighbouring state by resolving a dispute with Goa over Mhadei river diversion.

During a rally in Belagavi, Shah said: "Sonia Gandhi during a speech in Goa in the year 2007 said that the Congress government will not allow Mhadei water diversion to Karnataka. In 2022, Congress in their manifesto stated that Karnataka will not get a single drop of water from Mhadei. Today, I am here to tell you that the BJP at the centre has resolved the long dispute between Goa and Karnataka over Mhadei and allowed the diversion of Mhadei to Karnataka to satisfy the thirst of farmers of many districts." Reacting to this, Goa Forward MLA Vijai Sardesai said that the 'truth is out' about the lies of BJP leaders in Goa and hence Chief Minister Pramod Sawant should resign.

"KARNATAKA FARMERS' THIRST QUENCHED WITH GOAN LIVES! This is the monstrous face of @DrPramodPSawant! In exchange for his chair, he's deprived generations of #Goans of drinking water, diverting #Mhadei for water-guzzling crops in #Karnataka. QUIT, @goacm. Enough of your lies!" Sardesai tweeted.

"TRUTH IS OUT: @DrPramodPSawant KILLED MOTHER #MHADEI. @BJP4India national leadership reveals the truth I've been saying all along: Diversion of #Mhadei was a joint decision of @goacm and @CMofKarnataka. I challenge Sawant to dispute his leadership now, or resign immediately!" Sardesai further said.

Sardesai had in the past alleged that the Central Water Commission had given a nod to the Detailed Project Report of Karnataka for the disputed Kalsa-Bandhuri dams, only after the Centre had taken Sawant into confidence.

Congress media in-charge Amarnath Panjikar questioned whether Goa CM Sawant will protest against Shah's statement.

"@DrPramodPSawant if Mhadei is your mother, what is your reply to @AmitShah now? Is this a Election Jumla by Amit Shah for Karnataka Elections & the same thing was discussed with your Delegation at Delhi ? Will you resign as a mark of protest against his statement?" Panjikar tweeted.

Interestingly, a delegation led by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on January 11, met Amit Shah and urged him to withdraw the approval given to the DPR of Karnataka.
New Delhi, Jan 28 : RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagaran Manch along with concerned citizens and experts on Saturday organised a roundtable on the 'Imminent Himalayan Crisis' and passed a draft resolution to declare Himalayas an eco sensitive zone.

It said that parts of our history and rich culture and heritage are on the brink of collapse with the sinking of Joshimath.

The round table noted that in the name of development, construction work and tampering with nature is going on continuously all over Uttarakhand.

Due to the massive deforestation, there is hardly any greenery left on the mountains; and due to this, landslides have become a common feature in these youngest fold mountains.

"It has to be understood that the present generation and the government has the responsibility of not only the protection of the Himalayan region, but also the future of all the people living on this land, who are dependent on the rivers coming out of this region. The present governments, both at the centre and the state, will have to demonstrate the utmost sensitivity, otherwise the future generations will never forgive us," it said.

It said that this is not the first time that such a tragedy has happened in the Himalayan region.

Earlier in the year 2021 also, 200 people including the labourers of Tapovan dam had died in the Chamoli flood.

Earlier in 2013 too, a large number of bridges, roads and buildings had collapsed due to floods in the Ganga, Yamuna and its tributaries in the region after heavy rains. There has been an evident increase in the number of such disasters in the Himalayan region in recent years, it said.

It was discussed that uncontrolled construction work in such fragile terrain is the reason for the collapse of Joshimath and recent disasters.

Discussing possible solutions, it said, "Disastrous construction in the name of development without assessing the expected impact is becoming the cause of today's and earlier tragedies. This crisis can be avoided only by curbing this indiscriminate construction. But the construction work in different places cannot be stopped without making a law."
Bhopal, Jan 28 : With the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls inching closer, political barbs between the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress have intensified. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday said the Congress has once again started making 'fake promises' to the people of the state.

While addressing an event on the occasion of Narmada Jayanti in Ujjain on Saturday, Chouhan slammed the Madhya Pradesh Congress Chief Kamal Nath, saying the latter is "preparing a list of 'bachan-patra' (election manifesto) once again".

He accused the former Chief Minister Kamal Nath of failing to fulfil promises to the people of Madhya Pradesh during his 15-month-long government.

"Congress has started making fake promises again. I will ask from Kamal Nath time and again about those promises made in the last Assembly elections," Chouhan said, adding that the Congress had promised to provide a bonus on production of grains, but they forgot after winning elections.

Chouhan made these remarks while responding to Congress' 'bachan-patra' for upcoming Assembly elections, which are due at the end of this year.

Reacting to Chief Minister Shivraj's statement, Nath said, "Chief Minister's job is not to ask questions, but to implement schemes in public interest." The State Congress Chief also took a jibe at Chouhan, saying the people of Madhya Pradesh have decided to bid farewell to Chouhan and then he will have a lot of time to ask questions.

"Only a person of an unstable mind can ask such questions. The Chief Minister's job is not to ask questions, but to implement schemes in public interest. If our announcement is in public interest, then you implement it. By the way, you save the question for a few months," Nath said while talking to the press on Saturday.

Sources in the Congress told IANS that the party has started preparation for a 'bachan-patra' (election manifesto) covering all sections of society.

The party has decided to make a separate 'bachan-patra' for women.

Earlier this week, a meeting was called at Nath's residence in Bhopal to review the preparation of the 'bachan-patra'.
New Delhi, Jan 29 : Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Saturday inaugurated the new casualty and emergency and labour room in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Maternity and Child Health (MCH) block along with upgraded oxygen facilities at the Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital in the national capital.

These new facilities are expected to decongest the labour rooms and casualty at the hospital.

The newly upgraded facilities for oxygen supply has pressure swing adsorption (PSA) capacity of 3000 litre per minute and an liquid medical oxygen (LMO) capacity of 53 kilolitre.

This new facility will also facilitate an LMO buffer tank of 113 kilolitre for state use. With the upgraded oxygen facilities now, the hospital has a direct medical gas pipeline for 1,069 beds now.

Inaugurating the facilities at the GTB hospital, Sisodia said, "Delhi government's Health department has been working round the clock to ensure that people of Delhi get best of the world-class health facilities at the Delhi government hospitals, which is the priority of Kejriwal government." Talking about Delhi's model of health, he added that it has received acclamation across the world.

Upgrading hospitals is just another effort to make our health model more efficient and sustainable, he said.

The new casualty and emergency and labour room in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the MCH block will ensure that pregnant women, mothers and children get swift and quality emergency treatment.

The old building of GTB hospital had three emergency areas of gynaecology in one ward which used to create severe crowding and increased the risk of infection.

"In the MCH block, the three emergency areas of gynaecology casualty, Septic Labour Room and Labour Room I will be separate. In the previous section, all these areas had a total of 22 beds. But with this move, we are adding 20 labour beds, one delivery room and an operating room in each section," he said.

The Gynaecology Department at GTB hospital currently is catering to a heavy workload as the delivery rate is 20,000-22,000/per annum with 150-200 per cent bed occupancy in labour rooms and the footfall in gynae casualty is on an average 100-150 patients per day.
Ghaziabad, Jan 29 : Three persons were arrested in Ghaziabad's Muradnagar area for allegedly slitting the throat of a man and throwing his body in Ganga canal near the Didouli village, police said.

The victim identified as Krishna Kumar had been reported as missing since Tuesday by his father Munesh Kumar. Five days later, on Saturday, his body was recovered near Saunda bridge in Muradnagar area.

The accused trio -- Monu, Sumit, and Punit -- all from Didouli village first made the victim drink alcohol, then made him unconscious by strangulating and finally killed him by slitting his neck with a sharp weapon. After killing Krishna his body was dumped in the canal in a plastic bag.

The three accused men put four bricks in the plastic bag so that the victim's body could not come out of the water and then drowned the bag in the canal.

The police investigation also revealed that this murder was committed to avenge an old rivalry.

Krishna, a resident of Didouli village under Muradnagar police station area, had gone to a Manglik programme at 11 p.m. on January 22, but did not return home.

The victim's relatives searched his whereabouts but to no avail.

During the search, the victim's relatives found Krishna's shoes lying in the room of a resident belonging to the same village as Krishna.

However, blood stains were found scattered at some distance from this room towards the canal. It is suspected that Krishna's body was thrown into the canal after killing him. The person in whose room the victim's shoes were found is also absconding.

Krishna's father alleged that Monu and Sumit alias Chhotu were involved in the murder of his son. He lodged an FIR for a murder case against both of them at the Muradnagar police station on January 27.

Upon questioning by the people, both Monu and Sumit confessed to killing and throwing the body of Krishna in the canal.

On Saturday, police and divers recovered Krishna's body near the Saunda bridge in Muradnagar after several hours of search operation. This body was packed in plastic bag and the victim's throat was strangulated with a muffler.

DCP Ravi Kumar said, "Nearly two-and-a-half years ago, the deceased Krishna had a fight with the father of one of the accused Sumit alias Chhotu over some issue. Sumit's father Anil had suffered head injuries in this fight. To avenge the same enmity, Sumit along with Monu and Puneet alias Kalu from the same village committed the murder. The police have arrested all the three accused."
Jakarta, Jan 29 : Indonesia is set to roll out Covid-19 vaccinations for children under six years starting in the second quarter this year, the country's Health Ministry announced.

"We've already calculated how many children aged six-years-old and below who need the vaccines and when the vaccines can be sent to Indonesia. Based on that, we estimate that the jabs can start in the second quarter," Spokeswoman of Indonesia's Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, told reporters in Jakarta on Saturday.

The Indonesian government has so far carried out Covid-19 vaccinations based on age categories, for children aged 6-11 years, 12-17 years, adults aged 18 years and above, and elderly people, Xinhua news agency reported.

As of Friday, more than 204 million people across the country have received the first vaccine dose, more than 175 million have received the second dose, and 69 million received the third dose, according to data from the Ministry.

Around 1.2 million elderly and people who work in healthcare sectors have been prioritised to receive the fourth dose or the second booster vaccine.
Stockholm, Jan 29 : Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom has said that the country's NATO process has paused, local media reported.

"The events of the last few weeks have temporarily caused the process to a pause," Billstrom told Expressen newspaper, adding that the Swedish government was now investing energy and time to try to push forward the process.

Billstrom told Swedish Television on Saturday that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had put a lot of work into the recent weeks' anger against Sweden, and that it might take a while for it (anti-Sweden sentiment) to subside after such a big event, Xinhua news agency reported.

Sweden suffered a major setback in its bid for NATO membership after events earlier this month that saw protests against the Turkish President and the burning of a copy of the Quran in Stockholm.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday warned Sweden that it should not expect Ankara's backing to join the NATO after the events. And a meeting between Turkey, Sweden and Finland planned for February had also been postponed indefinitely.

In a recent survey by the semi-official Anadolu agency, 92.5 per cent of the respondents in Turkey said no to Turkey approval of Sweden's NATO bid, the news agency reported.
Arrowhead BMW, Volvo Cars Arrowhead, and Jaguar Land Rover Arrowhead (The Arrowhead Luxury Auto Group) came together to make a big impact in the community this past holiday season, hosting a Holiday Toy Drive, Adopt a Family campaign, AND donating a vehicle. Both initiatives benefited the Homeless Engagement Lift Partnership (H.E.L.P.). They collected presents for 100+ families in need, and contributed almost $30,000 in total donations to local families this past holiday season.

H.E.L.P. uses these programs to provide immediate aid and comfort and give the gift of warmth and joy to families living without permanent homes. As a local organization, H.E.L.P. is committed to breaking the cycle of homelessness by providing support, immediate aid, and comfort to at-risk, displaced, and children experiencing homelessness in our local community. Their vision is to help restore dignity and hope.

With the help of the Homeless Engagement Lift Partnership, Arrowhead Luxury Auto Group also donated to a car for a family in need. With this donation, they took a big step to stop the cycle of homelessness. The H.E.L.P. organization took finding the right family seriously, and after many conversations, they found Rachel.

Rachel decided she wanted better for herself and her siblings and left an unhealthy environment. She took it upon herself to obtain guardianship of her brothers, 8 and 15. After an accident that left them without a vehicle, they had to find a new place to live. Focused on housing, the thought of having a car was the last thing on her mind. The boy's school social worker told her about Adopt-a-Family. She felt blessed to have her family picked for Christmas adoption. Clearly, Rachel's joy and appreciation are abundant. She said, "I felt the universe telling me big things were coming and I listened. I asked for blessings. I manifested a better life.

The Arrowhead Luxury Auto Group continues to strengthen the community by supporting and donating to local charities with the help of their customers. In March 2022, they partnered with the H.E.L.P organization to help raise over $5,000 and pack more than 5,000 snack bags to help feed local children in need through the HELP Snackz program. This program works with local school districts to identify children and families in our community experiencing displacement and homelessness.

In October 2022, the auto group was also a proud Costume Sponsor for the Phoenix Children's Hospital Halloween celebration.

About Arrowhead Luxury Auto Group

Arrowhead Luxury Auto Group offers four iconic brands in one convenient location, with a huge selection of over 700 new, certified and pre-owned vehicles to choose from. They offer service & parts, an online inventory, and outstanding financing options, making Arrowhead Luxury Auto Group a preferred dealer serving Glendale, Phoenix, Peoria, Sun City, Goodyear, Surprise, Avondale, Luke Air Force Base, Litchfield Park, Buckeye and Wickenburg area buyers. Ready to set up a test drive? Visit the Phoenix area dealership in Glendale, AZ today.
ZeroNow, the nonprofit dedicated to making schools safer, announced today that Blue Line Solutions has joined its membership as an industry partner. Blue Line Solutions delivers innovative traffic safety zone solutions for school zones and beyond.

Based in Tennessee, Blue Line Solutions offers end-to-end managed services, from equipment and surveillance to citations and collections. By bringing together a combination of public information and education, photo speed enforcement and technology, Blue Line has succeeded in reducing speeding in neighborhoods and school zones

Making schools safer through collective impact requires a broad range of expertise, so we are pleased that Blue Line Solutions is bringing a new specialty area to the ZeroNow alliance, said Ara Bagdasarian, CEO and Co-Founder of ZeroNow. Blue Line Solutions shares ZeroNows passion for saving the lives of our children and school personnel.

As a law enforcement professional with 20+ years of service, Blue Line Solutions CEO and Founder, Mark Hutchinson saw first hand that a lot of police work was reactive, instead of proactive.

My first experience with a traffic fatality was haunting and unforgettable, Hutchinson recalled. A boy named Matthew, just 10 years old, was unbelted in the back seat of a car being driven by his father, who was legally drunk. When I arrived at the scene, I worked to keep Matthew alive as long as I could  but he died in my arms before the paramedics reached us. I had vivid dreams about Matthew for months. Every detail, over and over. I knew that his death could have been prevented.

Blue Line Solutions shares ZeroNows commitment to stopping tragedies before they happen.

ZeroNow was founded by technology partners Additional, Axis Communications, Johnson Controls, and Omnilert, along with campus safety nonprofit partners the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA), NASPA (the Association of Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education), Campus Safety Magazine, and VTV Family Outreach Foundation.

About ZeroNow

ZeroNow is the movement by the safety community to end harmful events in our schools. As a member-based non-profit, ZeroNow facilitates collaboration between industry, association, and education partners to foster new solutions to keep our campuses safe and secure.

ZeroNow brings safety assets and education safety leaders together to establish the standards for campus safety technology. We drive a unified voice to educate policymakers on the need for increased investment in school safety. For more information, please visit ZeroNow.org.

About Blue Line Solutions

Blue Line Solutions was created to help law enforcement save more lives. Leveraging its $0 cost photo-speed enforcement program called TrueBlue, cutting-edge ALPR analytics and revolutionary Criminal Intelligence Network platform, Blue Line Solutions delivers innovative technology, to municipalities, school districts and police organizations.

Founded by former law enforcement veterans, Blue Line Solutions is the only mission-focused company of its kind, dedicated to honoring the life of every hero lost in the line of duty. For more information visit https://www.truebluesafer.com.
Snowy conditions led to a massive traffic pile-up in southern Wisconsin on Friday that left Interstate 39/90 blocked for hours, authorities said.

The State Patrol said it received reports at 12:31 p.m. of a multi-vehicle crash near mile marker 181, which according to the state Department of Transportation would put the location about 2 miles north of the Shopiere Road exit at Beloit.

One injury was reported.

When troopers arrived, they found the interstate blocked in both directions.

Troopers diverted traffic onto side roads. WIFR-TV posted live video of the scene just before 4 p.m. showing semitrailers backed up as emergency workers walked around them.

The State Patrol believes snow, ice and whiteout conditions were factors in the initial crash and in another multi-vehicle crash around 1:30 p.m. Friday that blocked northbound Interstate 41 in Kenosha County.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hytiva approached the cannabis industry differently, with a long-term plan to listen, problem-solve, and build unique solutions for the industry based on a wealth of experience in technology and business. Many technology companies are downsizing and failing while Hytiva is growing and hiring daily.

Daily news of economic turbulence, write-downs, and mass layoffs have quickly spread throughout the technology space, with the cannabis industry hit particularly hard. Early entrants into the cannabis technology space became defined by companies with an intense focus on growing valuations by making news for expensive acquisitions and scaling to meet wild projections. They are now quickly being exposed for lack of attention to real products, services, and financial stability. Hytiva chose a different path, setting a new standard for business and technology in the cannabis industry based on old principles and a long-term commitment to building the complete solutions the industry needs, from the ground up.

Tom Clarke, CEO of Hytiva, commented:

The industry must go through this phase, being over capitalized, over staffed, and basically doing it backwards. Many technology companies are downsizing and failing while Hytiva is growing and hiring daily. When building a technology business for the long term, you are hunting for problems to solve, gathering feedback from your customers, and creating real solutions. This is in direct contrast to the pump and dump business models with hyper-inflated VC valuations that we see today.

A Suite of Technology and Services

Hytivas mature portfolio of companies is unlike most corporate portfolios, often built by an accumulation of mergers and acquisitions. Every Hytiva company (including media, technology, delivery services, logistics, production services, and more) was founded to serve a specific need in the cannabis industry, creating solutions to generate revenue independently and ensure stability throughout the portfolio for Hytiva and its clients. Each Hytiva company shares a consistent vision and complementary technology. As a result, Hytiva offers a greater range of tools than any other cannabis technology company, and Hytiva has the ability to tailor its offerings to support a wide range of uses.

The Hytiva product portfolio includes:



Point of Sale - Hytivas point of sale covers all points of purchase, including in-store, online ordering, kiosk, and mobile purchasing endpoints, with robust automation services tailored to work together seamlessly for each clients operational flow.

Mobile Applications - Hytiva Mobile Apps provide the fastest menu and ordering experience available as well as customized white label deployments available to all Hytiva clients. Integrations with rewards systems, client provided content, and more make it possible for any cannabis company to have their own top-tier app while staying focused on branding and customer experience instead of building and contracting developers or additional vendors.

Content Rich Consumer Resources - Hytiva.com provides the industrys largest library of strain photo and video content available. This powerful tool educates consumers, provides transparent product information and pricing, and has proven effective at increasing average order values. Hytiva verifies and purchases every strain and does not accept user-generated photos.

Consumer Delivery Services - Hytiva provides compliant dispatch and logistics technologies for dispensaries to run their own delivery as well as Hytiva run delivery by Hytiva employee drivers, not independent contractors.

Digital Menu Displays - Hytivas digital displays are fully integrated with point of sale data, providing a beautiful and accurate in-store experience to customers, with 4k 360-degree strain videos and near zero management required.

Hardware and Software Automation Technologies - Hytiva integrates with any system to capture data and trigger actions, connecting all Hytiva technologies. Monitor and control devices for printing, displays, analytics, notifications, cameras, vehicle telematics, machinery, and more with Hytivas embedded devices and hardware.

Hytivas Problem Solving Approach

Hytiva approached the cannabis industry differently, with a long-term plan to listen, problem-solve, and build unique solutions for the industry based on a wealth of experience in technology and business. Hytiva recognized that the young cannabis industry needed more than the niche solutions built by modifying pre-existing products from other industries that many other cannabis technology companies provide. Hytiva began by offering consumer information and delivery services, all the while gathering information at a level the industry had not seen. Hytiva embedded itself into the industry with open ears to listen to cannabis consumers at a personal level and clients in their daily operations, with the goal of turning their frustrations into real products and restarting the problem/solution cycle again.
"It may be too late for justice for Tyre Nichols, but if we dismantle the sinful structures of racism and white supremacy that led to his death, we can honor his memory and bring ourselves closer to peace.

WASHINGTON  Today Catholics for Choice, which uplifts and amplifies the voices of the majority of Catholics who believe in reproductive freedom, issued the following statement from President Jamie L. Manson, M. Div., after the city of Memphis, Tennessee, released video of the traffic stop that led to the beating and murder of Tyre Nichols by five police officers:

The savage, brutal beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police officers is an unspeakable horror that breaks our hearts, boils our blood, shocks our conscience, and cries out to heaven. It feels so hollow to call for justice, because in a truly just world, Tyre Nichols would be alive, not a hashtag. Instead, a mother weeps for her son, a daughter has lost her father, and a family, a community, and a nation are devastated. Tyre Nichols life matters, and we say his name.

The systematic and disproportionate targeting of Black and brown Americans by the police is a reproductive justice issue, because every person has the right to raise their children in nurturing, supporting, and safe environments  but police brutality against people of color robs them of autonomy and control over their bodies, their lives, and their families. No mother should ever have to endure what Tyres mother RowVaughn is going through, having seen her childs body so bloodied and brutalized. No parent should ever have to think twice about having children, as so many Black parents do, for fear that their child could be next.

It is not lost on us that Nichols murder took place in Tennessee, a state whose governor is fond of calling it one of the most pro-life states in America. But Black Lives Matter is a pro-life issue  and a place where Black and brown folks are not safe in the hands of law enforcement cannot honestly call itself pro-life. Black Lives Matter is a moral imperative. It may be too late for justice for Tyre Nichols, but if we dismantle the sinful structures of racism and white supremacy that led to his death, we can honor his memory and bring ourselves closer to peace.

Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to a persons well-being and respect, and affirm the capacity of all people to make moral decisions about their lives.

Contact: John Becker, Press Secretary

Phone: (202) 203-0931

Email: jbecker@catholicsforchoice.org
From left, Ukrainian students Genevia Gayden, Yana Verbova, Veronika Shchur and Yuliia Balan wear colorful vyshyvankas (traditional Ukrainian embroidered blouses) to show their native pride. We are incredibly lucky to be a part of these students education and it demonstrates our commitment as an institution to global citizenship.

As the one-year anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine approaches, Stetson University is renewing its commitment to four students from the war-torn country and starting another fundraising drive to allow them to remain enrolled for another year.

Ukrainian students Yuliia Balan, Genevia Gayden, Veronika Shchur and Yana Verbova arrived last summer for the 2022-2023 academic year and share an apartment together on campus. They say they are grateful to continue their studies in a peaceful place, but they worry every day about their loved ones back home.

Last fall, the four students expressed a desire to stay at Stetson, as the war rages on in their homeland. Since then, Stetson's faculty and administration have been figuring out a way to help them stay.

They are grateful that we are renewing our fundraising effort and that we are planning a series of events both to fundraise and to raise awareness of Russias ongoing war against Ukraine, explained Elizabeth Plantan, PhD, an assistant professor of Political Science at Stetson. Plantan said the entire Stetson community has worked tirelessly to promote and foster the Ukraine Initiative since it began shortly after Russia invaded the country Feb. 24, 2022.

Stetson has set a goal of $100,000 for the fundraising initiative. The rest of the cost of attendance will be covered by the university.

Two of the students are expected to graduate from Stetson in 2024. A third student is waiting to find out how many of her credits will transfer to Stetson. The fourth is a first-year student who would graduate from Stetson in 2026.

For Stetson, having these students earn degrees from our institution is an incredible achievement. They already bring so much to our campus community and are enriching the lives of all those they meet, said Plantan.

They will also solidify our ties to Ukraine as these students plan to go back to rebuild Ukraine when the war is over. ... We are incredibly lucky to be a part of these students education and it demonstrates our commitment as an institution to global citizenship, she said.

In addition to fundraising, Stetson's Ukraine Initiative and Stetson's Program for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies (SPREES) will host a Ukraine Event Series. The events are free and open to the public, including:



Stetson Remembers: One Year after Russias Invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m. in the Rinker Welcome Center on Stetson's DeLand campus

This event features Ukrainian students and faculty, who came to Stetson during the 2022-2023 academic year as a part of the Ukraine Initiative, as they reflect on one year since the beginning of Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There will be a formal presentation followed by ample time for Q&A and discussion. Light refreshments will be served.



Defying Terror: Ukrainian Women's Agency in the Soviet Gulag and Russias War on Thursday, March 9, at 6 p.m. in the Stetson Room in the Carlton Union Building on Stetson's DeLand campus

Oksana Kis, PhD, an expert on Ukrainian womens history, will give a lecture on her research on Ukrainian women in the Soviet Gulag and draw connections from that research to Russias 2022 invasion of Ukraine. This event coincides with International Womens Day (which is March 8).

For more information, please visit the Stetson Supports Ukraine website.

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.
In 2022, Sarah and Kevin Zakariasen opened their second Stonewall Coffee location in Bridgeport, West Virginia. "We began with a dream of opening a coffee shop, but there was so much we didnt know. The book and Crimson Cups startup consultants answered all our questions and more. - Kevin Zakariasen, Stonewall Coffee, Clarksburg and Bridgeport, West Virginia

Twenty-two new independent coffee shops in 11 states opened in 2022 through the 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program from award-winning coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea.

We salute the entrepreneurs who are now living their dreams of owning independent coffee shops serving their local communities, said Founder and President Greg Ubert. Our team of coffee business consultants looks forward to helping them build their businesses in the coming years.

Based on Uberts Book, Seven Steps to Success: a Commonsense Guide to Succeed in Specialty Coffee, the 7 Steps program has helped hundreds of independent coffee shops across the U.S. become thriving businesses.

Their owners  most with little or no coffee or restaurant experience  learned how to open a coffee shop through the 7 Steps program.

The 22 new shops that opened in 2022 include:



BeanSweet Coffee  Goldsboro, North Carolina

Cadence Coffeehouse & Creperie  Niles, Ohio

Coffee Cravings  Yorktown, Indiana

Cool City Brewing Company  Two Rivers, Wisconsin

Doschers Candies & Coffee House  Cincinnati, Ohio

Gateway Coffee  Creve Coeur, Missouri

The REX Cafe  Pensacola, Florida

Kora Brew House  Bryan, Ohio

Kushala Sip, Boston, Massachusetts

Mocha & Mini  Albert Lea, Minnesota

Sandstone Coffee House  Amherst, Ohio

Shawnee Station  Lima, Ohio

Smoke-N-Beans Coffee Bar  McArthur, Ohio

Spire Coffee House  Toms River, New Jersey

Stonewall Coffee  Bridgeport, West Virginia

The Sanity Mug Coffee & Tea  Port Lavaca, Texas

The Vault Coffee and Pour House  Carolina Beach, North Carolina

Vita Nova Creatives & Coffee  Nokesville, Virginia

White Buffalo Coffee Bar  Clinton, Elk City, and Lawton, Oklahoma

Winstons Coffee & Waffles  East Market, Columbus, Ohio

Crimson Cups 7 Steps coffee shop startup consulting team guides new owners through every step  from scouting a profitable location and writing a coffee shop business plan to planning a menu, choosing equipment, hiring staff and providing comprehensive training.

As a one-stop shop for independent coffee shops, Crimson Cup also provides award-winning coffee, the best coffee shop supplies in the business, and ongoing support to help coffee businesses thrive.

In fact, eight of the new coffee shops belong to owners who opened existing locations with Crimson Cups help:



The owners of Coffee in the Valley in Valley City, Ohio, opened Sandstone Coffee in Amherst, Ohio.

Kora Brew House in Bryan, Ohio, added a second location, Kora Coffee & Gift Shop, in the Bryan Hospital.

Kushala Sip Coffee House opened a second location in Bostons Chelsea neighborhood.

Oklahoma-based White Buffalo Coffee Bar added three new coffee shops to its four existing locations.

Stonewall Coffee in Clarksburg, West Virginia, opened a second location in nearby Bridgeport.

Winstons Coffee & Waffles added a second location in the East Market of Columbus, Ohio

Owners who run multiple locations show that specialty coffee shops can remain profitable and grow even during challenging economic times, Ubert said. We think now is a perfect time to open an independent coffee shop.

Most of the owners had little or no experience in specialty coffee. Some said they would not have been able to open without Crimson Cups help.

Kevin and Sarah Zakariasen opened their first Stonewall Coffee in Clarksburg, West Virginia, in 2016. Just six years later, they expanded to nearby Bridgeport.

We began with a dream of opening a coffee shop, but there was so much we didnt know, Kevin Zakariasen said. Where do you get your espresso machine? Where do you locate the machine in the store? How do you do the dance behind the counter to make drinks efficiently?

The book and Crimson Cups startup consultants answered all these questions and more.

Initially, he felt skeptical about buying the book. I thought, $69.95 for a paperback is a lot! he said.

But now I know its worth many times the cost, he added. For example, the first chapter says not to buy used coffee equipment. Before reading the book, we bought a used espresso machine, and we had to replace it with a new one. Avoiding that mistake could have saved us $2,000 right at the start.

The book does have a money-back guarantee, but I doubt anyone returns it. Its that good!

Ubert said that operating five Crimson Cup Coffee Shops and a company flagship store, CRIMSON, helps the company test drink recipes and promotional ideas.

As coffee shop owners and managers ourselves, were uniquely positioned to help independent business owners turn their hard work into profitable businesses, he said.

He invited anyone considering opening a coffee shop in any state to call Crimson Cup for guidance.

If you run into any roadblocks or just want to discuss your dream with a coffee expert, give us a call!

7 Steps Sales Leader Scott Fullerton is the initial contact for all aspiring coffee shop owners. Reach him via email at sfullerton@crimsoncup.com or by calling 1.888.800.9224.

If youve ever dreamed about opening a coffeehouse, Id love to help you get started, Fullerton said. Weve helped hundreds of entrepreneurs take the leap from dreaming about a coffee shop to opening their doors. Chances are, we can help you!

About Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea

Founded in 1991, Crimson Cup is at the forefront of the coffee industry. Its attentive roasting, startup support, and global partnerships are consciously designed for the greater good of communities around the world. Among other national recognitions, the company has earned 2020 and 2017 Good Food Awards, the 2019 Golden Bean Champion for Small Franchise/Chain Roaster, and Roast magazines 2016 Macro Roaster of the Year.

Crimson Cup travels the world searching for the perfect cup  driven by meaningful relationships, honesty, and a shared vision for the future. Its Friend2Farmer initiatives foster respect and decency through mutually beneficial collaboration across local and global communities.

Through its 7 Steps to Success coffee shop startup program, the company teaches entrepreneurs how to open and run independent coffee houses in their local communities. By developing a coffee shop business plan, entrepreneurs gain insight into coffee shop startup costs.

Crimson Cup coffee is available through over 350 independent coffee houses, grocers, colleges and universities, restaurants and food service operations across 30 states, Guam and Bangladesh. The company also owns several Crimson Cup Coffee Shops and a new CRIMSON retail flagship store. To learn more, visit crimsoncup.com, or follow the company on Facebook and Instagram.
A Columbia County Judge has issued an arrest warrant for a man charged with sexual assault of a 15-year-old, according to court documents.

Brady W. Fisher, 21, Baraboo, has been charged with a single count of sexual assault of a child under the age of 16 in Columbia County stemming from an incident last summer.

If convicted, Fisher faces a maximum of 25 years in prison followed by up to 10 years of extended supervision. He could also be fined up to $100,000 if convicted.

The statewide arrest warrant was signed by Judge Todd Hepler on Thursday.

According to the criminal complaint filed on Jan. 24 in Columbia County:

A Wisconsin Dells police officer spoke with a 15-year-old victim on July 4, 2022 about an incident in the city earlier that day.

The officer reported the victim was at a house in the Wisconsin Dells in the early hours of July 4th between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. The victim was there with some friends who were swimming in a house pool.

At one point the victim went inside the house and Fisher followed her.

The complaint alleges Fisher asked to make out with the victim and the victim said no. The victim said they did not want to make out because Fisher is five years older than the victim.

Fisher allegedly grabbed the victims hand and moved it to his genitals. He allegedly started kissing the victim and penetrated them with his fingers.

The victim reported that Fisher asked to have sex with them but the victim said no. Later on the victim went back inside the house to change clothes and Fisher followed into the house again. He allegedly grabbed the victims buttocks and began kissing the victim, who was pushing him away and telling him to stop. Fisher then allegedly forced the victim to have sex with him.

A number of items were sent to the Wisconsin State Crime Laboratory including the victims DNA, Fishers DNA and the pair of shorts the victim was wearing.

A confidential report of laboratory findings was received by the Columbia County Sheriffs Office that said it was likely Fishers DNA profile was present in the victims shorts.
Matthew Desmond, a MacArthur genius grant recipient and Pulitzer winner, is at a restaurant at the corner of Ninth Avenue and 25th Street in Manhattan. He has taken the train up from Princeton University, where he teaches sociology and runs a data lab, for this interviewsomething he didnt need to do.

Smiling easily in a light gray sweater that matches his silvering hair, Desmond says offhand that hes been on so many video calls over the past year that he was eager to meet face-to-face. Its a simple enough statement, but in this case it offers a clue as to what makes Desmond tick: he seems to possess a powerful intuition that the best way to understand anything is to encounter it firsthand.

Desmond was catapulted from promising young professor (he won his MacArthur in 2015) to one of the countrys leading authorities on poverty with the 2016 publication of his bestselling Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.

In March, Crown will release his next book, Poverty, by America, in which Desmond takes a big swing at diagnosing why poverty exists in this country. His conclusion: we could, as a society, alleviate povertyif only we had the stomach to give up benefitting from poverty ourselves.

Why is there poverty in the first place? Its a question that has animated Desmonds work since graduate school. There was something about the poverty debate that was bugging me, he says. There are all these books about poverty, and I started asking, Wheres the tension in the story? Who is the bad guy? Is there a bad guy? Are there really 38 million people in this country who are poor, and its no ones fault?

For Evicted, which grew out of the ethnographic research he did in Milwaukee while working on his PhD at the University of WisconsinMadison, Desmond realized he needed to ground this abstract question in a relationship between two real human beings. Thats how I came upon writing about eviction, he says. Thats an ethnographic scene, where I can have landlords and tenants in the same room. And it turned out that evictionunbeknownst to mewas something we just didnt know a lot about. He moved into a Milwaukee trailer park, and later an urban rooming house, and followed 10 tenants and landlords (eight made it into the final book) as they navigated poverty and eviction.

Writing about landlords and tenants came out of a need to see a problem firsthand, but it also reflected a keen writerly instinct for character and narrative tension. Desmonds academic adviser had long encouraged him to write for an audience beyond the academy (years earlier, Desmond had turned his masters thesis into a book titled On the Firelines), and soon Desmond was looking to turn his fieldwork in Milwaukee into a book for the trade.

I met a lot of agents, he recalls, and a lot of the conversations went like this: Lets trim this paragraph and well go to market. Lets fix this thing and well go to market. Power lunch agents. Then he met Jill Kneerim, at what was then Kneerim, Williams, & Bloom. Jill was just like, This is crap. This doesnt make any sense. This just isnt working at all. She was like another dissertation adviser. She just handed me my ass all the time.

Kneerim sold Evicted to Crown at auction, but Desmonds work was far from over. The field work itself had been gruelinglong days with his subjects, followed by long nights typing up his notesand the process of writing the book wasnt any easier.

I got invited to give a talk in Paris, Desmond says, and I brought all this butcher paper there, and I had a coding mechanism for this is exactly where this is in the field notes. I wrote all these themes, and then I had this other piece of butcher paper where I wrote all the ideas: Where am I going to talk about domestic violence? Where am I going to tell you about the racial disparities in eviction? And then I just connected the people to the ideas, and thats how the book took shape.

After Evicted came out, Desmonds life changed dramatically. The attention, praise, and awards were gratifying, but he kept thinking of the relationships hed formed with his subjects in Milwaukee. A Pulitzer was great, but how was it going to help Arleenperhaps the most memorable character in Evictedget out of poverty?

Desmond channeled his discomfort into action. Publishing a book is step three of making a difference, he says. Theres all this follow-through work that was new to me. That work brought him into a bigger national conversation about how to alleviate poverty, this time with policymakers who were actually in positions to effect change. He also started the Eviction Lab at Princeton, which compiled the first comprehensive data set of evictions in the U.S.

But eventually Desmond found himself thinking back to graduate school, and the question he used to ask himself about the origins of poverty: I remember in my dissertation defense there was a scholar who asked this question, Whats your theory of poverty? I should have an answer to that. Perhaps this time he could try to tackle the question not as an ethnographer and sociologist, but as a public intellectual.

Poverty, by America is his answer. A departure from the narrative approach of Evicted, Poverty is as direct as a manifesto, with a message as damning as its title: Desmond argues that the problem of poverty in the richest country in the world isnt unsolvableits just that a bloc of highly entrenched, privileged citizens live comfortable lives that are enabled and

preserved by the systematic exploitation of the poor and powerless. Who are these people? Look in the mirror, Desmond argues; theyre us.

I have a deep suspicion of theories of poverty that are just letting us off the hook, he says. The progressives have them, and the conservatives have them. Abolishing poverty, he argues, will only be possible if we can face our own complicity in its existence.

Desmond points to recent changes in the national conversation around race as evidence that theres a real opportunity for middle- and upper-middle-class people to begin examining that complicity critically. Ive given talks all over the country, he says, and America is ready for a different poverty conversation. He hopes that Poverty will help launch it.

Kneerim died last year. Desmond visited her in a sunbathed hospice room, where she asked him what he was working on next. She loved her work, he says, moved by her singular focus even on her deathbed. She really did believe ideas can change the world.

Desmond believes that, too. When asked if he thinks his work will become more policy focused in the future, he says that the experience of Evicted helped clarify for him how he can best make a difference. The last time I testified in front of Congress, I said weve got to have someone who was evicted testify. We brought this gentleman from Virginia who had stayed up all night working security, who then came to the House to testify. He didnt have a jacket, so one of the staff let him borrow a jacket. And of course, hes the one that everyone remembers. He took the air out of the room.

I want my writing to be read by policymakers, Desmond adds. I want to be in the meetings, but Im getting to this place in my career where I think Im a writer. By elevating people like that security guard from Virginiaso that readers and policymakers alike can encounter the problem of poverty firsthandhe has realized that perhaps the most powerful thing someone in his position can do is get out of the way and let the powerless speak for themselves.

Andy Kifer cowrote Mutualism: Building the Next Economy from the Ground Up (Random House) with Sara Horowitz and is working on a book of narrative nonfiction about secret cities in the U.S.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said Poverty, by America was publishing in May; it comes out in March.
Booksellers, publishers, librarians, and agents are encouraged to look at the 49 self-published titles below. Each appears with a list of retailers that are selling the book and a description provided by its author. Some of these writers are waiting to be discovered; others have track records and followings and are doing it on their own. If you are a self-published author interested in listing titles in this section, please visit publishersweekly.com/pw-select for more information.

Fiction

Blown Cover: A Cuban Missile Crisis Novel

Peter J. Azzole. KDP. $13.99 paper (196p), ISBN 979-83-523-7729-1; $5.99 e-book, ASIN B0BK2P3JPM

Amazon

Undercover radio intercept and reporting about Soviet activity in Cuba was dangerous. The CIA-Navy plan was bulletproof, until it wasnt.

The Dream Lord

Johnathan P. Blackwell. Dorrance Publishing. $19 paper (218p), ISBN 979-88-85271-53-0; $14 e-book, ISBN 979-88-85278-78-2

Amazon, BN.com, Dorrance Publishing

Join the Dream Lord, guardian of your inner self and creator of your most intimate fantasies, to step into the world of dreams. You will witness the mystic possibilities of the mind and passions of reality.

Fore Play

Linda Sheehan. Black Rose Writing. $19.95 paper (235p), ISBN 978-1-68433-916-7; $5.99 e-book, ASIN B09WCT3VHV

Amazon, BN.com, Bam!

At Bellstone Country Club theres lust, larceny, adultery, and embezzlementall on the first nine holes.

From G to PG to R to X

Stephen C. Bird. Hysterical Dementia. $15 paper (178p), ISBN 979-82-18-02391-1; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B0BJWXMM71

Amazon, BookBaby

Death, dystopia, hallucinations, political turmoil, gender confusion, morphing identities, secret ceremonies, epiphanies, and transform-ation inform the chaos of this tragicomic novella.

The Journal

Tiffany Joans. Endeavor Holdings. $14.99 paper (296p), ISBN 979-8-218-10384-2; $9.99 e-book, ISBN 979-8-3507-0229-3

Amazon

On Illumination Night, the hidden ties between Cadence and Michael are unraveled, and what they discover threatens to break the bonds they have forged.

Millers Mansion: From the Soul of Blackwells Quill

Johnathan P. Blackwell. Dorrance Publishing. $19 paper (236p), ISBN 978-1-63867-195-4; $14 e-book, ISBN 978-1-63867-724-6

Amazon, BN.com, Dorrance Publishing

Charlie, a love-starved mortal, gets more than he bargained for when he purchases the mysterious Millers Mansion. With the house comes a host of heated and bizarre passions and an otherworldly woman of his dreams or nightmares.

A Present for Kainani: A Christmas Novella

Bill Thesken. Koloa Publishing. $8.99 paper (138p), ISBN 978-1-73725-216-0; 99 e-book, ASIN B0BNT6ZW1J

Amazon, Ingram

Santa and Mrs. Claus travel to Hawaii to deliver a present that fell out of the bag on Christmas Eve. While Mrs. Claus reads romance novels by the pool in Waikiki, Santa goes rogue.

Mystery/Thriller

Catechisms

James W. Bennetts. BookBaby. $16.99 paper (400p), ISBN 978-1-66787-365-7; $5.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66787-366-4

Amazon, BN.com, BookBaby

A detective is pitted against a murderer and the cover-up of a priests abuse.

Echoes of the Past

Angela Grey and Paige Peterson. KDP. $19.99 (256p), ISBN 979-83-66475-75-4; $13.99 paper, ISBN 979-83-589-9823-0

Amazon

A mystery loosely inspired by a variety of Minnesota events. Has destiny caught up with everyone involved, or is there a serial killer in the north country woods?

Unblinded

D. Michael Hallman. Reality Road Press. $10.99 paper (290), ISBN 979-8-9856035-1-4; $2.99 e-book, ISBN 979-8-9856035-2-1

Ingram

A miracle drug restores sight to the blind but has some killer side effects. And not just for the patients.

SF/Fantasy/Horror

The Genesis Backup

Dale Harwin. Dale Harwin. $14.99 paper (408p), ISBN 979-83-63874-71-0; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B0BMM92X57

Amazon, BN.com, Books-a-Million

When William Ell investigates the murder of his father, a successful IT entrepreneur, he discovers that true artificial intelligence is a reality. But reality is not what it seems.

The Noble Villains (The Forge Born Trilogy #1)

Seth Wildschut. Sean MossZipItOut Studios. $12 paper (453p), ISBN 979-85-976653-0-6; 99 e-book, ASIN B08THPW5WB

Amazon, Google Play, Kobo

Ex-soldier Darragh Moonford operates in society as an outlaw after being cast out by a kingdom that no longer needs him. No more kings, no more empiresthe forge war begins.

Unleashed, Vol. 2

E.L. Jefferson. E.L. Books. $10 paper (164p), ISBN 978-1-66292-980-9

Amazon

She is the product of mans own greed. She is the beauty who stalks the night. Her chosen name is Raven, and she is death that walks.

Whispers of a Gypsy: A Supernatural Dark Thriller of Suspense and Horror

JT Patten. Helbound Productions. $16.99 paper (216p), ISBN 979-89-87300-51-0; $4.99 e-book, ASIN B0BLXHGVKF

Amazon

In this story, dark with twists, a uniquely gifted boy falls into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game with the arrival of a monstrous protector searching for something of the past.

Wingless (The Veil Series #1)

M.K. Dockery. Literature Drips Publishing. $17.99 paper (435p), ISBN 978-1-73792-272-8; $4.99 e-book, ASIN B0BK684ZCV

Amazon, BN.com

The truth of the past and the fate of the future depend on two. One is an unlikely hero, and the other is a danger or potential savior to all.

Romance/Erotica

A Compromising Position

Diane Merrill Wigginton. Jeweled Dagger Publishing. $16.99 paper (293p), ISBN 978-1-946146-11-3; $2.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-946146-10-6

Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com

This suspenseful romance is set against the backdrop of Florida beaches and politics as Catherine and Ryan attempt to find a compromise, and their happily ever after, together.

Love, Lydie

Blair Harton. Blair Harton Writes. $14.99 paper (584p), ISBN 979-88-459-7718-2; $2.99 e-book, ASIN B0BCHK45ZD

Amazon, BN.com

Life has a wild way of bringing people together. For three strangers, a series of letters unites them. Unearth the clues of this whimsical romance.

Silently (Transformation #1)

Talya Blaine. Talya Blaine Books. $13.99 paper (161p), ISBN 978-1-959336-03-7; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-959336-00-6

Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Kobo

One brazen move. Two simple rules. At its heart, this is a story about overcoming devastating loss and the unexpected people and places that help us begin to heal.

Sometimes You Just Know

Bill VanPatten. Bill VanPatten. $10.99 paper (293p), ISBN 979-83-62790-37-0; $4.99 e-book, ASIN B0BM6GVMXY

Amazon

Can a 30-year-old man overcome his fears and find love? With the help of a new friend, Arnie Violet embarks on a journey of self-discovery and learns to lean into life.

The Taste of Light

Giovanna Siniscalchi. Giovanna Siniscalchi. $4.99 e-book, ASIN B0BMMBJD4B

Amazon

A girl with dawn in her eyes doesnt belong in Pedros shadows, but now that shes floated into his life, he will battle whoever dares to take her from him.

Nonfiction

A Cry in the Dark: A Stroke Survivors Story of Hope and Recovery

Terence Ang. Focus Publishing. $25 paper (148p), ISBN 978-981-1844-00-3

Amazon

The story of one mans journey to rediscover his voice, reclaim his dignity, and emerge stronger after a stroke.

The Delivery Man: The Art of Turning Ideas into Products in Silicon Valley

Sebastien Taveau. Tavo Reno Publishing. $19.95 paper (183p), ISBN 979-89-87047-41-5; $2.99 e-book, ISBN 979-89-87047-40-8

Amazon

Discover the story of the invisible crowd who deliver services, products, and experiences for the Big Shot.

Discover How to Study Your Bible Guide: Bible Study Guide

Feyi Obamehinti. Feyi Obamehinti. $19.50 (75p), ISBN 979-83-66756-75-4; $10.50 paper, ISBN 979-83-65374-24-9

Amazon

Learn how to study the Bible for yourself, and discover why studying the Bible is beneficial. Includes sample plans to study the Bible and how to assess your growth.

Emerging from the Dark

Terence Ang. Terence Ang. $29.99 paper (192p), ISBN 979-83-7103-923-1

Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Kobo, Smashwords

This book will change the way you see people recovering from strokes.

Enemies of Africa, Second Edition

Jaiden Baynes. Baymar Publishing. $22.99 paper (174p), ISBN 978-1-77808-874-2; $7.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-77808-875-9

Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com

An expose shining new light on Africas users and abusers, from the past to the present.

Focus Is Fertiliser: How to Grow a Positive Mindset

Kylie Brennan. Balboa Press Au. $8.99 paper (100p), ISBN 978-1-5043-2406-9; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5043-2407-6

Amazon

With three simple steps, this book offers a profound shift to a growth mindset that changes the way one thinks, works, and feels.

The Forbidden Zone 1940

Anne Angelo. Xlibris AU. $14.31 paper (240p), ISBN 978-1-66988-840-6; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66988-839-0

Amazon

Trapped in the German occupation, one woman joined the French Resistance. But when the Gestapo found out about her and she was inevitably betrayed, she had to go back to Scotland.

God out of the Shadows (The Truth About God #2)

Delores J. Porter. Xlibris US. $19.99 paper (356p), ISBN 978-1-66980-603-5; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66980-602-8

Amazon

This book addresses the fables in todays Christian doctrine that are not the message of Jesus Christ. Scripture proves that God has never orchestrated the adversities in anyones life.

How to Stop Thinking and Not Get Eaten by a Bear: The New Cognitive Behavioral Mind Training

Dogu Densei. Caduxeus Press. $24.99 paper (704p), ISBN 979-89-86338-94-1; $9.99 e-book, ISBN 979-89-86338-93-4

Amazon

This book explores how to integrate psychology, meditation, mindfulness, spirituality, and consciousness exploration to achieve goals of wellness, well-being, and beyond.

A Japanese Boy Sees a New Light: Escaping from North Korea

Shu Shimizu. Partridge Singapore. $13.27 paper (138p), ISBN 978-1-5437-7095-7; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5437-7096-4

Amazon

One Japanese boy experienced imperialism, communism, and democracy in the Korean peninsula less than a year before and after WWII. Find out how he survived the harsh North Korean winter as a refugee.

Johnny and Jazzbo: A True Story

Kathryn J. Hardy. Archway Publishing. $45 (662p), ISBN 978-1-66571-454-9; $35 paper, ISBN 978-1-66571-453-2

Kathrynjhardybooks.com, Amazon

Two extraordinary Southern men rise above the tumultuous times of the 60s in America to learn the true meaning of compassion, love, and friendship.

Linux Mint 21: Desktops and Administration

Richard Petersen. Surfing Turtle Press. $45 paper (632p), ISBN 978-1-949857-31-3; $26 e-book, ISBN 978-1-949857-29-0

Amazon

Linux mint 21 (Vanessa) is based on the Ubuntu 22.04 LTR (Long Term Release). The Cinnamon and Mate desktops are examined in detail.

A Mans Late Night Thoughts

James Richman. Book Vine Press. $27.95 (367p), ISBN 978-1-957781-44-0

Amazon

These thoughts convey meanings to those things we so often contemplate and try to understand.

On Full Automatic: Surviving 13 Months in Vietnam

William V. Taylor Jr. Deep Water Press. $19.95 paper (341p), ISBN 978-1-73662-160-8; $6.99 e-book, ASIN B09D5STQRC

Amazon, Apple iBooks

Marine recruit Taylor and his brother Marines push through back-to-back operations with little time to rest or reflect. Survivors will be ensnared by memories of a real yet surreal nightmare. After more than 50 years of holding everything in, Taylor shares his experience in explicit and often horrific detail and with a reverent honor for those Marines who did not live to tell the tale.

Spiritual Energy Explained: You, Your Soul, and the Universe

Walter E. Broach. Dorrance Publishing Co. $33 (268p), ISBN 979-88-85270-77-9; $20 paper, ISBN 979-88-85270-74-8

Amazon

You are a spiritual entity spending time on Earth wearing a physical body. You constantly manifest your future with your thoughts and feelings.

A Sprig of White Heather and a Scottish Lass

Anne Angelo. Xlibris AU. $11.58 paper (192p), ISBN 978-1-66988-837-6; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66988-836-9

Amazon

This is the story of Anne Angelo, a Scottish lass, and her journey full of hardships as well as her experiences when the unthinkable WWII was declared.

This May Be Difficult to Read: But You Really Should (for Your Childs Sake)

Claire N. Rubman. Education & Parenting Matters. $19.99 paper (234p), ISBN 979-89-87086-11-7; $8.49 e-book, ISBN 979-89-87086-10-0

Amazon, BN.com

Make reading fun for you and your child by creating a need to read in your daily life. Dont let your child be among the one in five college freshmen who have to take a remedial reading class.

Toilet Training Your Puppy: The Complete Guide for New Dog Owners

James Leung. James Leung. $4.99 e-book, ISBN 979-82-15-17058-8; $11.99 audio, ISBN 979-88-226-5375-7

BN.com, Google Play, Kobo

This book provides resources to help dog owners develop a personalized approach that matches their particular lifestyles, circumstances, and needs.

Tommy Come Lately: The True Story About the Loss and Uncertainty Resulting from the Downfall of a Fortune 1000 Corporation

Nicolas Thomas. Draft2Digital. $15.99 paper (249p), ISBN 979-82-15-29736-0; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 979-82-15-41483-5

Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com

The true story about the loss and uncertainty resulting from the downfall of a Fortune 1000 corporation, told through the eyes of an employee.

Using Japanese Paper for Digital Printing of Photographs

Carl-Evert Jonsson. AuthorHouse UK. $17.22 paper (54p), ISBN 978-1-66558-881-2; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66558-882-9

Amazon

Find out how to use a method that will give new life to photos with the insights in this book.

What Makes My Heart Sing: An Artists Journey

Lynn Miller-Takacs. Outskirts Press. $35.95 paper (123p), ISBN 978-1-977246-24-0

Amazon, BN.com

Miller-Takacs shares her journey as an artist who struggles with self-doubt and limiting beliefs but ultimately triumphs over fears and succeeds not only as an artist but as a face painter and writer.

Where Eagles Go to Die: A Ninety-Year Memoir

Raymond L. Marik.

iUniverse. $28.99 paper (538p), ISBN 978-1-66323-445-2; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66323-446-9

Amazon

A Marine operating engineer, 82nd Airborne paratrooper, Army Ranger, and educator for disadvantaged high school students, the author shares 90 years of these life experiences and more.

Childrens/YA

Creeples!

Patrick D. Pidgeon. Greenleaf Book Group Press. $14.95 (344p), ISBN 978-1-62634-775-5; $7.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-62634-776-2

Amazon, BN.com, Books-a-Million, IndieBound, Porchlight

To save their favorite teachers genomic department, Johnny Spigs Spignola, Theresa Ray T-Ray Rogers, and Pablo Peabo Torres launch a lab experiment using a mysterious DNA serum. It creates pint-size magical humanoids called Creeples who unleash mystical mayhem and campus chaos.

The Cull of the Badgers

LJ Hargreaves. AuthorHouse UK. $15.78 paper (212p), ISBN 978-1-66559-574-2; $4.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-66559-576-6

Amazon

Misguided information leads the government to legislate the cull of the badgers. The forest animals unite and together with animal activists try to stop the cull and save the badgers.

Grady Whill and the Templeton Codex: A Superhero High School Adventure

Carole P. Roman. Chelshire. $10.99 paper (286p), ISBN 978-1-950080-43-4; $4.99 e-book, ASIN B0B4T6PWPH

Amazon, BN.com

Templeton Academy is recruiting the best of the best to enroll in its student body. Will a family secret prevent Grady Whill from becoming the superhero he was destined to be?

Just City

Olga Tymofiyeva. Olga Tymofiyeva. $20 paper (175p), ISBN 979-83-65536-80-7; $7.38 e-book, ISBN 979-83-507-0178-4

Amazon

Twenty-one-year-old Nathan dreams about creating a cool startup. To get money for the startup, Nathan starts playing a virtual reality game as part of a scientific experiment.

The Me in Me

D Kay. Dorrance Publishing. $11 paper (74p), ISBN 978-1-63764-303-7; $6 e-book, ISBN 978-1-63764-617-5

Amazon, BN.com, Dorrance Publishing

Malachi departs from his idyllic island as he seeks to find himself, but a terrible storm leaves him lost in a world he doesnt recognize. Follow Malachis adventures as he journeys home.

Michael OPoopie

Kristen Coppolino. Dorrance Publishing. $15.99 (38p), ISBN 978-1-63937-180-8; $10.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-63937-988-0

Amazon, BN.com, Dorrance Publishing

Michael OPoopie poops all over town. Though you might not know Michael OPoopie, youll smell when he comes around.

What? No Easter Eggs?

Janet Stuart. AuthorHouse. $12.79 paper (24p), ISBN 978-1-4567-6770-9; $3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-4817-1033-6

Amazon

Follow friends Penny Porcupine, Willard Warthog, and Tubby Turtle as they work together to make the best Easter ever.
It wasnt long ago when most people scoffed at artificial intelligence. It seemed ridiculous that a computer could ever duplicate, or even credibly approximate, what a human being can doespecially to create brand new content from scratch. But thats exactly what a particular class of AI apps, called generative AI, can do. Suddenly, it seems as if maybe AI may really mean author (or artist) invisible.

Generative AI is already good enough for use in certain contexts. For example, in journalism, it is used to write routine and often somewhat formulaic articles on subjects like finance, reporting notable results from public companies, or real estate, reporting on recent real estate deals, sometimes based on human-created templates. Such straightforward uses seem perfectly reasonable.

The recent experimental release by OpenAI of a chat bot called ChatGPT has taken things to the next level, however. There has been a flurry of interest in this in both mainstream and social media. While not always perfect, its shockingly good.

As an example, I recently complimented Brendan Quinn, the managing director of the IPTC, the technical standards organization for the global news media, about the excellent job he had done in writing a blog that he ran by me for review. It was engagingly written, informative, well organized, and spot-on with regard to the content. His response: Dont compliment me. ChatGPT wrote that. I just added some formatting and links, and a bit of extra information that I forgot to put in the prompt.

This is both very exciting and very scary. Im an experienced writer and editor; there was nothing about that blog post that made me doubt that Brendan had written it. It was a useful time-saver for Brendan. It will also be useful to a student needing to write a paper for a class, on which, ahem, they will be graded. A university professor recently reported that of all the essays submitted for a recent assignment, the one that was easily the best paper in the class turned out to have been written by ChatGPT.

How can a publisher know how much of a book has actually been written by the author who claims to have written it? (In case youre wondering, no, ChatGPT didnt write this column.) And ChatGPT is just one of many such generative AI apps for text in development.

A time to act

In the long view, does it matter that computers can create content that cant be distinguished from human-created content? Isnt that just progress? Google itself put a few competitors out of business because it developed something new and really good, after all. Most of us depend on it and are happy to have it. Should we be worried that computers can now create content and images? Doesnt that sound pretty useful?

You bet we should be worried. I can give you an example that will drive the point home: deepfakes. Deepfakes are images or audio that most notoriously show a famous person doing or saying something they didnt really do or say because their likeness or voice has been grafted onto somebody elses image or voice so convincingly that you cant tell its not who it purports to be.

The software used to do this is readily available and widely used. There are legitimate usesfor example, a fake person can be created for an advertisement to save the cost of a human actor or model. One of the leading such image-creation apps, DALL-E 2, happens also to be from OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT. It can create images of people from thin air that cannot be distinguished from images of real people. This is called synthetic media. It, too, is shockingly good. You have probably seen such images without realizing theyre fake. There are many such apps for creating synthetic images in development.

But for publishers, and their customers, its even more insidious. How can you trust that the content youre reading or the images youre seeing have been created by the people you think created them, or havent been manipulated or altered in ways you cant detect?

The counterfeiting question

 This is a crisis of authenticity, and of provenance. 

Heres another example, this one not having anything to do with AI or synthetic media, but which is actually a more urgent issue for publishers: counterfeiting. It is a crisis that many commercial publishers, including the very biggest in the world, are facing today: counterfeit publishers representing themselves as real publishers and selling their books online for lower prices than those offered by the real publishers.

This is particularly damaging because those fake publishers tend to rise to the top of the results in the retailers platforms: they sell the books at lower prices, so they get more action. Some of the books are pirated and of lower quality (though the buyers cant tell that until they receive the books); some are identical to the publishers versions, so the buyers may not even know there was anything illegal about the transactions. An industry colleague of mine, who works for a large commercial publisher, mentioned recently that some of its books have had no sales on a certain retail platform because all of the sales of those books went to counterfeit publishers. All of the sales.

This is a crisis of authenticity, and of provenance. Is the author who they say they are? Is the content what the author created in the first place? Is the version Im buying the legitimate one from the legitimate publisher? Has this image or video been manipulated? Is the result legitimate or not? Cropping an image is probably okay (though removing relevant context can be misleading); making Joe Schmo look like Tom Cruise is not okay. Making Nancy Pelosi look and sound drunk is not okay.

Progress is being made

In addressing the issues of authenticity and provenance, the good news is significant work is being done, and real progress is being made. Because the most critical problem is deepfakes in news, the work has been driven largely, but not exclusively, by the news media. Most of the focus so far has been on image authenticity, but the work is intended to apply to any mediabe it textual, visual, video, or audio.

What is being developed is basically a certificate of authenticity, tamper-proof or tamper-evident metadata that can confirm who created a media asset, who altered it over time, how it was altered, and whether the entity providing it is legitimate. This metadata is embedded in the content itself, and there are systems enabling recipients to access it, to document the assets provenance (what has been done to it over time, by whom) and validate, or invalidate, its authenticity.

This work is a notable example of industry collaboration and cooperation. It was clear from the outset that no one commercial entity could own the solution; solutions need to be open, freely available, standardized, and global. Three new organizations in particular are doing key work to make this happen.

The Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity (C2PA) is developing the technical standards that underpin this work. As documented on the C2PA website, C2PA is a Joint Development Foundation project, formed through an alliance between Adobe, Arm, Intel, Microsoft and Truepic. C2PA unifies the efforts of the Adobe-led Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) which focuses on systems to provide context and history for digital media, and Project Origin, a Microsoft- and BBC-led initiative that tackles disinformation in the digital news ecosystem. Version 1.0 of the specification was released in February 2022, enabling content producers to digitally sign metadata using C2PA assertionsstatements documenting the authenticity and provenance of a media asset. Based on the W3C Verifiable Credentials standard, it is now in version 1.2 and is already enjoying broad support, including in the widely used Adobe Photoshop, where it is called Content Credentials.

The Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI), founded by Adobe in 2019 in collaboration with Twitter and the New York Times with an initial focus on images and video, is now, according to its website (contentauthenticity.org), a group of hundreds of creators, technologists, journalists, activists, and leaders who seek to address misinformation and content authenticity at scale. As CAIs Verify website states, Content credentials are the history and identity data attached to images. With Verify, you can view this data when a creator or producer has attached it to an image to understand more about whats been done to it, where its been, and whos responsible. Content credentials are public and tamper-evident, and can include info like edits and activity, assets used, identity info, and more.

In contrast, Project Originled by the BBC, CBC/Radio-Canada, Microsoft, and the New York Timesis news and information oriented. Per its website, it is developing a framework for an engineering approach, initially focusing on video, images, and audio. The technical approach and standards aim to offer publishers a way to maintain the integrity of their content in a complex media ecosystem. The methods, we hope, will allow social platforms to be sure they are publishing content that has originated with the named publishersa key in the fight against the imposter content and disinformation and help shield the public against the rising danger of manipulated media and deep fakes, by offering tools [again, based on the C2PA spec] that can be used to better understand the disinformation they are being served and help them to maintain their confidence in the integrity of media content from trusted organisations.

The progress on these initiatives has been very rapid. Im encouraged by how well these three organizationsand the organizations that comprise themare collaborating for the common good, creating an open ecosystem to guard against disinformation, deepfakes, fake news, and counterfeit sellers in a globally standardized, noncommercial way.

Bill Kasdorf is principal at Kasdorf & Associates, a consultancy focusing on accessibility, information architecture, and editorial and workflows.
Wisconsin Secretary of State Doug La Follette is helping to pay for a new plaque in the state Capitol honoring one of Wisconsins most famous politicians who is also a distant relative of the longtime officeholder.

The bust of Robert Fighting Bob La Follette has a prominent place on the first floor of the Capitol Rotunda, but it bears only his name and no explanation of who he was. Doug La Follette, who was reelected in November to his 11th consecutive term as secretary of state, said he walked by it for 30 years without realizing there was no plaque.

Finally, La Follette said, the omission dawned on him and he decided to do something about it.

La Follette, 82, won approval for the idea from a committee that oversees the Capitol, on the condition that he raise the $2,700 to pay for it. La Follette said Friday he raised $1,200 but he intends to cover the rest of the cost.

If the state government cant afford a couple thousand dollars for the most important political figure in our history, whatever, La Follette said in an interview. Thats water under the bridge. ... Im quite willing to make up the difference.

La Follette said he is a first cousin twice removed of the former governor and 1924 Progressive Party presidential candidate  a party he founded. Fighting Bob La Follette was governor from 1901 to 1906, served six years in the U.S. House and just over 19 years in the U.S. Senate. He died in office in 1925.

A state Capitol worker installed the plaque Friday, but it will be kept under wraps until the Monday unveiling. A mockup of the plaque that La Follette revealed last year described Fighting Bob as a founder of the progressive movement and champion of the Wisconsin Idea.

From now on, everybody visiting the Capitol will know who the man was, La Follette said.

Capitol secrets: 10 little-known facts about the Wisconsin State Capitol building 1. Familiar face 2. A well-traveled badger 3. April Fool's Day prank and a rumor 50 years later 4. Only God is perfect 5. Ghost of the Assembly 6. Stinking sturgeon helps change rule for wardens 7. Statuary groups symbolize best of Wisconsin 8. Replica of Liberty Bell 9. State constitution still MIA 10. Foreman killed during construction
DEAL OF THE WEEK

Renkl Comforts Spiegel & Grau Joey McGarvey, in her first acquisition at Spiegel & Grau, bought world rights to Margaret Renkls The Comfort of Crows. The book from the New York Times opinion columnist and bestseller, which is subtitled A Backyard Year, is, S&G said, a literary devotional that charts the passing of seasons, both personal and natural. The Comfort of Crows was sold by Kristyn Keene Benton at ICM/CAA and features four-color art by Renkls brother and frequent collaborator Billy Renkl. Its slated for October.

Dell Makes Kumar Mine

Say Youll Be Mine, the debut novel by Naina Kumar, was preempted in a two-book, North American rights agreement by Dells Kara Cesare. Johanna Castillo at Writers House sold the book, which Dell said was pitched as My Best Friends Wedding meets Indian Matchmaking. It follows a young woman whoto survive being the best man at the wedding of her ex, for whom she still has feelingsenters into a fake engagement with the man her parents always wanted for her. The second novel in the deal is currently untitled.

McCartney Eyes Liveright

For Liveright, Robert Weil bought world rights to 1964: Eyes of the Storm by Paul McCartney. The book, subtitled Photographs and Reflections, features images McCartney shot on his 35 mm camera in 1963 and 1964, along with an introduction from Jill Lepore and a foreword by McCartney himself. The photographs, per Liveright, record the period when Beatlemania erupted in the U.K. and the band became the most famous people on the planet. They are McCartneys personal record of this explosive time, when the Beatles were inside looking out and were the Eyes of the Storm.  The title is set for June and accompanies an exhibition of the photos at the National Portrait Gallery in London. McCartney didnt use an agent in the deal.

Connelly Re-ups at Little, Brown

In a five-book agreement, Michael Connelly re-upped with his standing publisher, Little, Brown. The bestselling author was represented by Heather Rizzo, who sold world rights to the titles to Bruce Nichols. Connelly, recently selected as the 2023 grand master of the Mystery Writers of America, will publish his 38th novel (covered under an earlier contract), Resurrection Walk, with LB in November.

Carmon Goes to One Signal

One Signals Julia Cheiffetz won world rights to Unbearable: Being Pregnant in America by Irin Carmon at auction. Carmon is a New York magazine senior correspondent, and the publisher called the book an urgent account of how the Supreme Courts Dobbs decision is dramatically worsening a patchwork system whose injustices have been decades in the making. It blends on-the-ground reporting and profiles with legal and political history, feminist analysis, and personal storytelling. Unbearable is slated for spring 2025, and Carmon was represented in the agreement by Linda Loewenthal at the Loewenthal Company.

RH Enters Grandjeans Kingdom

Random Houses Molly Turpin bought North American rights to Katherine Grandjeans Kingdom of Devils. The nonfiction work, sold by Katherine Flynn at Kneerim & Williams at auction, examines a moment in American history through the story of the Harp brothers, recognized as the countrys first serial killers. The publisher said Grandjean, a professor at Wellesley College, explores their brutal string of murders on the post-revolutionary frontier, revealing the young United States as an unsettled, often merciless place whose legacy of violence remains with us today.
In a new memoir, Steve Rubin, the well-connected publishing executive who started at Bantam Books and spent a large part of his career at Random House before moving to Macmillan, provides a top-down look at the industry. It is a view that filmmakers would likely gravitate to if they wanted to depict the glamorous side of publishingworking with famous authors and celebrities, all while earning a hefty salary. This behind-the-scenes look is combined with an unexpected no-holds-barred critique of some of publishings best-known executives, as well as firsthand accounts of various corporate machinations. Publishing insiders will, in turn, be intrigued by Rubins account of some of the industrys biggest deals, and shocked by his frank appraisals of some of its major players.

In Words and Music, out from Rowman & Littlefields Applause imprint, Rubin recounts being hired in 1984 by Jack Romanos as an executive editor at Bantam for an annual salary of $55,000, then nine months later getting promoted to editor-in-chief following Romanoss departure to Simon & Schuster. At Bantam, Rubin worked with numerous publishing heavyweights, among them Stuart and Irwyn Applebaum, Linda Grey, Jack Hoeft, and Alberto Vitale. Not long after landing at Bantam, he acquired paperback rights to Pat Conroys The Prince of Tides, which, after a legendary presentation by the author at the American Booksellers Association convention, went on to become a huge hit, cementing Conroys reputation as a writer and marking the beginning a 30-year partnership with Rubin.

In 1990, Bertelsmann recruited Rubin to turn around Doubleday, which had been foundering since the German conglomerate bought it in 1986. The company had been wildly overspending, publishing 465 titles per year, and, among other perks, giving authors their own American Express cards. It was something Rubin quickly put an end to. He cut the Doubleday list to 200 titles and focused the publisher on a limited number of categories while downsizing the staff in the most humane fashion with rich financial packages.

The shot in the arm the company needed came when Ann Godoff left her position as Doubledays executive editor after less than a month on the job, and Rubin named David Gernert to replace her. Gernert had recently signed John Grisham, a new author whose novel The Firm was published by Doubleday in March 1991. It was the first in a series of blockbuster titles by Grisham that Doubleday would release.

With Doubleday on the mend, Peter Olson, who was at that point, according to Rubin, angling to replace Jack Hoeft as CEO of Bantam Doubleday Dell, convinced Rubin to move to London as chairman of Transworld and Bantam Doubleday Dell International. Among his instructions was to buy a U.K. publisher. In addition to a nice salary, Rubin was given a spacious flat, a chauffeured car, and 12 first-class round-trip tickets back to New York.

After several generally unsatisfying yearsTransworld never did buy a U.K. house, though Rubin did host Mikhail Gorbachev when he was in London to promote his memoirRubin returned to New York in what started out as another effort to boost Doubleday. The job took a turn in 1998 when Bertelsmann bought Random House, which would lead to what Rubin called the greatest professional betrayal of my career. Post-merger, the decision was made by Olson to combine Doubledays Anchor Books with Knopfs Vintage Books, with the new unit to be overseen by Knopf head Sonny Mehta.

The Anchor debacle notwithstanding, Rubin had plenty of triumphs at Doubledaynone more important than his decision to green-light the publication of The Da Vinci Code by then-unknown author Dan Brown. The runway bestseller helped Rubin earn a $1 million bonus one year. (It also, according to Rubin, earned Romanos an extraordinary bonus thanks to the success of Browns earlier book, Angels and Demons, which Pocket published.)

Rubins ties to Random House ended when new CEO Markus Dohle combined Doubleday with Knopf and appointed Mehta to head it. For a short period, Rubin served as publisher-at-large, but he left that role, convinced that the merger of Doubleday and Knopf didnt make publishing sense and bemoaning the fact that some earlier consolidations made by Bertelsmann, in particular combining Bantam and Dell, were bad for the industry.

After leaving the cesspool that was RH, Rubin says he was financially set for life, thanks in part to a bountiful, contractual one-time payment he received from his former employer. He soon ended up working for John Sargent at Macmillan, who wanted him to revive the struggling Henry Holt, which was losing, Rubin writes, $5 million on revenue of $30 million in 2008. Shortly after joining Holt, following a dinner in his Westhampton home with Bill OReilly, Rubin paid $6 million for Killing Lincoln, the first title in OReillys immensely popular Killing series. The series was so successful that Holt began paying OReilly eight-figure advances, because all of us were making unheard of amounts of money.

The downside came when Fox fired OReilly over a series of sexual harassment charges. Holt continued to publish the series, but as sales plunged, Rubin convinced OReilly to redo the original deal. Still, Holt had to take a huge write-off and people had to forgo their bonuses.

The election of Donald Trump as president led to another huge success for Holt, and to what Rubin called probably the wildest experience of my career: the publication of Michael Wolffs Fire and Fury, the first book critical of Trumps presidency. A threat by Trump to sue over the release of the book ensured that Fire and Fury would be a bestseller. In his memoir, Rubin commends Sargent, Macmillan president Don Weisberg, and owner Stefan von Holtzbrinck for standing up to Trumps threats, and in doing so proving that a book can still spark a nationwide debate on important issues.

Despite a good run at Holt, Rubins tenure ended on something of a sour note. The hiring of Ben Schrank to succeed him as president and publisher in 2019 (with Rubin becoming chairman of Holt) turned into a short-lived fiasco, and Rubin never saw eye to eye with Schranks successor, Amy Einhorn, who had been picked by Weisberg. An effort to find a new role for Rubin at Macmillan came up short, and he moved on to a consulting publisher role at Simon & Schuster.

Why was Sargent fired?

If Rubin knows why John Sargent was fired as Macmillan CEO by Stefan von Holtzbrinck in fall 2020, he didnt put it in the final edition of the book (though he did offer up a reason in a galley). All Rubin says is that whatever precipitated the firing is now off the table and called von Holtzbrincks action the dumbest move in recent publishing history.
Jay Leno's show "Jay Leno's Garage' has been canceled after an accident on a motorcycle.

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Leno has a well-documented love for cars. But lately, he hasn't had a lot of luck with them. In November, he was fixing a fuel line on a classic car -- the 1907 White Steam, when the car caught on fire. Leno suffered second-degree burns and was hospitalized.

Unbeknownst to most until this week, Leno had another accident earlier this month, this time on a motorcycle when he passed through a parking lot with a low-hanging wire. The 72-year-old TV personality and comedian says he broke several bones in the crash.

"Just last week, I got knocked off my motorcycle. So I've got a broken collarbone. I've got two broken ribs. I've got two cracked kneecaps," Leno told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "But I'm OK!" he added. "I'm OK, I'm working. I'm working this weekend."

But Leno may not be working for NBC, his TV home for the last 30 years, anymore. The Hollywood Reporter says that his show Jay Leno's Garage has been canceled. The show, which started airing in 2014, featured Leno showcasing his massive car collection and interviewing other car enthusiasts, from Jerry Seinfeld to Elon Musk. The seventh season aired last fall.

Leno has been at NBC since 1992, succeeding Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. Leno hosted it for 17 years, then agreed to pass it on to Conan O'Brien in 2009. But that didn't work out and Leno returned to the host's chair before passing the reins to Jimmy Fallon and finally signing off in 2014.

Jay Leno's Garage started out as an NBC web series before it evolved into a CNBC show.

Watch a clip of two of TV's most famous car collectors below:
Editors note: With the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committees Rural Recognition Banquet honorees being announced this week, The Columbus Telegram will be profiling each of the award winners. This is the second in the series.

When St. Edward-born Ron and Mark Stock graduated high school in 1983 and 1984, respectively, auctioneer school was all the rage for recent graduates.

The farming economy was so bad every young man and some young ladies were going to auctioneer school because there were 25 auctions every week from people selling out, Ron said.

Ron, looking for meaningful employment out of high school, wanted in and went to auctioneer school. He said at one point there were one or two press releases in the newspaper every week about someone graduating from auctioneer school. Naturally, by the time they were graduated, there was a lot of competition. The brothers worked mostly with household auctions to start, with their own twist.

We differentiated ourselves with service. We got a dumpster, cleaned out the house, left the house pristine, we had two household sales every weekend, Ron said.

Mark added that the other auctioneers simply wouldnt do that. Usually, it was up to family, friends and even the owners themselves to do that kind of work. Later, they would apply the same principle to farm equipment sales, setting things up for the auction.

We realized there was a niche in the market that most auctioneers werent doing and that was cleaning everything up, detailing everything, lining it up on behalf of the seller, Mark said. They were usually retirement age and friends and neighbors would just set it up.

In the late 1990s, the pair became acquainted with one Brian Schultz, who was married to their cousin. Schultz suggested they look into using the internet to host auctions, or list items, even offering his expertise on computers.

I thought that wasnt feasible because I had dialup. I said that will never work, farmers dont have internet, Mark said. He said dont worry, they will, you have to be ahead of the curve.

Schultz passed away in 1998, taking the idea he had with him, but his words had left an imprint on Mark, who decided to write to universities and see what they could do with the idea. The University of Nebraska at Omaha responded.

Tom Clark (worked for the university at the time) called and said hey, I got your letter, we got a grant from the Peter Kiewit Foundation, maybe we can build that for you, Mark said. I spent 14 months driving back and forth to Omaha building what is now called Proxibid.

While the university developed the Proxibid system for matching buyers to sellers online, Mark attributes BigIrons success with online auctions to Schultz, because without his idea, Mark wouldnt have reached out to the university. Due to a change in leadership, the Stocks had to separate from Proxibid. That separation, Mark said, was good for them.

They had their first online sale in 2001 for the Omaha Public Power District using internet bidding. At the time, Mark noted, wired internet was the only real option, so they had to run 1,000 feet of internet cable from an office out the window to the site.

While they were still somewhat tethered, their mobile office attached to a tractor-trailer could take them to auctions anywhere. In 2003, wireless internet cards came about, allowing them to work anywhere with a cell phone signal.

That was a gamechanger because now we could be on a farmers site in rural America as long as they had a cell tower that wasnt far away, Mark said.

After a few years, they decided to change the name Stock Auction and Realty Company to BigIron, which they had to acquire. Mark likes to joke that they wanted to go with Big Ron and added the letter I. Ron said it refers to big iron equipment.

We wanted the name iron in the domain name, found out big iron was available, and it took some finesse to get the name, its easy to remember, Ron said.

In 2008, ethanol hit the market and nearly doubled the price of corn which, in turn, reduced their business as fewer farmers were retiring or selling out.

The only auctions we were having now were health issue auctions or folks with a death in the family. People were voluntarily retiring prior to that because they were tired of going out there and farming and not making money, Mark said.

In 2016 they stopped holding outcry auctions with a physical auctioneer and transitioned to online only. Today, BigIron has 540 employees across the lower 48 states and has sold to many countries. Mark said that, while they have worked hard on their business, BigIron would not exist were it not for all the employyes that were involved along the way and their wives Kris and Kristin.

Im telling you theres no way this would have worked if we didnt have some of the best people the most passionate people who cared about what we were trying to do and cared about our sellers, bidders and our buyers, Mark said.

The Ag Pioneer award is presented to an innovator or groundbreaker in the industry. Honorees are nominated by members of the community who select them for one of four categories related to agriculture. In the case of BigIron, Ron said, innovation is a routine for them.

Being a pioneer means finding new and better ways to do things, breaking new ground. Were pioneers every day because were finding ways to hone our skills, hone our business, make a better experience for our customers buying and selling, Ron said.

Ron added that the award is an honor and theyre humbled to accept it.

Its very humbling to be nominated for such an award from people in the Columbus area who watched our business from the start, watched it grow. A lot of them have done business and when you get a nod from people who have done business, its tremendously satisfying, Ron said.

Both Mark and Ron said the best part of what they do is working with people. For Ron, the best part is helping people solve their problems in whatever way he can.

Its satisfying helping them achieve their goal, getting people fixed and feeling really good about helping, Ron said.

For Mark, he does it because he and Ron understand the field and understand farmers. Coming from a farm family, regularly talking to farmers and knowing what their concerns and wants are, Mark said, has been a big part of BigIrons reputation with the ag community.

When we drove in on somebodys place and looked at a planter and we knew if it had a Yetter opener or a Groff opener or if it had liquid insecticide or herbicide kit, we could identify that and the people we were working for felt comfortable because we knew what we were looking at, Mark said.

BigIron and the other honorees will be presented their awards on March 21 at the American Legion building at 2263 23rd St. during the Columbus Area Chamber of Commerce Agribusiness Committees 54th Annual Rural Recognition Banquet. Honorees were nominated by members of the community.
On Jan. 26, Peabody announced that its annual ceremony for the 83rd Peabody Awards will be held for the first time in Los Angeles on June 11. The awards will be held in person for the first time since 2019. The Peabody Awards were founded at the University of Georgia in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

The Peabody Awards honor the most intelligent, powerful and moving stories told in broadcasting and digital media, according to UGA Today.
Local high schoolers are able to get a step up in their future health care careers through the Health Science Pathway, which recently saw the completion of its inaugural year.

A collaboration between Columbus Community Hospital (CCH), area high schools and Central Community College, the program allows students the chance to learn about careers available in health care while still in school.

It is currently offered at Columbus High School (CHS) and Lakeview High School.

Kalloff, who is an instructor with CCH, noted that CHS started the original groundwork for the pathway after survey results showed a significant portion of students indicating they wanted to go into health care.

We had about 30%, 35% of our student population that were saying we want to do something in health care or health sciences in some capacity, said CHS Principal Dave Hiebner. This was a number of years ago when we started to look down this path and lo and behold  we have a lot of students who want in and we have a lot of students that are signing up for the courses and still continue to want to be involved in health care.

The school, Hiebner said, wants to develop pathways that the community needs.

Columbus High is a microcosm of the community and we have to be responsive to the needs of the community, Hiebner said. One of the areas throughout our community and many others is that shortage of health care workers. Heres a way in which we can get kids into the program sooner, we can offer it at a much cheaper cost for our students.

Conversations started at the Columbus Public Schools level and then with the hospital, Kallhoff added.

It doesnt matter if youre talking about nurses, CNAs (certified nursing assistant), pharmacists, doctors; across the board we need people, Kalloff said. The hospital board said This is really a good idea that we need to offer to all three high schools in Columbus. And with that being said they did.

The curriculum used in the pathway is from the college, which still offers a CNA program on its campus but sees a long waitlist, she said.

CHS implemented the pathway last January with Lakeview starting it this past fall. The classes are held at the respective schools, both CHS and Lakeview have designated health science rooms where the curriculum is taught.

Scotus is looking at a way to incorporate it into their schedule for their students and into their building. Because it does take up a little space to actually have it on site, Kalloff added.

Kalloff said the pathway includes Health Science 1, Health Science 2 and a CNA skills class that, upon completion, allows students to receive their CNA certification.

Health Science 1 is an introduction to health care. Kallhoff said they learn the different fields of health care, as well as the importance of safety, communication, teamwork and any other skills needed to work in any health care position.

At the end of that semester, they become CPR certified and they become Stop the Bleed certified, we touch on some first aid things, so its a time to get their feet wet, Kallhoff said.

Importantly, the students are able to get a taste of the health care field before spending their time and money pursuing a potential career after high school, she noted.

It helps them make that decision that says yes, this is really what I want to do. Or, maybe this isnt what I thought it was and maybe I want to look at something different, Kallhoff said, adding there are speakers who represent different health care careers come in and talk about their fields.

For the CHS fall semester, there were 45 students in Health Science 1 and eight CNA students. At Lakeview, there were 24 Health Science 1 students.

This current semester, those students that were in Health Science 1 had the option of moving into either Health Science 2 or taking the CNA class, Kallhoff said. That being said there were only 16 spots available for the CNA class at Columbus High and 16 spots at Lakeview.

State law limits the CNA course to eight students per class. Kallhoff added that both classes at CHS are full while there are 11 CNA students at Lakeview.

For Health Science 2 this semester, there are 12 students at CHS and another group had been added with 15 enrolled in that. At Lakeview, there are eight to 10 students in Health Science 2.

The implementation has been successful largely because of the support by CCH and CCC, Lakeview Junior-Senior High School Principal Steve Borer said. Here at Lakeview we also have had great success due to our two teachers who have taught the classes, Wendy Kallhoff is a registered nurse who partners with Nicole Miller, one of our science teachers, to teach the classes in the Health Science Pathway. They both have done a tremendous job.

For Kallhoff, being an instructor of the Health Science Pathway is a full-time job. She noted she is in the classroom Monday through Friday, starting before school begins and not leaving around 4 p.m.

Lakeview students sometimes are there at 6:45, not every morning, and Columbus High, some of them show up here on some mornings at about 7 a.m., Kallhoff said.

The students are dedicated and the pathway is going extremely well so far, she added.

I couldnt ask for better students, more engaged students and eager-to-learn students. You can tell that this is something that they want to do and that they dont have to do, Kallhoff said.

Great kids, putting in the effort, putting in the hard work to be successful.

Kalloff added theyve already seen a direct impact as there are a couple of students already employed with the hospital. The pathway will also hopefully help keep kids in Columbus, she noted.

We want to catch these students who have an interest in health care before they kind of leave our community, so that we can keep them interested, enthralled and (we) want (them) to come back and serve the people that they live with, their friends and their neighbors, Kallhoff said.

According to Kallhoff, next year they will start offering Health Science 3.

Both Borer and Hiebner noted they see the Health Science Pathway continuing to grow.

As more students get into it, I think theyre going to see that theres a lot of different options within health care, Hiebner said. I envision it to continue to grow and the interest to continue to grow, especially as health care needs in the community and around the state continue to grow.
Wit h Brattleboro voting overwhelmingly to become part of the international Charter for Compassion, the Reformer and The Commons have agreed to publish a Compassion Story of the Month. Submissions, from Brattleboro area residents, for future publication, not to exceed 650 words, should be emailed to: compassionstory@gmail.com or mailed to: Compassion Story of the Month, PO Box 50, Marlboro, VT 05344. Include your name, address, phone number and email address. Earlier submitted stories will automatically be considered in subsequent months.
Photographer / Multimedia Editor

Has been working as a photojournalist since 2007, before moving into newspapers, he worked with an NGO called Project HOPE. He then went to work for the Press and Sun-Bulletin in New York, and then in New England working for the Brattleboro Reformer.
Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., talks with Rocko Andrews and Harriet Gussin at the Winston Prouty Center for Child and Family Development in Brattleboro during a tour of the Winston Prouty campus to talk about early childhood education on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023.
In Brief

Over the past few months, China has repeatedly accused the U.S. of "illegally stealing" oil from Syria in an act of "banditry."

Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) found that the accusations echo those made by official Syrian media reports. The Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad has no control over the northeast area of the country, which is occupied by the anti-government coalition known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). U.S. and international media have reported that a U.S. company had secured an oil deal in the area, but it did so with the approval of the SDF, which helped to oust ISIS terrorist forces that previously controlled the oil production there. The U.S. currently authorizes non-governmental organizations to purchase petroleum in Syria, but the products have to stay in Syria for non-profit use.

In Depth

The illegal plundering of natural resources in Syria by foreign troops must stop immediately, Dai Bing, Chinas ambassador to the U.N., said during the U.N. Security Council briefing on Syria, according to a Jan. 26 report by Chinese state media Global Times. The article said that U.S. troops have been slammed for stealing oil from Syria.

China has repeatedly accused the U.S. of taking Syrias oil in recent months. At a Jan. 17 press conference for Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a China Central Television (CCTV) reporter quoted Syrian state news reports that the illegal U.S. garrison in the country had smuggled 53 tankers of oil from the northeast province of al-Hasakah into northern Iraq. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin has described the actions as "illegal looting" and "banditry" and said that the U.S. is exacerbating the humanitarian disaster in Syria.

At a Jan. 17 press conference, spokesperson Wang Wenbin claimed the U.S. had "illegally plundered oil" from Syria. Photo/Screenshot of the Chinese Foreign Ministry website.

Several Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokespersons have accused the U.S. of stealing Syrian oil at several press conferences during the last few months. Photo/Screenshot of the Chinese Foreign Ministry website





Where do these allegations of stealing oil come from?

The information cited recently by the CCTV reporter in the Jan. 17 press conference followed a Jan. 14 report by the Syrian Arab News Agency. The SANA report cites anonymous local sources accusing the U.S. military of stealing 53 tankers of oil. The short report provides few details and only a single photo of an oil tanker. No explanation or sourcing accompanied the photo, and no mention was made of the agreement between the U.S. company and SDF.

The Jan. 14 Syrian Arab News Agency report on U.S. oil theft. Photo/Screenshot of SANA report

Reporters from official Chinese media outlets quoted similar SANA reports that featured general accusations without any additional context at previous press conferences. The SANA reports never cite the location where the theft allegedly occurred and sometimes appear to reuse the same photo.

SANA reports on U.S. oil theft from December, November, and September 2022. Photo/Screenshot of SANA reports

Is the U.S. getting oil in Syria?

Credible media outlets report that U.S. companies have extracted oil in northeast Syria. But Chinese claims that the U.S. is stealing Syrian resources lack sufficient context.

The SDF occupies the northeastern part of the country, independent of the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad. In 2020, Delta Crescent Energy, a little known U.S. oil company, signed a contract with the SDF that allowed the company to extract oil. The State Department has not disclosed many details about the deal, but a report by U.S. media outlet Politico said that some of the oil was refined to use in the region, with the rest exported to Iraq and Turkey.

The Syrian government has strongly criticized the agreement, saying that the U.S. is taking the countrys oil without its permission. State-sponsored media in Russia and Iran have also described the U.S. actions as the "theft" and "plunder" of Syrian resources.

U.S. and international media outlets and think tanks have covered the oil deal Delta signed with the SDF in 2020. CNN reported the deal was signed in secret and that Delta Crescent was created by former political and military officials during the Trump administration. News reports note that the agreement was approved by the U.S. in order to keep Russia, Syrias Assad government and ISIS terrorist forces that had controlled the region from benefiting from oil production there.

A story recently published by Esquire revealed how Delta Crescent was first awarded the contract and the company's ensuing difficulties with the Biden administration. The company's license expired in 2021, with reports at the time indicating that the White House planned to abandon support for oil operations in Syria.

Syrian oil is for the Syrian people. The United States does not own, control or manage any of those resources, nor do we wish to, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told AFCL. The spokesperson said the department does not comment on the operations of private companies there.

The spokesperson told AFCL that SDF will continue to deny ISIS access to oil and gas revenue in northeast Syria, which it previously used to fund its terror campaign.

The U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which first authorized Delta Crescents oil deal in Syria, now only allows NGOs to purchase refined petroleum products from Syria. The products have to be used in Syria for non-profit purposes. Oil extraction is not an authorized activity, according to the current Code of Federal Regulations and Syria General License issued by OFAC in 2022.

Asia Fact Check Lab (AFCL) is a new branch of RFA, established to counter disinformation in todays complex media environment. Our journalists publish both daily and special reports that aim to sharpen and deepen our readers understanding of public issues.
Slava and Artem, livestream their "Kyiv Father-and-Son 8 pm Workout" to encourage traumatized Ukrainians to hug each other and live well amid war. (Photography/Yang Zilei)

Ukrainians join the battle against Russia from their living rooms Through a grant from the United States Agency for Global Media, Radio Free Asia collaborated with The Reporter, a Taiwanese investigative news outlet, to produce a series of stories about the effects of Russias invasion of Ukraine. The aim of the project, also being published in Mandarin language, was to provide Chinese readers greater clarity about the conflict. In the third installment of the series, The Reporter and RFA spoke to residents of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv who are backing their countrys fight against Russian invaders in their own personal wayscooking meals, countering Russian and Chinese disinformation, and teaching wellness on live-streamed videos. Interior designer wears many hats for Ukraine Before the Russian invasion, 62-year-old Tetiana was an interior designer in Kyiv with a daughter living in Moscow. Now, her living room has been transformed into a small makeshift factory churning out candles, posters and other items to support the Ukraine war effort. She has cooked in street kitchens, helped foster dogs left homeless in the war, and joined social media campaigns. Her daughter moved to Berlin, and Tetiana visited the German capital in summer 2022, but resisted her plea to stay and came back to Kyiv.

Kyiv interior designer Tetiana in her kitchen, filled with candle-making equipment, materials, and half-finished candles after she converted her home to a candle factory to support Ukraines war effort. (Photography/Yang Zilei) When I learned that the war has begun, I was afraid, too. My mother had gone through war, so I know what it is about. I told my daughter who lived in Moscow to leave immediately, but do not return to Ukraine. As long as my daughter is in another country, I could feel some sense of peace. Yet I wanted to stay. It's not because I wanted to safeguard the house or my property. You can always redesign a house, wherever it may be. I stayed behind because I want to contribute to my country. I want to be a useful Ukrainian. I asked my daughter to respect my decision. I made a promise to her that whenever the air raid siren goes off, I would check in with her. Ever since the first day of the war, I tried to join the Territorial Defense Forces. However, situations in the first three days were very intense. The government had ordered all civilians to stay home. I could only listen to the radio while feeling very anxious. Then when we were allowed to leave the house, I'd drive around to look for enlisting stations. I stopped a soldier on the street and asked, Where can I enlist in the military? Never in my life would I have imagined myself saying this. Finally, I found the National Territorial Defense Forces office, but they looked at me and said, You are already 62; the supervisors probably will not let you in. I continued to beg them. OK, then leave your phone number here. I'll see what I can do. This is how I finally made it into the wartime kitchen. Of course I am very scared, but I feel better when I am with everyone, and I feel I am useful; if I were to stay home alone, I wouldn't know when to run, to hide, to cry, nothing. I was surprised that so many came to help, which leads me to believe that as long as we unite together, we can be strong and powerful. Our kitchen is on the street, and it's cold out there. I like to make tea and coffee for everybody; I'm now a tea-making expert. We later developed a frontline convoy that delivers meals to other places. We're in charge of three vehicles, each of which delivers 200 meals. The morale is very high.

Candles made of cardboard and wax poured in tin cans are used by Ukraines front line soldiers to heat up food and to stay warm. (Photography/Yang Zilei) On our way to Kyiv, the condition of the highways told us the damage the Russian invasion and attacks have caused to Ukraines infrastructure. The weight of Russian tanks caused road surfaces to crack. There is a very noticeable humming sound when cars drive over those roads. I like to see people finally being able to smile, and how they gather by the fire to drink tea or coffee. I found another job on social media, that is, to gather resources for the military and the kitchens. When the Russian forces left [in April], and the kitchen did not need me anymore, I found another job, which was to assist volunteer groups in occupied areas such as Bucha and Irpin. You can't use a single word to describe volunteering precisely. When a person wants to do something for their country, they will have all kinds of creative ideas, and this has saved me from falling into depression during the war. A month ago, the 138 people did not know each other at all; now we make candles together, and we give lessons to teach more people to make candles. We have become one another's partners.

II. Translator fights Russian and Chinese disinformation Kyrylo Chuyko, 30, is an accredited translator and interpreter of Chinese, who has rendered many Chinese official book titles into his native Ukrainian. The Mariupol native has studied in China, and also speaks Greek, German, Spanish and Kazakh. After Russia invaded Ukraine, Chuyko posted videos and ran livestreams, translated into multiple languages, to inform the world about the situation on the ground. He was surprised when his posts and videos were deleted from the Chinese internet, while his Chinese friends blamed Ukraine for the conflict and accused the Kyiv government of bombing its own people. Chinas full-throated endorsement of Russian disinformation about Ukraine showed that the gap between people living in a democratic country and those who live in a totalitarian country cannot be bridged solely by translation, he told The Reporter.

Translator Kyrylo Chuyko presents videos and livestreams in Chinese and other languages to present the war through Ukrainian eyes to audiences exposed to Russian disinformation. (Photography/Yang Zilei) Is this special ops? Or is this a true invasion into Ukraine? Is it really that difficult to differentiate? Look at the Bucha massacre! Do you still think that it's Ukrainians killing our own people? Then you should come take a look Look how many videos there are from other sources  I don't ask that you believe me; you do not have to believe me. But I am a Ukrainian. I came from Mariupol. My home was destroyed, and 80% of my city was destroyed  by the Russians. My hometown, Mariupol, was becoming more and more developed into a cultural-rich city. The Russians did not care about cultural and artistic development; they even bombed the churches. They bombed the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater  even though they knew there were people in the structure; even though they knew there were civilians and children. They still bombed the theater! What kind of behavior is this? So I told those Chinese internet users, If you don't believe me, then come over. Experience it yourself. I'll be your interpreter. I have said it many, many times. You just come over, and I will show you who's killing whom. I will show you who is invading Ukraine. I will also show you whether there are really Nazis. But my Chinese friends said, Chuyko, you don't know politics. This is what politics do. Who can you blame since Ukrainians chose to side with America and the West? Chuyko, you don't understand. You were wrong, because you created dangers for the Russians, so they want to preemptively attack you. I thought we were good friends, and my Chinese friends would believe me. I said, You have all visited Ukraine before. Don't you know what our lifestyle is in Ukraine? It is an open, inclusive and peaceful society. Still, they still said, Chuyko, it was you who doesn't understand.

Chuyko's residence in Kyiv, where the graduation photo he took with his parents still hangs on the wall. (Photography/Yang Zilei) Okay, I don't understand, but I absolutely do not accept your kind of understanding. I am totally disappointed with these people. I have no comment about their thinking pattern. To this date, I don't know how to describe their reasoning. How can a normal human being remain silent about the invasion? I'm not a political scientist; I'm not an economist; but as an ordinary Joe, let me ask this: when your homeland is invaded, when you don't have any weapons but the invaders come with guns and in tanks, would you say, Welcome, come over here, welcome? I get killed by you, I give all my belongings to you, and you destroy my entire home, and that's all OK. Would you say this? Normal people would safeguard their homes. Wouldnt Chinese people do that? But they still think that it was the Ukrainians fault. Can I still believe that you're thinking straight? What we're doing right now is protecting ourselves. We are defending our country, nothing else. Would you sit quietly and watch your friends being killed? Some Chinese people, after watching the videos I made or reading other news, still dared not speak their minds. Even if they knew the truth, they didn't dare say it, because they're afraid. Some of my Chinese friends told me privately, Chuyko, I support Ukraine, but I'm only one person and my power is limited. What I say doesn't make any difference. Sorry, sorry, I can't be of help. I said: Are you happy living in this kind of reality? Dont you feel helpless and powerless when you cannot express your own opinions and thoughts? They did not respond. I do not even have the energy to be angry at them.

III. Eastern Ukrainian father-and-son duo livestream exercise sessions to boost morale Journalist Slava, 48, and his son Artem, 17, have been livestreaming exercise and self-care sessions every night at 8 oclock, encouraging fellow Ukrainians to join them online for a mix of advice on fitness, emotional wellbeing, abdominal breathing and eye exercises. They did not expect their group exercise sessions, which also included online chats featuring Slavas movie recommendations and new music picks by Artem, would find such a wide, fast-growing audience. But before they knew it, the "Kyiv Father-and-Son 8 p.m. Mind-Body Workout" was a hit with soldiers in Mariupol, refugees who escaped abroad, injured soldiers in military hospitals, and exiles in Israel, Japan, Lithuania, the U.K. and Canada. Russias war against his country began eight years earlier for Slava, who hails from Eastern Ukraine and covered Russias occupation of the Donbas region in 2014. That year, Slava and a photographer were passing a checkpoint run by Russians and local separatists and witnessed Russian troops open fire and kill civilians. Arrested as suspected spies for Ukraine, they were taken to a spot under the bridge to be executed. They were spared when the would-be executioner recognized Slava through his driver. Refusing to pledge allegiance to Russia, Slava was tortured and left with injuries that required three weeks in the hospital before he could walk. Slava and his family also hosted techno parties and seminars promoting Ukrainian identity in eastern Ukraine before full-fledged war began. He told The Reporter he wanted to counter the image that Russian media was spreading of "an anemic eastern Ukraine waiting for Russian salvation."

Slava has vowed to grow his beard as long as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues. (Photography/Yang Zilei) Slava



2014, our home has been part of the war, and we have shouldered the society's sentiment. My son wanted to continue to do livestreaming, and I will support him. We will work together. This is not something unique to our family only. Collectively, Ukrainians are living an abnormal, unhealthy life, but life continues to move forward; it does not stop. I think we always have a choice. We always have choices. At that time I could choose to die, but I could also choose to live. I saw a counselor to treat my PTSD, and that's how I learned the workout we do at the livestreaming. Therefore, what had happened then and the war over the past eight years have made me braver and stronger. I told myself that I would bring positive energy to Artem and to the people around me. It's just that now the entire Ukraine has been turned into what eastern Ukraine was like. I never expected that our livestreaming would help so many people in need. I of course love the life I used to lead, but after being tortured by the Russian soldiers, I understood it. I realized that the bad guys who wanted to kill you will not give you any foretold warnings. Therefore, we must cherish life  if there is anything you want to do, do it now, don't wait.

Artem (right) doing live streaming with his father Slava (left) in their living room in Kyiv. (Photography/Yang Zilei) Take the magazine that we started in 2021 for example, though it was first published during the COVID-19 pandemic, we are still carrying on. Even with the war, we still managed to publish them in the bomb shelters. Russia began its brainwashing campaign in eastern Ukraine in 2010, claiming that Eastern Ukraine belongs to Russia, with which they share the same culture and same identity. But that is my hometown, and I will fight back with publications. Memory and history are important. In our magazines, we introduced Ukrainian songs from the Eastern Ukrainian region. We invited authors from Eastern Ukraine to contribute. My favorite Ukrainian singer came from Eater Ukraine. I want to break the stereotype of Easter Ukraine only speaks Russian and try to present Eastern Ukraine from a variety of global, European, and Ukrainian perspectives. I also brought in DJs from London, Lithuania, and Norway to host techno parties in Eastern Ukraine to make life there fun. This war has taught people to cherish every simple thing: a warm bed, warm food, those of which we used to take for granted but are hard to come by now. The experience of war is painful, but we must know how to use memory and history of this painful period to build a new Ukraine. We can't leave it as just a piece of memory.

Artem, 17, has been creating drawings and digital art since he was small. He posts his artwork on his Instagram account @BananaShampoo. (Photography/Yang Zilei) Artem



To me, going online to do livestreaming was everything in the first three months. I didn't know whether I'd be going to school tomorrow. I didn't know what it'd be like tomorrow when I woke up, But I did know that I would be doing livestreaming with my father  this was the only thing I could be sure of. After the war began, I was afraid that I'd become too shut down, as if I had been nailed in a coffin. I even began to think, like why did others die but not me? I wanted to die, too. I am the one who should die, not them. But in some way, this livestreaming project let me fulfill my duty. I helped others. I'm not just someone who survived. I had an opportunity to become a hero who joined the collective efforts and to become a better person.
When the Taliban returned to power in 2021 in a lightning military insurrection that toppled Afghanistans internationally recognized government, the country immediately fell into diplomatic isolation.



Two of Kabuls neighbors to the north, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, chose a different route, putting the hard-line groups fractious history with the former Soviet Central Asian republics aside and prioritizing engagement over criticism and pressure.



But a giant canal project in Afghanistan now taking shape that the Taliban is pursuing at a rapid pace is giving the two water-stressed countries doubts about whether strategic patience with the Islamic fundamentalist group will yield rewards.



If you look at other projects that have involved Afghanistan and Central Asia somehow, there has often been a win-win element, Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili, founding director of the Center for Governance and Markets at the University of Pittsburgh, told RFE/RL.



But the Qosh Tepa Irrigation Canal, which will divert large volumes of water from the dwindling transboundary Amu Darya River, is a very different case.



This is very much zero sum, because water is a finite good and there dont seem to be any benefits for Afghanistans neighbors here, said Murtazashvili, adding that she expects the Central Asian countries to pursue a lot of quiet diplomacy on the project that will add to the pressures faced by outsized agricultural sectors already battling climate change and historical mismanagement.

But the Taliban will be probing to see how far it can go, Murtazashvili said, something she suggested its downstream neighbors will have to get used to.



If the first Taliban [regime that ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001] was weighed down by insurgency and in some ways never really behaved like a state, Taliban 2.0 seems to really like the idea of projecting state power, Murtazashvili said.



Old Project With New Momentum



The stated dimensions of the irrigation canal that workers started digging last spring are enough to understand why the downstream countries have concerns.



With a length of 285 kilometers and a width of some 100 meters, experts believe it could draw a significant portion of the Amu Daryas flow while irrigating 550,000 hectares of land.



An Afghan civil servant with knowledge of the project told RFE/RLs Uzbek Service that work on the second of three stages of the project that began in the spring of 2022 is expected to begin in the coming months, with more than 100 kilometers already dug and visible from space.



The plan to irrigate land in northern Afghanistan is not new.



Farid Azim, an official at the National Development Company overseeing its construction, pointed out last year that Afghanistans first president, Mohammad Daud Khan, had a similar vision in the 1970s.

The project was most recently pursued by the U.S.-backed administration of President Ashraf Ghani -- which the Taliban overthrew less than two years ago.



A press release issued by the United States Agency for International Development from 2018 marking the launch of a Washington-funded feasibility study for Qosh Tepa described a 200 kilometer-long canal serving a cultivated catchment area of 500,000 hectares.



Developing Afghanistans agriculture sector provides great potential for employment and economic growth, then-U.S. Ambassador John R. Bass said in the release.



But the project was not a pressing concern for neighbors, primarily because political infighting and chronic instability in northern Afghanistan had made it impractical.



Bismellah Alizada, a researcher at Londons School of Oriental and African Studies, told RFE/RL that Rashid Dostum, who was the Afghan first vice president from 2014 to 2020, was among the influential politicians with concerns about the project.



One of those concerns was that it would be used to benefit and resettle members of the politically dominant Pashtun group to which President Ashraf Ghani belonged, Alizada said.



Dostum -- an ethnic Uzbek warlord -- long enjoyed strong ties to the regime in Uzbekistan and was even reported to have fled there when the Taliban captured Mazar-e Sharif, overwhelming forces jointly under his command before the group advanced on Kabul.

Members of Dostums exiled Junbish-e Milli party have reiterated these concerns more recently, but the reality is that the Taliban has no opponents capable of preventing it from forging ahead with giant public works projects, Alizada said.



More obvious obstacles are technical capacity and cash, with billions of dollars in funds belonging to Afghanistans central bank frozen after the Taliban takeover. That would make it hard for the cash-strapped Taliban to finance a project whose first phase cost nearly $100 million, according to reports.



But Graeme Smith, a senior consultant for the International Crisis Groups Asia Program, said the Taliban has a strong political will to finish off projects begun by the former government with Qosh Tepa the biggest that the group has revived so far.



With their very limited resources, the Taliban have prioritized [Qosh Tepa], said Smith, expressing skepticism that the Islamic fundamentalist group would pay attention to its neighbors concerns.



The Taliban is a nationalist movement intensely focused on their domestic constituencies, Smith said.



I think its fair to assume they will continue governing with a strong focus on issues inside the country and less regard for concerns outside, he told RFE/RL.



Games Of Leverage



Taciturn Turkmenistan has so far said nothing about the canal project.



But a Turkmenistan-based hydrologist speaking in March to RFE/RLs Turkmen Service on condition of anonymity called the project not a problem, but a disaster.



RFE/RL correspondents in the closed authoritarian country reported this year about severe water shortages in Turkmenistans Soviet-built Karakum Canal, which is four times the length of the one the Taliban is seeking to complete.



The World Resources Institute in 2019 ranked Turkmenistan as one of 17 countries in the world with extremely high water stress. Uzbekistan and Afghanistan were placed in the next highest category. Central Asia as a whole depends on rivers that rise in mountains, where many glacier stocks are being depleted by climate change.



Tashkent, whose own Moscow-imposed, cotton-growing legacy is one of the chief causes of the Amu Daryas demise, has been more proactive on Qosh Tepa.

According to the Talibans deputy prime minister for economic affairs, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the topic was among those broached by Uzbek presidential envoy and former Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Komilov when he was in Kabul last month for talks on economic cooperation.



Komilov was cited by Baradars office as saying that Uzbekistan was ready to work with the Islamic emirate (the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan) through technical teams in order to maximize the benefits of the Qosh Tepa canal project.



Uzbekistan provided no comment to that effect in its release on the talks, but President Shavkat Mirziyoev -- in a national address in December -- flagged Qosh Tepa as a concern as he touched on the problem of desertification.

At the moment, we consider it necessary to conduct practical talks on the construction of a new canal in the Amu Darya basin with the interim government of neighboring Afghanistan and the international community based on international standards and taking into account the interests of all countries in the region, he said.



We believe that this approach will be supported by our neighbors.



Mirziyoevs preference for dialogue over threats on transboundary water use has been welcomed by the neighborhood since predecessor Islam Karimov passed away in 2016.



This appears to have worked with upstream Kyrgyzstan, where successful border negotiations saw Uzbekistan granted de facto control of a strategic reservoir located inside Kyrgyz territory, albeit not without a rash of political discontent in Kyrgyzstan.

And although authoritarian Karimov virulently opposed the construction of giant hydroelectric dams in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Mirziyoev has given both his blessing, with Tashkent even attaching itself to Kyrgyzstans Kambar-Ata-1 project as a partner -- a move that will give it a hand in upstream management.



Qosh Tepa, however, is becoming a source of public anxiety in Uzbekistan.



With the volume of the Amu Darya water [already] decreasing, Afghans will take a quarter of its water through this canal, complained Uzbek academic and outspoken government critic Khidirnazar Allakulov in an interview with RFE/RLs Uzbek Service.



Instead of solving the problem, the Uzbek government takes the Taliban to Samarkand, dressing them and presenting them with gifts. The government bows to Afghanistan.. Not only the current generation, but also future [Uzbek] generations can be endangered by the water problem, Allakulov said.



Regular exchanges between the Turkmen and Uzbek governments and the Taliban predated the fall of the Ghani government, and Turkmenistan was among the first countries in the world to accept a Taliban-appointed ambassador.

But in line with the international community as a whole, neither has recognized the new regime in Kabul.



This only complicates what Alizada calls the legal lacuna between Afghanistan and its former communist neighbors, since Kabul had not previously signed treaties with them on transboundary management.



And while Afghanistan is keen for more trade opportunities and relies on its northern neighbors for supplies of electricity for several provinces, there are other areas of these bilateral relations where the Taliban feels it has real leverage, Alizada argued.



For the Central Asian countries, I think the number one concern is hard security, especially with the regions history with transnational extremist groups. The Taliban will continue to use assurances on security in negotiations with these countries going forward.
A tennis complex built in just six months in Bosnia-Herzegovina for a tournament organized by the family of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic officially opened on April 12.

The facility, burdened by irregularities during construction and criminal charges over the bidding process, opened in Banja Luka just ahead of the scheduled start on April 16 of the Srpska Open, which is expected to draw several top players from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour, including top-seeded Djokovic.

Hundreds of people attended the opening ceremony, including members of the Djokovic family, Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik, and Banja Luka Mayor Drasko Stanivukovic.

The government of Republika Srpska, one of Bosnias two entities, and Banja Luka, it administrative center, invested about 30 million Bosnian marks ($16 million) in the construction of the tennis complex, which has both outdoor and indoor clay courts, each with seating for several hundred people.



Transparency International in Bosnia in February filed a complaint against Banja Luka and the Republika Srpska government because money for the construction of the court was allocated to the Tennis Association in the form of a grant.

The complaint said the maneuver got around the legal procedure for seeking bids for construction projects.

Questions also were raised about the permit for the project. Construction began in November, but a permit was not issued until January and covered only preparatory work. The tennis complex received a valid building permit only a few days ago.

Authorities two weeks ago conducted searches in the Banja Luka City Hall, based on charges of abuse of official position against Stanivukovic and Prime Minister Radovan Viskovic.

The two were reported on February 9 by a member of the Republika Srpska National Assembly, Nebojsa Vukanovic, who has accused them of misusing budget funds for the construction of the tennis complex.

The Prosecutor-General's Office did not respond to RFE/RLs request for information about the search, including whether a case had been opened.

Stanivukovic told RFE/RL in February that he assessed the construction of the tennis complex court to be in the national interest.

"You have to be brave to do things that are on the edge of legal norms but still in accordance with them and morally correct," he said.

Djordje Djokovic, brother of the tennis star and one of the principal organizers of the Srpska Open -- previously known as the Serbian Open -- visited the complex while it was under construction on several occasions but never commented on the criminal accusations or the lack of a building permit for construction.

"As far as we are concerned, we are the organizers of the tennis tournament. We do not deal with building permits or politics," he said at a press conference on March 7.

He founded the company Legacy International, a branch of his Belgrade-based company with the same name, in Banja Luka at the beginning of November.

The tournament is usually held in Belgrade but has been moved to Banja Luka for 2023 while the existing grounds in the Serbian capital are renovated.

The tournament, which is scheduled to run from April 16-23, is part of the ATP 250 series. Aside from Djokovic, other current and former ATP top 10 players registered are Andrei Rublev, Stanislas Wawrinka, and Gael Monfils.

With reporting by Milorad Milojevic
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.

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.
Lawrence Freedman has spent his career studying war and diplomacy. A British historian, he specializes in international relations, foreign policy, and strategy. He has written academic works on the Cold War, nuclear deterrence, and the politics of military operations. In 2019, Oxford University Press published his book Ukraine And The Art Of Strategy, an "account of the origins and course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict through the lens of strategy."

A prolific commentator on contemporary defense and foreign policy issues, he served as a member of the Chilcot Inquiry, a probe into the U.K.'s role in the Iraq War.

Freedman spoke to RFE/RL's Georgian Service about the futility of the war in Ukraine, the likelihood of total victory for either side, and why he doesn't think Putin will use a nuclear weapon.

RFE/RL: A recurring theme in your books on strategy is that wars rarely, if ever, go as planned. And when they don't, then it's all about costs for the errors made. Is the Ukraine war a classic case of that? If yes, what does that mean for Russia?

Lawrence Freedman: It's an extreme case, in some ways. [Some of us] were skeptical about whether Russia would go to war. I never dismissed it; you could never dismiss the possibility. But the grounds to be skeptical were largely on the basis that it was very hard to see how Russia could ever win -- just because of the size of Ukraine and the size of the population, the forces, the manpower, that would be needed to be committed indefinitely, to deal with insurgencies and resistance and so on and so forth.

[Russia wasn't] even successful in the initial military operations [in Ukraine]. So this is an even better example [of wars not going to plan] than, say, Iraq in 2003. Because in Iraq in 2003, the military side of it went to plan initially; the problem was in the aftermath. They never even got to the aftermath in this war.

Instead of a few days, which [would end] up with a puppet government in Kyiv, you've now got this deadly war, which has shattered Ukraine and taken a decade of military modernization out of Russia, and seen tens of thousands -- possibly over 100,000 -- killed. For very little gain. The gains that the Russians made were largely made at the start of the war. Some they then relinquished because they couldn't hold them; others they've been forced out [of].

If you look at military progress for Russia, even taking into account Soledar (a town in the Donetsk region) the other day, possibly Bakhmut (a city in the Donetsk region) to come, it's very marginal. And what they've seized has been destroyed in the process. So it's not as if they captured great assets.

So this is really an unusually futile war.

RFE/RL: Speaking of Iraq, your curt, yet very telling, reply on the lessons for Britain regarding its involvement in the Iraq War was, "Don't do it again." Do you at any point see the Russians embracing that bit of self-evident wisdom?

Freedman: I think at the moment it's evident that there are many Russians who are fully aware of how badly this has gone, how none of [Russia's] objectives have truly been achieved, and that this has set the country back years.

The economy did all right last year because of the energy prices, but energy prices have fallen, and they've lost their market. There's no investment going into Russia. So it's now in a period of economic decline, however fast.

So, a lot of Russians are well aware of that. But there's sort of a rallying effect going on. It's not an atmosphere in which people are going to express treasonable thoughts. And so I suspect, among many Russians, they're in a state of denial. I think the problem for [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is, in a sense, ending this without his objectives achieved.

RFE/RL: Can he end it?

Freedman: I think it's very difficult for him because as soon as he ends it, there's a reckoning. And the cost of this war will have to be posed against whatever has been gained. I think this is affecting strategy at the moment. My one explanation of what's going on, and the ferocity with which they've gone for Bakhmut, is that they still have this idea that if only they can take all of Donetsk and hold on to all of Luhansk, that might work.

RFE/RL: That might work as a victory? A victory they can sell?

Freedman: It could possibly work as a victory that they could sell. Their problem is the Ukrainians [at] most might accept a cease-fire. They certainly won't agree to [a cease-fire] in terms of transfer of sovereignty. So, it doesn't get you very far in practice. It just means you're left with an inherently unstable situation. But that's what you're going to be left with anyway, as a result of this, until such time as you've got a different Russian government with a different attitude toward Ukraine.

The Tavberidze 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.

So, the basic lesson of wars is they're easier to start than to end. One has to keep in mind that this war in practice started in 2014. But it was contained -- and one of the issues for the future is whether it can be contained again in some way. [The conflict] wasn't frozen; people still died. But whether it will be frozen in some way in the future, I don't know. Among the possibilities, [a frozen conflict] is as likely as others.

A full peace deal I find almost impossible to see at the moment, because of the reparations, war crimes issues. In ending this war, you need a different government in Moscow, or you need Putin in some way to be sidelined. And there's no sign of that at the moment. But it could happen. I mean, nobody really knows what's going on in Moscow.

RFE/RL: Is an agreed cease-fire a more likely scenario than an outright victory for one side or another?

Freedman: I don't think Russia could win outright victory because I just don't see how it can subjugate Ukraine now. So, it can redefine victory.

RFE/RL: Can Russia be defeated outright?

Freedman: If Ukraine was able to push Russian forces out of all of Ukraine, that would be a defeat. It's not wholly impossible, but I think at the moment it's very difficult. It's not impossible. I think to lose Crimea would be unequivocally a big defeat for Putin. To have the Russians being pushed back elsewhere -- to the 2013 borders or the 1991 borders -- could probably be manageable with guarantees for Russian speakers and so on. My guess is that there comes a point when there's not a lot of value in holding on to what are essentially the same enclaves with which they started this with.

I'm not convinced that, if I was a Ukrainian general, that I would be that bothered about expecting to have to push the Russians back every inch of the way. I think at a certain point the need of the Russian forces to reconstitute themselves and the meaninglessness of [holding] bits of territory, if that's all they're holding on to, would probably mean it would suit [the Russian forces] to have a disengagement in the hope of giving them some breathing space.

On balance, the Ukrainians have got more chance of winning than the Russians, who I don't think have got any chance at all in terms of their original objectives. But they might reconceptualize [those]. But for the Ukrainians, it's very difficult, as well, which is why it's more likely to have a messy conclusion than a neat and tidy one that'll last for some time.

RFE/RL: What about a flawed, partial victory for Ukraine? How could that possibly look?

Freedman: If you look back at what was being said by [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskiy early on in the war, they could have lived, I think, with going back to February 23 [borders]. (Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022.) They might not have accepted it, but Zelenskiy was clearly thinking about shared citizenship solutions to some of the problems. There were ways, I think, in which they could imagine living with the situation.

That's become much more difficult. There was then a period, September-ish, when the Ukrainians got quite optimistic about what they might be able to do because they seemed to be on the front foot -- [but] then the Russians mobilized. And it's become tougher because just the numbers made a difference. More so than I must say I thought it would. But they did. And the Russians are more organized now, generally. They've had time to sort out mobilization, to work out what they're doing with the troops; the general shape has been better. And the weather has not been conducive [for Ukrainian troops]. So, both sides now are looking to new offensives.

I don't think a lot of it makes sense for the Russians. I never have done. Because it's very hard to occupy somebody else's territory."

Now, I think there's a Russian point of view that they've got the numbers now, which they didn't before, but they don't have the equipment, because they've lost a lot of it. And so their equipment is pretty poor. So, they really would be relying on brute force and high casualties to push themselves through.

The Ukrainians are looking to have more maneuver. But as we've seen, maneuver is not easy on these battlefields unless you find a really vulnerable spot in the enemy's front lines. So I think we're waiting now for the next couple of months. And when we see how that's worked out, we'll have a better idea of the durability of both sides.

RFE/RL: Regarding Russian [military] leadership, let me ask you about this reshuffle that took place. General Valery Gerasimov was put in charge of the Ukrainian campaign, and he reportedly got an explicit command from Putin to conquer the entire Donbas before March. Is that a page from the book titled Take Kyiv In Three Days?

Freedman: If Putin wanted to do that, that may mean that he's got it in his head that he would settle for the Donbas, if that's the order. This is just a report [though]; I've seen it, too. [Gerasimov is] going to find it very difficult to do that. I mean, they may take Bakhmut. It's a difficult battle for the Ukrainians now, but they've been heroic, but at a high cost.

There's always got to be judgments about what costs you're prepared to take, [for example] if that means you lose too many of your best troops for the later offensives. I think what they got before this latest reshuffle was better defenses; the Russian defensive lines improved. And then you had the [private paramilitary] Wagner group pressing on with the only offensive. I think [regarding] Putin, the view is that it's not good enough just to [be] defensive. They want to go back on the offensive. And obviously, that's the view from Ukraine, as well.

I think Putin's impatience is a problem for the Russian command. Gerasimov has always been there; it's not as if he was a newcomer to the situation. What he's doing is making sure that Putin's will is realized, and Putin's will...seems to need more offensives..."

I think a Russian offensive over the next few weekswould be very difficult. The Ukrainians are talking up Russian numbers and the likely scale of the next mobilization because the Ukrainians want to keep [these weapons] flowing in from the West, which makes perfect sense. I think Russia has got the capacity for a pretty tough defensive position. I'm not sure they have the combat power to [defeat] the Ukrainians [offensively]. If I was the Ukrainians, I would almost be tempted to wait for the Russian offensive to come first because I think it would be easier to defeat that than to mount one on their own.

RFE/RL: As unsavory as it might be, I also wanted to ask you to look at this from the Russian perspective, too. To look at it through Gerasimov's eyes and see what makes sense strategically.

Freedman: I don't think a lot of it makes sense for the Russians. I never have done. Because it's very hard to occupy somebody else's territory. Now, there are the bits of the Donbas they've already occupied, which have now given up a lot of their manpower to this war. Maybe they're in control there. Maybe they can impose themselves on Mariupol. (Russian troops captured the Sea of Azov port in May.) But it's quite hard and there's always going to be questions of sabotage and so on going on. It's very hard -- as we know, as the West knows -- to occupy places [where] you're not welcome.

I don't think there are good solutions for Russia. I genuinely don't. There might be solutions that satisfy the Kremlin in the short term and, as I say -- given that it's going to be very difficult for them to hold on, to take all of [the southern regions of] Kherson [and] Zaporizhzhya and so on -- I think the best that they might be able to manage is the Donbas, but they're still a long way from having all of [the] Donetsk [region].

That's militarily as much as they can do. And yet you always have this uncomfortable feeling that, for Putin, destroying Ukraine as a modern country is almost as important as anything else now. There's a revenge aspect that they refuse to bow to his will.

Somehow the biggest thing we're waiting for is a moment where Moscow determines that actually this isn't going anywhere, and they can't afford to keep it going with so little to show for it."

Militarily, I think there are just limited options [for Russia], but they might try. I wouldn't want to rush if I was Ukraine. I don't think they're going to get many chances at a major offensive, nor do I think that Russia has many chances at a major new offensive. So, the next big moves are important.

I'd say, from a Ukrainian point of view, a situation in which the Russians have opened themselves up in an effort to advance -- on the assumption that they can be stopped -- would be better and easier to deal with. It almost looks like 1918, where you have the big German offensive, which exhausted itself, and then the Allies came back.

So, I think Putin's impatience is a problem for the Russian command. Gerasimov has always been there; it's not as if he was a newcomer to the situation. What he's doing is making sure that Putin's will is realized, and Putin's will at the moment seems to need more offensives, and they're clearly gearing up for something. But exactly what and when, it's hard to be sure at the moment.

RFE/RL: They're gearing up, they're doubling down. Should, can, and will the West double down, too?

Freedman: There are two sorts of constraints on what the West is doing; well, you can argue three [constraints]. One is economic. [The West] has taken the hitso whatever Putin was trying to do with the energy crunch worked in the sense that it's been an economically and politically destabilizing year for Europe in particular. But they're sort of coming through that, with possibly more trouble to come, [but] not as much [trouble] as Putin hoped for.

Secondly, there're these political questions about provoking Russia, [about] pushing too far at the risk of escalation, which you see in different ways in the Washington and Berlin debates. I think the Berlin debate is almost unfathomable at times: the narrow distinctions between types of tanks and so on. The American debate is more comprehensible: Basically, if you allow the Ukrainians to attack Russian territory in a sustained way, that may be escalatory.

And then you have the third element, which is the most serious, I think. [It] is inventories and stocks and logistics and maintenance and the sheer practicality of getting stuff that the Ukrainians can use effectively. That, I think, is an inhibiting factor, but that's not one of commitment. I think the political commitment is there. You're not hearing: "Oh, Zelenskiy, you need to negotiate.".

If Putin had managed to come up with something that looked like a compromise, that looked like it might lead to some sort of way out, the pressure on Zelenskiy to take it seriously would be considerable. But he hasn't. And I think [French President Emmanuel] Macron and [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz all recognize that, along with [British Prime Minister Rishi] Sunak and [U.S. President Joe] Biden.

There's no point in being naive about this. There will come a point -- if there still is what looks like a military stalemate...if things look, say, in six months how they look now -- I think just the capacity issues will be pushing to try to find some way to at least pause the conflict."

So, I don't think commitment is an issue. Capacity is an issue. And they're going to have to work quite hard on that. One of the disappointments in a way is [that] more effort hasn't been put by now into gearing up the production. It's happening, but it's taking awhile.

RFE/RL: What would be realistic war aims for the West here? Do they differ from Ukraine's aims?

Freedman: The position has always been that, in some respects, the war aims are set by the people who are fighting the war. And that's Ukraine. Although I think one of the most dangerous ideas around at the moment is that this is a proxy war, and the Ukrainians are really fighting for the Americans.

RFE/RL: Till the last Ukrainian

Freedman: I find that an obnoxious sort of analysis. That often goes with an assertion that the Western objective is to encourage the fragmentation of Russia, which I don't think is the Western objective at all. I don't think there is anybody who particularly believes that would produce stability in Europe or whatever. Some people might, but it's not an official view of Western governments.

I think they would rather have a serious government in Moscow that would have a degree of legitimacy and was able to deal sensibly with its neighbors and the rest of the world. But that's some way away. But there's no point in the West having objectives for Russia because that will depend on so many factors within Russia itself; it's not a reason to fight a war. So, Western objectives have been phrased in terms of the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. And that's where we are.

WATCH: 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 correspondent Andriy Kuzakov reports from the front line.

I don't think the West would push Ukraine to have more radical, or more maximalist, objectives than the Ukrainians are prepared to accept. [If] the Ukrainians were ready to take a compromise outcome, I suspect that would be accepted [by the West], while if the Ukrainians want to fight that would be accepted.

There's no point in being naive about this. There will come a point -- if there still is what looks like a military stalemate, which I'm not sure is likely; I think there will be movement of one sort or another -- if things look, say, in six months how they look now, I think just the capacity issues will be pushing to try to find some way to at least pause the conflict. I don't think it's an issue of the West wanting different things than the Ukrainians want. As it always is with wars, the ends and means have to be in alignment. And if the means aren't there, then you may have to accept outcomes, at least in the short term, that are uncomfortable.

RFE/RL: When the West is talking about not allowing Putin and Russia to succeed in Ukraine, it's often coupled with the phrase "inflicting strategic defeat on Russia." And I would like to ask you, what does that strategic defeat look like?

Freedman: Well, I think the moment that they're facing strategic defeat -- in that they set themselves an objective, which they haven't obtained -- they've already, in that sense, been defeated.

Now, you can then have subsidiary objectives. On March 25, the subsidiary objective was to take the Donbas, but they haven't achieved that yet. So, I don't think strategic defeat itself is a very difficult concept. The issue is how much the Russians recognize it. The problem [with] this from Day One has been that it needs the Russians to end this war. And Putin has refused to end it and is scared of ending it, I think. So, [the war] carries on with all the human costs that entails. And until there's a determination in Russia that strategically this is a losing game and, somehow, they have to get out of this mess, that's where we are.

Tactical nuclear weapons just introduce a whole load of complications operationally and risk -- as [Putin's] been told, as far as we're aware -- exactly the sort of Western engagement he wishes to avoid."

If the West came in, if NATO armies joined Ukraine, then bringing this war to an end would be very simple but very dangerous. And so, there's just so many things that we're waiting for, but somehow the biggest thing we're waiting for is a moment where Moscow determines that actually this isn't going anywhere, and they can't afford to keep it going with so little to show for it.

RFE/RL: I think one of the biggest fears of the West is the scenario that Russia uses a nuclear weapon. You wrote, "The political risks of any nuclear attack on Ukraine would outweigh possible gains. These would include possible collateral casualties among ethnic Russians in Ukraine and radioactive fallout blowing into Russia." I suppose, though, that analysis is based on the assumption that Putin will assess the situation and behave in a rational way. Will he?

Freedman: I've been pretty consistent on my view on this, and nothing has made me change [my mind]. Because [Putin's] taken one stupid decision, there's always a possibility he may take another. But the fact is, he's used nuclear weapons very effectively as deterrence. If nuclear weapons didn't exist, then there's no reason to suppose that the West would not be fighting side by side with Ukraine to defeat [Russian] aggression.

Putin made it clear on February 24 [and] he reiterated it on February 27 [and] he's said it since, that the risk of nuclear war -- he didn't quite put it in those terms, but that's effectively what he means -- comes into play as soon as NATO is directly involved on the Ukrainian side. And that deterrence has worked. Equally, he's been deterred from attacking NATO countries. So, that's fine, it contains the conflict. He's escalated; if he wants to hurt Ukrainians, he's shown he can do it. And if he wants to use firepower, he's got firepower. But actually, tactical nuclear weapons just introduce a whole load of complications operationally and risk -- as he's been told, as far as we're aware -- exactly the sort of Western engagement he wishes to avoid.

So, I think the scare was much greater a few months ago, when it looked like Ukraine was really doing well, pushing the Russians back, but I always thought it was overstated.

You can't rule it out because Russia is a nuclear power with a lot of capability. But [it's] high risk for Russia without obvious gain. Part of the risk is that they might use this stuff and the missile gets knocked down, knocked out, or it doesn't explode properly, or it detonates or whatever. Nobody's used this stuff for a long time. So, it's not something you can exclude -- [and] I think we would have a pretty good indication that something was up -- but I don't see it at the moment.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
A Russian strike on a city in the eastern region of Donetsk killed at least three people on January 28 as Ukrainian forces engaged Russian troops in ferocious battles in several hot spots in the east, where Moscow has been pressing its offensive with increased urgency amid Western pledges of modern tank deliveries for Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy used the occasion to call on Western partners to supply his nation with long-range precision missiles, known as ATACMS, to reduce Russias ability to target cities.

It would be possible to stop this Russian terror if we could source the appropriate missiles for our military forces, Zelenskiy said in his nightly address on January 28.

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.

A Russian strike on a residential neighborhood in the Donetsk city of Kostyantynivka killed three people and wounded at least two others, regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Telegram.

Kyrylenko said four apartment buildings and a hotel had been damaged and that rescuers and police officials were at the site to "carefully document yet another crime by the Russian occupiers."

Earlier on January 28, Kyrylenko said four people had been killed and at least seven wounded by Russian strikes in the last 24 hours.

The January 28 strikes were just the latest in a series by Russian forces to hit Ukrainian civilian targets as Moscow seemingly tries to use terror to weaken the nations resolve.

Mykhaylo Podolyak, a senior Zelenskiy aide, said in an interview on January 28 that Ukraine is engaged in fast-track talks on the possibility of acquiring ATACMs and jet fighters.

The United States has so far refrained from sending Ukraine either weapon for fear it would be perceived by Moscow as escalatory.

The ATACMs could strike Russian arms depots and other equipment up to 300 kilometers away, weakening Moscows ability to supply its troops at the front lines.

U.S. national-security spokesman John Kirby said on January 27 that the Biden administration does not have plans at the moment to send fighter jets to Ukraine.

Air support is a crucial element of a fighting strategy known as "combined arms" that also includes the use of artillery, tanks, armored fighting vehicles, and infantry.

The United States and its NATO allies earlier this month announced plans to send tanks, fighting vehicles, and more artillery to Ukraine as it prepares to launch a counteroffensive.

Meanwhile, the fighting on the front line remains extremely intense, especially in Donetsk, where major battles are under way for Vuhledar and Bakhmut, a town that has been virtually razed by repeated Russian artillery bombardments.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in its daily report early on January 28 that Russian troops continued to press on with a multipronged offensive in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

"The enemy continues to conduct offensive actions in the Bakhmut, Avdiyivka, and Novopavlivka directions," the General Staff said.

"In the Kupyansk, Lyman, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson directions, the enemy is on the defensive," it said.

Ukrainian military spokesman Serhiy Cherevatiy told local media that "there is fierce combat" in Vuhledar.

"For many months, the military of the Russian Federation...has been trying to achieve significant success there," he said.

Vuhledar, a town with a preinvasion population of around 15,000 people, has strategic significance as a communications node in southern Donetsk.

The secretary of Ukraine's Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, told RFE/RL that Moscow was preparing for a new offensive on February 24, the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

"Now they are preparing for maximum activation...and they believe that by the anniversary they should have some achievements," Danilov said. "There is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave by February 24, as they themselves say."

WATCH: Ukrainian combat medic Oksana Lebedenko lost contact with her 11-year-old daughter Yeva after Russian forces occupied her hometown of Vovchansk in Ukraine's Kharkiv region. Lebedenko later discovered that her pro-Russian brother had taken her daughter to Russia without permission. After nearly a year apart, volunteers helped reunite the mother and daughter in Kyiv in December.

Ukraine's Western allies continue to pledge military equipment and aid to shore up Kyiv's defenses.

U.S. national-security spokesman John Kirby said Washington anticipates an intense period of fighting in the coming months," adding that there is "no sign" of the war stopping.

Zelenskiy said on January 27 that Ukraine needs up to 500 tanks.

"We need 300 or 500 tanks now. We need tanks to protect our territory, our land. We need armored vehicles to protect our people, that's all," Zelenskiy said in an interview with Sky News.

So far, a total of 321 heavy tanks have been promised to Ukraine by several countries, Ukraine's ambassador to France, Vadym Omelchenko, said on BFM television on January 27, without giving further details.

The United States, Poland, Germany, and the United Kindom alone pledged more than 130 advanced tanks, with Spain, Finland, the Netherlands, and other countries expected to announce donations soon.

Russian forces in Ukraine have built hundreds of kilometers of field fortifications over the past few months. Breaking through those lines will require tanks in a coordinated attack with other weapon systems to punch through those defenses.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also reassured Ukraine of the bloc's unconditional support. Speaking in the German city of Duesseldorf on January 28, von der Leyen said, "We stand by Ukraine's side without any ifs and buts."

Von der Leyen and her fellow EU commissioners plan an EU-Ukraine summit on February 3.

The Kremlin has reacted with fury to the latest gestures of Western solidarity with Ukraine and said it saw the promised delivery of advanced tanks as evidence of escalating "direct involvement" of the United States and NATO in Russia's war of aggression, something both deny.

In a separate development, Ukraine said it would summon Hungary's ambassador to complain about "completely unacceptable" remarks Prime Minister Viktor Orban made about Ukraine, Kyiv said on January 27.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nykolenko said Orban had told the media that Ukraine was a no-man's-land and compared it to Afghanistan.

With reporting by Reuters and AFP
The city of Farmington was one of 10 locations in the state recently awarded about $2.6 million by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to build electric vehicle charging stations. These projects will complete Missouris highway charging network plan under the Volkswagen Trust.

According to Farmington City Administrator Greg Beavers, the city applied directly to DNR for the funds.

"The way these typically have worked is that the commercial suppliers of those apply to put them into communities off the Volkswagen Trust grant, and I have talked to one of the suppliers about putting some on some city parking lots, but he didn't like our sites.

"He applied to put some on the, I think, R.L. Jones parking lot over in the Maple Valley Center, and he got them funded. The guys build them, they install them, and they buy power off of [the city] at 10 cents a kilowatt hour, and they charge you 25 [cents] or whatever it is they charge.

In addition to the city of Farmington, DNR issued the latest awards to three recipients: Francis Energy in Branson, Chillicothe, Hannibal, Macon, Maryville, Poplar Bluff and Sedalia; Universal EV LLC in Cabool; and SugarFoot Convenience Store LLC in Collins.

The department accepted applications from local governments and businesses located near the specified highway intersections. The department received more than 40 applications during the most recent application period. An impartial scoring committee evaluated each application on the proposed projects technical aspects and relevant business experience. A list of 10 awardees and details about the funding program are available on the departments Electric Vehicle Infrastructure web page.

The department is pleased to play a role in enhancing Missouris charging infrastructure network and partnering with stakeholders to develop a practical and efficient plan, said Dru Buntin, DNR director. The charging installations are making it possible for electric vehicle owners to travel across the state of Missouri, using services along the way.

According to DNR, with a goal of making Missouri highways friendlier for electric vehicle owners, it held a series of meetings with a citizen stakeholder group. During the meetings, stakeholders helped identify viable charging station sites across the state located near highway intersections.

"Together with more than 30 other installations planned by utilities, drivers can now have confidence that a network of charging stations is available statewide," DNR stated. "In addition to the 12 sites previously established, these 10 latest awards fulfill the highway network plan and will likely fully utilize the Volkswagen Trust funding dedicated to charging infrastructure."

In 2016, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed a complaint alleging Volkswagen had violated the Clean Air Act with the sale of 2009-2016 motor vehicles equipped with emissions defeat devices. These devices allowed the vehicles to perform differently during normal vehicle operation than during emissions tests. This meant the vehicles exceeded EPAs compliance levels of nitrogen oxide (NOX) during normal use.

Volkswagen agreed to settle some of the allegations by creating an Environmental Mitigation Trust to fund strategies that will reduce NOX emissions. Missouri received approximately $41 million in trust funds for mitigation projects. With stakeholder support, the department dedicated approximately $6 million, or 15%, of Missouris allocation to creating a network of electric vehicle charging stations.

To request more information, contact DNR's Air Pollution Control Program at MOVWTeam@dnr.mo.gov.
Charlottesville parents, students and school officials cant agree on the renaming of Burnley-Moran and Johnson elementary schools in the city.

The schools are the latest pair to come up for consideration as the school division proceeds with its plan to review every school name based on modern standards and values. Of the two schools that already have been reviewed, both were renamed.

I think the students are very connected to the school name, said Benjamin Thompson, a former Johnson student whose mother serves as its principal, during a Zoom forum hosted by Charlottesville City Schools on Thursday.

Johnson Elementary was named after James G. Johnson, who served as the superintendent of city schools from 1909 until 1946, while the division was racially segregated.

I just want to make sure that were not erasing the name of one or two good women, said Chuck Moran during the forum.

Morans great-aunt Sarepta is the Moran in Burnley-Moran. She was one of the first two women to lead a Charlottesville school, having served as the principal of Venable Elementary. She was also an active member in the Albemarle chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Carrie Burnley was also among the first female leaders of a Charlottesville school, serving as principal of the former McGuffey School. Burnley was also a member of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. As principal of McGuffey, she invited students to decorate the statues of Confederate generals downtown that later led to division and were removed.

Raymond Smith, one of Burnleys descendants on his mothers side, said too much has been made of the womens involvement in the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The schools, he said, were not named because the women were involved in a group that perpetuated the Souths Lost Cause or racist ideology.

They were named because theyre feminists, Smith, who lives in Indiana, said during the forum.

One parent said the question isnt about whether Burnley, Moran or Johnson were good or bad, but about whether naming schools after people is advisable at all given changing social mores.

We dont have to argue if your relatives are good or bad people. We just need to recognize that naming schools after people is not a great practice, said Kate Hutchinson.

One parent of a Burnley-Moran student said she was entirely unaware of the history of the school names until the division began reviewing those names.

Until this survey came out, I had never even looked into it, Madeline Hawks said.

After looking into it, she said she supported renaming.

Im in favor of going away from naming things after people, she said.

Hawks and Hutchinson belong to a majority of the community who have said in an ongoing survey it supports renaming the schools.

To date, 61.9% of respondents to that open community survey said they strongly favor changing the name of Burnley-Moran, according to city schools data. A little more than half of survey respondents have said that Johnson should be renamed.

Most survey respondents said they wanted Burnley-Moran to be renamed Blue Mountain, Blue Ridge Mountain or Rivanna. Forest Hills was the most popular choice for Johnsons new name, followed by Cherry Avenue.

Charlottesville City Schools is reviewing the names of all of its schools in pairs, moving from the first schools it built to the last. Each schools name will be considered by the renaming committee with input from the community before the school board votes on possible new names. So far, Venable Elementary has been renamed Trailblazers and Clark Elementary has been renamed Summit.
Republicans in the House of Delegates this week tabled a bill that would make carrying a firearm at state-owned colleges and universities illegal, after the proposed legislation faced pushback from the National Rifle Association.

While that bill was tabled in a 6-3 party-line vote, a bill with identical language has been advancing in the Democrat-controlled state Senate. That legislation, though, is likely to face the same fate if and when it reaches the floor of the GOP-controlled House.

Both bills were crafted with the assistance of the University of Virginia. Both bills also have been directly tied by their authors  Charlottesvilles Democratic Del. Sally Hudson and Democratic Sen. Creigh Deeds  to the Nov. 13 shooting at UVa that left student-athletes Devin Chandler, DSean Perry and Lavel Davis Jr. dead and two students others injured.

Virginia State Police conducted a search of alleged shooter 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.

But those policies dont currently carry the full force of the law, Hudson said in Richmond on Thursday, introducing her bill to the House Public Safety Subcommittee. And, as a result, they leave law enforcement without the authority they need to enforce these policies.

Hudson was joined Thursday by an emotional UVa Police Chief Timothy Longo, who said having such policies codified in state law will make it easier for law enforcement to respond to firearm violations at Virginias public colleges and universities.

Hudson and Deeds bills 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.

State law already prohibits the possession of firearms in other government-owned buildings, such as the state Capitol, Longo pointed out.

We care enough about the people who come here and who work here to protect them in special ways, said Longo in Richmond. I didnt have that opportunity on the evening of Nov. 13 or any day before then.

Longo, raising his voice, touched on the Nov. 13 shooting.

I dont know if it would have changed the outcome of that night, Longo told the committee. But I do know this, if this place is sensitive, if someone cant go into a bar with a concealed weapons permit and drink a beer, then what makes it OK to come into a dormitory on the Grounds of the University of Virginia with a gun?

Right now, Hudson said, under the current state of affairs, youre relying on people like me, teachers who you want teaching math, to be the people who are out there policing university policy.

Andrew Goddard, president of the Virginia Center for Public Safety and an advocate for strengthening the commonwealths gun laws, came out in support of the bill before the committee on Thursday, citing historical precedent.

Id like to point out before the University of Virginia even opened there was a board meeting attended by Thomas Jefferson, Goddard told the committee. And he and the board decided there would be no alcohol, other than perhaps beer, and no firearms on the University of Virginias campus.

I think we need to go back to that, Goddard said.

Opponents were more direct in their arguments.

It creates a new gun-free zone without doing enough to protect and secure the facilities that were talking about, D.J. Spiker, a lobbyist for the NRA, told the committee before promptly returning to his seat.

Republicans on the committee voted to table the bill on Thursday.

A bill laid on the table can be reconsidered prior to the deadline established by the procedural resolution that sets the schedule for consideration of bills. However, it is still unlikely that a tabled bill will be brought up again for consideration.
Case in Brief

R. v. Hilbach

The Supreme Court rules the mandatory minimum sentences for robbery using either a prohibited or ordinary firearm do not constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

On June 9, 2017, Mr. Ocean William Storm Hilbach and a 13-year-old accomplice robbed a convenience store in Edmonton, Alberta with an unloaded sawed-off rifle. With his face concealed, Mr. Hilbach pointed the rifle at two employees and demanded cash while his accomplice punched one employee and kicked the other. They left with $290 in lottery tickets and were apprehended shortly after. At the time, Mr. Hilbach was 19 years old, on probation and subject to a firearms prohibition order, having been sentenced for several other offences three months earlier.

In January 2018, Mr. Hilbach pleaded guilty to robbery using a prohibited firearm contrary to section 344(1)(a)(i) of the Criminal Code. At sentencing, Mr. Hilbach brought a challenge under section 12 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to the five-year mandatory minimum sentence. Section 12 of the Charter guarantees the right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment. Mr. Hilbach claimed section 344(1)(a)(i) was grossly disproportionate to him as an Indigenous person and member of the Ermineskin Cree Nation. Before the sentencing judge, Mr. Hilbach filed a Gladue report, which indicated that members of his family attended residential schools, struggled with addictions to alcohol or other substances, and suffered financial difficulties. The Gladue report gets its name from the Supreme Court of Canadas 1999 ruling in R. v. Gladue, which established factors that courts must take into account when sentencing Indigenous offenders. In the case of Mr. Hilbach, the sentencing judge decided that the mandatory minimum sentence was grossly disproportionate and violated section 12. He sentenced Mr. Hilbach to two years less a day.

On September 13, 2016, in an unrelated case, Mr. Curtis Zwozdesky and two masked accomplices robbed a convenience store in Caslan, Alberta. One of the accomplices pushed an employee, pointed a sawed-off shotgun at her, and demanded cash. A shot was fired into a shelf. Mr. Zwozdesky never entered the store during the robbery, but drove the accomplices to and from the store. Mr. Zwozdesky pleaded guilty to robbery with a firearm contrary to section 344(1)(a.1) of the Criminal Code. At that time, the law imposed a mandatory minimum sentence of four years in prison. At sentencing, Mr. Zwozdesky challenged the mandatory minimum sentence under section 12 of the Charter. The sentencing judge found that the mandatory minimum sentence was not grossly disproportionate for Mr. Zwozdesky and sentenced him to three years imprisonment. However, she concluded that it would be grossly disproportionate in reasonably foreseeable hypothetical scenarios and declared the law of no force or effect.

Albertas Court of Appeal heard the two cases together and dismissed the appeals. It also added a year to Mr. Hilbachs sentence. It did not change Mr. Zwozdeskys sentence. The Crown then appealed both cases to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The Supreme Court allowed the appeals.

The mandatory minimum sentences at issue are constitutional.

Writing for a majority of the judges, Justice Sheilah L. Martin ruled that the mandatory minimum sentences for Mr. Hilbach and Mr. Zwozdesky do not constitute cruel and unusual punishment. She applied the framework set out in the companion appeal of R. v. Hills for challenges to the constitutionality of a mandatory minimum sentence under section 12 of the Charter. In regard to Mr. Hilbach, Justice Martin added that the section 12 analysis makes it mandatory for judges to consider the unique situation of Indigenous offenders for all offences in sentencing.
Syria: Briefing and Consultations on Political and Humanitarian Developments

Tomorrow morning (25 January), Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen and OCHA Acting Director of Operations and Advocacy Ghada Eltahir Mudawi are expected to provide the monthly briefings on the political and humanitarian situations in Syria, respectively. Consultations are scheduled to follow.

Pedersen is likely to report that the political track in Syria remains at a standstill. The Syrian Constitutional Committee has not met since June 2022, and in his 21 December 2022 briefing to the Security Council, Pedersen noted that the UN stands ready to resume Constitutional Committee meetings in Geneva as soon as readiness to do so from others exists. At a media stakeout following the Council briefing, he indicated that Russia continues to have concerns about Geneva as the venue for the talks, questioning Switzerlands impartiality because of its support for EU sanctions on Ukraine.

At tomorrows meeting, Council members are expected to express support for Pedersens efforts to advance the Syrian political process. They may be interested in learning more about the Special Envoys recent engagement with regional stakeholders aimed at reconvening the Constitutional Committee and promoting his step-for-step initiative. Through this initiative, Pedersen is asking the Syrian government, the opposition, regional states, and other stakeholders what concessions they are willing to make in exchange for reciprocal actions from others on matters such as abductees, detainees, and missing persons; humanitarian assistance and early recovery projects; and conditions for dignified, safe, and voluntary refugee returns. Some Council members are expected to call for enhancing the participation of women and civil society organisations in the political process.

Pedersen may refer to his recent engagement with UN member states regarding the implementation of resolution 2254 of 18 December 2015, which focused on a political solution to the conflict. On 16 January, Pedersen held a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, during which they discussed regional developments and all aspects related to the crisis in Syria, including the need for a political solution in line with resolution 2254, according to a tweet by the Special Envoys office. Pedersen met Saudi Arabias Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, in Davos on 18 January. In a Twitter post, Saudi Arabias Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the meeting focused on reviewing the efforts of Saudi Arabia and the UN in achieving a political solution to the Syrian crisis. Today (24 January), Pedersen met the Syria envoys of the P3 Council members (France, the UK, and the US) and Germany in Geneva, where they discussed issues related to resolution 2254, including steps for building trust and confidence, according to a tweet by the Special Envoys office.

Council members may also want to hear more about Pedersens 24 January meeting in Geneva with Syrian Negotiations Commission (SNC) President Badr Jamous and Hadi Albahra, an SNC member who serves as co-chair of the Syrian Constitutional Committee. (The SNC represents the political opposition to the government.) The meeting focused on the latest developments related to the Syrian crisis and moving the political process forward in line with resolution 2254, as noted in a tweet by the Special Envoys office.

Mudawi is expected to provide an overview of the increasingly dire humanitarian situation in the country and describe the efforts of OCHA and other humanitarian actors to address the needs of the Syrian people. Ongoing conflict, a socio-economic crisis marked by rising food and fuel prices, and a cholera outbreak are among the factors contributing to the humanitarian crisis. Some 15.3 million Syrians (over 69 percent of the population) will require humanitarian assistance in 2023, according to OCHAs Syria humanitarian needs overview for 2023, which was issued in December 2022. According to the overview, 77 percent of Syrian households are not able to meet basic needs sufficiently, while eight percent of households are completely unable to do so.

Mudawi may describe recent efforts by the UN and other actors to deliver humanitarian aid in Syria, both cross-line (that is, across domestic frontlines from Syrian government-held areas into areas outside government control) and cross-border (through the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Syria-Turkiye border without requiring the consent of the Syrian government). She might mention that a UN inter-agency cross-line delivery was conducted on 8 January, comprising a convoy of 18 trucks carrying nearly 600 metric tons of humanitarian suppliesincluding food, water, sanitation items, health kits, medication, educational materials, and dignity kitsfrom Aleppo to Sarmada. This was the tenth cross-line delivery since the adoption of resolution 2585 in 2021.

Some Council members are expected to welcome the adoption of resolution 2672 of 9 January, which confirmed the extension of the authorisation for the Syria cross-border aid mechanism for an additional six months, until 10 July. According to OCHA, cross-border assistance remains essential in providing urgent aid to 4.1 million people in need in north-west Syria.

The briefers and Council members are likely to express concern about the conflicts detrimental effects on civilians. OCHAs humanitarian needs overview report notes that ongoing hostilitiesincluding artillery shelling, air strikes, and land minescontinue to threaten civilian lives and disrupt the activities of humanitarian actors. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based human rights monitoring organisation, said that in December 2022, 133 civilians were killed in Syria, including 22 children and 15 women. Some members are also expected to express concern about reported incidences of sexual and gender-based violence. OCHAs humanitarian needs overview report identifies key factors that expose the population to gender-based violence, highlighting the risks faced by females who are internally displaced and women who are the heads of households and are responsible for meeting the financial needs of their families.

Mudawi and some Council members might call for enhanced funding by the international community to support the humanitarian response in Syria, especially in light of the harsh winter conditions. At the 21 December 2022 Council briefing, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths said that the winterization response, which agencies deliver to respond to winter needs, was only 21 percent funded. As at the end of 2022, OCHA reported that the humanitarian response plan for Syria was only 47.5 percent funded.

Mudawi may also provide an update on early recovery projects in Syria. These projects focus on the rebuilding of critical infrastructure, the removal of solid waste, and vocational training, among other areas. At the 21 December 2022 Council briefing, Griffiths noted that since January 2022, 374 early recovery projects are being implemented in Syrias 14 governates, and that donors have provided $517 million to support them.

There may be discussion at tomorrows meeting regarding how the spread of cholera in Syria exacerbates the countrys humanitarian challenges. According to OCHAs latest situation report on the cholera outbreak in Syria, dated 15 January, 77,561 suspected cases were reported across the country between 25 August 2022 and 7 January, including 100 deaths attributed to the disease. In this context, Mudawi may describe the UN systems support for efforts to curtail the spread of cholera in Syria.

At tomorrows meeting, Brazil and Switzerlandwhich replaced Ireland and Norway as co-penholders on the Syria humanitarian file on 1 Januaryare expected to make a joint statement. This has been the practice by the humanitarian co-penholders in the past several months.
A group of about a dozen people gathered outside of the Charlottesville Albemarle Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals on Friday, calling for an investigation into Executive Director Angie Gunters alleged mistreatment of animals.

The protest comes a week after a coalition of current and former employees, calling themselves CASPCA Concerns, posted a letter online describing animal neglect and a hostile work environment.

I stopped volunteering because of my negative experiences with them, Juliet Rowland Lunka told The Daily Progress at Fridays protest, citing shelter overcrowding as one of the reasons she left. After hearing about other peoples worsts, I felt I needed to come out.

Kay Cross, who serves on the SPCAs board of directors, pointed out the small size of the crowd protesting the organization on Friday compared to the more than 70 who signed the online letter.

But that small crowd said they remain undaunted.

The SPCA is ostensibly dedicated to protecting animals, but current and former employees and volunteers said Gunter is more concerned with protecting herself.

I dont know how the community or the staff here have any trust in her, Betsy Greco, a former volunteer, said on Friday. She should resign.

The reasons CASPCA Concerns has given for why Gunter should leave are varied.

Her lack of knowledge regarding animal welfare, and unwillingness to collaborate, is frankly astounding, the shelters former director of operations, Taylor Lefebvre, wrote in a letter to the SPCAs board of directors.

On Wednesday, the SPCAs animal care manager resigned.

I worked on an adoptions team where I had to try to place dogs that have killed other animals or severely injured people in homes, Courtney Ott wrote in her resignation letter.

Penny Elliott, a woman who said she fosters a cat for the SPCA, told The Daily Progress the animal was given to her with bumps on his tail that bled and oozed pus.

I was told last week by the adoption coordinator that its nothing, hes available for adoption, Elliott said via email on Tuesday. Elliotts email included a photo of the cats shaved tail, which showed a bump with a scab covering it.

Gunter has referred requests for comment from The Daily Progress to the local SPCAs board of directors.

The Board intends to pursue diligently the goals of making the shelter a better place for both the animals and the hard-working employees and volunteers on whom they rely, the board said in a statement sent to The Daily Progress on Monday.

The board said in that statement that it would be working with Gunter to address concerns and that it believed Gunter is still the best person to lead this effort forward.

We ask for your patience as this process moves forward.

The statement did not directly address comments or photos posted by the CASPCA Concerns group.

The Blue Ridge Group, a local marketing firm, issued a statement on Friday that said Gunter was not to blame.

"There has been no evidence of animal neglect or cruelty," the group said.

CASPCA Concerns have disputed that claim and said Gunter is directly to blame.

The substandard care for and placement of animals is the direct result of Angie Gunters ineffective management style, failure to retain staff, and unqualified decision making, the group said in its own statement.

A photo the CASPCA Concerns group has posted online shows dogs standing on top of a sheet that appears soaked with urine and feces, which CASPCA Concerns said shows the dogs in the facilitys basement training room. According to the group, the animals had tested positive for canine distemper, a contagious disease that attacks a dogs respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems. It is usually fatal.

Another photo online shows a pool of urine and feces on the floor of the same room, along with multiple dog crates. One dog sits on top of a box that CASPCA Concerns said contains bleach. CASPCA Concerns wrote that, while its typical for a shelter to adapt extra spaces in emergency situations, the practice has become routine at the Charlottesville-Albemarle shelter.

The group said that Gunters desire to maintain a high adoption and live release rate means that animals with behavioral or health issues get adopted out to inexperienced adopters or suffer in the shelter.

CASPCA announced earlier this month it had achieved a record number of adoptions in 2022.

Adoptions were arranged for 3,803 pets last year, the highest number in the organizations history, according to a Jan. 12 post on the groups Facebook page. The same post said that it achieved new highs in both its canine and feline live release rates, at 99% and 98% last year, respectively.

Dogs are being warehoused with no resources and no behavior modification plans, while they continue to bite each other and humans, Lefebvre said in the original CASPCA letter.

Protesters on Friday said they hoped the board would take their concerns seriously.

Gunter has to be disciplined by the board, if not removed, a protester named Olivia Gabbey said.

This story was clarified to say the Blue Ridge Group meant the letter from former and current staff and volunteers alleged the poor treatment of animals and not "the poor treatment of the animals by former and current staff and volunteers."
Virginians are generally pleased with Gov. Glenn Youngkin's job performance, but a majority does not want him to run for president, according to a new survey from the Wason Center at Christopher Newport University.

The survey found that while a plurality of Virginians (45%) think Virginia is headed in the right direction and 50% approve of Youngkin's job performance - to 36% disapproval - a clear majority wants Youngkin to focus on the governorship and not seek the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

The poll found that 59% say Youngkin should not run for president in 2024 and 29% say he should, while 8% are unsure and 5% say they dont know.

Among Republican respondents, 46% back the idea of Youngkin running, while 38% don't support the idea. A majority of independents (58%) oppose the idea of Youngkin running.

Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo, research director of the Wason Center, said in a statement: Virginians are generally all right with the direction of the Commonwealth, but have far more negative opinions regarding the direction of the country as a whole. Virginians give Governor Youngkin solid marks as he enters his second year in office. Conversely, they see the nation as headed in the wrong direction and continue to be displeased with the president.

"And this same dynamic, which has been noted in prior polling, extends to education as well. Virginians are far more satisfied with their own local public schools than they are with the nations public schools in general. This poll also finds they would prefer Governor Youngkin stay right here leading the Commonwealth, rather than venture out in pursuit of the presidency."

Youngkin stoked speculation about a GOP presidential bid last summer and fall as he crossed the country campaigning for 15 GOP candidates for governor. Five of the 15 won.

The governor has said he is gratified when asked about the prospect of a presidential bid, but that he is focused on his job as governor. Virginia is the only state in which governors may not serve consecutive terms. The only sitting Virginia governor in recent memory to seek the presidency is Democrat Doug Wilder, who briefly sought the 1992 Democratic nomination that went to Bill Clinton.

Youngkin has four weeks to go in his second regular General Assembly session in which he is fighting for his priorities - including $1 billion in tax cuts and a ban on most abortions after 15 weeks, with exceptions for rape, incest and when the mother's life is in jeopardy.

Both priorities face headwinds given the governing split in the General Assembly. The GOP-led House supports the governor's initiatives. In the Democratic-led Senate, a committee has defeated the abortion proposal and another panel returned the governor's key tax cut proposals to a subcommittee.

The survey found that a plurality supports the status quo on abortion, with 43% saying they want to keep state abortion law "as is," while 29% would prefer less restrictive laws and 23% want more restrictive abortion laws.

A plurality of respondents (48%) support lowering Virginia's individual income tax rate, while 43% oppose the idea. A majority (57%) oppose cutting Virginias corporate income tax rate while 37% support the idea.

The survey found that the Republican governor remains more popular in Virginia than President Joe Biden. Only 19% of respondents think the nation is on the right track, while 73% say it is on the wrong track. The Democratic president's approval rating in Virginia is 38%, while 57% disapprove of his job performance.

In 2020, Biden beat President Donald Trump in Virginia by about 10 percentage points.

The survey was based on 1,038 interviews of registered voters in Virginia between Jan. 13 and Jan. 23. The margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.

Photos: Youngkin appears in Michigan, Nevada
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The 50th anniversary of the 1973 signing of the Paris Peace Accords, the beginning of the end of Americas involvement in the Vietnam War, struck Virginia War Memorial director Clay Mountcastle as a good time for an exhibit at the memorial, looking at the lives of Virginias often overlooked Vietnam veterans.

So, last spring, the war memorial put out a notice around the state, inviting veterans to send in personal photographs taken during their war-time service in Southeast Asia. Mountcastle wondered if he would get enough photos for an exhibit featuring 50 veterans.

The response was overwhelming.

The war memorial received more than 1,000 photographs  as well as handwritten letters and at least one small piece of a planes instrument panel pierced by a bullet that one veteran had kept through the years  from hundreds of veterans representing the various branches of the military and pretty much all corners of Virginia. Memorial staff whittled the number to 50, then held interviews and photo and video sessions around the state  partnering with photographer and Navy veteran Laura Hatcher and videographer and Army veteran Pamela Vines  to gather material for the exhibit.

50 Years Beyond: The Vietnam Veterans Experience opens Saturday at the war memorial and will continue for at least the next six months. There is no admission charge.

Ive always had this feeling that Vietnam veterans for most of their lives have kind of lived in the shadow of The Greatest Generation, and Vietnam vets would be the first tell you the World War II guys were the greatest generation, said Mountcastle, who is the son of a Vietnam vet, Jack Mountcastle, who served two tours. Just how Vietnam veterans have existed for the past few decades has always interested me, so we decided to do an exhibit that highlighted Vietnam veterans and tried to key in on their experience of living as a Vietnam veteran for half a century.

Mountcastle said the collection of veteran profiles gathered for the exhibit proves what he thought going in: there was no stereotypical experience for Vietnam veterans.

If people have that image of a typical Vietnam veteran in their head that maybe they saw in a movie or on TV, we hope to show them thats not the case, Mountcastle said. Unique experiences across the board.

Though Vietnam represented a polarizing period in Americas history and has a complicated legacy, Mountcastle said he didnt sense bitterness among those interviewed for the exhibit, the edges of emotion perhaps softened by the passing of time.

What you saw was theyve made up their mind, Mountcastle said. Theyre firm in their convictions. Some feel the war was not a worthwhile effort; some even used the word a waste. Others feel it was a noble effort that just didnt end the way anyone hoped it would, and theyre proud they served and did their best.

He did encounter a lot of wisdom, as participants reflected on their military service through the lens of the last half-century of their lives.

There is one common thread ... and thats every single one of them really loves this country, he said. That was the one common denominator. Theyre all big believers in this country.

Though this began as an effort to create an informative exhibit, it has evolved into a full-blown preservation program for Vietnam veterans and the Vietnam War, Mountcastle said. The war memorial has the components of the exhibit  the interviews, photos, videos  plus the original 1,000-plus images submitted by all of the veterans, plus letters and even memoirs the veterans sent along.

Our archive has grown exponentially with information about Vietnam just through the process of creating this exhibit, he said, noting the exhibit marks the beginning of an ongoing effort to gather and preserve more stories and artifacts about the war.

He said the participating veterans seemed to appreciate being the subject of such a pursuit.

Because here they are, 50 years later, and many of them have felt that thats never come for them, he said. No ones really asked them their thoughts and [about] their experiences.

It wasnt all that long ago, it seems, that Americans put on a push to honor World War II veterans and preserve their stories as their numbers dwindled.

Mountcastle said the nation is reaching that point with aging Vietnam veterans.

We have to have a sense of urgency about Vietnam now, just like we did a few years back with The Greatest Generation, he said. Time has now come for Vietnam veterans.

Counties with the most veterans in Virginia Counties with the most veterans in Virginia #50. Botetourt County #49. Clarke County #48. Page County #47. Cumberland County #46. King William County #45. Chesterfield County #44. Amelia County #43. Sussex County #42. Powhatan County #41. Charles City County #40. Northampton County #39. Dinwiddie County #38. Rappahannock County #37. Bedford County #36. New Kent County #35. Northumberland County #34. Lunenburg County #33. Fredericksburg #32. Southampton County #31. Fauquier County #30. Louisa County #29. Orange County #28. Caroline County #27. Highland County #26. Hopewell #25. Prince William County #24. Gloucester County #23. Westmoreland County #22. Franklin #21. Mathews County #20. Lancaster County #19. Middlesex County #18. Galax #17. Spotsylvania County #16. Isle of Wight County #15. Portsmouth #14. Colonial Heights #13. Norfolk #12. Newport News #11. Surry County #10. James City County #9. Chesapeake #8. Poquoson #7. Suffolk #6. King George County #5. Virginia Beach #4. Prince George County #3. Hampton #2. York County #1. Stafford County
Blanchett, who is now in the running for her third Oscar following her nomination for Tar, looks like being an unhappy recipient if she wins. Things first seemed odd when she apparently had a scheduling conflict that kept her away from collecting the best actress gong at the troubled Golden Globes as it attempted a diversity and credibility reboot last month. Then, when she took to the podium at the Critics Choice Awards a fortnight ago she declared: I would love it if we would just change this whole f---ing structure ... Why dont we just say there was a whole raft of female performances that are in concert and in dialogue with one another? Many applauded her, but others also saw the comments as uncharacteristically myopic, especially as she clutched her latest trophy while making them. Of course, she makes a valid point about the invidious nature of women competing against women in any kind of competition orchestrated largely by men, as the Globes and Oscars still are.

Lets face it, showbiz awards such as the Globes and Oscars are glorified beauty pageants for good-looking millionaires to parade about. They are an amusing, colourful distraction in an all too monochrome reality. But they shouldnt be completely discounted as mere trivia. The Globes, Oscars and others account for a far greater slice of the collective public global consciousness than the far loftier Nobel Peace Prize annual gong show in Oslo. The Oscars claim a far greater slice of the global consciousness than the Nobel Prize awards ceremony. Credit: AP Blanchett has already collected two Oscars, three BAFTAs, four Golden Globes, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, four AACTAs, two Cesars, three Critics Choice and four Helpmann awards, among many, many others. We are talking about a hugely influential, hugely competitive, hugely political aspect of a multibillion-dollar global industry (worth $US42.3 billion pre-pandemic) that impacts billions of people each year.

When a film is a hit, that exposure makes people like Blanchett among the most influential humans on the planet. Not only does it lead to multimillion-dollar contracts to sell expensive face creams and perfumes, as Blanchett does; it paves the way to address governments and powerful organisations, like the United Nations, on serious issues, as Blanchett has. These awards are small but critical cogs in a far greater, far more complicated cultural machine. Singling out the years best performances as determined by a panel of expert judges each year gives us a contemporary cultural measure that encapsulates and crystallises the social themes and values that define a particular period in time. Vivien Leigh and Hattie McDaniel in the 1939 film adaptation of Gone With the Wind. Like Hattie McDaniel in 1940. She was the first black actor to accept an Oscar  judged by white men at the time  for best supporting actress for her role in Gone With the Wind. However, producer David O. Selznick had to call in a special favour to have McDaniel allowed into the no-blacks Ambassador Hotel to receive her trophy for playing a slave.

If it were simply a case of recognising a class of actors each year, as Blanchett has suggested, rather than naming a sole winner, Hatties story behind her performance would disappear. Her moment to shine, against all odds, would be lost. In 2023, A-list actors like Blanchett are elevated to modern deity status. Winning a glittering Oscar guarantees that the most powerful and flattering spotlight of all is firmly focused on them, and only them. Even before collecting that shiny little trophy, there are the never-ending rounds of pre-awards campaigning, all that back-slapping, hugging and air kissing among the worlds most beautiful, funny, fabulous people. In truth, it all looks a little draining from the outside looking in. But these are professional actors, after all. And in return, we  the audience  capture a glimpse into something seemingly ethereal, a glittering, fantastical make-believe world that inspires us mortals to dream.

Theres a scene in the new Babylon film depicting the wild years of old Hollywood a century ago that rings just as true today about the peculiar nature of Hollywood fame. Jean Smart plays Elinor St. John in Babylon. One of the main characters, ageing matinee idol Jack Conrad (played by Brad Pitt) meets a gossip columnist named Elinor St. John (played by Jean Smart) to ask why she wrote an unflattering article about him. She stands her ground, declaring his time is over. Loading I know it hurts. No one asks to be left behind, she tells him. But in a hundred years when you and I are long gone, any time someone threads a frame of yours through a sprocket, youll be alive again ... A child born in 50 years will stumble across your image flickering on a screen and feel he knows you, like a friend, even though you breathed your last before he breathed his first. Youve been given a gift. Be grateful. Youll spend eternity with angels and ghosts.
Diana Fisher led the Seven commentary team for the Queens visit in 1965, the first woman to do so in Australian media. Credit: Fairfax

Once considered Australias foremost royalist, Sydney social identity and former television personality Diana Bubbles Fisher died on Thursday evening. She was 91.

Fisher, who friends said remained vibrant and engaged into her later years, had been living independently in her Paddington home. She was admitted to St Vincents Private Hospital on Monday following a two-year battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

She was at our home for Christmas and was rousing on my husband for not giving her enough baked potatoes. She was still full of life, just as people would remember her, long-time friend Sally Evans said on Friday.

Born in London, Fisher moved to Sydney when her former husband, television producer Humphrey, was posted to Australia by the BBC in 1964.
Yael Stone is an actor best known for playing Lorna in Orange Is the New Black. The 37-year-old opens up about why she doesnt see a relationship ending as a failure, her fiance, and her crush on Heartbreak Highs Drazic.

My paternal grandfather, Tom, worked as a steelworker until he was 76. That influenced the work I do now. I run a not-for-profit organisation that provides opportunities for steel and coal workers who want to train in renewables. I saw the pride in Toms identity as a steelworker.

Jack has inspired me to change the way I think about work. The socially conscious part of me has blossomed thanks to him. Credit: Alex Vaughan

My earliest memory of Dad [Harry] is being slung over his shoulder as he tried to put me to sleep in the middle of the night. I can still remember the fabric of his pyjamas and chewing on his shoulder. Dad has always been the type of guy who is nurturing and willing to do the long hours.

Dad was born in 1946 in [then] Czechoslovakia. He is the child of Holocaust survivors who migrated to Sydney, aged three, on a boat.
Its very likely that the next big El Nino could take us over 1.5 degrees, Professor Adam Scaife, the head of long-range prediction at Britains Met Office, told The Irish Times earlier this month. Why 1.5 degrees matters The target to stay within 1.5 degrees was embraced after frantic negotiations in the dying hours of the 2015 climate negotiations that resulted in the Paris Agreement. Climate-vulnerable nations used their leverage to extract agreements from global giants determined to get unanimous support for a climate deal from 195 nations. Even then, the language was equivocal, with global leaders committing to adopting policies to hold warming well below 2 degrees and as close to 1.5 degrees as possible. Dash aircraft fighting a wildfire near Landiras in south-western France, 2022. Credit: AP

Since then, the target has been embedded in climate diplomacy, championed by those nations - and indeed those climate scientists - who agree that every tenth of a degree of warming will have direct implications on millions of lives. There has also been real progress on climate since Paris. Where once we were on a trajectory for over 3 degrees of warming by 2100, the United Nations Environment Program estimates the world is on track to 2.8 degrees if governments pursue their current policies. Should all the promises made at climate talks be met, we are on track for around 2.4 degrees. Given the way the ratchet mechanism of the Paris Agreement is supposed to work - where nations are expected to keep raising ambitions as targets are met - that mark should fall further. But 2.4 degrees of warming is still catastrophic. Some low-lying countries, such as the Maldives, that could survive 1.5 degrees of warming do not expect to live through 2 degrees. Coral bleaching on Lizard Island in the Great Barrier Reef.

Today the world is now around 1.14 to 2 degrees warmer than the pre-industrial period, according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO). And the average temperature anomaly keeps growing. Which brings us to the fears that 1.5 degrees is about to be breached. Three key drivers Obviously, the key driving force of heating is the ongoing and increasing emission of greenhouse gases. Despite a global surge in the deployment of renewables, there has been a return to fossil fuels such as coal due to the energy crisis caused by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Vehicles are stranded in floodwater near Zhengzhou railway station, China, 2021. Credit: Getty Images The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 419.94 parts per million on January 24, up from 419.8 a year ago and from 400 parts per million a decade ago. But greenhouse gas emissions are no longer the only problem. Global meteorological data also shows that during La Nina years, global average temperatures are cooler than in those years when the system is not in place. Similarly, the El Nino weather pattern brings us hotter temperatures. Despite these cyclical peaks and troughs, the past eight years have been the hottest on average globally. As a result of this trend 2022, which coincided with a rare three-year La Nina period, was not the hottest year in history, but the fifth or sixth hottest.

It is clear now that each peak and trough is growing warmer than those before it. (These regular dips in the ever-growing heat of the planet also explain why sceptics like to announce every couple of years that global warming has halted.) The WMO El Nino/La Nina Update indicates there is about a 60 per cent chance that La Nina will persist until March 2023, and should be followed by neutral conditions (neither El Nino nor La Nina). This suggests temperatures will increase. When a new El Nino takes hold, that temperature increase will be even higher. In a paper for Columbia University last year, leading climatologist Professor James Hansen and colleagues wrote: We suggest that 2024 is likely to be off the chart as the warmest year on record.

Without inside information, that would be a dangerous prediction, but we proffer it because it is unlikely that the current La Nina will continue a fourth year. Even a little futz of an El Nino  like the tropical warming in 2018-19, which barely qualified as an El Nino  should be sufficient for record global temperature. A classical, strong El Nino in 2023-24 could push global temperature to about 1.5 degrees higher relative to the 1880-1920 mean. Perversely, the third driver of dangerously hotter conditions in the coming years is likely to be the worlds success in efforts to decarbonise our energy and transport systems. Burning fossil fuels causes warming carbon dioxide to be emitted into the atmosphere, but it also releases larger particles into our skies. These cause smog and can be dangerous, but they also reflect some of suns heat back into space.

Some recent research suggests that man-made sulphates in the atmosphere are responsible for short-term cooling of about half a degree, and that as China and India rapidly clean their skies, we can expect to lose some of that cooling impact. So, what does it mean? To be frank, I dread the next El Nino, says Dr Martin Rice, research director with the Climate Council. The Black Summer bushfires scarred so many of us. That catastrophe - and the record-breaking drought that preceded and accelerated it - followed an El Nino, the same weather pattern that helped make 2016 the hottest year on record. For eastern Australia this will mean a return to intensely hot and dry conditions, which are also likely to afflict Papua New Guinea and Indonesia, says Rice. In the Americas the pattern will likely spur floods and storms in the west from California down to Peru.

But should an El Nino set in - which is by no means certain yet - and should it drive global average temperatures beyond the 1.5-degree mark, it does not mean we have breached the Paris Agreement temperature threshold, says Rice. Climate science works on decadal trends. Under IPCC and UN [Framework Convention on Climate Change] terms, the 1.5-degree marker is based on a 30-year average. But breaching the barrier for even a year is likely to have a profound impact on the climate movement, some elements of which are embroiled in an internal dispute over how frank they should be in public about how far and fast heating is progressing. For Rice, it is further evidence of the staggering amount of work the world must do in the short term to stave off long-term calamity. Writing in December, Gates said that reaching net zero in time to hold warming to even 2 degrees will be the hardest thing humans have ever done.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size This story is part of the January 29 edition of Sunday Life. See all 14 stories . Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw wouldnt have been friends in high school. For long-time followers of the Keep It Cleaner (now known as KIC) co-founders, arguably as well known for their friendship as for their business success, this revelation might come as a shock. I was a bit cheeky at school, says Smith. Laura was a little bit less rebellious, in the library, doing the right thing  a teachers pet. I was

the opposite of that. Now, its hard to imagine a time when the two werent joined at the hip. The intimacy of friendship is often underestimated, but as anyone lucky enough to have first-hand experience with it will agree, the comfort that exists between best friends is impossible to replicate. This closeness is obvious between Smith and Henshaw. Sitting on a patch of grass outside Maroubras surf life saving club, legs crossed and surrounded by overnight bags (Smith and Henshaw are due to fly back to Melbourne, where they both live, in just a few hours), from a distance, the three of us could look like gossiping schoolgirls. Today also happens to be Henshaws 30th birthday  an occasion she insists shes thrilled to be celebrating in Sydney, at the beach with her best friend, despite the fact that, technically at least, shes working. At its heart, KIC is a health and wellness brand. Its intention, according to Henshaw, is to help people lead a healthier and happier life in a way that works for them. Its a message that clearly resonates. Since its conception in 2015, theres been an app, two podcasts, merch and, soon, their latest book You Take Care, filled with lessons in looking after yourself. With Henshaw as the companys CEO and Smith as COO, the KIC brand has gone from strength to strength. And it all started with a chance encounter. Steph, left, wears Bondi Born Billie bikini top and Mina bottom. Laura wears Bondi Born Margot one-piece. Credit:Jesse-Leigh Elford Smith, who recently turned 29, explains that they met while modelling at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week, not long after finishing high school. Cast in many of the same shows, they spent a lot of time backstage during the week and eventually got chatting.

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It was my first time modelling, says Henshaw. I had to have walking lessons because I was so bad. I didnt know anyone, but then I met Steph. And we just got along so well. I was very drawn to her confidence. They stayed in touch, eventually introducing each other to their friends outside the modelling industry. When my closest girlfriends, who Ive known since year 7, met Laura, they were like, Shes too nice, there must be something wrong with her,  says Smith. But it turns out shes just an angel. It was one of those friendships where you meet and feel like youve known each other a really long time. Loading Just as Henshaw was initially drawn to Smiths confidence, Smith admired Henshaws kindness and empathy. After a decade of friendship, the two still deeply value these same traits in one another, though Smith now lists Henshaws sense of humour as one of her top qualities, and Henshaw cant help but mention how caring Smith is. Theyre both happy to admit theyve become more similar over the years. I feel like weve met each other halfway, says Smith. Even when I think back on our fashion sense when we first became friends, we couldnt have been more different. Now, we could easily share each others wardrobes. When you spend so much time with someone, you almost start merging into one another, says Henshaw, before acknowledging that their energy levels have always been very different. And despite all theyve done and achieved together  from getting engaged to their now-husbands within weeks of one another to being each others maid of honour  Smith never quite managed to get Henshaw to a multi-day music festival.

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Early in their friendship, the two went their separate ways with Henshaw heading to Europe and Smith relocating to the US to pursue modelling. They kept in touch and eventually shared that they were both struggling with issues around body image. I opened up to Laura about my struggles before I opened up to my mum, my best friends from high school or even my partner. STEPH CLAIRE SMITH, KIC CO-FOUNDER I opened up to Laura about my struggles before I opened up to my mum, my best friends from high school or even my partner, says Smith, who has since spoken publicly about her experience with disordered eating. When you know someones gone through something  or you have a feeling they can relate  you feel like you can tell them anything. Says Henshaw, When you have a poor relationship with food or exercise, its often really controlling and can mean you disconnect from the world a bit  like we both did. Steph wears Bassike jeans and shirt. Laura wears Bassike shirt, Maje jeans. Credit:Jesse-Leigh Elford Despite being on different continents, the pairs shared vulnerability helped them on the path to recovery. It also jump-started KIC. What began as an e-book of healthy recipes, released in 2015, evolved into the operation many of us know today, with the app launching in October 2018. We wanted to take things back to basics, says Smith, talking about the development of the brand. Looking at food as fuel, but also as something to enjoy. And movement as something you should celebrate.

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But launching KIC wasnt just the beginning of a business that would grow to have 2.1 million followers, and active subscribers from over 120 countries, it was also a moment that revealed the true potential of the pairs friendship and the power of shared goals. We never set off for KIC to be this huge business venture, but once things started getting more serious we needed to be able to have super-open conversations with one another, says Smith, who ranked 100th on the Financial Review Young Rich List in 2021, with an estimated net worth of $36 million. This value of honest communication is something Smith and Henshaw find themselves returning to again and again  not just within their own friendship, but also within the relationships they have with their colleagues and the wider KIC community. The idea that openness and vulnerability is key to success touches everything they do. Loading Within their 18-person team, the pair prioritise having hard discussions in person rather than via Slack or Zoom, comparing the scenario to catching up with a friend for coffee to talk out a disagreement instead of trying to figure things out over text. The Facebook KIC Community group has more than 47,000 members. On any given day, its filled with posts ranging from mid-run selfies to laundry detergent recommendations to plans to meet other members for coffee and a walk. The conversations read as if theyre happening between close friends, not strangers  and none of it has happened by accident. Along with mind and body, connection is one of the core themes explored in You Take Care, which makes sense if youve spent any time inside the KIC community or have listened to the KICPOD podcast, which hit a milestone of six million downloads in February 2022. Smith and Henshaw have built their brand on connection, which makes it surprising to hear that at one point they neglected their own.

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There was a time where we werent maintaining our friendship properly, says Henshaw, looking at Smith, who nods in agreement. Wed find ourselves out for dinner and all we would do was talk about work, says Smith. The solution has been to actively schedule time together outside work to focus on their friendship. It takes dedication, especially since Smith gave birth to her son, Harvey, in early 2021. A lot of my friendships have changed since becoming a mum, says Smith. But you can still have that quality time if you work on it. Steph and Laura wear P.E. Nation. Credit: Jesse-Leigh Elford As business owners, influencers and best friends, its unsurprising that Smith and Henshaw have struggled with the different labels and personas they both navigate on a daily basis. Loading For Henshaw, being the CEO of a tech firm has, at times, felt misaligned to the version of herself that shines through on the podcast and Instagram, wheres she known for being light-hearted and empathetic, though its something shes working to overcome.

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Messages that sunscreen is for preventing wrinkles and social influencers spruiking tanning could be eroding decades of warning about melanoma risk to a generation too young to remember slip, slop, slap and the solarium debate, sun safety experts have warned.

More expensive facial sunscreens from cosmetics companies are rising in popularity, with sun protection marketed as anti-ageing rather than to prevent a burn.

Facial sunscreen sales over the past three months were up 59.5 per cent on the same period last year at Priceline pharmacies, a spokesperson said. Sales of everyday sunscreens increased 16 per cent during that time.

We obviously realise that anti-ageing is a key motivator [for sunscreen use], said Liz King, manager of skin cancer prevention at Cancer Council NSW.
Community greyhound rescues are struggling to keep up with the number of dogs coming out of the racing industry, as welfare advocates say a revival of the sport through record online gambling income is driving unsustainable breeding.

There were 4439 greyhounds racing in NSW events during the April to June quarter of 2022, the most recently published data, compared to 3615 during the same quarter of 2019.

Greyhound fosterer Erika Wadlow, with her dog Whisper, says there has been a significant increase in dogs needing a home. Credit: Louiise Kennerley

The industry regulator has warned of a potential under-supply of thousands of rehoming places for retired dogs.

Lorraine Ramsay, the operator of Rescued Greyhounds for Adoption on the Central Coast, said her rehoming service was the busiest it had been in its 12 years.
Amid all this, there has been increasing debate within Australias Indigenous communities over the Voice. In the lead up to Thursdays rallies in capital cities across the country, critics lined up to accuse protest organisers of hijacking rallies to push a No vote  particularly in Melbourne. In a column in The Australian, University of Melbourne professor and prominent Aboriginal leader Marcia Langton accused Victorian Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe  Onus sister  of rallying her gaggle of supporters to con Australians into thinking this years Survival Day rallies are protests against the voice. Noel Pearson delivers his Its time for true Constitutional recognition speech at the National Museum of Australia in Canberra in 2021. Credit: Dominic Lorrimer Fellow elder Noel Pearson criticised both Thorpe and Country Liberal Party Senator Jacinta Yangapi Nampijinpa Price last week. Without repeating those criticisms, Pearson wrote in this masthead that he could not see how reconciliation could survive a No vote on the referendum: It will be shattered by such a failure, and it would be naive to think otherwise. Reconciliation will die with a failed referendum.

Marcus Stewart, co-chair of the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria, said he boycotted Thursdays rally over concerns about the protest being hijacked by No campaigners. Its unfortunate whats happened this year, how a small group have tried to hijack it, he told The Sunday Age. Marcus Stewart from the First Peoples Assembly of Victoria. Credit: Justin McManus Its heartbreaking that I cant be there ... but Im not going to be silenced. Im not going to be bullied. Im going to speak my opinion, which Im entitled to. And Im basically just saying what majority of our mob are thinking but too scared to say. Onus, Thorpe and fellow prominent speakers at Melbournes Invasion Day rally  long-term activist and elder Gary Foley, and author Ronnie Gorrie  represent a more radical wing of Aboriginal activism.

In an electrifying speech, Foley, who co-founded Canberras Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1972, told Melbourne protesters they were in the process of being sold a pup. Beware of Blak bourgeoisie trying to sell you a referendum, trying to sell you a shonky proposition called the Voice, he said. Long-term activist Gary Foley addresses the crowd in Melbourne. Credit: Joe Armao I want you to think; think before you vote. Make sure that youre not being manoeuvred into a position of being complicit in the latest of a long line of cosmetic bullshit measures that will achieve nothing in the way of justice [for Aboriginal people]. Raising the stakes, Thorpe told the crowd Australia had been at war with Aboriginal people since 1788.

This is a war, she declared. A war that was declared on our people over 200 years ago. That war has never ever ended in this country against my people. They are still killing us. They are still stealing our babies. They are killing our men, and they are still raping our women. What do we have to celebrate in this country? Do we want to become advisors now? Do we want to become an advisory body to the colonial system? We deserve better than that! Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe speaks at the Invasion Day rally. Credit: Alexi J. Rosenfeld Thorpe cleared the way last Wednesday for a split with her colleagues on the Indigenous Voice to parliament, in a formal deal that gives her free rein to vote against the proposal while her Greens colleagues give it their support. Thorpes detractors believe she is openly running interference on the Voice, with a grassroots campaign now being waged from Victoria  led by elements within the Greens.

While The Sunday Age was unable to reach Thorpe for comment, Onus scoffs at this proposal. She says a network of Black activists across the country set the annual Invasion Day theme, and Treaty before Voice was led by Brisbane and Sydney activists. I think its actually really insulting to our autonomy and self-determination to frame it that way. Aboriginal community and organisers transcend political parties. Its about sovereignty. Melbournes Invasion Day rally brought tens of thousands of people together under the banner of Treaty before Voice. Credit: Justin McManus Across the country on Australia Day, Invasion Day rallies heard from First Nations speakers urging the government to introduce a Treaty before Voice. In Sydney, Gomeroi man Ian Brown said he had no trust in a Voice to parliament because it would be another formal process of government not listening to mob.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declined to directly criticise Thorpe or her supporters, but has framed them as being outliers of mainstream thought. Its not a radical proposition, Albanese said on Friday. So Im not surprised that some radicals are opposed to it. Because this is a mainstream proposition. Aboriginal activist Ronnie Gorrie. Credit: Leah Jing McIntosh Gorrie is a matriarch and activist who emceed Melbournes Invasion Day rally. She maintains the rally wasnt an endorsement of a Yes or No vote, and says she still hasnt made up her mind how shell vote in the referendum. Even though the [rally] theme was Treaty before Voice, it didnt mean that it was a Yes or a No to the Voice, she says.

While proponents of the Voice have called on Australians to read the full report on the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice, Gorrie argues the onus is on them to make a clear case to Aboriginal people. Meanwhile, she and other activists will keep pushing the case for Treaty. Our sovereignty has never been ceded, Gorrie says. We want our land back, and we want Dan Andrews and the Victorian government especially to stop selling off Crown land and give it back to traditional owners, the rightful owners.

We want them to follow the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody. We want them to follow through with all the recommendation from the Bringing Them Home report. And we want reparations. If people dont trust Voice, its because they dont trust governments, Onus says. While progressive politics can look really good on paper, were not seeing it translate to change in our streets. Theres no real reason to trust while were having our people getting slaughtered and put in custody by the same governments that want to include us into their constitution. Theres no trust.
The biggest mistake campaigners for enshrining an Indigenous Voice in the constitution have made is to allow their trauma from the failed republic referendum to inform their strategy for achieving a Yes vote.

The Voice and the republic propositions could not be more different, and yet the failure of the republic vote in 1999 is being allowed to infect the way support for the Voice is sought. The result is confusion in the community and escalating politicisation.

I instinctively support the idea of Australia becoming a republic. In 1999, I was just the right age to briefly sell t-shirts for the republican movement.

But the myth that republicans have created that the referendum failed because Australians were confused by detail is coloured by bias, and is ultimately self-serving.

The truth is, while many Australians favour the idea of a republic, the choice that the public confronted was one between a stable system that has presided over a flourishing and functionally independent nation, and a model which, by contrast, seemed fraught with risk. Australians ultimately chose the if it aint broke, dont fix it status quo.
Mark Milley, the top military adviser to outgoing President Donald Trump, was worried. Thats how the new book Peril begins, its authors told a rapt audience at University of Virginia on Friday afternoon.

We open Peril with that scene, said Bob Woodward, perhaps best known as half of the Washington Post reporting duo that penned the defining account of the Watergate crisis.

Woodward was joined by his co-author CBS News Robert Costa in the Small Special Collections Library Auditorium at an event hosted by the UVa Center for Politics.

Their new book opens with Milley on Jan. 8, 2021, Costa told the crowd, as Milley convened Americas top military brass to deal with a presidential crisis that now rivals Watergate.

Milleys whole M.O. is try to keep tensions calm, Costa said. Milley calls it the darkest moment of theoretical possibility. This is the idea that nuclear powers could misunderstand each other in a chaotic moment.

Jan. 8, 2021, was just two days after a pro-Trump mob overran the U.S. Capitol in a failed attempt to derail the Electoral Colleges tally of votes, which Trump ultimately lost.

Jan. 6 prompted a national security crisis abroad, and it wasnt just with allies; it was with adversaries who looked at the images from the United States and wondered what was happening, said Costa. Was the U.S. government stable?

Costa said that Milley was insistent about staying in the loop about any military or diplomatic action at home or abroad.

He believed Trump was in mental decline, said Costa. Nobody had predicted Jan. 6 on a global level, and they were all waiting and watching to see what would happen. Milley steps in with this private meeting.

Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato, who moderated Fridays conversation, likened Milleys decision to a similar moment at the end of President Richard Nixons term, when chief of staff Al Haig reportedly told military commanders not to obey orders from Nixon. That moment was captured in revelations made by Woodward and his Post colleague Carl Bernstein 46 years ago.

This was toward the end when he [referring to Nixon] was drinking heavily and talking to portraits on the wall, said Sabato.

While the vast majority of Republican House members in 2021 voted against certifying Biden as the winner of the presidential election, the two Peril authors contended that one Republican politician stood out for bravery: Vice President Mike Pence.

The two authors told of how Trump skipped a long-planned New Years Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, to go to Washington and push his vice president to follow the so-called Eastman memo, a discredited legal theory by attorney John Eastman, to overturn the election.

Has Pence broken yet? Trump reportedly asked his advisers, Costa said. Bring him to me.

The Jan. 6 committee has since documented that scene, Costa said, as Trump aides opened the doors to that days crowd on Freedom Plaza in D.C.

And he says to his aides, Can you hear them outside? My people are out in the streets. Hes listening to the mob, and then Pence comes in for a one-on-one meeting, Costa recounted.

It was at that time the president allegedly made his ask.

Mike, you have to do what I want you do, Trump said, according to Costa.

I cant do it, Pence reportedly responded.

And then he points to the mob outside, and he says, If they gave you the power, wouldnt you want to do it? Costa continued. Talk about temptation.

The authors give credit to two Pence aides, including Marc Short who was briefly a scholar at UVas Miller Center, for serving as Pences guardrails against Trumps allegedly unconstitutional demands.

Trump was elected to violate norms, said Woodward.

During an audience question-and-answer session on Friday, a young man questioned how Woodward ever got the Watergate story  and even how he ever got hired  at the Washington Post. Those questions, and conspiracy-fueled answers, have made the rounds on Twitter and on Fox News.

With little journalistic experience, why were you hired to write the biggest news story in American history? asked the young man, who sported a white knit sweater adorned with a huge orange V.

Woodward replied that his year penning hard-hitting stories at the recently defunct Montgomery Sentinel and the scores of mundane courthouse stories he penned at the Post provided useful training. He recalled getting summoned one beautiful Saturday morning to cover the story of five men who were arrested wearing business suits while burgling the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate complex.

I dont think Carl Bernstein and I were assigned it; we kind of took it, said Woodward. And one of the lessons I learned on that is that all good work is done in defiance of management.

The young man who asked the question on Friday declined to give his name and said he still thinks that Woodward is part of the so-called Deep State.

Clay Vaughan, a fourth-year student at UVas Batten School, was less combative.

I love hearing such intimate accounts of people in the press corps who have the chance to have such intimate conversations with such important people from history, said Vaughan. Its incredible hearing them talk up close and personal about their up close and personal interactions.
Lollipop lady Rachel King first pulled on a school crossing coat and hat 15 years ago when her children were at primary school in Pakenham in Melbournes outer south-east.

Her children are now in their 20s, but King is still helping ferry children in the Cardinia Shire Council area across busy school crossings every school day.

Rachel King at Parker Street in Officer, where more school crossing supervisors are needed. Credit: Joe Armao

Ive formed an attachment with the kids, you see them go from kinder right through to year 12 and see their personalities change, the 51-one-year old says. I just love it.

But as schools return for 2023 next week, Melbourne councils are desperate to hire more people like King.
Demand for scholarship spots at Sydneys private schools is rising, with at least 20 institutions offering places in year 4 and 5 in a bid to lock in high-achieving students before they reach high school.

St Andrews Cathedral School in the CBD will for the first time offer an academic scholarship for entry into year 4 in 2024, while Burwoods MLC School said applications for year 5 scholarship places had doubled in the past two years.

Schools are offering scholarship places in year 4 and 5 as demand rises. Credit: Louis Douvis

A scholarship in primary school is a way to secure a place all the way to year 12, said Linda Emms, MLCs head of learning and teaching.

It is a big commitment for families, and financially its a stretch. This is a way for parents to have fee help as cost of living pressures increase, she said.
Washington: He was beaten by police like a human pinata . In the middle of the savagery, 29-year-old black man Tyre Nichols called out for his mother.

Nichols cries of mum, mum, mum  revealed in graphic videos released publicly on Friday night (Saturday AEDT)  would end up being among his last words on Earth.

The image from video released on January 27 by the City of Memphis shows Tyre Nichols during a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers on Jan. Credit: City of Memphis/AP

Days after a supposed traffic stop turned into another shocking case of police brutality, The City of Memphis released nearly one hour of video footage showing the incident that led to his death, and authorities braced for potential protests.

The videos [Warning: Graphic content], taken from police body cameras and overhead street surveillance, revealed in harrowing detail how Nichols was pulled out of his car by an officer at the beginning of a traffic stop on the night of January 7.
PHILIPSBURG:--- On January 19, 2023, the Integrity Chamber provided an integrity session to candidates of the Unified Resilient Sint Maarten (URSM) party, at the request of party leader Dr. Luc Mercelina. The session was part of a series of training sessions for the candidates to prepare them for the upcoming elections.

Dr. Mercelina stated, The Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM) candidates are currently busy participating in a series of informative sessions to ensure a proper understanding of how government, the legislative branch, the higher councils and advisory entities to government work. As a party, we understand our responsibility to prepare our candidates for the upcoming elections and beyond. We have an important role in building their foundation as representatives of the people. All our candidates should be well-equipped with the necessary tools once elected. We can no longer continue to practice traditional party politics and consider elections as popularity contests.

The Integrity Chamber provided information about its tasks and on the topic of integrity in general, as well as in the specific context of political parties. The presentation focused on the importance of integrity, and how to promote and maintain it, and included several examples.

There was a high level of engagement from the participants, who showed great interest in the work of the Integrity Chamber and in the discussion of the various scenarios presented. The presenters highlighted the importance of honesty, open communication, fairness, and accountability, not just in the political arena, but in all circumstances.

Member of the Integrity Chamber Rafael Boasman was pleased by the request for the integrity session. When a political candidate asks the public to entrust them with the leadership of the country, integrity must be at the heart of that individuals personal and professional life., said Boasman. The Integrity Chamber applauds URSM for investing time to build integrity within their party and is committed to supporting such integrity-related initiatives in the community.




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Amazon Studios has tapped Phoebe Waller-Bridge to write a TV series as part of a potential Tomb Raider universe that would span television, film and games. According to sources, the TV series is in the works from the prolific Waller-Bridge, creator of Fleabag and Killing Eve and writer on No Time To Die and Solo: A Star Wars Story, and she also could be involved in the potential movie. Dmitri Johnson from dj2, who had secured the rights to the IP, is overseeing the development of the franchise and producing.On the Tomb Raider TV series, which Deadline has been following for several weeks as it made its ways through the dealmaking process, Waller-Bridge is teaming with Amazon Studios former Head of Comedy Ryan Andolina and Amanda Greenblatt, most recently Head Of First-Look and Overall Deals. As Deadline reported in December, the duo left their posts to launch a production company together based at Amazon Studios. Andolina has had a close relationship with Waller-Bridge, and there has been speculation about the Emmy winner partnering with the producing duo, formally or informally. Legendary also is said to be involved as rights holders; the company also is behind an anime Tomb Raider series at Netflix.
Algiers, 28 January 2023 (SPS) - The International Film Festival of Western Sahara, FISAHARA, has put online a rich catalog bringing together a large number of films on the struggle of the Sahrawi people, produced and directed by Saharawi filmmakers, the festival announced on its website.



This list includes 230 film productions over several decades, the struggle of the Sahrawi people against the Moroccan occupier, in a catalog developed by the non-governmental organization "Nomads" which participates in the organization of the festival FISAHARA by supporting cultural projects and related to the media and human rights, undertaken by the Sahrawis in refugee camps, occupied territories and the diaspora.



This catalog represents an important audiovisual support of memory that testifies to the main events since the end of the period of Spanish colonization of Western Sahara, then the Moroccan colonization.



These materials also document the tragedy of the displacement of the Sahrawi people, the horrors of war, exile, and especially the ongoing struggle and sacrifice of the Sahrawi people to liberate their land and regain their stolen sovereignty.



Available in English and Spanish, this catalogue offers many research tools and aims to become a "showcase" for films dealing, in one way or another, with the "Moroccan colonization of Western Sahara", and a reliable source of information for researchers and journalists, and a reference for the various cinematographic events of the world that offer a platform for the Sahrawi cause.



The International Film Festival of Western Sahara, FISAHARA, is considered a "window on Sahrawi culture", which has become an important weapon in the struggle for independence, while the choice of holding the festival in the Sahrawi refugee camps is intended as a forum for "defense of human rights and rights of the Sahrawis.



An annual destination for dozens of directors, filmmakers and human rights activists from around the world, FISAHARA is also a tool to denounce "the oppression suffered by the Sahrawi people" and a platform to "call for an end to Moroccan colonization as stipulated by international laws.



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Officials from Oregons 241 cities want state legislators to continue tax breaks and increase aid for public works, both of which they say they need to maintain business investment and support more housing construction.

They are among eight priorities laid out by the League of Oregon Cities as more than 200 officials from 80 cities met legislators and heard from Gov. Tina Kotek and legislative leaders on Wednesday, Jan. 25 in Salem.

Up for renewal in 2025 are enterprise zones, where cities and counties can exempt new or expanding businesses from local property taxes for three to five years, and long-term rural enterprise zones. The latter designations are limited to counties with greater economic challenges, and exemptions can last from seven to 15 years.

The enterprise-zone program dates back to 1985. The current 76 zones are in 35 of Oregons 36 counties and 143 of its 241 cities.

Hermiston Mayor Dave Drotzmann, vice president of the league, said small cities like his lack the capacity or the authority to award grants or provide income-tax incentives to attract investment.

These highly successful programs encourage businesses to grow in Oregon by temporarily exempting eligible investments in new plants and equipment from local property taxes, he said.

Without these tools, it makes it difficult for rural communities to recruit new businesses due to lack or services and amenities often found more prominently in metropolitan areas.

Without the extensions, he added, It would be turning back the clock in marginalized areas of our state that do not have the same competitive advantage that some of our metro areas have.

In his own corner of northeast Oregon, Drotzmann said, among the business investments in such zones are data centers, food processing, food science and manufacturing  and they generate jobs that pay 130% of the average wage in Umatilla County.

According to a 2022 study by the Oregon Business Development Department based on 287 recently participating businesses, such zones have generated $8.5 billion in overall activity, 46,253 jobs, $2.5 billion in income and $685 million in personal income taxes.

These new jobs are weighted heavily toward the manufacturing sector, Drotzmann said.

According to a 2021 ECONorthwest study commissioned by Oregon Business & Industry and the Oregon Business Council, full-time median earnings in manufacturing are 17% greater than the overall median wage.

Another tax break

Not up for imminent renewal is another state-level tax break for business investment.

The Strategic Investment Program, which dates back to 1993, allows a 15-year exemption from property taxes for investments of at least $100 million in urban counties and $25 million in other counties.

A companion program known as Gain Share, which dates back to 2007, allows for state payments that partly offset those property tax losses in participating counties. Payments are based on half the income taxes generated by new or retained job resulting from those investments.

Of the nine participating counties, Washington County by far has been the largest beneficiary of Gain Share because of its large agreements with Intel and Genentech. Most of the others involve wind energy generation. One of two Intel agreements is near the 15-year endpoint, but the second has several years to go.

The footprint for that investment extends well beyond Washington County, said Jim McCauley, the leagues legislative director. He was Washington Countys lobbyist in 2015, when lawmakers renewed Gain Share but capped annual payments to a single county at $16 million. Everybody can show some level of benefit from just one investment.

He said the $100 billion investment by Intel fed a network of related businesses and benefited education and training programs at Portland Community College, Portland State University and Oregon State University. (The amount, coincidentally, is equal to what Intel just pledged for new manufacturing plants near Columbus, Ohio.)

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With nine counties having the chance to participate in the program, I think they have shown it is an incredible tool and has value well beyond the county or community that has had the opportunity to take advantage of it, McCauley said. Its a tool that needs to be in the toolbox long term.

Public works aid

Meanwhile, another league official says Oregon must boost its support of public works for communities  particularly aging water and sewer systems  not only to prepare large industrial sites for semiconductor and other manufacturing but to allow for expanded housing construction.

One often-cited report pegged Oregons deficit of housing units at 111,000 short during the past decade  half of them needed by families earning less than the area median income.

Gov. Tina Kotek has called for an annual production target of 36,000 units  80% greater than the annual average over the past five years  though she has announced a 25-member council to advise her and lawmakers how to reach that goal. The target takes into account the projected need over two decades.

Cities have extremely limited tools to address the rising costs of infrastructure necessary to supply the development needs of housing, said Taneea Browning, a Central Point city councilor and immediate past president of the league. This is especially true in small cities and more rural markets, where land readiness costs are prohibitive for local budgets.

Of 100 cities that responded to a 2021 league survey, she said, water upgrade needs were tagged at $9.7 billion  and Portland State University estimated a total of $23 billion statewide over the next two decades.

Housing and business are not the only ones necessitating water and sewer upgrades. Browning said other factors are the aging of current pipes and systems, their ability to withstand the shock of a major earthquake off the Oregon coast, the growing severity of storms and droughts resulting from climate change, and stricter treatment standards for drinking water, stormwater and wastewater.

Browning said the 2021 federal law that provides more than $1 trillion for public works upgrades nationally will help. But she said Oregon needs to boost state investment in its special public works fund for small communities, plus brownfield redevelopment and preparation of regionally significant industrial sites.

Oregon simply cannot afford this cost alone, she said. However, funding gaps still exist, and we want to keep up momentum. Continued investment is critical to support community public health, economic development, environmental protection and needed housing.

Browning also called for better coordination of state agency efforts on water supply.

While infrastructure is not sexy, it is absolutely important, she said.
NEW YORK  Polished, the troubled appliance retailer that began its corporate life as the local, family-owned Goedekers, is looking for a buyer.

Now headquartered in Brooklyn, the company announced Friday that it has hired Jeffries LLC to help us evaluate credible potential transactions. The board and management team remain open to all pathways for maximizing value, including a sale of the company, according to a press release.

However, the company noted, There can be no assurance that any transaction or the sale of the company will occur.

The move follows an announcement Thursday by the investment firm Morgan Dempsey Capital Management, which owns 7.9% of the Polished stock. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Morgan Dempsey called for a prompt sale of the company.

The filing cited the companys recent revelations that former CEO Albert Fouerti had charged the company $800,000 in expenses that were not related to its business, that it hired employees who did not have necessary legal documentation  presumably about their citizenship  and that it had not been properly tracking its inventory, specifically its damaged inventory.

These revelations are likely to cause the stock to be undervalued, the filing said.

Morgan Dempsey is not asking for a change in management or board of directors, and noted that it voted for all of the companys nominees to its board at its Jan. 19 annual meeting. However, the investment firm voted against the companys proposal to issue 50 million additional shares of stock, bringing its total to 250 million shares.

The annual meeting was temporarily adjourned before reaching a conclusion about adding more stock. The issue remains unresolved.

Polished stock was up 14 cents, or 27%, to 68 cents in early trading Friday. Thats down more than 95% from its all-time high of $14.58 reached in February 2021.
In Decent People, his second novel, author DeShawn 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 Winslows 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 isnt 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. Shes 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 Lymps 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 fiances innocence and unwilling to trust the 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 Winslows 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 towns Black middle class  begin to unspool.

The womens lives, and their secrets, intertwine when Eunice approaches Dr. Harmon for help with her adolescent sons 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 books protagonist. And although Winslow set the story in 1976, the book doesnt 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.

DeShawn Charles Winslow When  7 p.m. Feb. 1 Where  Natural Bridge library branch, 7606 Natural Bridge Road How much  Free More info  slcl.org
When Rylae-Ann Poulin was a year old, she didnt crawl or babble like other kids her age. A rare genetic disorder kept her from even lifting her head. Her parents took turns holding her upright at night just so she could breathe comfortably and sleep.

Then, months later, doctors delivered gene therapy directly to her brain.

Now the 4-year-old is walking, running, swimming, reading and riding horses  just doing so many amazing things that doctors once said were impossible, said her mother, Judy Wei.

Rylae-Ann, who lives with her family in Bangkok, was among the first to benefit from a new way of delivering gene therapy  attacking diseases inside the brain  that experts believe holds great promise for treating a host of brain disorders.

Her treatment recently became the first brain-delivered gene therapy after its approval in Europe and the United Kingdom for AADC deficiency, a disorder that interferes with the way cells in the nervous system communicate. New Jersey drugmaker PTC Therapeutics plans to seek U.S. approval this year.

Meanwhile, about 30 U.S. studies testing gene therapy to the brain for various disorders are ongoing, according to the National Institutes of Health. One, led by Dr. Krystof Bankiewicz at Ohio State University, also targets AADC deficiency. Others test treatments for disorders such as Alzheimers, Parkinsons and Huntingtons.

Challenges remain, especially with diseases caused by more than a single gene. But scientists say the evidence supporting this approach is mounting  opening a new frontier in the fight against disorders afflicting our most complex and mysterious organ.

Theres a lot of exciting times ahead of us, said Bankiewicz, a neurosurgeon. Were seeing some breakthroughs.

The most dramatic of those breakthroughs involve Rylae-Anns disease, which is caused by mutations in a gene needed for an enzyme that helps make neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, the bodys chemical messengers. The one-time treatment delivers a working version of the gene.

At around 3 months old, Rylae-Ann began having spells her parents thought were seizures  her eyes would roll back and her muscles would tense. Fluid sometimes got into her lungs after feedings, sending her to the emergency room. Doctors thought she might have epilepsy or cerebral palsy.

Around that time, Wei's brother sent her a Facebook post about a child in Taiwan with AADC deficiency. The extremely rare disorder afflicts about 135 children worldwide, many in that country. Wei, who was born in Taiwan, and her husband, Richard Poulin III, sought out a doctor there who correctly diagnosed Rylae-Ann. They learned she could qualify for a gene therapy clinical trial in Taiwan.

Though they were nervous about the prospect of brain surgery, they realized she likely wouldnt live past 4 years old without it.

Rylae-Ann had the treatment at 18 months old on November 13, 2019  which her parents have dubbed her reborn day. Doctors delivered it during minimally invasive surgery, with a thin tube through a hole in the skull. A harmless virus carried in a functioning version of the gene.

It gets put into the brain cells and then the brain cells make the (neurotransmitter) dopamine, said Stuart Peltz, CEO of PTC Therapeutics.

Company officials said all patients in their clinical trials showed motor and cognitive improvements. Some of them, Peltz said, could eventually stand and walk, and continue getting better over time.

Bankiewicz said all 40 or so patients in his teams NIH-funded study also saw significant improvements. His surgical approach is more involved and delivers the treatment to a different part of the brain. It targets relevant circuits in the brain, Bankiewicz said, like planting seeds that cause ivy to sprout and spread.

Its really amazing work, said Jill Morris, a program director with the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, which helped pay for the research. And he has seen a lot of consistency between patients.

One is 8-year-old Rian Rodriguez-Pena, who lives with her family near Toronto. Rian got gene therapy in 2019, shortly before her 5th birthday. Two months later, she held her head up for the first time. She soon started using her hands and reaching for hugs. Seven months after surgery, she sat up on her own.

When the world was crumbling around us with COVID, we were at our house celebrating like it was the biggest party of our lives because Rian was just crushing so many milestones that were impossible for so long, said her mom, Shillann Rodriguez-Pena. Its a completely different life now.

Best and worst states for health care Best and worst states for health care The 10 states with the best health care The 10 states with the lowest rank for health care Additional findings: Outcome, cost and access data rankings Depending on state, Americans' cost for care can vary significantly Methodology
The day before this newspaper published a story about a mountain lion that was struck by a car near Villa Ridge in Franklin County, I was walking in Forest Parks Kennedy Forest when I looked into the brush and locked eyes with the most dangerous wild beast in North America  a deer.

Of the roughly 460 Americans killed each year in confrontations with wildlife, around 440 of them are killed in confrontations with deer. Confrontations as in car crashes. Those guesstimates come from a recent story in the Washington Post. Fear the Deer, was the headline.

Fortunately for me, I was not in a car when I had my confrontation.

I once heard Jeffrey Bonner, former CEO of the St. Louis Zoo, talk about being stared at by a lion. He said he had often looked at lions in the zoo, and they had looked back at him, but it was not with any intensity. He had a totally different experience on a photo safari in Africa. The jeep stopped near a small pride of lions that were hanging out under a tree near the road. Bonner said one of the lions suddenly seemed to focus on him. There was nothing casual about it. The lion locked in on him. It was a terrifying moment, Bonner said.

Predator and prey. How deep does that fear go in our genetic makeup?

Deer and humans have had an entirely different relationship through the eons. No prehistoric mother ever lovingly warned her child, "Watch out for deer while youre playing on the savannah."

At any rate, the deer and I locked eyes, but it was, I think, strictly curiosity on both our parts.

A similar thing had happened to me once before. With a person, not a deer. I was about 12 years old, and I was headed from my home on the south side of Chicago to Wrigley Field on the north side. Children in those times had a great deal of independence. Summer days were blank slates. We could be gone all day.

I took the Halsted Street bus to 63rd Street where I transferred to the El, which was, and is, an elevated train that ran right next to apartments. As the train slowed approaching a station, passengers could look into the apartments and, of course, the apartment dwellers could look into the trains. As we pulled into a station, I saw a Black boy about my age sitting at a kitchen table. Our eyes locked.

Chicago was a very segregated place. There were no Black kids in my grammar school. The most exotic child in my school was Jewish.

For some odd reason, that encounter on the train has stuck with me. Probably not with the other child. He probably locked eyes with lots of white kids.

Same thing with the deer. He has probably already forgotten our encounter. If you hang around near a walking path in Forest Park, you see lots of people.

Or maybe youre thinking the deer is so dumb, he cant remember. Thats the kind of reputation deer have. Always running in front of cars and then stopping. Like a deer in the headlights.

People I admire dont like deer. Rats with long legs, is how Kevin Horrigan described them. Kevin was a columnist for this paper and the St. Louis Sun, and a talker for KMOX and KTRS. John Hoffmann, who writes the West County Whirl, once ridiculed a plan to sterilize deer in order to curb their population in West County. If a deer comes through your windshield, will you feel better knowing it has had a hysterectomy? he asked.

On the other hand, PBS viewers might remember Joe Hutto. He is to mule deer what Dian Fossey was to gorillas and Jane Goodall is to chimpanzees. Hutto spent several years becoming part of a wild herd of mule deer. This led to a TV series, Touching the Wild," and a book. Hutto had previously bonded with wild turkeys. My Life as a Turkey, came from that.

The TV series about the deer was fascinating, and it made me appreciate deer. On the other hand, how smart can those deer be if they thought Hutto was one of them? He was the only member of the herd who wore a cowboy hat. Shouldnt that have been a clue?

Im being facetious, of course. The deer knew he was different and still accepted him. Im sure there is a lesson for us in that. We can learn from the deer.

Not all animals are accepting. Timothy Treadwell spent summers mingling with grizzly bears in Alaska. He said his relationship with bears had helped him get free of heroin and alcohol. He said being around bears was the only way to understand them. Many biologists said he was nuts. On his last trip, he took his girlfriend, who was reportedly afraid of bears. Her fears were well founded. A bear killed them both. It was, as you can imagine, a horrific scene.

My daughter graduated with a degree in biology from the University of Illinois, joined Teach for America and taught high school biology in the northern California city of Richmond. She showed her class a documentary about Treadwell. It was called Grizzly Man. Lorna explained that there were two schools of thought about Treadwell. Some people pointed to Goodall and Fossey, and others, the majority, said that Treadwell was a foolish thrill-seeker.

After the students watched the documentary, Lorna asked for comments. One girl said she didnt feel sorry for him. He got all up in the bears business, she said.

That comment stuck with me. Words to live by. Dont get all up in the bears business.

The deer and I looked at each other for a long moment. I turned away first.
WEBSTER GROVES  For nearly a decade, Webster University has seen enrollment decline by thousands of students and debt rise by the tens of millions of dollars.

The private college, located at Big Bend Boulevard and Edgar Road, faces a precarious future, one that analysts have little faith will improve any time soon, as annual losses reach $25 million.

And Websters bet on pivoting from being an arts-focused institution to one catering to business, technology and health sciences  leading it to take out over $60 million in bonds to construct new high-tech buildings at its main campus here  has yet to pay off.

School leaders say they have a turnaround strategy, largely focused on attracting more international and online students, that is showing signs of working.

I have always been optimistic and positive about Websters mission and vision and our ability to adapt to often challenging circumstances, Chancellor Beth Stroble said. We are clearly doing what we need to do to ensure that optimism is rewarded with results.

The more than century-old university is one of the St. Louis regions most prominent; its alumni have gone on to become Tony Award nominees and esteemed musicians. Now, as Webster University has further branched into online courses, it offers degrees and certificate programs in everything from cyber security to gerontology to teaching English as a second language to piano performance.

Stroble has led Websters building boom over the past decade, when it opened a new $44 million health sciences building, $28 million business school building and $12 million parking garage at its main campus here.

Since coming to Webster in 2009, Stroble has also expanded the universitys presence locally, opening a bigger campus in downtown St. Louis, and adding to dozens of satellite campuses in the U.S. and the world, including Ghana and Uzbekistan.

Yet in recent years, the college has failed to attract enough students to offset expenses, despite raising tuition. An increase in international students has boosted enrollment system-wide for the upcoming school year following a significant drop. Over a six-year period from 2015 to 2021, Websters enrollment declined 42% from a little over 17,000 students to 10,000, according to university audits and bond documents.

Tuition also rose 17% over the same period, from $25,300 to $29,640 per academic year. Tuition will surpass $30,000 at Webster next fall.

Yet, despite tuition increases, revenue plummeted from $186.7 million in 2016 to $133.6 million in fiscal 2021. During the same period, the universitys losses continued to spiral from $12.8 million to $24.5 million, financial filings show.

The financial losses prompted credit rating agency Moodys to downgrade the university in 2021, stating that Webster was facing a rapidly changing competitive environment.

Moodys again downgraded Webster to a negative outlook in December 2022, driven by what the agency said reflected the magnitude of its recent financial deterioration that will be difficult to reverse.

Last summer, Forbes graded private colleges on their financial health from the start of the pandemic based on endowments, debt and operating margins. No university in Missouri scored better than a C+, with the exception of Washington Universitys A+. Webster earned a C-.

Other private colleges here are facing similar financial pressures, but not of the same magnitude as Webster.

Fontbonne University, which has one campus in Clayton, has seen enrollment drop below 1,000 in the past couple years. Its expenses have continued to outpace revenue, though they have improved from a loss of $5 million in the 2015-2016 academic year, according to the latest available financial filings.

St. Charles-based Lindenwood University has seen expenses rise and fall over the years: It reported a $24.3 million profit in the 2017-2018 school year, only to see expenses outpace revenue for the next two years.

Stroble was promoted from president to chancellor in 2019, when she earned $799,176 in salary and bonuses  making her among the highest paid university leaders in the St. Louis region.

Of similar-sized competitors, University of Missouri-St. Louis Chancellor Kristin Sobolik made $325,000 and Lindenwood President John Porter made $228,477 in the 2019-2020 school year, according to the latest available financial information.

Losing students and increasing tuition

Financial analysts, including S&P and Fitch Ratings, have warned that less selective private universities that rely heavily on tuition  like Webster  can be expected to struggle going forward.

Across the country, dozens of smaller colleges have shuttered in recent years, including Lincoln and MacMurray colleges in Illinois. Universities nationwide have lost nearly 1.3 million students since spring 2020, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

And just as colleges try to rebound from a loss of students during the pandemic, they are simultaneously barreling toward a so-called demographic cliff in 2025-2026, when the 2008 recession turns 18 and its negative impact on birth rates means a smaller pool of high school graduates.

It boils down to a supply-and-demand issue, said Lisa Washburn, managing director at Municipal Market Analytics. Weve just got too many seats for too few students. Add to that rising costs and a pandemic, and some schools just become uneconomical to run.

With fewer potential incoming freshmen available, Webster has turned more to non-traditional markets including international students and online students.

Its up to universities to adapt and change, as Webster always has, Stroble said. Branching out to take education to where the students are has always been a hallmark of Webster.

Hints of progress

Enrollment across all Webster campuses is up slightly to 10,578 for the upcoming academic year.

Webster University in Uzbekistan added close to 1,400 students last fall, a record for the campus that opened in 2019. And about 1,000 new international students are studying at three of Webster's U.S. campuses in 2022-2023, according to updated figures from the university.

A heavy focus on recruiting international and online students, officials say, will boost enrollment in coming years.

And theyre bullish on adjusting to meet the needs of high-demand career fields. By 2027, university officials aim to have enrolled 1,750 in the health science fields, comprising more than half the universitys 3,000 students in St. Louis.

Its just the start of a financial turnaround, leaders said.

Stroble and university President Julian Schuster also pointed to new sources of revenue, including a recent federal grant of more than $1 million to upgrade its online nursing and science programs for students in rural Missouri.

Last month, the states Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development awarded two grants totaling more than $500,000 for job training, including teacher education in virtual learning. A $35 million fundraising campaign is nearly half fulfilled, Stroble said.

The financial challenges are not something that can be changed overnight, (but) we are well on the way to improve our financial performance this year, Schuster said. Then we are developing the plan to balance the budget in a relatively short period of time.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct that Webster recently expanded its downtown campus. Webster also provided updated information on international students.

Bloomberg contributed to this report.
ST. LOUIS  The release of police body camera footage showing five now-fired Memphis police officers beating a Memphis motorist who died days later triggered rallies, protests and vigils throughout the country, including St. Louis.

Protest group, ExpectUs, gathered about 30 people outside of the citys police headquarters on Friday in solidarity with Memphis protesters. They also directed attention to the people killed by police in St. Louis and local issues involving police reform.

We thought they learned after George Floyd, said one of the groups leaders, the Rev. Darryl Gray, now a board member on the citys civilian jail oversight board.

Some group leaders announced they refused to watch the video. Others who watched the body camera footage of the beating said officers stripped Tyre Nichols of his humanity before his death.

Memphis police, you had one job, and that was to protect and serve, said group leader Angel Davy-Taylor. Our boots are back on the ground.

Mayor, Rep. Bush, police group react

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones said in a statement Friday evening that she was praying for justice for Nichols' family and friends.

Families across our region and our country have seen yet another traumatizing video showing the tragic, heinously violent final moments of a Black mans life, Jones said. When we say that Black Lives Matter, it affirms our shared humanity that police mercilessly denied Tyre. Community trust is necessary to make our neighborhoods safer, and the incident in Memphis tragically reminds us that we still have a lot of work to do.

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush called for reform.

Charging the officers who brutalized Tyre is not enough, Bush said in a statement.

She called for unarmed emergency first responder agencies, programs for 911 diversion and behavioral health, and support for people leaving incarceration, among other things.

The Ethical Society of Police condemned the Memphis officers actions.

You disgrace the badge when you forget why you wear the badge, the group said in a statement.
Xi congratulates Bob Dadae on re-election as governor-general of Papua New Guinea

Xinhua) 08:11, January 28, 2023

BEIJING, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday congratulated Bob Dadae on his re-election as governor-general of Papua New Guinea (PNG).

In his message, Xi noted that PNG was one of the first Pacific island countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and the two countries enjoy sustaining friendship.

At present, the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and PNG has been developing at a high level with fruitful exchanges and cooperation in various fields, bringing huge benefits to their people, Xi said.

Noting that he attaches great importance to the development of China-PNG relations, Xi said that he is ready to continue to work with Dadae to build on past achievements and forge ahead with steady and sustained growth of bilateral relations.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
ST. LOUIS  Police are looking for whoever shot and killed an unidentified male, believed to be in his late teens or early 20s, found in a street in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood Friday night.

Shortly after 8 p.m., police got a call regarding a shooting and found the victim in the 3200 block of North 19th Street, suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

Anyone with information is asked to call the homicide division at 314-444-5371, or anyone with a tip who wants to remain anonymous and is interested in a reward can contact CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.
Regarding the editorial "Koenig creates an imaginary guilt cabal to defend limits on teaching history." (Jan. 19): Slavery happened and was sinful. But according to some lawmakers, teachers can't say which race comprised the owners and which comprised the slaves because it might upset some Johnny or Jane, or the underpaid teacher can't explain it because her coursework outline won't allow it? Perhaps a student won't be able to find books that might explain it because they were pulled over the librarian's objection. Plus, if any reference was overlooked, the Missouri state auditor might possibly want to restrict state funding for that district.
Regarding "Court: Procedures not followed after weekend shooting at City Foundry" (Jan. 24): With juvenile crime exploding here and across the nation, the revision of state juvenile criminal codes is a definite necessity. Current juvenile statutes no longer fit our reality. Given the fact that the male brain does not fully develop until the mid-20s, it makes no sense treating criminal teenagers any differently than those who are only a few years older.

While I am not advocating throwing convicted young men into a penal system with hardened adult criminals, they do need to be taken off the street and placed in a facility where they can be given the chance to turn their lives around. Remanding gun-toting teenagers to parents who could not supervise them responsibly in the first place is ludicrous.

It would be nice if our state legislators chose to address this crisis rather than worrying about dress codes for female members. Until the state of Missouri decides to put public safety first regarding young-adult crime, there will be no lasting growth or development in its major metropolitan regions.

Anthony Finan  Frontenac
Republicans have Very Serious budget demands. Unfortunately, they can't identify what any of those demands are.

They say they want to reduce deficits  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).

Lawmakers need to raise the debt limit so the government can continue paying all the bills that Congresses past have already committed to. Republicans are refusing to cooperate, though. They say they'll raise the borrowing limit only on the condition that Democrats make some (as yet-undetermined) cuts relating to future budgets.

Sorting out the country's fiscal challenges is a worthwhile goal  one that should be achieved through the usual process lawmakers use for spending and taxation decisions, such as the budget process. There is no universe, though, in which holding the debt limit hostage (that is, threatening not to pay our bills) would promote greater fiscal health.

A U.S. debt default would be catastrophic. It would likely lead to higher borrowing costs for the United States (which, perversely, would worsen our long-term debt problems). Reneging on our bills might also trigger a recession and panic in financial markets. Essentially paying off Republicans to not trigger an economic meltdown creates terrible incentives for future negotiations. We wouldn't expect Democrats to blithely offer up a ransom if Republicans were threatening to blow up the Washington Monument; neither should Democrats reward Republicans for threatening to detonate the global financial system.

And even if Democrats wanted to pay a ransom for this hostage, it's unclear that there's any ransom Republicans would accept.

Republicans say they want lower deficits  in fact, they have pledged to balance the budget (that is, no deficit at all) within seven or 10 years. But they have not laid out any plausible mathematical path for arriving at that destination. They promise to cut "wasteful spending" but can't agree on what counts as "waste."

Some Republican House members want to cut military spending, which both House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio have indicated they're on board with. But others, including influential House Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger of Texas, have said defense spending cuts are definitely not on the table.

"We've got to get spending under control, but we are not going to do it on the backs of our troops and our military," Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Florida, said.

Instead, Waltz said, Republicans should focus on "entitlements programs," jargon for mandatory spending programs including Social Security and Medicare. These programs are in long-term fiscal trouble, given demographic trends. Yet the popularity of these benefits has long made proposals to revamp them a third rail.

Understandably, then, other influential Republicans have disqualified entitlements from consideration for cuts.

On Sunday, when asked to name "one thing you're ready to put on the table as a spending cut that you think both parties can accept," Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, instead stated things she wouldn't put on the table. "Well, obviously no cuts to Medicare or Medicaid or Social Security," she said. "That's a nonstarter for either side." Former President Donald Trump apparently agrees.

Of course, deficits could be narrowed by focusing on the other side of the ledger  that is, by increasing tax revenue. But Republicans have ruled that out, too.

Instead, they're proposing more tax cuts, which they have tacitly admitted might worsen deficits. Republicans are also working to gut tax enforcement, which would grind down federal revenue further.

So what options are left? McCarthy, for his part, has proposed eliminating] "all the money spent on 'wokeism.'" (How big is the official "wokeism" line item? To be determined.) But more broadly, once you reject any trims to entitlements or defense spending and bake in the cost of the GOP's proposed tax cuts, you're left with a roughly $20 trillion hole in budgets over the next decade.

Closing that gap would require eliminating nearly all other domestic spending, as the Tax Policy Center's Howard Gleckman recently noted. That means axing border protection, air-traffic control, farm subsidies, infrastructure and many other categories that both voters and elected officials hold dear.

Republicans don't seem so keen on cutting those things, either.

In short, virtually every possible avenue available for reducing the deficit would be unpopular. Which probably explains why supposedly fiscally conservative Republicans chose not to take them when they controlled both houses of Congress during Trump's presidency.

The White House is expected to release a detailed budget by early March, building upon budgets it has released previously. Beyond a vague strategy document from last summer and the cacophony of contradictory comments from House leaders, Republicans still lack a formal counterproposal.

But even if McCarthy managed to whip something up: Who in their right mind would trust the rest of his caucus to stand by it?

Catherine Rampell
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, at SPIE AR/VR/MR conference Xvisio Technology, an industry-leading XR core perception and tracking technology provider, and STMicroelectronics jointly introduce an enhanced model of Xvisio SeerLens One AR glasses product for enterprises. The upgraded AR glasses use state of the art image sensor and IMU technologies from ST. The SeerLens One is a USB-tethered AR glasses with Xvisios industry leading on-board vSLAM engine and industry-leading free form prism optics from Epson. STs sensor technologies are critical to the cutting-edge performance of the AR glasses. Xvisio SeerLens One supports off-the-shelf mobile phones, PCs, and Xvisio AR computing units. Its durable, lightweight, and comfortable to wear. The built-in microphone with AI noise cancellation and ability to recognize 25-joint hand gestures enable natural human-machine interaction. It works seamlessly with Windows, Ubuntu, and Android devices supported by the feature-rich AR foundation SDK from Xvisio for content development.

Xvisio AR foundation SDK unleashes compelling AR user experiences including spatial anchoring, super-imposition, map creating and sharing, 25-joint gesture control, and multi-user collaboration. It supports various enterprise AR applications such as field services, medical surgery, manufacturing SOP assist, remote assistance, logistics and transportation, and virtual collaborations or meetings. Xvisio proactively works with its ecosystem partners to enable such use cases for enterprise users.

The Xvisio Seer product family includes the SeerLens One HMD, SeerController self-tracking 6DOF controller, SeerSense 6DOF sensing unit for map creation and object tracking, and SeerPad AR computing unit. They are all in mass production now. SeerSense is available from Mouser and Digikey already.

Xvisio and ST will showcase SeerLens One AR glasses at SPIE AR/VR/MR conference 2023 at Moscone Center in San Francisco from January 28th to February 1st .

We are extremely excited to work with ST on this new model of SeerLens One AR glasses product series. STs industry-leading BSI global-shutter image sensor and IMU devices with AI enhanced the performance of the 6DOF tracking in many challenging industrial environments, said John Lin, founder and CEO of Xvisio Technology. SeerLens One offers very compelling values to our enterprise customers who need more advanced 6DOF interaction capabilities than the basic HUD (Heads-up Display) products in the market at a much more affordable price.

We demonstrated Xvisios innovative XR and 6DOF tracking products containing our top imaging and sensing products to a broad range of customers and industry leaders at CES, said Bharath Rajagopalan, Director, Strategic Marketing at ST. The demonstrations were well received, and visitors were universally impressed by Xvisio Technologys product performance.

Please visit www.xvisiotech.com/product-center for detailed information or a product brief.

SeerLens One introductions video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFGtmiQ-uq8

The SeerSense product can be purchased from Mouser at https://www.mouser.com/new/xvisio/xvisio-seersense-ds80-module/

About Xvisio

Xvisio Technology is a global technology provider in XR industry with R&D centers in China, US and Europe. Xvisio provides best-in-class vSLAM based perception and tracking system solution for XR devices. It offers design service for XR product development and two major product series -The SeerSense sensor module series and the SeerLens AR glass series for Metaverse applications. To learn more, please visit Xvisios website: www.xvisiotech.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230128005002/en/

For inquiries or media contact:

[email protected]

Source: Xvisio Technology
Lindon, Utah, Jan. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Renewable Innovations (RI) (OTC: REII), a leader in the zero-carbon, green solutions alternative fuel industry, announced today that on January 20, 2023 the company was featured in a lengthy MotorTrend article titled This Solar Power Station Kept the EVs Juiced at Performance Vehicle of the Year.

The companys 53-foot long solar-powered EV charging station, the Mobile Energy Command (or MEC-S) helped power the six EVs evaluated at MotorTrends 2023 Performance Vehicle of the Year. Renewable innovations powered the cars with a self-contained portable unit that can be trucked in and set up within a matter of hours to provide electricity for the likes of music festivals, data centers, military outposts or virtually any temporary location. There is also a 220-kilowatt-hour battery for storing excess energy and providing power when the sun isn't shining. The modular and scalable zero-carbon power systems can operate in remote locations that are entirely off grid. As the article suggests, the companys core business is built around its successful hydrogen technology although it possesses powerful products across the renewable energy spectrum.

Renewable Innovations MEC-H2EV packs hydrogen fuel cells, lithium-ion batteries, and DC fast chargers into a semi-trailer that delivers far more power than the MEC-S. As stated in the MotorTrend article GM is also a customer of Renewable Innovations. The MEC-H2EV delivers EV charging with its mobile, rapid power generation capability anytime, anywhere.

Fast EV charging is just one part of the Renewable Innovations product portfolio. Today during peak demand times electricity requirements are higher than the grids capacity to provide. When demand is greater than supply this creates a shortfall, an incapacity, or a grid gap. The global need for clean, sustainable energy will lead to situations where Renewable Innovations will be at the forefront of meeting these power demands. The alternative is massively expensive, nearly non-fundable upgrades to the current electrical infrastructure.

To view the article, please visit https://www.motortrend.com/news/renewable-innovations-solar-ev-charger-performance-vehicle-of-the-year/

About Renewable Innovations Renewable Innovations is accelerating the growth and opportunities within the renewable economy. Their team of industry leaders brings extensive experience and invaluable connections across the Renewable, Hydrogen, and Alternative Energy sectors. Along with their partners, investors, and clients, they are making major technological advancements with products and solutions to lead the world into a new and exciting carbon-free future. Learn more at Renewable-Innovations.com.

Forward Looking Statement

This news 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, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created thereby. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words like plans, expects, will, anticipates, believes, intends, projects, targets, estimates or other words of similar meaning. Forward-looking statements are based on certain assumptions and expectations of future events which may not be accurate or realized, and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Renewable Innovations control, including but not limited to regulatory approvals and market conditions. A discussion of factors that may affect future results is included in Renewable Innovations filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Renewable Innovations disclaims and does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, except as required by applicable law.

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Source: Renewable Innovations Inc.
MCLEAN, VA, Jan. 26, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In the past 12 months, Students For Liberty has increased their worldwide outreach, gained a talented and experienced new member on the Board of Directors, and received its two largest gifts ever:

$2.3 million to establish the Prometheus Fellowship program to provide the highest level of education, training, and mentorship to its most promising students across the international landscape.

$1.5 million to establish Green Liberty, a global program promoting free market environmentalism and exploring ideas that are likely to foster greater and more rapid improvements in the environment than top-down mandates.

As a result, the organization is now in the process of hiring for important new roles and expanding its outreach efforts in the 101 countries where it currently operates. This sets the organization up for a busy and promising 2023.

Board of Directors Gains a Valuable New MemberThe Students For Liberty Board of Directors is proud to announce their newest member, chairman of the Foundation for Economic Education, Wayne Olson. Retired from a 26-year career in investment banking, Olson holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from Harvard, an M.B.A. in finance from UCLA, and a C.Phil. ("all-but-dissertation") in economics from UCLA. While attending graduate school, he started reading the magazine The Freeman, which Olson says was his introduction to the liberty movement.

I always admired Wayne and what he accomplished at FEE as the Chairman as well as during his tenure as its Executive Director, said Students For Liberty CEO Dr. Wolf von Laer about Olson joining the board, describing him as a man of great wisdom and action.

Tackling A New Project in 2023The largest initiative launching in 2023 is Green Liberty - a global educational and incubator program focused on explaining how free markets and voluntary exchange can be more effective than government mandates in fighting climate change and creating a cleaner, more sustainable world. The project is an opportunity for young people across the globe to get involved in exploring, developing, and promoting free-market solutions to global environmental challenges.

Leading the charge on this new endeavor is Students For Libertys CEO, Dr. Wolf von Laer, who is enthusiastic about leveraging the entire machinery of Students For Liberty on promoting free-market solutions to environmental challenges over the coming years. We will activate our thousands of entrepreneurial student volunteers and harness their creativity to devise new ways to tackle these challenges without central planning and government bureaucracy. Dr. von Laer continued, describing how the largest pro-liberty student organization in the world will mobilize their national network and focus on demonstrating the power of free market solutions to millions with social media, videos, in-person events, and more all through to 2025.

The person who will be responsible for this initiative is the newly hired Program Manager Marcin Branowski, a Students For Liberty alumnus and volunteer over the past four years who will be earning his Masters Degree in Public Administration from New York University this year.

"I am very excited to play a part in SFL, joining others in transforming the liberty movement to embrace environmentalism as its core component, said Branowski when asked about his new role for the new project. SFL's greatest asset is our global network of student leaders. Through the Green Liberty program, I want to support them in making their communities and countries more environmentally sustainable."

The Numbers Speak For ThemselvesLast month, Students For Liberty unveiled their Annual Report entitled This Is the Moment SFL Was Created For. Despite the added challenges of being in a recession, the report showed how their worldwide network of pro-liberty advocates invested over 523,039 volunteer hours into activism projects in the last school year alone, with each volunteer having put in at least 5 hours every week, emphasizing how a volunteer hour in 2021 is valued at $29.95 meaning that just in terms of direct economic value SFL had an impact of $15,665,018.

Media views are also on the rise, with a total reach of unique viewers exposed to SFL content reaching 1.3 billion.

Learn Liberty, the platform SFL created aimed at showcasing free-market video content to the 18 - 24 year old demographic, increased its viewership by 19 percent. The Learn Liberty YouTube currently stands at 280k subscribers with over 637k hours of content holding steady at over 5 million views.

Fighting for Liberty On An International ScaleMany breakthrough events have taken place within the last few years, and the energy and impact is only growing. An unprecedented event on womens empowerment in the Middle East region took place when SFL Morocco hosted a womens talk to open a discussion around individual rights and liberty.

The Asia-Pacific region held a record 36 events, collected a record 1,955 contacts, hosted 14 trainings, and garnered the most participation in its history as an SFL region. Last year, SFL Africa coordinated their first region-wide protest to end the police brutality embodied in SARS in Nigeria. SFL students and activists hit the streets with posters and Peace, Love, Liberty signs, garnering media attention from outlets such as the BBC and CNN.

Students For Liberty coordinators and staff joined protests in Nigeria and mobilized thousands of young people across the country to demand an end to a recent new wave of police brutality that was occurring. One of many Nigerians who has constantly suffered from political repressions is SFL Director of Programs Olumayowa Okediran, who was accosted by a Nigerian police unit in the Ajah neighborhood of Lekki for the seventh time within the past few years.

The stories continue with tales of SFL coordinators helping Ukrainian refugees, protesting against the military-run government of Myanmar, and hosting an event to promote peace in Kabul amid the Taliban-led Afghan government. All of these are covered in detail throughout the 2022 Annual Report.

SFLs Vision Going ForwardStudents For Liberty CEO Dr. Wolf von Laer expressed his excitement over the many ways that SFL presents a true alternative to the often collectivist and freedom-disparaging teachings of most universities. He continued praising the SFL staff, students, and activists for their efforts, explaining how their effort is highly valuable and demands our applause for these brave souls who often do this work under huge pressure from their peers, professors, and university administrations.

Turning his attention to the supporters, activists, and stakeholders, Dr. von Laer continued; Our students, as well as our organization, grow significantly thanks to you. We appreciate our supporters, partners, speakers, and staff deeply. Without you, we would not be able to present a humane, up-lifting, and just alternative to the predominantly statist education that students receive. Young people can change the world and Students For Liberty is the organization that produces these leaders of tomorrow.

To schedule an interview with Dr. Wolf von Laer to discuss Students For Liberty and the new Green Liberty project, please contact Brian Lambrecht directly at 708-420-8324 or [email protected]

About Students For LibertySFL is the largest pro-liberty student organization in the world with students active in 101 countries on every inhabited continent. With a multi-million dollar budget and over 86 full-time staff members, they serve pro-liberty students in their pursuit to become leaders of liberty. They accomplish this through a strategy of identifying the top students and then empowering them to be agents of change in their communities. Last school year, their students organized over 1,922 events with 215,451 people in attendance. They are a fully virtual, vibrant, and entrepreneurial organization working with a diverse team in the U.S. and around the world.

Brian S. LambrechtStudents For Liberty[email protected]708-420-8324

Attachments

Brian Lambrecht Students For Liberty 708-420-8324 [email protected]

Source: Students For Liberty
VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Asep Medical Holdings Inc. ("Asep Inc." or the "Company") (CSE: ASEP) (OTCQB: SEPSF) is pleased to announce that it has signed a joint venture term sheet with a leading Chinese medical diagnostic company, Sansure Biotech Inc. (Sansure). The term sheet was signed on September 29, 2022. Both parties will continue to negotiate the specific collaboration terms toward the goal of entering into a definitive agreement in the coming months. The deal highlights the growing global interest in Asep Inc.'s early sepsis diagnostic, developed using artificial intelligence, which has proven highly accurate in clinical studies to date and is projected to save lives, significantly impact hospitals' bottom line, and reduce antibiotic usage in non-sepsis patients thus preventing antibiotic resistance.

The term sheet is a road map for a joint venture in preparation for the research, development, use, sublicensing and commercialization of SepsetER, Asep Inc.'s first-generation sepsis diagnostic kit for use in the Chinese market. As part of this agreement, Sansure will make a capital investment in the joint venture, and Asep Inc. will sublicence its SepsetER patent rights for the Chinese marketplace and receive a royalty when the test is marketed.

According to the US-based National Center for Biotechnology Information (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov), in 2015, nearly 2 million people died in China from sepsis.1 The frequency of deaths in that country is unusually high (66.7 per 100,000 people), which is why Chinese biotechnology companies are interested in a more advanced diagnostic tool. A 2021 meta-analysis by the Department of Emergency Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital and published by BioMed Central Ltd. (biomedcentral.com) concluded that "the frequency and mortality of sepsis and septic shock in China were much higher than North America and Europe countries." 2

"Sansure is one of the largest companies selling PCR-based diagnostic assays, which is the technology utilized in our SepsetER test," stated Dr. Robert E. W. Hancock, Founder, CEO and Board Chair of Asep Inc. and developer of the SepsetER test. "This represents an endorsement of the potential of our assay and its importance to human medicine."

ABOUT SANSURE BIOTECH INC.Sansure Biotech Inc. is a Chinese medical diagnostic company specializing in quantitatively detecting nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) and genomics. Established in 2008, Sansure is an integrated solution provider featuring innovative molecular diagnostics and gene technology. The company has over ten years of experience in specialized diagnostic reagents, nucleic acid diagnostic instruments, complete lab solutions and lab chain services. Sansure offers solutions for molecular diagnosis and is compatible with most polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection instruments and lab environments. Headquartered in Changsha, the company has built a new industrial park in Shanghai to facilitate its growth. The company has branches and affiliates in nearly 20 cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Chongqing and Xi'an.

ABOUT ASEP MEDICAL HOLDINGS INC.Asep Medical Inc. (asepmedical.com) is dedicated to addressing antibiotic failure by developing novel solutions for significant unmet medical needs. The Company is a consolidation of two existing private companies (Sepset Biosciences Inc. and ABT Innovations Inc.) that are both in the advanced development of both proprietary diagnostic tools, enabling the early and timely identification of severe sepsis as well as broad-spectrum therapeutic agents to address multidrug-resistant biofilm infections.

Sepset Biosciences Inc. (sepset.ca) is developing a diagnostic technology that involves a patient gene expression signature that predicts severe sepsis, one of the significant diseases leading to antibiotic failure, since antibiotics are the primary treatment for sepsis. Despite this, sepsis is responsible for nearly 20% of all deaths on the planet. The SepsetER test is a blood-based gene expression assay that is straightforward to implement, and results are rapidly obtained based on blood samples taken in the emergency room or intensive care unit. This proprietary diagnostic technology differs from current diagnostic tests in enabling diagnosis of severe sepsis within 60-90 minutes of initiating the test, while other diagnostics provide a diagnosis after ~15 hours but can be as long as five days. Asep Inc. believes this will enable critical early decisions to be made by physicians regarding appropriate therapies and reduce overall morbidity and mortality due to sepsis.

ABT Innovations Inc.'s (abtinnovations.ca) peptide technology covers a broad range of therapeutic applications, including bacterial biofilm infections (medical device infections, chronic infections, lung, bladder, wound, dental, skin, ear-nose and throat, sinusitis, orthopaedic, etc.), anti-inflammatories, anti-infective immune-modulators and vaccine adjuvants.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This news release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of such statements under applicable securities law. Forward-looking statements are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates," "plan," "continue," "expect," "project," "intend," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "may," "will," "potential," "proposed," "positioned" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements include but are not limited to the successful clinical testing of our Sepsis diagnostic test and its intended filing for regulatory approval; the Company not receiving regulatory approval as planned or at all; the undertaking of pre-clinical studies on our lead therapeutic, with the expectation that this will lead to fast-track clinical trials; the timeframe for diagnosis of sepsis with the company's products; the potential opportunities for the generation of revenue; the therapeutic benefits of the company's products; and other statements regarding the company's proposed business plans. Various assumptions were used in drawing conclusions or making the predictions contained in the forward-looking statements throughout this news release. Forward-looking 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 including the risk that the company's products may not perform as expected; that the company may not receive the requisite regulatory approvals or results of testing; the Company's testing of the products may not be successful and approvals may not be obtained in the estimated timelines or at all; the company may not be able to generate revenue from its products as expected or at all; the market for the company's products may not be as described in this news release; and various other risk factors identified in the Asep Medical Inc.'s prospectus dated November 9, 2021, and in the company's management discussion and analysis, available for review under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Asep Medical Inc. is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims 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 law.

CITATIONS 1 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-022-07543-8 2 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29846748/

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SOURCE ASEP Medical Holdings Inc.
HG004 is a one-time, direct-to-RPE treatment of inherited retinal disease caused by mutations in the RPE65 gene

gene  10-fold lower vector doses than other AAV2 gene therapy clinical trials to be tested in this planned trial

On track to initiate the multi-national trial by H1-2023

SHANGHAI and CLINTON, N.J., Jan. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HuidaGene Therapeutics (HuidaGene), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing CRISPR-based programmable genomic medicine, announces that the US. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared its investigational new drug (IND) application for the planned multi-national clinical trial of HG004 for the treatment of patients suffering from RPE65 mutation-associated inherited retinal dystrophies, a group of genetic diseases caused by the mutations in RPE65 gene affecting the retina and passed on to the children.

"We are thrilled to have received the IND clearance of our HG004 program from US FDA, marking our first IND clearance as a company and our first retinal disorder program to reach clinical development stage," said Xuan Yao, Ph.D., Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of HuidaGene. "Clearance of this IND is a testament to the in-house pipeline development capabilities and high-quality preclinical data supporting HG004, as well as the strong CMC and analytics capabilities through our partnership with WuXi Advanced Therapies. The goal of the HG004 program is to develop a one-time, non-AAV2 gene replacement therapy to restore, treat, and prevent blindness of children and adults with severe visual impairment or blindness due to RPE65 mutation-associated retinopathies globally."

Investigational HG004 is a novel ophthalmic injection that is being developed to treat RPE65 retinopathies. Based on the head-to-head preclinical comparison study of HG004 and adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (AAV2) at the same dose, the recovery of the retinal functions was increased by 67.6% (HG004) and 35.8% (AAV2 products) when compared to the wild-type mice in the Rpe65 knockout murine model at Week 17 after a single injection. Therefore, HG004 demonstrates better transduction efficiency of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) compared with AAV2 and has the potential to lower the total vector doses, which may reduce the risk of AAV vector-associated immunogenicity or ocular adverse events in humans.

"We are excited by the promise of HG004 to offer a potential transformative treatment better than AAV2-mediated gene replacement therapy," said Hui Yang, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Advisor of HuidaGene. "Our extensive preclinical studies demonstrated superior transduction efficiency and substantial restoration of vision loss at the RPE layer when HG004 compared to AAV2 through our independently-developed Rpe65 gene knockout murine disease model, which is found to mimic the retinal phenotypes and functions of patients with RPE65 mutation-associated inherited retinal dystrophies."

"Our preclinical data supported our planned multi-national clinical trial with a starting effective dose far lower than the approved AAV2-hRPE65 gene therapy product and with less volume need to be injected into the retina," said Dr. Xuan Yao. "We had already enrolled patients at the end of 2022 in our investigator-initiated trial (IIT) in China, and we saw a substantial restoration of vision that were progressing toward complete blindness even with nearly 25-fold lower vector doses of HG004 than the approved AAV2-hRPE65 gene therapy product within seven days after the single-injection of HG004."

About Multi-national Clinical Trial of HG004

HG004 will be evaluated in a multinational, multicenter, multiple-cohort, dose-finding study of adult and pediatric subjects with RPE65 retinopathies under one master protocol in different countries. The purposes of the study are to evaluate the safety, tolerability, efficacy, and long-term clinical durability of a single injection of HG004 for up to 52 weeks. Primary endpoints include adverse events, certain laboratory measures, and ophthalmic examinations. The study will also assess visual function via a multiluminance mobility test (MLMT), where subjects will navigate a mobility course under various light levels. After completing the primary study period, subjects will continue to be assessed in a long-term follow-up study of HG004.

About RPE65 Mutation-Associated Inherited Retinal Dystrophies

Inherited retinal dystrophies (IRDs) are a group of rare blinding conditions caused by mutations in any 1 of more than 250 genes. Leber's congenital amaurosis (LCA), severe early childhood-onset retinal dystrophy (SECORD), early-onset severe retinal dystrophy (EOSRD), and retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which may all be grouped under the heading of RPE65 mutation-associated inherited retinal dystrophies, are considered to represent a phenotypic continuum of the same disease. The RPE65 mutation-associated inherited retinal dystrophies with a typical onset between birth and five years of age exhibit several common clinical findings, chiefly night blindness (light staring with profound nyctalopia and nystagmus), progressive loss of visual fields, and loss of central vision. The percentage of patients (with biallelic RPE65 mutations) meeting the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria for blindness increased with age and reached 100% after the age of 40 years. Given the often severe and early visual loss associated with RPE65 inherited retinal dystrophies, other areas of development, including speech, social skills, and behavior, may also be delayed.

About HuidaGene

HuidaGene Therapeutics is a global clinical-stage biotechnology company focusing on discovering, engineering, and developing CRISPR-based genetic medicine to rewrite the future of genomic medicine. Based in Shanghai and New Jersey, HuidaGene is committed to addressing patients' needs globally with various preclinical therapeutic programs covering ophthalmology, otology, myology, and neurology. Company's CRISPR-based therapeutics offer the potential to cure patients with life-threatening conditions by repairing the cause of their disease. HuidaGene is committed to transforming the future of genome-editing medicine.For more information, please visit http://www.huidagene.com or follow us on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/company/huidagene

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SOURCE Huidagene Therapeutics
The First-Ever Chinese Stand-up Comedy Tour Lands in the US

SEATTLE, Jan. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- China's Xiaoguo Comedy kicks off its first-ever North American city tour on January 27th, playing to a packed house of 2,000 people to welcome in the Chinese New Year at McCaw Hall in downtown Seattle, USA.

While sending Chinese New Year wishes to the North American audience, the show also successfully brings Chinese stand-up comedy to a North American stage for the first time. Mainstays from the hugely successful show performed on stage, including the famous comedian, Li Dan, along with a raft of comics from China, including Cheng Lu, Yang Meng'en, Doudou, Liang Haiyuan, Rock, Xiao Bei, Xiao Lu, Mao Dou, House, Kid, and Hangge. The performers bring out brand-new material exclusively for the American audience in a show lasting about 3 hours, leaving those watching in fits of laughter and hysterics.

While stand-up comedy originated in Europe and the US, the art form has been growing rapidly in popularity in China in recent years. Chinese stand-ups typically draw more from their own experiences and current lives in China, incorporating painful points in life into their segments and winning the hearts of domestic audiences with their sharp observations and expressions. Stand-up comedy has gradually become a "mouthpiece" for many young Chinese people to express themselves and a unique way to tell the stories of contemporary society.

"Back in 2020, Xiaoguo Comedy was invited to participate in the Mandarin Comedy Week during the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and tickets sold very well for the 1,000-seater theater," said He Xiaoxi, co-founder and CEO of Xiaoguo Comedy. "After that, we immediately started planning overseas tours in North America, Australia, and New Zealand. With the gradual optimized pandemic restrictions this year, we were able to put the first North American tour for Chinese stand-up comedy high up on our agenda as a means of letting the world know more about Chinese young people and comedy."

With the successful conclusion of the tour's first stop in Seattle, the show now rolls on in the US with dates in San Jose, Los Angeles, and New York City, with the staff of the Chinese Consulate to pay the visit to the show, as well as Toronto and Vancouver in Canada, along with five other cities in the North America. Venues have been carefully selected from a series of landmark and large professional theaters in order to bring the show to more than ten thousand spectators during the tour. The comedy lineup will also participate in the NBA's Lunar New Year celebration activities.

After only a few years of development, stand-up comedy has gradually become one of the most popular forms of comedy among Chinese audiences, especially the young audiences. During the Spring Festival break this year, the stand-up comics from Xiaoguo Comedy appeared in multiple broadcasting networks' produced galas, among them were He Guangzhi, Xu Zhisheng, Zhao Xiaohui, and Qiu Rui, who jointly appeared on the CCTV (China Central Television) Spring Festival Gala stage, sending the blessings of the new year to Chinese people all over the world.

Pressure and anxiety expressed by Xiaoguo Comedy's stand-up comedian, including the struggle to settle down in big cities and pressure from marriage and the workplace, resonate with Chinese young people. It is also the deep-seated reason why this form of art is becoming popular. In 2022, Xiaoguo Comedy set up its YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts to communicate with global stand-up show fans, attracting more than 120,000 followers in just over half a year and feeling the love and passion of overseas fans.

"Xiaoguo Culture has always wanted to share the country's comedy with fans of the art form from all around the world," He said, adding that he expects this North American tour to send international students in the US laughing into the Year of the Rabbit. The troupe also plans more overseas tours in the future to share the humor and joy of China with even more parts of the world.

For more information, please visit Xiaoguo Comedy's pages on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

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SOURCE Xiaoguo Comedy
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan  A U.S. Marine has met with and apologized to the owner of a vehicle that was stolen and then crashed last month outside this base near Hiroshima, according to a local media report.

The Marine, who has not been identified by local authorities or the Marine Corps, spent nearly two hours with the victim on Thursday, the local Chugoku newspaper reported the next day. In addition to apologizing, he promised to pay for any damages, the report said.

"The accused and the victim did meet yesterday, however, it would be inappropriate to provide additional information at this time due to the ongoing investigation, base spokesman Maj. Gerard Farao told Stars and Stripes in an email Friday.

"We take all allegations seriously and are fully cooperating with Japanese authorities and their investigation, he wrote. We hold all service members to a high standard of professionalism and our service members are expected to show respect to the community that we call home.

The Marine is suspected of stealing the car from a local dealer on Dec. 3, and the crash occurred the same day at an intersection in the Asahi machi section of Iwakuni, according to a news release from the city last month.

The Marine allegedly fled the crash scene without providing first aid or calling authorities, said the release, which did not provide injury details.

The city said the Marine was taken into custody at the time but did not say where he was held.

An Iwakuni police spokesman said Thursday that the incident is still under investigation and declined to provide further details.

The meeting came about a week after a group of Iwakuni citizens, unhappy about the incident, began collecting signatures for a petition urging changes to the status of forces agreement. SOFA spells out the rights and responsibilities for military and U.S. civilian personnel stationed in Japan.

The victim came to us for help while we were conducting a sit-down protest at Mount Atago, said Jungen Tamura, a former Iwakuni assemblyman and co-leader of the U.S. military watch group Rim Peace, during a phone interview with Stars and Stripes on Thursday.

Tamura said the petition, organized by three local citizens groups, aims to raise public awareness about the custodial issues with SOFA personnel.

Under SOFA, unless Japanese authorities make an arrest off base, the U.S. military retains custody until the Japanese prosecutors indict a suspect for off-duty crimes. The two countries have a gentlemens agreement for suspects accused of heinous crimes, such as murder and rape, to be handed over to Japanese authorities before indictment, according to the Japan-U.S. Joint Committee Agreement on Criminal Procedures.

Tamura said this keeps Japanese authorities from conducting a thorough investigation.

The groups aim to collect 20,000 signatures before submitting the petition to Iwakuni Mayor Yoshihiko Fukuda, who also has signed the petition, Tamura said.

Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi expressed regret during a Dec. 27 news conference that a Marine was suspected of being involved in the incident.

The Government of Japan is strongly urging the U.S. side to enforce discipline and sincerely respond to the injured parties, he said.

Hayashi added that SOFA is a major legal framework, and the Government of Japan has been dealing with each specific issue through the most appropriate measures to effectively and quickly respond depending on the situation.
Patrick David Belton has been the target of CAB since 2004

Patrick David Belton has been the target of CAB since 2004

ONE of Irelands most prolific cross-border smugglers has been told he faces prison if a house seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau isnt handed over.

Patrick David Belton has been the target of CAB since 2004 and two houses belonging to him were deemed the proceeds of crime in 2008 after a nine-day hearing.

Last week CAB sought a court order to have him committed to prison for contempt, but his lawyer explained Patrick Belton had never lived at the house at The Meadows in Dundalk.

His wife Paula and daughter Jennifer live there and are facing being homeless and asked for more time for alternative arrangements to be put in place, it was added.

Counsel for CAB opposed an extra time and said the Belton had been playing ducks and drakes and that a consent order had been made in 2018.

However, Judge Alex Owens said he would allow until May 1, after which time it would be contempt of court if the house is not vacated by them or any other relative.

Tough luck if you cant, otherwise its jail, he told the three Beltons, who appeared in court in Dublin.

They nodded in reply to the judge.

The Sunday World previously reported how Belton had worked as a driver for Thomas Slab Murphy before setting up his own operation.

He was also acquitted of dangerous driving causing death when he drove through a British Army checkpoint, running over a soldier and failing to stop.

Belton was injured when the soldiers colleague opened fire on the tanker near Crossmaglen in 1998.

In 2008 CAB were granted orders in Dublin High Court against two homes then worth 600,000 belonging to the south Armagh native.

Described in court as a prolific smuggler, it was heard how Belton had moved from Crossmaglen to Co Monaghan after customs in Northern Ireland began investigating him in 2003.

CAB was granted an order to seize his home at Magoney, Iniskeen, Co Monaghan, and the house at The Meadows in Dundalk, Co Louth.

He had previously settled a case with the Assets Recovery Agency in Northern Ireland, paying them 140,000.

Patrick David Belton has been the target of CAB since 2004

The head of the Criminal Assets Bureau told the High Court in 2008 that he believed Belton smuggled oil across the border for at least seven years.

He had delivered oil to various petrol stations on both sides of the border, and also leased two garages in Galway.

The High Court was told that he operated an oil business entirely outside the regulatory process and failed to comply regulations on both sides of the border. He was the first cross-border oil smuggler to be targeted by CAB.

At the time, Judge Kevin Feeney said he was satisfied Belton was involved in cross-border smuggling of oil products and involved in a sizeable degree of illegality and criminality in running the business of selling fuels.

He also accepted evidence that Belton was on social welfare either in the Republic or Northern Ireland between 1991 and 2004 and had paid little or no tax in either jurisdiction.

Belton had secured mortgages for the houses, purchased in 2000 and 2001, after claiming to be a manager of a filling station in Belfast earning 40,000 a year, when he was claiming social welfare.

Belton paid the mortgages on the houses, which amounted to approximately 280,000 for both, with significant numbers of cash payments and third-party cheques.

The judge rejected arguments by the defence that Beltons fuel smuggling offences were mostly extraterritorial fiscal offences against UK law.

He also dismissed claims that the action was brought outside statutory time limits.

Fuel smuggled into one jurisdiction which is then sold must be paid for in the jurisdiction where it was sourced, he said.

The Sunday World previously reported how Belton had ended up in court after being accused of assaulting a member of staff at his own pub during a drinking session.

He pleaded guilty to pushing the woman over at Pas Bar on Bridge Street Drogheda in 2011

He verbally abused her before pushing her and she fell on the ground, suffering a minor cut to her finger.

None of the those present was prepared to make statements.

At Dundalk District Court the woman said she was constantly being harassed by people approaching her on Beltons behalf.

The judge said he wanted more compensation than the 1,500 previously offered by Belton and he didnt want the victim approached again.
Cathal Middleton was freed immediately after lodging an appeal and walked from Blanchardstown courthouse hand-in-hand with his wife

A garda sergeant who sexually assaulted a young woman in her bed after a night out with his colleagues has been sentenced to five-months imprisonment.

Cathal Middleton (42), who had been stationed in south Dublin, denied the charge but was convicted following a trial before Dublin District Court last year.

The sexual assault occurred on March 2, 2020, at an address in Lucan and he was suspended after being charged.

The garda sergeant will now be placed on the sex offender's registry for a period of at least seven years with his defence barrister saying he "in all likelihood will lose his job".

He was freed immediately after lodging an appeal and walked from Blanchardstown courthouse hand-in-hand with his wife.

Today the court heard that he was on a night out with colleagues before returning to a house in Lucan where he stayed on the couch.

He later went up to the bedroom of the victim, who was not on the night out, and sexually assaulted her.

Reading her victim impact statement to the court the young woman wiped away tears as she recounted the incident and the damage it had done.

She questioned if the defendant ever thought about what he had done, if he had any remorse and if it haunted him the way it haunts her, adding: "It brought me to a dark place in my life,"

She said that the sexual assault impacted every aspect of her life including her confidence, self worth, relationships and career.

"For so long I struggled and fought with myself as to why I didn't scream louder that morning, but it's hard to scream when you are frozen in fear. I understand that now.

"I was in my home, in my room, in my bed, sober, asleep. None of that should matter but somehow it still does.

"Over the past two years and 10 months I have battled with what you did and struggled daily to keep going," she said.

Sgt Middleton kept his head bowed as the victim addressed the court, holding a child's stuffed toy in his hand.

The young woman continued: "You climbed into my bed that morning as if you knew me, as if you had a right to be there.

"You pressed your body against mine and told me it was going to be okay.

"Have you ever thought about the fear I felt, then never knowing how long you were in my bedroom before I woke, what you did while I was sleeping.

"So many questions race through my mind that I'll never get the answers to. Awaking to you undressed in my bed, telling me it was going to be okay.

"How was it ever going to be okay. It wasn't meant to be me but it was me."

The court was told that Sgt Cathal Middleton is married with a four-year-old girl and that his wife and parents were in court to support him.

He joined the gardai in 2002 and was promoted to sergeant in 2018.

His defence barrister said he was suspended as a result of the incident.

The court was told that Sgt Middleton had not come before the court's previously and pleading for leniency said he was of previous good character.

Delivering his sentence, Judge David McHugh said he had to consider the victim including the suffering and serious psychological damage suffered.

The breach of trust involved, he said, was significant while taking into account the "other ancillary matters" that may arise for the defendant.

The judge said he was satisfied justice of the case could be met by a term of five months imprisonment.

Cathal Middleton looked at his family members and shook his head after the sentence was handed down.

The prosecution said that as a matter of law he will be subject to the sex offender registry for a period of seven years.

After the case was finalised, the accused immediately lodged an appeal and was released on bail after entering into a bond of 300.

He walked from the court hand-in-hand with his wife.

In a statement Garda Headquarters said: "An Garda Siochana does not comment on matters before the courts. An Garda Siochana does not comment on internal disciplinary matters related to named individuals.

"An Garda Siochana can confirm that a male Garda serving in the Dublin Region was suspended from duty in June 2020 in connection with an investigation into an alleged sexual assault."
Debt collector in court over 2020 case that has been put back several times

THE FOUNDER of a well-known debt collection agency appeared in court last week charged with making a threat to kill.

Martin Foley, with an address in Crumlin, Dublin, appeared before Judge James McCourt at Wexford Circuit Court on Tuesday.

The case had been put back on a number of previous occasions, the court heard.

Mr Foley sat in the body of the court with his wife Sonia.

The 68-year-old stands accused that on June 17, 2020, at Holly Walk, Cromwellsfort Grove, Wexford, he threatened to kill or cause serious harm to Nigel Doonan.

The charge is contrary to section 5 of the Non-fatal Offences Act 1997.

Mr Foley, who is contesting the charge, was originally sent forward for trial in January of 2021.

The case has been put back on numerous occasions in the interim.

Martin Foley leaves Wexford Circuit Court with wife Sonia

The court heard Mr Foley was requesting the continuation of legal aid in the matter.

Counsel for the prosecution said the matter of legal aid was one for the court to consider.

Judge McCourt responded initially that he was not going to approve a continuation of legal aid on the matter.

However, on consideration, he said, I am going to allow it because there will only be another application if I do not.

Mr Foley was the founder of a well-known debt collection agency in the capital.

He set up the company on November 18, 2004, at which time his profession was described in company documents as a sale rep.

The company identified its purpose as the provision of debt recovery and repossession services and to carry out all activities in relation to the aforementioned business.

Mr. Foley resigned as a director of the company on November 17, 2014.

Mr Foleys wife Sonia who was appointed as a director of the company in October of 2008 retains this position.
The 41-year-old was found dead at an apartment at Royal Canal Park Dublin 15 on Friday, January 13

Tributes have been paid to Maud Coffey following her private burial this week.

The 41-year-old was found dead at an apartment at Royal Canal Park Dublin 15 on Friday, January 13.

Paying their respects to the beloved Dubliner, friends, family and even strangers left condolences for her.

R.I.P Maud. I have all the memories of our 10 years together in my heart forever and always. Rest easy with your Mam who you adored so much. I am heartbroken beyond words as are my whole family. Love always David, one person shared.

Hope your resting easy Maud. Really cant believe it. We are all heartbroken and utterly devastated. We will always remember you as you were part of our family for 10 long years. I will talk about all the memories I have of you to my boys and let them no how good of a person you were. Hope your with your Mam now RIP, added another.

A third wrote: Maud we never got to say goodbye for reasons I will never understand. I hope you are reunited with your beloved mother Stella. You were a huge part of our family for so long from births, marriages and many family gatherings in between that you were always included in. Thank you for all the memories and all the love you gave to my children. May your gentle spirit rest easy.

Her death notice reads: Her funeral was held this week with her heartbroken family and friends.

Her memory will live on in our hearts. May her gentle spirit rest easy with all who have gone before her and especially with Stella, her mother, champion and hero.

Donations, if desired, can be made to Mental Health Ireland or Hail Housing Association."

A man aged in his 50s has appeared at Dublin District Court charged with the murder of a woman whose body was discovered at an apartment in Dublin on Friday.

Maud Coffey was found dead at an apartment at Royal Canal Park, Dublin 15.

Austin Mangan (50), with an address in Dublin 9, appeared in court in connection with her death.

Garda Mark Reilly of Cabra Garda Station told Judge Dermot Simms he arrested Mr Mangan on January 14th, who made no reply when charged at Finglas Garda Station.

Maud is survived by her siblings Fergus, Iseult, Siofra, Fainche and Breffni.
Meth contamination forced three Denver area libraries to close in the last two months, but they're not the only public spaces experiencing the kind of substance abuse that poses a health hazard to unsuspecting Coloradans.

Drug contamination is increasingly becoming a pernicious problem in the state  so much so that it's keeping one company that specializes in drug decontamination occupied.

Peter Riley, president of Crystal Clean Decontamination, a meth lab decontamination and bio-recovery company out of Denver, said his company used to travel the country to clean spaces.

But his employees haven't left the state in five years  because there is so much work in Colorado, he said.

His firm, which has been around since 2006 and specializes in only meth decontamination, hasn't cleaned any of the city library bathrooms because his company has been too busy.

"Addiction knows no boundaries," Riley said. "The awareness has been growing and, obviously, the use is growing a lot as well."

Indeed, meth use has permeated public places like gas stations, restaurants and grocery or convenience stores.

Chris Howes, president of Colorado Retail Council, said the issue of drug use, notably that of meth abuse, affects grocery stores in the Denver area.

"It is a very big problem of individuals who come into restrooms and either create a big mess, or, more often than we would like, actually use drugs and leave needles in the bathrooms," Howes said.

Howes said businesses on private property are allowed to control who uses and who does not get to use their restrooms  as long as they are not discriminating against one segment of the population over others.

However, many businesses, notably grocery stores, face the difficult balancing act of ensuring safety of customers and the need to accommodate people, Howes said.

"It's an ongoing judgement call trying to accommodate everybody and create a comfortable and safe experience while your store is open," Howes said.

The drug issue used to primarily affect downtown Denver, but it is now seeping into the suburbs, Howes said, adding his group is working with mayors and police chiefs to try to ensure the safety of their customers and teams.

Since late December, three Denver area public library bathrooms have tested for levels of methamphetamine residue above safe levels. At the end of December, Boulder's Public Main Library closed for cleaning after tests revealed meth residue in its restroom air ducts, according to the city. On Jan. 6, authorities found levels of meth contamination above state thresholds at the Englewood Public Library and temporarily closed the library for specialized cleaning.

Most recently, on Jan. 18, the city of Littleton closed the Bemis Public Library after tests found "elevated levels" of meth contamination "requiring professional decontamination" in library bathrooms.

Meth contamination has occurred in public transportation, with RTD closing restrooms at its Downtown Boulder Station on Jan. 10 for decontamination.

Decontaminating a property from meth residue is not cheap.

The decontamination process widely varies and can take anywhere from a week to months, Riley said, adding the amount of time it takes to decontaminate largely depends on variables, such as the level of contamination, the condition of the property and how long the contamination has been there.

"There's a lot of investigating to figure it out," Riley said. "Something like an RTD bathroom that was designed to be cleaned could take anywhere from seven to 10 days, but we could be talking about having to remove the insulation from an attic or the soil from a crawlspace and it could easily turn into a month or two process."

The price of decontamination also varies depending on various factors, Riley said.

Sometimes, the process is as simple as washing the whole property, which can cost $8,000 to $10,000. Other times, the process requires more extensive work, such as stripping paint layers, which could cost upwards of $60,000.

Denver Public Library Director of Communications and Community Engagement Erika Martinez told The Denver Gazette library officials have been communicating with the Department of Public Health and Environment on addressing these issues.

"(The DDPHE), along with other city agencies and industrial hygiene and mitigation firms, are currently working on a protocol for sound assessment and more specific cleaning measures to address possible contamination from illicit substances in city facilities, including the library," Martinez said.

It's not immediately clear how officials intend to prevent a future contamination of meth, a powerful and highly addictive drug that is often sold in powder or crystal form. A stimulant, meth is often a drug of choice because it offers a longer-lasting "rush" or high and it's cheaper than other drugs. It can be abused in different ways  ingesting, injecting, smoking, snorting.

Martinez maintained that the health risks related to methamphetamine residue are very low, with higher risk coming from the production of methamphetamine rather than secondhand exposure.

A technical paper produced by the government of West Australia, which looked into the health risks posed by residual meth, noted that smoking the drug often means heating to vaporize it, which can "deposit on surfaces, leaving residues in a similar manner to those resulting from tobacco or cannabis smoking indoors."

The paper said meth surface residues can persist for months or years.

While the paper noted the lack of published cases reporting adverse health effects of third-hand exposure from smoking meth, it cited a case study about residents who discovered their property was a former clandestine laboratory. The residents self-reported health complaints, including skin irritation or rashes, eye irritation, respiratory effects  persistent cough or asthma-like symptoms, persistent and recurrent respiratory infections, sleep issues, headaches, behavioral effects, as well as memory issues.

Riley  who offered that the health effects of second-hand meth exposure are "all over the place" and exposure affects children and people with preexisting conditions, such as asthma or other respiratory conditions  believes medical professionals are still learning about how exposure affects people, but that the recent uptick in tracking is speeding up that process.

Riley's team stays safe during decontamination through proper use of personal protective equipment, which includes filtered respirators and a full suit with gloves, he said.

This trend  of public spaces becoming a place to get high  is part of a broader issue surrounding meth use in Colorado.

In 2021, meth contributed to 734 overdose deaths in Colorado, according to the Harm Reduction Action Center in Denver. That's nearly double the number of residents who died by homicide that year, and it's more than 10 times the meth death toll from 2011.

More people died from meth overdoses in 2021 than in those tied to heroin, cocaine, prescription pills and alcohol combined, the center said.

Experts say meth alone does not explain why overdoses have surged as much as they have. The primary reason, they say, is fentanyl.

Indeed, of the 734 meth overdoses in 2021, 317 involved fentanyl, more than double the number from 2020, according to state data.

Officials from law enforcement and from organizations that work directly with drug users note that fentanyl pills are widely and cheaply available and they have largely replaced heroin as the primary opioid on the illicit market. Crucially, fentanyl powder is increasingly found mixed into other drugs, notably cocaine, heroin and meth  often without the user's knowledge.
State have concluded that The Monk was one of two fake gunmen who shot David Byrne

Gerry 'the Monk' Hutch is on trial accused of murder at the Regency Hotel

THE case for and against Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch closed today with the prosecution and defence addressing the court for a final time.

The State have concluded that The Monk was one of two fake gunmen who shot David Byrne, while his side say he is an innocent man and there is no evidence to prove his guilt.

Nicola Tallant talks with Niall Donald about the two arguments and the judges who now have to decide his fate.

.

Crime Word Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Soundcloud.

MORE EPISODES 
He has since agreed to become a witness against other gangsters and associates around the world including the Kinahans who will now be fearful hell spill the beans on their activities to prosecutors

A criminal file against Kinahan-linked mafia leader Raffaele Imperiale exposes how he used an encrypted phone network to orchestrate multi-million drugs and cash shipments through Europe from his base in Dubai.

The Camorra-linked Italian criminal, who formed a supercartel with the Kinahans and other major drugs groups including the Mocro Mafia led by Ridouan Tahgi, Chilean criminal Ricardo Riquelme Vega and the Balkan mob led by Edin Gacanin, was arrested in Dubai last August and extradited to Italy.

He has since agreed to become a witness against other gangsters and associates around the world including the Kinahans who will now be fearful hell spill the beans on their activities to prosecutors.

Dutch media outlets RTL News and Follow the Money who were given access to the Italian criminal file against Imperiale reported that it exposed an extensive smuggling network in Europe.

They reveal how his gang drove trucks loaded with thousands of kilos of cocaine from business parks in North Holland to Italy where it was destined delivered to mafia groups in Naples, Calabria and other areas.

The files also reveal that Imperiale organised trucks loaded with millions of euro from Italy to Holland.

One cash delivery of 2.5m was intended for the eldest son of Ridouan Taghi, according to Italian prosecutors.

Daniel Kinahan

They allege that Taghi, who is facing life in prison in Holland for organised crime offences including multiple murders, kept in touch with Imperiale from inside prison.

The files say that in 2020 and 2021 Imperiale organised trucks loaded with a total of 1,556 kilos of cocaine to travel from company warehouses in Holland to mobs in Italy.

Based on how gardai value cocaine in Ireland the shipments would have a potential street value of 108m.

Imperiale spent most of his time in Dubai living in the seven star Burj Al Arab hotel  the base from where he organised the shipments.

He was sending accomplices via the encrypted Sky ECC messaging services which mobsters thought was impenetrable by security services.

They spoke openly about drugs and cash shipments due to their confidence in the encryption and gang members even sent photos of how the cocaine was hidden from Holland to Imperiale.

Messages also revealed how 2.5m was delivered to Holland for Taghis son.

In a message from Imperiale to Taghi Jnr sent on February 4, 2021: He wrote Salaam How are you? We will ask that other man to pay for the 1ml. Can you send another token ? To immediately pay the other 1.5 m."

The token refers to a bank note with a serial number on it which is photographed by one side and sent to the other. The cash can then only be handed over to someone who is carrying the bank note with the exact serial number.

A number of trucks arrived with cash in the Netherlands four days late and were collected by an associate of Taghi jnr.

"He received the first million, thank you," Taghi jnr then replies to Imperiale.

They were sending the messages completely unaware Dutch and French police had cracked the encryption and were reading the messages in real time.

In legal papers filed in a Dutch case against Taghis former lawyer and cousin Youssef Taghi, prosecutors claim Taghis eldest son can be regarded as the second man in his organisation.

Taghi is being held in Holland

"Still partly under the wing of his father, he is put in position by his father to manage the organization. This includes organizing an outbreak or escape attempt by Ridouan Taghi, money laundering and the drug trafficking."

Taghi snr was still able to keep in touch with Imperiale despite being held in a maximum security in prison since in the Netherlands since his extradition from Dubai in 2019.

Dutch prosecutors wrote: "Imperiale ranks on an equal footing with Ridouan Taghi and manages its own branch, which is mainly concerned with the trafficking of narcotics He also acts as a source of information for Taghi (junior).

Imperiale was considered at one of the highest levels in the global drug trade.

He is originally from Italy but moved to Amsterdam in the 1990s and forged links with Dutch criminals.

As well as heavy involvement in the drugs trade he organised weapons shipments to the Neapolitan mafia.

Like his associates in the Kinahan cartel he subsequently moved to Spain and the gangsters paradise of Dubai.

He helped form the so-called supercartel with the Kinahans and other European gangs while in Dubai.

Leaders of the gangs attended Daniel Kinahans wedding at Burj al Arab where investigators from the US Drug Enforcement Administration carried out surveillance on the supercartel leaders.

Kinahan and Edin Gacanin and now the only leaders of the supercartel still at large.

Gacanin had been arrested in Dubai last November but was recently released in a move that surprised law enforcement officials in other countries who expected him to be extradited to the Netherlands to face organised crime charges.
International organisations are reinventing themselves to transport drugs from Latin America to Europe

Drugs seized from the cattle ship Orion V off the Canary Islands, are unloaded in the port of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Photo: Reuters/Borja Suarez.   REUTERS

Spanish police seized 4.5 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of 105m after raiding a cattle ship off the Canary Islands earlier this week, a statement said on Saturday.

The ship had stopped at ports in about a dozen countries before Tuesday's raid, and police said drug smugglers had started using livestock ships because it was more difficult for police to trace their illicit cargo.

"International organisations are reinventing themselves to transport drugs from Latin America to Europe, using livestock to make the control and localisation more difficult," the Spanish police statement said.

Police arrested 28 crew members on the Togo-flagged Orion V, which had been trailed from Colombia in an operation by Spanish authorities, the US Drug Enforcement Administration and Togo police.

Officers unloaded dozens of boxes containing the cocaine on the port side in Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria.
Fargo police said they responded to a call at around 6.30pm on Tuesday of a topless woman damaging property

A woman who broke into a Catholic church in North Dakota while topless destroyed a statue of Jesus, local authorities have said.

Brittney Marie Reynolds (35) is accused of breaking into St Marys Cathedral on Main Street in Fargo where she pulled the Jesus statue worth more than 10,000 from the wall and smashed it into pieces.

Fargo police said they responded to a call at around 6.30pm on Tuesday of a topless woman damaging property.

When officers arrived, they said they saw a woman running across the street but were able to detain her.

According to court documents, the woman also had no shoes on. Police identified her as 35-year-old Brittney Marie Reynolds.

Officers said Reynolds was not able to answer basic questions and appeared to be under the influence of narcotics.

According to court documents, security camera footage that was given to authorities shows Reynolds entering the church and knock over a potted plant before making her way to a large Jesus statue on the wall.

The statue was ripped from the wall and smashed on the floor. The woman on the video can be seen leaving shortly after that.

Reynolds was being held at the Cass County Jail and was set to make her first court appearance on Wednesday.

Officials also issued an additional warrant for Reynolds after she was accused of assaulting Essentia Health Emergency Room staff.

Officers say that Reynolds may have been under the influence of narcotics as she was unable to answer basic questions, while the local reverend provided CCTV footage of the incident.

Should Reynolds be convicted of the criminal mischief charge, she could face a maximum of 10 years in prison as well as a $10,000 fine.

Paul Braun, director of communications for the Catholic Diocese of Fargo, told Fox News Digital that Reynolds was not a church parishioner and that the church is frequently used by the local homeless population as a place to keep warm.

"We were saddened to see the damage done to a very old statue at our Cathedral, and we hope the person responsible gets the help they need," Braun said. "We are praying for that person as well."
The body of Jane Hutch (66), also known as Jenny. was discovered earlier today by a male relative.

The sister-in-law of gangland murder accused Gerry The Monk Hutch was found dead in her north inner city home this afternoon.

Gardai were called to the scene at Portland Place in the capitals north inner city at around 2pm where they observed the body of tragic Jane Hutch (66).

It is understood that officers were called after a male relative became concerned and forced entry to the property Jane, also known as Jenny, had died in.

She was the former wife of The Monks brother Eddie Hutch (59) who was murdered as part of the Hutch/Kinahan feud in his north-inner city home on February 8, 2016, in a revenge attack for the Regency Hotel shooting three days earlier.

Eddies younger brother The Monk is facing judgement at the Special Criminal Court on April 17 on the charge of the gun murder of Kinahan cartel gangster David Byrne in the Regency attack.

Gerry Hutch is not expected to be released from custody next week for the funeral and will remain in a special security wing of Wheatfield Prison.

Despite this gardai will organise a relatively discreet policing plan around the funeral in case hitmen from the cartel decide to target the event which is due to happen in the north inner city.

Sources say that it is believed that Ms Hutch, also known as Jenny, died from a suspected heart attack and no foul play has been detected.

The woman had suffered from a number of underlying health conditions in recent years and had split from her husband Eddie Hutch many years before he was shot dead at his home by cartel hitmen.

Gerry Hutch

Gardai from Mountjoy Station are expected to prepare a file for the coroners court.

A four man hit-team were involved in the Eddie Hutch murder while several other people are believed to have provided logistical support to the murder gang.

There have been no charges in the case despite the arrest of at least nine people..

It is understood that Eddie Hutch and his wife Jane had a turbulent relationship before they eventually split up.

One of their sons was due to go on trial next week in Dublin but this case has now been adjourned because of her death.

He is not being named here for legal reasons.

Eddie Hutch jnr

Her son Eddie Jnr (46) scooped 33,000 in prizes in 2015 on RTEs Winning Streak and has multiple previous convictions mainly for petty offences.

Another of their sons is Alan Hutch (39) who most recently received a sentence in 2019 for burglary and assault causing harm to a man at the Office of the Revenue Commissioners, Hammam buildings, Upper O'Connell Street on March 7th, 2018.

During the sentence hearing his barrister said Alan Hutch was on protection in custody in a single cell and had formed certain views that the prison authorities were contaminating his food and water.

Alan Hutch

He handed a psychological report into court outlining his family circumstances. His upbringing was described as challenging, with Hutch witnessing violence inflicted on his mother, brothers and himself by his father.

He said that despite this, Hutch described missing his father and wishing he was around to steady the ship and get him back on the right path.

He said his client did not like to hear the phrase "dead man walking" but said it was something all members of the Hutch family had been faced with and it was something Hutch had to live with.

He outlined that Hutch's father, taxi driver Eddie Hutch, had been killed on the doorstep of his family home. Hutch received the news of his father's murder through a phone call while in custody.

In 2005, at an inquest into the death of her son Christopher Bouncer Hutch, Ms jenny Hutch refused to accept the cause of death and appealed for his body to be exhumed and tested for poisons.

Bouncer Hutch was a close personal friend of cartel boss Daneil Kinahan at the time of his death.

"I've studied the Discovery Channel and rat poison doesn't show up in tests.

"If I'm not a concerned mother I wouldn't be asking," she said.
Wednesday evening saw a march of 200 plus youths with identities concealed, shouting and abusing gardai with quotes like You were warned!

Garda representatives have said Finglas was thrown into a state of near anarchy this week from anti-social elements latching onto protests about asylum seekers.

Footage widely shared on social media this week show groups of youths and adults marching through Finglas chanting out, out, out and gathering outside constituency offices of local TDs Dessie Ellis and Roisin Shortall.

Posts were shared by protestors talking about using violence. If theres fights between the Irish and migrants there is no remorse, fight until you cant fight anymore, reads one.

Detective Garda Mark Ferris, Garda Representative Association CEC for the DMR West area, said the mob also threatened gardai during the protests.

The last two nights have seen the sub-district of Finglas thrown into state of near anarchy as anti-social elements have latched on to a growing protest movement concerned about State policy on asylum-seekers, he said.

Wednesday evening saw a march of 200 plus youths with identities concealed, shouting and abusing gardai with quotes like You were warned!.

The following night a group gathered outside a meeting at a council office chanting more threats.

This footage is now circulating freely on social media platforms. Members I have spoken to told me these youths were again threatening assembled officers with quotes such as: We are going to take the next step; you are the f**king enemy!

Adding a politically-radicalised segment of our society's youth into a combustible situation of disadvantaged suburbs where law and order is already widely flouted is a recipe for civil unrest.

He said gardai were now effectively on the front line of what could almost be classed as an emerging conflict.

A task force with sweeping remit is now required to match resources to demand so we can meet the challenges ahead.

Speaking earlier this week Sinn Fein TD Dessie 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.

He said nobody should protest outside refugee centres or hotels where people are seeking asylum.

That is intimidation, he said. 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.
Timothy OSullivans skeletal remains were found in a derelict house in Mallow almost a week ago

The house in Mallow where the body of Mr Timothy O'Sullivan lay undiscovered for more than 20 years.

Our Lady of the Valley Church, Cillin Liath, where Mr O'Sullivan's funeral took place on Wednesday.

The boarded-up vacant house on Beecher street, Mallow, Co. Cork where Timothy O'Sullivan's body was discovered (Pic Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision)

The late Timothy OSullivan, whose body lay undiscovered in a house in Cork for more than two decades, has finally been laid to rest.

Mr OSullivans family was joined by friends and relatives for a funeral Mass at Our Lady Of The Valley Church Cillin Liath on Wednesday, and he was laid to rest in the nearby Dromid graveyard.

The Mass was attended by many from the local community who know Mr OSullivans family, and it was streamed online to allow his sister, Noreen, in Australia and his brother, Pat, in Monaghan  both of whom were unable to travel  to watch the funeral service. It was presided over by Fr Gerard Finucane.

Mr OSullivans love of music and his talent for banjo were remembered, as was his love of his family and his nieces and nephews, whom he taught to swim. Timothy travelled a lot during his life, but he always loved to come to Dromid and Kerry.

In attendance was his sister, Maureen; his nieces and nephews; and other relatives.

"The family were surrounded by the local community as they laid Timothy to rest, said Fr Ger Finucane.

"It was a lovely send-off.

His family had appealed for privacy to allow them to bury their loved one, and their wishes were respected on the day.

Mr OSullivan's skeletal remains were found in a derelict house in Mallow almost a week ago. It is believed he died in the early 2000s.

Dental and medical records and documentation in the house helped trace relatives in Kerry, who were shocked at the news that their beloved family member lay dead in the home for more than two decades.

The family had spent years searching for Mr OSullivan and were haunted by questions of where he was, but they were shocked to discover he had been dead for more than 20 years.

The family of Timothy O'Sullivan would like to state that while we are heartbroken and very upset at the circumstances of our dear Timothy's death, we are simultaneously relieved and happy that the ultimate question that has haunted us for many years of his whereabouts/circumstances has been resolved and that we as a family can lay him to rest with his family as is his right, they said in a statement released last week.

The house in Mallow where the body of Mr Timothy O'Sullivan lay undiscovered for more than 20 years.

They said that Timothy O'Sullivan was born in 1939 in England.

He worked as a compositor in a printing works in the UK and was a very bright, intelligent and able man, and he often came to Kerry on holidays with his wife.

He purchased a house in Mallow and moved there later in his life when his marriage broke down.

The family said they did everything they could to find Timothy:

Ireland at that time was not similar to the Ireland of today where people are in constant contact via messaging apps and mobile phones but Timothy did keep regular contact with all of his family.

" He spoke about returning to the UK again but nothing was set in stone."

However then after awhile, communication from Tim had ceased.

His family made every effort to locate him, they visited his house in Mallow several times but had no method of access (without breaking and entering).

It was reported to the authorities who said that the matter was looked [into] thoroughly, that there was nobody living in the house and that from investigations made locally, it was certain he had returned to the UK and that was where the family should continue to search, they said.

Our family had always hoped and prayed that Tim was alive and happy, but unfortunately all those hopes were dashed on Tuesday last when we heard of his passing.

"All we can do now is respectfully ask the media for privacy and time to grieve our Tim in what for us is an ultimate worst-case scenario situation and give us time to afford us an opportunity to grieve the loss of Tim and to come to terms with the whole situation.

Our Lady of the Valley Church, Cillin Liath, where Mr O'Sullivan's funeral took place on Wednesday.

" It is not a time for recrimination, we merely want to lay our Timothy to rest in peace.

In the statement the family also said they wished to clarify media statements around his mental health.

"Reports have been made in the media in recent days that Tim struggled with his mental health but really it was more a case of a man with a broken heart who wished for privacy and time to be alone to come to terms with his separation as was his right, they said.

Mr OSullivan purchased the small townhouse property at Beecher Street in Mallow in the early 1990s and moved there from the UK.

Mr O'Sullivan lived in Mallow for around nine years before he vanished without trace in 2001/2002.

He is now believed to have died around that period, given the dates on letters, newspapers and food wrappings found in the property.

His remains were discovered three weeks ago, Friday January 13 when Cork County Council workmen entered the property to conduct an inspection after the council, following a lengthy process, had secured a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO).

Mr O'Sullivan's skeletal remains were found in a back room of the two-storey property, which had been derelict and boarded up for several years.

The council had sought the CPO after repeated complaints from Beecher Street neighbours about the condition of the property and rodent problems emanating from its back yard.
More than 1,000 people gathered at a rally in her memory Lurgan Park today

Natalie McNallys parents say they have been assured about the scale of the murder investigation (Brian Lawless/PA)   Brian Lawless

The grieving parents of murder victim Natalie McNally have said they have been assured by police that budget cuts within the PSNI will have no impact on the scale of the investigation into their daughters murder.

Noel McNally also made a direct appeal to his daughters killer to hand himself in to police, stating that women in Lurgan are scared stiff while he remains at large.

Ms McNally, 32, was 15-weeks pregnant when she was stabbed in her home at Silverwood Green in the Co Armagh town on December 18.

More than 1,000 people gathered at a rally in her memory Lurgan Park on Saturday.

People at a vigil at Lurgan Park in memory of murder victim Natalie McNally (Brian Lawless/PA)   Brian Lawless

It came just days after PSNI chief constable Simon Byrne said budget cuts would mean the force would shrink to its smallest ever level.

He also warned that some services provided by police would inevitably be impacted and there would be fewer officers, fewer vehicles, postponed building maintenance and a potential delayed response to calls.

Noel McNally said the police had told him their investigation would not be affected.

Referring to the fact that nobody has been charged over his daughters death, he told the PA news agency: It is very frustrating, but we know the police are putting every effort into catching this person.

Natalie McNally was murdered in her home in Lurgan on December 18 (Family handout/PA)   Family Handout

They are really putting everything into it.

They have even told us that with the financial restraints on the PSNI will not affect this at all, they are going to throw everything they have at it.

We have every confidence that they will catch this fellow.

Bernie McNally appealed to anyone with information about Natalies death to contact police.

She said: Hopefully people will think and examine their conscience, think if they know anything or are hiding this person.

Please think, do you really want to be hiding a monster, because thats what he is.

Mr McNally added: Even that fellow, if he is watching this, give yourself up to the police.

The whole town (Lurgan) is scared, all the wee girls are scared stiff while you are still out there.

Give yourself up to the police, do the right thing. You have to do this.
Sources say say Craig set up RUC constable John Larmour, who was gunned down by two IRA men as he served ice cream in a shop in south Belfast.

Jimmy Craig is believed to have set up Constable John Larmour

Notorious UDA racketeer Jimmy Craig fingered an RUC officer for murder, the Sunday World has been told.

Former loyalist paramilitaries believe the Shankill Road thug  gunned down by former friends 35 years ago  had a hand in up to 16 murders, including many leading loyalists.

But they also say Craig set up RUC constable John Larmour, who was gunned down by two IRA men as he served ice cream in a shop in south Belfast.

A bully boy and known UDA extortionist, Craig lived in the Shankill area of west Belfast. But UDA Brigadier Tommy Tucker Lyttle seconded him to south Belfast, where rich pickings were to be gained on numerous building sites.

Craig died in a hail of bullets as he played pool in an east Belfast bar on October 15, 1988. He was gunned down by gunmen from the UDA-linked Ulster Freedom Fighters.

Craigs brutal murder came after an investigation by UDA leaders found him guilty of treason and sentenced him to death.

He was also suspected of setting up UDA leader John McMichael for murder by the IRA.

The Sunday World has been told that days before Craig died in a pool of his own blood, he told the IRA that John Larmour  a serving RUC officer  was working in an ice cream shop in south Belfast. It was all part of an elaborate plan by Craig to prevent the IRA from killing him.

John Larmour was shot in Barnams ice cream shop in 1988

Father-of-one Constable Larmour (42) died when two IRA gunmen walked into Barnams ice cream parlour on the Lisburn Road and shot him dead. They also injured two other customers.

The police officer had been looking after the business for a week while his brother George was on holiday abroad.

Johnny Mad Dog Adair  a convicted director of loyalist terrorism  told the Sunday World: I was a young loyalist at the time, but I remember the leadership held an investigation into Craigs activities.

It revealed that just days before John Larmour was murdered, Jimmy Craig  who was operating as a UDA racketeer on building sites in south Belfast  walked into Barnams ice cream shop.

He apparently spotted John Larmour standing behind the counter. He knew him as an RUC man on the Shankill and asked him what he was doing working in an ice cream shop.

"John may even have told Craig he was looking after the place for his brother who was on holiday, who knows?

But the UDA leadership firmly believed Jimmy Craig passed on John Larmours details to the IRA, days before he was murdered.

It was all part of his insurance policy against his murder by the IRA, said Adair, who is now based in Scotland.

He added: It appears that not only was Jimmy Craig prepared to set up other loyalists to protect himself, he also gave the IRA details of a serving police officer who was a sitting target.

A new report into Craigs alleged role in the IRA murder of UVF boss William Frenchie Marchant in 1987 is due to be published in the near future.

And online speculation among loyalists this week anticipated that The Marchant File, by the Ulidia Legacy & Educational Trust, may also reveal further details of Craigs alleged treachery in setting up Constable Larmour.

Yesterday, John Larmours brother George declined to discuss this latest development when contacted by the Sunday World.

In his book They Killed the Ice Cream Man  published seven years ago  he makes no reference to a possible connection between his brother John and Jimmy Craig or any other members of the UDA on Shankill Road.

John Larmour was shot dead

I knew John Larmour well and my husband John and Bucky were friends.

There had been a row between the UDA and the UVF over something that happened in one of the clubs. I cant remember the full details of it.

But Bucky didnt drink and he didnt go out, so he wasnt directly involved. But our house was attacked, she said.

Speaking from the Denmark Street home where she has lived for over 50 years, Barbara McCullough  a mother of six  recalled: A bullet was fired through our bedroom window at the back of the house and John Larmour came to investigate it.

John said it was ridiculous that our house had been shot up. In fact he was mad about it.

But soon afterwards Bucky became suspicious of Craig. He knew he had contacts in the IRA and the INLA over building site rackets.

And when Bucky began to voice his suspicions, he was shot dead by the INLA, said Barbara McCullough.

She added: I now believe top police officers knew all about Jimmy Craig and what he was up to.

William Bucky McCullough (32) was shot dead on October 15, 1981 as he was about to set off to buy a tin of paint to decorate his girls bedroom.

One of the girls ran down the path to hand Bucky his necklace.

He had just got into his Peugeot estate car when two INLA gunmen pulled up on a motorbike and shot him dead, said Barbara.

Self-confessed INLA gunman and later supergrass Harry Kirkpatrick later told police he and other republican terrorists, including the notorious killer Gerard Dr Death Steenson, had taken part in the attack.

One of the men involved was later sentenced to 766 years in prison for his part in the McCullough murder and other offences.

But it later emerged Jimmy Craig had used his connections with leading INLA republicans to set up his friend McCullough for murder.

Using a set of high-powered binoculars, a republican based in nearby Unit Flats watched as McCullough got himself ready to go out.

And when he emerged from his terrace home, the look-out gave the go-ahead for the McCullough murder mission to begin.

Barbara said this week: Jimmy Craig was hated on the Shankill Road. He was a devious and evil man.

Every shop he went into he just lifted things  be it a bakery or a butchers  he just lifted what he wanted, but he never paid for anything.

Two men came to this house one night and they were intent on killing Craig. They had been in jail with him and they knew what he was up to, but Tucker Lyttle stopped them.

Barbara McCullough also revealed how her husband had survived two previous attempts on his life. And he was convinced Jimmy Craig was behind both failed attacks.

She said: Craig had persuaded others to shoot Bucky twice before, but they failed. Bucky arranged to meet Craig in the UDA headquarters.

He handed Craig a gun and said, Theres a gun. If you want me dead, then do it yourself. Of course he never lifted the gun.

It wouldnt surprise me that Craig was involved in setting up John Larmour. Nothing surprises me about Jimmy Craig, said Barbara.

She added: You see what the TV Cook Report said about him, Worse than the Mafia, well its true.

Barbara also revealed a PSNI Legacy Branch report into her husbands murder is currently nearing completion.

Her son 21-year-old Alan  a member of Johnny Adairs notorious C Coy  fled to England with the rest of his supporters following a feud with the UVF, which decimated the Shankill area.

But he was lured back to Belfast in April 2003 after a UDA leader promised him hed be safe if he returned.

A month later, Alans body was discovered in a shallow grave near Mallusk, Co Antrim. The UDA later admitted responsibility for his murder.

A retired police officer who served with John Larmour in the RUCs B Division in west Belfast said: John was a good man. He was always neat and tidy and he was a conscientious police officer.

If he had a fault, it was probably, that he was too trusting.
The mum of two got engaged to her longterm partner Terry over Christmas

Erin McGregor has celebrated her engagement with her closest gal pals.

Her longterm partner Terry Kavanagh got down on one knee over Christmas making a romantic proposal live onstage as she performed in a panto.

Sharing videos from the fun-fuelled bash she shared: Your thoughtfulness and kindness never cease to amaze me, and I feel so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family in my life. Thank you for our girls night celebrating my engagement.

I am truly grateful for your friendship, and I look forward to many more fun and memorable nights out with all of you. Im wondering how many girls nights out can we get from an engagement? GIRLSJUSTWANNAHAVEFUN. Where would we be without our girls.

The blonde beauty was dressed in a stunning white mini-dress with statement shoulders from Solace London.

She paired the look with silver high heels, a silver bag embellished all over with sparkles and a gorgeous pair of diamond drop earrings.

The party was held at her brothers Crumlin pub, The Black Forge Inn.

Footage from the evening shows the boozer decorated with pink and white balloons while guests waved L plates and novelty signs.

Erins eldest child, her daughter Taylor, was also in attendance at the party.

Sharing a video of her massive engagement ring she opened up about the meaning behind the silver band with three diamonds.

Every love story is beautiful but ours is my favourite.

The past, the present and the future; our whole life contained in these three little words. The three-stone ring represents exactly that; each stone signifies a phase of our life; learn from the past, live in the present and hope for a brilliant future, she said.

I like to think that Terry & I are in the middle surrounded by our two most precious stones Taylor & Harry.

Terry and Erin pair met in Las Vegas back in 2014 at one of Erin's brother Conors UFC fights and share son Harry (6).

Terry decided to take their relationship one step further and popped the question while Erin was on the Olympia Theatre stage performing in the Olly, Polly and the Beanstalk pantomime.

Terry appeared on the stage during the encore and got down on one knee in front of a cheering live audience on St Stephens Day.

Erin shared a clip of the special moment on Instagram, where she can be seen covering her face in surprise as she appeared to be lost for words.

Im totally speechless, with every hurdle and struggle weve been through, weve been through it together, and I know whatever comes our way we will take it on as a team, she captioned the post.

My heart is bursting with all of the love and support from everyone and Im still trying to process the magic of it all.

Our love story might not have been straightforward, but I cant wait to spend forever with my best friend and my gorgeous family.

Heres to forever with you, she added, tagging her partner in the post.
A state of emergency has been declared for the Waitomo District with reports of flooding, slips and inundation.

Waitomo district mayor John Roberston says the district has experienced widespread flooding and heavy rain.

Waitomo is a rural community in the King Country region.

Police say a number of roads in Te Kuiti have been closed by flooding.

Residents affected by flooding are also being evacuated.

Waitomo residents are being urged to stay at home and not venture out into the weather.

The state of emergency is for the next seven days.

MetService has issued a heavy rain warning for Wairarapa while Wellington has a strong wind watch.

A third death related to the flooding around Auckland has been confirmed this afternoon.

Police have confirmed that Fire and Emergency workers at a Shore Rd property that had been hit by a landslide found one person deceased earlier today.

Police will now make enquiries on behalf of the Coroner.

Two other deaths have been linked to the flooding - one body was found in a flooded culvert in Wairau Valley on the North Shore last night and another man was found in a nearby carpark this morning.

One person is still missing after being swept away at Onewhero in the Waikato District.

Follow the latest updates here:
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darklord BHPian



Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: TVM (KL-16) Posts: 669 Thanked: 2,466 Times

View My Garage





Re: Ananthapuri to Dwarkapuri - KL<>GJ road trip Day 9:

Jamnagar > Dwarka > Somnath > Junagadh

2861 km to 3352 km

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today is a big day with two important places to visit and a lot of running. We have to drive from Jamnagar to Dwarka, finish darshan there, then drive to Somnath, finish darshan, and drive some more to stay for the night. This is so that the day after, we planned to take a detour to visit Statue of Unity en route Navsari and we had to minimize the distance driven for that day as well. We have no bookings for the night, although our preference was to stay somewhere near Junagadh.



We had breakfast from the hotel itself, got the luggage loaded, and began our drive a bit early, around 9:30 a.m. We knew we were missing a lot of attractions in Jamnagar itself, but we had no choice.



We got out of Jamnagar without much trouble, though there was heavy traffic as we crossed Reliance's refinery complex.



Our priorities for the day:





We soon crossed Essar's refinery:





The road was a bliss to drive on:





Some slow-moving traffic:





A few sections of the road were untouched and remained single lane, wonder why. This was from around Datrana:





We drove nonstop, there was very little traffic:





At 11:20 a.m., we approached the intersection with Dwarka-Porbandar-Somnath Highway:





We turned towards Dwarka and soon came upon a toll plaza:





We were fast approaching Dwarka by now:





By 11:45 a.m., we had reached Dwarka arch, paid the parking fee and on inquiring there, we were told we could take the car further instead of parking at the lot there. We drove forward and found a spot in the parking lot nearer to the temple.



I parked and asked a cop there about the timing and he told darshan was till 1 p.m. before the temple closes for the noon and told us that we cannot take mobiles or cameras inside the temple. We kept the mobiles in the glove box and locked it, though if one wished to take it till the temple entrace, there are lockers available near the temple itself, both private and temple's own cloakroom.



There was about a 400 m walk to the temple and we went to the temple clock room and kept our sandals there, underwent security check, and waited in line for the darshan, there were two separate queues for ladies and gents. We had to wait for a bit in the queue, but we had an excellent darshan and the temple closed for the noon soon after.



Right at the entrance, there were photographers offering to take photos of the pilgrims with the temple in the background and we had one clicked and got a few copies extra as well.



I walked back to the car and retrieved the mobile and camera to click a few photos while the ladies shopped for souvenirs.



Something unusual for a Keralite:





Dwarkadhish Temple and Sudama Setu (closed by the time we finished our darshan):





A chakda passing by:





The parking lot closest to the temple:





A zoom shot of the temple:





Kirti Stambh in the parking lot:





Dwarka seems to be popular for adventure tourism as well:





I walked all the way back to the temple to click this:





The flag flying high, indicating the Lord is present in the temple:





I have come from Thiruvananthapuram (a.k.a. Ananthapuri, the capital of erstwhile Travancore, which was ceded to Lord Sri Padmanabha by Maharaja Marthanda Varma in 1750) all the way to Dwarka, where Lord Krishna is the Dwarkadhish. There is a lot of road to cover from God's Own Country to the Kingdom of God, but spiritually, it felt right next door.



The pinnacle of our trip:





The trip meter read 2992 km.



We had lunch from a nearby restaurant:









We have seen the Lord, how can we return without seeing the Lady. So we decided to visit Rukmini Devi Temple. With that as our next destination, we began our drive back.



The Dwarka arch on the way back:





After a short drive, we reached the temple:





It faced a water body:





I could not make out the nature of it though, perhaps sea coming inland during high tide?



We parked right in front of the temple, though it was crowded with vehicles.



The temple:













Though it was noon time, darshan was allowed. After a brief wait in a moderate queue, we had a fulfilling darshan.



One last photo of the temple and we were off:





Clicked Dwarka arch once again on the way back:





We began our drive towards Somnath:





The time was 4:20 p.m. and the distance to Somnath was 240 km. We were hoping and praying that we reach Somnath and have darshan before the closing time of 10 p.m. Jamnagar > Dwarka > Somnath > Junagadh2861 km to 3352 km----------------------------------------------------------------------------Today is a big day with two important places to visit and a lot of running. We have to drive from Jamnagar to Dwarka, finish darshan there, then drive to Somnath, finish darshan, and drive some more to stay for the night. This is so that the day after, we planned to take a detour to visit Statue of Unity en route Navsari and we had to minimize the distance driven for that day as well. We have no bookings for the night, although our preference was to stay somewhere near Junagadh.We had breakfast from the hotel itself, got the luggage loaded, and began our drive a bit early, around 9:30 a.m. We knew we were missing a lot of attractions in Jamnagar itself, but we had no choice.We got out of Jamnagar without much trouble, though there was heavy traffic as we crossed Reliance's refinery complex.Our priorities for the day:We soon crossed Essar's refinery:The road was a bliss to drive on:Some slow-moving traffic:A few sections of the road were untouched and remained single lane, wonder why. This was from around Datrana:We drove nonstop, there was very little traffic:At 11:20 a.m., we approached the intersection with Dwarka-Porbandar-Somnath Highway:We turned towards Dwarka and soon came upon a toll plaza:We were fast approaching Dwarka by now:By 11:45 a.m., we had reached Dwarka arch, paid the parking fee and on inquiring there, we were told we could take the car further instead of parking at the lot there. We drove forward and found a spot in the parking lot nearer to the temple.I parked and asked a cop there about the timing and he told darshan was till 1 p.m. before the temple closes for the noon and told us that we cannot take mobiles or cameras inside the temple. We kept the mobiles in the glove box and locked it, though if one wished to take it till the temple entrace, there are lockers available near the temple itself, both private and temple's own cloakroom.There was about a 400 m walk to the temple and we went to the temple clock room and kept our sandals there, underwent security check, and waited in line for the darshan, there were two separate queues for ladies and gents. We had to wait for a bit in the queue, but we had an excellent darshan and the temple closed for the noon soon after.Right at the entrance, there were photographers offering to take photos of the pilgrims with the temple in the background and we had one clicked and got a few copies extra as well.I walked back to the car and retrieved the mobile and camera to click a few photos while the ladies shopped for souvenirs.Something unusual for a Keralite:Dwarkadhish Temple and Sudama Setu (closed by the time we finished our darshan):A chakda passing by:The parking lot closest to the temple:A zoom shot of the temple:Kirti Stambh in the parking lot:Dwarka seems to be popular for adventure tourism as well:I walked all the way back to the temple to click this:The flag flying high, indicating the Lord is present in the temple:I have come from Thiruvananthapuram (a.k.a. Ananthapuri, the capital of erstwhile Travancore, which was ceded to Lord Sri Padmanabha by Maharaja Marthanda Varma in 1750) all the way to Dwarka, where Lord Krishna is the Dwarkadhish. There is a lot of road to cover from God's Own Country to the Kingdom of God, but spiritually, it felt right next door.The pinnacle of our trip:The trip meter read 2992 km.We had lunch from a nearby restaurant:We have seen the Lord, how can we return without seeing the Lady. So we decided to visit Rukmini Devi Temple. With that as our next destination, we began our drive back.The Dwarka arch on the way back:After a short drive, we reached the temple:It faced a water body:I could not make out the nature of it though, perhaps sea coming inland during high tide?We parked right in front of the temple, though it was crowded with vehicles.The temple:Though it was noon time, darshan was allowed. After a brief wait in a moderate queue, we had a fulfilling darshan.One last photo of the temple and we were off:Clicked Dwarka arch once again on the way back:We began our drive towards Somnath:The time was 4:20 p.m. and the distance to Somnath was 240 km. We were hoping and praying that we reach Somnath and have darshan before the closing time of 10 p.m. Last edited by darklord : 23rd January 2023 at 02:17 .
In the center of the southern city of Luxor, a 1,800-year-old complete residential city from the Roman era was found by Egyptian archaeologists, reported first by AFP on Tuesday, Jan.24.



"The Egyptian archaeological mission, headed by the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, succeeded in uncovering a complete residential city from the Roman era, during their archaeological excavation in the Beit Yassi Andraos area, adjacent to the Luxor Temple on the eastern bank," Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities wrote in a Facebook post.

Oldest and Most Significant

According to Mostafa Waziri, the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, the city is the oldest and most significant one to be located on the eastern bank of Luxor and dates back to the second and third centuries.

Waziri said in a statement that archaeologists found several houses, two pigeon towers-a building intended to keep pigeons or doves-and numerous metal workshops.

The archaeologists also discovered a collection of pots, utensils, and bronze and Roman copper coins in the ancient workshops.

The west bank of Luxor is known for its plethora of tombs and temples, and it is also where the Valley of the Queens and Valley of the Kings is located.

The team has also discovered numerous amphorae, saddles, bronze coins, and archaeological artifacts from various historical times over its prior excavation seasons.

The largest ancient city ever discovered in Egypt, according to the archaeological team, was found on Luxor's west bank in April 2021, when authorities reported the unearthing of a 3,000-year-old lost golden city.

The Grand Egyptian Museum's long-delayed opening at the base of the Giza pyramids is the crowning achievement of the Egyptian government's plans, which aim to increase the number of visitors to Egypt from 13 million per year before the COVID-19 pandemic to 30 million annually by 2028.

Read also: Archaeologists Find an Extremely Rare 1,300-year-old Gold and Gemstone Necklace From a Medieval Woman in England

Golden Boy Mummy

In related news, radiologists have digitally unwrapped a 2,300-year-old mummified teenage boy that has been kept for a long time in the Cairo museum with the help of computerized tomography (CT) scans.

The digital unwrapping revealed unique items adorning the body as well as traditional Egyptian rites for the dead.

The child was mummified when he died more than a century ago. In 1916, the first set of his remains was found in a Southern Egyptian cemetery inhabited between roughly 332 BCE and 30 BCE.

The Egyptian Museum in Cairo received his understudied remains after they were transferred from the cellar where they had been housed.

The radiologists eventually made the decision to examine the remains thoroughly and gave the mummy the name "Golden Boy."

According to the CT scan, 49 amulets were positioned in three columns within the body and between the wrappings. The 21 various designs of the amulets were at least 60% metal, mostly gold.

Related Article: [LOOK] Warsaw Mummy Project Reveals Portrait of Egyptian 'Mysterious Lady' Through Facial Reconstruction

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Google published new research that generates music in any genre through artificial intelligence. MusicLM produces music with impressive variety and depth with its unique model and vast training database compared to the existing AI music generators.

(Photo : Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 06: A woman views historical documents and photographs displayed in a high tech art installation at Salt Galata on May 6, 2017 in Istanbul, Turkey. The "Archive Dreaming" installation by artist Refik Anadol uses artificial intelligence to visualize nearly 2 million historical Ottoman documents and photographs from the SALT Research Archive.

Google's MusicLM

As artificial intelligence progresses day by day, it is not already surprising that big tech companies are joining this new movement and adapting AI to their operations. Seeing how AI image generators became so popular in 2022, AI music generators could also see similar growth and marketability in the near future.

A study was recently published by Google on MusicLM that produces music in any genre. Engadget reported that it offers a unique model and vast training database with 280,000 hours of music, which helps the system to produce music with different variations and more profound than any AI music.

Aside from the genres and instruments, the AI also writes tracks using abstract concepts that computers and past AIs can not do. MusicLM can make melodies based on humming, whistling, or a description. Through stitched story modes, the system will be able to produce a DJ set or soundtrack.

The system could also be instructed through a combination of picture and description, in which the music will be produced through the grasped places, epochs, and requirements.

MusicLM also generates vocals, including choral harmonies. However, most of the produced lyrics were gibberish as it was sung by synthesized voices combined from several artists.

TechCrunch posted some of the sample audios that the AI has produced and reported that despite the music being far from perfect and flawless compared to real music, MusicLM is going beyond expectations with its capabilities.

Launching MusicLM

Google researchers believe that MusicLM has ethical challenges posed in its system, especially once it is released. There is a tendency for the system to incorporate copyrighted materials based on the training data that could be incorporated to the generated songs.

According to Google's released research paper, researchers found out during an experiment that 1% of the generated music by the system was directly replicating songs from its training. This is the main reason why they are discouraged from releasing MusicLM to the public.

The authors stated, "We acknowledge the risk of potential misappropriation of creative content associated to the use case. We strongly emphasize the need for more future work in tackling these risks associated to music generation."

Also Read: BuzzFeed Plans to Use OpenAI to Boost Content Creation

Medium reported that Google additionally released the MusicCaps data set. This is a collection of 5500 music-text pairs that give the researchers an opportunity to have a perception regarding MusicLM's generative process.

Related Article: [VIDEO] AI Vocal Clones Can be the Future of the Music Industry, Ask Holly's 'Digital Twin'

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Mercedes-Benz went on the CES 2023 stage and announced that it will soon get the certification for the first Level 3 Autonomy in the country. The company officially shared this with the world last Thursday, January 26, and is celebrating the achievement that centers on being the first company to get to this level in the United States.

The company's "DRIVE PILOT" got the first certification among all car makers, beating the likes of Honda and Tesla's Full-Self Driving.

Mercedes-Benz gets First Level 3 Autonomy in the US

(Photo : Mercedes-Benz USA)

Mercedes officially announced that it received the first Level 3 Autonomy approval for its "DRIVE PILOT" system, a first in the industry in the US. The company first claimed this at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, where they said they have received official approval from the Nevada Department of Tourism to deploy its self-driving cars.

The German car company also announced that it is now compliant with the State of Nevada's Chapter 482A, one that centers on autonomous vehicles.

Its autonomous drive is the first in the country to get Level 3 autonomy, but not it is only for Nevada state. Mercedes claimed in early January that it already applied for this same certification in California state.

Read Also: Mercedes-Benz EV: Pay $1,200 Yearly to Get Faster Acceleration, Better Performance For Your Car

'DRIVE PILOT' Autonomous Driving System

Mercedes' "DRIVE PILOT" is now a level 3 autonomous vehicle in Nevada, and it celebrates this with the world, as more people will get to experience its top technology, especially in the state.

"An unwavering commitment to innovation has consistently guided Mercedes-Benz from the very beginning. It is a very proud moment for everyone to continue this leadership and celebrate this monumental achievement as the first automotive company to be certified for Level 3 conditionally automated driving in the U.S. market," said Dimitris Psillakis, President and CEO of MBUSA.

Autonomous Driving Cars

Autonomous vehicles are one of the top developments in the automotive industry now, and it is the goal of most manufacturers now. One of the top companies best known for its autonomous driving systems is Tesla, particularly with its FSD and Autopilot, but there is also a goal to develop its robotaxi fleet as per Elon Musk.

There is also a company called Kodiak Robotics, a startup that managed to raise as much as $125 million for its development of the self-driving feature for trucks. One of its most iconic partners is the famed Swedish furniture company, IKEA, which will be using Kodiak's fleet for its delivery of orders and stocks to its retail locations.

Mercedes-Benz's achievement is massive, as not only is it the first car brand in the United States to receive this, but also the first luxury car brand to do so. It beat the likes of Honda, Tesla, GM, Ford, and more, those who frequently talk about their system's capabilities and features, centering on the State of Nevada for now.

Related Article: Mercedes-Benz Plans to Install its EV Fast Chargers in the US - In Partnership with ChargePoint?

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Amazon Fresh will be charging delivery fees starting February 28th for grocery orders that are less than $150. Despite increasing the threshold for free delivery offerings, Amazon stated that they will be keeping the prices low on their services.

(Photo : Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

INGLEWOOD, CA - JUNE 27: An Amazon Fresh truck arrives at a warehouse on June 27, 2013 in Inglewood, California. Amazon began groceries and fresh produce delivery on a trial basis to select Los Angeles neighberhoods free of charge for Amazon Prime members. AmazonFresh lets you order groceries and have them delivered on the same day.

Charging Delivery Fees

In an email sent to Prime members, Amazon announced that the company will start charging grocery orders under $150 starting February 28th. CNBC reported that Amazon will incur a delivery worth $9.95 for orders under $50, $6.95 for orders between $50 and $100, and $3.95 for orders between $100 and $150.

Amazon Fresh delivery is a membership perk for its annual $139 Prime Service subscription. Originally, Amazon only charged members $4.99 for orders under $35 ($50 in New York) or higher, depending on where you lived. Once it exceeds, the delivery will be free.

As per the company, service fee will be added as a way for them to keep the prices lower for their products in Amazon Fresh due to the economic situation. The company noted, "This service fee will help keep prices low in our online and physical grocery stores as we better cover grocery delivery costs and continue to enable offering a consistent, fast, and high-quality delivery experience."

Aside from the delivery fees, PCMag reported that Amazon also increased its Prime membership last year from $119 to $139 annually. Amazon previously charged members $14.99 a month on top of the annual membership. But this charge was eventually scrapped in 2019 and continued with the $35 order minimum.

While this did not last, it may be a better idea to re-institute the subscription fee rather than moving towards the delivery fees. For customers who opted Amazon Fresh for a cheaper price with its previous free deliveries, this might change as it easily became more expensive than it was since its launch.

As per Gizmodo, Amazon Fresh started in 2007 and made an impact on the grocery industry as they pioneered the idea of grocery delivery, which became an increasingly crowded business landscape by looking at startup companies and tech giants that are now doing the same thing.

Also Read: Amazon and Amazon Fresh 2022: How to Cancel an Order

Online Groceries

SuperMarket News reported the industry for online grocery is decreasing day by day. Especially now that people are shifting from online purchases to retail stores to offline purchases now that the pandemic restrictions have been lifted.

Additionally, customers decided to buy fewer items than usual because of the challenging economic outlook with increasing prices in the market.

According to the Brick Meets Click/Mercats Grocery Shopping Survey in October, online grocery sales totaled $7.8 billion, which declined 3.7% from $8.1 billion a year ago. Meanwhile, September marked a decline of 2.7%.

Brick Meets Click Partner David Bishop explains that these results grew much faster for mass than for grocery versus last year. He added, "Improving the shopping experience is vital for conventional supermarkets' long-term success, as the appeal of shopping online has more to do with convenience than cost."

Related Article: Amazon Fresh in Seattle Now Has Electric Charging Stations and CO2-Based Refrigerators

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The upcoming iOS 17 will bring more power and efficiency to iPhone fans. Apple is all set to upgrade the technologies and compatibility for other components. As for now, only the future will tell about the new OS.

Apple iOS 17 Drop Could Include Support for USB-C Charging and Some Slight Redesign Changes

According to the story by Giz China, fans should stay attentive and wait for the official iOS 17 launch. The tech industry has eagerly awaited the release of Apple's next-generation operating system, iOS 17. While the company has not officially shared any details, rumors, and leaks have already caused much speculation in recent weeks.

So far, leaked information indicates that iOS 17 may feature a variety of updates, including the introduction of the Apple Reality Pro Headset, as also mentioned in an article by GSM Arena, support for USB C charging, a redesigned Home app, and improved image processing capabilities. The rumors have only been boosted since the release of the iPhone 15 series in September.

Leaks are Revealing What Some Observers are Expecting of the New Operating System

With the release of iOS 16.3, Apple has set the stage for the much-awaited OS 17 release. The company plans to launch the operating system later this year with the iPhone 15 series. According to iOS 17 leaked reports, mentioned in an article by Notebook Check, the new OS will be very similar in design to its predecessor, iOS 16.

However, the new OS will support the Apple Reality Pro Headset and improve speed and stability. Reports also indicate that only two models of the iPhone 15 series will support USB 3.2 speeds.

The iPhone 15 Could Come with the iOS 17 Update

This line of products is expected to be the first to come equipped with iOS 17. The devices are also expected to feature a more robust cooling system and an advanced image processor for improved photo quality.

For many, one of the most exciting aspects of the new OS is that it won't require a substantial visual overhaul. The UI will look almost identical to iOS 16; however, efficiency and stability will be improved.

Read Also: Google Introduces MusicLM, an AI System that Generates Music in Any Genre

The Apple iOS 17 is Expected to Come with Updated Speed and Stability

This means that most apps and features won't need to be redesigned to accommodate the OS, which will be a great relief to developers. Apple has traditionally been a leader in the tech industry in revolutionizing operating systems.

They have a long track record of providing users with amazing features and powerful systems. With the introduction of iOS 17, Apple is sure to set the bar even higher. The release is certainly something to look forward to, and it's likely to spark even more interest in the iPhone series when it is eventually released.

Overall, Apple is taking great strides with the upcoming iOS 17. With the rumored design changes and updated speed and stability, users are expecting a major upgrade from the current version.

Related Article: Google is Bringing an Android Feature For Private Browsing of Incognito Tabs

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The European Union is taking a stand on Friday regarding the United States' effort to block exporting semiconductor-making supplies to China and stated that they, along with the United States, cannot allow China to access the most advanced technologies.

(Photo : KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP via Getty Images)

EU commissioner for internal market Thierry Breton speaks during a press conference with European Commission vice-president in charge for alues and Transparency Vera Jourova, on the Media Freedom Act at the EU headquarters in Brussel, on September 15, 2022.

EU's Support

EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton stated at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that the bloc has the full support of the United States to choke China's semiconductor industry. South China Morning Post reported that the US has the bloc's full commitment regarding this matter.

"We fully agree with the objective of depriving China of the most advanced chips. You will always find Europe by your side when it comes to ensuring our common security in technology, " Breton stated.

Breton also urged the alignment of several companies to reduce collective reliance on Asia despite the differences, as he cites cooperation on 5G telecoms technology and semiconductors. He added that any action should be limited to what is necessary from a security point of view.

The US and EU previously worked together on 5G cybersecurity to remove high-risk suppliers from both of their networks. By following this with the ongoing Chinese investment into infrastructure on semiconductors, Breton sees a strong alignment between the two parties regarding this agenda.

Based on Politico's report, Breton stated EU's support just hours after the deal of the United States with the Netherlands and Japan.

Also Read: Dutch, US Officials to Discuss Potential New Restrictions on Exporting Chip-Making Gears to China

Ever since October 2022, the Biden administration restricted exports of high-end chips and chip-making technology to China. The EU has been pressed by the US to take similar restrictions but the block has been cautious to take a stand.

Adding to this, Dutch Trade minister Liesje Schreinemacher stated that the Netherlands will not be complying with the United States immediately as they consult with several allies in Asia and the EU. ASML Holding is the largest company and the world's leading manufacturer of chip-making equipment located in the Netherlands.

The Dutch government has restricted the company to ship its most advanced machines to China since 2019. Not until ASML sold $2.17 billion worth of much older machines to China in 2021.

US' Chips and Science Act

President Biden also signed the Chips and Science Act into law as an effort to boost American semiconductor research, development, and production through federal subsidies. Aside from this, it also cuts China out of chip supply chains as this law prioritizes local manufacturing.

Meanwhile, the European Union is expected to pass its own version of this called the EU Chips Act this year. This will be doubling the shares of the continent for the global chip manufacturing capacity to 20%.

Related Article: EU Agrees with $44 Billion Plan to Fund Semiconductor Production, Reduces Reliance with US and Asian Manufacturers

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A new mosquito repellent could protect the U.S. Military from harmful diseases carried by these pests.

(Photo : Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Adult female mosquitos are seen uder a microscope at the Sun Yat-Sen University-Michigan University Joint Center of Vector Control for Tropical Disease on June 21, 2016 in Guangzhou, China.

Since military personnel are usually in the field, they are more vulnerable to insect bites, especially from mosquitoes.

These tiny flying insects can spread serious diseases and viruses; malaria, dengue, West Nile, and Zika virus.

Because of this, the University of Florida decided to develop a new portable mosquito repellent.

New Mosquito Repellent for US Military

According to SciTech Daily's latest report, the new portable mosquito repellant is funded by the Department of Defense Deployed Warfighter Protection (DWFP) program.

(Photo : Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

U.S. Army soldiers salute during the national anthem during the an anniversary ceremony of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 on September 11, 2011 at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. Ten years after the 9/11 attacks in the United States and after almost a decade war in Afghanistan, American soldiers paid their respects in a solemn observence of the tragic day.

Also Read: Biometric Capture Gadgets Purchased on eBay Reportedly Contain Sensitive US Military Data

"Our device eliminates the need for applying topical repellents and for insecticides that are sprayed across an open area," said Nagarajan Rajagopal, a Ph.D. candidate, via U.F. News.

He added that it reduces contaminations of surrounding plants and bodies of water.

Aside from this, Rajagopal also claims that their new portable mosquito repellent doesn't affect bees and butterflies.

Aside from no skin contact, this repellent doesn't require electricity and heat to function.

U.S. Military Test a Success!

The portable mosquito repellent is a controlled-release passive device.

It is made up of a tube-shaped polypropylene plastic that holds two smaller tubes and cotton containing the repellent.

During a successful field test, the portable mosquito repellent created a protective space that prevented mosquitos for four weeks.

"We call our device passive because you don't need to do anything to activate it," said Rajagopal.

As of press time, the University of Florida plans to build more units using a 3D printer.

But, before that, Rajapogal and the involved experts filed for a patent for their device.

Since the U.S. government wants to commercialize its product, it can expect assistance from military officials.

You can click this link to learn more about this new portable mosquito repellent.

Other stories we recently wrote about insects:

In 2019, experts claimed that large parts of Europe were at risk of serious insect diseases.

In 2021, researchers discovered a new malaria mosquito in Africa.

For more news updates about mosquitoes and other insects, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Mosquitos with Dengue Could be More Vulnerable to Rising Temperatures According to Glass Vial Experiment

 2023 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
If you have been sharing your Netflix password with family members who do not reside with you, be ready to pay extra for sharing your account, as the streaming giant is reportedly going to start cracking down on password sharing in 2023.

The company announced in its earnings report on Thursday that it was planning to roll out its paid sharing scheme more broadly on its platform toward the end of the first quarter of 2023. In other words, Netflix will begin charging you for adding sub-accounts for those who do not live with you but are using your paid subscription.

Besides its paid sharing option, the company is also keen on rolling out its lower-cost ad-supported subscription model.

Todays widespread account sharing (100M+ households) undermines our long-term ability to invest in and improve Netflix, as well as build our business. 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, reads Netflixs report.

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 dont live with, it added.

Under the new paid sharing, a single Netflix account can be only used by those living in the same household. It will have a new validation system that will detect when users log in from outside of the primary account holders home.

In order to verify a device, Netflix will send a link to the phone number or email address related to the primary account holder. On opening the link, it will show a page asking for a 4-digit verification code that must be entered on the device within 15 minutes.

If the code is not entered within 15 minutes, it will expire and a new code will have to be requested. Verification will not be required in cases where the device is connected to the primary users internet connection.

Additionally, the streaming giant will allow primary account holders to add up to two additional users who would not require a validation code to log in.

Further, users of the primary account or the additional households will still be able to watch while traveling, whether on a TV or mobile device.

Concerning password sharing, Netflix says it expects some cancel reaction in each market, as it has already been testing in Latin American countries such as Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic where the user can buy additional homes for anyone living outside the subscribers primary household.

However, the company expects subscriptions to pick up and see improved overall revenue in the long term when borrower households will begin paying for their own separate accounts as well as an extra member account.

Additional new features to accompany the paid sharing scheme that would improve the Netflix experience include the ability for members to review which devices are using their account and to transfer a profile to a new account.

Netflix doesnt provide any information on the pricing or a specific date when it plans to roll out the paid sharing scheme. Whether the streaming giants password-sharing crackdown works or not, only time will tell. Keep watching this space for more updates!
INTERVIEW - Four years ago, on April 15, 2019, the spire of the famous cathedral collapsed under the onslaught of flames. Since then, the renovation of Notre-Dame has been underway, and in 2023, a team of researchers present on the site was able to find and date iron staples, which make it possible to consolidate the stone structure of the building. The opportunity to return to the history of the reconstruction of Notre-Dame, with Mathieu Lours, architectural historian and specialist in religious buildings, guest of Virginie Girod in Au Coeur de l'Histoire. The construction of Notre Dame began in 1160 and was almost completed nearly a century later. In the nineteenth century, when the architect Viollet-le-Duc discovered Notre-Dame, the building was in very poor condition. He then decided to renovate it and add the famous spire of Notre-Dame. For Mathieu Lours, despite the age of this monument, "Notre-Dame remains one of the least well-known cathedrals. They hadn't been put in there since 1864 for structural restorations. Beyond belief, beyond the imaginary, beyond our relationship to history, every man sees in Our Lady a cathedral of the imagination." "Au Cur de l'Histoire" is a Europe 1 Studio production.
Foliage-draped cross and flowers, and signs with the writing washed away by rain, mark a spot on Burbank Drive near where Madison Brooks, the 19-year-old LSU sophomore who was raped in the back of a car before being dropped off in a nearby neighborhood, was fatally struck by a car on Burbank Drive about an hour later, around 2:50 a.m. on Jan. 15, authorities said. 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.
Yet this is the fire that the opposition leader - and the culture warriors who are urging him to obstruct the Voice - are playing with. Dividing the country to achieve a short-term political goal on the referendum kills the opportunity contained in the Uluru Statement from the Heart for all Australians to walk, and work, together. To understand both the risk and the opportunity of the referendum, consider the three essential elements of our national story, and the people who are represented by each. Imagine our 26 million people embodied in a family tree with First Australian roots, an Old Australian trunk and New Australian branches. Old Australians are non-Indigenous people who have been here for at least three generations, with parents and grandparents who were also born here. New Australians were born overseas or have at least one migrant parent. At the 2021 census, the New Australian branches covered almost 51 per cent of the population, comprising the 29 per cent born overseas and the 22 per cent who had one migrant parent. The Old Australian trunk contained 45 per cent of the population, while First Australians were almost 4 per cent of the total. Ive rounded these numbers for the sake of simplicity. They are based on exclusive data I developed in collaboration with the Australian Bureau of Statistics last year.

They translate today to 13.2 million New Australians, 11.8 million Old Australians and almost one million First Australians. What should give Dutton and his team pause is how quickly the family tree has changed its shape and will continue to evolve in favour of New Australia. The branches grew five times faster than the trunk between the 2011 and 2021 census  31 per cent for New Australia compared to just 6 per cent for Old Australia. This reflects the double edge of demography for the latter. As developed nations like ours rely on migration for the majority of our population growth, we also rely on migrants for the majority of our net natural increase (births minus deaths). Old Australia had almost 600,000 children in net terms between 2011 and 2021, where a country of birth was stated. New Australia had almost double that number  1.15 million. For a glimpse into the future, consider what has been happening to the trunk of Sydneys family tree. The Old Australian population fell in absolute terms for the first time as the departures to other parts of Australia exceeded net natural increase. The figure itself was tiny  less than 1 per cent over that 10-year period. But it underlines the delicate balancing act of identity in 21st-century Australia. This is why we need to include Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders in each and every conversation about who we want to be: we need strong roots to support a family tree with a shrinking trunk. First Australians happen to be the fastest growing part of our family tree; their population increased by 48 per cent between 2011 and 2021. What purpose will it serve to deny them their aspiration to be heard and be treated equally?

Referendums are, by design, harder to pass than elections are to win. They require a majority of the national vote and a majority of states. The family trees of the states are evenly divided, reflecting the concentration of the migrant waves in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Loading Old Australia retains a majority in Duttons home state of Queensland (53 per cent), as well as Tasmania (65 per cent) and South Australia (52 per cent). The New Australian majorities are 53 per cent in NSW; 55 per cent in Victoria; and 59 per cent in Western Australia. Dutton may see an opportunity in these numbers to obstruct by narrowcasting to those states that feel most alienated by the rise of New Australia. But this is precisely why Old Australia needs the Voice to succeed. A No vote would fracture our family tree at the expense of both the roots and the trunk. The cultural weight of the New Australian majority will grow regardless.

The language for a new binding national story that includes everyone  without recrimination or condescension  can only flow from a successful Yes campaign. The Voice serves as both a vehicle for reconciliation between First Australia and Old Australia, and a bridge between Old Australia and New Australia. George Megalogenis is an author, political commentator and regular columnist. The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here. More from our top columnists The Voice is not about the detail: Australians are not voting blind in the Voice referendum. They will be voting on the basic principle  giving Indigenous Australians a collective Voice to seek to influence and inform the parliament and government by making representations to them - Anne Twomey
Former Sydney schoolgirl Chanel Contos sparked a moment of national reckoning when she launched a petition calling for better consent education in schools, after realising how common teenage sexual assault was among her group of friends.

The petition was signed by tens of thousands of people, almost 7000 of whom added not just their signatures but also their own devastating accounts of what they had experienced as teenagers, largely in Sydney.

Chanel Contos is disappointed with the response of the NSW Education Department to a new consent curriculum. Credit: Liliana Zaharia

These testimonies helped spark a national conversation about how women and girls are treated in Australia, and how to foster healthier attitudes among young people towards relationships and sex.

The NSW Parliament voted in October 2021 to overhaul the states curriculum when it came to consent, and a new national health curriculum with explicit references to lessons on consent and respectful relationships was also agreed upon last year.
The teal independents who swept into Canberra last year through grassroots campaigning will have a friendly competition to see who can gain the highest yes vote in their electorate in the Voice to parliament referendum.

A number of us have taken on the responsibility to have record high yes votes to counter areas that have low votes. Theres a little bit of a competition going on among us, Warringah MP Zali Steggall said.

The independent member for Wentworth, Allegra Spender, says she wants the highest yes vote in the country. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

We really represent the sensible centre voice and we want to have a fact-based, educated debate.

The re-activation of the teal army will complement a grassroots push by a Yes campaign body, Australians for Indigenous Constitutional Recognition, that wants to combine an on-the-ground presence with a well-funded messaging campaign using advertising and prominent leaders.
A second doctor said some Victorians requiring surgery for cancer were already waiting well-beyond comfortable times. The reality is this is cancer and this is essential surgery, the clinician said. It is really concerning because youre up against an uncertain ticking clock. This is something beyond the hospitals control, but what it shows is living with COVID has serious implications. The reality is this is cancer and this is essential surgery, the clinician said. It is really concerning because youre up against an uncertain ticking clock. Senior doctor, speaking on the condition of anonymity In the email, Henderson said shortages of trained theatre nursing staff were a nationwide problem. He attributed the staffing challenges at Peter MacCallum to workforce turnover, staff reducing their hours or taking leave, and increased absenteeism due to illness. In a pre-election health pitch, the Victorian government promised elective surgery would be cranked up to 125 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, with an extra 40,000 operations to be undertaken this year.

But serious doubts are being cast over the ability of the $1.5 billion plan to clear the massive backlog of tens of thousands of Victorians awaiting surgery. Loading Last April, Peter MacCallum was announced as one of eight surgical hubs set to ramp up surgery this year. However, doctors say only about five or six of the hospitals eight surgical theatres are being utilised due to staffing shortages. It is rubbing salt in the wound that we are delaying more surgery when were supposed to be one of these hubs that are increasing uptake to take the pressure off other hospitals, one doctor said. Australian Medical Association Victorian vice president, Dr Jill Tomlinson, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, who treats patients with skin cancer, said delays at the cancer centre were distressing for patients and staff.

We know individuals who have cancer are very much anxious about their surgery, Tomlinson said. This is surgery that is both medically necessary and psychologically necessary. Loading The surgeon said while millions of dollars had been invested by the government into plans to recruit thousands of new healthcare workers, hospitals should also be doing everything possible to retain existing staff. This included allowing exhausted staff to take leave when they need it. Tomlinson said growing numbers of nurses were cutting back their hours due to a lack of flexibility in rosters and severe burnout. She knew of hospital nurses who had resigned after attempting to take their first holiday in two years with their family, only to have their leave cancelled due to the pandemic. Tomlinson called for the government to consider reinstating financial incentives such as retention bonuses for nurses, which encourage them to work in high-demand units such as emergency departments and surgical theatres.

The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre confirmed the forecast delays, but said it would affect less than 10 per cent of all planned surgery. Loading Staff said the hospital has between 10 and 12 surgical lists each day often with several patients scheduled for procedures. This includes morning, afternoon and sometimes all day surgical lists. The hospital said the most urgent patients would always be prioritised for surgery. A Peter MacCallum spokesman said the health service had performed more elective procedures than originally planned between July and December last year. He said it had also treated all of its most urgent, or category 1, patients within the recommended 30-day timeframe for the same period.

We continually review our elective surgery plans to minimise the risk of last-minute cancellations which we know cause the most concern for patients and our staff caring for them, he said. Loading The spokesman said a recruitment process was underway, with several highly skilled healthcare workers due to start work at Peter MacCallum shortly. Peter MacCallum staff performed more than 3300 operations last year and the spokesman said plans had been drawn up to further increase surgery numbers this year.

The cancellation of surgery at Peter MacCallum followed growing concerns thousands of Victorians were unknowingly living with cancer after diagnoses of the disease fell far below expected levels during the first two years of the pandemic. Loading Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation Victorian branch acting secretary Paul Gilbert said nurses across Australia and the world had reduced their hours and moved from permanent to casual employment to manage pandemic fatigue, making it increasingly difficult to fill rosters. He said the union was working with Safer Care Victoria and the Department of Health to develop new flexible rostering practices to maximise the available nursing workforce. A Victorian Department of Health spokesman said the states pandemic repair plan included a $76 million global recruitment drive, and more than 4500 healthcare workers had been hired in the past year.
VCAL still had a stigma for some families, that they wanted their child to do VCE and if they werent, then they didnt see it as equitable. Shayne Rule, principal of Lakeview Senior College in Caroline Springs, said the reform could slow the surge in students choosing to complete an unscored VCE, which had reached a level of popularity that was beginning to concern many principals. If this is successful, we will hopefully see some of those kids [who] have previously chosen not to do VCAL because of the perception choose to do vocational major subjects, perhaps with some traditional VCE subjects as well, and that perception barrier will break down over time, he said. Teachers at Kew High School are embracing the change after watching too many students leave because the school never offered VCAL. One of 25 schools that did not offer VCAL, Kew will offer the VCE vocational major this year. Kew has been known as an academic school, which is why we probably havent offered it in the past, principal Josie Millard said.

But it meant that students who wanted to follow an applied learning pathway had to enrol at another school. Were a very proud local school, weve got kids who started together in prep, and they were having to leave at year 10, Millard said. What is the VCE vocational major? A senior secondary certificate in which students must complete: Three units in literacy or VCE English

Three units in numeracy or VCE Mathematics

Two work related skills units

Two personal development skills units

Two VET (vocational education and training) credits at Cert II level or above

At least three other unit 3-4 subject sequences The school is desperate to make a success of the new certificate, Millard said, so much so that her staff spent much of last year developing a new vocational curriculum that would engage students and give them more options to follow their passions. Some of the schools most qualified specialist teachers have been put in charge of the four subjects that comprise the new certificate: literacy, numeracy, work related skills and personal development skills.

Seventeen year 11 students at Kew have enrolled in the vocational major for this year, pursuing subjects including automotive, fashion, equine and animal studies, and building and construction. Loading Millard estimates that of those 17 students, perhaps seven would have left the school in past years, and the other 10 would have studied the VCE, but not enjoyed it and probably struggled. The whole thing is so much more flexible, which means that students can stay at our school until the end of year 12, Millard said. Year 12 student Sienna Gladstone was part of a group of students who advocated for reforms to VCE to make it easier to study vocational subjects.

Gladstone is studying VCE at a Warrnambool school, but said she had strongly considered VCAL for her mental health. I was told by numerous adults in my life that doing VCAL would be a waste of my academic potential, she said. So I was pushed into VCE. If the vocational major had been offered, Gladstone would have taken it. The 18-year-old is a student executive advisory committee member for the Victorian Student Representative Council and said the VCE caused stress for students, more so than ever. She hoped the vocational major was the start of reducing stigma about vocational learning.

Acting Minister for Education Ingrid Stitt said the VCE vocational major would give all students access to high-quality vocational programs to develop knowledge, confidence and skills for their future careers. Loading We introduced the VCE vocational major because we know not everyone wants to go to university, and were making sure every young person has every opportunity to choose the career path thats right for them, Stitt said. But the Victorian Applied Learning Association, which lobbied for the reforms, has warned that it is already observing some troubling missteps in the implementation of the vocational major. Those included schools dismantling their high-performing VCAL teacher teams and moving them into VCE departments, and developing curriculums that lean more on textbooks than practical learning.
Members of the Enterprise High School Student Government Association traditionally give back to their community through volunteer service hours and fundraising activities.

The Southeast Alabama Regional Council on Aging was the beneficiary of their generosity this week in the form of a $500 donation to the area Agency on Aging serving the senior citizens of Barbour, Coffee, Covington, Dale, Geneva, Henry and Houston counties.

This highly active and visible organization serves the entire student body by sponsoring and organizing activities, fostering school and community involvement, according to EHS SGA Sponsor Stephanie Underwood. The students serve as goodwill ambassadors of the school, promote positive student and faculty relations and exemplify respect, responsibility, and leadership.

This year, the SGA officers and members raised funds through a variety of service projects including support the citys Whoville Festival held downtown in December.

Students created whimsical Who Hair on children and the young at heart and the money raised was then returned to the community through a donation to the SARCOA, said Underwood. SGA members worked so hard throughout the holiday season supporting all the Downtown Enterprise events, including the Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony, through volunteering their time and energy.

Formed in 1986, is designated as the Area Agency on Aging for Southeast Alabama by the Alabama Commission on Aging, now known as the Alabama Department of Senior Services.
A Dothan man is facing a first-degree attempted assault charge following a verbal altercation and shooting early Friday morning, according to Dothan police.

Corey Ray Chaney, 29, fired a handgun at another man, grazing him on the neck during an argument in the 100 block of Michigan Drive, according to a police statement.

The victim, who was not identified, sustained a minor, non-life threatening injury.

Chaney is charged with one count of attempted assault first degree. His bond was set at $30,000.
In February, Dothans Flowers Hospital is challenging area residents to be heart conscious when it comes to heart disease.

Heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States, claiming the lives of more than 650,000 people each year.

Here are some other facts everyone should know about heart disease:

 In the U.S., one person dies every 34 seconds from cardiovascular disease.

 Every year, about 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack.

 Nearly half of American adults (47%) suffer from high blood pressure, or hypertension, which increases the risk of a heart attack and stroke. However, only about 1 in 4 people with high blood pressure have their condition under control. Another important fact is that most people can take steps right now to reduce the risks related to heart disease.

Since 1964, February has been recognized as American Heart Month  a time of year dedicated to increasing awareness about heart health and highlighting steps we can take to create a heart healthy lifestyle.

This year, Flowers Hospital is taking February to help people in the community learn ways to reduce their risks with the 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge. Participants will receive a daily email with short, informative articles, quick tips, and a daily challenge to promote heart health.

At Flowers Hospital, we are committed to helping people live healthier and, for most of us, theres no better place to start than taking better care of our hearts, Flowers Hospital CEO Jeff Brannon said. People who join us for this challenge will find the content takes only a couple of minutes to read each day. It is fun, sometimes surprising, always informative, and it can be life-saving. I hope everyone will sign up for the challenge and join us on a 28 day journey to a healthier heart.

The 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge includes 28 challenges that can help participants eat healthier, get up from a sedentary lifestyle, relieve stress and lower blood pressure.

To sign-up for the 28-Day Healthy Heart Challenge, visit www.FlowersHospital.com/Heart-Challenge.
22 AGs Call on Congress to Change Law to Allow States to Jam Contraband Cell Phones in Prisons

Twenty-two attorneys general, led by South Carolina AG Alan Wilson and Alabama AG Steve Marshall, are urging Congress to pass legislation to allow states to jam contraband cell phones being used in prison, and quickly.

Prisoners are using contraband cell phones to conduct illegal activity with no way to block them, and are posing an active threat to public safety, including to organize murders, riots, drug deals, fraud, the attorneys general argue in a letter sent to the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate on Wednesday.

In South Carolina, this is a recurring problem despite our diligent efforts to stop it, Wilson said. Over the past five years, there have been four major drug trafficking cases in South Carolina that were orchestrated behind prison walls using contraband cell phones, the most recent of which involved a Mexican drug cartel.

If inmates were blocked from using contraband cell phones, we could prevent serious levels of drug trafficking, deadly riots and other crimes from happening, he added.

Last October, Florida law enforcement thwarted a major drug bust orchestrated by incarcerated SUR-13 (Surenos) gang members inside Florida prisons working with cartel affiliated gang members in California, Florida and Mexico. Authorities seized over 50 pounds of fentanylenough to kill half of Floridas population, as well as other drugs, in the operation. They subsequently thwarted other cartel-related drug trafficking operations in a few months time, seizing enough fentanyl to kill Floridas entire population.

In Oklahoma, one prison gang used contraband cell phones to direct gang members outside prison to commit murders, assaults and robberies statewide, according to the letter. And in Tennessee, a Memphis inmate used a contraband cell phone to orchestrate drug conspiracy deals using FedEx packages.

Georgia inmates used contraband cell phones to make scam calls demanding payments with threats and an incarcerated gang enforcer from inside an Indiana prison ordered a double homicide hit on the outside using a contraband cell phone.

In previous legislative sessions, Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.) introduced bills to enable states to jam contraband cell phones in prison, including HR 1 954 in the 116th Congress and HR 8645 in the 117th, with congressmen from South Carolina, William Timmons, Jeff Duncan and Ralph Norman, cosponsoring. Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) co-sponsored a similar bill, S. 4699, in the 117th Congress. None of the bills ever made it to the floor to even get a vote.

We understand that what works for one state may not work for another, and that as long as there are prisons there will always be contraband, the AGs argue. But in the case of jamming contraband use of cell phones, however, this is an urgent issue that affects all states, they said.

Attorneys general joining Wilson and Marshall include those representing Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.

By Bethany Blankley
Adam Schiff Hit With Ethics Complaint Over Opening Senate Campaign Ad

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) speaks at a press conference on committee assignments for the 118th U.S. Congress at the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 25, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

The campaign video Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) released to announce his 2024 Senate campaign became the subject of an ethics complaint within a single day.

On Thursday, Schiff announced he is running to replace Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) in the Senate in 2024. By Friday, a nonprofit organization called the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust (FACT) had filed an ethics complaint against Schiffs very first Senate campaign ad.

In the ad, Schiff featured a variety of news clips from his time in office, including floor footage from his involvement in the February 2020 Senate impeachment trial against then-President Donald Trump.

Our democracy is at great risk. Because GOP leaders care more about power than anything else. And because our economy isnt working for millions of hard working Americans. Were in the fight of our livesa fight Im ready to lead as Californias next U.S. Senator. pic.twitter.com/H0Pa0EhhMu  Adam Schiff (@AdamSchiff) January 26, 2023

Following the release of Schiffs campaign video, FACT sent a complaint to the House Ethics Committee, asking it to immediately investigate whether Representative Adam Schiff abused official resources for political purposes.

FACT said the portion of Schiffs campaign video that included the floor footage constitutes official resources.

Official resources includes anything funded by taxpayers, such as a Members official website, social media accounts, and photographs and video from the House or Senate floor, the complaint states.

The nonprofit group argued the ethics rules are in place to both protect taxpayer-funded resources from being abused as well as ensure the integrity of official proceedings, reducing the incentive for Members to make political speeches during official proceedings.

Schiffs campaign video showed a portion of the House floor footage that was republished by NBC News.

Politico reporter Anthony Adragna questioned whether the campaign videos use of floor footage would be in violation of House rules. CQ and Roll Call chief correspondent Niels Lesniewski shared his assessment that because Schiff was speaking on the floor of the Senate and because he was sharing floor footage that was republished by NBC News, he had a workaround that could be okay.

A spokesperson for Schiffs campaign shared a similar assessment that using Senate floor footage was acceptable.

House ethics rules prohibit the use of House floor or committee footage for campaign purposesthe rules do not apply to footage from the Senate, which is what was used in Congressman Schiffs video, a campaign spokesperson told Fox News. No footage from any House proceeding was used in the video, and Congressman Schiff was fully in compliance with House ethics guidelines.

By contrast, FACT argued that no such workaround exists.

Simply put, under the House ethics rules, a Member is prohibited from using either House or Senate photographs or video because both are official government resources. This includes any photograph or video footage of floor proceedings even if it was reposted from a third party source, i.e. another website or news organization, the FACT complaint states.

FACT referenced a 2014 House Ethics Committee memorandum that states House members may not conduct campaign activities in official buildings, using official resources, or on House time. The memo further states that official buildings include not only any House office building, but also all district office space, any Senate office building, the Capitol, the Library of Congress, and any federal building.

FACT executive director Kendra Arnold said Schiff must immediately take down the video and cease distribution of the footage and the House Ethics Committee should move swiftly to investigate and sanction him over the campaign video.

NTD News reached out to Schiffs campaign for comment, but did not receive a response before publication.

From NTD News
NEW YORK  The decision by Facebook's parent company to soon reinstate Donald Trump's account comes at a critical moment for the former president as he tries to build campaign momentum for a return to the White House.

Reclaiming his social media megaphone could open an important new stream of revenue for the 2024 contests only declared candidate, whose campaign has faced criticism for its lackluster launch.

Trump is considering a return to Twitter, as well, rejoining both of the social media giants that he used to great effect to widely and personally connect with his supporters in previous campaigning.

He was banned from posting on both Facebook and Twitter, along with other social media sites, for his role in inciting violence in the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,

In considering a return to the platforms that shunned him, Trump is essentially recognizing that the social media company he launched last year, Truth Social, pales in comparison to the reach of the highest profile platforms. He currently has 4.84 million followers on Truth Social, dramatically fewer than the 87.7 million who follow his account on Twitter, the 34 million who follow him on Facebook and the 23.4 million who follow him on Meta's Instagram.

Trumps Twitter account was unlocked in November, shortly after Elon Musk purchased the company, but Trump has refrained from using it, insisting that he is happier on Truth.

But while Twitter was long Trump's instrument for shouting his opinions  and received far more attention  for his new campaign, Facebook is ultimately about money.

The 2016 campaign of the business executive and reality TV star was a trailblazer when it came to harnessing the power of Facebooks digital advertising tools. And his 2016 and 2020 campaigns spent millions on ads that were key to his small-dollar fundraising efforts.

The decision by Meta, Facebooks parent company, to reinstate him, is likely to be a similar boon to his current campaigns efforts to raise millions, as well as to collect emails and identify voters.

I think first and foremost this is about fundraising for Trump, said Katie Harbath, a fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center who served as Facebooks former public policy director. He wants to continue to have access to get emails and addresses for fundraising, which is something the platform was always really important to the campaign for.

During his suspension from Facebook, Trumps political operation continued to fundraise on the site but couldnt run ads directly from him or in his voice  appeals that Harbath said are much more powerful.

Personal appeals are always the best, she said. And folks havent seen that in their feeds in a long time.

The reinstatement comes at an opportune time for Trump, who has struggled in the opening months of his 2024 White House campaign to reclaim the energy of his previous two bids. He's planning his first official campaign event Saturday, with plans to visit two early-voting states, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

But even as Trump and his team mull how best to harness the social media brands that helped power his initial rise, there could be significant hurdles.

The former president created Truth Social, a Twitter lookalike, after he was suspended from Twitter and Facebook. He usually posts on his social media site multiple times a day, sharing thoughts, insults and campaign videos and reposting messages from his supporters, just as he had on Twitter.

As part of his deal with Digital World Acquisition Corp. to take Truth Social public, Trump agreed  so he wouldnt compete against his own company  that it would be the first channel for any and all social media communications and posts coming from his personal profile, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission last May.

That includes an exclusivity clause in which the former president was generally obligated to make any social media post on TruthSocial and may not make the same post on another social media site for 6 hours for a period of 18 months, beginning Dec. 22, 2021.

It adds, however, that, Trump may make a post from a personal account related to political messaging, political fundraising or get-out-the-vote efforts on any social media site at any time.

Some Trump allies believe that that line gives him license to post political messages anytime hed like, though he continues to abstain.

Former Republican Rep. Devin Nunes, CEO of the Trump Media & Technology Group, told The Associated Press that the SEC filing makes Trumps obligations clear, but he declined to elaborate. Neither Digital World nor its CEO Patrick Orlando responded to requests for comment.

I think this is less of a legal question than an ego question, said Harbath, who expects Trump to begin advertising on Facebook before he resumes messaging. The man likes to put on a show.

Questions also remain about whether Digital World will get approval from federal stock market regulators to join with Truth Social and go public. Without the merger, Truth Social and its biggest owner, Trump, wont get shares in the combined company potentially worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Since rumors began spreading of Trump possibly posting again on rival social media platforms, stock in Digital World has plunged. The potential Truth Social partner is down 30% since Twitter reinstated Trumps personal account last year even as the broader comparative market has barely moved.

Trump has so far insisted he is sticking with Truth, saying he prefers the engagement on the site, where fringe content dominates.

But Trump in recent weeks has been talking about returning to Twitter, according to two people familiar with the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity to disclose private conversations. That has included discussing possible first tweets that would generate maximum impact, NBC News first reported.

A Trump campaign spokesperson declined to discuss Trumps social media plans including his plans for a possible return.

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Airpower Puts US in Strong Position of Deterrence Against China: Security Expert

US F-22 stealth jets intercepted four Russian bombers and two Russian Su-35 fighter jets off the coast of Alaska, according to a statement from North American Aerospace Defense Command, on May 20, 2019. (Sr. Master Sgt. Thomas Menegiun/DOD)

U.S. airpower is our main deterrence against China, according to Stephen Bryen, Senior Fellow, Center for Security Policy.

So far as U.S. airpower is concerned, I think the U.S. Air Force, and the Marines aviation, as well as naval aviation  is better than anything the Chinese have  And I feel very confident that we [would] do very well against the Chinese Air Force, Bryen told China in Focus on NTD, the sister media outlet of the Epoch Times, on Jan. 27.

According to a 2021 report from The National Interest, Chinas airpower still lagged behind the United States in terms of stealth fighters, tankers, and helicopter fleets.

So if we commit airpower, then we have a real good chance to stabilize any unfolding situation in that region. If we dont commit airpower, then it becomes very much more difficult, he added.

However, according to Bryen, the United States has not updated its equipment as rapidly as possible despite the fact that a lot of our equipment has been worn out by these wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria over the years.

Step Up Support to Taiwan

In order to effectively push back China, the expert said that the United States should build up our presence in the region, [and] restore some of our capabilities in Okinawa, in Japan.

Bryen further called for enhancing support to Taiwan, especially Taiwans Air Force, which he said is a critical part of this equation.

He urged the United States to provide better training for Taiwan, Taiwanese could benefit a great deal from the U.S. help.

Were really good at training and organization, and how to carry out complex war maneuvers, and how to integrate different capabilities to get the most bang for your buck, and to be efficient and effective, he said.

Strategic Responsibilities

The expert said that the United States should be careful about our strategic responsibilities.

In his opinion, Ukraine is not a strategic issue for the United States, but China is.

He shared the viewpoint offered by a Wall Street Journal report that the U.S. weapons industry is unprepared for a China conflict partly due to its extensive military spending on the Ukraine war.

He cited a report that America transferred thousands of artillery shells from weapons stockpiles in Israel to Ukraine, and asked the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) to send 155 millimetre (mm) howitzer artillery ammunition rounds to the same destination.

The consumption of shells and ammunition [there] is tremendous, he noted as they routinely just fired them off in very large numbers.

Based on the estimates of a senior U.S. defense official, Ukraine is firing from 4,000 to 7,000 artillery rounds daily.

The United States has delivered more than 1 million 155-mm artillery rounds to Ukraine, and only placed orders to replace a fraction of that amount, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

We cant support that. We dont have an industrial base and a defense industrial base thats geared up to surge and produce supplies, Bryen said, echoing the CSIS report.

He pointed to the growing aggression of China towards Taiwan, Japan, and Korea and said that America should focus on the East Asia region.

The threat to Taiwan is real and something we have to really deal with. I would hope that we reorient our foreign policy and our outlook in our domestic policies, and [in] particular, [our] defense policy to recognize that and to implement programs that really make a difference in terms of our security, he said.

[We should take] a tough line with China so that we dont get ourselves in trouble, then get the world in trouble, Bryen said.
All Flights Cancelled as UKs Flybe Goes Into Administration

Flybe aircraft are pictured on the tarmac at Exeter airport in Exeter, south-west England on March 5, 2020. (Geoff Caddick/AFP via Getty Images)

All Flybe flights have been cancelled as the British regional airline Flybe ceased trading on Saturday.

This is the second time in two years the low cost carrier collapsed.

The airline announced its closure shortly after 3 a.m. local time on Twitter, saying David Pike and Mike Pink had been appointed joint administrators of Flybe Limited.

All Flybe flights from [and] to the UK are cancelled [and] will not be rescheduled, the airline said, urging those with booked Flybe flights not to travel to airports.

Three early Flybe flights from Belfast, two from Birmingham, and two from Amsterdam were all showing as scheduled on time on Flybes online flight status live tracker at 5 a.m.

But the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had urged ticket-holders to instead check its website for the latest information.

It is always sad to see an airline enter administration and we know that Flybes decision to stop trading will be distressing for all of its employees and customers, CAA consumer director Paul Smith said in a statement.

We urge passengers planning to fly with this airline not to go to the airport as all Flybe flights are cancelled. For the latest advice, Flybe customers should visit the Civil Aviation Authoritys website or our Twitter feed for more information, he added.

In a later statement, Flybe said its unfortunately not able to arrange alternative flights for passengers, advising customers to monitor the CAA website for further information.

Those who booked from an intermediary were urged to go to the relevant booking or travel agent about alternative arrangements or claims.

The departure boards showing two cancelled Flybe flights as the regional carrier has ceased trading and all scheduled flights have been cancelled, at Manchester Airport on Jan. 28, 2023. (Peter Byrne/PA Media)

A passenger whose Flybe flight was cancelled with just three hours notice said the situation was outrageous.

Freddy McBride, 61, from Balham in south London, was due to fly with his wife from Heathrow to Belfast on Saturday morning but had to rebook with Aer Lingus.

I got up at the crack of dawn, packed and we couldnt check in online last night so I thought wed do it this morning, he told the PA news agency.

I left my wife to do it while I got the train. I got up at six and left the house before seven. I got to Hatton Central and I checked my email and it says theyve gone into administration. Its just outrageous, he said.

He said he had to ask his wife to book from home while he was running around the terminals trying to sort things out.

When I get on the plane Ill be relieved. They allowed us to book about a day or two ago. Its not good, its not good, he said.

According to Matthew Hall, chief executive of Belfast City Airport, Flybe operated 10 flights to and from the City, eight of which are currently served by alternated carriers from the airport.

He offered his thoughts to Flybe employees and passengers in light of the disappointing and unexpected news, and urged affected passengers not the travel to the airport and monitor the CAA website instead.

The government said that its immediate priority would be to support anyone trying to get home and those who have lost their jobs.

This remains a challenging environment for airlines, both old and new, as they recover from the pandemic, and we understand the impact this will have on Flybes passengers and staff, a spokesperson said.

Our immediate priority is to support people travelling home and employees who have lost their jobs.

The spokesperson said the CAA is providing advice to passengers while Jobcentre Plus, through its Rapid Response Service, stands ready to support any employee affected.

It comes after Flybe returned to the skies in April following an earlier collapse.

It returned with a plan to operate up to 530 flights per week across 23 routes, serving airports such as Belfast City, Birmingham, East Midlands, Glasgow, Heathrow, and Leeds Bradford.

Flybe was pushed into administration in March 2020 with the loss of 2,400 jobs as the COVID-19 pandemic destroyed large parts of the travel market.

Before it went bust it flew the most UK domestic routes between airports outside London.

Its business and assets were purchased in April 2021 by Thyme Opco, which is linked to U.S. hedge fund Cyrus Capital.

Thyme Opco was renamed Flybe Limited.

It had been based at Birmingham Airport.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Biden Administration Releases Over 1,300 Criminal Illegal Immigrants in 1 Month

President Joe Bidens administration released more than 1,300 criminal illegal aliens in a single month, according to recently disclosed statistics.

Immigration officials released 521 convicted criminal aliens and 795 with pending criminal charges in December 2022, per data released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The number of convicted criminal aliens and those with pending charges released was up by 58 percent from the month prior and 48 percent from October 2022.

Convicted criminals are defined as people who violate immigration law and have a criminal conviction at the time theyre taken into custody by ICE. The exact convictions arent detailed.

Other immigrants have pending criminal charges at the time of arrest.

Most of the releases stemmed from orders of recognizance, or an interim determination that the alien in question is not a detention priority.

Others were under orders of supervision, were released due to a field office being unable to obtain a travel document, or were put on parole. The latter is a case-by-case determination for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit enabled by federal law.

The law explicitly requires that those who cross the border illegally be detained, but the Biden administration clearly doesnt want to detain or deport anyone. So it isnt surprising that they are releasing criminal aliens as well, Ron Kovach, press secretary at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, told The Epoch Times via email. Public safety and the rule of law are under attack to advance their radical open borders agenda.

Immigration officers told The Washington Times, which first reported on the data, that the releases stemmed from wanting to clear out room in preparation for the end of Title 42, a public health order that gives authorities the ability to quickly expel some illegal immigrants due to concerns that they may have COVID-19.

ICE didnt dispute the report but declined to comment.

The Supreme Court, in late December 2022, ordered the administration to keep Title 42 in place.

Authorities also released more than 28,000 immigrants in December 2022 who violated immigration law but didnt have a criminal conviction or any pending charges beyond the immigration law violation.

Another 203 convicted criminals were bonded out, or given bond by a judge or a DHS official after a court hearing. Another 91 were bonded out with pending criminal charges. And another 1,414 were bonded out with no convictions or pending charges.

Early statistics from January indicated the numbers might decline from the December 2022 levels.

The numbers come after the termination of enforcement proceedings against tens of thousands of illegal immigrants because authorities failed to provide documents telling the immigrants to appear in court.

What caused this substantial spike in incidences of DHS officials not filing an NTA after you took office and, consequently, tens of thousands of immigration cases against illegal aliens being dismissed because of DHSs [Department of Homeland Securitys] failure to file paperwork? a group of senators wrote (pdf) to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a Biden appointee.

Illegal immigrant apprehensions and releases have skyrocketed since President Joe Biden took office and dramatically remade the U.S. immigration system to make it easier for illegal immigrants to enter and remain in the country.

Under federal law, U.S. authorities are supposed to hold illegal immigrants until their cases are resolvedmany illegal aliens claim asylum, but the claims are ultimately rejected after several yearsbut authorities have said that they dont have enough space to hold all of those whose cases are awaiting resolution. Federal officials have been using a program called alternatives to detention to release hundreds of thousands of aliens but have lost track of many of them.

One power authorities have increasingly turned to is called parole, which gives an immigrant authorization to remain in the country without needing to claim asylum.

The Biden administration introduced mass parole for Venezuelan natives in the fall of 2022 and just recently expanded the program to nationals of three other countries as part of what he said was an effort that would bolster border security and slow illegal immigration.

The program is an abuse of the parole powers, according to a lawsuit brought by Texas and 19 other states on Jan. 24.
California to Change How It Counts COVID-19 Deaths, Reducing Overcount

A nurse cares for a COVID-19 patient at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles, Calif., on July 30, 2021. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)

California is poised to change the way it counts COVID-19 deaths based on a new algorithm that is being developed in conjunction with federal health authorities, according to a senior Los Angeles County official, who estimated that the countys current framework is overcounting COVID-19 fatalities by as much as 20 percent.

Dr. Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACPH), stated at a recent press conference that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is looking at making some revisions to how deaths are counted and that the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) will review the guidance before potentially adopting it.

If the state adopts a change in the definition, I will of course align with those changes, Ferrer said.

Ferrer said that questions have been raised around the degree to which theres a possible overcount when patients test positive for COVID-19 but die of another cause but are still being logged as fatalities because of the disease.

I think thats what theyve been looking at the most, she said. I know that when we looked at our data were estimating that maybe 1520 percent of the deaths that were counting right now  those designations might change if there is a reclassification.

But we wont know until we see the exact language, Ferrer continued, adding that the LACPH will align fully with any state-level changes.

Ferrer added, however, that the reclassification would only go back as far as Jan. 1.

Its very hard to go back in time and apply this algorithm back in time because we didnt have the same tools we have now, she said. We might see a shift. Maybe its 1020 percent. Its going to be hard to tell until we see the new definition.

Its unclear when that new definition will be finalized, though Fox LA reporter Marla Tellez wrote in a Jan. 27 post on Twitter that CDPH sources have confirmed theyre implementing new state death guidance for COVID-19.

CDPH officials didnt respond to a request by press time by The Epoch Times for comment.

The new guidance occurs as another state recently announced its changing the way it tallies COVID-19 deaths.

Colorado Changes How It Counts COVID-19 Deaths

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) stated on Jan. 9 that it would update its data visualizations to align with The Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) Revised COVID-19-associated Death Classification Guidance for classification of deaths among COVID-19 cases (pdf).

The CSTE guidance, which was updated at the end of November 2022, recommends that COVID-19 death tallies should be based on death certificate information without relying on the collection of additional information from case investigations.

As such, death certificates should serve as the primary source for identifying and classifying mortality associated with COVID-19, the guidance states. This approach should be augmented by case investigation data, when available, and enhanced surveillance and special studies for COVID-19-associated mortality in sentinel sites with requisite resources.

The CSTEs revised guidance was conducted with input from the CDC.

From or With COVID-19?

Meanwhile, a doctor who appeared prominently in the media during the pandemic acknowledged recently that the United States is overcounting COVID-19 deaths and stressed the need for transparent reporting on the real numbers.

Dr. Leana Wen, a former Planned Parenthood director who now works for CNN and The Washington Post, wrote in a recent op-ed that COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations are being overcounted, and thats a problem.

Wen noted in the piece that current CDC data show that about 400 people are dying from the virus every day, before asking: But are these Americans dying from COVID or with COVID?

Two infectious-disease experts I spoke with believe that the number of deaths attributed to COVID is far greater than the actual number of people dying from COVID, she wrote.

Robin Dretler, an attending physician at Emory Decatur Hospital and the former president of Georgias chapter of Infectious Diseases Society of America, estimates that at his hospital, 90 percent of patients diagnosed with COVID are actually in the hospital for some other illness.

Some patients have several concurrent infections, not just COVID-19.

People who have very low white blood cell counts from chemotherapy might be admitted because of bacterial pneumonia or foot gangrene, Dretler was cited as saying. They may also have COVID, but COVID is not the main reason why theyre so sick.

But if those patients die, the doctor said that COVID-19 may get added to their death certificatesmeaning, theyre counted as a COVID-19 death. Thats despite COVID-19 not being the primary factor that caused the deaths.

In the conclusion to her op-ed, Wen wrote: To be clear, if the covid death count turns out to be 30 percent of whats currently reported, thats still unacceptably high. But that knowledge could help people better gauge the risks of traveling, indoor dining, and activities they have yet to resume.

Following the publication of Wens op-ed, some conservatives and COVID-19 vaccine skeptics suggested shes late arriving at the conclusion that COVID-19 deaths are being overcounted.

A year ago, this was a conspiracy theory that would get you censored, prominent vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr. wrote on Twitter.

In addition, California-based epidemiologist Dr. Tracy Hoeg wrote on Jan. 23 that its amazing how long it has taken the U.S. to accept this is a problem, noting that Denmark in 2021 changed how they would distinguish those who died with COVID-19 and those who died from the virus.

This is not just recently true. Its been true for three years! We truly do not know how many actually died from COVID, which means that not even the [case fatality rate] is accurate, Jeffrey Tucker, head of the Brownstone Institute and a columnist for The Epoch Times, wrote on Twitter.

The Epoch Times first reported on how COVID-19 deaths are counted in April 2020 and, in September 2020, reported that CDC data showed 94 percent of reported COVID-19 deaths had contributing health conditions.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
California Prison Inmates to Get Some Medicaid Care

A guard escorts an immigrant detainee from his 'segregation cell' back into the general population at the Adelanto Detention Facility in Adelanto, Calif., on Nov. 15, 2013. (John Moore/Getty Images)

WASHINGTONThe federal government will allow Medicaid dollars to treat some people in prisons, jails, or juvenile detention centers for the first time ever, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Jan. 26.

The healthcare agency will allow California inmates to access limited services, including substance use treatment and mental health diagnoses, 90 days before being released. Since Medicaid was established, federal law has prohibited Medicaid money from being used for people who are in custody, with inmates having access to their healthcare coverage suspended.

The move will provide more stability for inmates and juvenile detainees as they exit institutions and reenter the outside world, the agencys administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said Thursday.

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Administrator for the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services, poses for a photograph in her office in Washington, on Feb. 9, 2022. (Evan Vucci/AP Photo)

She said the change will allow the state to make unprecedented advancements for incarcerated individuals who have long been underserved.

At least 10 other states have asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for exemptions to use Medicaid dollars to treat inmates before they are released. California could be a model for those states, especially since the program is new territory for Medicaid and is expected to be a massive undertaking, said Vikki Wachino, who oversees the Health and Reentry Project.

California state officials said Thursday that they hope some inmates will begin accessing services through Medicaid starting in 2024. Incarcerated people will be screened and assessed for eligibility to access the states Medicaid program. If eligible, case workers will help them develop a care plan for re-entry.

It will take at least two years to roll out the program in all the states prisons, said Jacey Cooper, the states Medicaid director.

Millions of people are expected to be affected, with California releasing nearly half a million inmates from state prisons or county jails every year, and roughly 80 percent of those people qualify for Medicaid.

People who are leaving prison, jail, or juvenile detention often dont know where to start with getting medical care, Wachino said.

Right now, there is an enormous barrier to care when people leave prison and jail, Wachino said. As you know, many times when theyre released, theyve been left to fend for themselves, with very, very few supports.

By Amanda Seitz
U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (upper left), Congressman Jim Costa (upper center), California Senator Anna Caballero (upper right), California Representative Joaquin Arambula (lower left), Fresno County Representative Sal Quintero and Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer (lower right) and other dignitaries sent congratulatory letters, wishing Shen Yun a successful performance in Fresno. (Composite image of The Epoch Times)

FRESNO, Calif.As a part of its 2023 touring season, the worlds leading classical Chinese dance and music company Shen Yun Performing Arts will be returning to Fresno, Calif., for three consecutive performances from Jan. 28 to Jan. 29, at the William Saroyan Theatre.

Ahead of its arrival, California state officials issued many greetings and certificates to honor and welcome Shen Yun artists.

Mayor Jerry P. Dyer sent a greeting on behalf of the City of Fresno, expressing his pleasure to welcome the participants, instructors, and distinguished guests to the 2023 Shen Yun Performing Arts event.

The mayor extended his thanks to Shen Yun artists for choosing to bring its classical Chinese dance performance to Fresno. He added in his letter that it is a special honor for Fresno to be host for this exciting performance.

Based in New York, Shen Yun Performing Arts has been bringing Chinas 5,000 years of civilization to life through dance and music since 2006. Every year, Shen Yun presents a brand-new set of programs to its audience worldwide.

Sal Quintero, the chairman of Fresno Countys board of supervisors, issued a proclamation stating that Shen Yun is a gloriously colorful and exhilarating performance that evokes themes of virtue, compassion, and courage, and with orchestra blending the music of East and West, leaves audiences feeling uplifted and inspired.

The proclamation further praised that Shen Yuns success has been remarkable, with artists and critics alike agreeing the production is among the best in the world.

Shen Yun dancers are highly trained in classical Chinese dance. Perfect through the millenniums, it is one of the worlds most expressive and comprehensive dance forms. Together with the orchestrathe first in the world to seamlessly blend Chinese and Western instrumentsShen Yun performers are bringing to the stage stories from ancient times to the modern day.

Since its establishment, Shen Yun has grown to include eight equally sized companies that tour the world simultaneously. This year, the artists are scheduled to perform in 12 cities across the state of California.

In the welcome letter sent by California Senator Alex Padilla, he wished Shen Yun the best of luck in all its performances and thanked them for sharing traditional Chinese arts and bringing to light thousands of years of Chinese cultural heritage.

The senator expressed that Shen Yuns performances throughout the world preserve and celebrate the culture of ancient China and allow people to appreciate the arts.

Decades ago, Chinese people were very spiritual and had a deep belief in the divine. However, after the Chinese communist takeover, traditional culture went through a period of mass destruction.

Since its founding, Shen Yun has made it its mission to bring back to the world the beauty of China before communism.

To commend this effort, Congressman Jim Costa presented Shen Yun with a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition on Jan. 28, for their commitment to preserving and promoting Chinese Culture through performance.

On the same day, Senator Anna M. Caballeros Certificate of Recognition wished Shen Yun a happy Lunar New Year while applauding the companys mission to revive the essence of historical Chinese civilization by creating a bridge between the East and West through the universal language of music and dance.

Last but not least, Dr. Joaquin Arambula of Californias legislature assembly issued a certificate honoring Shen Yun. In addition to letting the artists know that their efforts are appreciated and valued, he extended his thanks and congratulations to the company for their contribution to the arts in Central Valley and beyond.

Reporting by 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.
Members of the Republican National Committee voted Friday for the next chairman. Did Ronna McDaniel win a fourth term?

A video of the attack on Paul Pelosi last October is out. Well bring you footage both from a security camera and a police body cam.

Elon Musk meets with White House officials. What did they discuss, and how did the White House react when asked whether Hunter Bidens laptop was a topic of discussion?

Congress passed a bill Friday aiming to limit the presidents ability to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Where is this bill heading, and how would it impact surging gas prices?

Twenty-five states are suing the Biden administration for allowing retirement fund managers to put money in environmental, social, and governance funds. Those are investments that prioritize climate change initiatives and diversity policies.

Hong Kong residents living in the United States will continue to be under protection. President Joe Biden signed off on a program that prevents their deportation for another two years.
CBC News Defends Coutts Story After Alberta Premier Accuses Broadcaster of Making Baseless Allegations

The CBC News logo is projected onto a screen during the CBC's annual upfront presentation at The Mattamy Athletic Centre in Toronto on May 29, 2019. (Tijana Martin/The Canadian Press)

CBC News says it stands by its journalism after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith issued a statement accusing the national broadcaster of publishing an article that was defamatory and made baseless allegations.

The article, published on Jan. 19, cited one anonymous source who alleged that an unnamed staff member in the premiers office had sent multiple emails to Alberta Crown prosecutors, challenging the charges laid in connection with the protests at the Coutts border last winter.

The report said Smiths office denied the allegations through a statement to the CBC that evening and that the premier had no knowledge of anyone on her staff doing so.

On Jan. 25, Smith issued a public statement accusing CBC of publishing the defamatory article containing baseless allegations. She demanded the story be retracted and that the CBC apologize to her, her office, the Crown prosecutors, as well as the provinces public sector for the damage caused to their reputations and that of Albertas justice system. She added that the story had been used by the official opposition to smear their reputations.

Smiths retraction demand came not long after CBC ran a second story the same day, headlined Premier pressured justice ministers office to get rid of COVID charges, sources say.

The article cited multiple unnamed sources familiar with the interactions, and quoted a source as saying there were inappropriate attempts to influence cases before the court, with exchanges between the premiers office and the office of Justice Minister Tyler Shandro.

CBC Defends Reporting

CBC editor-in-chief Brodie Fenlon defended his media outlets reporting on Jan. 27, saying the premiers statement generated numerous complaints to CBCs ombudsman accusing it of lying and inventing the story, and others suggesting it as a politically motivated hit job.

As is our practice, we responded as quickly as possible to those complaints. To be clear, CBC News stands by its journalism, Fenlon wrote in the editors blog.

He shared a response sent to complainants by Helen Henderson, manager of the CBC Calgary newsroom.

Those who told CBC they have knowledge of the matter consider the contact inappropriate and serious enough that they believe the information should be made public. Not surprisingly, however, the sources who provided the informationand I should emphasize here there was more than one sourceasked CBC not to use their names in the story, Henderson wrote.

She went on to say that CBC has the names of the sources, knows where they work, and has carefully assessed the credibility of the information they offered.

Henderson also acknowledged the inadvertent omission in the first storys original version that the CBC had not seen any of the alleged emails.

We included that information and added a prominent editors note to advise readers of the addition, she wrote.

No Evidence

Albertas Justice Ministry said in a news release on Jan. 23 that there was no evidence of email contact with the Crown prosecutor and Smiths staff. The investigation was conducted between Jan. 20 and 22 by the provinces non-partisan public service commission and IT experts, reviewing almost a million incoming, outgoing, and deleted emails over a four-month period, at the request of Smith two days after the first story was published.

Henderson argued that the ministrys findings dont mean that the CBCs reporting is inaccurate.

While the search extended back to October, the government has subsequently said that deleted emails are only retained for 30 days, in this instance, that is to December 22. The terms used in the search are confidential, it said, and would not say if the search included all government emails, she said.

Smith said in her Jan. 25 statement that she campaigned for seven months on exploring ways to grant legal amnesty for individuals charged with non-violent, non-firearms, pandemic-related violations.

After discussions with the minister of justice and ministry officials, Smith said she received legal advice not to proceed with pursuing options for granting amnesty.

The Premier followed that legal advice, the statement said.

All communications between the Premier, her staff, the Minister of Justice and Ministry of Justice public servants have been appropriate and made through the proper channels.

Marnie Cathcart contributed to this report.
Chevron Annual Profit Hits Record but Q4 Miss Hits Shares

Michael Wirth, Chairman and CEO Chevron Corp., speaks during an interview on CNBC on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York on March 1, 2022. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

HOUSTONChevron Corp. on Friday posted a record $36.5 billion profit for 2022 that was more than double year-earlier earnings, but the bottom line fell shy of Wall Street estimates, undercut by asset writedowns and rising costs.

The second largest U.S. oil producers adjusted net profit for 2022 exceeded its previous record set in 2011 by about $10 billion. Still, higher expenses and weaker oil and fuel profits left fourth-quarter earnings 6.6 percent below Wall Streets forecast, according to Refinitiv data.

Chevron shares were down 3.9 percent.

Its results kick off what promises to be nosebleed level earnings for global energy suppliers. High prices from strong demand and shortages since Russias invasion of Ukraine position Western energy firms to show a combined $200 billion profit for the year, according to analysts.

This seasons earnings have already put energy stocks at the top of industry returns as more companies lift their payouts to shareholders. The record shareholder payouts could stir fresh calls for windfall taxes.

We made progress winning back investors to energy and 2022. We still have a long way to go, finance chief Pierre Breber told Reuters in an interview.

The industry has potential to significantly increase its participation in the S&P index, even with modest production growth.

The White House on Wednesday protested Chevrons decision to triple its spending on share repurchases, now at $75 billion over five years at current guidance. The Biden administration wants companies to lower prices for consumers.

Shareholder Payouts

Shareholder rewards will continue to be the top priority for cash, Chevron officials said.

We can do it all, Breber said. After providing for shareholder dividends, Chevron will allocate cash to production and repaying debt, with share buybacks a fourth priority.

Im going to keep doing what we have been doing, year in and year out, he said.

Despite the furor over the buyback target, Chevrons spending on its own shares will be unchanged at $5 billion to $15 billion per year, Breber said.

The $75 billion can be thought of as five years at the current buyback rates, he said.

Chevron last year paid out $26 billion via dividends and buybacks to shareholders and invested $15.7 billion in operations.

This year, it will increase project expenditure to $17 billion, with two-thirds of outlays in the United States, where oil and gas output was up 4 percent over 2021.

It left global oil and gas production guidance for this year at flat to up 3 percent.

4th-Quarter Miss

In the final quarter, Chevron posted adjusted earnings of $7.9 billion, or $4.09 per share, below analysts estimate of a $4.38 per share profit.

The miss was primarily driven by higher corporate costs, with both the upstream and downstream coming in a touch below market expectations, said Biraj Borkhataria, European research director at RBC Capital.

Oil and gas production was down for the year, led by a 7 percent decline in international output due to the end of concessions in Thailand and Indonesia.

But Chevron has been shifting its focus for new investments and targeting production in the United States. U.S. production hit a record last year, led by a 16 percent increase in Permian, the countrys main shale basin.

Its refining business picked up and almost tripled results from the previous year as international fuel production delivered stronger margins. Refined product sales were up 7 percent, led by higher renewable fuel sales and jet fuel demand.
Chinas Electric Vehicles Could Destroy America

US oil and car industries are getting the short end

A solar panel is integrated into Chinese automaker BYD's F3BD, a hybrid vehicle at the company's display at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, on Jan. 10, 2011. (Geoff Robins/AFP via Getty Images)

Commentary

Since 2020, Chinas electric vehicle (EV) makers have been on a streak.

Other vehicle manufacturers are starting to look nervously in their rearview mirrors, err  cameras, and in some cases, sideviews. Some, such as Volvo, are even looking at their stock and realizing that a Chinese competitor has already bought a controlling share.

Is Chinas growing EV dominance an example of the so-called cooperation with China on global challenges such as climate change? Does the Biden administration deserve to ballyhoo it all as another shining example of U.S.China cooperation?

No. Beijing is the worlds worst polluter and an existential threat to democracy. It uses its weak environmental regulations and lousy labor policies to outcompete U.S. car manufacturers on price. Every dollar that China makes can be turned by Beijing into military aggression and human rights abuse, up to and including genocide.

By allowing EV makers to outsource production to China from the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea, and other allied countries, consumers in advanced democracies may be getting cheaper cars now. Still, they will pay in the long run when China monopolizes the supply chain.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could, for example, pressure the United States by stopping the shipment of vehicle batteries. Russia attempted something similar against Europe by stopping the flow of natural gas shortly after the start of the Ukraine war. Beijing had used such pressure before, when it stopped the shipment of rare earth elements, necessary in a broad range of manufacturing, to Japan in 2010. It didnt work in either case, but Moscows belief that it had leverage because of Europes gas dependence likely figured in Russian President Vladimir Putins decision to invade Ukraine.

A second advantage handed to China in the worlds switch from gas is that EV engines are simpler than the gas and diesel engines they replace. Gone will be the comparative advantage that higher-skilled engineers and workers in market democracies had.

The switch to battery means the motor is no longer a differentiator, Alexander Klose, an officer at a Chinese EV manufacturer, told Bloomberg. Its created a level playing field.

The article, published on Jan. 25, had the headline, The US Hasnt Noticed That China-Made Cars Are Taking Over the World.

In 2021, Japan led in passenger vehicle exports, Germany and China were neck-in-neck for second place, and the United States and South Korea trailed behind.

Since 2020, as the EV revolution hit, China is gaining fast. The output of all its competitors is either stalling or, in the case of the United States, falling.

Japanese car companies are slow out of the blocks to pure electric from hybrid vehicles. According to Reuters on Jan. 23, Lapping them are Chinese firms, which appear best-positioned to keep their pole position, both at home and internationally.

People visit the BYD booth during a media day for the Auto Shanghai show in Shanghai on April 19, 2021. (Aly Song/Reuters)

On Jan. 24, The Wall Street Journal reported that Ford was in talks to sell one of its plants in Germany to BYD, Chinas biggest EV maker.

The tightest choke point in the EV supply chain is battery manufacturing. BYD has it covered. China manufactures 56 percent of all EV batteries, and the CCP will put Chinas EV makers first in line.

BYD outsold Tesla in 2022 and already sells electric cars and buses in Europe. Buying the Ford plant in Germany would give BYD a stronghold for further expansion on the continent, according to the Journal.

A third advantage to Beijing from the world moving away from oil is that China has very little of it. The United States has a lot, so the shift is particularly painful for relative U.S. economic strength.

Chinas defeat of Americas oil and vehicle industries, after so many others have already gone, will put downward pressure on good American jobs. Industrial cities will atrophy more than they already have. Crime and drug use will rise. Governments from the local to the national levels will lose tax revenue. Fewer dollars will go to social and defense spending.

Into that power vacuum, repeated in democracies around the world, the CCP will step.

According to a Jan. 24 article published by The Heritage Foundation, China is engaged in an economic war with democracies around the globe and America must stay energy-independent.  If electric vehicles overtake the internal combustion engine, America should not cede its energy independence to China or other unfriendly nations.

This is the reality of the cheap, shiny electric cars that make us feel great about saving the planet in so much style that our neighbors shrink with envy. But that wilting wont stop at the neighbors fence. We will all diminish together as the CCPs power grows.

Our best defense is decoupling from China, including when we buy an EV.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Tough fight to meet the pledge was recently on the front page, bemoaning that the president was far from reaching his $11.4 billion annual commitment to help poor nations address climate change. He wanted $5.3 billion this year but ONLY got $1.06 billion.

The article continued with SAVE THE TREES FOR A FEE, discussing carbon forest offsets. One expert quoted was an energy economist and lawyer. Highlighted on the front page of the Enterprise Ledger that same day was the mayor of Enterprise declaring January Human Trafficking Awareness Month stating that 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year, mostly women and children.

God created the universe and established his rules of nature. The climate is changing and has been since the beginning of time. Climate change is a natural cycle. Human responsibility for the change is exaggerated. Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant but is essential to all life on earth and is beneficial for nature. The eruption of one volcano will offset all carbon offsets for an entire year. I would guess that God would vote to have the $1.06 billion in the budget spent to stop human trafficking rather than for climate change.

The advocates of green energy as a means of stopping climate change are misleading. What are the environmental, human, monetary, and political impacts of manufacturing batteries for electrical cars? The implications of having only electrical vehicles operating in the recent severe weather conditions in New York would be catastrophic.

My challenge to the editor of the Dothan Eagle is publish an article on climate change from the perspective of all scientists, not just those who support the green energy advocates.

Penny Palmer

Enterprise
Chula Vista Man Gets Over 11 Years in Prison for Blowing up ATM for Cash

SAN DIEGOA Chula Vista man who blew up two ATMs in an attempt to steal the money inside was sentenced Jan. 27 to more than 11 years in federal prison.

Chad Engel, 50, pleaded guilty to federal charges last year for his role in an explosion that damaged one ATM at a California Coast Credit Union and another that destroyed an ATM at a gas station in Miramar.

The U.S. Attorneys Office says that on July 4, 2017, Engel and co-defendant Scott Petri planted a pipe bomb underneath an ATM at the California Coast Credit Union on Ruffin Road. The explosion damaged the machine, but the men were not able to access the money within.

On Aug. 13, 2017, according to prosecutors, the men targeted an ATM located outside a Chevron station on Miramar Road. They drilled a hole into the machines housing, pumped gas inside, and ignited it. The explosion destroyed the machine and the men fled with cash.

According to a sentencing memorandum from Engels defense attorney, the two incidents yielded a grand total of $3,420.

The U.S. Attorneys Office said the men also broke into a National City laundromat on June 18, 2017, and tried to break into an ATM. They were unsuccessful at getting into the machine but stole about $140 from the laundromat, according to prosecutors.

One week later, they stole an ATM from a Rancho Penasquitos gas station, moved it elsewhere and cut into the machine in order to take the money inside, the U.S. Attorneys Office said.

Petri pleaded guilty and was sentenced last year to a time-served sentence for almost five years already spent behind bars. Engel received a 138-month sentence on Friday.
Unpaid fines can lead to license plate denial or the fines can be transferred to property taxes, garnished from wages, or referred to a collection agencythough it is not clear whether Ottawa has taken any of these steps.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the nationwide protest that began as a protest of the Liberal governments mandatory COVID-19 vaccination mandate for cross-border truck drivers. Other protesters joined at the time in calling for an end to other pandemic restrictions such as mandatory masking.

The protests ended after Prime Minister Justin Trudeauwho refused to meet with the protestersunprecedentedly invoked the Emergencies Act on Feb. 14, 2022, giving the police additional powers to clear away the demonstrators, such as compelling tow-truck companies to remove the protesters vehicles.

A public inquiry was held last fall into the justification to use the law for the first time since it replaced the War Measures Act in 1988. A final report from that inquiry must be presented to Parliament in February.

The City of Ottawa said the protest cost the municipality about $7 million and the Ottawa police $55 million. The city has asked the federal government to pick up the tab for those costs, but no funding announcement has been made.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino announced in December 2022 that the federal government will help Ontarios City of Windsor to pay for the costs of a border blockade that was held at a busy Canada-U.S. border crossing at the Ambassador Bridge, providing up to $6.9 million in federal funding.

The actual amount Windsor will receive is still under discussion, but the city had asked for millions in compensation for the alleged cost of business closures due to the border blockade.

Similar protests shut down border crossings in Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and at Coutts, Alberta, as protesters across the country stood in solidarity with those who gathered at the national capital last winter at the height of the Freedom Convoy.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
Doctor Who Tried to Save Ashli Babbitt on Jan. 6 Charged With 4 Misdemeanors for Time at the US Capitol

Dr. Austin Harris (lower left) provides medical aid to a wounded Ashli Babbitt at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Jayden X/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

A California doctor who treated the mortally wounded Ashli Babbitt after she was shot outside the House of Representatives on Jan. 6, 2021, was arrested by the FBI on four criminal charges stemming from his time at the U.S. Capitol.

Dr. Austin Brendlen Harris, 42, of Granada Hills, California, was arrested on Jan. 25 in Van Nuys, California.

Harris was charged in a criminal complaint in Washington D.C. with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without authority and disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or groundsboth misdemeanors with sentences of up to a year in jail. He was also charged with disorderly conduct and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol buildingboth misdemeanors.

Harris operates NeuroRelief Ketamine & Infusion Therapy in Sherman Oaks, California. Hes a board-certified cardiothoracic anesthesiologist.

Dr. Austin Harris wore a Lions Not Sheep cap at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (U.S. Department of Justice/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Harris treated Babbitts gunshot wound for four minutes after U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd shot her at about 2:45 p.m. that day. When Babbitt fell from the window frame she was climbing into, Harris stepped forward from the hallway crowd to provide aid.

A video journalist with medic training also tended to Babbitt before police drove both men from the hallway outside of the Speakers Lobby.

Harris was on his knees checking Babbitts upper chest wound when a U.S. Capitol Police bicycle officer reached down and grabbed him by the shoulders. The officer wrestled Harris away from Babbitt, grabbed him by the jacket, and shoved him down the hallway.

Officer Shoves Doctor

The visibly angry officer kept pushing Harris and the two struggled down the hallway. Its impossible to hear what was said between the men because the crowd was yelling at the police.

You did that! You did that! one protester shouted. You guys shot her!

Harris went back and asked the officer to retrieve his medical bag, which was still sitting next to Babbitt. The officer handed it back to him.

After Harris left the scene, police carried Babbitt head-first down the steps to the south entrance, where an FBI medic and others tried to keep her alive while a rescue squad was en route. She was pronounced dead at a Washington hospital at 3:15 p.m.

A U.S. Capitol Police officer shoves Dr. Austin Harris down the hallway outside the Speakers Lobby at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. (Jayden X/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

According to the statement of facts filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, Harris entered the Capitol at 2:15 p.m. through the Senate Wing doors and headed for the Crypt, which is one level below the Rotunda.

He attempted to bypass the line of officers and appeared to engage in a verbal confrontation with officers, the charging document said.

A few minutes earlier, Harris was on the Lower West Terrace next to the inauguration platform. He can be overheard comparing the officers to Nazis, the statement read. The document didnt include a direct quote or provide details on who heard the comment.

Ashli Babbitt (upper right) begins to fall back after being shot by Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd on Jan. 6, 2021. (Sam Montoya/Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Prosecutors included a screen capture of a post from Harriss Facebook page. In the post, Harris said he spent the day treating trauma patients at the Capitol building.

He also expressed his belief that the chaos in the Capitol was caused by Antifa dressed up like Trump supporters.

It is a false-flag event to allow even more oppression of conservatives, he wrote. I am so sad for our country. So much deceit, such a craving for absolute power by the swamp establishment has led to our election integrity becoming a joke, that a 90-pound unarmed woman was gunned down by Capitol Police being absolutely no threat.

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the nature of two of the charges against Harris. He is charged with four misdemeanors. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
Documentary Exposes Rise of the Unaccountable Fourth Branch of Government, Rule by Experts

A new documentary film attempting to throw light on the rise of government power wielded by unelected expertsknown today as the fourth branch of government or the administrative statelaunched online on Jan. 27.

This unaccountable administrative state, which is reined in at the margins by the courts from time to time, is why laws today largely come from administrative agencies, not from elected lawmakers responsible to voters, the documentary argues.

The film Trust Us by the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), a Sacramento, California-based national public interest law firm that specializes in challenging government overreach, traces the growth of the modern administrative state that empowers bureaucratsinstead of the peoples elected representativesto manage American society according to their preconceived notions of how the country should be run.

Directed by Chase Kinney and produced and written by Joseph Kast, the film features Amity Shlaes, author of The Forgotten Man; Roger Koppl, author of Expert Failure; former CIA analyst Martin Gurri; and PLF senior attorney Steve Simpson. Also featured are a bevy of academics, including George Mason Universitys Don Boudreaux, along with two Hillsdale College professors, Joseph Postell and Kevin Portteus.

The overarching theme of the film is that in nearly every aspect of American lifefrom the food you eat to the house you live in to the way you raise your childrentheres a powerful expert somewhere in the federal government who thinks youre doing it wrong. And these experts have accumulated more and more power for themselves at the expense of the constitutional system of limited government and checks and balances that the nations founders hoped would govern the country.

This rule by experts reached its apex in the governments perceived overreaction to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which led to clampdowns on individual liberty in order to combat a disease that was a threat only to a tiny percentage of the population. With the cheerleading of government science experts such as Anthony Fauci, the government showed that it can make people so frightened about a problem that they can be stampeded into eagerly surrendering their freedoms, according to the film.

The idea of scientific management of industry was promoted by Progressive Era mechanical engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor, whos credited with bringing assembly lines to U.S. factories. Critics say this efficiency experts ideas created Taylorism, a cult of scientific efficiency that spread to government leaders who were inspired to apply his approaches to managing the populace, according to the film.

President Woodrow Wilson, who viewed the U.S. Constitution as an obstacle to progress, got the process going by trying to offload some of the details of government administration from Congress to supposedly disinterested experts who would do a better job running the country.

Wilsons progressive attacks on the U.S. Constitution were subsequently amplified by Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Lyndon Johnson, who along the way created an alphabet soup of administrative agencies to apply bureaucrats expertise to the making of laws. Roosevelt, in particular, embraced this idea of government by experts, which was the essence of his New Deal that established massive federal agencies to regulate the economy. Truman expanded on this with his Fair Deal and Johnson put it on steroids with his Great Society and War on Poverty.

The movie argues that this elitist approach to governance has led to tragedies such as the government-ordered destruction of crops during the Great Depression while people starved, the construction of housing projects that quickly turned neighborhoods into crime-infested hellholes that had to be demolished, and the destruction of the nuclear family in minority communities by misguided social welfare policies.

According to Simpson, this body of power-wielding experts is called the administrative state because it has become a fourth branch of government that exercises all of the powers of the other three branches, a reference to the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

Another way to think about it is as an arbitrary army of bureaucrats  [whose] whole purpose  is to dictate the choices people make in their private lives, Simpson told The Epoch Times in an interview.

The Framers of the Constitution were trying to prevent this sort of government from happening, he said.

The film is available free of charge on the PLFs YouTube page.
FDA Sued for Withholding COVID-19 Vaccine Safety Analyses

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in White Oak, Md., on July 20, 2020. (Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been sued for withholding the results of key COVID-19 vaccine safety analyses.

The FDAs actions violate federal law, the new lawsuit, filed on Jan. 26 in federal court in Washington by the nonprofit Childrens Health Defense (CHD), alleges.

The suit is seeking the raw results from the FDAs analyses of reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

The system, which the FDA runs with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), accepts reports of post-vaccination adverse events.

As part of its vaccine safety monitoring, the FDA pledged to run an analysis called Empirical Bayesian (EB) data mining on the reports to see if any safety signals were triggered. These signals give agencies an idea of which problems may be caused by vaccines. Agencies are supposed to research signals to verify them or rule them unrelated to vaccination.

A report to VAERS does not mean that a vaccine caused an adverse event. But VAERS can give CDC and FDA important information. If it looks as though a vaccine might be causing a problem, FDA and CDC will investigate further and take action if needed, the CDC states on its website.

The FDA denied CHDs request for the results of the data mining, claiming that the records are intra-agency memoranda consisting of opinions, recommendations, and policy discussions within the deliberative process of FDA, from which factual information is not reasonably segregable.

The FDA also claimed that the sought-after information contains a discussion of legal and policy matters and fall within the attorney work product and attorney-client privileges as enunciated by the Supreme Court.

The FDA also refused to provide the results of the EB data mining to The Epoch Times, using the same rationale.

In a set of operating procedures, the federal government said that the FDA would carry out EB data mining and that the CDC would conduct a separate type of analysis using a method called Proportional reporting ratio, or another way to analyze the VAERS data.

After lying about when it started the proportional data mining and stonewalling inquiries, the CDC recently released the results of the analyses to The Epoch Times, revealing the agency identified hundreds of adverse events potentially connected to the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

Kim Witczak, co-founder of Woodymatters, a nonprofit that advocates for a stronger FDA and drug safety system, said at the time that the agencys refusal to provide the analyses wasnt acceptable.

The secrecy is unacceptable for an agency that said it is transparent with the public about vaccine safety, Witczak said.

Lawmakers, including Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), have also questioned (pdf) why the records werent released.

The FDA and CDC publicly acknowledge only a small number of adverse events as being definitely caused by or potentially caused by the messenger RNA vaccines, including myocarditis, or heart inflammation.

The CDC claimed that the results of its analyses were generally consistent with EB data mining.

CHD says that the refusal by the FDA to release the EB mining results violates the Freedom of Information Act, which enables people and organizations to request information from federal agencies.

While exemptions exist, the FDA improperly withheld the requested data, the new lawsuit charges. It notes that the FDA didnt provide any evidence to support its claims that it couldnt release the records.

While the CHD appealed to the government for a fresh look at the request, the FDA said it wouldnt have a response to the appeal until around the summer of 2023.

The Freedom of Information Act requires an agency to make requested records promptly available to a requester and imposes other time restrictions, which havent been adhered to, the suit says.

CHD is asking the court to find the FDAs failures to meet the time requirements unlawful and to order the FDA to produce all nonexempt records within 20 days. Its also asking the court to award attorneys fees and other litigation costs.

The FDA didnt respond to a request for comment.

It is long overdue for the FDA to release the data on the Empirical Bayesian data mining that it promised even before the COVID shot rollout Mary Holland, president and general counsel of CHD, said in a statement. It is reprehensible for this agency, established to protect the American people, to conceal critical data. I trust that the courts will command the FDA to do its job.
Fijis New Leader Scraps Police Training Deal With China, Fires Top Cop

People's Alliance Party leader Sitiveni Rabuka gestures during a press conference while counting resumes after the Fijian election in Suva, Fiji, on Dec. 17, 2022. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)

Fijis newly elected leader said on Jan. 26 that the Fijian security force would cease working with personnel from China, signaling the end of a policing agreement that was signed between the two nations in 2011.

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who took office in December 2022, deemed it unnecessary for the Pacific Island nation to continue its policing agreement with China given the differences in their respective systems.

Our system of democracy and justice systems are different, so we will go back to those that have similar systems with us, Rabuka was quoted as saying by Fiji Times.

Rabuka, a former major general in the Fijian army, said that Fijian security forces would instead work with personnel from Australia and New Zealand, who he believes have systems comparable to Fiji.

The Fiji Police Force and Chinas Ministry of Public Security signed an agreement in 2011 to allow Fijian police officers to receive training in China and Chinese officers to be deployed to Fiji on attachment programs. China also appointed a police liaison to be based in Fiji in September 2021.

Separately, the new government suspended commander Francis Kean and police commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho on Jan. 27, as they were seen as having close ties to former Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama.

President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere said the suspension was made on the advice of the Constitutional Offices Commission pending investigation and referral to and appointment of a tribunal, according to local reports.

ChinaFiji Relations

Fiji has been pivotal in the regions response to competition between China and the United States and struck a deal with Australia in October 2022 for greater defense cooperation.

China has been a longstanding partner of Fiji, with ties being established during a lull in diplomatic relations with Australia, after the country went through a period of democratic instability following two military coups staged by Rabuka in 1987.

In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Rabuka said that while he believed Fiji didnt need to strengthen security ties with allies such as China, the new government would relook at Fijis strategic relationships with a view to keeping stability and peace in the region.

We would not like to contribute to any disruptions and fractures of the current situation where we have a general sense of peace in the Pacific, he said.

He said Chinas reemergence had the potential to reform the peaceful atmosphere we now have.

That is something we have to avoid, and it can be avoided by frank responsible dialogue.

The new Fijian leader has previously spotlighted that he was concerned about China increasing involvement in Fijis political landscape.

Rabuka was sworn in as prime minister on Dec. 24, 2022, after a coalition of parties that narrowly won the December 2022 election voted to install him, marking the first change in the Pacific nations government in 16 years.

Victoria Kelly-Clark and Reuters contributed to this report.
Former Trump Lawyer John Eastman Faces Disbarment in California

The State Bar of California is moving to disbar attorney and former law professor John Eastman for supporting President Donald Trumps efforts to challenge the 2020 election results.

In a disciplinary action filed on Thursday, the regulatory body of California lawyers claimed that Eastman should be stripped of his license over his actions in the period leading up to, and in the aftermath of, the Jan. 6, 2021, protest that devolved into a breach of the U.S. Capitol building.

Eastman is accused of violating multiple attorney ethics rules as he provided legal advice and formulated legal strategies in aid of Trumps presidential bid. The state bars trial counsel brought 11 counts against him, including one count of failure to support the Constitution, two count of seeking to mislead the court, and six counts of misrepresentation.

The counsel particularly took issue with, among other things, Eastmans attempt to convince Vice President Mike Pence that he had the authority to reject electoral votes from seven states where the integrity of the election was called into question. Pence eventually refused to take the advice, as Eastman laid out in a two-page memo.

[Eastman] knew, or was grossly negligent in not knowing, that this assertion was false and misleading, the counsel alleged.

Eastmans attorney, Randall Miller, said in a statement that his client disputes every aspect of the accusations.

Any lawyer engaged to provide his or her legal assessment in a dynamic, consequential, and often emotional arena should be deeply troubled by the notion that a licensing authority (bar) can take their license if they do not like the lawyers advice, or find the advocacy distasteful, Miller said in a statement.

The foundation of any engagement is that the lawyer shall protect the clients interests, at every turn, he added. This is includes raising all viable options.

The complaint now heads to the State Bar Court of California, which will ultimately decide on it.

A member of Trumps inner circle of legal advisers during the 2020 election, Eastman has faced scrutiny from the Democrat-dominated House Jan. 6 Committee and President Joe Bidens Department of Justice for the role he played in what they deemed insurrection. In its final report, the now-dissolved committee condemned the plan he created for Pence as insane and crazy, recommending that he faces federal criminal prosecution.

Eastman has dismissed the committees recommendation as an absurdly partisan move carrying no legal weight.

The January 6th committee had the resources and mandate to make important contributions in the area of Capitol Security, Electoral Count Act Reform and other areas of potential legislation. Sadly, this opportunity has been squandered in favor of concocting a pretend criminal case from pretend prosecutors designed to create political advantage for the Democratic Party and stigmatize disfavored political groups, he said in a statement in December 2022. The American people have been ill-served by the January 6th committee and its members.

Eastman also resigned from his teaching position at Chapman University following pressure from faculty and students to have him fired, which the universitys president resisted.
FTX Opposes New Bankruptcy Investigation as It Probes Bankman-Fried Connections

Former FTX Chief Executive Sam Bankman-Fried, who faces fraud charges over the collapse of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange, arrives on the day of a hearing at Manhattan federal court in New York on Jan. 3, 2023. (David Dee Delgado/Reuters)

ZURICH/LONDONFTX has objected to a U.S. Department of Justice request for an independent investigation into the once-prominent crypto exchanges collapse, saying it is already conducting a wide-ranging probe that includes family members of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried.

FTX said in a court filing in Wilmington, Delaware, late on Wednesday that the DOJs proposed review would only add cost and delay to its bankruptcy case. FTX acknowledged fraud, dishonesty, incompetence, misconduct, mismanagement, and irregularity in its past conduct, but said that its previous wrongdoing is already being probed by the companys new management, its creditors and law enforcement agencies.

As part of its own investigation, FTX asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge John Dorsey, who is overseeing its Chapter 11 proceedings, to help it secure documents from Bankman-Fried, members of his family and other insiders with information about FTX transactions that used misappropriated and stolen funds. These transactions, it said, include a $16.7 million Bahamian real estate purchase under the name of Bankman-Frieds parents, Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried.

FTX is also seeking information about political donations connected to Bankman-Fried, asking wide-ranging questions about Mind the Gap, a political action committee founded by Barbara Fried, and Guarding Against Pandemics, an advocacy organization founded by Sam Bankman-Fried and his brother, Gabriel Bankman-Fried. FTX said Guarding Against Pandemics multimillion-dollar Washington, D.C., headquarters was purchased with misappropriated funds.

Bankman-Fried and members of his family could not immediately be reached for comment.

A spokesperson for Mind the Gap said it did not receive direct contributions from Sam Bankman-Fried, although Bankman-Fried made donations to some political causes it recommended to its donor network.

FTX, once among the worlds top crypto exchanges, shook the sector in November by filing for bankruptcy, leaving an estimated 9 million customers and other investors facing total losses in the billions of dollars.

The U.S. Department of Justices bankruptcy watchdog has called for an independent investigation into its collapse, a request that received backing from a bipartisan group of U.S. senators.

The logo of FTX at the entrance of the FTX Arena in Miami on Nov. 12, 2022. (Marco Bello/Reuters)

FTXs new CEO, John Ray, who worked with court-appointed examiners while leading Enron Corp and Residential Capital through bankruptcy, is prepared to testify that examiners in those two cases cost a combined $150 million and provided minimal benefits to creditors, FTX said.

FTXs official committee of creditors joined the company in opposing the appointment of an examiner.

FTX also on Wednesday night filed a new list of creditors in bankruptcy court, which included financial watchdogs and government agencies from the United States, Japan and Switzerland, as well as companies including Airbnb Inc and crypto giant Binance.

Airbnb and Binance did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The U.S. Treasurys Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are among those on the new list of creditors. It did not give details of the nature or amount of monies owed.

FTX said on Thursday that the list was meant to ensure the broadest possible outreach to potential stakeholders in its bankruptcy, and that FTX does not necessarily owe money to each name on the creditor list.

FTX said last year it owed its 50 biggest creditors nearly $3.1 billion. Dorsey in January allowed FTX to keep secret the names of 9 million of its individual customers for three months.

Sam Bankman-Fried, who has been accused of stealing billions of dollars from FTX customers to pay debts incurred by his crypto-focused hedge fund, has pleaded not guilty to fraud charges. He is scheduled to face trial in October.

By Noele Illien, Tom Wilson and Dietrich Knauth
Germanys Defense Fund Not Enough, Sending Fighter Jets Ruled Out: Defense Minister

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius puts on ear protection during firing practice at armoured infantry training area Altengrabow, Germany, on Jan. 26, 2023. (Kay Nietfeld/Pool via Reuters)

BERLINGermanys 100 billion euro ($108 billion) special defense fund is no longer enough to cover its needs, the new Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung published on Friday.

Pistorius, who took office last week after his predecessor resigned, said Germany would also need to raise its annual regular defense spending from the current level of around 50 billion euros.

Germany also needs to replenish its military hardware stocks, including replacements for the 14 Leopard tanks that Berlin agreed to send to Ukraine to help repel Russias invasion, the new defense chief said.

Germanys decision to suspend compulsory military service in 2011 was a mistake, he added, saying he was hesitant to place a burden upon young generations but was open to discussing a new model to strengthen the relationship between citizens and the state.

Asked whether Germany would sent fighter jets to Ukraine, the next request from Kyiv after Germany approved earlier this week the delivery of Leopard 2 tanks, Pistorius said this was ruled out.

Fighter aircrafts are much more complex systems than main battle tanks and have a completely different range and firepower. We would be venture into dimensions that I would currently warn against, Pistorius said in the interview.

($1 = 0.9223 euros)
Professional medical associations (PMAs) are foundational to the U.S. medical system, developing practice guidelines, providing medical education, and publishing journals. While there are scores of PMAs, probably the most well-known and largest are the American Heart Association, with more than 33,000 members; the American Academy of Pediatrics, with more than 64,000 members; and the American Medical Association, with more than 200,000 members.

Yet, according to doctor-authored opinion pieces in medical journals, conflicts of interest (COIs) such as a lack of transparency about industry money received, can present ethical challenges. For example, does funding from a drug or device maker influence an associations recommendation in its official guidelines? There are reasons to be concerned that it might.

Such conflicts of interest require PMAs to maintain a high degree of academic independence and scientific integrity by avoiding inappropriate influence from commercial interests, Dr. Steven Nissen wrote in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Some physicians focus only on their medical practices, but along with actively maintaining mine, I have chosen to speak out on matters of public policy, Nissen, who was named one of the most influential people in 2007 by Time magazine, told the Cleveland Jewish News. To be free of conflict of interest, I never receive an honorarium from any drug company I work with.

Financial COIs Identified in British Medical Journal

Researchers writing in the British Medical Journal in 2020 followed the money trail of several prominent PMAs and found their leaders received significant drug maker largesse between 2017 and 2019.

Leaders of the North American Spine Society received more than $9.5 million for general payments, the researchers wrote. Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) leaders received more than $4.7 million during the time period. Michael McKee, president of the OTA, responded to the research article by saying most of that funding was for research. Other PMA leaders took money for similar reasons.

Research payments linked to leaders of the American Society of Clinical Oncology were over $54 million and for those of the American College of Cardiology, almost $21 million, the BMJ study noted.

The researchers obtained the financial information from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Open Payments system, which maintains transparent databases mandated by the 2010 Sunshine Act to disclose financial relationships between industry and medical practitioners and teaching hospitals.

Despite their influence over key aspects of medicine, the leaders of professional medical associations have received limited scrutiny about their relationships with industry, the researchers wrote. Industries interested in maximizing markets, can easily drive overdiagnosis, overuse, and overmedicalization, resulting in at least 20 percent of health care spending thats estimated to be wasted.

Is Heart Associations Food Certification Program a Conflict?

Almost everyone is familiar with the 108-year-old American Heart Association (AHA) and its public health messaging. Yet fewer people know that the organization is paid by food manufacturers to put a heart-check mark on hundreds of foods that reads American Heart Association Certified: Meets criteria for heart-healthy food.

According to the AHA, food manufacturers can pay up to $6,000 for yearly licenses for five food products. The program not only raises conflicts of interest questions but also questions about medical veracity.

The AHA rakes in millions from food corporations for the use of its heart-check mark, cardiologist Barbara Roberts, author of The Truth About Statins: Risks and Alternatives to Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs, said in an interview with HuffPost. Some of the so-called heart-healthy foods it has endorsed include Boars Head All Natural Ham, which contains 340 milligrams of sodium in a two-ounce serving, and Boars Head EverRoast Oven Roasted Chicken Breast, which contains 440 milligrams of sodium in a two-ounce serving.

High sodium intake raises blood pressure, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, studies have shown that eating processed meat increases the risk of diabetes and atherosclerosis.

The AHA didnt respond to questions from The Epoch Times when contacted for this story.

Questions About Diabetes Associations

According to its website, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is funded by many corporations including drug makers Abbott, Lilly Diabetes, and Novo Nordisk who are Platinum Partners contributing between $1 million and $2.5 million annually. The Access to Medicine Foundation calls Lilly Diabetes and Novo Nordisk two of the worlds top three insulin makers (The third is Sanofi.) Since insulin is basic to diabetes care and prohibitively costly, some have asked why JDFR and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) havent been more aggressive in protesting the high price of insulin on behalf of patients.

The authors of a 2022 story in U.S. political magazine Jacobin say they have suffered from high insulin prices.

Living with this illness is a precarious existence. As people with T1D [Type 1 diabetes], we have traveled to other countries to get cheaper versions of the drug and have been forced by insurance companies to use lower-quality insulin, they wrote. Many people with diabetes meet in parking lots to exchange supplies or starve themselves to lower the amount of insulin they need.

Twenty-five percent of insulin-dependent diabetics ration insulin, which can lead to complications including life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis, blindness, amputation, and death, Annalisa van den Bergh and Robin Cressman wrote.

The authors werent entirely pleased with diabetes nonprofits and recent U.S. national legislation.

Major diabetes nonprofits have supported incremental measures but have remained silent on more meaningful reform, they wrote.

While JDRF and ADA both supported the insulin pricing cap in the Build Back Better bill and the House-passed the Affordable Insulin Now Act, which caps insulin out-of-pocket expenses, the measure only pertains to co-pays, the Jacobin authors wrote.

Copay caps tie our survival to the health care status quo because anyone is at risk of losing their insurance, allow the big three to continue to profit from $300 a vial insulin, and in our view give the false impression that the problem is being solved.

The ADA didnt respond to The Epoch Times request for comment about its insulin pricing efforts. Meanwhile, the JDRF told The Epoch Times it has long advocated for the lowering of out-of-pocket insulin costs for people with diabetes.

This includes our recent multimillion-dollar investment in the Civica insulin project that will provide three of the most frequently prescribed insulins for $30 per vial and $55 for a box of five pens, regardless of insurance status. We have also spent years lobbying Congress and calling on insulin manufacturers, health plans, employers, and the government to take action to lower the cost of insulin. These efforts have led to the recent $35 monthly cap on insulin costs for Medicare enrollees, the JDRF said.

The PMA says less than 1 percent of its funding comes from companies that manufacture insulin, and they disclose those monies on their website.

These companies have no role in decisions about advocacy and research priorities. Most of our funding comes from those affected by Type 1 diabetes, who raise funds from their friends, families, and professional contacts through our Walk, Gala, Ride, and other fundraising programs, the JDRF responded.

While the JDRF may provide a reasonable argument for the judicious use of corporate funders with vested interests, other examples raise more concerning issues.

Concerns About Association COIs Arent New

More than 10 years ago, concerns about pharmaceutical funding influencing policy guidelines and clinicians were already surfacing. Researchers wrote in the journal Annals of Family Medicine that there has been dramatic increase in the diagnosis and pharmaceutical management of common chronic illnesses. After conducting a study of Type 2 diabetes and hypertension treatment in 44 primary care clinics in Michigan, they recommended limiting the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on clinical practice, toward improving the well-being of patients with chronic illness.

One example of such apparent influence was reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

In 2009, the American Geriatrics Society joined others in advocating for greater opioid use to treat chronic pain in seniors, especially those 75 and older, the newspaper reported. The new guidelines recommended that over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen and naproxen, be used rarely and that doctors instead consider prescribing opioids for all patients with moderate to severe pain. The groups guidelines are a key reference for thousands of doctors on the front line of medicine.

On the basis of disclosures filed with the American Geriatrics Society, it was found that of a panel of 10 experts who made the pain recommendations, at least five had financial ties to opioid companies, as paid speakers, consultants or advisers at the time the guidelines were issued.

Other Medical Associations Respond

The Epoch Times asked the North American Spine Society to comment on the BMJs characterization of its industry funding, and Jeff Karzen, senior manager of publications at the society, said he had no comment.

Dr. James Kirkpatrick, chair of the American College of Cardiology [ACC] Ethics and Compliance Committee, spoke to The Epoch Times about the figures identified in the BMJ article.

The ACC itself collaborates with industry, including in the administration of unrestricted, multi-company financial support, In doing so, we follow the highest standards of oversight, transparent structure, and unbiased management.

It is worth noting that, in the BMJ study, more than 90 percent of payments made to ACC leaders was in the form of research support, which is categorically different than direct payments to physicians and other transfers of value, as it is usually administered through a third party, such as a medical school, research institute, or granting agency.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) also emphasized research support when responding to The Epoch Times request for comment.

As referenced by the BMJ article, the majority of financial relationships with healthcare companies were related to research and paid directly to academic institutions, the ASCO said. This research serves an important role in clinical oncology and is critical to making progress against cancer through improved treatments that advance cancer care for patients.

On its website, the society states, ASCO regards the management of potential conflicts of interest as paramount to the integrity of ASCOs programs, products, and services.

Its COI policy primarily relies on disclosure of all financial relationships that might result in actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest but also recognizes that some relationships cannot be managed with disclosure alone and identifies additional management steps in this case.

Conclusion

Certainly, PMAs are invaluable in researching and raising awareness of respective diseases, providing medical education and publishing journals, but some medical voices would like to see greater transparency and firewalls with industry, especially when it comes to practice guidelines. As both writers in the Annals of Family Medicine and Jacobin have noted, the sales of pharmaceutical products should never come before patients interests.

To find out possible industry funding of medical practitioners, hospitals, and medical centers that you may visit, the CMS Open Payments database is searchable. Another useful database where such information can be searched is ProPublicas Dollars for Docs site.

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.
Middle- and senior-level employees are likely to see their salaries rise 5-25% this year, according to surveys by several recruitment agencies.

According to the results of a recent salary survey conducted by Navigos, nearly 27% of respondents said salaries of middle- and senior-level employees will rise by from 5% to less than 10%, more than 23% said salaries will remain unchanged, more than 15% said salaries will increase by less than 5%, and nearly 12% said they will rise by 10% to 15%.

Global Salary Survey 2023 conducted by Robert Walters in 31 countries, including Vietnam, said 88% of companies are willing to increase salaries by 15-25% this year.

For employees in some sectors like the digital industry, salary hikes could be as high as 35% during the year.

According to Navigos, many businesses are still in the post-pandemic recovery phase, and so have not been able to sharply increase salaries for their employees.

However, over 50% of the surveyed firms said they will improve policies on salary, bonuses, allowances, and other benefits such as flexible working hours, educational opportunities, promotions, and technological applications.

Phuc Pham, country manager at Robert Walters Vietnam, said there are two main reasons why companies are willing to raise salaries this year.

The first reason is the rising cost of living, with some 65% of firms reporting this to their employees.

Second, companies have difficulty in retaining employees, especially high-quality ones.

"Employees are also expecting higher salaries, because the recruitment market has a certain difference, when the number of employees to be recruited is bigger than the pool of suitable candidates," Pham said.

According to Robert Walters, sectors with the highest salary growth prospects this year in Vietnam include supply chain, procurement and logistics, technology and transformation, and digital industry.

Meanwhile, sectors with the highest risks of job cuts include the legal sector, engineering and manufacturing, sales and marketing.

When asked about their expectations for their companies salary and bonus policies this year, over 45% of the 4,170 people polled by Navigos said they wanted an annual salary increase of 10% or more.

The year 2023 could also be the year when mid- and senior-level employees are more willing to change jobs after the two stressful years of the pandemic.

According to Robert Walters, 74% of employees expressed their intention to work in other units of their firms, or to change jobs this year. And due to the expected increase in the cost of living, nearly 87% of surveyed employees expected a salary hike in the year.

In the Robert Walters survey, the three criteria other than salary that candidates appreciated the most in employers are remuneration and benefits, an inspiring work culture and colleagues, and flexible working hours.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday classified the recall of Swedish medical equipment maker Getinges heart devices as its most serious type since their use could lead to death.

Datascope, a unit of Getinge, had recalled 4,454 therapeutic devices in December following a death and four serious injuries from their use. The devices are designed to help the heart pump more blood.

The unit has received 134 complaints related to the devices, including unexpected shutdowns, which can cause a burst, leak, or torn balloon leading blood to enter the intra-aortic balloon pump during therapy.

Getinge is in the process of developing further instructions for use and may develop longer term design improvements when it comes to ease of use and safety, the company said in an emailed statement. It added that the cost of the recall is not material.

The company had informed customers to follow clinical guidance in December, Getinge said.
As medical freedom continues to flatten under the weight of bureaucratic paperwork, an organization advocating for independence from restrictive insurance regulations is seeking to restore critical thinking in health care. Its goal is to heal the doctor-patient relationship by removing the conveyor belt method of treatmentthe product of an increasingly socialized medical system.

Twila Brase is a nurse and co-founder of the Minnesota-headquartered Citizens Council for Health Freedom (CCHF), and founder of The Wedge of Health Freedom. She is the author of Big Brother in the Exam Room: The Dangerous Truth about Electronic Health Records.

Our organization is building a new framework for health freedom, a parallel system of cash-based care at every level, including a return to real insurancethe indemnity policies that pay the patient, who uses those dollars to pay the doctor and hospital, with no outside interference, Brase told The Epoch Times.

The new framework is designed to return to the personalized doctor-patient relationship, currently diminished by mandated, standardized protocols that have hijacked the physicians autonomy as a practitioner and have reduced the patient to a mere source of data.

Big Business Takes Over Medicine

The mission of medicine has been overtaken by the business of health care, Brase said.

Brase details where this process began in her 2001 article, Blame Congress for HMOs. She charts howafter the 1965 enactment of Medicare and Medicaidliterally overnight, on July 1, 1966, millions of Americans lost all financial responsibility for their health decisions.

Since that time, the freedom of doctors to maneuver through the narrowing walls of the administrative labyrinth has only lessened, while the cost to the patient for medical care has continued to rise.

According to Brase, the propagation of HMOs (health maintenance organizations), stemmed from a financial crisis caused by the launch of Medicare and Medicaid.

Offering free care led to predictable results, Brase writes in her article. Because Congress placed no restrictions on benefits and removed all sense of cost-consciousness, health-care use and medical costs skyrocketed. Congressional testimony reveals that between 1969 and 1971, physician fees increased 7 percent and hospital charges jumped 13 percent, while the Consumer Price Index rose only 5.3 percent. The nations health care bill, which was only $39 billion in 1965, increased to $75 billion in 1971. Patients had found the fount of unlimited care, and doctors and hospitals had discovered a pot of gold.

Under the Thumb of Government

Those in favor of universal coverage used the financial crisis to advocate for HMOs, which Brase called a more corporate version of socialized medicine under which individual control over health care decisions was weakened.

The HMO system was a step closer to a national health care system, Brase said, or what the public would decades later often call the Affordable Care Act of 2010, which mandated health plansthe new name for the HMOfor almost everyone.

Doctors have been put under the thumb of government and its collaborative partner, which are the health plans making out like bandits in [this arrangement], Brase said.

Big government does not want to return to paying the medical billsat neither a state nor a federal level, Brase said.

It wants the health plans to do it, she said. It wants health plans to ration the care and to keep the health care costs [down], but its really the tail wagging the dog.

According to Brase, its the health plans that are in control, not Congress. Further, it was the Affordable Care Act that endowed the health plans with the largest payoff in what has become an intricate swindle.

A Wedge of Freedom

What COVID-19 brought to light was how restricted doctors have been for decades when it comes to treating patients, Brase said.

COVID really showed the need for this new framework, Brase said. Patients have asked for hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, and what theyve been told is: It doesnt fit the protocol.

In 2016, The Wedge of Health Freedom foundation was launched toas Brase describedprovide a wedge of freedom, or a zone of deregulation, which health care providers and patients can enter when the government-controlled health plan says no.

I recently asked an audience in Texas how many of them remembered when the insurance company paid you the money, and then you used it to pick your hospital, pick your doctor, and pay them, Brase said. The oldest people in the audience were [the ones] who raised their hands.

It wouldnt be rocket science to return to this model, but its unfamiliar because so many people dont remember it, she said.

Its either go back to this or have a fully socialized health care system, she said. But I think doctors are clamoring for freedom, affordability, and confidentiality.

Confidentiality itself has been set aside by the electronic health record (EHR), which became the command and control system ordering how a doctor can treat a patient, Brase said. Everything is dictated by the government-mandated EHR, she added.

The COVID-19 protocols that are in the computer dont allow for early treatments like ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine but tell the patient to go home until symptoms worsen, she said.

By then, in terms of COVID, youve passed into the cytokine storm, which is really dangerous territory, Brase said.

After the inevitable hospitalization, the patient undergoes a series of treatments that provide payoffs from the federal government, she said. However, as many have reported to The Epoch Times, these protocols frequently result in death.

The CARES Act, which increased Medicare payments to hospitals treating COVID-19 patients, created a lucrative reimbursement plan. It allowed hospitals that adhered to government protocols to reap, potentially, hundreds of thousands per patient: beginning with a positive COVID-19 test, the use of government-approved antivirals, putting the patient on a ventilator, and ending with the hospital listing COVID-19 as the cause of death on a death certificate.

Meanwhile, hospitals that did not adhere to government protocols faced financial consequences.

Eight Principles

Though the rising cost of treatment is frequently attributed to the advancement of medical technology, Brase argued that its the third parties and their regulations that have made health care expensive; whereas, in a cash-based system, procedures like surgeries could be 50 to 90 percent lower than they are in a system of co-pays and deductibles.

Doctors, clinics, surgical centers, dentists, and other health care facilities that wish to join the network engage in a voluntary collaborative venture between third-party free practiceswho have no insurance or government contractsand the CCHF.

To be added to The Wedges map of providers, health care facilities must offer transparent, affordable pricing; a cash-based system of payment; a protected patient-doctor relationship; the freedom to choose; patient inclusivity; and true patient privacy.

In addition, a health care provider must not engage in government reporting or allow outside interference from third parties, according to The Wedges list of principles for practitioners.

Because its a zone of deregulation, The Wedge itself has no requirements for how physicians treat patients, other than the above principles, Brase said.

In this zone, one doctor may push the COVID-19 vaccine, another may not, she said. It is the individual doctors choice. That is not an option under the current system.

There have always been disagreements among doctors about how even a symptom like an ear infection should be treated, Brase said. That just shows how, as individuals, we are all unique. And patients are unique down to their DNA.

Patients also have different family relations, time constraints, jobs, belief systems, and side effects, Brase said. All those things affect treatment.

This Isnt the Way Its Supposed to Work

Instead of going to a doctor who will adhere to a one-size-fits-all protocol, patients need doctors who will work with them as individuals, Brase said. It is an art that has become lost in the standard of care.

Doctors need their freedom to practice and use their own critical thinking to come up with ideas that might not even be protocol yet, Brase said. There are ideas that havent even been thought of, she said, but in a new situationlike treating COVID-19 with ivermectin or hydroxychloroquinemany doctors cant address it properly because its an anomaly to the computer.

Doctors and patients have been put on a metaphorical conveyer belt, Brase said, which leaves no time for investigation, research, and innovation.

In this conveyer belt system, patients arent known by their names, but by their identification numbers.

Its just wrong, Brase said. This isnt the way its supposed to work. Thats why the solution is to go back to patient-centered care and do away with the third parties.
HMRC Admits Mistakes Amid Tory Chair Nadhim Zahawis Tax Row

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on Saturday admitted to administrative errors as a report said the tax office last year stated no government minister was under investigation when Nadhim Zahawi was.

It comes as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak resisted pressure to sack Zahawi, who is now the Conservative Party chairman, from his Cabinet.

According to the Financial Times (FT), the HMRC told the publication on June 23, 2022, that no ministers were under investigation while Zahawi, who was the education secretary at the time, was being probed. This was less than two weeks before Zahawi was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer following Sunaks resignation.

In a Twitter thread detailing what had happened, FT journalist Jim Pickard said the debacle began with the HMRCs response to a Freedom of Information (FoI) request made by Tax Policy Associates Founder Dan Neidle, who shared the thread.

On June 15, 2022, Neidle got a response from the HMRC saying one minister was under its investigation.

He then shared the response with Pickard, who was going to publish a story on it. But Pickard ended up pulling the story on June 23 after the HMRC said no minister was under investigation.

But on July 7, two days after Zahawi become chancellor and one day before the Independent reported that Zahawi was being investigated, the HMRC changed its answer again, saying there was one minister under investigation.

Neidle then filed a separate FoI request for internal communications regarding his original request and FTs inquiry.

According to Pickard, the 200-page emails showed that officials first poured over an inaccurate list that included the name of a senior Conservative MP whom they thought was a minister.

After realising their mistake, they then told Neidle no minister was under investigation, without realising they had only searched through part of the HMRC.

Its unclear when HMRC officials made a new search that found Zahawis case. Pickard said he was told it was a coincidence that the correction came the day before the Independent story was published.

In a statement emailed to The Epoch Times, a spokesperson for the HMRC said officials regret the errors.

We acknowledge that the processing of this FOI request was subject to a series of administrative errors, which we very much regret, the statement reads, referring to Neidles first request.

We corrected these errors as soon as they came to light and are confident that our most recent response to Mr. Neidle was both accurate and in line with the Information Commissioners Office guidance, the spokesperson said, adding that the HMRC cannot comment on identifiable taxpayers.

Under Pressure to Resign

Zahawi has been under pressure since UK media alleged that he had avoided tax by using Balshore Investments, an offshore company registered in Gibraltar, to hold shares in the polling company he co-founded, YouGov.

The former chancellor admitted on Jan. 21 that he had paid a penalty to HMRC to settle the dispute but insisted that his tax error was careless and not deliberate and he is confident he has acted properly throughout.

Sunak said on Jan. 23 that he has asked new ethics adviser Sir Laurie Magnus to assess whether Zahawi had breached the ministerial code.

But the prime minister said Zahawi, whose position the Labour Party says is untenable, will stay in his post during the inquiry.

Sunak had previously defended Zahawi against the tax allegations, telling Prime Ministers Questions on Jan. 18 that Zahawi has already addressed this matter in full, and theres nothing more that I can add.

But Downing Street suggested on Jan. 23 that Sunak wasnt aware last week that Zahawi had paid a penalty.

Calls for Zahawi to step aside have grown louder after HMRC head Jim Harra said that there were no penalties for innocent errors in your tax affairs.

Appearing before the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons on Thursday, Harra said: So if you take reasonable care, but nevertheless make a mistake, whilst you will be liable for the tax and for interest if its paid late, you would not be liable for a penalty.

But if your error was as a result of carelessness, then legislation says that a penalty could apply in those circumstances.

Senior Tory MP Sir Jake Berry said it is unsustainable for Zahawi to remain in power, arguing it was necessary to step aside while under investigation so the public can have faith in the process.

Speaking on Thursday during a Cabinet away day at Chequers, the prime ministers country residence, Sunak maintained his position that he will await the findings of the investigation into whether the former chancellor broke the ministerial code.

Alexander Zhang contributed to this report.
Hong Kongs Values Will Live Longer Than Dictatorship: Former Hong Kong Governor

Lord Chris Patten on Sept. 17, 2013 in London, England. Lord Patten, Hong Kong's last British governor, testified before the Congressional-Executive Commission on China on Nov. 20, 2022. (Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Hong Kongs last governor reassured Hongkongers that the Chinese regime would soon disappear and Hong Kongs values would outlast any dictatorship during his Lunar New Year greeting to Hongkongers.

On Jan. 21, the day before the start of the New Lunar Year of the rabbit, Hong Kong Watch, a nonprofit human rights organization, shared a video of Lord Chris Patten of Barnes, the last governor of Hong Kong from 1992 to 1997.

Patten first wished Hongkongers Kung Hei Fat Choi in Cantonese. He then shared that he is saddened by many Hongkongers leaving the city or becoming exiled. He said everything the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has done will make it disappear sooner or later into the rearview mirror of history, and the values represented by Hong Kong would last longer than any dictatorship anywhere, including in Beijing.

Pattens new year wishes were paired with the Chinese instrumental version of Glory to Hong Kong, which was dubbed as an unofficial anthem during the anti-extradition movement in 2019.

He added that many Hongkongers, despite having no choice but to become exiles and migrate to the United Kingdom and other countries, have made huge contributions to wherever they now call home.

Patten is saddened that Hongkongers had to leave Hong Kong due to the comprehensive assault on Hong Kongs freedom by Beijing communists. Adding that the so-called United Front friends of Beijing are accomplices of doing their bad work in Hong Kong.

The last governor reiterated he loves Hong Kong, and the city will always be on his mind.

And he and many others firmly believe that the dictatorship and everything it has done will bring the consequence it deserves.

Distinguish Between the CCP and Chinese People

David Alton, another advocate for human rights in China and Hong Kong, sent his new year greetings on Facebook on Jan. 22.

He believes it is necessary to distinguish between the Chinese Communist Party and the excellent Chinese people. Alton says his thoughts are always with the Uyghur Muslim people trapped in the Xinjiang camp, the Tibetan minority group, the suppressed Hongkongers, and the Taiwanese threatened by the regime.

Alton said he misses Cardinal Joseph Zen, Hong Kong jailed democrats and protesters, such as Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, Joshua Wong Tsz-fung, Falun Gong, and other Chinese religious followers.

Alton reminded the viewers of a Chinese citizen journalist Zhang Zhan, who was sent to prison for four years for reporting the lockdown of Wuhan and seeking the truth about COVID-19.

Pattens Concerns about Hong Kong

Patten was the 28th and the last governor of Hong Kong up to the handover of Hong Kong to China.

Shortly after taking office, Patten promoted the 1995 political reform plan to accelerate democracy in Hong Kong. However, Lu Ping, then director of the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office of the State Council of the Chinese Communist Party, denounced Patten as a sinner of the century.

In the end, although the Legislative Council passed Pattens political reform plan, the CCP stopped it going forward. The regime prevented members of the Legislative Council elected in 1995 from transitioning to the Legislative Council after 1997 and formed a temporary Legislative Council.

On July 1, 2022, the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Handover, at a Hong Kong Watch event, Patten called the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Officer Lee, to emphasize a group of agents elected John Lee, not the people. He also made clear that Lees agenda was never about the economy, social reform, education, or the health care services in Hong Kong.

Patten stated that Lee used an iron fist tactic to suppress peaceful protesters as he was in charge of the police, and that is also how he became the chief executive of Hong Kong.

He further condemned the CCP for defining a patriot as someone who must love the Communist Party. He suspected that Anson Chan, Jimmy Lai, and Martin Lee were not patriots in the eyes of the regime.

Patten criticized the CCP for rewriting Hong Kongs history textbooks, erasing any content that documented Hong Kong was once a British colony.

He believed that Hong Kongs development was blooming before 2012. However, it turned upside down when the Chinese Communist Party interfered with Hong Kong affairs and produced the chief executive of Hong Kong, CY Leung Chun-ying.

Patten also criticized Xi Jinping for making everything worse since he took power.

He admitted that if Hongkongers remain in Hong Kong, they must accept a very different situation from those who have left Hong Kong.

While the last governor is unsure how long the situation will last, he said, the most important thing we have to do is to make sure that we remain aware of whats actually happening in Hong Kong and not to allow the Communists to spin their own story.
When the cold weather hits and everyone seems to have a bit of a sniffle, its time to make fire cider. Its an old-school remedy with a sweet-tart flavor and spicy edge. Herbalists and natural health enthusiasts swear by the stuff, since its packed with anti-viral and immune-supportive herbs.

Devotees take the spicy, vinegar-infused tonic by the spoonful with the elusive promise that it helps ward off winter respiratory ailments such as colds and the fluand they might just be onto something.

Part of the charm of fire cider is its accessibility. While your latest natural health influencer might extoll the virtues of pricy herbal blends with exotic ingredients from far-flung places, fire cider brings the art of folk medicine a little closer to home. After all, you can find most of the ingredients at your local supermarket if theyre not already in your pantry.

A Folk Remedy With Ancient Roots

In the early 1980s, renowned American herbalist Rosemary Gladstar developed fire cider as a simple immune-boosting tonic for cold weather. Inspired by similar colonial-era remedies, her version was both approachable and economical. It included ingredients that were easy to find, such as onions, garlic, ginger, horseradish, and cayenne pepper, all mixed with apple cider vinegar and honey. It required no specialized botanical knowledge or culinary skill; if you could chop onions and stir vinegar in a jar, you could make fire cider.

The remedy skyrocketed in popularity and, over the decades, transcended its roots in modern American folk medicine to enter the mainstream. Its so popular that even Martha Stewart has a version, and dozens of small brands sell the remedy online and in local natural markets.

At its simplest, fire cider is an oxymel, a type of herbal remedy whose history stretches to ancient Greece and Persia. Oxymels combine medicinal and culinary herbs with vinegar and honey. Oxy refers to vinegar in Greek, while mel refers to honey, giving the remedy its name. Depending on the herbs used, these remedies were thought to support digestion, ease a fever, or, like fire cider, ward off illness and soothe the respiratory tract.

While ginger, garlic, onions, and cayenne pepper may seem more like the start of dinner than an immune-boosting tonic, these ingredients are potent in their own right. A 2013 study published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology found that fresh gingers potent antiviral effects may help counteract respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Researchers have found that both garlic and onion are good sources of the anti-inflammatory compound quercetin, which shows promise in supporting immune system health.

Likewise, horseradishwhich also is included in the original recipeis a rich source of glucosinolates, which are sulfur-containing compounds that combat inflammation. (While the research on the benefits of these compounds is compelling, that doesnt necessarily translate to efficacy, and more research is always needed.)

Variations for Flavor and Health

Besides the original ingredients of fresh horseradish, ginger, garlic, onions, and cayenne pepper powder, many modern interpretations include additional anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and immune-supportive herbs.

Some herbalists skip the powdered cayenne pepper in favor of fresh chiles, such as jalapeno or habanero. Turmeric is a popular addition, as are citrus fruits such as fresh lemon (including the peel, which is a good source of bioflavonoids) and other common culinary herbs and spices. Sage, rosemary, and thyme can give the tonic a green, herbaceous quality, while some people prefer to add warming spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and star anise.

Others still include medicinal herbs such as elderberry, which is used in European folk medicine to combat colds and the flu, as well as rosehips, which are a potent source of the immune-boosting nutrient vitamin C.

How to Make Your Own

To make fire cider, you simply chop onions, garlic, and herbs and place them in a quart-sized mason jar. Then, you fill the jar with apple cider vinegar, seal it, and wait. Shake the jar daily to distribute the herbs, and in about 6 weeks, the herbal vinegar will be ready. Strain the vinegar and mix it with honey. The result is striking: sweet, sour, and garlicky with a penetrating heat that comes on slowly and can catch in your throat. Itll last about 18 months stored in the fridge.

Traditionally, you take a spoonful of fire cider by mouth during the winter months or when you feel the prickling creep of an impending cold. While its reputation as a folk remedy is well-regarded, its culinary value shouldnt be downplayed. That potent garlicky heat combined with sweet and sour intensity means that fire cider also works as an excellent marinade or even as a delicious base for a vinaigrette combined with extra virgin olive oil.

Fire Cider With Star Anise

With its garlicky heat and vibrant flavor, fire cider is a traditional tonic that promises to boost the immune system and support your health through the winter months. And its super simple to makeall you need is a handful of ingredients, apple cider vinegar, and honey.

Makes 1 quart

3 ounces ginger root

3 ounces yellow onion

1 1/2 ounce garlic cloves

1 1/2 ounce horseradish

1 1/2 ounce jalapenos

3 star anise pods

1 Ceylon cinnamon stick

2 cups raw apple cider vinegar, plus more as needed

1/2 cup honey

Dice the ginger, onion, garlic, horseradish, and jalapeno, and layer into a quart-sized jar with the star anise and cinnamon stick. Cover with apple cider vinegar, adding additional vinegar to cover the contents of the jar as necessary.

Seal the jar and store it away from direct sunlight for at least 1 month and up to 6 weeks. Shake daily.

Strain the vinegar, discarding the solids. Stir in the honey until fully dissolved. Store at room temperature for up to 6 months and in the fridge for up to 18 months.
Hundreds Gather on Parliament Hill to Commemorate First Anniversary of Freedom Convoy Protest

Hundreds of people gathered on Parliament Hill Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Freedom Convoy protest against COVID-19 restrictions last winter.

The day was festive, and reminiscent of the atmosphere when the convoy first arrived in the nations capital at the end of January 2022. Music was played, and people were seen waving the Canadian flag to commemorate the truckers movement that occasioned people of all backgrounds from across the country to call for the abolition of vaccine mandates and other pandemic restrictive public health measures.

Freedom is not easy, Johnny Rowe, co-organizer of the event, said in a speech. There will be roadblocks, and thats okay.

We are gonna go up and over, were gonna go underneath, were gonna go around, but most of all, were gonna go through.

Another speaker invited people to tell their story.

Its the same story is your story, your struggle, Rowe told the crowd. We all see the light at the end of the tunnel. Its burning bright, and it comes from within. Were gonna win my brothers, my brothers and sisters. Were gonna win.

Hundreds gather on Parliament Hill to celebrate the first anniversary of the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa on Jan. 28, 2023. (The Epoch Times/Limin Zhou)

The event was co-organized by several different groups, according to Rowe, who told The Epoch Times hes a member of Wellington Street Regulars, a local group of freedom people.

The mood was upbeat as the crowd sang songs including O Canada, mingled with one another, and chanted freedom.

Friends attend the celebration to mark the first anniversary of the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa on Jan. 28, 2023. (The Epoch Times/Jonathan Ren)

People gather on Parliament Hill to celebrate the first anniversary of the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa on Jan. 28, 2023. (The Epoch Times/Jonathan Ren)

Witness the Truth

Father Anthony Hannon, a Catholic priest, told The Epoch Times that he came to the event to witness the truth and to support and bless everyone.

Because theyre doing the right thing standing up for freedoms and opposing government overreach. Thats why Ive been coming to all the freedom rallies since 2020, and the truckers convoy, he said.

Hannon paid tribute to the truckers whose weeks-long protest was eventually quashed by the authorities.

The mainstream media and the government are sending a message that theres something wrong with the truckers convoy when its quite the opposite, he said.

Not only was the truckers convoy and the freedom movement peaceful [and] peacemaking, its uniting Canadians, and thats what its about because Canadians are peace-loving, kind, gentle people.

Ottawa resident Michael Bartlett echoed that sentiment. He also attended last years protest, and said stories about it in the media and allegations made at City of Ottawa press conferences were very heartbreaking because everybody here was just peaceful and loving and hugging.

I just think that a lot of the people who were complaining, a lot of the opposition, were informed by the mainstream media because they werent here, they werent seeing what was happening, he said.

He said the convoy protest didnt constitute an emergency even though there were swearing and some angry voices, but it had never been physically violent.

There was no building destroyed. Nobody was dying, Bartlett said. Other than exhaust coming from the trucks and honking, that was about the only physical thing that you could kind of hear, see, and smell.

Bylaw Warning

A strong police presence monitored the event. Some attendees had altercations with the citys bylaw officers on regulation issues.

Ottawa By-Law had issued a notice warning that any violations to their regulations, which include unnecessary noise, installation of structures on city property, public urination and defecation, open-air fires, littering, lighting and discharging fireworks, would be ticketed.

Ottawa police keep an eye on the celebration of the Freedom Convoys first anniversary, on Jan. 28, 2023. (The Epoch Times/Jonathan Ren)

The convoy began as a protest by cross-border truck drivers opposed to the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate. It turned into a much larger movement after thousands Canadians across the country began joining in or voicing their support for ending the various COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.

At a press conference last Jan. 26, prior to the convoys arrival in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dismissed the protesters as a small fringe minority  who are holding unacceptable views.

On Feb. 14, 2022, Trudeau became the first Canadian prime minister to invoke the Emergencies Act, in order to quash the protest in Ottawa and similar ones in other parts of the country, and grant banks the power to freeze the accounts of convoy organizers and supporters without a court order.
Huntington Beach Prepares to Fight State Housing Mandates

The Huntington Beach City Council considered plans in their Jan. 17 meeting to fight the states housing mandate, in an effort, some councilors said, to ease the publics concern of high-density development.

The state is requiring 13,368 units to be built in the city by 2029, of which 60 percent would need to be low-income housing.

The mandate is known as the Regional Housing Needs Assessment, otherwise known as RHNA, a state housing law that requires a set amount of housing units to be built by each city in the state.

Mobile homes in Huntington Beach, Calif., on June 10, 2022. (Julianne Foster/The Epoch Times)

Additionally, the city also needs to provide an additional 7,000 buffer sites to support any projects that fall through.

This is one of the biggest fights we have, said Councilman Casey McKeon. We have the highest RHNA numbers of any coastal city, in Southern California.

The city has, thus far, identified locations for just over 20,000 units as well as the locations for backup, officials said.

Our approach should be to work on the minimum, McKeon said during the meeting, adding that if some fell through, the city has sites that we can choose from that we can then rezone at the appropriate time.

Huntington Beach Mayor Tony Strickland (C) speaks at a city council meeting at the Civic Center in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Jan. 17, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The so-called buffer is in place in case of market factors, according to city staff.

To earn the states certification, the city council must finalize the citys so-called housing element documentwhich details its housing plans including implementation, zoning updates, and an affordable housing overlay.

The council is currently considering whats known as an all at once approach which would move its current draft forward, which has, thus far, received partial approval from the states Housing and Community Development Department.

A second option is to zone for the required units, but not include the buffer locations and instead have the city council vote on those on a case-by-case basis. Doing so, however, could slow the process given the city is only allowed 180 days to rezone such sites for others that have fallen through.

Councilmembers Rhonda Bolton and Dan Kalmick said they preferred the first option, while Mayor Tony Strickland, Mayor Pro Tem Gracey Van Der Mark, and councilmembers Natalie Moser, Pat Burns, and McKeon favored the second.

Residents gather for a city council meeting at the Civic Center in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Jan. 17, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Since McKeon proposed legally challenging the mandate to provide only the minimum required number of housing units in a December 2022 meeting, the council has received letters of warning from the state that there will be consequences if they dont comply.

The council has also said it is prepared to allow City Attorney Michael Gates to sue the state over the mandated goals, an action the previous council declined to approve in 2021.

In a Jan. 9 letter written by Melinda Coy, the housing departments accountability chief, she said the citys threats to challenge the state legally are not new and are unlikely to succeed.

If the City adopts an ordinance that violates state housing law, [the department] will respond in order to remedy those violations, Coy wrote.

The Huntington Beach Civic Center in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Nov. 12, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

But in a Jan. 12 news release, Strickland said the states housing department has abused its power, has gone well beyond the prescriptions of its authority set forth in State law, has knowingly and willfully utilized a flawed methodology in making RHNA determinations, and has violated State law by imposing its recent housing mandates.

Strickland said the councils concern is for its constituents.

The City of Huntington Beach is right to challenge these State housing mandates, Strickland wrote. The Huntington Beach residents want us to fight against these ridiculous and arbitrary mandate housing numbers from Sacramento.

The citys finalized housing document was to have been submitted by Oct. 15, 2021.
Huntington Beach to Reopen Main Street for First Time Since 2020

Now that the pandemic is over, the Huntington Beach City Council Jan. 24 voted 43, with council members Dan Kalmick, Natalie Moser, and Rhonda Bolton opposing, to reopen a portion of its Main Street, which was closed in 2020 to allow businesses to expand outdoors.

The issue was brought forward by Mayor Pro-Tem Gracey Van Der Mark, who did so after getting input from affected businesses.

She received the brunt of negative comments from the public for suggesting the change. However, fellow Councilman Casey McKeon backed her up and thanked her for taking on the task.

This situation we have now is just unacceptable. We need a level playing field for all the businesses, McKeon said. Theres been some statement made that if we open it up, we dont support businesses. But that couldnt be further from the truth.

Huntington beach City Councilwoman Gracey Van Der Mark listens to public commenters during a city council meeting at the Civic Center in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Jan. 17, 2023. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Several representatives associated with businesses on the street voiced support during the meeting for reopening the second block of Main Streetthe only section of the street still closed off.

Its disturbing whats going on down there, said John Raymer, general manager of Freds Mexican Cafe. The closure, he said, has caused numerous issues for our guests and our staff, including safety and security, health and cleanliness, homelessness, parking and traffic congestion, and has created an environment downtown that is not family-friendly.

Stephanie Wilson, who is a partner at the same restaurant and also with Sandys Beach Shack, said the once relaxed surfer-atmosphere with classic cars and cruisers drifting up and down Main Street has been replaced by unsightly and unwelcoming temporary extensions of restaurants.

It is unfair to allow this cost-free business expansion to the second block of Main Street, Wilson said during the meeting. The closure has created an environment of bar-oriented problems and unnecessary police presence in the second block, which has scared away families, locals, and tourists from the downtown area.

Owner of Aloha Grill, Todd Brown, also spoke in support of reopening the street on behalf of businesses located on the top floor of two-story buildings that were not given extra space on the street in response to COVID.

People enjoy outdoor drinks and dining on Main Street in Huntington Beach, Calif., on July 16, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

But some residents, such as William Halligan said the closure of the street has created a family-friendly and pedestrian-safe environment and should be made permanent.

After the vote, businesses now have 30 days to remove all expanded outdoor dining operations.

The council is also hoping to implement a revitalization plan for the street including better lighting, signage, traffic circulation, and a path of connectivity from Pacific Citya stretch of retail stores and restaurants at the shoreaccording to McKeon.

But some business owners in the area wrote a letter to the city in advance of the issue being discussed pleading that it hold off reopening the street until such plans were finalized, in the event the street be shut down again for the new changes.

Cheri Boggelyn, owner of No Ka Oi restaurant wrote that if there were another closure of the street it would devastate their family business, as they are already struggling with increased labor and food costs.
ICC Judges Approve Request to Reopen Probe Into Philippines Drug War Killings

The Philippine government rejected the move.

Activists take part in a rally protesting at an escalation of President Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Aug. 18, 2017. (Dondi Tawatao/Reuters)

The International Criminal Court (ICC) said Thursday that it had granted its prosecutors request to reopen a probe into the alleged killings and rights abuses committed in the Philippines drug war campaign.

The ICC judges concluded that the Philippine government failed to provide any evidence to support its claims that it was conducting concrete investigations or bringing charges in relation to the drug war campaign.

Following a careful analysis of the materials provided by the Philippines, the chamber is not satisfied that the Philippines is undertaking relevant investigations that would warrant a deferral of the courts investigations on the basis of the complementarity principle, it said.

The judges ruled that the various domestic initiatives and proceedings, assessed collectively, do not amount to tangible, concrete and progressive investigative steps in a way that would sufficiently mirror the courts investigation.

The Philippine government responded Friday that it would appeal the ICCs decision, according to a state-run news agency.

Secretary of the Philippine Department of Justice, Jesus Crispin Remulla, criticized the ICCs decision as unreasonable given that the court can only conduct proceedings in nations without a functioning judicial system.

We are doing what it takes to fix the system. We have a functional judicial system, and I dont see where they can come in unless they want to take our legal system and take over our country. I dont see that happening, Remulla said.

The ICC launched a probe into the drug war campaign in September 2021, but it was suspended two months later after the Philippine government pledged to undertake its own investigation. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan later urged to reopen the investigation in June 2022.

Unlawful Killings

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the anti-drug campaign, which was led by former President Rodrigo Duterte, has resulted in the deaths of over 12,000 Filipinos, with the Philippine National Police being responsible for 2,555 of these deaths.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte talks during a meeting at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, Philippines, on Aug. 24, 2021. (King Rodriguez/ Malacanang Presidential Photographers Division via AP)

HRW detailed in its 2017 report instances of the Philippine police falsifying evidence to justify unlawful killings, claiming that most drug-related killings victims were poor people and suspected drug users rather than dealers.

No evidence thus far shows that Duterte planned or ordered specific extrajudicial killings. But Dutertes repeated calls for killings as part of his anti-drug campaign could constitute acts instigating law enforcement to commit the crime of murder, it stated.

The Philippines officially withdrew from the ICC on March 17, 2019, after the then-ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda began preliminary investigations into Dutertes drug war for suspected human rights abuses.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who took office in June 2022, had previously ruled out rejoining the ICC and opposed an investigation into the case by the ICC.

Despite the countrys withdrawal, Khan said in October 2021 that the ICC retains jurisdiction over alleged crimes that occurred while the Philippines was a party to the court from Nov. 1, 2011, to March 16, 2019.
Mr. Amano Takahiko, a tax accountant, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Aichi Prefectural Art Theater in Nagoya, Japan, on Jan. 27, 2023. (Niu Bin/The Epoch Times)

NAGOYA, JapanWe, Japanese people, are very good at synchronization. But we are far behind Shen Yun, said Mr. Amano Takahiko, a tax accountant, after attending Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Aichi Prefectural Art Theater in Nagoya on Jan. 17.

Mr. Amano said all Shen Yun dancers danced at exactly the same pace and in line with each other, even when they jumped, spun, or did other difficult movements, which amazed him. The word amazing was constantly on the tip of his tongue after witnessing Shen Yuns performance.

The performance is gorgeous! It showed us scenes in ancient China, in heaven, and more. It really presented a historical picture scroll in front of us, he said. Its really amazing!

The dynamic backdrop, too, was amazing, Mr. Amano said.

The coordination of stage and backdrop is seamless. The dancers leaped on the stage and then flew to the sky in the backdrop. It surprised me. Its amazing, he said.

Japanese people are also familiar with stringed instruments, Mr. Amano said, and the erhu virtuoso in Shen Yun gave the traditional two-stringed Chinese instrument new life.

The music she played was both classic and fresh. Her advanced skills brought us new experiences, he said.

Mr. Amano felt grateful when he realized Shen Yun is headquartered in New York.

No performance company in China can present the values and virtues that Shen Yun presented, he said. What Shen Yun presents are the most beautiful parts of traditional Chinese values. Japan has learned a lot of things from China in history, which include Buddhism.

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.

I Became Full of Energy

Mr. Nakamoto Tomonori is the president of an anti-vibration system installation company. He felt strong energy from Shen Yun and said he felt cured by the dances.

The music is very pleasant to our ears. The nice expressions of dancers and their magnificent movements cured my soul, he said. I became full of energy. I thank Shen Yun very much for bringing me this wonderful performance!

Mr. Nakamoto said the current world is facing many worrisome things, such as the pandemic. Shen Yun inspired and uplifted the theatergoers such as himself.

Shen Yun represents the highest standard in the world. Nobody can find any flaw in it. Its perfection is stunning, he said. Music is medicine. I believe every audience member felt the curative effects of Shen Yun.

Mr. Nakamoto felt Shen Yun delivered a message that human beings should have faith, and he agreed.

I believe that if everybody has his or her own belief, we will work hard toward peace. The world will become a better place, he said.

The name Shen Yun means the beauty of divine beings dancing. 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. Nakamoto Tomonori is the president of an anti-vibration system installation company, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Aichi Prefectural Art Theater in Nagoya, Japan, on Jan. 27, 2023. (Annie Gong/The Epoch Times)

Breathtaking Beauty

Shen Yun is very beautiful. Its a beauty of Eastern character, subtle and specific, and isnt found in Western culture, said Ms. Takano, the chief nurse of a welfare hospital.

In our Japanese peoples eyes, the dancers movements are very elegant, she said. The beauty of their postures is breathtaking. And their bodies are very light and flexible. They jumped very high but landed on the stage quietly.

Ms. Takano said she felt Shen Yun dancers have magic powers that can express the stories very deeply and in an interesting way.

This is a must-see. Shen Yun represents the beauty of the East, she said.

Reporting by Epoch Times Staff in Nagoya, Japan.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
The opening ceremony of an official dialogue between representatives from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the U.S. in Paris, France, May 13, 1968. Photo by Vietnam News Agency

On the 50th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords, which helped end the longest war of the 20th century, Major General Nguyen Hong Quan, former deputy head of the Vietnam Institute for Defense Strategy, spoke to VnExpress about the historic event.

The negotiation of the Paris Peace Accords (signed January 27, 1973) was one of the longest running negotiations in the history of international diplomacy. Why did it take 5 years for the Accords to be signed?

An international negotiation would normally only take several days, or several months. But negotiations for the Paris Accords lasted almost 5 years for many reasons, including politics, complex historical contexts and unpredictability on the battlefield.

First, the stances taken by U.S. officials and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the beginning of negotiations were vastly different, almost opposites of each other. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam asked the U.S. to pull its troops out of the South and end its military intervention, while the U.S. wanted the opposite, arguing that their role was necessary to maintain stability in the South. There were many times when negotiations had to stop as both sides could not reach an agreement on this key point.

Second, negotiations were at first only between the U.S. and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, but later expanded to include 4 parties, with the addition of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam and the Republic of Vietnam. But the fact that still no one was willing to change their stances meant that negotiations could only be decided by what happened on the battlefield. This made negotiations last 5 years.

Third, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the time was still a very small country and was facing a major power with both economic and military strength, and also diplomatic savvy. Reaching a final victory at the Paris Accords required time and careful preparation, in order to secure victory on both the military and diplomatic fronts.

Fourth, the U.S. itself wanted to make Vietnam surrender using its military might, thereby forcing Vietnam to abide by terms that were in U.S. favor only. They thought using bombs and bullets and B-52 planes would be enough to easily force a surrender. However, not until the end of 1972, when they realized that the plan to use B-52 had failed, did the U.S. agree to concede [on some points].

Negotiations lasted nearly 5 years, but they only truly made progress beginning in late 1971 and early 1972. Following campaigns in the 1971-1972 period, the U.S.s "Vietnamization" strategy failed, which created a huge advantage for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the negotiating table.

Vietnam only truly became a negotiating party following the victory of the Tet Offensive in 1968. Having suffered heavy losses, the U.S. decided to consider an escape path to save face. And only then did the U.S. consider the Democratic Republic of Vietnam as a party for direct, equal dialogue in order to resolve issues of the war.

Major General Nguyen Hong Quan, former deputy head of the Vietnam Institute for Defense Strategy. Photo by VnExpress/Son Ha

What was the turning point for the signing of the Paris Peace Accords?

No matter how skillful we were at diplomacy or negotiations, the key to secure terms in our favor and be proactive on the negotiating table was our achievements on the battlefield. When negotiations began, the Vietnamese army only had the Tet Offensive victory on our side, which was not enough for the U.S. to agree to a solution.

The state of the negotiating table only began to turn following consecutive victories of the Vietnamese people in 1971, and especially in 1972. They included campaigns at Road 9-Southern Laos, victories in Northeast and Southeast Cambodia as well as Tri-Thien, success in the north Central Highlands, southeastern Vietnam, north of Binh Dinh and Area 8 of southern Vietnam.

But other turning points that have to be mentioned are the Second Battle of Quang Tri and the Christmas Bombings. The Vietnamese army had showcased their might, wit and tenacity, demolishing the U.S.s scheme of Vietnamization and causing it to lose on the battlefield, followed by its loss on the negotiating table.

Starting April 1966, President Ho Chi Minh issued a mission for the air and anti-air military branch to figure out a way to combat B-52 planes. He predicted that "sooner or later, the U.S. would bring out the B-52 to strike Hanoi... The U.S. would absolutely lose in Vietnam, but only after it loses in the skies over Hanoi."

Afterwards, the air and anti-air military branch took 6 years to research and finally produce the "Cach danh B-52" (How to Fight B-52) guidebook in October 1972. The document was only 29 pages, but was the culmination of the efforts and sacrifices of our troops. By December 1972, two months after the pamphlet had been published, we had a decisive battle against the B-52 "flying fortresses" over the skies of Hanoi.

Then U.S. losses on the southern Vietnam battlefield, coupled with their loss of its strategic air force in Hanoi, pushed them into a losing state from which there was no recovery. Accepting its defeat, the U.S. had no choice but to resume negotiations in Paris and signed a draft of the Accords, which was agreed on by both sides.

How did the Paris Accords impacted the political situation in both northern and southern Vietnam at the time?

The Paris Accords was the result of the tenacious struggle by our people in both northern and southern Vietnam, creating a new turning point in the Vietnam War. The U.S. and other countries pledged to respect the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Vietnam. The U.S. and its allies had to withdraw all their troops, demolish their military bases and pledge not to create any more military interference or any interference into the internal affairs of southern Vietnam.

All parties would let the people of southern Vietnam determine their political future through free general actions. Parties also had to acknowledge the reality that southern Vietnam has two regimes, two armies, two zones of control and three political forces.

And most importantly, the Paris Accords was a decisive condition for us to decide to quickly liberate the south and unify the country. The deed was expected to be done within the 1975-1976 period, but once the opportunity arose, the Politburo decided that it must be done within May 1975.

Looking back, if we never entered Saigon in April-May 1975, the situation would become complex and not as advantageous as it was. So far, Vietnam is the only country that has made the U.S. sign so complete and comprehensive an accords.

During nearly 5 years of negotiations, Vietnam had multiple times fallen into tough spots and was forced to compromise. How did Vietnam retain its independence and autonomy through such moments?

Throughout our revolutionary career, ever since the Communist Party was formed, we have always highlighted the role of independence in both internal and external affairs. Before we sat at the negotiating table for the Paris Accords, the Vietnamese delegation had accrued valuable experience regarding diplomacy.

During negotiations for the Geneva Accords in 1954, Vietnam did not have the upper hand and could neither issue its own terms nor decide the time for negotiations. As such, Vietnam faced much outside pressure at the time. The experience resembled what we went through during the process of negotiating the Paris Accords.

First, Vietnam would actively negotiate with the U.S. and only the U.S., not allowing any other major power to interfere into the process. Second, negotiation steps would be decided by Vietnam alone, without any interference from other countries, and would be done in accordance with a sole principle of serving the nation and its peoples interests first and foremost.

Third, there were times when we were supported by international allies with weapons and equipment. But the use of these weapons was always carefully considered, and were adapted to the Vietnamese ways of fighting and the Vietnamese military arts. For example, during the planning stage to combat the B-52, no other countrys army had managed to vanquish the B-52 before. It took the Vietnamese army 6 years to formulate a way to combat these aircrafts.

It has shown the independent way of Vietnams fighting, its willingness to fight the U.S. and knowing how to win... Similarly, when it comes to negotiations, we also created an art of "fighting and negotiating at the same time," knowing how to win against our opponent in steps before achieving complete victory.

Through our experience of negotiating the Paris Accords, which lessons did Vietnam learn from and apply to our external policies?

In an era of strategic competition between major powers such as today, the wisest external policy is to keep things balanced. Vietnam does not reject anyone, nor are we dependent on anyone.

We dont choose sides and dont lean on one side to oppose the other. Vietnam can participate in bilateral and multilateral cooperative partnerships, as long as they are appropriate and serve the nation and its peoples interests first and foremost. However, this does not mean that we are selfish or follow nationalism. We protect our nation and our peoples interests in accordance with the U.N. Charter and international law.

Doing diplomacy this way helps us utilize support from other countries. Major powers wont be able to criticize Vietnam. The most important thing is that we must always utilize our comprehensive power in the form of economic, political, military, scientific and technological and external power, as well as other types of soft power.
McDaniel Wins Rare 4th Term as RNC Chair

Ronna McDaniel secures a fourth two-year term as Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman after a three-day meeting at a luxury resort in Dana Point, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2023. (Mei Li/The Epoch Times)

Ronna McDaniel defeated rival Harmeet Dhillon to secure a fourth two-year term as Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman after a three-day meeting at a luxury resort in Dana Point, California, on Jan. 27 when RNC committee members cast their votes.

McDaniel won 111 of the 167 votes cast out of a possible 168 RNC committee members in the simple majority race. Dhillon received 51, followed by Mike Lindell with 4, and Lee Zeldin with one.

Upon her victory, McDaniel called for GOP party unity.

We need all of us. We heard you grassroots. We know. We heard Harmeet. We heard Mike Lindell, she told committee members after the secret ballot votes were counted. But with us united and all of us going together, the Democrats are going to hear us in 2024 when we take the White House and the Senate.

Harmeet Dhillon at a luxury resort in Dana Point, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2023. (Mei Li/The Epoch Times)

While former President Donald Trump did not make a public endorsement in the RNC race, he has been loyal to McDaniel, who was elected to the helm of the committee in January 2017, succeeding Reince Priebus, who had held the chair since 2011.

McDaniel had previously served a two-year term as the chair of the Republican Party of Michigan in 2015. She is the niece of U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), the 2012 Republican presidential nominee.

Dhillon, a Trump attorney and founder of the Center for American Liberty, claimed during her campaign that most Republican voters were ready for a change in RNC leadership following a disappointing midterm ahead of the 2024 presidential race.

Lindell, MyPillow CEO, is also an avid supporter of former President Donald Trump.

Mike Lindell at a resort in Dana Point, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2023. (Mei Li/The Epoch Times)

The battle for RNC leadership has exposed rifts in the party in the wake of bitter infighting before uniting behind House Speaker Kevin McCarthy earlier this month.

On Jan. 26, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis weighed in on the RNC chairmanship and expressed support for Dhillon. He said in an interview with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk that the three election cycles havent gone the way Republicans had hoped.

DeSantis said the GOP needs fresh thinking to bolster support among grassroots Republicans.

We need a change, he said. We need to get some new blood in the RNC.

A crowd gathers as the Republican National Committee (RNC) reelects Ronna McDaniel for a fourth two-year term as chairwoman after a three-day meeting at a luxury resort in Dana Point, Calif., on Jan. 27, 2023. (Mei Li/The Epoch Times)

In mid-January, the Alabama GOP issued a vote of no confidence (pdf) against McDaniel calling for a change in leadership following the midterm elections.

More recently, a group of Republicans in Florida pushed for a no confidence vote against her but fell far short of reaching the quorum needed to hold an official vote, according to the Associated Press. Dozens of anti-McDaniel protesters at the Florida gathering, which drew Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), waved signs including one that read, Ronna is the enemy within.
Mexico Finds Over 50 Unaccompanied Minors From Guatemala in Migrant Truck

Guatemalan unaccompanied minors who were traveling in a crowded truck are seen with Mexican authorities after being spotted at a checkpoint in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in this handout picture distributed to Reuters on Jan. 26, 2023. (Mexico's National Institute of Migration (INM)/Handout via Reuters)

MEXICO CITYMexican authorities on Thursday stopped a crowded truck transporting nearly 70 migrants from Guatemala, mostly unaccompanied children, the countrys National Institute of Migration (INM) said in a statement.

The INM said federal Mexican agents spotted the truck at a checkpoint in Mexicos northern Chihuahua state, which borders the United States.

It said there were 67 migrants from Guatemala traveling in the truck, including 57 unaccompanied minors, mostly boys, aged between 14 and 17. The group also included a mother and daughter, it added, all without proper migration permits.

The truck driver was referred to Mexicos Attorney Generals Office, it added, while the family and unaccompanied children will be handed over to state authorities for the protection of children and teenagers.

Earlier in January, Mexican immigration agents found three unaccompanied Salvadoran children stranded on an islet on the Rio Grande, which straddles the U.S.Mexico border.

December saw a near record number of apprehensions at the border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, though this number plummeted in January in the wake of new migrant restrictions imposed by U.S. President Joe Biden.

Asylum seeking migrants from Central America are followed by a border patrol vehicle as they walk down a dirt road after being smuggled across the Rio Grande river from Mexico into Roma, Texas, on Nov. 9, 2022. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)
New Museum in Mexico Spotlights Endangered Axolotl Salamander

An axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) swims in an aquarium at the new Axolotl Museum and Amphibians Conservation Center, which is to promote the protection and study of this endangered species, at Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City on Jan. 25, 2023. (Henry Romero/Reuters)

MEXICO CITYA new museum and conservation center dedicated to Mexicos critically endangered axolotl salamander is highlighting the amphibians remarkable story that has captured the attention of scientists and the public alike.

With an impressive ability to heal itself, the axolotl salamanders were showcased in the exhibit, which opened on Saturday, at Mexico Citys Chapultepec Zoo.

The center aims to raise awareness of the animal, native only to Mexico and which is dwindling in the wild due to dire threats to its natural habitat.

For decades, researchers have marveled at how the axolotl can regenerate amputated limbs and damaged body tissue, even its heart and brain. Scientists also documented its ability to breathe with lungs and gills, as well as absorb oxygen through its skin, making it particularly vulnerable to polluted water.

They are one of the few animals that can regenerate their skin, muscles, bones, blood vessels, nerves, heart, brain, said Fernando Gual, head of wild fauna conservation at the zoo.

A hugely important part of this space is environmental education, Gual said of the new museums exhibits, workshops, and labs.

In Aztec legend, the desperate rebel god Xolotl transformed himself into an axolotl to hide and avoid being sacrificed by his fellow gods. He was still discovered, captured, and killed. They were also a mainstay on the banquet tables of Aztec kings.

An axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum) swims in an aquarium at the new Axolotl Museum and Amphibians Conservation Center, which is to promote the protection and study of this endangered species, at Chapultepec Zoo in Mexico City on Jan. 25, 2023. (Henry Romero/Reuters)

While the axolotl native to Mexico Citys southern Xochimilco district is especially well-known, Gual points to 16 other kinds of axolotls that also call Mexico home, each one like a wetlands ambassador.

Axolotls once thrived in Xochimilcos muddy canals, the only remaining part of a once extensive system of Venice-like waterways dating back to Aztec times. But the urban sprawl, contaminated water and non-native fish with a taste for young axolotls have led to the salamanders near-total collapse, according to population surveys.

Even so, Xochimilco still holds nearly 11 percent of Mexicos biodiversity, according to Gual, with the countrys 370 amphibian species ranking it No. 5 worldwide.

As the museum opened to its first visitors, the axolotls celebrity status was easy to spot.

The truth is Im very, very, very, very excited to be able to see how they eat, how they live, just how they are, gushed visitor Fernando, declining to give his surname but showing off a small axolotl tattoo on his arm.

Im marked for life.

By Alberto Fajardo
NY Republican Lawmakers Demand Biden Answer for Bringing His Border Catastrophe to Small Towns

President Joe Biden speaks at a reception celebrating Lunar New Year in the East Room of the White House on Jan. 26, 2023. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Five Republican members of Congress from New York sent a letter to President Joe Biden on Wednesday, demanding transparency about his administrations secrecy involving migrant relocation operations and expressing outrage that these operations have now expanded into rural upstate New York communities.

We write following reports that your administration is actively settling migrants in Upstate New York communities, the letter opened, referencing a New York Post report from earlier in the month about 35 Colombian migrants who recently showed up in Jamestown, a small town with a population of 28,393 thats located 285 miles northwest of New York City.

In the letter, the lawmakers expressed deep concern that the influx of large numbers of migrants will overwhelm the local services and infrastructure, as they have done in border communities across the southern United States.

The letter was signed by New York Republican Reps. Claudia Tenney, Elise Stefanik, Michael Lawler, Nick Langworthy, and Marc Molinaro.

Joe Bidens open border policies have turned every state into a border state, Tenney wrote in a tweet announcing the letter sent to Biden. Now our Upstate and WNY communities are seeing the impacts.  Joe Biden must SECURE the border now.

And Molinaro, in a statement released on the day the letter was sent, said, Communities that I represent in Upstate New York are already being impacted by the crisis at our southern border, with illicit drugs steadily flowing and contributing to an uptick in overdose deaths  leaders in our state should be demanding that President Biden secure the border.

Upstate New York should not be punished for Bidens border crisis, Stefanik told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

In the letter, the lawmakers cited a previous letter sent in January 2022 that Stefanik led, which demanded that the Biden administration immediately stop transporting illegal migrants from the Southern Border to New York State.

However, the administration to this day continues to transport these migrants without any transparency to the American people. We urge you to stop this obstinance, the lawmakers wrote.

They went on to demand that Biden immediately halt his administrations relocation operations and provide the following information to their offices by Jan. 31:

The number and whereabouts of migrants relocated to New York from the southern border since January 2021

A detailed list of towns and counties to which migrants were sent and where the administration plans to send future migrants

Documentation proving that the executive branch had notified the locations where migrants were sent or an explanation for why it didnt

Details about the process that is currently in place to monitor the status and location of relocated migrants

Whether the administration will commit to notifying their offices and all affected local officials and law enforcement whenever migrants are relocated to the state in the future

If your administration fails to provide the requested information, the letter states, we will continue to take every action within our powers as members of Congress to hold your administration accountable, including but not limited to withholding additional federal funding.

Rather than shifting the burden to the small communities we represent, that are not equipped to handle the influx, the answer is to secure the border, they admonished in the letter. Already, your current policies have created a humanitarian and national security catastrophe which undermines the rule of law and empowers human traffickers and criminal gangs.

The letter comes six weeks after New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared an Emergency Executive Order in response to the influx of asylum seekers into his city. Fox News reported that number has reached nearly 41,000 and is overwhelming resources there.

If a city of 8 million people can be overwhelmed by a couple thousand migrants, imagine what a couple hundred can do to overwhelm a small rural community upstate, New York state Sen. George Borello, who represents Jamestown, told the Post.

From NTD News
Offshore Wind Joint Venture Proposes Steel Factory in Orange County, New York

A joint venture has been proposed to power nearly 500,000 New York homes with wind turbines made in local factories, including a new steelmaking plant in Orange County.

Community Offshore Wind, which was formed by RWE and National Grid to develop offshore wind in the Northeast, submitted the above plan to the state on Jan. 25.

The proposal also includes new blade and nacelle factories in unspecified parts of the state and a new port facility in Staten Island for the staging and assembly of turbines.

A nacelle is the part of a turbine that helps convert wind power into electricity.

Orange is the only county in the Hudson Valley region to be included in the proposal.

County Executive Steve Neuhaus said in a press release: Orange County is ripe for opportunity to lift up communities, and Community Offshore Wind recognizes that. I support [them] and their intention to create jobs and spread economic benefits throughout the state, particularly in Orange County.

I support the projects plan to localize secondary steel fabrication in Orange County, Orange County Partnership President Maureen Halahan said in a press release. We are in the business of helping businesses in the area succeed and will work with Community Offshore Wind to ensure the steel fabrication facility thrives.

In total, the proposed supply chain will create about 4,600 jobs in the state through 2033, with priorities given to low-income communities, union workers, and local companies.

Aside from creating jobs, the plan also provides $100 million in workforce programs to low-income communities and $10 million in childcare services to workers in the offshore wind industry.

The proposal was submitted as a bid for the states third round of solicitation for offshore wind projects to power 1.5 million homes.

Winning bids will be announced in early spring.

New York has five offshore wind projects already in development, which are projected to produce electricity for over 2 million homes.

The state aims to get 70 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030.

RWE and National Grid formed the joint venture last March after winning one of the largest offshore seabed leases from the state with a bid of $1.1 billion.

The awarded seabed totals 126,000 acres on an island not far from Long Island, with the potential to power over a million homes.

RWE is a Germany-based global renewable energy company, and National Grid is an England-based electricity and gas utility that serves parts of New York and Massachusetts.
Paul Pelosi Attacker Makes Chilling Call from Jail, Reveals Plans to Get More People

In this courtroom sketch, David DePape appears at a hearing in San Francisco, Calif., on Nov. 15, 2022. (Vicki Behringer/Reuters)

David DePape, the suspect accused of attacking Paul Pelosi with a hammer, made a chilling jailhouse phone call to a news station, revealing disturbing plans to get people he believes were behind the suppression of individual liberties.

DePape called KTVU on Friday, the same day that police body camera footage was released to the public showing DePape confronted by officers while wielding a hammer and, moments later, appearing to swing it at Pelosis head.

At the top of the call, DePape said he had seen the newly released video and had an important message for everyone in America.

Youre welcome, he said, making clear he doesnt regret his actions, which left Pelosi seriously injured with a skull fracture.

DePape then said that freedom and liberty isnt dying, its being killed systematically and deliberately, and that the people killing it have names and addresses, which he obtained so that he could pay them a little visit in order to have a heart to heart chat about their bad behavior.

He then offered an apologybut not for the attack.

I want to apologize to everyone. I messed up. What I did was really bad. Im so sorry I didnt get more of them. Its my own fault. No one else is to blame. I should have come better prepared, he said.

DePape said he spent all his time exposing what he described as government corruption but that he was silenced by Big Tech at the behest of the government, which he claimed outsources the repression of free speech to the private industry.

Its called fascism, he said. While he didnt go into specifics, he said he had a website with over 300 pages of materials that he claimed had been censored.

He added he has a lot more to say and that hes trying to set up a new website thats out of the reach of tyrannical global fascists and their internet censors.

DePapes disturbing remarks came after a San Francisco judge ordered that evidence relating to the attack on Paul Pelosi must be released to the public, including police body camera footage.

The 42-year-old DePape faces state and federal charges including attempted murder for the Oct. 28 attack.

If convicted, he could face life in prison. He has pleaded not guilty.

David DePape in Berkeley, Calif., on Dec. 13, 2013. (Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Bodycam Video

The video released Friday shows Pelosi and DePape holding onto a hammer and an officer telling DePape to drop the hammer.

Umm, nope, DePape replies, with an ensuing brief struggle for control of the hammer before DePape lunges towards Pelosi and swings it.

Several officers then immediately rush to grab DePape and placed handcuffs on him as Pelosi remains on the ground.

Pelosi was later rushed to a nearby hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery for a skull fracture and injuries to his right arm and hands.

Paul Pelosi (L) and then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) attend the 2018 White House Correspondents Dinner at Washington Hilton in Washington, on April 28, 2018. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Lawyers for DePape had argued against releasing the footage and audio, saying it would irreparably damage his right to a fair trial.

A coalition of news organizations filed a court motion in San Francisco earlier in January to get access to the evidence, with attorneys for the outlets arguing that the public and press have standing to assert their rights of access to court records and proceedings.

That request was made after the San Francisco District Attorneys Office on Dec. 14 introduced audio and video evidence against DePape but refused to make it public.

DePape is accused of smashing the glass door of Pelosis home in Pacific Heights after 2 a.m. on Oct. 28 and later carrying out the brutal attack.

Graphic Testimony

After DePape allegedly gained entry into the home, he awakened Paul Pelosi, who was in bed asleep, according to court documents.

DePape then asked him where his wife, Nancy Pelosi, was. He replied he didnt know Nancy Pelosis whereabouts so DePape said hed wait, court documents show.

Police Lt. Carla Hurley, who interviewed DePape on the day of the attack, testified during the Dec. 14 hearing that DePape said he wanted to hold Nancy Pelosi hostage and that he wanted to use the hammer to smash her kneecaps and put her in a wheelchair.

DePape mentioned other targets besides Nancy Pelosi, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Hurley said.

In the interview recording that was played in court, DePape was heard saying that he hadnt specifically chosen Nancy Pelosi, while condemning the entire political establishment in Washington, railing against scandal after scandal, and calling the political atmosphere in the country [expletive] insane.

There is evil in Washington, DePape told Hurley, according to her court testimony.

Two black SUVs with Speaker Nancy Pelosis security detail wait outside her San Francisco home on Nov. 2, 2022. (Darlene Sanchez for The Epoch Times)

I Didnt Come Here to Surrender

During the hearing, the judge repeated a point made by prosecutor Phoebe Maffei that DePape had come to the Pelosi house to wipe out and teach a lesson to the people that he believes are corrupt.

I didnt come here to surrender. If you stop me, its like stopping me from going after evil and you will take the punishment, DePape said, according to Maffei.

After Paul Pelosi told DePape he didnt know where his wife was, he asked to use the bathroom, according to court documents. DePape let him and, from the bathroom, Pelosi called 911.

In the 911 call played back in court, Paul Pelosi could be heard saying that someones in the home, dont know who he is, later telling the operator that he told me to put the phone down.

Police arrived within minutes and after entering, encountered the two men attempting to control the hammer.

San Francisco Police officer Kyle Cagney testified at the Dec. 14 hearing that he witnessed the attack.

My partner said, Drop the weapon  He started to pull the hammer, Mr. Pelosi let go and the man lunged and hit Mr. Pelosi in the head, Cagney said in court, describing the encounter that left Pelosi with a fractured skull.

Cagney added that Pelosi was struck in the head very hard and collapsed face-first onto the floor.

Then Cagney tackled DePape and cuffed him, while his partner administered first aid to Pelosi, his testimony shows.

DePape faces several state charges, including burglary, elder abuse, and attempted murder. A conviction on those charges carries a penalty of between 13 years and life in prison.

He also faces federal charges of assault on a family member of a federal official and attempted kidnapping of a federal official.

He has pleaded not guilty to both sets of charges.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Pence Takes Full Responsibility for Classified Documents Found at Indiana Home

Then Republican vice-presidential candidate Indiana Gov. Mike Pence speaks to supporters at a rally in Chesterfield, Mo., on Sept. 6, 2016. (Gino Santa Maria/Shutterstock)

Former Vice President Mike Pence on Friday acknowledged his responsibility for classified documents found at his residence in Indiana and pledged to participate in any investigation into the matter.

Pence said that during his final days in office, materials were packaged and shipped, including to his personal residence, and mistakes were made during this process.

He previously denied taking any classified documents with him when he left office. Earlier this month, Pence told CBS his staff reviewed all of the materials in our office and in our residence to check for classified materials that left the White House.

He described the recent discovery of some classified materials at his residence as an unfortunate development but noted that he and his team were unaware of their presence until a recent review.

During an interview with Fox News, Pence said he would leave any decision about whether he should be investigated to the Department of Justice, Congress, or the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

I think its important that our office simply cooperate fully in any investigation by either the Department of Justice, the Archives, or the Congress of the United States, and were determined to do that, he said.

Pence said hes very confident that during his time in Congress and as vice president, he and his office were very careful and very cautious.

But again, during the closing days of the administration, when materials were boxed and assembled, some of which were shipped to our personal residence, mistakes were made, Pence said.

We were not aware of it at the time until we did the review just a few short weeks ago, he added. But I take full responsibility for it, and were going to continue to support every appropriate inquiry into it.

Classified Documents Discovered at Pences Home

A lawyer for Pence informed NARA in a letter that a small number of documents with classification markings were discovered on Jan. 16 at his home in Indianapolis.

The discovery occurred when Pence hired outside counsel to review records stored at the residence, following reports of classified documents found at President Joe Bidens residence and former President Donald Trumps Florida home.

Once the outside counsel identified the classified materials, Pence immediately secured them in a locked safe and requested assistance from the National Archives in transferring them to the agency.

After the discovery at Pences home was reported, FBI Director Christopher Wray on Thursday expressed concern about the recent discoveries of classified documents at the homes and offices of current and former leaders.

He emphasized the importance for those with access to classified material to be aware of and adhere to the rules surrounding it.

People need to be conscious of the rules regarding classified information and appropriate handling of it, he said when asked about the matter during a press conference. Those rules are there for a reason.

Biden, Trump Materials

The discovery of classified documents at President Joe Bidens former office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington was made public on Jan. 9, but they were discovered as early as November 2022. Additional documents were found at his Delaware home in December.

This follows a similar incident where the FBI conducted a search of Trumps Florida resort in August 2022, finding and seizing approximately 100 documents with classification markings, which had been stored there since the end of his first term.

Trump has stated that he had previously declassified these materials before the end of his term.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed Jack Smith as special counsel to investigate Trump and Robert Hur as special counsel to investigate Biden over the discoveries. As of yet, no special counsel has been appointed to investigate Pence.

Most living former U.S. presidents and vice presidents have said they turned over all classified materials to NARA after leaving office.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
Pfizer Responds After Director Says Company Is Developing Ways to Mutate COVID-19

A sign for Pfizer is displayed in New York in a file photograph. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

Pfizer late Jan. 28 responded to comments from a director at the company about exploring ways to mutate COVID-19 as a method to preemptively develop new vaccines.

In the ongoing development of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Pfizer has not conducted gain of function or directed evolution research, Pfizer said in a lengthy written statement after days of ignoring queries from The Epoch Times and other outlets.

Pfizer did say that it has conducted research where the original SARS-CoV-2 virus has been used to express the spike protein from new variants of concern.

This work is undertaken once a new variant of concern has been identified by public health authorities. This research provides a way for us to rapidly assess the ability of an existing vaccine to induce antibodies that neutralize a newly identified variant of concern. We then make this data available through peer reviewed scientific journals and use it as one of the steps to determine whether a vaccine update is required, the company added.

Pfizer did say it has conducted experiments in a level 3 laboratory.

Pfizer said, in its work developing a treatment for COVID-19, it has engineered the COVID-19 virus to enable the assessment of antiviral activity in cells.

In addition, in vitro resistance selection experiments are undertaken in cells incubated with SARS-CoV-2 and nirmatrelvir in our secure Biosafety level 3 (BSL3) laboratory to assess whether the main protease can mutate to yield resistant strains of the virus, Pfizer said. It is important to note that these studies are required by U.S. and global regulators for all antiviral products and are carried out by many companies and academic institutions in the U.S. and around the world.

Pfizer produces a COVID-19 treatment called Paxlovid, or nirmatrelvir that is authorized in the United States and some other countries.

In its statement, Pfizer did not dispute that Dr. Jordon Walker, who told a Project Veritas journalist that Pfizer is exploring how to mutate the COVID-19 virus, was or is a Pfizer employee.

Professional profiles for Walker, which have since been taken down, listed him as a director of messenger RNA research at the company. Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine utilizes messenger RNA. The profiles also listed a Pfizer email address, and an email sent to that address did not bounce back. A receptionist at Pfizer on Thursday also told The Epoch Times that Walker had an internal company profile, but a different receptionist on Friday said there was no listing for the doctor, indicating he might have been terminated after the comments were made public.

Malone

Dr. Robert Malone, who helped develop the messenger RNA technology, said that the experiments Pfizer described met the definition of gain of function.

Pfizer is basically acknowledging that they are doing the same type of gain of function research that Boston University was caught doing, but they are denying that it is gain of function or directed evolution, Malone wrote on Twitter.

Malone pointed to Pfizers comment about taking the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and using it to express the spike protein from new variants of concern.

Gain of function generally describes experiments that aim to increase functions of a virus such as transmissibility and virulence. Walker had said in his comments that the work he was describing was not gain of function, but directed evolution.

Researchers with Boston University revealed in 2022 that they had developed a strain of COVID-19 that killed 80 percent of mice infected with it.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) is supposed to oversee risky research conducted in or funded by the United States but has faced criticism for only reviewing a handful of projectsnone since 2019under the oversight system.

The NIH funded gain of function experiments at the Wuhan laboratory situated near where the first COVID-19 cases were identified, and officials have promised to keep funding research in China.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) had written a letter to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla referring to Walkers remarks and questioning whether the company has or is planning to mutate the COVID-19 virus.

Walkers comments are alarming, Rubio wrote in the Jan. 26 missive.

YouTube Takes Down Video

In a notice sent to Project Veritas, Google-owned YouTube cited its medical misinformation policy, which bars claims about COVID-19 vaccination that contradict expert consensus from local health authorities or the World Health Organization (WHO).

A Google spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email that the portion of the video featuring OKeefe stating that Pfizers COVID-19 vaccines are ineffective against virus variants violated the policy.

The spokesperson did not immediately respond with a request for citations for the vaccine being effective against variants.

The shot has performed much worse against Omicron and its subvariants, providing minimal protection against infection and lowered shielding against severe illness.

For a journalist to ask a leading question, they take a video down? Theyre saying you cant even ask a question? How are journalists supposed to investigate powerful pharmaceutical companies when Big Tech censors questions that the public wants answers to? a spokesperson for Project Veritas told The Epoch Times in an email.

Project Veritas was given a strike, which prevents the organization from taking actions like uploading new videos for one week. A second strike would block such actions for two weeks and a third strike in a 90-day period would result in a permanent removal of the groups account, YouTube warned.

The video is still available in other places, including on Twitter and Rumble.

Rumble said in a statement that the company will hold the line against this outrageous censorship by keeping the video up and even featuring it on our homepage.

After the Project Veritas video was first published, searching Google for it would turn up a message that the results below are changing quickly and that if this topic is new, it can sometimes take time for reliable sources to publish information. Further, evidence of Walkers LinkedIn didnt show up when searching for him. On DuckDuckGo, the deleted LinkedIn profile was the top result.

Editors note: This article was updated with comments from Google and Project Veritas.
NR | 1 h 42 min | Drama, Romance | 1937

Set in 1914 against the backdrop of World War I, director Henry Kings movie begins with a glimpse into the lives of the poor who clean one of Pariss lowliest hovels. Its where the seediest mingle with the saintly, and prostitutes and pimps hustle alongside priests and prophets.

A godless sewer-man Chico (James Stewart) falls for and rescues pretty Diane (Simone Simon) from the clutches of her exploitative sister-pimp Nana. Disgusted by having to live in fear and poverty, through no fault of his own, Chico defiantly declares his atheism before the local priest, Fr. Chevillon (Jean Hersholt). Why trust in a God whos deaf to prayer?

Chevillon uses his influence to answer Chicos prayer, getting him promoted from sewer-man to street washer. In the pernicious Parisian pecking order, thats more like ascending a stair than a flight of stairs.

Chevillon then presses sacred pendants into Chicos hands and insists that he also take responsibility for Diane. Chico accepts both to humor Chevillon, not as a sign of any newfound faith, but an openness to what faith might offer. That journey offers him and Diane far more than they imagine: a bit of hell, but more than a bit of heaven.

Chico (James Stewart, L) rescues Diane (Simone Simon) from prostitution, in Seventh Heaven. (20th Century Fox)

Chicos excuse to refute Gods existence is simple: humanitys double-standards. When something good happens its a miracle, but when something bad happens, everybody shuts up! He finds that too pat. But something gives, as he hears Chevillon tease him, God has a sense of humor, and the joke is on you.

Solemnly, King uses the 11th hour of Armistice Day as a motif in Chicos 11th hour, and his near-telepathic commune with Diane, when war rudely separates them.

Less solemnly, King satirizes Parisian social hierarchies of the time. Many look down on those lower in the social stairway, but theres always someone higher still, looking down on them. When Chico proudly ascends to the rank of street washer, his colleague, seemingly oblivious to Chicos former station in the sewers, cautions him not to take any nonsense from the sewer-man.

Kings 1937 film is based on Frank Borzages 1927 silent film, in turn inspired by the Broadway play of the same name.

Diane (Simone Simon, L) brings Chico (James Stewart) closer to God, in Seventh Heaven. (20th Century Fox)

Kings melodrama and screenwriter Melville Bakers wordiness weakens, and prolongs, several scenes. Yet, Kings set design faithfully depicts the squalor of street life, Stewarts charisma more than makes up for his missing French accent, and French-born Simone shines as Chicos tenaciously trusting polestar.

Never Look Down, Always Look Up!

Chicos miserable garret is up seven flights of stairs, spiraling like a giant spring. Here King uses the stairway to transcend the idea of social standing. It becomes a symbol for a journey, from faithlessness to faith, from fear to fearlessness, from self-loathing to selfless love.

Kings camera shows you in one fluid, unbroken shot Chico, and later Diane, ride up all seven flights. Interestingly, he doesnt show you anyone coming down. Hes making a point.

When Diane fears walking across a precarious, foot-wide walkway hovering above the street far below, Chico who runs across it daily warns, Never look down, always look up! Dianes way of looking up is to look at Chico. Suddenly, shes not afraid anymore. Kings point: Youre lovable only because youre loved first.

Chico discovers that its only because God loves him first that hes able to love himself, let alone anyone else. If Gods love isnt in him, hed find it impossible to love anyone else. Not realizing its profundity, he mutters, The idea inside me was God.

Likewise, Diane learns to love herself and Chico, because he first embraces her in love.

Chicos neighbor Aristide (J. Edward Bromberg) is an over smart prophet of the stars (an astrologer). Yet, for all his reading of distant skies, hes unable to read people and life as Chico does.

Feeling stained by prostitution, Diane loathes and nearly kills herself. Chico? He philosophizes. You may do bad things from time to time, but that doesnt mean that youre a bad person, especially if you detest those ways and want to change. He knows hes a sewer-man, as near to nothing as a man can be, but then thinks: I am not nothing. All my life in the sewer has never made me feel low. Why, sometimes I feel like a king.

(LR) Director Henry King, Simone Simon, and James Stewart on the set of Seventh Heaven. (20th Century Fox)

King reveals this duality in the way Chico ends up saying kind things he doesnt mean or helping someone hed rather not. He feels that its not just a superficial impulse that drives him, not just some base instinct bubbling over, but something a little deeper. Those around him see it too, but dimly.

As you climb Kings cinematic stairway, Chicos idea of seeing acquires a loftier vista, and you may quite like the view from up there.

Seventh Heaven

Director: Henry King

Starring: James Stewart, Simone Simon, Jean Hersholt

Not Rated

Running Time: 1 hour, 42 minutes

Release Date: March 25, 1937

Rated: 3 stars out of 5
Guy Workman (R) and his wife, Kirsten, enjoyed Shen Yuns evening show at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts on Jan. 28, 2023. (Sherry Dong/The Epoch Times)

KANSAS CITY, Mo.Retired Lieutenant Colonel Guy Workman and his wife Kirsten had been looking forward to attending Shen Yun Performing Arts long before the performing arts company arrived in Kansas City.

After the evening performance on Jan. 27, the couple exited the Kauffman Center satisfied that Shen Yun was everything they had hoped it would be.

I loved it! I had read a lot about it before we came because I was just really looking forward to it, Mrs. Workman said. Its beautiful and it tells a really poignant story. Im glad to be a part of it.

Mr. Workman, on the other hand, was impressed by the dedication and discipline of Shen Yuns performers.

You can tell the integrity of the performers. You can tell how much they put into it. That kind of work ethic and value transcend so much, he said. [Its] nice to seein the modern society where were bogged down by meaningless politicsreal struggles going on but there is also real hope going on.

Once known as the Land of the Divine, the Chinese people believed their civilization was a gift from the heavens. For 5,000 years, Chinas culture was built on the values and virtues inspired by the spiritual teachings of Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism.

However, after the communist partys violent takeover in 1949, Chinas traditional culture went through decades of systematic destruction.

In 2006, Shen Yun Performing Arts was established in New York by a group of leading artists longing to rediscover Chinas lost glory. Since its founding, Shen Yun has been touring around the world every year to showcase, through dance and music, the beauty of China before communism.

This message came through loud and clear for Mr. Workman. I really enjoy the emotion behind the storytelling. Its really easy to keep up with the message and just how important it is, he said.

Dont lose your culture, dont lose your hope! Always keep that a part of your heart.

Mr. Workman added that though he is not Chinese, he noticed that there are a lot of shared values across different cultures. Life, respect, art, hopethere were a lot of stories about family and the connection to family. Its cross-cultural and enduring.

Referring to the persecution Shen Yun faced at the hands of the communist party, Mr. Workman said [there are] definitely people out there suffering but I think hope [comes] from positive storytelling, hanging on to the culture, and not losing the traditional values.

Its like the Odyssey, Mr. Workman reflected, Odysseus never lost his true self even through all the struggles. He finally made it at [the journeys end.]

Reporting by Sherry Dong 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.
Gaurav Palrecha (R) and his bride Tuisha Seksaria are welcomed at Da Nang Airport in central Vietnam, January 24, 2023. Photo courtesy of Da Nang Tourism Department

The wedding of an Indian couple has been going on in the central city of Da Nang for five days with more than 350 guests served by a team of 100 staff and chefs from India.

Gaurav Palrecha and his bride Tuisha Seksaria, who come from Indian billionaire families, arrived at Da Nang International Airport on Tuesday, the third day of the Lunar New Year, in preparation for their wedding party that began a day later and which would last until Sunday.

More than two tons of materials, costumes and props were transported from India for the wedding party, according to the city's portal.

The wedding ceremony will take place at a luxury beach resort in Da Nang.

Satish Ramnani, director of Veydaa Events Company, which is hosting the wedding event, said Da Nang, with its luxurious accommodation facilities, has much potential to become a destination for lavish weddings.

This is the second time Da Nang has been chosen as the wedding venue of Indian billionaire families.

In late November 2019, an Indian billionaire family hosted a wedding party lasting four days for their daughter in Da Nang with more than 600 guests.

India was the citys fifth largest source of foreign visitors in 2022.

Budget carrier Vietjet Air launched its first direct flights from Da Nang to Mumbai with a frequency of three flights per week from last October.

City authorities said this year the city is targeting upper-class Indian families organizing lavish weddings for several days in Da Nang at a cost of up to billions of Vietnamese dong (VND1 billion = $42,644).

Da Nang is the busiest tourist city in central Vietnam, and is used as a springboard to access three worldwide famous heritage sites  the Imperial Capital of Hue, the My Son Sanctuary and Hoi An Ancient Town.
Roe v. Wade Reversal Launches Vasectomy Boom

A mobile vasectomy clinic belonging to the practice of Dr. Esgar Guarin in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 2021. (Courtesy of Dr. Esgar Guarin)

On the day after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, dozens of men contacted Iowa Dr. Esgar Guarin.

They wanted vasectomies.

Fifty percent of the patients that I normally see in a month signed up in 48 hours, he told The Epoch Times.

Even seven months later, vasectomy numbers remain higher than before, Guarin said. He gets about 15 percent more men than usual asking for the surgery that risks permanently taking away their fertility.

Vasectomy expert Dr. Esgar Guarin in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 2021. (Courtesy of Dr. Esgar Guarin)

It went down, but it hasnt gone back down to where it was before Roe v. Wade, he said.

Some of these men worried that abortion would no longer be available to prevent a childs birth, Guarin said. Others expressed concern that the Supreme Court would soon make other forms of birth control illegal.

For most of the men, the Roe v. Wade ruling spurred them to take the plunge on a decision they made a while ago.

They have said, Roe v. Wade made me think about the fact that I ought to do something, but it was in my plans already,' Guarin noted.

According to research by Stanford University, about 500,000 men get vasectomies yearly in the United States.

Mens Bodies, Mens Choices

Most of the men he operated on were typical vasectomy patientsolder than 30 and already with a child or two, Guarin said. But some were younger.

By younger, I mean less than 30, without any children, he said. I saw a bigger increase in the number of patients in their mid-30s, who had already decided not to have any children, but actually had done nothing permanently to take care of that.

These men didnt want children but werent willing to get a vasectomy. If their significant others got pregnant, they had abortion as a fallback, Guarin said.

Some of them clearly expressed their fear that they could no longer fall back onto a termination of pregnancy if the current method of contraception was failing, he said.

Vasectomy expert Dr. Esgar Guarin in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 2021. (Courtesy of Dr. Esgar Guarin)

Men getting vasectomies instead of women getting abortions or birth control improves medicine, he said, noting that women have borne an outsized share of responsibility for reproduction for too long.

We can participate in reproduction beyond just procreation, Guarin said of men. And we can do it actively with contraceptive decisions.

Its unlikely the new wave of vasectomies will have a significant impact on demographics, he said.

Our mission is not to increase the number of men who have a vasectomy, just for the sake of increasing the number of men who are having a vasectomy, he said.

Statistics suggest that this trend toward vasectomies may make a few families smaller. According to research by journal Translational Andrology and Urology, about 20 percent of men who get vasectomies want another child afterward.

With less permanent forms of birth control, a change of mind years later can result in another child. But a changed body presents a greater obstacle.

Only 2 to 6 percent of men have the surgery reversed, according to the journals study.

Regret can be a complex emotion, said John Curington, a family doctor who often does vasectomies. People tend to have regrets no matter their decision, he said.

With any complex decision in life, a human being has regrets, he told The Epoch Times. You may have regret about any major decision in lifeyour house, your partner, anything. However, on the whole, youre pleased with your decision.

Curington said he suspects that the rising vasectomy rate will lower U.S. birth rates.

He emphasized that birth control is a choice and that doctors advise couples to consider long-term plans before a man gets a vasectomy.

He also noted that the Roe v. Wade decision was often part of a patients choice to get a vasectomy, but never all of it.

Dr. John Curington performs vasectomies in Lutz, Fla. (Courtesy of Dr. John Curington)

I had zero people who said, The only reason Im getting a vasectomy is because of the writings of Clarence Thomas,' he said.

Pro-Life Perspective

According to Abby Johnson, CEO of pro-life group And Then There Were None, this trend toward vasectomies shows the irresponsibility of men who support abortion.

It just feels like men taking an easy way out of responsibility so that they can continue to use women for their pleasure. It feels like its continuing objectification of women, she told The Epoch Times.

Before becoming a pro-life activist, Johnson was a clinic director at Planned Parenthood.

When people separate sex from building a family, relations between men and women switch from primarily building relationships to primarily seeking pleasure, Johnson said.

The primary point of sex is for procreation. And when you remove that, youre saying to a woman, I just want to be able to have sex whenever I want, with whoever I want. And I dont want to have to worry about the consequence of having a baby,' she said.

Johnson said the men who announce their vasectomies in response to the Roe v. Wade ruling are shockingly young.

All Ive seen on social media is more of a younger demographic talking about this, she said.

She added that although doctors often push back when young women demand tubal ligation, the permanent birth control surgery for women, men often make serious fertility decisions at an early age.

Johnson said that many men in their 20s got vasectomies during her time at Planned Parenthood. The consequences were often painful, she added.

Why are we so willing to throw away a mans fertility? she asked.

One couple Johnson knows was strongly liberal and didnt want children. The man got a vasectomy at a young age, she said. But after a religious conversion, both changed their minds.

Now, theyre at a different place in their life. They want to have children. And to reverse that vasectomy is over $6,000. And insurance wont cover it. So now theyre having to look at taking out a loan to reverse his vasectomy that he had in his 20s, she said.

Abby Johnson, CEO of pro-life group And Then There Were None, in Austin, Texas, in November 2022. (Courtesy of Abby Johnson)

Ironically, successfully discouraging births might lead to the eventual defeat of the pro-abortion cause, Johnson said. Most pro-life families see children as a blessed part of life, while pro-abortion families see children as a choice, she said.

Long term, this difference means most pro-life families get bigger, and most pro-abortion families dont, she added.

When I worked at Planned Parenthood, the people who I worked with either didnt have any children, were homosexual and didnt have children, or they had one child, Johnson said.

A Tale of 2 Surgeries

Curington said vasectomy is the approach of a responsible man.

Many guys say, Im doing this because Im a responsible guy who wants to make good choices for my family,' he said.

Compared to tubal ligation, vasectomy is far easier.

In the United States, for every vasectomy that is performed, there are approximately three tubal ligations, Guarin said. I want to see more men having a vasectomy at the expense of reducing the number of women who are getting their tubes tied.

Compared to vasectomy, tubal ligation costs more, has more side effects, takes more time, and can be undone less easily, according to both doctors.

When you think about a method, you should choose a vasectomy, Gaurin said.

Still, while a vasectomy may be easier to reverse, it isnt a guarantee, according to medical site Healthline.

These facts make it all the more startling that tubal ligations outnumber vasectomies, Curington said.

He attributes this difference to cultural habits. When American women started using birth control pills, most Americans assumed birth control was a womans responsibility, he said. But not having a baby involves a man and a woman.

The history of how people have chosen tubal ligation versus vasectomy has to do with tradition, he said.

Pro-life and pro-abortion rights activists demonstrate during the 50th annual March for Life in front of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Jan. 20, 2023. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Americas attitude toward having children has changed, Curington said. Once, Americans saw having children as an essential part of being human. Now, its an option.

Curington said that a generation ago, people would ask: How can you even imagine being child-free? Thats just what people do. People just have kids.

But today, its common for a man to enter his office intending never to have a child, he said.

The average American man today becomes a father at about 31, according to a 2017 study by Stanford University. The average American vasectomy happens in the mid-30s, according to another study by Translational Andrology and Urology.

The Epoch Times reached out to Planned Parenthood for this story, but they refused to comment.
San Francisco Community Holds Vigil for Victims of California Mass Shootings

SAN FRANCISCOHundreds of community members gathered in Portsmouth Square in San Francisco on the evening of Jan. 26 to commemorate the victims of two recent mass shootings in California and to help heal the shocked communities.

After one minute of silence for those who died in the Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay shootings, an organizer read all known victims names one by one. Members and leaders of 15 local community organizations called for more accessible mental health care, domestic violence care, and sensible stricter gun control laws.

Josephine Zhao, cofounder of Communities as One, told the Epoch Times that the two massacres were devastating to our community, because a lot of these emotions happen during a New Year.

The shootings took place around the time of the Chinese Lunar New Year.

It has to do with how we handle our mental health, Zhao said. If we dont take care of them, eventually it will come out as gun violence or some other form that is devastating to our community and shocking to the rest of the country.

The vigil in Portsmouth Square in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2023. (Lear Zhou/The Epoch Times)

The two mass shootings were just two days apart. One caused 11 deaths plus the shooter himself in Monterey Park on Jan. 21, and the other caused 7 deaths in Half Moon Bay on Jan. 23.

They were the third and fourth shooting incidents with four or more victims in California in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

During the ceremony in Portsmouth Square, Mattie Scott, founder of Healing 4 Families in our Nation, said: My father said, no, hatred is not the way; love is. Were all Gods children. Were all in this country, and we all have to live together. And I have faith and strength in each and every one of you that showed up here for the families.

San Francisco District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told The Epoch Times, All the gun deaths that have happened in the United States since the beginning of the yearits just terrible.

Mandelman said he supports reform of gun laws to make it much harder for people to get guns.

Its just far too easy to have a gun in the United States, Mandelman said. And thats why our statistics around gun violence and death are so out of line with every other country in the world.

People hold candles at the vigil in Portsmouth Square in San Francisco on Jan. 26, 2023. (Lear Zhou/The Epoch Times)

San Francisco Deputy DA Nancy Tung told The Epoch Times that the Chinese community and Asian Pacific Islander communities tend to turn inward during tragedies, particularly when gun violence is involved.

Fixing our inward appearance to each other and the communitys help is very important to prevent violent crimes, Tung said.

How do we talk about people who have mental health issues? How do we reach out to people like that? How do we speak up when we see somebody who has violent tendencies or we know is on the cusp of doing something violent?

The gathering also included musical performances and group relaxation and social exercises.
Arman Derdzakyan and his son enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Kennedy Center Opera House, on Jan. 27, 2023. (Weiyong Zhu/The Epoch Times)

WASHINGTON, D.C.Arman Derdzakyan and his son saw Shen Yun Performing Arts for the first time on Jan. 27, and realized it was something special.

Its just amazing, said Mr. Derdzakyan at The Kennedy Center Opera House. Its a one-of-a-lifetime performance for us.

Mr. Derdzakyan described a backdrop that came to life, and found the combination of graphics and human performance ingenious.

The combination of graphics and real-time performances is really amazing.  Arman Derdzakyan

The combination of graphics and real-time performances is really amazing, he said. Its really special.

Through this, New York-based Shen Yun used classical Chinese dance and music to tell stories that brought to life 5,000 years of Chinese civilization.

Thats really worth the most value, I thinkChinese culture and traditions, Mr. Derdzakyan said. Go and check it out!

For thousands of years, China was known as the Land of the Divine, as the Celestial Empire, and a place where the gods imparted culture to mankind. At the heart of this civilization were the cardinal virtues of loyalty, propriety, wisdom, benevolence, and justicevalues that are universal and shared the world over.

Andrei Mamoutkine and Elena Schwartz enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Kennedy Center Opera House, on Jan. 27, 2023. (Weiyong Zhu/The Epoch Times)

For Elena Schwartz and Andrei Mamoutkine, the depth of Shen Yuns cultural presentation made all the difference.

All the movements are coming from the heart and then it transports to the legs and hands, Mr. Mamoutkine said. You could see this. This is not hands and legs, this is from hearts. And I could see this.

The couple said they have attended Shen Yun three times, and intend to come every year.

Our 19-year-old son  actually bought tickets and inspired us to come, Ms. Schwartz said. We always enjoy it. We like the cultural content and we dont know a lot about this. This inspires us to read more.

Melissa and James Oxford enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Kennedy Center Opera House, on Jan. 27, 2023. (Frank Liang/The Epoch Times)

James and Melissa Oxford enjoyed Shen Yun, and said they wished their young children could attend the next time around.

I was just thinking that all culture and history deserves to be preserved, said Mr. Oxford, who works in the government. Any organization that tries to destroy something like that, I think thats a shame. That should be combatted. So its good that [Shen Yun is doing] what theyre trying to do. I want my kids to see it.

Mrs. Oxford was similarly grateful for Shen Yuns efforts.

It was a blessing to be able to come, she said. Its important to preserve cultural diversity and being able to see those traditions, and not to allow things like communism to squash down all of the years of tradition.

Shen Yun aims to show China before communism, and as such is banned in China, where the Communist Party is in power. For millions of people around the world, Shen Yun has changed their idea of Chinas past and present.

I thought about China and the first word that comes to mind is communist. And being able to come and see Shen Yun has changed that perspective and allowed me to really open up a realization to how much cultural history has been lost, Mrs. Oxford said.

I very much appreciated and was excited to see this effort to restore and to hold on to the traditional dances and bringing them out for this generations culture to appreciate.

Reporting by Weiyong Zhu and Frank Liang.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
WASHINGTON, D.C.Lisa Wiggins, a tutor, saw Shen Yun Performing Arts and loved it so much that she decided she had to see it again to share it with her husband.

Its really wonderful. I think its visually just so beautiful and elegant, said Mrs. Wiggins. I remember the first time I saw it, I was surprised.

New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds premier classical Chinese dance company, and on Jan. 27, the Wigginses had a window into Chinas 5,000 years of divinely inspired civilization at The Kennedy Center Opera House.

The dance was fantastic, Mr. Wiggins said. Theyre showing the different influences of the ethnic groups and cultures within China, as expressed through dancevery interesting. And probably not something you would think about as being sort of that much diversity within the country.

China is home to 50-some ethnic minority groups, and every year Shen Yun features a number of ethnic and folk dances in addition to classical Chinese dance.

Its been great dance, but theres also been a very good, very interesting message behind it, said Mr. Wiggins. The historical mythology about Creation within the country, its been a very good opportunity to see that.

Its such a stunning show, Mrs. Wiggins said.

Maricela Noble enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at The Kennedy Center Opera House on Jan. 27, 2023. (Frank Liang/The Epoch Times)

Also in the audience were David Noble, retired from the State Department, and Maricela Noble, owner of a holistic center. The Nobles were moved by the depth of humanity they found in Shen Yun.

I just love it because its so emotional, it represents humanity, feeling, really, from the bottom of your heart, Mrs. Noble said. I think it is so emotional to see that human emotions, the true emotions withinit is really nice. Its very peaceful, its very healing.

Mr. Noble said, I just really enjoyed the dancing. I mean, its just fantastic.

Its sad that the Chinese have kind of lost their traditional culture. So Im really happy to see it this time, he said. Traditional culture has a lot of value, I think, and a lot of that traditional culture is a spiritual culture.

Mrs. Noble added, if we lost spirituality, wed lose humanity.

All of Shen Yuns pieces brought forth important universal values, whether it was a comedy, an action-packed historical piece, or a musical solo, Mrs. Noble explained.

In every number  there was courage, in that one with confronting the lion, and then there was inspiration with the poets, and then there was the sacrifice of the mother  then this other one representing all the cultures from different regions of China, she said. That was beautiful.

Spirituality is the expression of the soul for every human, she said.

In [Shen Yun] you represent that humanity followed [the Creator] to come here to save lives, so life itself begins within the spirit. And we forget, sometimes, that we existwere just doing things without thinking and realizing the moment, in the instant. We take for granted many things, every day.

So, [Shen Yun] is showing to everybody all our values as humansit begins with the spirit, she said. Courage, sacrifice, inspiration inspiration comes from divinity, and each one of us has the divine!

Reporting by Terri Wu and Frank Liang.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
WASHINGTON, D.C.When Dennis and Courtney Davio attended Shen Yun Performing Arts, they looked forward to learning more about China. The performance ended up being a vaster experience than they had imagined.

I traveled the world but Ive never been to China, so to see this culture and realize this culture dates so far back, like 5,000 years, is very impressive to see this, and see how this culture endures, and to enjoy it, said Mr. Davio, who works in logistics for the government. The couple live in Southern Maryland, but were determined to make the trip to the Kennedy Center to catch Shen Yuns sold-out Saturday matinee on Jan. 28.

Just being able to come to the Kennedy Center and see the spirituality of [the] world is truly something beautiful, Mrs. Davio said.

The couple marveled at the attention to detail throughout the production, from the dancers performances to the costumes and props, and Shen Yuns lineup of programs showcasing the diversity of Chinawhich includes some 50 ethnic minority groupsand long history with dances from the origin of Chinas divinely inspired civilization to the modern day.

New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds top classical Chinese dance company, and aims to show the world China before communism.

I think its very important, said Mr. Davio. Its good to have shows that not only entertain but show aspects of different cultures.

If there is something going on that is politically important to know or that has been covered up or subdued, I think its very important for something like this show to bring to light so you can see there is a story and a proud history behind Chinese culture, Mr. Davio said.

For 5,000 years, Chinese civilization was divinely inspired, and reverence for the divine was a tenet of ancient Chinese culture. The communist regime of the last several decades has systematically tried to root out this culture and replace it with its atheist culture of struggle.

For Jim Rhodes, Shen Yun prompted a question in his mind: What would the world be like if communism didnt take over China?

Just what a more beautiful world, he said.

Mr. Rhodes and his wife Mary also enjoyed the Saturday matinee, and left with a sense of great fulfillment.

Jim and Mary Rhodes enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts matinee at The Kennedy Center Opera House, on Jan. 28, 2023. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

Were so, so glad that we came, Mrs. Rhodes said.

Mr. Rhodes agreed, and the couple had high praise for the production itself.

The precision is incredible, Mr. Rhodes said.

Mrs. Rhodes said: Its truly extraordinary. We were just saying that the dancers, the choreography, the costumes, the animated background, and the storiesits just all incredibly beautiful.

Its hard to find one word that would describe it adequately, she said. Its mesmerizing.

Reporting by Frank Liang and 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.
Shen Yun Performing Arts World Companys curtain call at the Aichi Prefectural Art Theater in Nagoya, Japan, on the evening of Jan. 27, 2023. (Annie Gong/The Epoch Times)

NAGOYA, JapanJapanese entrepreneurs and artists said they were excited from attending Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Aichi Prefectural Art Theater in Nagoya on Jan. 27.

I was uplifted. My whole body is swept up in this excitement, said Ms. Endou Masayo, the president of a construction company, The movements are absolutely beautiful and extremely difficult, but the dancers were completely unruffled. The music matched the dances perfectly. The orchestra coordinates with the stage so precisely. I appreciate Shen Yuns performing.

Ms. Endou said she had never seen a performance like Shen Yun, which made her feel grateful.

This is a brand-new experience for me. The backdrop, stage, and orchestra cooperate as one body in the show, she said. Its amazing.

Ms. Endou felt that not only the theatergoers but also the artists were enjoying the performance.

The dancers are expressive. I felt they enjoyed the show as well, she said. They tried their best to make sure the success of the performance, and they made it. I kept my eyes on them from beginning to end.

Ms. Endou said: Its an honor to attend such a spectacular!

New York-based Shen Yun is the worlds top classical Chinese dance company and has in recent years set a new bar for the art form internationally. The performance is 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.

They Have Sincere Hearts

Mr. Oshima Hirochika, the operation department manager of an IT company, said Shen Yun brought him a wonderful artistic enjoyment.

He felt that the Shen Yun artists have not only super-high techniques and capabilities, but also great virtues.

I could feel clearly that they have sincere hearts under their peaceful faces. This majestic performance is based on their hard daily training, he said.

Mr. Oshima was impressed by the rich Chinese history that Shen Yun presented.

I felt I traveled along the Chinese history during the show. There are several stories that Shen Yun presented that are well-known in Japan, he said. I like the story-based dances. They are very easily understood, and the values that these dances presented are easy to accept.

Mr. Oshima Hirochika, the operation department manager of an IT company, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Aichi Prefectural Art Theater in Nagoya, Japan, on Jan. 27, 2023. (Annie Gong/The Epoch Times)

Each Shen Yun performance consists of nearly 20 vignettes, showing 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.

An Unexpected Gift from God

The performance is amazing! said Ms. Yoshikawa Harue, a Japanese ocarina virtuoso. Attending Shen Yun is an unexpected gift from God. Im very content.

Ms. Yoshikawas friend had purchased a ticket but then could not attend, and gifted the ticket to her instead, and the event turned out to be a big surprise.

The dances are fantastic, extraordinarily great, she said. I saw the heavenly beings dancing with very beautiful costumes and hair pieces. Its fabulous!

Ms. Yoshikawa said everything that Shen Yun presented was outstanding.

Im very glad that I had the chance to attend the show. This is a really good one. Its kind of rewarding, she said.

Ms. Yoshikawa appreciated her friends generosity in giving the ticket to her. She bought a Shen Yun souvenir for the friend and plans to bring the friend to Shen Yun next year.

Every year, Shen Yun puts on an all-new production, including new choreography, music, costumes, and backdrop sets. Ms. Yoshikawa said she has already looked forward to attending Shen Yun again.

I Think Shen Yun Is Magic

Ms. Murakami Keiko is a dance teacher. She said the classical Chinese dance that Shen Yun presented was excellent.

The dancers flexibility is magnificent. Each of their movements presented a very beautiful curve, she said. I was deeply touched.

Ms. Murakami said Shen Yun dancers movements are very difficult to do, and have a strong impact and power that uplifted and inspired her.

My heart soared when I saw the show, she said. I think Shen Yun is magic and has a divine nature.

The name Shen Yun means the beauty of divine beings dancing.

Reporting by Epoch Times Staff in Nagoya, Japan.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
South Korea Unveils Plan to Normalize Relations With North Korea Amid Tensions

Flags of North Korea, rear, and South Korea, front, flutter in the wind from the border area between two Koreas in Paju, South Korea, on Aug. 9, 2021. (Im Byung-shik/Yonhap via AP)

South Korea on Jan. 27 unveiled a plan for reunification with North Korea, which includes efforts to provide its northern neighbor with humanitarian aid, in a bid to revive stalled denuclearization talks amid flaring tensions between the two rivals.

The South Korean Ministry of Unification presented a report to President Yoon Suk-yeol on its plans and prospects for 2023 outlining seven key policy objectives aimed at improving inter-Korean relations.

It aims to strengthen South Koreas defensive posture against North Korean provocations through an alliance with the United States, while also pursuing efforts to create a conducive environment for dialogue.

The South Korean government will seek to make direct and indirect contact with North Korea through civic groups and international groups as part of efforts to normalize relations with the regime, it stated.

The ministry pledged to address human rights violations and issues brought on by the Koreas divisionsuch as families separated by the division and the detention of South Koreans in North Koreaif inter-Korean dialogues resume.

The government also plans to publish an annual report detailing the human rights situation in North Korea and make public the contents of the Rodong Sinmun, the mouthpiece of North Koreas ruling party.

We intend to create conditions in which North Korea, which has been ignoring the livelihood of its people and has continued to take risks, has no choice but to come to dialogue for denuclearization, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se told reporters.

Now is the time to respond strongly based on the U.S.South Korea alliance, to make North Korea realize that it has nothing to gain by military provocations, he said, as cited by Korea JoongAng Daily.

Reunification Can Happen Suddenly

In response to the report, Yoon ordered the ministry to conduct research and share its findings with the local and global community about North Koreas politics, economic, social, and human rights situation.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks on the government supplementary budget at the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, on Oct. 25, 2022. (Jeon Heon-kyun/Pool/Getty Images)

Yoon said that both South Korea and North Korea must undergo changes in order for reunification to happen.

Reunification can happen suddenly, so only when we are prepared can we realize it, he said, according to his office. Please prepare with level-headed judgment rather than through an emotional approach.

North Korea has suspended virtually all cooperation with rival South Korea since the collapse of its nuclear negotiations with the United States in 2019 over disagreements in exchanging the release of U.S.-led sanctions and steps to cut back its nuclear weapons and missiles program.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un further ramped up tensions in 2022, test-firing more than 70 missiles, including potentially nuclear-capable weapons of various ranges targeting South Korea and the continental United States.

In August 2022, Yoon offered North Korea economic benefits in exchange for denuclearization steps, but the offer was rejected by the North Korean regime. Kim said that there will be no denuclearization talks, negotiations, or bargaining chips in that process.

North Korea approved a law in September 2022 allowing it to conduct a nuclear strike automatically against any hostile forces posing an imminent threat to the nation.

Kim vowed that his country will never give up nuclear weapons, regardless of the military situation on the Korean Peninsula and even if North Korea is subjected to 100 years of sanctions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
By Emma Patch

From Kiplingers Personal Finance

Looking for dental care they can afford, many Americans travel abroad.

In fact, dental care is the number one driver for American medical tourism, accounting for more than two-thirds of medical travel, says Josef Woodman, CEO of Patients Beyond Borders, a medical tourism consulting agency.

So where do Americans, particularly those without dental insurance, go for dental care that doesnt break the bank?

Mexico

Popular for its high-quality care, low costs and relatively easy access from much of the United States, Mexico tops the list as the go-to destination for dental tourism.

Los Algodones, Mexico, also known as Molar City, has become home to clinics with affordable care favored by American travelers. Even during the pandemic, Americans could get dental care there when much of the industry in the United States came to a halt. Clinics in Tijuana are popular as well.

In Mexico, American travelers can save anywhere from 60 percent to 80 percent on popular dental procedures. For example, the average cost of dental implants in Mexico is $1,190 per tooth, compared with $3,822 in the States, according to Medical Departures, a medical tourism agency and comparison website. The site also reports that dentures in Mexico average about $660, compared with an average of $1,800 in the United States, and dental veneers average $495 per tooth, compared with an average of more than $1,200 in the United States.

And the popular all-on-4 procedurewhich refers to all teeth being supported on four dental implantsgoes for an average of nearly $25,000 in the states, but it averages just over $8,000 in Mexico.

Hungary

When it comes to dental tourism, what Mexico is to Americans, Hungary is to Europeans. But that doesnt mean Americans cant take advantage of the high-quality, low-cost dental care Hungary offers. Round-trip flights to Budapest, a hotspot for dental tourism thats also home to world-famous thermal spas, have recently gone for as low as $425 from major U.S. cities.

In Hungary, American travelers can save anywhere from 30 percent to 80 percent on popular dental procedures. For example, dental implants in Budapest were recently available for about $2,200 per tooth. Dentures in Hungary go for about $580, and dental veneers go for about $300 to $400 per tooth. Meanwhile, crowns go for anywhere from $210 to $420 each, compared with $1,430 on average in the United States.

(Emma Patch is a staff writer at Kiplingers Personal Finance magazine. For more on this and similar money topics, visit Kiplinger.com.)

2023 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The Epoch Times Copyright  2022 The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.
Tennessee Population Grows as Residents Leave More Liberal States

Peace and quiet is still a major draw for people moving to smaller-yet-growing states such as Tennessee from more crowded ones such as New York, but lower taxes, great personal freedom, and conservative politics have been bringing even more people in recent years.

Tennessee surpassed 7 million residents in 2022 for the first time, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates, making it the seventh-fastest-growing state in the United States by population last year.

States such as Tennessee have become attractive to individuals beyond the natural environment, mountains, and rivers. Those interviewed by The Epoch Times who moved from Illinois and New York said lower property taxes, low or no state income tax, and more conservative populations have become attractive reasons to move to the southeast.

According to the bureau, the Southeastern United States is the most populated region of the country, with nearly 129 million residents, and it was the largest-gaining region in 2022, growing by 1.1 percent, or 1.3 million people. Most of the increase in population came from other U.S. states (867,935) while a smaller percentage came from international migration (414,740).

The West was the only region to also increase in population, with an annual increase of 0.2 percent. The Northeast and Midwest both lost residents overall to other regions.

Corporate World to Homesteading

We wanted to be out in the middle of nowhere, said Matt Moreno, who moved to Spring City, Tennessee, with his wife, Marla, from the Chicago area in 2020. We were tipped off about the property and came here fresh out of the corporate world in Chicago. We thought at first it might just be a temporary move, not permanent, and we could maybe make an Air BnB out of it and move back up north once COVID was over.

The Morenos, both in their 30s, grew up in an area of northern Illinois about an hour north of Chicago and less than a half-hour south of Kenosha, Wisconsinwhere riots and looting dominated the public psyche just around the time the Morenos were packing up to head south.

Matt Moreno works in real estate, while Marla Moreno sells herbal medicine products. While the natural environment and ability to become more homesteaders than city-dwellers were attractive, so were statistics such as lower crime, lower taxes, and conservative politics.

You see a lot of people here with guns on their side, but we feel safer here, Matt Moreno said.

The move wasnt the easiest decision to make, he said, noting that he wasnt good with his hands or mechanically inclined coming from the corporate world.

Matt and Marla Moreno are seen in the surrounding nature of their mountain home in Tennessee, after moving from the Chicago area. (Courtesy of Matt Moreno)

The thing about the area that surprised me the most was the sense of community, he said. In Illinois, people will run you over and flick you off in the street. When we came here, neighbors came together to help us get established.

Moreno got into the real estate world in Tennessee quickly after moving and said now he has been able to help other couples and families wanting to move to the area from similar situations he was in.

Aside from the natural beauty and culture, he said the political climate was another major reason for their move.

Tennessee is a very conservative state with conservative values, and to be honest, that attracted me, he said. Illinois had an extremely liberal workforce, and I like being here among like-minded thinkers.

Other positives for Moreno include the lack of state income tax in Tennessee, which is why a number of people have told him theyre moving to the state, too.

Moreno said they had some learning experiences, such as learning that the mountain they lived on was quite windy and the tents they put up to store his wifes products for her herbal medicine line wouldnt hold up.

They also got into homesteading, starting with a goat they found for sale on Craigslist. They quickly discovered goats are social animals, so they bought a second and then a third. Then came chickens and ducks.

We felt people were rude and only cared about money where we were, he said. Its peaceful here. We have trails to access and hike. Its just a very different world.

In his work as a real estate agent, one of the main questions people have is about any restrictions on building on land for sale. Theyre usually surprised to learn that there are none and are really excited about that fact, he said.

Living in a rural area comes with some inconveniences, such as driving longer distances for shopping or eating, but Moreno said he wouldnt trade the location.

From Upstate New York to Southeast Tennessee

The Morenos sentiment was shared by Lynne Jornov, a nurse who moved south with her husband, Gary, in 2018. At first, they moved to Soddy-Daisy, but relocated to the small town of Dunlap after about two years.

Lynne Jornovs job as a nurse allows her to work anywhere, while her husbands work as a trucker gives him flexibility as well. The two said the main reasons for their move were taxes and conservative values.

The cost of running a small business in New York was  pretty much unmanageable, she said. That, together with property taxes, [made us realize that] we could retire and own our own home outright and still have to pay $10,000 a year in property taxes just to stay there. That was a little eye-opening, along with the political insanity up there. It just wasnt worth it anymore.

She said that although their families are still in New York, she and her husband had to do something and move. They also wanted to get into agriculture, with a few cows, to become more self-sufficient.

It was a tough decision, she said. [New York] was very beautiful, we had all four seasons. Of course, my parents are getting older and I would love to be there all the time, but we wouldnt be able to live anywhere near as comfortably as we do here.

She said the couple has grown children, so that wasnt a factor in their decision, but they would have had a tough time raising their kids in New Yorks current political climate.

[Source: U.S. Census Bureau]

Gary Jornov added that toll roads called choice lanes, which are currently being proposed by Tennessee legislators, arent something he would want to see.

This state needs to be conservative, thats why we came here, he said in an interview. We want to keep conservative clause and not be taxed to death. Hopefully that doesnt change here and stays the way it is.

Lynne Jornov said she understands the concerns of Tennessee natives who may not want people from states with different cultural backgrounds to bring their values with them, but thats not what they want anyway.

We couldve stayed in New York for that, she said. Tennessee is more of what we were looking for. Thank God we dont have small kids because I wouldnt want to raise a child in any of those places. Things they are doing and allowing are absolutely insane.

Southward Move Followed by Millions

Jae Gillispie, who moved from a suburban area in Illinois, has documented her move with her husband to Pikeville, Tennessee, on social media for tens of thousands of viewers.

She said she left her job of 21 years, and her husband left his job of 25 years.

We downsized, she said. No traffic. We love our little home. Its just beautiful out here. I am so glad we did this. It was a huge risk, because we are not retired. We made decent money, good money, and now we make less than half of what we did, but its worth every penny.

The couple moved to a rural area around 2 1/2 miles from Fall Creek Falls State Park, the largest and most visited state park in Tennessee, and around 14 miles from the small town of Pikeville.

If youre thinking about moving out here, which a lot of people are, this state is going crazy. Everything has doubled and tripled in price because this is such a hot state right now, she said, adding that they moved in 2020, just as the pandemic began. Its not cheap anymore, its definitely going up in price, but its the best move we ever made.

She said that after 48 years in Illinois, they decided to leave for a variety of reasons, including taxes.

The freedoms down here, you cant beat that, she said. So just to set some of the people straight that care about transplants coming downwere not here to change anything, were pretty darn conservative.

Jae and Chuck Gillispie moved to Pikeville, Tenn. after visiting Gatlinburg and deciding they needed to leave Illinois. (Courtesy of Jae Gillispie)

She has kept up with posting videos and has amassed more than 14,000 followers and millions of views on her posts.

People are so nice, she told her viewers in one video. When they say southern hospitality, they mean southern hospitality. Its the best move we ever made, we love it, absolutely love it.

To her followers who were concerned about things being changed by newcomers, Gillispie said: One of the top five reasons why we left is because of the freedoms down here and because its a conservative-run state. We have been conservatives our entire lives, we both grew up in conservative families, and thats just the way it is.
Texas DPS No Longer Enforcing Ban on 18- to 20-Year-Olds From Carrying Handguns

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has stopped enforcing a state law that made it illegal for 18- to 20-year-olds to carry handguns in public.

A recent memo to DPS officers alerted them to the enforcement change.

The enforcement change comes after U.S. District Judge Mark Pittman in Fort Worth struck down the law barring young adults from carrying handguns citing the age limits were in violation of the Second Amendment. (pdf) Under Texas Penal Code 46.02, adults under 21 are barred from carrying handguns in public unless they are under a protective order or they are in the military.

Pittman, who has served the Northern District of Texas since 2019, was appointed by former President Donald Trump.

DPS Director Steven McCraw had filed an appeal to the courts decision, but in late December, the agency withdrew its appeal, allowing the judges order to stand. (pdf) The state gave no explanation for the withdrawal. (pdf)

The legal battle started in November 2021 when the Firearms Policy Coalition Inc. of California filed a lawsuit on behalf of two plaintiffs whose ages fell within that range. The suit stated that the law prohibited the pair from traveling between three counties in North Texas where they lived, worked, and attended school.

The suit was filed about two months after the states Constitutional Carry law went into effect, allowing legal gun owners to carry a handgun without a license.

Victory for Constitutional Rights

The Firearms Policy Coalition declared Pittmans ruling a victory for Constitutional rights.

We applaud Texas for doing the right thing and accepting the district courts ruling against the law prohibiting 18- to 20-year-old adults from carrying firearms in public, said Cody Wisniewski, FPC senior attorney. Not only do young adults have the same constitutionally protected right to bear arms as all other adults, they are also among the reasons we have a Second Amendment, Constitution, and Country in the first place.

Its unclear whether other law enforcement agencies will follow Pittmans ruling.

The Dallas County and Harris County Sherriffs Offices did not respond to requests for comment.

Democrats Seeking Stricter Gun Laws

Meanwhile, Texas Democrats are urging lawmakers to consider numerous bills that would impose stricter gun laws in the state. The 88th Legislative session convened earlier this month.

Some of the bills are in response to the horrific mass shooting at Robb Elementary, which left 19 students and two teachers dead.

The gunman had turned 18 just days before he went on the deadly rampage, and he purchased his firearms legally. He was eventually killed by police.

A Uvalde police officer watches as family and friends of those killed and injured in the school shootings at Robb Elementary take part in a protest march and rally in Uvalde, Texas, on July 10, 2022. (Eric Gay/AP Photo)

On Tuesday, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio, whose district includes Uvalde, introduced four bills he says would reduce gun violence, increase support for the families of victims of school violence, and provide more accountability for law enforcement.

One of his bills, SB 145, would raise the age to purchase certain weapons, including firearms, clubs, or a location-restricted knife, from 18 to 21. A location-restricted knife is a knife with a blade over 5  inches. (pdf)

It has to be the session where we do something on gun safety, Gutierrez said during a press conference at the Texas Capitol in Austin. He was accompanied by family members who lost loved ones in the Uvalde massacre on May 24.

Were not asking for the moon and stars; were asking for commonsense solutions. These families are broken, he continued. Theyre mad as hell, theyre angry, and theres not one damn thing that anybodys going to be able to do that is going to bring their children back, but under no certain terms should we allow their deaths to be in vain.

Marissa Lozano, the younger sister of teacher Irma Garcia who was killed at Robb Elementary, also spoke out, urging lawmakers to pass the bill to raise the age to purchase firearms. Garcias husband died of a heart attack two days after his wife, leaving four children behind.

You say raising the age limit would not prevent these atrocities from happening because criminals dont follow the law, Lozano said. Well, this shooter did.

Gov. Greg Abbotts office also did not respond to a request for comment.
Highlights of the day include the unfurling of the Thousand Armed Avalokiteshvara embroidered painting, measured 16 by 12 meters. A gift from the Gyalwang Drukpa to the Vietnamese people, it is currently the largest Buddhist painting in Vietnam.

He emphasized the Buddhist view that fortune or suffering in one's life is directly caused by one's actions and karma, if we harm others or cause suffering, the world will be chaotic, and happiness lies in our own hands.

In regards to the Thousand Armed Avalokiteshvara painting, he teaches that the thousand arms represent positive activities, while the thousand eyes represent positive views. The thousand arms and thousand eyes together represent the positive actions and thoughts of beings. The precious rosary, lotus, vase, and bow held in Avalokiteshvara's hands convey compassion towards all sentient beings.
Thai Activist Sentenced to 28 Years for Online Posts on King

Political activist Mongkhon Thirakot flashes the pro-democracy gesture of a three-finger salute ahead of going to a court in Thailand's northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand, on Jan. 26, 2023. (Thai Lawyers for Human Rights via AP)

BANGKOKA court in Thailand sentenced a 27-year-old political activist to 28 years in prison on Thursday for posting messages on Facebook that it said defamed the countrys monarchy, while two young women charged with the same offense continued a hunger strike after being hospitalized.

The court in the northern province of Chiang Rai found that Mongkhon Thirakot violated the lese majeste law in 14 of 27 posts for which he was arrested last August. The law covers the current king, his queen and heirs, and any regent.

The lese majeste law carries a prison term of three to 15 years per incident for insulting the monarchy, but critics say it is often wielded as a tool to quash political dissent. Student-led pro-democracy protests beginning in 2020 openly criticized the monarchy, previously a taboo subject, leading to vigorous prosecutions under the law, which had previously been relatively rarely employed.

Since November 2020, according to Thai Lawyers for Human Rights, a legal aid organization, at least 228 people, including 18 minors, have been charged with violating the law, even as the protest movement withered due to arrests and the difficulties of conducting protests during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chiang Rai court found that 13 messages posted by Mongkhon, an online clothing merchant, did not violate the law because they related to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the father of current King Maha Vajiralongkorn, or did not mention a specific royal figure. Mongkhon was found guilty and sentenced to three years in prison for each of the other 14 posts. The 42-year total prison term was reduced by one third, to 28 years, because of Mongkhons cooperation with the court.

Mongkhon was granted release on bail while his case in on appeal, under the conditions that he does not engage in acts that damage the monarchy or leave the country.

Prosecutions under the lese majeste law have recently drawn increased public attention because of a prison hunger strike by two female activists charged with the offense.

The two, Tantawan Tawan Tuatulanon and Orawan Bam Phupong, had been free on bail but announced earlier this month that they were revoking their own release to return to prison in solidarity with others held pending trial on the same charge. They issued demands including reform of the justice system, the release of political prisoners and the restoration of civil liberties by abolishing legislation such as the lese majeste law.

After three days back in prison, they began a hunger strike in which they are not consuming either food or liquids, a life-threatening tactic. On Tuesday they were transferred from the prison hospital to a state hospital with better facilities.

As their strike continued, supporters staged small protests.

The opposition Move Forward Party, which has been offering support, has proposed amending the lese majeste law, but no action has been taken in Parliament.

The proposal would reduce the punishment for defaming the king to a maximum of one year in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 baht ($9,160), while an offense against the queen, the kings heirs or the regent would be subject to a maximum six-month prison term and a fine of up to 200,000 baht ($6,100).

The entire Thai justice system has a problem and so does the enforcement of the lese majeste law, which is also used as a political tool. Thailand has to solve this and make its distorted justice system better, said Pita Limjaroenrat, the partys leader.

By Chalida Ekvitthayavechnukul
Trump Announces Plan to Take Back Schools From Radical Left Maniacs

Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 8, 2022. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump stepped up his presidential campaign efforts on Jan. 26 by proposing several key changes to public education, asserting that radical left maniacs had overtaken the system.

Laying out his plans in a video posted to his Truth Social and Rumble accounts, Trump pledged to restore the authority of American parents over how their children are educated.

First, we will cut federal funding for any school or program pushing critical race theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content onto our children, Trump vowed.

Were not going to allow it to happen, he added, noting that he would instruct the Departments of Justice and Education to open civil rights investigations into school districts that had engaged in racial discrimination.

The Marxism being preached in our schools is also totally hostile to Judeo-Christian teachings, Trump said, and in many ways, its resembling an established new religion. Cant allow that to happen. For this reason, my administration will aggressively pursue potential violations of the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the Constitution.

Also holding that the Education Department had been infiltrated by radical zealots and Marxists, the former president promised to begin rooting out such subversives on his first day in office.

Joe Biden has given these lunatics unchecked power, Trump said. I will have them fired and escorted from the building, and I will tell Congress that any appropriations bill I sign must reaffirm the presidents ability to remove defiant employees from the job.

Other actions Trump vowed to take included vetoing efforts to weaponize civics education, upholding traditional gender divisions in sports, and creating a new credentialing body to certify teachers who embrace patriotic values, support our way of life, and understand that their job is not to indoctrinate children but, very simply, to educate them.

As for funding, favorable treatment, he said, would be given to states and school districts based on their enactment of certain reforms, including the abolition of teacher tenure for grades K through 12 and the adoption of merit-based pay; cuts to administrative positions, including the diversity, equity, and inclusion bureaucracy; the adoption of a Parental Bill of Rights with total curriculum transparency and universal school choice; and implementation of the direct election of school principals by parents.

When Im president, we will put parents back and charge and give them the final say, Trump said. We will get back to teaching reading, writing, and math, called arithmetic, and we will give our kids the high-quality, pro-American education they deserve.

From Playground to Battleground

Public schools have become a fierce battleground in American politics in recent years, with the national switch over to virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic providing parents with a window into their childrens education.

One primary source of concern for many parents has been the teaching of critical race theory, an ideology rooted in the notion that racism has permeated all levels and institutions of American society to the point where it has become systemic.

People hold up signs during a rally against critical race theory (CRT) being taught in schools at the Loudoun County Government center in Leesburg, Va., on June 12, 2021. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

While the theorys proponents hold that it is merely a critical lens through which students can better understand the racial injustices of the past, those who oppose the ideology fear it only serves to deepen racial divides and breed hatred and resentment.

With those worries in mind, more than a dozen states have passed legislation to prevent the teaching of critical race theory in their schools.

Among those states is Florida, where last week, the leaders of the Florida College System (FCS) pledged not to support or fund critical race theory in any of the states 28 public colleges unless it is taught objectively alongside other concepts.

A college faculty and student body must be free to cultivate a spirit of inquiry and scholarly criticism, and to examine ideas in an atmosphere of freedom and confidence, free from shielding and in a nondiscriminatory manner, the FCS presidents said in a statement.

The FCS presidents remain committed to developing campus environments that uphold objectivity in teaching and learning and in professional development and that welcome all voicesenvironments in which students, faculty, and staff can pursue their academic interests without fear of reprisal or being canceled, they added.

However, such moves have angered those who support critical race theory, like Shayla Reese Griffin, co-founder and facilitator of the social justice organization Justice Leaders Collaborative.

This is about power, Griffin argued last year. The goal of this [anti-critical race theory] movement is to maintain political power, Griffin said. Schools are a site of that conflict because those folks know that, how students graduate from school, and what they think about justice, is going to matter in how they vote and matter in the long-term impact to our country.

The political battle over critical race theory in schools mirrors others that have cropped up at school board meetings, like the teaching of progressive gender ideologies and the inclusion of sexually explicit materials in school libraries.

Trump launched his presidential campaign in November at his Palm Beach, Florida, home, promising to defend the family as the center of American life.

Americas comeback starts right now, he said.
Former President Donald Trump will deliver a keynote speech at the annual meeting of the New Hampshire Republican Party in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Jan. 28.

The Epoch Times will livestream the meeting starting at 10 a.m. ET.
Twitter Moderators Knew the Russian Bots List Was Fake: Twitter Files

The Twitter logo is seen on a phone in this photo illustration in Washington, on July 10, 2019. (Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images)

Twitter content moderators knew that a Russian bots list used by mainstream media to discredit unwelcome political viewpoints was fake, but ultimately remained silent on it due to fears of bad press, according to newly unveiled internal email exchanges.

Independent journalist Matt Taibbi on Friday released the latest installment of revelations dubbed the Twitter Files. This new batch of internal communications involved the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD), a nonprofit organization that studies strategies to counter campaigns to undermine democratic processes across the world.

ASD also created and maintains Hamilton 68, a dashboard that tracks, among other things, 600 Twitter accounts alleged to be Russian government-controlled bots. This online tool received positive mainstream media coverage, including from Politico, The Washington Post, and CNN.

In screenshots of emails shared by Taibbi, Twitters former head of Trust and Safety Yoel Roth appeared to have dismissed Hamilton 68s list of Russian bots as untrustworthy.

In a January 2018 email, Roth lamented Hamilton 68s accusing an organically trending political hashtag of being driven by Russian bots. He also talked about potentially calling out such behavior.

As of yesterday, this looked like the right-leaning hashtag about the shutdown, which only got the label of Russian because the Hamilton dashboard falsely accuses a bunch of legitimate right-leaning accounts of being Russian Bots, Roth wrote. How we publicly push back on Hamilton is a bigger question.

After reviewing accounts Hamilton 68 claimed to be Russian bots, Roth told his moderation team in a February 2018 email that the accounts in question were neither strongly Russian nor strongly bot, but just generally right-leaning users.

Virtually any conclusion drawn from it will take conversations in conservative circles on Twitter and accuse them of being Russian, Roth wrote.

In terms of substance, this is truly a nothingburger, he added. Its just a problem of journalists continuing to lean on deeply flawed tools pushed by people looking to capitalize on the bot media frenzy.

Hamilton 68s reluctance to share its formula for producing the Russian bot list prompted Roth to reverse-engineer the list himself. In an October 2017 email, Roth describes the metrics of identifying Russian bots as bizarre and arbitrary.

The selection of account is bizarre, and seemingly quite arbitrary, he wrote. They appear to strongly preference pro-Trump accounts (which they use to assert that Russia is expressing a preference for trump  even though theres not good evidence that any of the accounts they selected are or are not actually Russian.)

Its so weird and self-selecting, and theyre so unwilling to be transparent and defend their selection that I think we need to just call this out on the [expletive] it is, he added.

With all that said, Roth decided not to openly denounce the list as other Twitter employees advised against it. We have to be careful in how much we push back on ASD publicly, said one Twitter employee.

The ASD didnt respond to a request for comment, but it replied to a question in Taibbis thread, saying that information describing Hamilton 68s methodology can be found on its website.

Founded in 2017, ASD is a project under the German Marshall Fund of the United States, a nonprofit think-tank heavily funded by the American, German, and Swedish governments. The ASDs advisory council is known for consisting of various former members of the Clinton and Obama administrations, including former White House chief of staff John Podesta.
UCLAs Laboratory Elementary School Teachers Strike Over Alleged Unfair Labor Practices

Teachers at a K6-grade school at the University of CaliforniaLos Angeles (UCLA) were on strike over what they said are unfair labor practices from the university.

The UCLA Lab Schoolwhich serves about 450 studentsis privately run by the universitys School of Education and Information Studies as its laboratory, with its education leaders developing innovative curricula for young children, according to the schools website.

On Jan. 25 and 26, dozens of teachers staged a walkout, claiming that the UC violated our rights to bargain by delaying the process and denying our right to negotiate anything other than salary, according to a Jan. 22 statement by the University Council-American Federation of Teachers (UC-AFT), the union representing teachers, lecturers, and librarians in the UC system.

The union said teachers at the lab school were denied the chance to negotiate various aspects including the length of the school calendar, professional development, personal leave days, merit reviews, and stipendsunlike those working at other K12 schools on UC campuses, according to the union.

The teachers demanded to have a teaching assistant in every classroom, funding for professional development, and cost-of-living wage increases, among other items.

These aspects of our jobs should be part of our negotiations; not including them is a violation of past practices and previous contractual agreements, the statement read.

The union also claimed the schools leaders are straying from its founding mission, focusing less on research and curriculum development.

The University of CaliforniaLos Angeles is seen in Westwood, Calif., on Jan. 22, 2018. (Joyce Kuo/The Epoch Times)

The UC offered a 4 percent salary increase retroactive to July 2022 contingent upon removing days for course planning and professional development and replacing them with instructional days, according to a Jan. 16 letter from the union to the families of students at the lab school.

While Lab School teachers main contract is the same as UC lecturers under UC-AFT, the union on behalf of the teachers attempted to negotiate a side lettera secondary contract for additional benefitswith the university after its existing side letter expired in 2019.

In May 2022, UC-AFT filed an unfair labor practices complaint with the state Public Employment Relations Board on behalf of the teachers. A hearing on the matter is set for spring.

This comes just a month after 48,000 academic student employees and postdoctoral scholars launched a two-month strike across all 10 UC campusesthe largest education strike in U.S. historyresulting in pay raises and other benefits in the new contract agreements.

Representatives for UCLAs School of Education and Information Studies and UCLA Lab School did not respond to requests for comment by press deadline.
US Charges 3 in Plot to Kill Iranian-American Author in NYC

Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on Jan. 27, 2023. (Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)

WASHINGTONThe Justice Department has charged three men in an alleged plot that originated in Iran to kill an Iranian American author and activist who has spoken out against human rights abuses there, officials said Friday.

The men, Rafat Amirov, 43, of Iran, Polad Omarov, 38, of the Czech Republic and Slovenia and Khalid Mehdiyev, 24, of Yonkers, New York, were charged with money laundering and murder-for-hire in an indictment unsealed in federal court in New York. The three men were in custody and one was awaiting extradition to the United States.

Masih Alinejad, an Iranian opposition activist, journalist and writer in exile in New York City, confirmed to The Associated Press that she was the intended target.

Im not scared, Alinejad told the AP after U.S. authorities announced the charges. I want to tell you that the Iranian regime thinks by trying to kill me, they will silence me, or silence other women. But they only strengthen me, make me more powerful to fight for democracy and give voice to brave women who are facing guns and bullets in the streets to get rid of the Islamic Republic.

Activist Masih Alinejad speaks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 19, 2023. (Markus Schreiber/AP Photo)

She said FBI officials had read her the messages that the plotters exchanged between themselves, including a final one: Its going to be done today.

Irans mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the charges. Iranian state media did not immediately acknowledge the alleged plot late Friday.

While the man who allegedly orchestrated the plot lives in Iran, the indictment does not directly accuse the countrys theocracy of being behind the alleged murder-for-hire.

Still, the case follows a disturbing pattern of Iranian government-sponsored efforts to kill, torture, and intimidate into silence activists for speaking out for the fundamental rights and freedoms of Iranians around the world, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

Mehdiyev was arrested last year after he was found driving around Masihs Brooklyn neighborhood with a loaded rifle and dozens of rounds of ammunition. Alinejad told The Associated Press at the time that authorities told her the man was looking for her, and that a home security video had caught him skulking outside her front door.

The government of Iran has previously targeted dissidents around the world, including the victim, who oppose the regimes violations of human rights, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in announcing the charges.

He said individuals in Iran had tasked the defendants with carrying out the plot to kill the activist.

The victim publicized the Iranian governments human rights abuses, discriminatory treatment of women, suppression of democratic participation and expression, and use of arbitrary imprisonment, torture, and execution, Garland said. In 2019, this activity posed such a threat to the government of Iran that the chief judge of Irans Revolutionary courts warned that anyone who sent videos to the victim criticizing the regime would be sentenced to prison.

In 2021, an Iranian intelligence official and three others were charged with plotting to kidnap the victim, he said.

All three defendants are natives of Azerbaijan, which shares a border and cultural ties with Iran.

Amirov made his initial court appearance in New York and attorney Michael Martin entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. The defense didnt immediately ask for bail in the brief court appearance. Amirov used a Russian interpreter since he speaks it, though it isnt his first language.

An attorney for Mehdiyev declined to comment Friday. Omarov was arrested in the Czech Republic earlier this month. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney to speak on his behalf.

This case also highlights the evolving threat and the increasingly brazen conduct emanating from Iran, said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. She also pointed to charges filed against members of Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in an alleged plot to kill a former U.S. national security adviser, as well as as charges against Iranian hackers accused of targeting utility companies.

In recent years, Iranian intelligence and security services have stepped up the use of transnational repression tactics to target political opponents and critics, said FBI Director Christopher Wray. Along with kidnapping and assassination plots, tactics have included surveillance, cyber operations, and intimidation of family and friends in Iran, he said.

The Iranian governments efforts to silence its critics arent confined to the borders of Iran, Wray said.

Tensions between the United States and Iran are even higher than usual, with the Biden administrations attempts to revive a 2015 deal limiting Irans nuclear program falling apart and the U.S. denouncing Irans targeting of protesters there. Iran also is accused of providing Russia with drones that are playing a significant role in Russian attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine.

Alinejad told the AP she hoped that the ruthlessness of Iranians plotting to kill a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil would convince President Joe Biden to act on calls by some in Congress and elsewhere to place Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on the U.S. list of terrorist entities.

They are actually challenging the U.S. authorities to see what the consequence is going to be if there is no punishment, and there is no reason for them to stop killing innocent Americans or innocent Iranians, she said.

Alinejad, who worked for years as a journalist in Iran, long has been targeted by its theocracy after fleeing the country following its disputed 2009 presidential election and crackdown.

She is a prominent figure on Farsi-language satellite channels abroad that critically view Iran, and she has worked as a contractor for U.S.-funded Voice of Americas Farsi-language network since 2015. She became a U.S. citizen in October 2019.

Her White Wednesday and My Stealthy Freedom campaigns have seen women film themselves without head coverings, or hijabs, in public in Iran, which can bring arrests and fines. She also has been amplifying the voices of those protesting in Iran since the September death of Mahsa Amini, who died after being arrested by the morality police.

The three defendants, meanwhile, are members of an Eastern European criminal organization that has ties to Iran, according to court papers.

Amirov, a leader of the group living in Iran, was tasked with targeting her by unnamed people there, the indictment states. Garland declined to give further detail on where the orders originated. Amirov turned to Omarov, who lives in Eastern Europe, and they brought in the New York-based Mehdiyev, giving him $30,000 in cash. Mehdiyev got the rifle and began watching her house in July, U.S. authorities said.

He took photos and video and thought up ways to try to lure her outside for more than a week, the indictment states. At one point, Mehdiyev described himself as being at the crime scene.

But on July 28, Alinejad left her home after seeing something suspicious. When Mehdiyev tried to drive away shortly after, he was stopped by a New York police officer. Police found the gun, ammunition magazines, cash, and a black ski mask. He was arrested on a federal firearms charge.

By Lindsay Whitehurst and Ellen Knickmeyer
US Treasury Sanctions Chinese Firm Supplying Intelligence to Russia

Investigation reveals Spacety's deep ties to Chinese military programs

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (front L) and Chinese leader Xi Jinping (front R) arrive for the welcome banquet for leaders attending the Belt and Road Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on April 26, 2019. (Nicolas Asfouri/Pool/Getty Images)

A Chinese satellite manufacturer was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department on Thursday for supplying satellite imagery to Russia for the Ukraine war.

A further investigation has revealed deep relations between the Chinese firm and the Chinese state-owned defense industry.

Spacety, or Tianyi Space Science and Technology Research Institute Co. Ltd., has allegedly provided satellite images to Russia in order to enable Wagner combat operations in Ukraine, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

Wagner Group is a de facto private army directly under the control of Russian President Vladimir Putin. It was designated as a significant transnational criminal organization.

PLA Links

On the surface, Spacety appears to be a small and private commercial satellite manufacturer based in Changsha City of Chinas Hunan Province. But The Epoch Timess independent investigation has discovered multiple and comprehensive relations between Spacety and Chinas military, the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).

Listed on its company website, one of Spacetys strategic partners is China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT), which is Chinas top missile and launch vehicle research institute.

Established in 1956 by Chinas National Defense Department, CALVTs first director in the 1950s and 1960s was Qian Xuesen (a.k.a. Hsue-Shen Tsien), who was considered the father of Chinas missile system industry. CALVTs first political officer was Gu Jingsheng, a PLA lieutenant general.

Qian was once a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and California Institute of Technology in the 1950s. He was also a former colonel serving in the U.S. Airforce. The U.S. Department of Justice detained Qian for his involvement in activities related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). But in 1955, the U.S. government allowed Qian to go back to China, reportedly in exchange for several U.S. pilots who were captured by the PLA during the Korean War.

Spacetys strategic partner also includes Sichuan Jiuzhou Electronics Group Co., Ltd. (SJEG), one of Chinas top state-own defense contractors. SJEGs main products include military AI and data systems, military radar systems, low and ultralow-altitude target detection defense systems, and 5G equipment.

Established in 1958, the SJEG was formerly known as the 783 Factory, a name used by the Chinese regime to keep the secrets of its identity as a defense entity. It was initially funded by financial aid from the Soviet Union.

Along with CALVT and SJEG, Spacetys official website also provides a long list of its strategic partners, which are all top research institutes serving Chinas defense industry.

According to Spacetys official website, the companys many high-level managers have deep personal ties to Chinas military and space programs.

Ren Weijia, chief technology officer of Spacety, has played a key role in Chinas manned space programs, Shenzhou and Tianzhou, in the last two decades.

Xiong Shujie, Spacetys vice president, was the former deputy director of the design department for Beidou, Chinas navigation satellite system that has been a key element in the Chinese militarys long-range strike missile system.

Liu Jingyang, another vice president, graduated from Luoyang Foreign Language School (LGLS) and China Peoples Liberation Army National Defense University (CPLANDU). LGLS is a well-known Chinese military intelligence school that trains its students to become PLA intelligence officers. CPLANDU is Chinas highest-level military institute that provides training only to high-level PLA officers.

Military-Civil Integration

One of Spacetys strategic partners listed on its website is the Hunan Military-Civil Integration (MCI) development platform. The MCI platform, also known as the Military-Civil Fusion project, is one of the leading efforts made by the Chinese regime to modernize its military. Through the MCI platform, the Chinese military was able to partner with many Chinese universities and institutions that had already built relations with Western universities and corporations and obtained cutting-edge technologies from the West for Chinas military use.

A rocket carrying two satellites lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest Chinas Gansu Province on July 25, 2019. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

In the past decade, the Chinese regime has made a significant investment in the MCI platforms on different levels of government and military services.

In October 2015, Chinese leader Xi Jinping made MCI a national priority in a meeting of the CCPs Central Committee, a top decision-making body of the regime, according to reports from Chinas state media at the time. The direction was to establish a nationwide system for the management, operation, and policy system for MCI.

Chinas Central Commission for the Development of Military-Civil Integration was officially formed In January 2017, with Xi being its director.

Bans by Washington

Chinese regimes MCI strategy has been targeted by both the Trump and Biden administrations. The U.S. government has blacklisted a bevy of Chinese tech and defense companies that aided the military. Trump issued an executive order that barred U.S. investments in a group of Chinese military-linked companies that form part of the MCI strategy. President Joe Biden later expanded the list of Chinese firms caught by the ban.

Spacety is registered in China as a private commercial company. But from its partner list and the backgrounds of its top-level managers, it appears that the small satellite manufacturer is a part of the regimes MCI efforts.

Although from its appearance, the partnership between Chinas Spacety and Russias Wagner Group is a collaboration on the private level. However, the deep ties between Spacety and Chinas military programs, and the direct involvement of Wagner in the Ukraine War, have clearly revealed a very different aspect of Chinas support of Russias invasion of Ukraine.
USAID Has Given $110,000 to Non-Profit With Alleged Links to Terror Groups: Rep. McCaul

Sudanese dockers unload bags of sorgham (cereal) from one of two US ships carrying humanitarian aid supplies provided by the US development agency USAID, at Port Sudan on the red sea coast on June 5, 2018. (Ashraf Shazly/AFP via Getty Images)

American taxpayer money might have been given to terrorist groups through a non-profit, according to a letter released on Friday from Congressman and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul (R-Texas).

The House Foreign Affairs Committees (HFAC) Chairman wrote a letter (pdf) to the U.S. Agency for International Developments (USAID) administrator, Samantha Power, expressing his concerns about the latter awarding a grant of $110,000 to a non-profit with alleged ties to terrorism.

McCaul expressed concerns over credible and longstanding, detailed allegations that the non-profit Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) was not properly reviewed for its alleged ties to terrorist groups, terror financiers, and extremist groups.

The Foreign Affairs Committee had given information on the matter to USAID from May 2022, but USAIDs response at that time was not addressing the allegations against the grantee, according to McCaul.

The Epoch Times reached out to USAID for comments.

HFAC subsequently asked for a briefing from USAID but no action was taken, so the committee had to make a public request to USAID on Nov. 2022 for an explanation of the grant.

The briefing took place on Jan. 11, 2023, and according to McCaul, it made clear that USAID failed to take any action to investigate the allegations or to suspend the award despite being provided with detailed information on the matter.

Shockingly, one of the subject-matter experts in the briefing acknowledged that he had only been made aware of the matter the week before, McCaul writes.

USAID attempted to defend itself by claiming it had forwarded information provided by the committee to USAIDs Office of Inspector General. While this would be an appropriate step, it in no way replaces or relieves USAID of its clear responsibility to promptly examine the allegations and to determine if it has been providing taxpayer dollars to an entity linked to designated terrorist organizations. USAIDs gross negligence in handling this matter and its alarming failure to take the allegations seriously are simply unacceptable.

McCaul asked for an immediate personal review from Power.

If the grant is considered valid after the review, USAID must provide evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on how HHRD is not linked to terrorist groups. USAID should also provide an update to the committee on the progress of the review no later than Jan. 31, and continuous updates thereafter.

Until Feb. 7, USAID should provide the committee with all documents regarding the grant, including documents related to the review and approval process for the grant.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee considers legislation that impacts the diplomatic community, which includes the Department of State, USAID, the Peace Corps, and the United Nations.

McCaul served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security during the 113th, 115th, and 116th Congresses. Prior to Congress, McCaul served as Chief of Counter Terrorism and National Security in the U.S. Attorneys office, Western District of Texas, and led the Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Before being appointed by the Biden administration as USAID administrator, Samantha Power was appointed by the Obama administration as the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017.

In 2009, President Obama appointed Power to the National Security Council as special assistant to the president, a position she kept until 2013.
Utah Bans Transgender Surgeries, Puberty Blockers for Children

Utah is the first U.S. state this year to ban most minors from receiving body-altering transgender surgeries or puberty blockers.

Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed the legislation on Jan. 28, after the measure, SB16, received final approval by the state Senate a day earlier on a 208 vote; two Republican state senators joined with the chambers six Democrats in voting against the bill. The House voted 5814 earlier in the week to pass the proposal.

The measure, which takes effect immediately, prohibits health care providers from performing transgender surgeries or prescribing hormone therapy for minors who havent yet been diagnosed with gender dysphoriaa term that the Mayo Clinic defines as the feeling of discomfort or distress  in people whose gender identity differs from their sex assigned at birth or sex-related physical characteristics.

However, it doesnt halt minors who are already receiving hormonal therapy; the moratorium is only for new patients.

The law requires that the states Department of Health and Human Services conduct a systemic review of the medical evidence regarding hormonal transgender treatments and provide recommendations to the Legislature, although it doesnt set an end date for the review or require the state Legislature to revisit the policy once the review is complete.

It also places certain requirements on health care providers to administer hormonal transgender treatment and contains provisions allowing for minors to bring malpractice lawsuits against health care providers for treatment they provided if the individuals later disaffirm consent.

SB16 was sponsored by Republican state Sen. Mike Kennedy, a practicing family physician, who said his motivation behind the legislation was to protect children from making irreversible changes to their bodies, the Tribune reported.

Our country is witnessing a radical and dangerous push for children to enter this version of health care, he said. Caring for our children does not mean riding the latest radical wave. Caring for our children means stepping back from the churning waters and asking some tough, complex questions.

Last week, Cox told KSL News Radios Let Me Speak to the Governor program that hes not planning to veto the bill, Deseret News reported. According to the outlet, Cox said hes had lots of conversations with the bills sponsor and other stakeholders, including members from the LGBT community, about the legislation.

He said the bill approaches it in the right way.

Were going to push pause, were going to look at the research, were going to gather all of the data and make sure were not doing any long-term harm to our young people, he said.

According to sfgate.com, the states Legislature made the bills passage a top priority, hearing the first draft just two days into Utahs 2023 legislative session.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the legislation carried two-thirds support in both the House and Senate, which meant that had Cox decided to veto the bill, it would have been likely overridden in short order.

Republican state Sen. Todd Weiler struggled with his decision to join the Democrats in opposing the legislation, Deseret News reported.

Describing himself as a big believer in parental rights, he told the news outlet that hes also been startled by the recent news coming from Western European countriessuch as Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Francethat have been performing surgeries and administering hormone blockers to youths for almost a decade before it became routine in the United States and are now making moves to overhaul medical care for transgender youth.

With that decade longer experience, those countries  have all started putting the brakes on this, he said.

Utahs LGBT advocacy group Equality Utah continues to oppose the legislation, according to Deseret News.

Ive seen little evidence that lawmakers are really listening to families with transgender children [and] seeing the positive impact of this care, Equality Utahs executive director Troy Williams told the news outlet.

This debate is far from over. It will next move to the courts, he wrote in a text to the Tribune.

From NTD News
Walmart, CVS Health Adjust Pharmacy Hours Amid Labor Crunch

CVS Health logo in a photo illustration taken on May 3, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Illustration/Reuters)

Walmart Inc. said on Friday it would adjust working hours for its U.S. pharmacy team and implement it nationwide in 4,600 locations, with drugstore operator CVS Health Corp. doing the same for about two-thirds of its retail pharmacies, amid a tight labor market.

The United States has been experiencing a nationwide labor shortage since the COVID-19 pandemic which has forced retailers to offer attractive incentives and pay increases.

Walgreens Boots Alliance and CVS each raised their minimum wage to $15 per hour in 2021 while Walmart said last year it would increase the average pay of pharmacy workers to more than $20 per hour.

Earlier on Friday, the Wall Street Journal first reported CVS Health Corp. and Walmart were cutting pharmacy hours.

A sign for customers at a pharmacy where the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine is available inside a Walmart department store as Walmart and other major U.S. pharmacies take part in the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program to increase vaccinations in the U.S. in West Haven, Conn., on Feb. 17, 2021. (Mike Segar/Reuters)

Walmarts pharmacies will be open from 9 AM to 7 PM, Monday through Friday from March, while the weekend hours would not change, a spokesperson for the company said. Currently, they are open from 9 AM to 9 PM.

CVS said the new hours of operation, which begin in March, at impacted pharmacies will vary, adding it periodically reviews operating hours to make sure peak customer demand was being met.

The company had 9,900 retail locations including pharmacies, according to a regulatory filing in February 2022.

Walgreens said in a statement that at times it had to adjust store or pharmacy hours at some places after staffing challenges impacted retailers and healthcare entities, among others, over the last 12 months.
LAS VEGAS  A Las Vegas man was sentenced this week by U.S. District Judge Richard F. Boulware II to 10 years in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for distributing counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl that resulted in the death of another person.

Gabriel Ulloa, 30, pleaded guilty in May 2022 to distribution of a controlled substance.

According to court documents, in June 2020, Ulloa sold three counterfeit M-30 oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl. Ulloas phone records indicated that he was aware he was selling counterfeit pills. A 27-year-old man  who believed he was buying oxycodone pills from Ulloa  died as result of ingesting the fentanyl-laced pills.

Fentanyl  a Schedule II controlled substance  is a synthetic opioid that is 50 times more potent than heroin. Just two milligrams of fentanyl, or the amount that could fit on the tip of a pencil, is considered a potentially lethal dose. In 2021, a record number of Americans  107,622  died from a drug poisoning or overdose. Sixty-six percent of those deaths can be attributed to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl.

U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada, Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kevin Adams for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Las Vegas District Office, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Miller for HSI Las Vegas made the announcement.

The DEA, HSI, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Major Violators Narcotics Crimes Bureau, Overdose Response Team, and the Henderson Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Sokolich prosecuted the case.

This case was part of the Southern Nevadas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program that enhances and coordinates drug control efforts among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The program provides agencies with coordination, equipment, technology, and additional resources to combat drug trafficking and its harmful consequences in critical regions of the United States.
Warning Notice Placed on Hotel Booking Sites in Australia

A family frolics on the beach at Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rica. (Photo courtesy of Dreams Las Mareas Costa Rica)

Countless Australians turned to hotel booking platforms over the summer break to compare the best deals for their holiday destinations.

While convenient for travellers, one senior politician is concerned the sites are charging accommodation operators hefty fees for what is essentially a payment processing service.

Assistant Competition Minister Andrew Leigh also worries theyre punishing hotel operators that ask customers to book directly by pushing their listings to the bottom of search pages.

Such behaviour is an example of a tightly concentrated market, with many providers but only a few booking platforms.

When you have monopoly or oligopoly players, theres always a risk theyll charge too much and abuse their monopoly position, Leigh told AAP.

The federal government is investigating options to promote competition in the accommodation booking market and will be watching other sectors dominated by a handful of players.

You can think of this in the same way as which the government regulates industries on national security grounds, Leigh said.

When the utility gets to a certain scale, it becomes significant for national security purposes and the government steps in to impose additional regulations.

Since taking office at the election the author, lawyer and former economics professor has kicked off Labors pro-competition agenda.

He sees Australias economy as far from match fit and says increasing market concentration is partly to blame for diminishing dynamism and productivity.

Leigh said, almost every Australian industrydepartment stores, newspapers, banking, supermarketsis dominated by a few behemoths.

We want to envision an Australian economy where people have as many choices as they have sporting teams to choose from.

When firms have few competitors, they are able to charge higher prices as consumers have no other choice but to buy their products.

Theres evidence of this occurring with mark-upsthe gap between what it costs to produce a product and how much consumers payincreasing in highly concentrated industries.

Leigh is also concerned about sluggish job-switchingrobbing workers of pay rises and firms of the talent they need to innovateand the low rate of business start-ups in Australia.

Technology poses a major challenge as a lot of competition issues are in the digital space, Leigh said.

These platforms benefit greatly through scaleit doesnt cost twice as much to run a social media platform for twice as many users.

The consumer watchdog has been keeping an eye on these platforms through an ongoing digital platform services inquiry.

Leigh said assessing the Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions recommendations would be a priority in 2023.

While rarely based in Australia, digital firms are not exempt from Australian competition law.

For example, Australian laws were able to regulate social media giants through the news media bargaining code.

These laws endeavoured to correct an imbalance in this relationshippublishers needed social media companies to circulate their stories, while the social media platforms were not reliant on any one outlet despite news generally being good for engagement and advertising dollars.

So we should never believe that Australia is too small to have an influence on the way in which platforms behave, Leigh said.
White House Criticizes China for Not Being Fully Transparent About COVID Numbers

People wait for funeral services for their deceased relatives at Baoxing Funeral Parlor in Shanghai, China, on Jan. 4, 2023. (Wang Gang/VCG via Getty Images)

During a White House press briefing on Jan. 25, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said that China hasnt been fully transparent about COVID numbers. And we cannot speak to the veracity of those numbers. We urge China to be fully transparent about whats going on.

Under increasing international pressure to share COVID data, the Chinese regime reported nearly 60,000 COVID-related deaths in hospitals between Dec. 8 and Jan. 12, a massive jump over previous reports. However, the new number casts doubts about the actual COVID death toll in China, as it excludes deaths that occur at home, and some doctors have said authorities dont want them to put COVID as the cause of death on death certificates if there was a concurrent disease present.

The number is also in stark contrast to the images and videos flooding social media that show hospitals and funeral homes being deluged across the country.

The Epoch Times obtained internal documents of the Chinese regime showing that during the peak of the epidemic from Dec. 18 to early January 2023 in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, the daily cremation number was 6 to 7 times higher than the previously reported monthly average. The Nanjing funeral industry is keeping the actual numbers confidential.

Numbers Questioned

International media has noticed that the number of canceled household registrations in many places has soared (Chinese law requires the next of kin to cancel the household registration of a deceased person), and the increased deaths in rural areas have pushed up the sales of coffins. Funeral homes have installed more cremation ovens.

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.

Local funeral homes have spent millions of yuan (6.78 yuan = $1) to purchase additional cooler storage for bodies, large trucks to transport bodies, and cremation ovens, since early December last year when COVID suddenly surged nationwide, according to Reuters.

Wang Ning, who works in the Jiangsu medical and health system, told Radio Free Asia that since the beginning of December last year, the number of people whose household registrations have been canceled increased by 3 to 5 times year-on-year, and the number is even higher in smaller cities. Some of my friends are civil servants, and they have to handle the cancelation of household registration, and the number is three times that of usual. I heard some relevant data from funeral businesses in other places, and the numbers are almost four to five times.

A coffin is moved from a hearse into a storage container at the Dongjiao crematorium and funeral home, one of several in the city that handles COVID-19 cases, in Beijing on Dec. 18, 2022. (Getty Images)

The BBC reported that coffin makers in northern Shanxi Province said they have been busy and havent had any rest in recent months. Sometimes the coffins have even sold out and people in the funeral business have been earning a small fortune, according to a customer.

BBC also reported that when they drove along the road in the countryside, they noticed many fresh mounds of earth with red flags on them. A farmer herding goats confirmed that they were all new graves, Families have been burying elderly people here after they die. There are just too many.

Indications of Much Higher Death Toll

In a Jan. 26 article for the Chinese language edition of The Epoch Times, columnist Zhou Xiaohui described some indicators of the huge death toll. He noted that orders for tens of millions of body bags have been placed by local authorities, as shown in posts on social media since Jan. 8.

He cited one post by a business named Changzhou Hiking Outdoor Products, which disclosed that the Civil Affairs Bureau and local governments have been ordering a huge number of body bags. One order was for 30 million bags, and delivery was required within two weeks.

Zhou said that according to public data on funeral-related companies in China, the number of new company registrations peaked in 2021 at 16,800, a year-on-year increase of 16.11 percent. In the first three months of 2022, the number of registrations of funeral-related enterprises was 4,397, a year-on-year increase of 30.7 percent. No subsequent data is available.

Zhou wrote: The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) dares not publish the number of body bags ordered by its Civil Affairs Bureaus and local governments, the total sales of coffin companies in the past three years, or explain the reasons for the sharp increase in the registration of funeral-related companies in the past three years. What lies behind this is that the CCP is covering up the huge death toll.
Nigerian Actor and DJ, Dorcas Shola Fapson sits with host of #WithChude, Chude Jideonwo, to discuss the rise of her career in acting and the controversy between her and her ex-boyfriend.

DSF narrates her ordeal with her ex-boyfriend, I had a booking in Uganda. After that booking, I said I was going on a holiday and I told the guy I was dating at that time and we agreed. He said he was going to take me, that he has been there before. Later, he said he didnt have money, so I said I was going to buy his ticket. Then, he said he didnt want to come from Nigeria by himself, that he was going to come with his manager, and the manager will come with his wife, like a couples trip. When we got there, I posted the room and the scenery on Snapchat and anything that I post to Snapchat automatically save to my phone. At night, we were drinking, he gave me a drink, and I passed out somehow. I woke up in bed, but I couldnt find my phone. I have two phones, and I keep them under my pillow. He was beside me, so I asked him, because he knows the password to my phone, sometimes he holds my phone. I got up, and I found out that my suitcase is out of where I left it, my Rolex, my Van Cleef, my laptop, my wallet, my cards, everything valuable that I came there with was gone. He was really calm, and he said that his watch and his chain was taken, meanwhile, I was still bugging about how it happened when we were both sleeping in the same room. I was having panic attacks.

We came back to Nigeria, I got a new phone and I found out that the only snaps that I took while I was in Zanzibar were gone and a day later, he was wearing the same watch he claimed was stolen. When I got my phone, I wanted to tell my dad about it, he said I shouldnt tell him and I shouldnt post about it and I thought that was weird. Even though everything was pointing to him, I was like, it cant be. All my friends were pointing fingers, but I was the one arguing that it can never be, but all the evidence was pointing to him. And that is one of the things that happened. The week after was my US tour, I had to push it back because I had no laptop. And mentally, it was a lot for me, because it didnt make sense, she added.

On getting into acting in Nigeria, she shares, When I was in the American Academy of Dramatic Art, I auditioned for MTV Shuga and I got the role. People thought I didnt audition. I went through the seven stages of the audition. Then, I didnt understand why people were so mad at me, I understood that there were so many great actors and actresses, so why not just take someone from Nigeria? Even I was like, why did you guys pick me. But I deserve it because I audition for it just like everybody else. Just because I came from abroad doesnt mean I dont deserve to be here. I feel like people felt that because I came from abroad, I didnt have to do the job, but I did audition for the role.

DSF also added that despite the popular assumption that she was from a rich background, she had to work to get to where she was. Because I was brought up in UK, people assume that I am rich, but that was never the case. My dad was the first person in his family to go UK, my whole family was born and raised in Mushin, I was the only person that happened to be born in the UK. My dad got into the UK, he hustled, he did security job, cab driver and those jobs that you use to establish yourself. We grew in Tottenham, and anyone who knows UK, knows that Tottenham is not a nice place, it was still a hood.

Watch the excerpts from the interview here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CnvxqOxh8yd/?hl=en

It took my dad and I lots of therapy and forgiveness to rebuild our relationship  Dorcas Fapson.
The aerial photo taken on Jan. 25, 2023 shows the Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Heilongjiang has attracted legions of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

People enjoy themselves at the Volga Manor in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 26. 2023. Heilongjiang has attracted legions of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

Tourists have fun at the Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 24, 2023. Heilongjiang has attracted legions of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

Tourists ski at the Volga Manor in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 26, 2023. Heilongjiang has attracted legions of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

The aerial photo taken on Jan. 25, 2023 shows the Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Heilongjiang has attracted legions of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

Tourists have fun at the Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 24, 2023. Heilongjiang has attracted legions of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)

Tourists take photos at the Central Street in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 25, 2023. Heilongjiang has attracted legions of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

The aerial photo taken on Jan. 26, 2023 shows people visiting the Volga Manor in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. Heilongjiang has attracted legions of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

Tourists have fun at Snow Town in Mudanjiang City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 25, 2023. Heilongjiang has attracted legions of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. (Photo by Sun Hao/Xinhua)

Tourists visit the Central Street in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 25, 2023. Heilongjiang has attracted legions of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

Tourists have fun at Snow Town in Mudanjiang City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 25, 2023. Heilongjiang has attracted legions of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. (Photo by Sun Hao/Xinhua)

Tourists visit the Central Street in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 25, 2023. Heilongjiang has attracted legions of tourists during the Spring Festival holiday. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

Editor: Zhang Zhou
Private sector leaders across the continent, on Thursday, request the immediate takeoff of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), saying the scheme must translate from an idea to a real deal to create the needed impact on regional trade.

The business leaders spoke at the ongoing second edition of the Feed Africa Summit (Dakar 2) held at the Abdou Diouf Centre for International Conference, Dakar, the political seat of Senegal. They said the intra-African supply chain processes must be unlocked and liberalised to achieve food sufficiency in the region.

With funding being highlighted as a major hurdle that must be surmounted to achieve food sufficiency on a sustainable basis, AfDB said it is committing $10 billion to its feed Africa project in the next five years to make the continent the food basket of the world.

Igathe, who spoke passionately about the need to unlock the potential of Africa and address the logistics bottlenecks as necessary actions to achieving the continents tall ambition, said the African trade agreement needs to move from paper to reality as a matter of urgency to enable Africans to trade with Africans seamlessly.

We need to improve the investment climate, tackle rent-seeking and harmonise standards, the ex-Kenya City deputy governor said. Mahinda, a South African, said AfCFTA should kick off immediately to strengthen African trade ties as he called on leaders across the board to stop highlighting the differences among different countries that make up the region but emphasize the commonalities.

The panelist also called for more collaboration among private sector players on alternative energy development. Coumantaros, in like manner, noted that leveraging science and technology would help in mitigating the consequences of changing climate on food production, processing and distribution.

In her intervention, Liberian Minister of Agriculture, Jeanine Cooper, regretted that Africa had to wait for the Russia-Ukraine War to begin to look inward.

According to her, food sufficiency is not enough as long as African countries are not in control of the production, processing and distribution of the food they consume  a position that echoed the dominant talking point of the summit.
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to be assured that his government does not mean any harm or economic hardship over the introduction of new naira dominations.

The president who spoke in a statement via his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, on Saturday, stated that the new naira notes were introduced to stop illicit funds, prevent counterfeits, corruption, and terrorist funding.

Acknowledging the hardship many Nigerians have been facing in trying to swap the old notes for the new ones before the January 31st deadline set by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), President Buhari assured that the apex bank is working on initiatives to stop the long queues and prevent chaos over the distribution of the new naira notes.

The statement reads: President Muhammadu Buhari, Saturday assured that government will ensure that citizens are unharmed in their businesses and no disruption is caused to the entire supply chain arising from the currency swap due to end shortly.

Reacting to reports of long queues of people waiting for hours for their turn to deposit old notes and get new ones, triggering public anger and oppositions criticism, President Buhari reiterated that the currency changes were aimed at people hoarding illicit funds and not the common man, and that it had become necessary to prevent counterfeits, corruption, and terrorist funding.

This, he assured, will stabilize and strengthen the economy.

While taking note that the poorest section of society is facing hardship as they often keep hard cash at home for various expenses, President Buhari gave strong assurances that the government will not leave them to their own fate.

He reiterated that a number of initiatives by the Central Bank and all commercial banks are underway to speed up distribution of the new notes and do all that is necessary to forestall cash squeeze and chaos.
DSI fight for remaining prime Phuket beachfront land continues

PHUKET: Pongsawat Kaiarunsut, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, was in Phuket yesterday (Jan 27) to inspect the 178 rai of beachfront land reclaimed by the government at Layan and Leypang beaches in Cherng Talay.

landpropertycrimetourism

By The Phuket News

Saturday 28 January 2023, 02:49PM

The land reclaimed from private operators, profiteering from operating tourism and tourism-dependent businesses on the land, altogether has been estimated to be worth over B10 billion.

After years of legal action, the demolition to knock down the last remaining illegal beachfront buildings on the state land began on Sept 30 last year.

The Department of Special Investigations (DSI) originally served eviction notices in 2017 after the Supreme Court ruled that the occupiers were illegally encroaching on state land.

Several final warnings were issued for years after the Supreme Court decision, with the last eviction notice served on Sept 12, 2022  meaning that the businesses on the land targetting tourists were allowed to continue to operate all throughout Phukets tourism industrys record-breaking period from 2016 through 2019. Officials have not made any announcements about recovering any of the illegally obtained income from the occupiers of the land during those years.

Joining Ms Pongsawat yesterday was Ministry of Justice Deputy Permanent Secretary Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongsinin, as well as Piya Rakskul, who is now serving as Acting Director General of the Department of Special Investigation (DSI).

Of note, Mr Piya took up the role as DSI Chief following former DSI Chief Traiyarit Temahiwong being abruptly transferred over the alleged extortion of a bribe by DSI officials and police and subsequent release of 11 Chinese suspects found hiding in a Bangkok house formerly occupied by the consul-general for Nauru.

Ms Pongsawat and her entourage yesterday inspected the land, met local residents and held a meeting at the park officers head office at Sirinat National Park to discuss details of the reclamation.

Ms Pongsawat said the land reclaimed should be considered a gift for the whole world to experience the new tourist areas of Phuket.

She also praised the coordinated efforts of the many agencies and government offices involved in having the land returned to the state.

This area is the success of many agencies who jointly claimed back the land to be the public domain. It is an area that is valuable and valuable to the people, Ms Pongsawat said.

From now on, the Ministry of Justice will talk and integrate its efforts in collaboration with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Interior and local tambon administration organisations [OrBorTor], Ms Pongsawat said.

Within the [Justice] ministry, there are agencies that specialise in this area, namely the DSI and the Legal Execution Department, who came to take care of the people in reclaiming the area, she said.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

However, Ms Pongsawat also noted, From now on the work of the agency will not adhere to normal procedures because some cases have expired [sic]. Therefore, an integrated dialogue is an important policy.

In some matters, if the regulations cannot be applied, administrative measures will be used to jointly solve this problem, and we will be asking how to support the DSI in order to complete the mission of reclaiming the countrys resources.

The term expired was not defined by any official reports of Ms Pongsawats visit yesterday. However, according to Isara news  but not mentioned in any Phuket reports about 178 rai reclaimed  at last report in October, of the 64 plots reclaimed, two plots were still in the process of legal action. At that time, 172 of the 178 rai had been fully reclaimed, Isara News reported.

Official reports of Ms Pongsawats visit yesterday included photos of local residents handing over envelopes directly to Ms Pongsawat and other leading officials  the type of envelope usually used for handing over formal requests  but no reports gave any explanation as to why the envelopes were being handed over.

Regardless, Ms Pongsawat was reported as saying, The DSI has tools ready to work in this field. If fully utilized, it will be able to reclaim natural resources for the country. In terms of the work of the [Justice] ministry and the DSI, they work closely together, there are policy assignments and officers also personally inspect progress in the operation.

TRUE AIM REVEALED

Ministry of Justice Deputy Permanent Secretary Pol Lt Col Prawut Wongsinin noted, In the prosecution of natural resource offences, it cannot be denied that the destination is government officials. The DSI has a challenge in creating understanding among encroachers and investors so that they understand the role we have adn to obey the law.

The important thing is to understand government officials whose duty is to issue land title documents. Later, when we started prosecuting and integrating with all sectors, it made the roles of various agencies start to be clear The DSI initiated prosecution and has had success. The situation has improved, but if we ignore it, there will be more encroachment indefinitely, he said.

The DSI is an operational unit and must be integrated with law enforcement. It must be transparent, fast and verifiable. The responsible agency must work with us The goal is not to arrest government officials, not to prosecute investors or people who encroach [on government land]. The main goal is to return forest areas to the state land, Lt Col Prawut continued.

Therefore, the results are not statistics for cases filed and court verdicts. The successful result is to follow up on the results of the verdict whether the forest land has been returned to the state. In many cases, we claim success, but the forest land has not been returned yet. Therefore, the ultimate goal must be understood in the same way, he concluded.
Jet-ski, parasail operators fined B10k per vessel at Surin Beach

PHUKET: A jet-ski operator and a parasail operator have each been fined B10,000 per vessel for operating at Surin Beach, in Cherng Talay, which officials have declared a White Beach, to be free from all private vendors offering such services.

tourismmarineSafetycrime

By The Phuket News

Saturday 28 January 2023, 06:47PM

Phuket Marine Chief Natchaphong Pranit reported that a team of officers led by Tanthai Wongsaree, a Marine Department inspector from the Ranong regional office, arrived at the beach at 3pm yesterday (Jan 27).

The officers were dispatched after the Phuket Marine Office received a complaint pointing out that jet-skis were available for rent at the beach, and a boat operator was providing parasail rides to tourists.

Surin Beach is supposed to be free from such services, as it had been declared a White Beach years ago, the complaint said, Mr Natchapong explained.

Just as the complainant had described, the officers found at the beach an operator with five jet-skis for rent.

All five jet-skis had been legally registered. However, they were being operated outside their designated area.

The operator is permitted to rent out jet-skis at nearby Bang Tao Beach only, and only within one nautical mile of the beach in calm sea conditions, Mr Natchapong said in his report.

The operator was deemed to have violated Section 9 of the Navigation in Thai Waters Act, and fined B10,000 per jet-ski, landing the operator with a B50,000 fine, he added.

Similarly, the team of officers also found a boat operator providing parasail rides at Surin Beach, Mr Natchapong said.

The operator is permitted to provide parasail rides at only Kamala Beach, and only within half a nautical mile from the beach and only in calm sea conditions, he added.

The operator was fined B10,000 for breach of Section 9 of the Navigation in Thai Waters Act, Mr Natchapong explained.

The fines issued were the maximum allowed under the Navigation in Thai Waters Act, Mr Natchapong confirmed.

Such boats are not allowed to serve in the Surin Beach area. They must be used in accordance with zones specified in the vessel license and in the areas designated by the Phuket Provincial Government, he said.

Regarding this issue, the Phuket Marine Office will work with the Thalang District Office, the Cherng Talay Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor) and other relevant agencies, as well as the Jet Ski Boat Club operating at Bang Tao Beach to make sure Surin Beach remains a White Beach, without jet-skis, parasail boats, banana boats and similar water activities.

Tourists and the general public are free to use Surin Beach and its public areas safely, and the beach will continue to be kept orderly, Mr Natchapong said.
Phiphat eager to address outrage

BANGKOK: Tourism and Sports Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn says the controversy involving the Thai police and Thailand Privilege Card (TPC) has damaged the reputation of law enforcement and tourism organisations, with his ministry aiming to clarify the allegations before a Cabinet meeting next week.

tourismpolicecorruption

By Bangkok Post

Saturday 28 January 2023, 11:08AM

Tourists dressed in traditional Thai costumes and locals visit Wat Arun temple in Bangkok. Photo: Bangkok Post

Jirayu Huangsap, an MP from the Pheu Thai Party, said in parliament that shady Chinese business operators had become members of Thailand Elite Card, the privilege programme under TPC, which is owned by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), reports the Bangkok Post.

The news sparked public outrage in a week when a Taiwanese actress claimed Thai police extorted her and a VIP police escort service for Chinese tourists hit the headlines.

Mr Phiphat said one priority is to notify embassies and consulates about the legal duties of related authorities, clarifying which roles they are capable of performing and which are outside their area of responsibility.

For instance, the Tourist Police must help facilitate tourists via direct orders from the Royal Thai Police or the Tourism Ministry, and cannot charge a price for those services.

It is the duty of the Tourist Police to provide convenience for both Thais and foreigners. In the past, there were regular requests for motorcades for several tour buses or important guests. These services must be free of charge, he said.

The B7,000 fee paid by the Chinese tourist for a VIP escort was illegal, said Mr Phiphat.

He said these events are under investigation by the Tourist Police Bureau.

The ministry plans to respond to each of the claims, including the allegations made by Pheu Thai MP on Tuesday, said Mr Phiphat.

Regarding Thailand Elite Card, he said members privileges are described in the companys regulations.

Members are eligible for reception at the airport, being escorted to fast-track immigration, baggage claim, and a transfer to their destination via a prepared limousine.

The Elite Card has several member- ship schemes that cost from B600,000 to B2 million.

Mr Phiphat said TAT and the ministry deny any involvement in the provision of services that are not outlined in the Elite Cards regulations.

The ministry set a tourism revenue target for this year of B2.38 trillion, roughly 80% of the tally in 2019, from 25 million foreign tourists and 160mn domestic trips.

Given that China is letting tour groups travel to 20 countries including Thailand, it is possible foreign arrivals might reach 30mn this year, he said.
Phuket Town festival highlights local culture, City of Gastronomy

PHUKET: Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew presided over the formal opening of the Phuket Old Town Festival yesterday evening (Jan 27), noting that the annual event highlighting Phukets local culture and status as a UN City of Gastronomy helps promote the islands soft power in attracting tourists.

culturetourismeconomics

By The Phuket News

Saturday 28 January 2023, 10:34AM

The event, held at the Chartered Bank Intersection In front of the Peranakannitat Museum in the Phuket Old Town area, was held as part of Phuket Towns Chinese New Year festivities.

Phuket Town Mayor Saroj Angkanapilas noted that with the impact of COVID-19 easing after the past three years, life was returning to normal around the world and more people were starting to travel.

As a result, the drive in tourism is helping the overall global economy to recover, and it is generally accepted that Phuket has outstanding tourism features both in terms of nature and culture. This can be seen by Phuket being the top in the country for generating income from tourism, he said.

To help the drive to boost the tourism recovery, Phuket City Municipality is holding a festival throughout the old town area from Jan 27-29, he noted.

The area includes the popular old streets of Thalang Rd, Phang Nga Rd, Krabi Rd, Thepkrasattri Rd, Phuket Rd and Soi Rommanee, he said.

Phuket people realize the value of cultural heritage and traditional way of life inherited from their ancestors is helping lead to economic recovery in urban areas. This aspect is considered to bring existing cultural capital, to add value to job creation, create careers and generate income for the local people, Mayor Saroj said.

Focusing on driving cultural tourism was in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It promotes economic growth and decent employment, Including the reduction of inequality within and outside the country, he said.

It is also in line with the countrys development guidelines under the 20-year national strategy (2018-2037) to respond to the economic development of Thailand through stability, prosperity, sustainability according to the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy without leaving anyone behind, and to promote tourism to Phuket City and the island of Phuket, Mayor Saroj concluded.

Governor Narong noted that holding festivities to mark the Chinese New Year was also helping drive Phukets tourism industry.

It is considered an important activity to stimulate the economy of Phuket as a whole. It affects the economy at the local, provincial and national levels. It also builds confidence in the tourism potential of Phuket, especially after the COVID-19 situation over the past three years, he said.

The activities to be held over the three-day festival include a Phuket Festival parade, cultural performances and lifestyles of Phuket people, musical performances from youth groups and local people, Governor Narong noted.

People are invited to come and walk through the streets, to browse and buy local products and sample the tastes of local Phuket food, which builds on Phuket as a City Of Gastronomy. There are also many other activities, Governor Narong said.
Stop the hate online, UN chief pleads on Holocaust Day

Saturday 28 January 2023, 09:46AM

Visitors stand in front of the lettering #WeRemember installed on the stairs leading to the Reichstag building hosting the German lower House of parliament, the Bundestag, in Berlin as part of the ceremonies for the International Holocaust Remembrance Day held on January 27. Photo: AFP

Antonio Guterres said parts of the internet were turning into toxic waste dumps for hate and vicious lies that were driving extremism from the margins to the mainstream.

Today, I am issuing an urgent appeal to everyone with influence across the information ecosystem, Guterres said at a commemoration ceremony at the United Nations. Stop the hate. Set up guardrails. And enforce them."

He accused social media platforms and advertisers of profiting off the spread of hateful content.

By using algorithms that amplify hate to keep users glued to their screens, social media platforms are complicit, added Guterres. And so are the advertisers subsidizing this business model.

Guterres drew parallels with the rise of Nazism in 1930s Germany, when people didnt pay attention or protest.

Today, we can hear echoes of those same siren songs to hate. From an economic crisis that is breeding discontent to populist demagogues using the crisis to seduce voters to runaway misinformation, paranoid conspiracy theories and unchecked hate speech.

He lamented the rise of anti-Semitism, which he said also reflects a rise of all kinds of hate.

And what is true for anti-Semitism is true for other forms of hate. Racism. Anti-Muslim bigotry. Xenophobia. Homophobia. Misogyny.

QUARTER OF YOUNG DUTCH BELIEVE HOLOCAUST EXAGGERATED: STUDY

Dutch politicians reacted with shock Wednesday after a study showed almost a quarter of adults under 40 in the Netherlands believed the Holocaust was a myth or the number of deaths exaggerated.

The survey, done by the influential group Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany Conference in New York, found some 12% of respondents overall shared the same view.

Researchers said that 23% of Millennial and Generation Z respondents  those born between the early 1980s and around 2010  thought the extermination of more than 6 million of Jews by the Nazis before and during World War II was a fallacy or overblown.

The findings exposed a disturbing lack of awareness of key historical facts about the Holocaust and the Netherlands own connection to Holocaust history, the Claims Conference group said.

The numbers overall regarding denial and distortion are also higher compared to other countries we have surveyed, added the groups president Greg Schneider.

Other countries surveyed were Britain and Canada, where 9% of respondents overall held the same view, and Austria and France (10%).

Although 89% of 2,000 Dutch respondents knew of teenage diarist Anne Frank  who hid from the Nazis with her family in a house in Amsterdam  some 27% did not know she died at the Belsen concentration camp shortly before the war ended in 1945.

I find it shocking, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said of the studys findings.

We can debate everything, but its important that we all agree on the facts, he told the ANP national news agency.

It is astonishing and extremely worrying that almost a quarter of Dutch young people question these facts, tweeted Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra.

Dutch Education Minister Dennis Wiersma said a stronger commitment is needed in schools to learn about the facts about WWII atrocities.

Two-thirds of respondents said Holocaust education should be compulsory, and some 65% of all respondents believed that there was anti-Semitism in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands is still coming to terms with its role in the persecution of Jews almost 80 years after the end of World War II.

It opened a Holocaust memorial in Amsterdam in 2021, inscribed with the names of more than 102,000 Dutch Jews killed during the war.

Many Dutch citizens, along with the police and railway companies, actively collaborated with the German occupation to round up Jews and send them to concentration camps.

GERMAN PARLIAMENT SPOTLIGHTS NAZIS LGBTQ VICTIMS

The German parliament on Friday for the first time focused its annual Holocaust memorial commemorations on people persecuted and killed for their sexual or gender identity.

Campaigners worked for two decades to establish an official ceremony for LGBTQ victims of the Nazis, saying their experience had long been forgotten or marginalised.

This group is important to me because it still suffers from discrimination and hostility, Baerbel Bas, president of the Bundestag lower house, told AFP.

Germany has officially marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day  the anniversary of Auschwitzs liberation  since 1996 with a solemn ceremony at the Bundestag and commemorations across the country.

The event traditionally focuses on the Holocausts 6 million Jewish victims, although, at the first ceremony, then president Roman Herzog did also pay tribute to gay men and lesbians murdered under Adolf Hitler.

Henny Engels of the German Lesbian and Gay Association rights group called Fridays commemoration an important symbol of recognition of the suffering and the dignity of the imprisoned, tortured and murdered victims.

- Pink triangle -

Section 175 of Germanys penal code outlawed sex between men.

Although it dated from 1871, it was rarely enforced and cities such as Berlin during the Weimar Republic had a thriving LGBTQ scene until the Nazis came to power.

In 1935 the Nazis toughened the law to carry a sentence of 10 years of forced labour.

Some 57,000 men were imprisoned, while between 6,000 and 10,000 were sent to concentration camps and given uniforms emblazoned with a pink triangle designating their sexuality.

Historians say between 3,000 and 10,000 gay men died and many were castrated or subjected to horrific medical experiments.

Thousands of lesbians, transgender people and sex workers were branded degenerates and also imprisoned at the camps under brutal conditions.

Dani Dayan, chairman of Israels Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, said that while Jews were the Nazis primary target, he welcomed the broadening of Germanys remembrance culture.

The Holocaust was an onslaught against humanity: LGBTQ individuals, Roma and Sinti, mentally disabled persons, but especially against the Jewish people, he told AFP on a visit to Berlin this week.

We respect and we honour all the victims.

The head of Germanys Central Council of Jews, Josef Schuster, agreed that while the main group of Holocaust victims were Jews, they werent the only ones.

It shows that the developments seen in the Nazi period can lead to any societal group being targeted, he told AFP.

- Very late date -

Bas opened the ceremony at the glass-domed Reichstag building, followed by a speech from Dutch Jewish survivor Rozette Kats.

Kats, 80, lived out the Holocaust as a toddler in hiding in Amsterdam with adoptive parents while her own mother and father were killed at Auschwitz.

Actors will read texts about two LGBTQ victims who exemplify the fate of queer people under Hitler, Bas said.

Klaus Schirdewahn, who was convicted in 1964 over a sexual relationship with another man under a Nazi-era law still on the books, will also tell his story to the chamber.

Bas regretted that there were no LGBTQ survivors of the Nazi period left to address parliament, and noted that gay men, lesbians and transgender people still faced state persecution even decades after the war.

We will draw attention at the ceremony to the so-called gay laws which were only lifted at a very late date, she said.

By the time there were reparations, many (victims) were no longer alive.

In 2017, parliament voted to quash the convictions of 50,000 gay men sentenced for homosexuality under Section 175, which remained in force after the war, and offered compensation to victims.

In 2002, a new law overturned their convictions but did not include post-war prosecutions.

Section 175 was finally dropped from the penal code in East Germany in 1968.

In West Germany, it reverted to the pre-Nazi era version in 1969 and was only fully repealed in 1994.

RUSSIA NOT INVITED TO CEREMONY MARKING AUSCHWITZ LIBERATION: MUSEUM

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 years commemoration, Piotr Sawicki, spokesman for the museum at the site of the former camp, told AFP.

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.

Museum director Piotr Cywinski said it was obvious that he could sign no letter to the Russian ambassador having an inviting tone in the current context.

I hope that will change in the future but we have a long way to go, he said, according to the PAP news agency.

Russia will need an extremely long time and very deep self-examination after this conflict in order to return to gatherings of the civilised world.

The museum denounced the Russian offensive as a barbaric act on the day Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 last year.

Auschwitz-Birkenau has become a symbol of Nazi Germanys genocide of 6 million European Jews, 1 million of whom died at the camp between 1940 and 1945 along with more than 100,000 non-Jews.
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians report that recent clashes between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) forces and M23 rebels have displaced about 90,000 people, a UN spokesman said on Friday.

The chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, said that initial reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) centered the fighting in and around Kitchanga in North Kivu province in eastern DRC.

"Many of the displaced are seeking refuge in nearby Mweso, in schools and churches and with host families," Dujarric said. "As more displaced people arrive in Mweso, humanitarian organizations are concerned about the spread of cholera, following an outbreak last month."

He said the clashes also impeded road access, making it difficult to deliver humanitarian aid.

The spokesman said the UN peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, provides physical security and immediate assistance, including shelter, water and medical care, to about 500 displaced civilians in and around the UN base in Kitchanga.

Dujarric said the United Nations reiterates the secretary-general's call on all armed groups to lay down their weapons and join the national Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization program.

Editor: WXL
The purple triangle was issued to Jehovahs Witnesses under the Nazi regime.
BEIJING, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- A group of Chinese virologists have developed a technique that helps store mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines at normal temperature for more than half a year.

Most current mRNA vaccines require to be stored at minus 20 to 70 degrees Celsius due to their poor stability, thus restricting their availability.

The study published in the journal Cell Discovery this week showed that a kind of freeze-dry lipid nanoparticle vaccine prepared via an optimized lyophilization technique with precise temperature control and lower residual water content can remain physiochemically stable at 25 degrees Celsius over six months while eliciting potent humoral and cellular immunity in mice, rabbits, or rhesus macaques.

In the human trial, administration of lyophilized Omicron mRNA vaccine as a booster shot also engendered strong immunity, and the titers of neutralizing antibodies against multiple Omicron variants are seen to increase by at least 253-fold after a booster shot following two doses of the commercial inactivated vaccine, according to the study.

The technique overcomes the instability of mRNA vaccines without affecting their bioactivity and significantly improves their accessibility, particularly in remote regions, said the researchers.

Editor: WJH
Nevada County Camera Club members Grace Farag and Mike Oitzman participate in Photo Challenge. Keep an eye out for photographers in your neighborhood, capturing the many moods of Nevada County this years theme.
The Main Intelligence Agency has announced that the Russian special services are preparing another special operation to discredit Ukraine's military-political leadership.

"It is known that a wide information-psychological special operation will be launched in the near future to discredit a number of representatives of the Ukrainian military-political leadership," the Facebook statement said on Friday evening.

"In particular, the discrediting campaign will be directed against Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Shaptala, Head of the SBU Vasyl Maliuk, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak, Acting Head of the National Police Ivan Vyhovsky and others," the intelligence service said.

The intelligence service emphasized that, among other things, the campaign would include the "leak" of fabricated materials in Ukrainian and international media.

"The goal is to sow uncertainty about the defense capabilities of our state among Ukrainian citizens and international partners. This, according to the Russian special services, should lead to political instability within the country and reduce confidence in Ukraine on the part of the international anti-Putin coalition," the Ukrainian intelligence officers summed up.




NYPD Commanding Officer of Community Affairs, Inspector Richie Taylor tells YWN that Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey has ordered a deployment of additonal resources at Houses of Worship citywide.

Earlier YWN reported that NYPD Community Affairs Lieutenant Yitzy Jablon told YWN that Assistant Chief Charles McEvoy will be deploying additional resources to houses of worship in Southern Brooklyn after the attack in Jerusalem on Friday night.

It has now become a citywide deployment.

The NYPD tells YWN that there are no known threats at all, but are doing this out of an abundance of caution.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




Hordes of animals celebrated the deaths of more than half a dozen Jews killed by a machine-gun wielding terrorist at a shul in Neve Yaakov near Yerushalayim on Friday night.

Footage coming out of Palestinian strongholds and villages show dozens of twisted, terrorist-loving sickos singing, dancing, and handing out sweets, celebrating the demise of Jews and the martyrdom of the Arab terrorist.

These animals  who want all Jews dead  are the ones that Israel is being blamed for hurting.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
Ambassador of Ukraine to France Vadym Omelchenko said on the air of the French channel BFMTV that the allies had promised to provide Kyiv with 321 heavy tanks.

"To date, many countries have officially confirmed their agreement to supply 321 heavy tanks to Ukraine," he said.

Omelchenko noted the importance of obtaining tanks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"As for the delivery time, they vary in each case. Some need to carry out maintenance, others solve logistics issues, and others are waiting for other models to give away the ones they promised," the ambassador said.

Omelchenko also stressed that "if we wait for August or September, it will be too late."
France, Italy place large order for missiles for air defense systems, which will soon be delivered to Ukraine

A total of 700 Aster-30 anti-aircraft missiles for Mamba SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile systems with a total value of $2 billion will be ordered from the transnational company MBDA, and the air defense systems themselves will soon be delivered to Ukraine.

According to the French edition l'Opinion, these are the results of a meeting between French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu and Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto in Rome on Friday.

"Continued military support for Ukraine and a new assistance program were high on their agenda, along with actions to strengthen the military economy. The two ministers also discussed NATO-EU coordination, as well as security in Africa and the Mediterranean," the statement said.

As reported, France and Italy accepted Ukraine's request for the supply of the Mamba SAMP/T air defense system in mid-December 2022. On January 13 of this year, it was reported that the Italian side had already made a decision to transfer the battery of the SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile system to Ukraine.
[January 27, 2023] Purple City Labs Introduces OnSight, a Molecular Assay for In-house Testing of Hop Latent Viroid

OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Purple City Labs, a plant molecular biology company developing germplasm and technologies for the management of breeding programs and nurseries, is rolling out a Reverse Transcription- Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (RT-LAMP) based assay for testing and surveillance of Hop Latent Viroid.

Hop Latent Viroid is the principal viral agent affecting cannabis plants, it has the propensity to spread quickly through a nursery via tools (and likely run-off and insect vectors). Infected plants often appear asymptomatic in a vegetative state only to show symptoms once flowering. It can cause catastrophic damage to a facility with cannabinoid levels and yields reduced by more than 30%. The assay was custom developed for Purple City Genetics (PCG), a California cannabis breeding company, after they had a disappointing experience with outside testing labs. We spent hundreds of thousands of dollars collecting and sending samples to labs without being able to get ahead of this nasty pathogen. Finally we realized that what was available on the market was inappropriate for the problem at hand. We needed to test in-house, frequently with fast turnaround times. So we asked Purple City Labs to develop a test for us. Pretty swiftly we were able to cull sick plants, and after a few generations we have brought our mother block infection rates to zero, said Purple City Genetics founder, Auryn McCafferty.



The OnSight testing platform uses a crude sample preparation, which significantly cuts down cost and time compared to RT-PCR testing. A trained operator is able to test hundreds of samples with same-day results. The current sensitivity of the olecular reaction, expected to increase in future versions, has been quantified at 375 copies of viroid per microliter. Purple City Labs conducted a number of proficiency tests comparing OnSight with six other commercially available assays, finding it to be as accurate.



In the field of molecular diagnostics, whether it be Hop Latent Viroid in a nursery or SARS-CoV-2 in a human population, the epidemiological context of the pathogen dictates your testing paradigm. One size does not fit all. We designed OnSight to accommodate high-throughput, rapid testing at an affordable cost. We firmly believe that this approach is the only way for an operation with intensive production such as PCG to tackle and overcome this problem, said Ali Bektas, co-founder and CEO of Purple City Labs. Purple City Labs conducted a successful pilot study to test the feasibility of adapting the system in other facilities, and over a dozen nurseries, cultivators and labs in the US and Canada are early adopters.

OnSight is an extremely easy and rapid test that has fixed many issues we have experienced when testing our cannabis plants for Hop Latent Viroid. It has removed countless delays and inefficiencies out of the testing equation and replaced them with quick and efficient ways to determine whether a plant is positive or negative for a viroid that spreads quickly in non-symptomatic plants. The program that OnSight offers has allowed us to create a much needed program to keep our facility free of issues and decrease in yield and potency, said Brent Barnes, VP of Breeding and Cultivation, Co-Founder, Claybourne Co. The molecular assay is part of a package where PCL scientists advise customers on best practices in their facility, the appropriate equipment needed to run OnSight assays and provide comprehensive training to execute the assay. For more information on fast, affordable and effective Hop Latent Viroid testing, reach out to Purple City Labs, Inc. https://labs.purplecitygenetics.eu/ instagram.com/therealpurplecitygenetics/ Purple City Labs, Inc.

(650) 670-0228

[email protected]

https://labs.purplecitygenetics.eu/



[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
Kansas City has suffered two homicides on Friday but the local murder crisis doesn't merit much mention amongst the political elite.



Here's the first report, more info and the aftermath of gunfire erupting on local streets . . .



Homicide 2100 block of E 24th Ter





This afternoon right at 1pm officers were dispatched to the 2100 block of E. 24th Terrace on a shooting call



On arrival, they located an adult male shooting victim unresponsive in the street in front of a residence there.



Officers summoned EMS to the scene who declared the victim deceased



Officers were also able to detain one person of interest at the scene for further investigation.

Detectives are not looking for any additional suspects at this time.



Detectives believe there was an Uber vehicle that had been previously called to the location by the subject of interest that left the scene prior to officers arrival. Detectives believe that vehicle, a blue Jeep patriot, may have evidence inside of it, and the driver may be unaware. UPDATE: The driver of the patriot has been in touch with detectives and they are no longer looking to get in touch with them. Thank you all for the help putting out that information.



If anyone has any information on the shooting or about the vehicle, they are asked to contact the homicide unit directly at 816-234-5043 or the Tips hotline anonymously at 816-474-TIPS.

##########

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

KCPD investigating fatal shooting in 2100 block of East 24th Terrace KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A fatal shooting Friday in the 2100 block of East 24th Terrace in Kansas City, Missouri, is under investigation. KCMO police responded to the scene around 1 p.m. and located a male victim in the street. He was declared deceased at the scene.

Rideshare driver may have witnessed Kansas City homicide KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Police are looking for a ride share driver who took off from a Kansas City homicide scene Friday afternoon. Detectives responded to a shooting call near East 24th Terrace and Brooklyn around 1:15 p.m. They believe the driver stopped to pick up a customer.

Kansas City police investigate deadly shooting on E. 24th Street, Uber vehicle key in case Kansas City police are investigating the city's second homicide on Friday. One person is dead following a shooting in the area of the 2100 block of E. 24th Terrace, according to police. The shooting happened shortly after 1 p.m.A person of interest is in custody and police are not looking for any additional suspects.

Developing . . .
Considering a trip to Istanbul? We asked a stylish local to share her top spots for shopping, serenity and a lunch where every dish is perfection
Mike Adler is a reporter with toronto.com and Metroland Media Toronto who covers Scarborough and other overlooked parts of Toronto. He worked previously for Metroland in York Region.
The enemy continues to attack in three directions, holding the defense in four. The Armed Forces of Ukraine repelled enemy attacks in the area of 12 settlements in a day, the General Staff reported.

"The enemy continues to conduct offensive operations on Bakhmut, Avdiyvka and Novopavlivka axes. Kupiansk, Lyman, Zaporizhia and Kherson axes  Russian forces stay on the defensive," according to a report on Facebook.

According to the General Staff, over the past 24 hours, Ukrainian Defense Forces repelled attacks in the vicinities of Bilohorivka (Luhansk region); Rozdolivka, Krasna Hora, Bakhmut, Ivanivske, Klischiyivka, Druzhba, Vodiane, Maryinka, Pobieda, Vuhledar, and Prechystivka (Donetsk region).

During the past day, the Ukrainian Air Force conducted eight air strikes on the concentrations of Russian troops, weapons and military equipment, and attacked one russian anti-aircraft missile system.

In addition, the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed a Su-25 aircraft, a Mi-8 helicopter and two Supercam-type UAVs.

The rocket and artillery units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine hit two command posts, two enemy air defense positions and five areas of concentration of enemy manpower in a day.
Ukraine intends to receive 24 fighter jets from international allies as part of the first batch, Yuriy Ihnat, spokesman for the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told the Spanish newspaper El Pais.

"The Air Force's priority is to get American F-16s, although Kyiv is considering the option of French Rafale and Swedish Gripen," the newspaper writes.

It is noted that the first package will include two battalions of 12 combat aircraft each. "This is a new package of military assistance that the Ukrainian army intends to receive from its international allies. The 24 fighter jets - ideally US F-16s - would represent only an urgent first phase in a new chapter in the supply of weapons to the country invaded by Russia: combat aircraft," the report notes.
The United Kingdom has already provided over 200 armored vehicles to Ukraine.

The relevant statement was made by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Facebook, referring to the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

The UK was the first European nation to donate lethal aid to Ukraine and we are committed to match or exceed last years funding in 2023. We have provided over 200 armoured vehicles to date. Meet the Husky, Mastiff, Wolfhound, Spartan and Stormer, the Ministry of Defence wrote.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted the images of these armored vehicles and expressed gratitude to the United Kingdom for its support and assistance.

mk
On January 27, 2023, Russian troops launched a missile attack on an industrial area in the city of Zaporizhzhia with the Iskander short-range ballistic missile systems.

The relevant statement was made by the Main Department of the National Police of Ukraine in the Zaporizhzhia region, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Yesterday, the occupation troops launched two missile strikes on the regional center with the Iskander missile systems, the report states.

The enemy projectiles hit the territory of an industrial enterprise. The blast wave and missile fragments caused damage to windows, roofs and facades in neighboring houses, as well as vehicles.

A man, 31, received mine and explosive injuries and was taken to hospital.

Additionally, Russian invaders struck an industrial object in the Polohy districts Orikhiv.

In Huliaipole, Russians were shelling civilian houses with different weapons, mainly artillery and multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS). Local schools and kindergartens were among the objects destroyed.

In general, over the past day, the police have registered 70 reports on enemy shelling in the Zaporizhzhia region, including one missile strike, one drone attack, two air strikes, nine MLRS strikes and 57 artillery strikes.

Photo: National Police of Ukraine

mk
Ukraine will receive Leopard tanks from Spain as soon as this spring.

The relevant statement was made by Spanish Defence Minister Margarita Robles, an Ukrinform correspondent reports, referring to RTVE.

According to Robles, the Leopard tanks that Spain will send to Ukraine as part of the decision made by Western allies will reach the country as soon as this spring, upon the completion of fine-tuning procedures.

In her words, the tanks that will be sent are the Leopard 2 A4, which are currently not used and stationed at the Zaragoza base.

At the same time, Robles did not mention the exact number of tanks that will be handed over to Ukraine.

We are going to see the necessary repairs. The approach of the allies is that it will be in spring. Before that, the physical presence of the Leopards would not be necessary, and we are going to take advantage of that time for training, Robles noted.

A reminder that Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz announced that Germany would increase military support for Ukraine. As the first step, Germany will send 14 Leopard 2 A6 tanks to Ukraine from the Bundeswehr stocks.

Photo: Philipp Schulze/dpa

mk
Western partner countries have promised to send a total of 321 heavy tanks to Ukraine.

The relevant statement was made by Ambassador of Ukraine to the French Republic Vadym Omelchenko on Frances BFM TV channel, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

As of today, many countries have officially confirmed their consent to deliver 321 heavy tanks to Ukraine, Omelchenko said.

Omelchenko stressed the importance of receiving such tanks by the Ukrainian forces as soon as possible in order to counteract Russian armed aggression. However, he noted that delivery times may vary in each case.

We need this help as soon as possible, but some [countries] need to carry out maintenance works, others need to solve logistics issues, and still others are waiting to receive tanks in exchange for those they are handing over to Ukraine, Omelchenko noted.

A reminder that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated earlier that the Ukrainian Army needed 300 to 500 tanks to carry out a counteroffensive against Russian troops.

mk
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is resuming its work in Ukraine, set to focus on recovery issues.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal reported the news on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

He noted that the resumption of JICA's work is good news for the 31st anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ukraine and Japan.

Shmyhal said that he discussed further support for the country in various areas with the Ambassador of Japan to Ukraine, Kuninori Matsuda. The priorities include energy, housing reconstruction, humanitarian demining, and support for small and medium-sized businesses. "We raised the issue of the situation at the Zaporizhia NPP. I called on Japanese partners to contribute to sanctions restrictions against the Russian nuclear industry," Shmyhal added.

The head of the government thanked Japan for its leadership during the G7 presidency.

As reported, the Japanese government allocated $95 million for the reconstruction of Ukraine through the United Nations Development Program. Japan plans to take part in projects to restore the Ukrainian energy sector based on the latest technologies, in particular to cooperate in the construction of small modular reactors and jointly implement hydrogen projects.

JICA is a world-renowned Japanese government organization that provides technical assistance, grants, and soft loans to foreign governments.

In 2017, JICA opened a regional office in Ukraine.

Photo: Denys Shmyhal, Telegram
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has concluded 16 contracts with Ukrainian manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles, with about UAH 20 billion to be spent on this segment this year.

The ministry said this in a post on Facebook, according to Ukrinform.

"In 2023, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry will increase the procurement of UAVs for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Taking into account the needs and requests of the Ukrainian army in 2023, about UAH 20 billion should be earmarked for this segment. This issue was discussed at a joint meeting of representatives of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and domestic developers and manufacturers of UAVs," the post read.

It was noted at the meeting that the Ukrainian Defense Ministry is deepening cooperation with Ukrainian developers and manufacturers of UAVs. In particular, 16 state contracts with domestic manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles have recently been concluded. Moreover, thanks to the work carried out by the specialists of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the procedure for admitting UAVs to use in the army is the simplest in Europe.

After the introduction of a new approval procedure, which used to last one-and-a-half to two years and now takes only weeks, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry received 75 applications for various types of UAVs from Ukrainian manufacturers from November 2022 to January 2023. Thirteen of them have already received codification, and technical conditions have been approved. Three more types of UAVs are at the stage of codification.

The participants in the joint meeting outlined tasks and steps for improving regulatory procedures. These proposals put forward by the Defense Ministry were submitted for discussion by the coordination staff with the participation of Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov and Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.

Earlier reports said that 1,711 drones had already been contracted as part of Ukraine's Army of Drones project, and almost 1,000 of them had been handed over to Ukrainian defenders.
Israel has provided more support to Ukraine to fend off Russia's invasion than is publicly known.

Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor said this in an interview with the German newspaper Morgenpost, Ukrinform reports.

"We help - albeit behind the scenes - and much more than is known," the diplomat said, without specifying what he meant.

When asked why Israel does not provide military aid to Ukraine despite Kyiv's request, Prosor said: "It's not that simple. We have the Russians in Syria. As you know, the Israeli army regularly blocks arms shipments from Iran to Syria and Lebanon. These include Iranian drones and missiles that Russia is using in Ukraine."

According to the ambassador, this is the first reason why his country "keeps quiet." The second reason is the presence of a large Jewish community in Russia.

When asked whether Israel could completely block Iran's supply of drones, Prosor said: "No."

Prosor has served as Israel's ambassador to Germany since the summer of 2022.
American writer Stephen King has called on Russia to stop the war in Ukraine and the bombing of civilians.

He said this on his Twitter account, Ukrinform reports.

"For the love of God, Russia, stop this pointless war in Ukraine. Stop the bombing of unarmed civilians. Putin must step down," the tweet reads.

King publicly condemned Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, called Russian missile strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine terrorist attacks, and said he would no longer sign contracts with Russian publishing houses. On January 26, Russia carried out a new wave of missile attacks against Ukraine, killing 11 people and wounding the same number.
Negotiations on the transfer of aircraft and long-range missiles to Ukraine are being carried out with partners in an accelerated mode, adviser to the head of the President's Office Mykhailo Podoliak said.

According to him, the partners understand the logic of war. In particular, they understand that in order to cover the armored vehicles, which they also provide, Ukraine definitely needs aviation.

"In the same way, in order to drastically reduce the key tool of the Russian army - what they are fighting with today on the front line, and this is, first of all, cannon artillery, we need missiles that will destroy their warehouses," Podoliak said on the air of the FREEDOM TV channel.

In Crimea, the adviser to the head of the President's Office noted, there are more than 100 warehouses of various specifications.

"And of course, they need to be destroyed. Otherwise, Zaporizhia, Donetsk and Luhansk groups (of the Russian army) will have a significant amount of artillery capabilities. I don't think that in the framework of the war, someone does not understand this," he said.

"Therefore, first: negotiations (on the provision of aviation and long-range missiles) are already underway. Second: negotiations are proceeding at an accelerated pace. Third: partners understand all this. Fourth: there are still nuances regarding the internal psychological status in partner countries," Podoliak said.

According to him, these nuances are due to the fact that the partners still cannot give up their internal conservatism due to fear of changes in the world architecture amid the war in Ukraine.

"We need to work with this. We must show real pictures of this war. We must reasonably speak and tell: for example, this and this will reduce the death of people, this will reduce the burden on infrastructure, this will reduce security threats to the European continent, and this will localize the war. And we are doing it. And in a short time we will go to aviation and long-range missiles," Podoliak summed up.
A Syrian refugee mother and son outside their shelter in Ghazieh, Saida, Lebanon.  UNHCR/Sebastian Rich

Syrian refugees in Lebanon are more vulnerable than ever, with more than half now living in extreme poverty and over three quarters living below the poverty line  according to the findings of a new survey by UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP. Seven years into the crisis, Syrian refugees in Lebanon are finding it even more difficult to make ends meet and are more reliant than ever on international aid  amid an uncertain outlook for humanitarian funding in 2018.

The annual Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees (VASyR) reveals that 58 per cent of households are now living in extreme poverty  on less than US$2.87 per person per day. This is some 5 per cent more than a year ago. And the number of households living below the overall poverty line  less than US$3.84 per day  has also continued to rise. 76 per cent of refugee households are living below this level.

This means over three quarters of Syrian refugees in Lebanon now live on less than US$4 per day, leaving refugees with dwindling resources to meet their most basic needs. Refugee households are now spending on average just US$98 per person per month  US$44 of which is spent on food.

Borrowing money for food, to cover health expenses and pay rent continues to be extremely common, with almost nine out of every 10 refugees saying they are in debt. This underlines the vulnerabilities facing most Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Food insecurity also remains critically high  affecting 91 per cent of households to some degree. But vulnerabilities are also growing elsewhere. Obtaining legal residency continues to be a challenge, leaving refugees exposed to an increased risk of arrest, hindering their ability to register their marriages and making it more difficult for them to find daily labour, send their children to school or access health care.

Only 19 per cent of families reported that all members had legal residency, down from 21 per cent in 2016. More alarmingly, the share of households where no one has legal residency has increased considerably. Overall, 74 per cent of surveyed Syrian refugees aged 15 and above do not have legal residency in Lebanon.

The survey also revealed that only 17 per cent of refugee parents managed to complete all the steps of the birth registration process for their children  but higher percentages of families are at least completing the first two steps of the process  with nearly all families (96%) obtaining a notification of birth from the hospital or midwife, thanks to joint efforts by UNHCR and the Government.

Taken as a whole, the survey results paint an alarming picture of the growing vulnerabilities facing Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Seven years into the crisis, they are more reliant than ever on humanitarian aid  with more than two-thirds saying they had relied on some form of assistance in the previous three months. Self-reliance opportunities are extremely limited in an economy deeply affected by the neighbouring conflict in Syria. And external funding is insufficient to keep up with the growing needs; In 2017, only 36 per cent of the total funding needed to provide adequate humanitarian support in Lebanon was received, as of the beginning of December.

A further US$2.7 billion is needed to meet needs in 2018, under the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan. With upcoming conferences in Paris and Brussels aimed at mobilizing further support for the humanitarian response and for Lebanon in particular  it is more vital than ever that donors stay the course amid deepening poverty and growing vulnerabilities  which equally strain abilities to support vulnerable members of the local community who are also struggling with limited resources and help prevent social tensions between Lebanese hosts and refugees.

Background:

The VASyR survey is the fifth of its kind and involved researchers visiting some 5,000 refugee families randomly selected from 26 districts across Lebanon. It is key in shaping humanitarian aid programmes in Lebanon and revealing social and economic trends.

For more information on this topic, please contact:
In 2023, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine will increase the purchase of UAVs for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, taking into account the needs and requests of the Ukrainian army, about UAH 20 billion should be allocated to this segment in 2023.

According to a message of the Ministry of Defense, at meetings of representatives of the Ministry, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, domestic developers and manufacturers of UAVs, 16 state contracts have recently been signed with domestic manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles.

In Ukraine, the procedure for allowing UAVs to be used in the army is now the easiest in Europe, the Ministry of Defense stressed.

As a result, after the introduction of a new admission procedure, which previously lasted one and a half to two years, and now takes a few weeks, from November 2022 to January 2023, the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine received 75 applications for UAVs of various types from Ukrainian manufacturers. Some 13 of them have already received codification, and technical specifications have been approved. Another three types of UAVs are in the stage of codification.

The participants of the joint meeting identified a number of tasks and steps to improve regulatory procedures. These proposals of the defense ministry were submitted for discussion by the Coordination Headquarters with the participation of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Former caretaker Chief Minister Balochistan and a prominent businessman Alauddin Marri on Saturday said that "Gwadar is the future business hub of the country and its airport would be inaugurated soon

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jan, 2023 ) :Former caretaker Chief Minister Balochistan and a prominent businessman Alauddin Marri on Saturday said that "Gwadar is the future business hub of the country and its airport would be inaugurated soon.

He said this while exchanging views with President of Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari during his visit toICCI, said a press release issued by ICCI here.

Alauddin Marri said that the coastal areas of Balochistan, including Gwadar, Turbat and Makran had not been connected with the national grid, adding that 100 MW of electricity would soon be supplied to these areas from Iran.

He said Gwadar offeredhugebusiness opportunitiestoboth local and foreign Investorsin many sectors. Sectors such asservice industries,fisheries, petrochemical, tourism, trade logistics,processing and manufacturing industrieslikeassembling of oil storage, refining, transport equipment, ship breaking, food and building materialsprocessing, home appliances manufacturing,electronics, andIT industry.

He said that it was a good time for potential investors to move to Gwadar and take advantage of its economic potential.

Speaking at the occasion, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari welcomed Alauddin Marri and assuredthe ICCIwould take a delegation to Balochistan to meet with the chief minister, governor and explore business opportunities in Gwadar.

He said that the pace of all development works in Gwadar including special economic zones and other required infrastructures should be expedited so that business and investment activities could be started.

He said that Balochistan is endowed with plenty of natural resources and the government should focus on providing all required facilities to the potential investors to enhance investment that would reduce poverty & unemployment and bring prosperity to the province.

SHA
Speakers at a webinar on Saturday highlighted the importance of a fast-track implementation of the agreements reached between Russia and Pakistan in the energy sector, terming it crucial for the economic uplift of the energy-starved country

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jan, 2023 ) :Speakers at a webinar on Saturday highlighted the importance of a fast-track implementation of the agreements reached between Russia and Pakistan in the energy sector, terming it crucial for the economic uplift of the energy-starved country.

The webinar titled "Russo-Pak Economic and Energy Cooperation, Scope and Challenges" was organized by Devcom-Pakistan (Development Communications network) and DTN.

Former Senator Lt. General (Retd.) Abdul Qayyum was the keynote speaker, while among other participants were foreign affairs expert Dr Salma Malik, energy and environment expert Qaiser Aijaz, and Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed, besides Hussain Ali Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Sarah Khan, Natasha Jameel, Maliha and Ayan Mitra.

Abdul Qayyum said the recent Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with Russia were a long-awaited icebreaking that could lead to an important partnership and investments in the defence, oil and gas sectors of Pakistan after the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

He said Pakistan needed sustainable and balanced foreign relations while increasing its exports, and attracting more foreign investment.

He stressed political stability and consistency of policies, declaring them as a 'key' to achieving steady national development and prosperity.

Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed said a comprehensive Russo-Pak Energy Corridor was 'very crucial' for both countries at this point.

Munir Ahmed said it was high time for both countries to think about the larger and more comprehensive Russo-Pak Energy Corridor (RPEC), similar to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Dr Salma Malik termed the Pakistan-Russia energy cooperation a "welcomed step" that needs to be viewed with cautious optimism, given the larger geo-economic dynamics.

Qaiser Aijaz said the Russo-Pak economic and energy development cooperation had a history, recalling that Pakistan's first five-year plan of 1950 was based on the Russian Economic Model and subsequent provision of technical and financial support in the promotion of the oil and gas development sector in 1960 and establishment of Pakistan Steel Mills in the 1970s.

He said Russia-Pakistan Economic and Energy Cooperation had a huge potential to grow and was expected to develop further on a fast-track basis.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Memphis, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jan, 2023 ) :Graphic video of five US police officers brutally beating a young Black man who later died in hospital was met with widespread shock Saturday, even as concerns receded of a violent public backlash to the distressing footage.

The video, which shows police in the city of Memphis repeatedly kicking and punching 29-year-old Tyre Nichols as he moans and calls out for his mother, was played widely on national television and online, triggering anger, disgust and calls for police reform.

Downtown Memphis was quiet on Saturday morning with only a handful of stores open for business, while others remained closed with windows boarded up, after peaceful demonstrations Friday evening.

Andrew Lewis, an African American entrepreneur in Memphis, said watching the video broke his heart.

"You really don't get a sense of how far people can beat on a man for, you know, 30 plus minutes," said Lewis, who is 29.

Nancy Schulte, 69, who works at a hotel in downtown Memphis, said she lost respect for city police after viewing the grim footage.

"It's just a horrible thing," said Schulte. "Watching five big guys beat the living heck out of this man." - 'It must end' - Five Memphis officers, who are all Black, were charged with second-degree murder in the beating of Nichols, who died in hospital on January 10 three days after being stopped on suspicion of reckless driving.

The lengthy video footage from police body cameras released Friday evening shows a group of officers detaining Nichols, attempting to take him down using a Taser, then giving chase as he evades them.

Subsequent segments -- the footage runs about an hour in total, and is audio-only in parts -- show Nichols calling for his mother, and groaning as officers repeatedly assault him.

"They had beat him to a pulp," Nicholas's mother RowVaughn Wells told CNN Friday. "He had bruises all over. His head was swollen like a watermelon. His neck was bursting because of the swelling." Calls grew louder for comprehensive police reform in America as Nichols' death showed how little progress had been made since George Floyd, a Black man died at the hands of a white police officer in 2020, which triggered massive, sometimes violent protests across the country.

"For too long, we have witnessed these senseless acts by those sworn to protect us, and it must end," Senator Joe Manchin said in a statement Saturday. "This cannot be the America we strive for, and we must come together to meaningfully address it." - 'That could have been me' - Even after the release of the video, some key questions remained unanswered, mainly what caused Nichols to be stopped.

Family attorney Benjamin Crump accused the police of trying to cover up their actions and insisted Nichols did not violate traffic rules or reach for the officers' guns, as police say.

"That is our conclusion after reviewing this video many times: that he was never trying to grab for those officers' guns," Crump said on MSNBC Saturday morning.

Crump said Nichols' killing showcases a culture of police impunity toward people in America who are not white.

"This is institutional police culture. It does not matter if the police are Black, Hispanic, or white. There is some innuendo, some unwritten rules that if there is a person of particular ethnicity that you can engage in excessive force against him." Demarcus Carter, a 36-year-old maintenance engineer in Memphis, who is African American, agreed.

"It could have been me, that's how I felt," Carter said of watching the video. "Like if I was in the neighborhood, I probably would have died with them." - 'Same old, same old' - Protests in Memphis, Washington, New York City, Philadelphia, Atlanta and a handful of other cities on Friday evening were small and largely peaceful.

In downtown Memphis, around 50 protesters gathered at the central Martyrs Park to mark the video's release, later blocking a main road as they marched and chanted "No Justice, No Peace" and "Say His Name: Tyre Nichols." In addition to second-degree murder charges, the police officers are facing indictments for aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping. Four of the five were released from jail after posting bail, according to US media.

Robert Jones, 26, salesman at a store in downtown Memphis, told AFP he was dismayed that police brutality still runs amok.

"They say it's a new year, but same old, same old," Jones said.
(@Abdulla99267510)

A sessions judge has passed the orders on plea moved by the police challenging orders of the judicial magistrate who sent Fawad Chaudhary to jail on 14-day judicial remand.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint, UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Jan 28th, 2023) A district and sessions court on Saturday overturned decision of a judicial magistrate under which PTI leader Fawad Chaudhary was sent to jail on 14-day judicial remand.

The judge passed the orders after hearing arguments of both sides in a case registered against Fawad Chaudhary under charges of sedition for allegedly threatening ECP, its members and their families.

Earlier, the hearing was adjourned for twice due to different reasons after the police approached the court challenging judicial magistrates verdict in Fawad Chaudharys case.

The police asked the court to null and void the judicial magistrate's decision and extend Fawad's physical remand for further investigation.

Advocate Babar Awan represented Fawad Chaudhary before the court and asked the judge to order Additional Sessions Judge Faizan Gillani to hear Fawad's bail plea.

Awan said that it was really surprising that the investigation officer (IO) was not turning up before the court," Awan said, pointing out that the IO was summoned but despite he did not appear before it.

The court, however, observed that it would look into the matter and put off further hearing till 10:30am.

Earlier the court had adjourned the hearing till 10:00 am.

As the court resumed the hearing the judge asked about two-day physical remand of Fawad Chaudhary.

On it, the prosecutor informed the court that Fawad's photogrammetry test had to be done in the Punjab Forensic Lab in Lahore. It was practically, he said, one day physical remand.

According to the latest reports, an additional sessions judge, meanwhile, also heard PTI leader's bail plea this morning.

I am ready for the arguments on the petition," argued the counsel representing Fawad.

The judge, however, observed that he hadnt received the case file and records therefore he adjourned the proceedings till 10am.

The proceeding was halted after the police submitted a plea challenging decision on the rejection of an extension in physical remand.

A day earlier, Fawad submitted a post-arrest bail petition to the judicial magistrate of Islamabad after the local court sent the former information minister on 14-day judicial remand.
(@Abdulla99267510)

The Pakistan Ambassador to the United States of America says the recent initiatives including Green Alliance and Climate Smart Agriculture will benefit farmers and create a framework for conserving water, building small dams and improving yields of staple crops like wheat, rice and cotton.

Washington: (UrdduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-Jan 28th, 2023) Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Masood Khan has said Pakistan is working closely with the United States to unlock a climate resilient ecosystem.

He was speaking as key-note speaker during a discussion, attended virtually, on "Pakistan's Energy and Water Security Landscape organized by Baker Institute, Rice University Houston.

He said the recent initiatives including Green Alliance and Climate Smart Agriculture will benefit farmers and create a framework for conserving water, building small dams and improving yields of staple crops like wheat, rice and cotton.

The Ambassador said Pakistan, with the help of the International Financial Institutions, has initiated reforms for water conservation, transition to modern agricultural technologies, re-afforestation and water management and metering.

He said that Pakistan, fully cognizant of the serious challenges being faced in the fields of energy and water security, is taking consistent steps to improve its power generation through diversification of its energy-mix.

Ambassador Masood Khan said that the country is working with the US to improve efficiency of agriculture sector and water management.

The Ambassador also underscored the need for a fair and just distribution of waters under the Indus Waters Treaty saying it is a key to energy and water security and regional stability.
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jan, 2023 ) :Pakistan People's Party leadership on Saturday announced to pursue legal action against Imran Khan for his false allegations against Asif Ali Zardari of plotting an assassination attempt on him.

Addressing a press conference, senior PPP leaders including Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nayyar Bukhari and Farhatullah Babar castigated the PTI chief as the defiant politician accused Asif Zardari of giving money to a terrorist outfit.

They announced starting a legal battle against Imran Khan if the allegations were not withdrawn.

PPP stalwarts said Imran Khan made such bizarre claims to keep himself relevant in politics, saying that this time, the allegations hurled by the PTI chief were quite serious and would be met with a stern response.

They urged the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take notice of the allegations leveled against former president Asif Zardari.

Speaking during the news conference, Qamar Zaman Kaira stated that the allegations were extremely serious and would be met with a strong response.

He said that Imran Khan has always criticized the institutions during times of failure and disappointment.

Kaira also called on the Supreme Court to investigate the allegations and take appropriate action if these were proved to be false.
The fight against corruption is of critical importance for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, G7 ambassadors to Ukraine said following a meeting with Head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention Oleksandr Novikov.

"G7 Ambassadors met the Head of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention Novikov and were briefed on anti-corruption policy and legislation. We emphasized the critical importance of tackling corruption, including in the context of increased foreign aid and during Ukraine"s recovery and reconstruction," the ambassadors said on Twitter.
Central American and Caribbean countries show interest in creation of a nuclear science and technology center, similar to the one that Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom is implementing in Bolivia, for the needs of nuclear medicine, agriculture and science research, the president of Rosatom Latin America Ivan Dybov told Sputnik

BUENOS AIRES/MONTEVIDEO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2023) Central American and Caribbean countries show interest in creation of a nuclear science and technology center, similar to the one that Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom is implementing in Bolivia, for the needs of nuclear medicine, agriculture and science research, the president of Rosatom Latin America Ivan Dybov told Sputnik.

"States of Central America and the Caribbean show interest in the project (of nuclear science and technology center). These countries are interested in non-energy applications of nuclear technologies, primarily in nuclear medicine, agriculture and science," he said.

Dybov also said that each country had its own priorities, therefore Rosatom offers them a flexible approach and the project can be adapted to the needs of each particular client.

"For example, if a country wants to concentrate on agriculture, then we can propose the configuration of such a center 'sharpened' primarily for agriculture; if we are talking about medicine, then we can also offer the appropriate configuration," he said.

Dybov added the nuclear science and technology center in Bolivia was Rosatom's calling card in the region. Rosatom hopes the project will become a reference example after its commercial launch.

As the Bolivian case shows, the implementation of this project not only contributes to the development of such important areas as healthcare, agriculture and science, but also provides an incentive for the education of new scientists and allows to conduct major scientific research, Dybov said.
About 50 protesters gathered Friday night in Memphis, in the southern United States, demanding justice after a video was released showing police violently arresting Tyre Nichols, a young Black man who died a few days after the incident

Memphis, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jan, 2023 ) :About 50 protesters gathered Friday night in Memphis, in the southern United States, demanding justice after a video was released showing police violently arresting Tyre Nichols, a young Black man who died a few days after the incident.

Waving signs reading "Justice for Tyre" and "End police terror," they headed to Martyrs Park in the center of Memphis.

Five police officers have been charged with second-degree murder in the beating of the 29-year-old, who died in a Memphis hospital on January 10 three days after being stopped on suspicion of reckless driving.

At 6:00 pm on Friday, (0000 GMT Saturday), the few dozen protesters, chanting "No justice, no peace," managed to block a major road in the city, causing traffic jams.

The procession carried on to a bridge crossing the Mississippi River.

"Whose bridge?!" shouted an activist with a megaphone; "Our bridge" came the reply from the crowd.

Monica Johnson, a community organizer from Atlanta, said it was "sick" that all the accused policemen were also Black, an anomaly among recent high-profile killings of Black men, which often involve white officers.

"But it doesn't surprise me, because we've seen for years and for decades that Black people have -- for a check, for their occupation -- done the same thing and served the same system of white supremacy and capital," the 24-year-old said.

She said the protesters demanded, "accountability, conviction for all of the cops involved and a stop to the police making those traffic stops where they kill people.

" "For me there is no good cop," said LJ Abraham, a community organizer in Memphis.

"And so for me, it does not matter what the race of the cop is. They're hired to protect us and serve -- they're failing on that across the country, and to say 'murder' is the proper word to describe what happened, he was murdered," she added.

For David Stacks, a Black Memphis resident who owns a car detailing business, Nicols' death "should draw everybody together, open the eyes of" the country's African-American population.

"Like, this is bigger than all other obstacles and whatever y'all have, going on amongst each other," the 38-year-old said.

Authorities had feared that fury triggered by the video could spark widespread violence, but the center of the city remained calm, with businesses still open.

Earlier in the day, at a Memphis skate park where Nichols was a regular, Robert Walters, a 67-year-old blues musician visiting the city from Virginia, said the fact the officers were Black "hurts." "I'm a Black man living in America. And that fear is always something that me and my son, we grew up with and we live with," he told AFP, in reference to police brutality.

"These guys, you'd think, of anybody, should know (better), but it just goes to show you that anybody can fall into that trap," he said.

"I just want people to just be calm and not do anything stupid, not destroy or hurt." Candles and flowers had been laid in Nichols' honor at the skate park.

"Rest in peace Tyre," read a handwritten message on the flowers.

"We're so sorry."
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

Baku handed over to Yerevan on Friday the body of an Armenian soldier killed during the border clashes between the two nations in the village of Nerkin Hand in September 2022, Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Aram Torosyan said

YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2023) Baku handed over to Yerevan on Friday the body of an Armenian soldier killed during the border clashes between the two nations in the village of Nerkin Hand in September 2022, Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Aram Torosyan said.

"Today, Azerbaijan handed over to Armenia a body of a soldier who died from September 13-14 near the village of Nerkin Hand," the spokesman wrote on social media.

In the night from September 12-13, 2022, the world saw new outbreak of hostilities between Yerevan and Baku in an area unrelated to Nagorno-Karabakh  the most serious escalation since the 2020 events. Baku and Yerevan accused each other of shelling and reported losses in their ranks. Both countries agreed to a ceasefire by morning of September 13, which failed overnight.

Another ceasefire went into effect on September 14, but the situation between the two countries remained tense.

The situation exacerbated in December, when the Lachin corridor, the only road that links Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh enclave but runs through the Azerbaijani district, was blocked by a group of Azerbaijanis described by Baku as environmental activists. According to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the corridor's blockade violates the ceasefire declaration brokered by Russia between Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020. The document delegated control of the Lachin corridor to Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh. In late December, Pashinyan alleged that the peacekeepers did not fulfill their obligations regarding control over the corridor
(@FahadShabbir)

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on Friday accused Iran of failing to provide necessary security to the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran following a deadly attack on the embassy complex

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2023) The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on Friday accused Iran of failing to provide necessary security to the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran following a deadly attack on the embassy complex.

Earlier in the day, the ministry stated that one person had been killed and another one injured in the armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in the Iranian capital.

"We strongly condemn the treacherous terrorist attack against the Azerbaijani embassy in the Islamic Republic of Iran. As a country that hosts the embassy, Iran should have fulfilled its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, ensuring security of the Azerbaijani embassy and its employees," the statement said.

Iran's authorities are investigating the attack and have already taken measures to ensure that the embassy and diplomats could work normally, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said.

"Iran's Foreign Minster Hossein Amirabdollahian holds talks with the country's Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi (to) discuss the shooting incident at the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Tehran... Necessary security measures have been taken so that the activities of Azerbaijan's Embassy and diplomats in Tehran return to normal," the press release read.

The ministry cited "preliminary evidence and observations" suggesting the assailant committed the attack with a "totally personal motive."

Media reported earlier on Friday that the attacker had been driven by personal motives and stated during interrogation that he had wanted to bring back his wife, who went to the embassy in April 2022 and never returned home since then.
Hungary will join the efforts of the Czech Republic and Poland in protecting Slovakia's airspace, Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said on Friday

PRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th January, 2023) Hungary will join the efforts of the Czech Republic and Poland in protecting Slovakia's airspace, Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said on Friday.

Nad recalled that since September 1, 2022, the airspace of Slovakia had been guarded by the air forces of the Czech Republic and Poland, which comprise the Visegrad Group together with Hungary and Slovakia.

"After signing the relevant documents, we will talk about the real project of the entire Visegrad Group (V4). This proves that the V4 continues to be a very important alliance for all of our parties," Nad said after a meeting with his Hungarian counterpart, Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky, in Budapest, Slovak broadcaster TA3 reported.

The Slovak defense chief added that he had also discussed with Szalay-Bobrovniczky the issue of strengthening the defense of Slovakia and Hungary. The ministers agreed to respect each other's position on the Ukrainian conflict, Nad said.

The air forces of neighboring countries are expected to keep protecting Slovakia's airspace until Bratislava receives F-16 fighters from the United States, which it purchased in February 2022 to replace Russia's MiG-29 fighters.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2023) US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland will visit Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and Qatar from January 28 to February 3 to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues, the State Department announced in a release.

"In Nepal, Under Secretary Nuland will engage with the new government on the broad agenda of the US partnership with Nepal," the release said on Friday.

While in India, Nuland will lead the US-India annual Foreign Office Consultations, which cover the full range of bilateral, regional and global issues, the release said.

"She will also meet with young tech leaders," the release said.

During her visit to Sri Lanka, Nuland will mark the 75th anniversary of US-Sri Lanka ties and offer the United States' support for the country's efforts to stabilize the economy and promote reconciliation, the release said.

Nuland will conclude her trip with a visit to Qatar, where she will discuss global issues under the framework of the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue, the release also said.

"She will also engage counterparts on Qatar's critical support for the relocation of Afghans with ties to the United States and our bilateral arrangement on the protection of US interests in Afghanistan," the release added.
(@FahadShabbir)

Retired NATO general Petr Pavel beat billionaire former prime minister Andrej Babis in a presidential election run-off Saturday, interim results showed

Prague, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jan, 2023 ):Retired NATO general Petr Pavel beat billionaire former prime minister Andrej Babis in a presidential election run-off Saturday, interim results showed.

Pavel, a former paratrooper, won 56.76 percent of votes while Babis scored 43.23 percent, with over 85 percent of the vote counted, according to the Czech Statistical Office.

Turnout in the EU and NATO member country of 10.5 million people was unusually high at 70 percent following an acrimonious campaign marked by controversy, death threats and a brazen hoax.

The 61-year-old Pavel will replace President Milos Zeman, an outspoken and divisive politician who fostered close ties with Moscow before making a U-turn when Russia invaded Ukraine last year.

Pavel already beat Babis in the first round two weeks ago, scoring 35.4 percent against 35 percent for the former prime minister.

Since then, Babis and his family have been targeted by death threats, while Pavel was the victim of a hoax claiming he was dead as disinformation plagued the final campaign.

While the role is largely ceremonial, the Czech president names the government, picks the central bank governor and constitutional judges, and serves as commander of the armed forces.

Voting in the small town of Dobrichovice southwest of Prague on an overcast Saturday morning, Irena Cihelkova told AFP the new president should serve the country well.

"He should be forthcoming and friendly, an asset for the country, and not make problems abroad like some other Czech statesmen," she said.

- 'No better alternative' - Pavel will be the fourth president of the Czech Republic since it emerged as an independent state after a peaceful split with Slovakia in 1993, four years after Czechoslovakia shed four-decades of totalitarian communist rule.

His predecessors were Vaclav Havel, an anti-communist dissident playwright who led the country from 1993-2003, economist Vaclav Klaus (2003-2013) and Zeman, whose final term expires in March.

A graduate of a military university, Pavel was decorated as a hero in the Serbo-Croatian war when he helped free French troops from a war zone.

He rose to chief of the Czech general staff and chair of NATO's military committee.

Like Babis, Pavel was a member of the Communist Party in the 1980s.

But, the man with a carefully trimmed beard and white hair, who has a passion for powerful motorbikes, has since become a strong advocate of EU and NATO membership.

"We have no better alternative. We should use all opportunities offered by membership and try to change that which we don't like," he said on his campaign website.

"Czechia is a sovereign state and a full member, therefore we can't just sit quietly, nod and then slam the result. We have to be more active and, at the same time, constructive." Pavel has vowed to be an independent president unaffected by party politics and to continue to support aid to war-torn Ukraine as well as its bid to become an EU member.

"Naturally, Ukraine first has to meet all conditions to become a member, such as progress in battling corruption. But I believe it is entitled to get the same chance we got in the past," he said.

Pavel has also backed same-sex marriage and child adoptions by same-sex couples.

"I respect the principle of freedom and equality of all people under the law," he said. "I also believe we are a tolerant society."
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2023) Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik that new US Ambassador Lynne Tracy will meet with him and present copies of credentials early next week.

Ryabkov explained that "any ambassador arriving at the place of deployment" hands over copies of their credentials to the foreign ministry of the host country "as an act enabling them to start their service.

"

This procedure has also been agreed on with the incoming US ambassador Tracy, the Russian deputy foreign minister said.

"It (the meeting) will take place right at the beginning of the week. It is expected that Ambassador Tracy will submit copies of credentials to me," Ryabkov said.
Nearly two years on from Myanmar's brutal military coup against the democratically-elected government, the Southeast Asian country has sunk deeper than ever into crisis, undergoing a wholesale regression in human rights, UN human rights chief Volker Turk has said

UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Jan, 2023 ) :Nearly two years on from Myanmar's brutal military coup against the democratically-elected government, the Southeast Asian country has sunk deeper than ever into crisis, undergoing a wholesale regression in human rights, UN human rights chief Volker Turk has said.

"By nearly every feasible measurement, and in every area of human rights economic, social and cultural, as much as civil and political Myanmar has profoundly regressed," he said in a statement.

Citing credible sources, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Right (OHCHR) said that at least 2,890 people have died at the hands of the military and others working with them, of whom at least 767 were initially taken into custody, adding that it was almost certainly an underestimate on the numbers killed by the military.

A staggering 1.2 million Burmese have been internally displaced, and over 70,000 have left the country -- joining more than a million others who have fled, including the bulk of the country's Rohingya Muslim population, who've suffered decades of sustained persecution and attacks, OHCHR noted.

"Despite clear legal obligations for the military to protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities, there has been consistent disregard for the related rules of international law", Turk, the head of OHCHR, added.

"Far from being spared, civilians have been the actual targets of attacks  victims of targeted and indiscriminate artillery barrages and air strikes, extrajudicial executions, the use of torture, and the burning of whole villages." The UN rights chief saluted the courage of all those who have lost their lives so far "in the struggle for freedom and dignity in Myanmar, and the continuing pain and suffering of their families and loved ones." Credible information indicates that over 34,000 civilian structures, including homes, clinics, schools and places of worship, have been burned over the past two years, the rights office said.

And Myanmar's economy has collapsed with nearly half of the population now living below the poverty line.

Since 1st February 2021, the military has imprisoned the entire democratically elected leadership of the country and, in subsequent months, detained over 16,000 others  most of whom face specious charges in military-controlled courts, in flagrant breach of due process and fair trial rights, linked to their refusal to accept the military's actions, OHCHR underlined.

"There must be a way out of this catastrophic situation, which sees only deepening human suffering and rights violations on a daily basis," Turk said. "Regional leaders, who engaged the military leadership through ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) agreed a Five-Point Consensus that Myanmar's generals have treated with disdain." "Two of the critical conditions that were agreed - to cease all violence and to allow humanitarian access - have not been met", he continued. "In fact, we have seen the opposite. Violence has spiraled out of control and humanitarian access has been severely restricted." The High Commissioner pointed to other political measures that would be crucial to resolving the crisis. First, the release of all political prisoners, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint, as called for by the UN Security Council.

He said inclusive dialogue with all parties was essential, involving both the ASEAN Chair and the UN Special Envoy. OHCHR must be given meaningful access to the country to monitor the situation independently and impartially, he added.

"Restoring respect for human rights is a key to ending this crisis, to end this situation where Myanmar's generals are trying to prop up through brute force a decades-old system in which they answer to no-one but themselves," Turk said.

"Those responsible for the daily attacks against civilians and the human rights violations must be held accountable", Turk said.

"The military needs to be brought under real, effective civilian oversight. This will be difficult to achieve, but these elements are critical to restoring any semblance of democratic rule, security and stability to the country." He noted that the Security Council united "to adopt a path-breaking resolution that demanded an immediate end to the violence, among other urgent steps", just last month.

"Now it is time for the world to come together to take common actions to stop the killing, protect the people of Myanmar, and ensure respect for their universal human rights."
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.
Pope Francis greets a delegation of Buddhists from Cambodia, and encourages interreligious dialogue as a way to cultivate ecological responsibility.

By Devin Watkins

A group of Cambodian Buddhists met with Pope Francis on Thursday, as part of an encounter to enhance interreligious cooperation.

In his address to the delegation, the Pope praised efforts to foster dialogue among religions, saying this important element of society helps people to live peacefully as brothers and sisters.

He commended the group for gathering under the banner of ecological conversion, and called it a positive sign of the growing sensitivity and concern for the wellbeing of the earth, our common home.

Solutions begin with change of heart

Pope Francis went on to reflect on the need for people of all religions to seek solutions to the many ills that afflict societies across the globe.

Poverty and lack of respect for the dignity of the marginalized cause much suffering and disillusionment in our times. They must be fought with comprehensive strategies that promote awareness of the fundamental fragility of our environments.

He said both Creation and our neighbors deserve our respect, but noted that positive change can must about through a change of heart, vision, and practices.

Personal conversion

Ecological conversion, noted the Pope, can only begin when we recognize clearly the human roots of the present environmental crisis.

He added that only true repentance can put a stop to ideologies and practices that harm the earth, including an excessive search for profit and a lack of solidarity.

Ecological conversion aims at turning what is happening to the world into our own personal suffering and thus to discover what each of us can do about it.

Richness of religious traditions



Interreligious dialogue, said Pope Francis, helps people of various religions to work together to cultivate ecological responsibility.

He noted that the Buddha left his disciples the practices of metta, which involves not harming living things and living a simple lifestyle.

By following these practices, Buddhists can achieve a compassionate protection for all beings, including the earth, their habitat.

Christians, added the Pope, fulfill our ecological responsibility when we seek to protect Gods Creation as trustworthy stewards.

Papal gratitude

Pope Francis concluded his remarks to the Buddhist delegation from Cambodia by thanking them for taking the time to visit Rome and engage with the Vaticans Dicastery for Promoting Interreligious Dialogue.

Upon you and upon all in your noble country, he said, I invoke an abundance of blessings from on high.
Fr. Jim Greene, Executive Director of Solidarity with South Sudan, describes the countrys hopes for Pope Francis upcoming Apostolic Journey and the situation on the ground in the North AFr.ican nation.

By Joseph Tulloch and John Baptist Tumusiime

On 3 February, Pope Francis will travel to South Sudan, where he will remain until 5 February, meeting with the countrys civil authorities, Catholics, internally displaced people, and other Christians.

Fr. Jim Greene MAFr, an Irish priest and Executive Director of Solidarity with South Sudan, spoke to Vatican News from Juba, the countrys capital.

In an interview with John Baptist Tumusiime, he discussed the Popes upcoming visit, the anticipation building around it, and the importance of its ecumenical aspect.

Read also 24/01/2023 Pope Francis prepares to travel to strife-torn DRC and South Sudan Pope Francis is set to travel to the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan at the end of the month. Both are countries torn and crippled by violence, division and the ...

A pilgrimage of peace



Pope Francis has regularly described himself, in the context of his visit, as a pilgrim of peace. He is visiting a country that is deeply divided, and suffering from years of violent conflict.

Fr. Greene emphasised that some progress has already been made in resolving the crisis in South Sudan.

There is currently no conflict at a national level, and there is even some work toward reunifying the armed forces. The Community of SantEgidio  a Catholic lay organisation that has been heavily involved in facilitating peace talks in the country  has, he said, been doing their best to have inclusive peace talks with those groups that have not previously been involved in the negotiations.

However, he noted, there are some serious obstacles to the ongoing peace process. Moreover, while there is currently no national conflict, there is much violence at a local level.

Huge numbers of South Sudanese have also been displaced by conflict, flooding, and climate change. There is, thus, he said, still a very serious crisis still going on.

Anticipation ahead of the visit

Given this, Fr. Greene concluded, I think you have to see that the overriding emotion around the Pope's visit is one of hope.

Hope, he continued, that his visit will help people to resolve differences, give them a new motivation, give them a new encouragement that past differences, past conflicts, past traumas can be resolved, can be healed, that groups can come and live together.

He admitted that, when the Popes planned trip last year was postponed, there was terrific disappointment.

There had been a huge amount of anticipation around the visit, for a number of reasons: because it demonstrated the Popes recognition of the experience and suffering of the South Sudanese people, because it was a sign of his personal commitment to furthering peace, and because it was seen as a commitment from the Church in Rome to the faithful here.

Now that the Popes visit is back on, Fr. Greene said, there is once again great anticipation  discussion on the radio, posters, even cars are going around with stickers of him welcoming him to the country.

A prayer for the Popes visit is being said at the end of every Catholic Mass in the country, so people know it almost by heart.

Read also 26/01/2023 An overview of the Church in South Sudan As Pope Francis prepares to embark on his Apostolic Journey to two African nations, we offer an overview of the Catholic Church in South Sudan.

An ecumenical pilgrimage

South Sudan is a Christian-majority country and, although exact numbers are difficult to establish, Catholicism and Anglicanism are generally understood to be the largest denominations.

The fact that the Popes visit is an ecumenical one  he will be joined during his time in the country by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland  is, Fr. Greene noted, thus extremely significant.
Ukraine claims to have killed 109 Russian troops in a one-day battle in its eastern Donetsk, risking while wounding 188 Russians, following reports that at least 11 people died in massive Russian strikes on Ukraine.

By Stefan Bos

Yet some Russian soldiers want to escape, with footage emerging Friday of troops calling the Ukrainian surrender hotline. "I am not alone; a group of soldiers wants to surrender," a soldier said, who claimed to call from the Kherson area. "But they say we can be imprisoned in Ukraine for ten years."

The female dispatcher tried to calm him down after he also asked whether they would be beaten or filmed and whether they had to go to their knees.

She could be heard telling him that he "will be registered as captured on the battlefield if he surrenders voluntarily." Eventually, he may "be able to as political asylum in Ukraine, Germany, and the Netherlands."

The apparent interest in surrendering comes ahead of more deliveries of Western battle tanks, including from Poland.

The Polish prime minister said his country would send an additional 60 tanks to Ukraine on top of the 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks it has already pledged.

Mateusz Morawiecki noted that Warsaw had positioned itself as one of Kyiv's staunchest allies after pressing for Germany to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries to do the same.

Listen to the report:

Berlin agreed to that demand Wednesday, prompting Morawiecki to say that delivering the 60 more tanks would come after his country had already "sent 250 tanks as the first country half a year ago or earlier."

But with the death toll mounting, the European Union Justice Ministers said Friday they want swift accountability for what they called "horrific" crimes in Ukraine committed mainly by Russia.

But the member states differ over the methods in a debate about how to bring prosecutions, seek evidence, or fund war damage repairs. There are also tensions about new sanctions against Russia.

Hungary's veto

The Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban said Friday that Hungary would veto any EU sanctions against Russia affecting nuclear energy.

Ukraine wants the 27-nation bloc to include Russian state nuclear energy company Rosatom in sanctions.

But EU member Hungary, which has a Russian-built nuclear plant it plans to expand with Rosatom, has blocked that.

With billions in military aid and other support flowing into the country, Ukraine is under pressure to tackle notorious corruption, seen as its other enemy.

However, on Friday, Kyiv confirmed that already 11 officials have either resigned or been sacked as the government tackles government corruption.

That seems urgently needed as some politicians in the United States are calling for aid to Ukraine to be restricted. The US is among the Western countries providing the most assistance to Ukraine.
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Asian communities in California are reeling from two mass shootings within days in places where residents gather and work. The shootings happened as residents celebrate Lunar New Year after three years of the pandemic, a period when Asian hate crimes spiked. Michelle Quinn reports. Camera: Matt Dibble, Suli Yi, Roy Kim
Authorities in New Zealand's biggest city, Auckland, began mopping up on Saturday, a day after torrential rain brought flooding and evacuations, shutting airports and forcing organizers to cancel a scheduled concert by Elton John.

A state of emergency remained in place in the city of 1.6 million people on New Zealand's north island as the rains eased after causing flooding in the north, northwest and west.

Auckland Emergency Management, part of the city's council, said daylight had revealed the first "true understanding" of the impact of the storm, caused by warm air descending from the tropics that sparked heavy rain and thunderstorms.

"Auckland was clobbered on Friday  Auckland's wettest day on record  and today we start the cleanup," the agency's duty controller, Andrew Clark, said in a statement, urging caution by residents returning home to survey flood damage.

"We won't start to get a good idea of numbers affected until later today, and even then, this will take time, with information still coming in and many assessments to complete," he said.

Emergency Management Minister Kieran McAnulty tweeted that he and Prime Minister Chris Hipkins would visit Auckland on Saturday "to assess the damage from this event."

The nation's weather forecaster said that while heavy rain had eased, another period of downpours was possible Sunday.

Showers were "dotted around Auckland," with some heavy west of the city, Auckland Emergency Management tweeted, while warning residents to "stay safe" amid the crisis.

"We're not out of this yet. Heavy rain returns tomorrow," the agency wrote on the social media platform.

Two men were found dead amid the flooding, New Zealand police said. A search was under way for another man believed swept away. Another person was unaccounted for after a landslide hit a house in an inner suburb of Auckland, police said.

More than 2,000 calls for assistance have been made around the city, the New Zealand Herald reported Saturday

Auckland Airport, which closed both domestic and international operations on Friday, was shuttered until Saturday afternoon, when some local flights resumed.

Air New Zealand said its domestic flights in and out of Auckland resumed by noon, and advised it was assessing whether international flights would also restart.

The airport was scheduled to open its international terminal from 5 p.m. local time, Air New Zealand said in a statement.

The airline had 12 international flights due into Auckland diverted overnight, it said earlier Saturday.

On Friday, social media showed firefighters, police and defense force staff rescuing stranded people from flooded homes using ropes and rescue boats.

The flooding also forced cancellation of British musician Elton John's concert in the city. Some 40,000 people had been expected to attend.
The U.N.s main AIDS program says thousands of children are dying from HIV/AIDS because, unlike adults, they do not receive treatment for the deadly disease.

HIV/AIDS is no longer an automatic death sentence. People infected with the disease can live a normal lifespan, provided they receive treatment and care. Unfortunately, there is a glaring disparity between the way children and adults with HIV/AIDS are treated.

UNAIDS spokeswoman Charlotte Sector says 76 percent of adults have access to treatment but only half of children living with HIV are receiving lifesaving treatment. She says children account for 15 percent of all AIDS deaths, despite making up only four percent of all people living with the disease.

Last year alone 160,000 children were infected with HIV," Sector said. "So, what is happening is that 12 countries are coming together in Africa because six countries in sub-Saharan Africa represent 50 percent of those new infections.

She says a global alliance led by UNAIDS, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF has formed to close the huge gap. She says 12 African countries have joined the alliance. Sector says health ministers from eight countries will launch the initiative next week in Tanzania.

So, not only is it getting children on treatment, but it is mostly trying to stop vertical transmission," Sector said. "Now what is vertical transmission? It is the mother passing on HIV during pregnancy, during delivery or during breast feeding because most of those transmissions are taking place during breastfeeding.

Spector says efforts to contain the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa mainly have been centered on getting adults on treatment, as the main transmitters of the virus. In the process, however, she says the needs of children have been overlooked.

So, what happens is suddenly there is a realization that we have forgotten all these children, and there is a forgotten generation of children," Sector said. "So now, there has been a scramble to kind of close that faucet, if I may say, of getting to the children before they are even born or after they are born.

The global alliance will run for the next eight years until 2030. During that period, it aims to close the treatment gap for pregnant and breastfeeding adolescent girls and women living with HIV, prevent and detect new HIV infections, provide access to testing and treatment, and end the social barriers that hinder access to services.
One of the lowest points in recent Sino-American relations came in July 2021 when U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, on a visit to Beijing, was scolded by her Chinese interlocutor and handed a "List of U.S. Wrongdoings that Must Stop."

Sherman was also warned during the strained encounter about what the Chinese described as the Biden administration's "highly misguided mindset" and handed a second "List of Key Individual Cases that China Has Concerns With."

The man who delivered those messages, Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng, is now widely expected in diplomatic circles to be named as the next Chinese ambassador to Washington, taking up the post recently vacated by current Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

China has noticeably softened its anti-American rhetoric since a Nov. 14 meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Bali, Indonesia, and policy analysts in Washington are waiting to see whether Xie's expected appointment portends a continuation of that trend or a return to the "wolf warrior" diplomacy of recent years.

The uncertainly is heightened by the fact that, despite a stint at the Chinese embassy in Washington earlier in his career, Xie remains largely a cipher even to people who make a living knowing who's who in China, such as June Teufel Dreyer, the author of China's Political System, now in its 10th edition.

"I don't really know much about him," acknowledged Dreyer, a political science professor at the University of Miami. "My attitude towards the incoming Chinese ambassador is 'wait and see'  let's see what he does," she told VOA in a phone interview.

Born in 1964, Xie was promoted to his current position of vice minister of foreign affairs in February 2021 after serving as the ministry's special envoy in Hong Kong for a little over three years. In that time, he was noticed and appreciated by higher ups for daring to engage with antagonists, local media reported at the time Xie was leaving Hong Kong for Beijing.

He had been just a few months in his current post at the time of the widely reported encounter with Sherman. In that same meeting with the American diplomat and her delegation, he delivered a strongly worded rebuttal to U.S. calls for the world to adhere to a "rules-based order."

"The U.S. side's so-called 'rules-based international order' is an effort by the United States and a few other Western countries to frame their own rules as international rules and impose them on other countries," Xie told a visiting American delegation, according to the Chinese foreign ministry and state media.

By demanding adherence to a rules-based order, Xie was quoted as saying, the United States and its Western allies "resort to the tactic of changing the rules to make life easy for itself and hard for others, and to introduce 'the law of the jungle' where might is right and the big bully the small."

Xie also told the delegation that the declared American approach to China  based on competition, cooperation where possible, and contest "where we must"  is in fact aimed at deception.

The core of the policy is "confrontation," he said, according to reports published on the foreign ministry's website. "Cooperation" is mere stopgap and "competition" is a rhetorical trap; all America wanted was "one-sided absolute gains while having done everything bad imaginable," Xie was quoted as saying.

Dreyer, in the telephone interview, acknowledged the perceived softening of Chinese rhetoric in more recent months, but said she was reserving judgment. The Chinese "say they want to be friends, but we need to see some concrete action, not just words, but deeds," she said.

"I would also remind you that people who say nice words will often stab you in the back; in other words, being nice and having nice, polite manners is one thing, but being truly nice is another. People who speak kind words [their doing so] often masks sinister intentions."

The author also stressed that Chinese policy will be made in Beijing, not at the embassy in Washington.

"Ambassadors  our ambassadors and their ambassadors  are essentially window-dressing," she said. "They give cocktail parties; they give interviews where they say largely meaningless things. There's not much he can do unless the party tells him to do it. In this case he's the mouthpiece of the party."

The same point was made by Xia Ming, a political science professor at the City University of New York's Graduate Center, who cited volatility in Chinese domestic politics as a reason to reserve judgment on what to expect from the new envoy.

"The 20th Party Congress showed the world that Chinese politics is anything but staid or stable," he told VOA in a phone interview.

Even greater skepticism was expressed by Republican Congressman Chris Smith, the chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and a prominent promoter of human rights around the world.

"Unless the Chinese Communist Party's promise to soften its rhetoric is matched with a radical change in behavior and deeds, their words still mean absolutely nothing," said Smith, who has been sanctioned by China for calling out human rights violations that China describes as baseless.

"The CCP's long-term strategic objective  to assert global dominance and spread its malign system abroad  is being pursued as aggressively as always. The United States must continue to combat Xi Jinping's brutal dictatorship and hold the CCP to account for its atrocious human rights abuses," he said in a written response to questions from VOA.
A senior U.S. official said Saturday that Eritrean troops are still in Ethiopia although they have moved back the border, contradicting Ethiopian authorities who say the Eritreans have already left.

Eritrean troops fought alongside the Ethiopian military and allied militias in the two-year conflict that pitted the Ethiopian government against rebellious forces in the northern region of Tigray.

In November, however, the Ethiopia government and the Tigray forces signed an agreement to end the hostilities. That agreement mandated the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Tigray.

"With respect to Eritreans we understand they have moved back to the border, and they have been asked to leave," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said at a news conference during a visit to the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

She did not provide any evidence or source for this assessment. Eritrea's information minister Yemane Gebremeskel did not respond to a Reuters' request for comment.

The Tigray war, which begun in November 2020, resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and forced millions to flee their homes. The possible continuing presence of Eritrean troops in Tigray thus has been seen as a key obstacle to effective implementation of the deal.

A senior Ethiopia military officer briefing foreign officials on Saturday denied there were any Eritrean troops in the country.

"There is no other security force in the Tigray region except the FDRE Defense Forces," Major General Teshome Gemechu said, using an acronym for the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

A spokesperson for the Tigrayan forces, Getachew Reda, dismissed claims that the Eritrean troops had left Tigray and said "thousands" were still there.

Ethiopian government spokesperson Legesse Tulu, Redwan Hussein, national security advisor to the prime minister, and Colonel Getnet Adane, spokesperson to Ethiopian Army also did not respond to requests for comment on claims by Thomas-Greenfield and Getachew.
The number of people making a perilous journey on foot through the Darien Gap jungle to reach the United States has dropped significantly since the U.S. government tightened its rules on migrants, the International Organization for Migration said.

Earlier this month Washington expanded COVID-19 pandemic-era restrictions to include migrants from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua and not just Venezuelans as people who can be expelled back to Mexico if caught crossing the border into the United States. The restrictions are known as Title 42.

IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino said the measure was discouraging people from heading north.

"There was a drop in the numbers of people that cross the Darien in the first three weeks of January with the new rules for Title 42 adopted by the U.S. administration," he told Reuters on Friday.

Vitorino said 133,000 people made the Darien crossing in 2021, the same number as in the entire previous 10 years, and the crossings almost doubled to 250,000 last year, mostly Venezuelan migrants but also Haitians.

The migrants have suffered murders and rape and been subjected to extortion and prostitution by armed gangs crossing through dense jungle between Colombia and Panama, he said.

They arrive in Panama extremely dehydrated and in terrible medical condition, especially the women and children, he added.

Vitorino also noted what he called a "serious humanitarian crisis" at the U.S.-Mexico border with the high number of migrants barred from entering the United States or expelled back to Mexico.

"Most of the 75 shelters IOM supports at the border are overcrowded. People need everything: shelter, food, water, warm clothes," he said.

According to the IOM, 6 million Venezuelans have left their country, mostly migrating to Latin American neighbors Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil. Others set off on the uncertain journey north to try to get into the United States.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said on Wednesday that the number of migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border dropped dramatically from December to January following the new rules.

The Biden administration expanded the Title 42 program as it sought to cope with record numbers of migrants attempting to cross the border, at the same time expanding legal pathways to enter the United States.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in December that the policy should stay in place as it considers a legal challenge to the policy. Vitorino said the IOM is waiting for the Supreme Court to clarify its position on the new rules.

Under the new rules, up to 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela may enter the United States per month with a two-year temporary humanitarian parole.
A summary of Uyghur-related news around the world

A Kazakh woman in Xinjiang asks journalists to publicize her case

A female Kazakh dissident who was released from a Chinese internment camp to her home in Urumqi, the capital city of Xinjiang, talked to journalists and activists in the United States, asking them to publicize her plea to leave China. After Zhanargul Zhumatais words Help Me, I Just Want to Leave China were publicized in international media, Chinese authorities agreed to issue her a passport to go to Kazakhstan where authorities agreed to accept her. But her fate is still unknown.

Xinjiang Victims Database: repression of Uyghurs in China unchanged

Gene Bunin, founder of Xinjiang Victims Database, which documents victims of China's repressive policies in Xinjiang, said protests that started last November in Urumqi and later spread to other cities in China were unlikely to have been in solidarity with Uyghurs and more likely a result of frustration with Chinas zero-COVID policy.

Uyghur engineer urges China to release his 19-year-old sister from detention

Kewser Wayit, a U.S.-based Uyghur engineer, calls on the Chinese government to release his 19-year-old sister who was detained by Chinese authorities in Xinjiang for posting a video about white paper protests in China.

Uyghurs in Washington urge international community to recognize Xinjiang as occupied

January 19 marks two years since the U.S. officially recognized Chinas mistreatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslim populations in Xinjiang as genocide. Commemorating the second anniversary of the official Uyghur genocide designation by the U.S., two Washington-based pro-independence Uyghur organizations, East Turkistan Government in Exile and East Turkistan National Movement, held a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington and released a white paper countering Chinas claims that Xinjiang was a part of China since ancient times.

At Thursdays event, the groups released a 12-page brief that argued achieving East Turkistans independence from China will be necessary to end genocide in the region and ensure the fundamental freedoms, human rights, and survival of the Uyghur, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and other ethnically Turkic peoples.

New in brief

Uyghur couple with Chinese citizenship face threat of deportation from Malta

On January 16, the European Court of Human Rights ordered the Republic of Malta to halt a planned deportation of a Uyghur couple with Chinese citizenship to China after two human rights organizations, the Malta-based Aditus Foundation and the Spanish human rights group, Safeguard Defenders, on January 13 filed a case at the European Court of Human Rights against the Maltese immigration authorities, condemning their rejection of the two Uyghurs appeal for humanitarian protection.

According to the Aditus Foundation, the Uyghurs came to Malta in 2016 and spent years living in hiding in the Mediterranean island state when authorities first rejected their application for asylum in 2017. In 2018, Malta issued orders to remove them from the country.

Quote of note

Trying to reason logically: Far worse things have happened in Xinjiang over the past five years, without any protests following, so its unlikely that these protests were in solidarity and more likely that they were a result of pent-up frustration with the zero-COVID policy. The fact that the protests died out so quickly, while the fundamental issues in Xinjiang remain, would also push me to conclude that Uyghur/Xinjiang solidarity was not a key element here, though there are certainly pockets of the Han population that are unhappy with the Xinjiang policies and would certainly speak out against them if it were safe to do so.

- Gene Bunin, founder of Xinjiang Victims Database.
Hundreds of people, including foreign diplomats and activists, paid homage Saturday to a human rights lawyer who was shot dead in Eswatini, sparking alarm over political violence in Africa's last absolute monarchy.

Thulani Maseko, a political activist and fierce critic of authorities in the tiny landlocked nation, was gunned down through the window of his home last Saturday by unknown attackers.

Hours before his murder, King Mswati III had warned activists who defy him not to "shed tears" about "mercenaries killing them."

Mourners from all over the world

Diplomatic envoys from the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom and the United Nations attended a somber memorial service on the outskirts of the commercial capital, Manzini.

Lawyers and rights activists from several other African countries, as far afield as Kenya, also traveled to the country  sandwiched between South Africa and Mozambique  to pay their tributes.

A portrait of Maseko was displayed in front of a cream-colored wooden podium with a spray of white, yellow and red flowers laid out at the bottom.

U.N. representative George Wachira said Maseko's killing was a "loss not only to Eswatini but to the world and humanity. We cannot avoid bitterness because Thulani didn't deserve to die in this manner."

"His death shall not be in vain," he told mourners. "Thulani was at the core of that theory that through dialogue this country can be fixed."

Maseko, who died at age 52, had spent most of his life fighting state repression and representing opposition activists in court.

In 2014, he was jailed for contempt of court over articles critical of the government and judiciary, but he was acquitted on appeal and released a year later.

At the time of his death, Maseko led a broad coalition of political and civic rights and religious groups created in November 2021 to foster dialogue with the king and seek a way out of the political crisis in the country of 1.2 million people.

'Blood on Mswati's hands'

Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland, has long cracked down on dissents, with political parties banned since 1973.

At least 37 people were killed during weeks of anti-monarchy protests in June 2021.

Maseko's murder drew widespread international outrage and calls for an impartial probe and the prosecution of the culprits.

U.K. Ambassador Simon Boyden said, "human rights defenders, like Thulani, must be able to able to depend on institutions of the state to protect them from violence, from intimidation and from death."

The vice president of the Law Society in Eswatini, Sdumo Dladla, bemoaned that Maseko "had to die such a violent death while he was preaching against violence."

EU Ambassador Dessislava Choumelova called for the "safety of all citizens including political activists."

Paying tribute to the "fallen, giant baobab," Mlungisi Makhanya, president of PUDEMO, a political movement that was banned in 2008, said the killing was "one of the most brutal acts in the history of Eswatini.

"There is a lot of innocent blood on Mswati's hands," said Makhanya speaking via video link from exile. "For his atrocities, Mswati and his henchmen must be indicted...It is time like this that we must intensify our struggle and exert pressure."

Maseko also was a senior member of PUDEMO, which pushed for the creation of a constitutional multi-party democracy. He will be buried Sunday.
This week India launched its first nasal COVID-19 vaccine, four months after it received approval for its restricted emergency use among adults in the country.

The mucosal vaccine, made by Indias leading vaccine maker, Bharat Biotech, is based on technology licensed from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, in the U.S.

It is administered in the form of drops in the nose and stimulates an immune response in the mucous membranes of the tissues lining the nasal cavity, upper airways and lungs.

Originally called BBV154 and now sold by Bharat Biotech as iNCOVACC, the nasal vaccine was launched by Indian Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday, Republic Day, a national holiday in the country.

"Proud to launch iNCOVACC, the world's 1st intranasal vaccine for COVID ... A mighty display of India's research and innovation prowess under PM Narendra Modi Ji's leadership. Congratulations to Bharat Biotech for this feat! Mandaviya posted on Twitter.

He called the vaccine a historic achievement & a testimony to the innovative zeal of Indias scientists.

In a statement, Bharat Biotech said that iNCOVACC, the worlds first intranasal COVID vaccine for primary series and heterologous booster is now available on CoWIN, Indias vaccine portal that digitally tracks peoples vaccination status.

It will cost 800 rupees ($9.80) in private hospitals and 325 rupees ($4) in government hospitals. A heterologous booster is the vaccine dose for people who have already received two doses of Covishield or Covaxin, the two common Indian COVID vaccines.

iNCOVACC is a cost-effective COVID vaccine which does not require syringes, needles, alcohol wipes, bandage, etc., saving costs related to procurement, distribution, storage, and biomedical waste disposal, that is routinely required for injectable vaccines, the statement said.

"Amid growing COVID-19 cases and emerging variants of the highly transmissible virus, a booster dose of the vaccine becomes imperative. As [a] needleless vaccination, Bharat Biotech's iNCOVACC will be the world's first such booster dose ... The nasal delivery system has been designed and developed to be cost-effective in low- and middle-income countries, the statement added.

Dr. Krishna Ella, chairman of Bharat Biotech, told ANI news agency that iNCOVACC was "easy to deliver" since no syringe is required and that it resulted in a broader immune response as compared with injectable COVID vaccines.

In a Sept. 7 news release, the Washington University School of Medicine said that since the adenoviral nasal vaccine  which is known as iNCOVACC in India  is delivered via the nose, right where the virus enters the body, it has the potential to block infection and break the cycle of transmission, as well as prevent lung damage.

The nasal delivery system was designed and developed to be cost-effective, a feature that is especially important in low- and middle-income countries, and the vaccine can be stored in a refrigerator. Receiving the vaccine requires only a brief inhalation, a major plus to the many people who prefer to avoid needles, the statement said.

Dr. Michael S. Diamond, a professor of molecular microbiology, pathology & immunology, and a co-inventor of the nasal vaccine technology, was quoted in the news release as saying: Nasal vaccines induce the type of protective immunity that we think will prevent or limit infection and also curb pandemic transmission of this virus.

On Friday, Diamond told VOA that it is exciting to see the deployment of iNCOVACC in India as a nasally delivered vaccine and booster.

The continued waves of COVID-19 infection necessitate new strategies to overcome transmission. By generating immunity in the upper respiratory tract at the portal of entry of the virus, this vaccine has the potential to better limit [the] spread of the virus than other approaches, Diamond said.
Italy's prime minister held talks in Libya Saturday with officials from the country's west-based government focusing on energy and migration, top issues for Italy and the European Union. During the visit, the two countries' oil companies signed a gas deal worth $8 billion  the largest single investment in Libya's energy sector in more than two decades.

Libya is the second North African country that Premier Giorgia Meloni, three months in office, visited this week. She is seeking to secure new supplies of natural gas to replace Russian energy amid Moscow's war on Ukraine. She previously visited Algeria, Italy's main supplier of natural gas, where she signed several memorandums.

Meloni landed at the Mitiga airport, the only functioning airport in Libya's capital, Tripoli, amid tight security, accompanied by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, her office said. She met with Abdel Hamid Dbeibah, who heads one of Libya's rival administrations, and held talks with Mohamed Younis Menfi, who chairs Libya's ceremonial presidential council.

At a roundtable with Dbeibah, Meloni repeated her remarks from Algeria, saying that while Italy wants to increase its profile in the region, it doesn't seek a "predatory" role but wants to help African nations "grow and become richer."

During the visit, Claudio Descalzi, the CEO of Italy's state-run energy company, ENI, signed an $8 billion deal with Libya's National Oil Corporation to develop two Libyan offshore gas fields. NOC's chairman Farhat Bengdara also signed.

The agreement involves developing two offshore fields in Block NC-41, north of Libya, and ENI said they would start pumping gas in 2026, and estimated reaching 750 million cubic feet per day, the Italian firm said in a statement.

Meloni, who attended the signing ceremony, called the deal "significant and historic" and said it will help Europe securing energy sources.

"Libya is clearly for us a strategic economic partner," Meloni said.

Agreement could compound tension

Saturday's deal is likely to deepen the rift between the rival Libyan administrations in the east and west, like previous oil and military deals between Tripoli and Ankara. It has already exposed fractions within the Dbeibah's government.

Oil Minister Mohamed Aoun, who did not attend the signing, criticized the deal on a local TV, saying it was "illegal" and claiming that NOC did not consult with his ministry.

Bengdara did not address Aoun's criticism during his conference but said those who reject the deal could challenge it in court.

ENI has continued to operate in Libya despite ongoing security issues, producing gas mostly for the domestic market. Last year, Libya delivered just 2.63 billion cubic meters to Italy through the Greenstream pipeline  well below the annual levels of 8 billion cubic meters before Libya's decline in 2011.

Instability increased domestic demand and underinvestment has hampered Libya's gas deliveries abroad, according to Matteo Villa of the Milan-based ISPI think tank. New deals "are important in terms of image," Villa said.

Also, because of Moscow's war on Ukraine, Italy has moved to reduce dependence on Russian natural gas. Last year, Italy reduced imports by two-thirds, to 11 billion cubic meters.

Meloni is the top European official to visit oil-rich Libya since the country failed to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in December 2021. That prompted Libya's east-based parliament to appoint a rival government after Dbeibah refused to step down.

Libya has for most of the past decade been ruled by rival governments  one based in the country's east, and the other in Tripoli, in the west. The country descended into chaos following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising turned civil war that toppled and later killed longtime autocratic ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

Piantedosi's presence during the visit signaled that migration was a top concern in Meloni's trip. The interior minister has been spearheading the government's crackdown on charity rescue boats operating off Libya, initially denying access to ports and more recently, assigning ports in northern Italy, requiring days of navigation.

Patrol boats for migrants

At a joint news conference with Meloni later Saturday, Dbeibah said that Italy would provide five "fully equipped" boats to Libya's coast guard to help stem the flow of migrants to the European shores.

Alarm Phone, an activist network that helps bring rescuers to distressed migrants at sea, criticized Italy's move to provide the patrol boats.

"While this is nothing new, it is worrying," the group said in an email to The Associated Press. "This will inevitably lead to more people being abducted at sea and forced to return to places they had sought to escape from."

Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya expert and an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said that Meloni needs to show "some kind of a step-up, compared to her predecessor in terms of migration and energy policy in Libya."

But "it will be difficult to improve upon Rome's existing western Libya tactics, which have been chugging along," he said.

The North African nation has also become a hub for African and Middle Eastern migrants seeking to travel to Europe. Italy receives tens of thousands every year.
For full coverage of the crisis in Ukraine, visit Flashpoint Ukraine.

The latest developments in Russias war on Ukraine. All times EST.

9:11 p.m.: The foreign ministers of Sweden and Finland reiterated in separate interviews published Saturday that the process for the two Nordic nations to join NATO is continuing despite Turkey's president saying Sweden shouldn't expect his country to approve its membership, according to The Associated Press.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom acknowledged in an interview with Swedish newspaper Expressen Turkish anger over recent demonstrations and the burning of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto echoed his Swedish counterpart and said the two countries planned to continue making a joint journey toward NATO.

To admit new countries, NATO requires unanimous approval from its existing members, of which Turkey is one. Despite this, the Swedish government is hopeful of joining NATO this summer, Billstrom said.

Hungary and Turkey are the only countries in the 30-member Western military alliance that haven't signed off on Finland's and Sweden's applications.

8:20 p.m.: Lawrence Freedman has spent his career studying war and diplomacy.

The British historian specializes in international relations, foreign policy, and strategy. He has written academic works on the Cold War, nuclear deterrence, and the politics of military operations. In 2019, Oxford University Press published his book, Ukraine And The Art Of Strategy, an "account of the origins and course of the Russia-Ukraine conflict through the lens of strategy."

A prolific commentator on contemporary defense and foreign policy issues, he served as a member of the Chilcot Inquiry, a probe into the U.K.'s role in the Iraq War.

Freedman spoke to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's Georgian Service about the futility of the war in Ukraine, the likelihood of total victory for either side, and why he doesn't think Putin will use a nuclear weapon.

7:27 p.m.:

6:48 p.m.: Russian construction workers have started the complete dismantling of a neighborhood in Russian-occupied Mariupol, including unbroken houses, to build elite homes, The Kyiv Independent reported, citing comments by Petro Andryshchenko, an adviser to the city's mayor.

In spring, Moscow developers close to the federal government of Russia will begin construction of elite economy'-class apartments under the Mariupol real estate mortgage program, Andryshchenko said. He did not specify his exact source.

Russia's brutal two-month siege of Mariupol left the majority of the city of 450,000 in Donetsk Oblast in ruins.

In the past several months, Russia has begun bulldozing Mariupol's ruined apartment buildings, which multiple human rights organizations say is an attempt to cover up war crimes; in some cases, the remains of those killed are understood to still be inside.

The Anti-Corruption Foundation, led by jailed Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, reported in December that Russian deputy defense minister Timur Ivanov could be profiting from construction in Mariupol. The ministry hired the same companies to build houses in destroyed Russian-controlled Mariupol and paid Ivanovs bills for building materials for his private villa.

5:39 p.m.: German arms maker Rheinmetall had a record year in 2022 and is approaching an order backlog of 30 billion euros, CEO Armin Papperger told Reuters in an interview.

"In 2022, we had a very good year, a record year," he said, saying that the fourth quarter would even beat good third quarter results.

"We are approaching an order backlog of 30 billion euros, and I expect to see an order backlog of 40 billion euros next year," said the CEO of the company, which sells a whole range of defense products but is probably most famous for supplying the 120mm gun of the Leopard 2 tank.

4:42 p.m.: A total of 321 heavy tanks have been promised to Ukraine by several countries, Reuters reported, citing comments by Ukraine's ambassador to France.

"As of today, numerous countries have officially confirmed their agreement to deliver 321 heavy tanks to Ukraine," Vadym Omelchenko, Ukraine's ambassador to France, said in an interview with French TV station BFM.

"Delivery terms vary for each case, and we need this help as soon as possible," he added.

Omelchenko did not provide a breakdown of the number of tanks per country.

On Thursday, several Western nations led by Germany and the United States said they would send tanks to Ukraine.

3:33 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his condolences on Saturday following attacks in Jerusalem in which he said a Ukrainian citizen was among the dead.

"We share Israel's pain after the terrorist attacks in Jerusalem. Among the victims is a Ukrainian woman. Sincere condolences to the victims' families," he wrote on Twitter.

"The crimes were cynically committed on the Intl Holocaust Remembrance Day. Terror must have no place in today's world. Neither in Israel nor in Ukraine."

2:47 p.m.: The U.S. has created a working group to detect corruption in its aid to Ukraine, The Kyiv Independent reported, citing a document from the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

The document, titled Strategic oversight plan for assistance to Ukraine, was posted on the USAID website on January 18, and states that the U.S. Congress has allocated more than $113 billion in aid to Ukraine, delivered through 11 different state bodies and institutions.

The Ukraine Oversight Interagency Working Group comprises inspectors from the Pentagon, State Department, USAID, and other departments of the U.S. government. It meets monthly to coordinate, collaborate, and ensure transparency in the collective whole-of-government Ukraine response oversight efforts, the document said.

The USAID also urged timely and transparent reporting of misconduct affecting the United States support to Ukraine and its people.

Allegations of retaliation by contractors or grantees against employees who report misconduct affecting U.S. funding will be thoroughly investigated, the agency said.

1:58 p.m.: Ukraine's air force on Saturday denied a newspaper report saying it intended to get 24 fighter jets from allies, saying talks about potential deliveries were still continuing, Reuters reported, citing a domestic media outlet.

Spain's El Pais newspaper, citing air force spokesperson Yuri Ihnat, said Ukraine initially wanted two squadrons of 12 planes each, preferably Boeing F-16 jets.

But in a statement provided to Ukraine's Babel outlet on Saturday, Ihnat said his comments to a media briefing on Friday had been misinterpreted.

"Ukraine is only at the stage of negotiations regarding aircraft. Aircraft models and their number are currently being determined," he said.

Ihnat told the Friday briefing that F-16s might be the best option for a multirole fighter to replace the country's current fleet of aging Soviet-era warplanes.

Deputy White House national security adviser Jon Finer on Thursday said United States would be discussing the idea of supplying jets "very carefully" with Kyiv and its allies.

Germany's defense minister this week ruled out the idea of sending jets to Ukraine.

1 p.m.: Russia accused the Ukrainian military of deliberately striking a hospital in a Russian-held area of eastern Ukraine on Saturday in what it said was a war crime that killed 14 people and wounded 24 patients and medical staff wounded, Reuters reported.

There was no immediate response to the allegations from Ukraine. Reuters was not able to independently verify the report.

The alleged strike hit a hospital in the Russian-held settlement of Novoaidar and was carried out using a U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket launch system, the Russian defense ministry said in a statement.

"A deliberate missile strike against a known functioning civilian medical facility is without doubt a serious war crime by the Kyiv regime," the defense ministry said.

Civilian and military medics had been working in the hospital for many months treating local people and soldiers, it said.

Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russian forces of frequent war crimes in the conflict in which thousands of civilians have been killed and cities and towns pounded by artillery and air strikes. Russia denies targeting civilians.

12:07 p.m.: German arms-maker Rheinmetall is poised to significantly increase the production of tank and artillery munitions to meet strong demand in Ukraine and the West, and it may start producing HIMARS multiple rocket launchers in Germany, CEO Armin Papperger told Reuters.

He spoke days before Germany's defense industry bosses are due to meet new defense minister Boris Pistorius for the first time, though the exact date has yet to be announced.



11:00 a.m.: Five Russian men who fled the country after Moscows military mobilization order last September have been stranded at South Koreas Incheon International Airport for months after authorities refused to accept them, CNN reported.

Three of the men arrived in October, and the other two in November, according to their lawyer Lee Jong-chan. He said their applications for refugee status were denied by the South Korean Justice Ministry, so theyve been stranded at the departure area for months while awaiting a ruling on their appeal. They are provided with one meal a day, which is lunch, Lee told CNN. But for the rest of the day they live off bread and drinks.
Russia may be turning to more countries to resupply its military fighting in Ukraine, but the White House says it has no evidence to support published reports claiming that Moscow has asked the Afghan Taliban for help.

I can't confirm this report, John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, told VOA during a briefing Friday. But if it's true, it certainly would fly in the face of what the Taliban say their goals are, he added, pointing to the Talibans desire to be recognized internationally as the legitimate government in Afghanistan.

A 2022 Pentagon report confirmed that the fall of the U.S.-backed Afghan government following the August 2021 chaotic withdrawal of Western forces gave Taliban fighters access to more than $7 billion worth of American military equipment, what was left of $18.6 billion worth of weapons and other gear provided to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces from 2005 through August 2021.

The stockpile includes aircraft, vehicles, munitions, guns, communication equipment and other gear that Kirby and other officials emphasized was the property of the now-defunct Afghan government, not the United States. Most of the equipment used by American troops in Afghanistan was retrograded or destroyed, according to the Pentagon.

We don't have any indication of exactly where all those systems [in Taliban hands] are, how they're being used, Kirby said. Certainly, we don't have any indications that the Taliban is willing to export them.

Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesperson for the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied that the Taliban are providing Russia with weapons. Reports on the "demands for weapons is a lie, he told VOA.

Attractive target

American weapons now in the hands of the Taliban are an attractive target for various actors looking for firepower.

You're going to have a lot of outside actors trying to poke around and get access to all of these weapons, said Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, a global policy research group in Washington.

Whether the Taliban would actually be willing to provide these weapons to Russia, that to me seems a bit hard to believe, he told VOA.

While an offer from Moscow cannot be ruled out, Kugelman said the Taliban are focused on building up their own military capacity. The group faces internal security threats from terrorist groups such as the Islamic State group and various others, including the National Resistance Front.

Additionally, the Taliban armory may not be of much use for President Vladimir Putins war ambitions, since there arent many weapons that would be useful in the war in Ukraine, where Russia relies heavily on long-range attacks using unguided weapons, like howitzers and artillery rockets.

What Moscow needs most are missiles and Soviet-standard artillery ammunition, neither of which the U.S. left in Afghanistan, said Mark Cancian, a senior adviser with the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

Most of the weaponry that the United States left is probably inoperable and badly deteriorated for lack of trained maintainers and spare parts, Cancian told VOA. This is particularly true of complex weapons like helicopters or tanks, even those that are Soviet standard.

Moscow might be able to use military helicopters, including the Soviet-designed Mi-17 that the Taliban currently possess, as well as a limited number of American-made Black Hawks and light planes, but the chances are slim.

Why would they give them up? said Jonathan Schroden, director of the Countering Threats and Challenges Program at the Center for Naval Analyses in Arlington County, Virginia. They'd be giving up the bulk of their air capacity, and I just don't see it being in the Taliban interests to do that.

Schroden said that the rest of the equipment, including Humvees, heavy machine guns and ammunition, are not necessarily compatible with Russian logistics and maintenance capabilities.

I don't understand why they would add that to their level of difficulty to what they're already dealing with, he said.

Almost a year into its invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has turned to other states, including Iran and North Korea, to sustain its military.

Washington has placed sanctions on Tehran for providing Moscow with Iranian-manufactured drones and is attempting to add sanctions on North Korea for supplying battlefield missiles and rockets to the Russian mercenary group Wagner for use in Ukraine.

Tehran has said the drones were sent before Russia's February invasion, and Moscow has denied its forces used Iranian drones in Ukraine. North Korea and Wagner have also rejected U.S. allegations.

Sayed Aziz Rahman contributed to this report.
Before carrying out one of the deadliest West Bank raids in recent memory, Israeli soldiers reportedly snuck into the Jenin refugee camp hiding in the back of a milk truck.

The operation, which Israel said targeted Islamists planning an attack, killed nine people, and Palestinians recalled the bloodshed of the second intifada or uprising between 2000 and 2005 when Jenin was plagued by fighting.

Analysts have warned of more violence to come, after the deadliest year in the West Bank since the UN started tracking the death toll in the occupied territory in 2005.

According to Jihad Abu Kamal, a Jenin resident and self-described member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades armed group, a dairy truck enters the Jenin refugee camp at the same time every morning to deliver milk.

"They tried to surprise us with it," the 35-year-old told AFP, referring to multiple accounts from witnesses who said Israeli forces entered undercover in the back of the vehicle.

A local armed group released a video purportedly showing the truck used by the Israelis.

Israel has said the target of the raid was a group of Islamic Jihad fighters hiding in a house near a hospital, some of whom shot at troops during the raid.

Among those killed, according to Palestinian officials, was a 61-year-woman named Majeda Obeid.

Her daughter, Kefiyat Obeid, told AFP that after morning prayers her mother looked out her window as gunfire rang through the street when she was shot in the neck.

The Israeli army has said it was looking into reports of additional casualties beyond "armed suspects."

'Bodies on fire'

Israeli forces withdrew from the camp before midday.

When the fighting ended, 23-year-old Fadi Sabbarini said he ran into the targeted house to see if he could help.

"There were two bodies on fire, I put out the first one, but they both were badly charred," he told AFP.

"A third man's brains were spread across the wall," he added, pointing to bloody smears inside the front entrance.

Such scenes are not new to residents of Jenin. The camp has long been home to Palestinian fighters from various armed groups, and a frequent target of Israeli raids.

Following a series of deadly attacks inside Israel last year, Israeli forces raided Jenin before dawn on a nearly daily basis.

'Broader strategy'

Fighters are increasingly trying to draw Israelis into combat inside the camp, said Tahani Mustafa, West Bank analyst at the International Crisis Group think-tank.

"It's part of a broader strategy we are seeing with these armed groups," she told AFP.

"They are luring Israel into these sorts of battlegrounds. Now you're actually seeing Israel having to confront these groups on their own turf."

She forecast that the violence would continue to escalate, as Palestinian anger over the repeated Israeli raids deepens and frustrations mounts with the Palestinian Authority, seen by many as an Israeli pawn.

The raid "is going to fuel the frustration and anger they are already feeling towards the PA and the Israelis."

The PA announced late Thursday that it was severing security coordination with Israel for the first time since 2020, a move condemned by Washington days before Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due in the region.

Abu Kamal told AFP Jenin felt like a community under siege.

"The atmosphere is very tense, there is resentment against the occupation, and the crimes it has committed," he said.

"It is as if every household in the camp has been targeted."

Israeli security officials have said the army's incursions into West Bank towns and cities are essential to averting attacks on Israeli civilians.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the group targeted in Thursday's raid "planned to conduct a terror attack in Israel".

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Peru's embattled president Dina Boluarte on Saturday urged lawmakers to find a way out of a deepening political crisis by agreeing to snap elections in December, just hours after Congress voted against the idea.

In the early hours of Saturday, lawmakers had rejected her request to move elections forward to December, even as anti-Boluarte protests raging across the country have left dozens dead.

"We regret that the Congress of the Republic has been unable to define the date of general elections where Peruvians can freely and democratically elect the new authorities," Boluarte said on Twitter Saturday.

She urged politicians to "put down their partisan interests and place the interests of Peru above them."

The South American country has been embroiled in a political crisis with near-daily protests since December 7, when former president Pedro Castillo was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.

Demanding that Boluarte resign and call fresh elections, Castillo supporters have blocked highways, causing shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies. The government said it will soon deploy police and soldiers to clear the roadblocks.

No interest in 'clinging to power'

Lawmakers had agreed last month to bring forward elections from 2026 to April 2024.

But in the face of relentless protests, Boluarte urged Congress Friday to move the vote up further, to December.

However, at a plenary session that ended early Saturday, Congress rejected the proposal, with 45 votes in favor, 65 against and two abstentions.

Demonstrators are calling for immediate elections, as well as Boluarte's removal, the dissolution of Congress, and a new constitution.

"Nobody has any interest in clinging to power," Boluarte insisted Friday. "If I am here, it is because I fulfilled my constitutional responsibility."

As Castillo's vice president, Boluarte was constitutionally mandated to replace him after he was impeached by Congress and arrested.

The U.S. State Department urged dialogue Friday and restraint by all parties.

Unrest taking its toll

In seven weeks of demonstrations, 47 people have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters, according to the Ombudsman's Office of Peru.

The autonomous human rights office said an additional 10 civilians, including two babies, died when they were unable to get medical treatment or medicine due to roadblocks.

In southern regions, roadblocks have resulted in widespread shortages.

Some of the worst violence and highest death tolls have come when protesters tried to storm airports in the south.

Southern regions with large Indigenous populations have been the epicenter of the protest movement that has affected Peru's vital tourism industry.

As well as blocking dozens of roads and forcing the temporary closure of several airports, protesters have placed rocks on the train tracks that act as the only transport access to Machu Picchu, the former Inca citadel and jewel of Peruvian tourism.

Hundreds of tourists were stranded at the archeological ruins, with many eventually evacuated by helicopter.
Sweden's foreign ministry Saturday warned Swedes in Turkey to avoid crowds and demonstrations following protests there over the burning of the Quran by a far-right politician in Stockholm last week.

Turkey has suspended talks with Sweden and Finland on their applications to join NATO after the protest at which Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

Paludan's actions have led to demonstrations in several Muslim countries as well as in Turkey.

"Swedes in Turkey are asked to stay updated on the development of events and to avoid large gatherings and demonstrations," the foreign ministry said on its advice page for Swedes abroad.

"Continued demonstrations can be expected outside the embassy in Ankara and the consulate general in Istanbul in the coming days."

After Paludan's protest, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he supported freedom of speech.

"But what is legal is not necessarily appropriate. Burning books that are holy to many is a deeply disrespectful act," Kristersson said on Twitter.

Sweden and Finland applied last year to join NATO following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

They need support from all 30 members of the Alliance. Turkey has said Sweden in particular must first take a clearer stance against what it sees as terrorists, mainly Kurdish militants and a group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt, in order for it to back NATO membership for the two Nordic countries.
Afghanistans Islamist Taliban have indefinitely barred girls from taking private university entrance exams, tightening their ban on womens education in the country.



Ziaullah Hashmi, a spokesperson for the Taliban higher education ministry, Saturday confirmed to VOA they had sent out a letter to private Afghan universities across the country ordering them not to enroll female students for the upcoming spring semester.



The entrance exams are due to take place at the end of February. The letter warned those universities that did not enforce the edict would face legal action.



The Taliban have placed sweeping restrictions on womens rights and freedom, excluding them from most areas of the workforce and banning them from using parks, gyms, and public bathhouses. They have barred girls from attending secondary schools beyond grade six since reclaiming power in August 2021.



Last month, the Islamist rulers abruptly closed universities to female students until further notice, and they forbade women from working for national and international non-governmental organizations.



The latest bans have sparked global outcry and demands for urgently reversing them. They also prompted the United Nations to send high-level delegations to Kabul this month to convey international concerns and urge Taliban leaders to ease the restrictions on women.



U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths traveled to the Afghan capital, Kabul, earlier this week to persuade the Taliban to lift the ban on female aid workers, warning it was undermining humanitarian programs in the war-ravaged country amid a prolonged drought.



Last week, U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, the highest-ranking woman official at the world body, led a high-level delegation to Afghanistan and met with senior Taliban officials to promote the rights of women and girls.



She told reporters in New York on Wednesday that the international communitys best leverage to persuade the Taliban to reverse curbs on Afghan womens rights is the groups desire for international recognition.



No foreign government has yet granted legitimacy to the de facto Afghan rulers, citing human rights concerns and their treatment of women.



The Taliban have refused to reverse the restrictions on women, saying they are in line with Afghan culture and Islamic law, or Shariah. The refusal has prompted donor nations to withhold financial assistance and retain the economic sanctions, with exceptions for humanitarian aid. Taliban and U.N. officials say the female education ban has kept more than 1 million girls out of schools.
The British Defense Ministry said Saturday that Russia highly likely suffered more than 300 casualties in a New Years Day strike on its troops in Ukraine at Makiivka near Donetsk City.

The ministry said it believes that the majority were likely killed or missing, rather than wounded.

The ministry noted that while its Russian counterpart took the rare step of publicly acknowledging that it had suffered casualties, Russia claimed only 89 had been killed.

The British ministry said the Russian ministry likely assessed it could not avoid commenting on the strike because Russian commanders had come under widespread criticism following the incident.

The British ministry said in its intelligence update posted on Twitter that the difference between Russias number of casualties and the likely true numbers highlights the pervasive presence of disinformation in Russian public announcements.

The disinformation, the ministry said, is a result of a combination of deliberate lying authorized by senior leaders and the communication of inaccurate reports by more junior officials, keen to downplay their failings in Russias blame and sack culture.

Ukraine said Russian missile strikes killed at least 10 Ukrainian civilians Friday as fierce fighting continued in the east of the country. Twenty others were wounded.

Ukrainian officials say most of the casualties from the missile strikes occurred in towns in the countrys east and south that are near Russian artillery units. They follow Russian missile attacks that went farther into Ukrainian territory Thursday, killing 11 people.

Kyiv said its troops were involved in fierce fighting Friday with Russian troops in the eastern town of Vuhledar, part of the Donetsk region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Friday that fighting was heavy in Donetsk and that Russian forces were not just trying to achieve military gains but were also seeking to destroy towns and villages.

Earlier Friday, the European Unions top general said that Russia is taking the war in Ukraine into a different stage, launching indiscriminate attacks against civilians and cities as a reaction to recent decisions by NATO allies to send advanced armaments to Ukraine in support of its war effort.

Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino told reporters Russia is no longer focused on military targets but is making indiscriminate attacks on cities and people.

I think that this latest development in terms of armed supply is just an evolution of the situation and of the way Russia started moving the war into a different stage, he said.

[Russian President Vladimir] Putin has moved from a concept of [a] special [military] operation to a concept now of a war against NATO and the West, Sannino said.

Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in Ukraine.

Sanninos comments came as Germany and the United States announced this week they will send advanced battle tanks to Ukraine, hoping to match the firepower Russia has on the ground.

The EU general said the new supplies from the West are not an escalation but rather an effort to give Ukraine a chance to defend itself. He said the developments have forced Putin to change his initial narrative, in which he described the invasion as a special operation to free Ukraine from a Nazi regime.

Now we are speaking about a war with NATO and the West. Different story, Sannino said.

Poland pledged Friday to send more tanks to Ukraine, promising an additional 60 tanks on top of 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks it had already agreed to send.

Zelenskyy responded on Twitter, "Thank you ... Poland for these important decisions to deliver to Ukraine 60 Polish tanks  30 of which are the famous PT-91 Twardy, along with 14 Leopards.

Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Friday the supply of Western tanks to Ukraine would not help Kyivs military prospects but would rather bring the countries of the West to a new level of confrontation with our country and our people.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the growing number of countries pledging advanced weaponry, including tanks, while at the same time pressing the need to hasten delivery of the promised weapons systems.

Zelenskyy said the only way to stop this Russian aggression is with adequate weapons. He emphasized, The terrorist state will not understand anything else.

The Ukrainian president also credited Western supplies for added protection from Thursdays missile attacks. Today, thanks to the air defense systems provided to Ukraine and the professionalism of our warriors, we managed to shoot down most of the Russian missiles and Shaheds, he said in his address.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to provide 100% protection with air defense alone. Especially when terrorists use ballistic missiles, he added.

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
Ukraine said Russian missile strikes killed at least 10 Ukrainian civilians Friday as fierce fighting continued in the east of the country. Twenty others were wounded.

Ukrainian officials say most of the casualties from the missile strikes occurred in towns in the countrys east and south that are near Russian artillery units. They follow Russian missile attacks that went farther into Ukrainian territory Thursday, killing 11 people.

Kyiv said its troops were involved in fierce fighting Friday with Russian troops in the eastern town of Vuhledar, part of the Donetsk region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Friday that fighting was heavy in Donetsk and that Russian forces were not just trying to achieve military gains but were also seeking to destroy towns and villages.

Earlier Friday, the European Unions top general said that Russia is taking the war in Ukraine into a different stage, launching indiscriminate attacks against civilians and cities as a reaction to recent decisions by NATO allies to send advanced armaments to Ukraine in support of its war effort.

Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino told reporters Russia is no longer focused on military targets but is making indiscriminate attacks on cities and people.

I think that this latest development in terms of armed supply is just an evolution of the situation and of the way Russia started moving the war into a different stage, he said.

[Russian President Vladimir] Putin has moved from a concept of [a] special [military] operation to a concept now of a war against NATO and the West, Sannino noted.

Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in Ukraine.

Sanninos comments came as Germany and the United States announced this week they will send advanced battle tanks to Ukraine, hoping to match the firepower Russia has on the ground.

The EU general said the new supplies from the West are not an escalation but rather an effort to give Ukraine a chance to defend itself. He said the developments have forced Putin to change his initial narrative, in which he described the invasion as a special operation to free Ukraine from a Nazi regime.

Now we are speaking about a war with NATO and the West. Different story, Sannino said.

Poland pledged Friday to send more tanks to Ukraine, promising an additional 60 tanks on top of 14 German-made Leopard 2 tanks it had already agreed to send.

Zelenskyy responded on Twitter, "Thank you ... Poland for these important decisions to deliver to Ukraine 60 Polish tanks  30 of which are the famous PT-91 Twardy, along with 14 Leopards.

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, said Friday the supply of Western tanks to Ukraine would not help Kyivs military prospects but would rather bring the countries of the West to a new level of confrontation with our country and our people.

On Thursday, Zelenskyy expressed gratitude for the growing number of countries pledging advanced weaponry, including tanks, while at the same time pressing the need to hasten delivery of the promised weapons systems.

Zelenskyy said the only way to stop this Russian aggression is with adequate weapons. He emphasized, The terrorist state will not understand anything else.

The Ukrainian president also credited Western supplies for added protection from Thursdays missile attacks. Today, thanks to the air defense systems provided to Ukraine and the professionalism of our warriors, we managed to shoot down most of the Russian missiles and Shaheds, he said in his address.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to provide 100% protection with air defense alone. Especially when terrorists use ballistic missiles, he added.

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk is condemning the increasing brutality and wholesale repression of Myanmars military leaders to maintain their iron grip on power.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk says Myanmar has plunged ever deeper into crisis since the military launched a coup against the countrys democratically elected government nearly two years ago, on February 1, 2021.

Turk spokesman Jeremy Laurence says the country has undergone a wholesale regression in human rights. He says violence has spiraled out of control in total disregard of the militarys legal obligations to protect civilians under international law.

Far from being spared, civilians have been the actual targets of attacksvictims of targeted and indiscriminate artillery barrages and air strikes, extrajudicial executions, the use of torture, and the burning of whole villages," Laurence said.

At least 2,890 people reportedly have died at the hands of the military. However, the U.N. human rights office believes that number to be grossly underestimated. It reports military action against the civilian population has displaced 1.2 million people, while violence and persecution have forced some 70,000 others to flee the country.

Turk says there is no easy way out of the catastrophic situation. In a statement released Friday, he said Myanmars generals have treated the Association of Southeast Asian Nations five-point consensus to seek a peaceful solution in Myanmar with disdain.

Laurence says the high commissioner has identified other measures as crucial for resolving the crisis. They include the release of all political prisoners, among them State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and President U Win Myint.

Restoring respect for human rights is a key to ending this crisis, to end the situation where Myanmars generals are trying to prop up through brute force a decades-old system in which they answer to no one but themselves. Those responsible for the daily attacks against civilians and the human rights violations must be held accountable," Laurence said.

Last month, the U.N. Security Council adopted a rare resolution on Myanmar, the first in more than seven decades, demanding an immediate end to all forms of violence throughout the country.
As the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden seeks to secure NATO enlargement with the accession of Sweden and Finland, it is dealing with requests by Turkey and Greece to purchase fighter jets, the latter being less controversial and more likely to be approved.

Analysts speaking to VOA said the outcome of the proposed sale of F-16s to Ankara and F-35s to Athens would impact the air defense capabilities of the two neighbors and the power balance in the region.

Turkey requested to buy 40 F-16 Block 70 fighter jets, the most advanced of their kind, and nearly 80 modernization kits from the United States to upgrade its aging fleet of other F-16s. Greece sent a request to buy 20 F-35s, plus 20 more down the road. Turkey was removed from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program almost three years ago because of its purchase of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia.

Both proposed sales require approval by Congress. Some U.S. senators, including Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, oppose the F-16 sale to Turkey, citing several concerns about Turkeys relations with Russia and its persistent blockage of NATO expansion. The Greek request for the F-35s is seen as more likely to be approved.

Some experts say a scenario where Turkey is not able to get the F-16s but Greece is approved for the F-35s could give Athens the upper hand in terms of aircraft technology in the long run.

If Turkey cannot get the F-16s and modernize its aircraft as opposed to Greece having the F-35s, upgraded F-16s as well as the Rafale jets it purchased from France, this brings the risk of tilting the air superiority in favor of Greece, Sinan Ulgen told VOA. Ulgen is the chairman of the Istanbul-based Center for Economics and Foreign Policy research group and a visiting fellow at Carnegie Europe in Brussels.

He argued that if the process gets stalled, Turkey might investigate other options available in the NATO system, such as the Eurofighter Typhoon developed by a consortium of defense companies in the U.K., Germany, Italy and Spain. He added that Ankara is also working on the production of its own national combat aircraft.

Jim Townsend, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense for European and NATO policy, said the United States has been successful in terms of managing the balance between the two NATO allies despite their many spats over the years and would not let things get to a point where that balance could significantly shift. Townsend is currently an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security Transatlantic Security Program.

Sweetening the deal

U.S. experts previously speaking to VOA suggested that a deal on F-16s for Turkey could be dependent on whether Ankara drops its objection to Sweden and Finlands joint NATO membership bid.

Townsend argued that the administrations position on F-16s may be a bargaining chip if it signals its prepared to work with Congress and use its leverage to get the sale approved  provided that Turkey gives them assurances on NATOs enlargement.

Turkey had been involved in trilateral talks with Finland and Sweden to try to persuade them to do more to address its security concerns, including the repatriation of individuals whom it considers to be affiliated with terrorist groups.

Angered by a recent protest in Stockholm outside the Turkish Embassy in which far-right anti-Islam activist Rasmus Paludan burned the Quran, Turkey postponed the next round of those talks indefinitely.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, at a joint news conference with his Serbian counterpart, Ivica Dacic, accused Sweden on Thursday of not taking serious steps to address Turkeys concerns, saying a trilateral meeting would not make sense under the circumstances.

Window of opportunity

U.S. and NATO officials hope to resolve the differences by July, in time for NATOs summit. Before that happens, Turkey will hold elections in mid-May. Some analysts predict that the election could be the nation's most consequential vote in generations.

Experts speaking to VOA said it would be beneficial if a solution could be found in the two months between Turkeys elections and the NATO summit.

We are used to nations extracting concessions within the alliance over various policy issues," Townsend told VOA. "Every nation has its national agenda. But they eventually will compromise. Once that election goes by, if Turkey continues to obstruct, I think it'll be a lot of harsh words behind closed doors.

Ulgen said he expected the issue to be resolved after the elections, saying Turkey would not want to be blamed for the stall.

In an opinion piece for Bloomberg earlier this week, former NATO commander Admiral James Stavridis wrote that the alliance needs Turkey to continue being an active and positive member and needs to have Finland and Sweden on board.

No one wants to have to choose between them, he wrote, putting the onus on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to ensure that that doesnt have to happen.

Townsend agreed, adding that Turkey should not be moving the goal posts or stretching out the decision to gain more concessions after the elections.

"Otherwise, we are in some uncharted territory, he warned.
The global chemical weapons watchdog said Friday that its investigators found "reasonable grounds to believe" Syria's air force dropped two cylinders containing chlorine gas on the city of Douma in April 2018, killing 43 people.

A report by a team from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons offered the latest confirmation that the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad used chemical weapons during his country's grinding civil war.

"The use of chemical weapons in Douma  and anywhere  is unacceptable and a breach of international law," OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias said.

Syrian officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the findings. Syria joined the OPCW in 2013 under pressure from the international community after being blamed for another deadly chemical weapon attack but does not recognize the investigation team's authority and has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons.

Bringing perpetrators in Syria to justice remains a long way off. Syria's ally Russia has, in the past, blocked efforts by the U.N. Security Council to order an International Criminal Court investigation in Syria.

"The world now knows the facts. It is up to the international community to take action, at the OPCW and beyond," Arias, a veteran Spanish diplomat, said.

The OPCW team previously identified Syrian forces as responsible for three chemical attacks in Latamneh in March 2017 and one in Saraqeb in February 2018.

The organization said "reasonable grounds to believe" is the standard of proof consistently adopted by international fact-finding bodies and commissions of inquiry that investigate potential violations of international law.

Friday's report said that standard was met through evidence indicating at least one Syrian air force helicopter dropped two yellow cylinders on Douma during a government military offensive to recapture the city.

One of the cylinders hit the roof of a three-story residential building and ruptured, "rapidly released toxic gas, chlorine, in very high concentrations, which rapidly dispersed within the building killing 43 named individuals and affecting dozens more," according to the report.

A second cylinder burst through the roof of another building into an apartment below and only partially ruptured, "mildly affecting those who first arrived at the scene," the report added.

Syrian authorities refused the investigation team access to the sites of the chlorine attacks. The country had its OPCW voting rights suspended in 2021 as punishment for the repeated use of toxic gas, the first such sanction imposed on a member nation.

The investigation by the organization's team, which was set up to identify perpetrators of chemical weapon attacks in Syria, built on earlier findings by an OPCW fact-finding mission that chlorine was used as a weapon in Douma.

The investigators interviewed dozens of witnesses and studied the blood and urine of survivors as well as samples of soil and building materials, according to the watchdog agency.

As part of the probe, they also assessed and rejected alternative theories for what happened, including Syria's claim that the attack was staged and that bodies of people killed elsewhere in Syria were taken to Douma to look like victims of a gas attack.

The report found that the two cylinders carrying chlorine were modified and filled at the Dumayr air base and the helicopter or helicopters that dropped them were under control of the Syrian military's elite Tiger Force.

The OPCW team "considered a range of possible scenarios and tested their validity against the evidence they gathered and analyzed to reach their conclusion: that the Syrian Arab Air Forces are the perpetrators of this attack," the organization said in a statement.

British diplomats at the OPCW tweeted that they were studying the report, adding: "We will work with partners on next steps. #NoImpunity"

Survivors reached by The Associated Press in the aftermath of the Douma attack said they were overwhelmed by the smell of chlorine. Activists said many of the dead were found with foam around their mouths, an indicator of suffocation. Medical workers said they treated people for symptoms that included difficulty breathing and fainting.

The United States, Britain and France blamed Syrian government forces and launched punitive airstrikes. Syria denied responsibility.

Douma was the final target of the government's sweeping campaign to seize back control of the eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus from rebels after seven years of revolt. Militants gave up the town days after the attack.

In an attempt to ensure accountability for crimes in Syria, the United Nations has established an "International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism." It is mandated to preserve and analyze evidence of crimes and prepare files for trials in "national, regional or international courts or tribunals that have or may in the future have jurisdiction over these crimes, in accordance with international law."

The ongoing conflict that started in Syria more than a decade ago has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced half the country's prewar population of 23 million.
Dedicated to an Indian goddess as a child, Huvakka Bhimappa's years of sexual servitude began when her uncle took her virginity, raping her in exchange for a saree and some jewellery.

Bhimappa was not yet 10 years old when she became a "devadasi" -- girls coerced by their parents into an elaborate wedding ritual with a Hindu deity, many of whom are then forced into illegal prostitution.

Devadasis are expected to live a life of religious devotion, forbidden from marrying other mortals, and forced at puberty to sacrifice their virginity to an older man, in return for money or gifts.

"In my case, it was my mother's brother," Bhimappa, now in her late 40s, told AFP.

What followed was years of sexual slavery, earning money for her family through encounters with other men in the name of serving the goddess.

Bhimappa eventually escaped her servitude but with no education, she earns around a dollar a day toiling in fields.

Her time as a devotee to the Hindu goddess Yellamma has also rendered her an outcast in the eyes of her community.

She had loved a man once, but it would have been unthinkable for her to ask him to marry.

"If I was not a devadasi, I would have had a family and children and some money. I would have lived well," she said.

Devadasis have been an integral part of southern Indian culture for centuries and once enjoyed a respectable place in society.

Many were highly educated, trained in classical dance and music, lived comfortable lives and chose their own sexual partners.

"This notion of more or less religiously sanctioned sexual slavery was not part of the original system of patronage," historian Gayathri Iyer told AFP.

Iyer said that in the 19th century, during the British colonial era, the divine pact between devadasi and goddess evolved into an institution of sexual exploitation.

It now serves as a means for poverty-stricken families from the bottom of India's rigid caste hierarchy to relieve themselves of responsibility for their daughters.

The practice was outlawed in Bhimappa's home state of Karnataka back in 1982, and India's top court has described the devotion of young girls to temples as an "evil."

Campaigners, however, say that young girls are still secretly inducted into devadasi orders.

Four decades after the state ban, there are still more than 70,000 devadasis in Karnataka, India's human rights commission wrote last year.

'I was alone'

Girls are commonly seen as burdensome and costly in India due to the tradition of wedding dowries.

By forcing daughters to become devadasis, poorer families gain a source of income and avoid the costs of marrying them off.

Many households around the small southern town of Saundatti -- home to a revered Yellamma temple -- believe that having a family member in the order can lift their fortunes or cure the illness of a loved one.

It was at this temple that Sitavva D. Jodatti was enjoined to marry the goddess when she was eight years old.

Her sisters had all married other men, and her parents decided to dedicate her to Yellamma in order to provide for them.

"When other people get married, there is a bride and a groom. When I realized I was alone, I started crying," Jodatti, 49, told AFP.

Her father eventually fell ill, and she was pulled out of school to engage in sex work and help pay for his treatment.

"By the age of 17, I had two kids," she said.

Rekha Bhandari, a fellow former devadasi, said they had been subjected to a practice of "blind tradition" that had ruined their lives.

She was forced into the order after the death of her mother and was 13 when a 30-year-old man took her virginity. She fell pregnant soon after.

"A normal delivery was difficult. The doctor yelled at my family, saying that I was too young to give birth," the 45-year-old told AFP.

"I had no understanding."

'Many women have died'

Years of unsafe sex exposed many devadasis to sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

"I know of women who are infected and now it has passed on to their children," an activist who works with devadasis, who asked not to be named, told AFP.

"They hide it and live with it in secrecy. Many women have died."

Parents are occasionally prosecuted for allowing their daughters to be inducted as devadasis, and women who leave the order are given meagre government pensions of 1,500 rupees ($18) per month.

Nitesh Patil, a civil servant who administers Saundatti, told AFP that there had been no "recent instances" of women being dedicated to temples.

India's rights commission last year ordered Karnataka and several other Indian states to outline what they were doing to prevent the practice, after a media investigation found that devadasi inductions were still widespread.

The stigma around their pasts means women who leave their devadasi order often endure lives as outcasts or objects of ridicule, and few ever marry.

Many find themselves destitute or struggling to survive on poorly paid manual labor and farming work.

Jodatti now heads a civil society group which helped extricate the women AFP spoke to from their lives of servitude and provides support to former devadasis.

She said many of her contemporaries had several years ago become engrossed by the #MeToo movement and the personal revelations of celebrity women around the world that revealed them as survivors of sexual abuse.

"We watch the news and sometimes when we see famous people... we understand their situation is much like ours. They have suffered the same. But they continue to live freely," she said.

"We have gone through the same experience, but we don't get the respect they get.

"Devadasi women are still looked down upon."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday announced a series of punitive steps against the Palestinians, including plans to beef up Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank in response to a pair of shooting attacks that killed seven Israelis and wounded five others.

The announcement cast a cloud over a visit next week by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and threatened to further raise tensions following one of the bloodiest months in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in several years.

Netanyahu's Security Cabinet, which is filled by hardline politicians aligned with the West Bank settlement movement, approved the measures in the wake of a pair of shootings that included an attack outside an east Jerusalem synagogue Friday night in which seven people were killed.

Netanyahu's office said the Security Cabinet agreed to seal off the attacker's home immediately ahead of its demolition. It also plans to cancel social security benefits for the families of attackers, make it easier for Israelis to get gun licenses and step-up efforts to collect illegal weapons.

The announcement said that in response to public Palestinian celebrations over the attack, Israel would take new steps to "strengthen the settlements" this week. It gave no further details.

There was no immediate response from Washington. The Biden administration, which condemned the shooting, opposes settlement construction in east Jerusalem and the West Bank  lands sought by the Palestinians for a future state. The topic is likely to be high on the agenda as Blinken arrives Monday for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

The weekend shootings followed a deadly Israeli raid in the West Bank on Thursday that killed nine Palestinians, most of them militants. In response, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired a barrage of rockets into Israel, triggering a series of Israeli airstrikes in response. In all, 32 Palestinians have been killed in fighting this month.

Early Sunday, the Israeli military said that security guards in the West Bank settlement of Kedumim had shot a Palestinian who was armed with a handgun and released a photo of what it said was the weapon. There were no further details on the incident or the alleged attacker's condition.

It remains unclear whether the Israeli steps will be effective. The attackers in the weekend shootings, including a 13-year-old boy, both appear to have acted alone and were not part of organized militant groups.

In addition, Netanyahu could come under pressure from members of his government to take even tougher action. Such steps could trigger more violence and potentially drag in the Hamas militant group in Gaza.

"If it's even possible to put this violent genie back into the bottle, even for a little while, this would require the reinforcement and proper deployment of forces  and carefully managing the crisis without being guided by the widespread calls for revenge," wrote Amos Harel, the defense affairs commentator for the Haaretz newspaper.

Friday's shooting, outside a synagogue in east Jerusalem on the Jewish sabbath, left seven Israelis dead and three wounded before the gunman was killed by police. It was the deadliest attack on Israelis in 15 years.

Mourners lit memorial candles for the victims near the synagogue Saturday evening, and in a sign of the charged atmosphere, a crowd assaulted an Israeli TV crew that came to the area, chanting "leftists go home."

In response to the shooting, Israeli police beefed up activities throughout east Jerusalem and said they arrested 42 people, including family members, who were connected to the shooter.

But later Saturday, a 13-year-old Palestinian boy opened fire elsewhere in east Jerusalem, wounding an Israeli man and his son, ages 47 and 23, paramedics said.

As police rushed to the scene, two passers-by with licensed weapons shot and overpowered the 13-year-old attacker, police said. Police confiscated his handgun and took the wounded teen to a hospital.

The recent attacks pose a pivotal test for Israel's new far-right government.

Both Palestinian attackers behind the shootings Friday and Saturday came from east Jerusalem.

Palestinian residents of east Jerusalem hold permanent residency status, allowing them to work and move freely throughout Israel, but they suffer from subpar public services and are not allowed to vote in national elections.

Residency rights can be stripped if a Palestinian is found to live outside the city for an extended period or in certain security cases.

Israel captured east Jerusalem, along with the West Bank and Gaza Strip, in the 1967 Mideast war.

The Palestinians seek all three areas for a future independent state. Israel has annexed east Jerusalem in a step that is not internationally recognized and considers the entire city to be its undivided capital.

Speaking to reporters at a hospital where victims were being treated, Israel's new firebrand minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir said he wanted the home of the gunman in Friday's attack to be sealed off immediately as a punitive measure  and lashed out at Israel's attorney general for delaying his order.

Overhauling Israel's justice system, including the attorney general's office, has been at the top of the agenda of the new government, which says unelected judges and jurists have overwhelming powers.

The divisive issue helped fuel weekly protests by Israelis who say the sweeping proposed changes would weaken the Supreme Court and undermine democracy.

Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in the central city of Tel Aviv Saturday evening for a new protest. Some raised banners describing Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir as "a threat to world peace."

The marchers also held a moment of silence in memory of Jerusalem shooting victims.
Basem Darwisch and his Egyptian-German ensemble Cairo Steps released a new music video Saphir, as part of a new project titled Oriental Spirits meet Golden Harp.

Released on 17 January, the new music video is part of a project that aims to bring together the rich cultural heritage of the Orient with the timeless beauty of the harp, creating a unique and captivating sound, reads the description provided under the YouTube release.

The composition refers to the sapphire gemstone, which as we find in the videos music and visuals, indicates the musical beauty that reflects the culture, the passage of time, history, and nature.

Linked to Darwischs long practice with Cairo Steps, in which he creates a musical blend of cultures, joining Oriental sounds with music genres such as jazz, classical and world music, this project features traditional instruments such as oud and nay with the harp. While the harp is among the basic instruments of Western classical compositions, it does not make part of a typical Oriental ensemble. In this sense, the experimental blends signed by Darwisch remain very unique while opening the doors for many new musical layers.

The description on YouTube continues to explain that the goal is to create a sound that is both authentic and contemporary, that can be enjoyed by both traditional music enthusiasts and modern audiences.

Darwisch opens the melody line on his oud before Rageed William joins on nay, paving the way to the first strokes of Evelyn Huber on the harp. The composition that also features Max Klaas on percussion, merging the instruments to provide a walk through the blanket of time that is woven with many threads of cultures.

The visuals present original Egyptian landscapes and their nature, the palms and the mountains, alongside ancient landmarks such as the Pyramids of Giza and temple walls. The musical blend that runs through the history is underlined by the Nile, whose waters run freely through the plains and then find themselves in busy Cairo. In one shot we see the ancient breath of the Pyramids, in another, the urban density of the capital city almost touches their feet.

This game of contrasts is additionally emphasised by the solar cycle, as we are walked from the bright paintings where sun lights the mountains and the deserts, to the city lights which like stars illuminate Cairo.

The often blurred and overlayered images that fill several shots give an additional dreamy feel to the video, rendering a nostalgic scent of the musician's overlapping memories soaked in subtle emotions.

Just like many other compositions by Darwisch, this musical and visual mix speaks of his very own personality. Translating his life into music, it seems that he continues his research of many cultural components that underpin his complexity as a man and a musician. As such, the Cairo Steps, with over 20 years of concerts around the world and several awards, becomes a platform for explorations, while proving how music can absorb our differences into one creative offering, a fact that our daily life often finds difficult to accommodate.

This is the beauty of Saphir, a composition which, as its name indicates and as Darwisch explains, is a stone often associated with elegance and beauty. It is this beauty emerging from the oud player and other musicians representing Cairo Steps, that we find in the new composition.

Saphir is the newest track on Cairo Steps channel. Previously, the ensemble also released a music video for Sultan featuring Ali El-Helbawy (December 2022), a music video that draws footage from Cairo Steps' latest concert at the Marquee Theatre (Cairo Festival City, November 2022) in which El-Helbawy presented the song in a new musical packaging.

Prior to that, in October 2022, Cairo Steps released Dahab, a music video presenting the beauty of Dahab, a small Egyptian town and a popular tourist spot on the southeast coast of the Sinai Peninsula.

Among the newest unforgettable tracks by Cairo Steps is Naeim Redak (The Blessing of Your Approval), a unique collaboration between Basem Darwisch, Cairo Steps and Sheikh Ehab Younis. Released in April 2022, the composition is based on Tomaso Albinonis Adagio in G-minor interlacing Sufi singing.

One of the core members of Cairo Steps, Evelyn Huber is a unique German musician who also plays with Quadro Nuevo, a quartet founded in 1996 and which music fuses sound from elements of flamenco, Balkan swing, traditional folk, and avant-garde improvisation.

Cairo Steps and Quadro Nuevo have cooperated on several occasions; in 2017, they released the Flying Carpet album, which a year later was awarded the German Jazz Award Gold. This collaboration also saw the participation of the Egyptian flutist and former culture minister, Ines Abdel-Dayem.

In 2021, Darwisch and Quadro Nuevo were honoured with a German Gold Award. The award was given for the album Mare by Quadro Nuevo, which includes Darwischs track Cafe Groppi, a composition inspired by the iconic coffee shop in downtown Cairo, as well as to Darwisch himself and the sound engineer.

Founded in 2002 as a collaboration between Darwisch and German pianist Matthias Frey, Cairo Steps has performed extensively in Egypt and Germany, and on many other international stages.

The band brings together numerous music genres  traditional Egyptian and Oriental grooves, Sufi traditions, Western classical music, European ethnic music, and jazz improvisation  into one melting pot.

The ensemble has released five albums and multiple singles, including Oud Lounge (2012), followed by Arabiskan (2016), Silk Road (2016), Flying Carpet (2017), Diwan Cafe (2020-2021).

Apart from creating music, Darwisch also has a rich portfolio in artistic management and shares his experience through workshops.

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Sisian, Armenia / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / complex rolling (tilting in multiple directions) / 1-2 minutes : Sisian is very near to Iran. We always feel it whenever there is an earthquake in Iran. This time it was really strong and shook much longer.I even thought the epicenter must be nearer. | 12 users found this interesting.

Yerevan (192.5 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s :   ,  ,    | 8 users found this interesting.    ) / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s

Yerevan armenia (200 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : I felt like I was getting sick sitting down and swaying. I asked my wife to check if it was an earthquake in the other room since it has a hanging light and it too was swaying. | 5 users found this interesting.

Urmia / Strong shaking (MMI VI) / both vertical and horizontal swinging / 10-15 s : So strong that scared everyone in Urmia, Salmas, Khoy, Chaldoran. | 7 users found this interesting.

29 km of Marand, East Azerbaijan (75 km ESE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / rattling, vibrating / 2-5 s : It was earthquick | 5 users found this interesting.

Abovya (207.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : In apartment, just sitting , I have noticed some crippling noise of my windows which was enhancing then on the reflection of windows I have seen how the chandelier shaking side by side. It took approximately 1-2 minutes | 3 users found this interesting.

yerevan (201.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes : X mas Ornaments on ceiling lamp was vibrate, gaming chairs under me and my husband was shacking a little. | 2 users found this interesting. News flash... Christmas is over. ???????? So is Xmas. / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Yerevan, Avan (202 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging : A lil shake which ended in around 15 seconds or more | 3 users found this interesting.

kajaran (135.2 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : was at the living room and my monitor start shaking. | 3 users found this interesting.

Sisian (156 km NE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) :     ,      ,    | One user found this interesting.

Yerevan (198.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 20-30 s : 9th floor of 1-entry concrete building. feel light horizontal shaking of whole house. | 2 users found this interesting.

,   (198.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) :      07.12.1988 | 2 users found this interesting.

 (279.3 km NNW of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes :  | 2 users found this interesting. I do not think you are reporting the same earthquake. / Moderate shaking (MMI V) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 minutes

Yerevan (198.4 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) : Felt a bit dizzy and noticed the ceiling lamps swaying | 2 users found this interesting.

Marand / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / single lateral shake / 5-10 s : Tiny Vibration. | 2 users found this interesting.

Yerevan / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 5-10 s : Sofa swayed left and right | 2 users found this interesting.

Jolfa / Light shaking (MMI IV) :  | 2 users found this interesting.

 (197.1 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) :   | One user found this interesting.

 (194.8 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / vibration and rolling / 10-15 s :    ,    | One user found this interesting.

Tbilisi, Georgia (365.6 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : Light shaking, shaking sofa | One user found this interesting.

   (220.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Moderate shaking (MMI V) : ,  | One user found this interesting.

Yerevan (200.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) : The chair was moving slightly. | One user found this interesting.

Yerevan , Shengavit (194.9 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 2-5 s : Shaking | One user found this interesting.

 ,  (127.9 km ENE of epicenter) [ Map ] / Light shaking (MMI IV) :   ,    | One user found this interesting.

yerevan (201.2 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Weak shaking (MMI III) / rattling, vibrating / 20-30 s : In my bad I felt dizzy | One user found this interesting.

Yerevan (192.7 km N of epicenter) [ Map ] / Very weak shaking (MMI II) : Bit shaking | One user found this interesting.

sener / not felt : I didn't feel quakearth | One user found this interesting.

 / Very weak shaking (MMI II) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 1-2 s : 15 floor | One user found this interesting.

Yerevan / Weak shaking (MMI III) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 2-5 s : My chair was swinging | One user found this interesting.

Armenia , Yerevan / Weak shaking (MMI III) / 1-2 s : Light shaking water bottle shaking | One user found this interesting.

Kapan, Armenia / Very strong shaking (MMI VII) / horizontal (sideways) swinging / 30-60 s : Strong shaking all over Armenia | One user found this interesting.
President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said he looks forward to increasing public and private investments from Azerbaijan in Egypt, citing the business reforms introduced by the government to facilitate investment procedures.

El-Sisi made his remarks Friday during a meeting with Azerbaijani businessmen and CEOs of major companies, along with the ministers from both countries, said Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady.

On their part, the businessmen said they are interested in fostering cooperation and joint investments with Egypt, especially in light of the provision of several promising investment opportunities in the country.

They highlighted the opportunities in the sectors of infrastructure, transport, new energy, green hydrogen and electricity, as well as the pharmaceutical industry.

They also reviewed their plans for injecting new investments or expanding their existing projects in Egypt, Rady added.

El-Sisi landed on Friday in Baku, Azerbaijan for an official visit to discuss means of developing political and economic relations.

He is scheduled to hold a meeting with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to discuss means of cooperation between the two countries at the international and regional levels.

Egypt was among the first countries that recognised the independence of Azerbaijan in December 1991, with the two countries exchanging diplomatic representation in 1992.

Both nations have signed a series of agreements over the past year to develop bilateral ties

El-Sisi's visit to Azerbaijan comes on the heels of a three-day visit to India that wrapped up Thursday, where he attended the public celebrations of India's 74th Republic Day as chief guest of honour and met with leading Indian companies as the country seeks to attract more foreign investments.

The Indian businessmen expressed to the Egyptian president "huge interest" in investing in Egypts renewable energy sector, the production of green hydrogen and infrastructure development.

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The Jan. 6, 2021 assault on the US Capitol, we are told by our finest legal and historical minds, was the founding fathers nightmare and a step on the way to the abyss. Actually, those long-dead gentlemen knew a thing or two about insurrection, having not only fought a war of independence but also having endured two armed rebellions over perceived government overreach, a rather fraudulent presidential election, and the vice president killing the former Treasury secretary in a duel of pistols at dawn. So, not to go all Marjorie Taylor Greene on you, but the republic has seen rocky times before and survived.

Nonetheless, theres no doubting that in the age of Twitter and TikTok, the ugliness spreads father and faster than the framers could have conceived. So how do we resuscitate civility, honor and compromise? Richard Haass, the longtime president of the Council on Foreign Relations, has some ideas  10 of them them to be exact. He lays them out in a new book, The Bill of Obligations, a lean guide to political mores and citizenship that avoids the pitfalls (pomposity above all) that so often afflict these endeavors. Haass, a recovering Republican, and I discussed the book this week; here is a lightly edited transcript:

Tobin Harshaw: As we talk about the erosion of democratic values, Jan. 6 of last year is an obvious watershed moment.

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Richard Haass: Jan. 6 was a low-water mark of American democracy. But we had problems before then, and we continue to have problems today  in addition to the possibility of other acts of politically inspired violence.

One example is the difficulty of parties coming together. Increasingly, you have important legislation passed by one party or the other, followed by problems of continuity when you have a rotation of political power. We saw that in healthcare. We cant get anything done on immigration. Now we have the question of the debt ceiling. We cant generate any sort of political consensus about guns, because the positions tend to be so absolute.

TH: Reject violence is one of the 10 obligations in the book. But we have a longstanding gun culture, we have a longstanding culture of individualism. We have a long history of political violence.

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RH: Im mainly talking about politically inspired violence. The fact that so many people who gave support to Jan. 6 are now sitting in Congress reflects the problem. Ideally, they would pay a political price.

TH: You make a great point in the book that is often overlooked by the media elite: We are a very religious nation. What, at both the national level and the local house-of-worship level, can religious leaders do?

RH: They could say, look, many of us have deeply held views  be it right to life versus a womans right to choose, or a hundred other issues  but our religious teachings tell us that to use violence in pursuit of those ends is flat-out wrong, its unacceptable. Im not asking religious leaders to take policy positions, but they can and should be powerful voices against the use of violence and in support of civility and compromise.

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TH: We arent going to have time to discuss all 10 of your books obligations, but I find it significant you put Be Informed first. Given that so many Americans today get their news from social media, and it is often simply false or tends to put people in bubbles of like-minded folk, how do we make sure that we have an informed polity?

RH: Social media begins with the word social. Its not called serious media, its not called factual media. No one should depend on social media in that way. People need to multi-source rather than single-source their access to information.

Schools need to teach what you might call information literacy, where we show students how to be critical consumers of information, how to distinguish the difference between a fact and an opinion. New Jersey, for example, just passed a law on this.

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TH: You bring up John Stewart Mills concepts of fairness and justice. It seems to me that over recent years and decades, social justice is something that has improved.

RH: In many areas, were a less discriminatory society than we used to be. Theres more acceptance, theres more opportunity. Im not suggesting things are perfect: Abraham Lincolns argument about unfinished work remains true.

Theres a big debate in this country about economic rights, what everybody should be entitled to, that hasnt been decided. I come out on the side of equal opportunity versus equal outcomes.

The other side of the citizenship coin is obligations of citizens to one another and to their country, something that tends to get short shrift. Too much of our political conversation is about rights alone.

TH: One of the obligations that I think hits home personally for you is to Respect Government Service. Part of the problem is that so many of Americas best and brightest shun doing that  the pay is low, the respect is low, the work is hard. It makes more sense for most people just to go make a lot of money. What can be done to entice a better class of public servants?

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RH: One thing is to break down some of the barriers where the government is seen as foreign. One of the reasons I like the idea of encouraging or incentivizing national service is I want more people to have some interaction with things that are associated with government.

TH: Do you think its practical to have a mandatory public service commitment for young people?

RH: I dont think so, because the debate then would be about the fact that its compulsory. I would incentivize it, through things like student loan forgiveness. Employers could give hiring priority to people who put in two years of national service; colleges could say they would take two years of service experience as a major addition to whatever it was you did in high school.

TH: A few top figures in the business community  Larry Fink at BlackRock comes to mind  have been pushing to put what they see as the common good at the forefront of investing strategies. Meanwhile, states like Texas are pushing back, and I have to say that a lot of the ESG funds look like lip service.

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RH: I find it surprising that business is not more of an advocate for American democracy. The rule of law is one of the great comparative advantages of the US. Jan. 6 showed we should not take it for granted. If youre a business and you dont want governmental powers to be used against you  for example, the Internal Revenue Service or a regulatory agency or the Justice Department  you have an enormous stake in fair and effective government and democracy. For businesses, its not just corporate social responsibility that kicks in, its corporate self-interest.

Businesses should do much more to make it easy for their workers to vote. Corporations should not be sending campaign contributions to election deniers, or to people who advocate violence in furtherance of political goals. They should hold back advertising from outlets that give voice to such individuals.

TH: Your primary interest is in foreign policy. How do our shortcomings in democracy hurt the US globally?

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RH: A lot of our allies worry that we dont have the requisite degree of political continuity that they need if theyre going to depend on us. There is, for example, a big debate in South Korea now over whether they should acquire their own nuclear weapons. A large part of the motive for that debate comes out of the threat, most recently from the Donald Trump administration, to pull US forces out of the Korean Peninsula. The inconsistency of our politics creates doubts about whether we will be there.

We have a stake in the world becoming more market-oriented and democratic, yet were not exactly encouraging it by what it is we show to the world. Our divisions help our rivals: Chinese television likes nothing more than showing images of our protests and our violence and our failures; it allows them to justify their own failures at home.

TH: Theres been an internal debate in foreign policy circles as to whether pushing American values should be a central focus of foreign policy. Where do you stand on that?

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RH: I dont think we should push American values, much less impose them on others. It wont take. The best way we can get others to adopt our values is, to use Ronald Reagans phrase, by being a shining city on a hill.

If we show that the American economy delivers for hundreds of millions of people, if we show that we are able not just to respect but expand rights and opportunities, if we show that democracy can deliver, the rest of the world will move in the direction of American values.

TH: We discussed Mill earlier. So lets imagine that you had the authority to give one assigned reading to all Americans  a classical philosopher, an enlightenment philosopher, a founding father, whatever  what book would you choose?

RH: My temptation would be to assign the Federalist Papers. Its the motherlode in some ways of democratic and Western political philosophy. In the course of reading it, you not only learn about the mechanics of government, but much more important, you learn about the culture of governing.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Jan. 6 Committee Makes Trump Prosecution Imperative: Timothy L. OBrien

 C-SPAN Wont Solve Your Democracy Problem, America: Jonathan Bernstein

 Jan. 6 Committee Is Right to Defend the Rule of Law: Noah Feldman

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Tobin Harshaw is a Bloomberg Opinion editor and writer on national security and military affairs. Previously, he was an editor at the op-ed page of the New York Times and the newspapers letters editor.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

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Its mind-numbing to imagine, in the era of universal video, that five police officers could participate in the brutal beating of Trye Nichols, which led to his death three days later. That their body cameras were switched on and filming both their own actions and those of their colleagues seems to have deterred them not at all.

The horror here is on two levels: First, another unjustified killing of an unarmed Black civilian by law enforcement officers, and another Black family forced to mourn a senseless loss; and, second, the realization that the cameras made no difference.

Lets start with the first. Here the scholarship is sobering. We know, for instance, that a Black male has an almost 1 out of 1,000 lifetime chance of being killed by police, by far the highest of any group. Is race the main causal factor? The question has generated heated controversy, but many scholars whove drilled into the data think the answer is yes.

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For instance, a 2020 study of some 3,900 police killings found that after correcting for several objective circumstances surrounding each episode, Black suspects remained about twice as likely as White suspects to be killed. Yes, the matter remains hotly disputed, but those who see no racial angle in police violence should at least take a look.

On the other hand, nobody doubts the key findings of the economist Roland Fryers path-breaking 2016 paper on officers use of non-lethal force. The research covers police interactions with civilians in four major cities, examining violence at different levels of intensity, from shoving a suspect against a wall to drawing and pointing a weapon. The stark and startling result: At every level of intensity, force was 50% more likely to be used against Black and Hispanic civilians than against White civilians.

Why would this be? Perhaps because, as the psychologist Jennifer L. Eberhardt and her colleagues reported in a well-known study, police officers themselves are significantly more likely to perceive Black faces than White faces as criminal. Yes, that study was conducted almost two decades ago. The shattering possibility is that its still true  and that it could also be true when the officers themselves are Black, as they are in this case.

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All of which brings us to body-worn cameras, known in the literature as BWCs. They seem to have been the key evidence in the firing of the five officers present when Nichols was beaten to death, and absent guilty pleas, theyll surely be the most persuasive evidence at trial.

Theres the irony. BWCs were supposed to be a deterrent against such inhuman violence. Thats why theyre being widely adopted, not only in the US but around the world. In fact, episodes of unjustified police violence against members of minority groups tends to increase public support for body cameras, and that outcome holds in roughly the same proportion for White and Black respondents alike.

But even before Nichols was so brutally assaulted, the scholarship was raising serious questions about whether the cameras would truly make a difference. For one thing, views about police are increasingly polarized, and apart from the most outrageous acts of violence, its not obvious that the existence of BWC footage will change that. Research with mock jurors suggests that prior biases either for or against the police tend to carry over into judgments about police actions captured on body cameras.

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For another, people dont always believe their eyes. In one much-discussed experiment, test subjects read a police officers report in which he stated, among other things, that a suspect attacked him and also was carrying a knife. The subjects also viewed BWC footage of the incident. In the video, no knife is visible and the suspect doesnt attack the officer. Nevertheless, asked afterward what they remembered, most said there was a knife and that the suspect attacked.

Heres another peculiarity: Research published in 2019 found that subjects who viewed body camera footage of a violent interaction between an officer and a suspect tended to be more sympathetic toward the officer than those who viewed dashboard camera footage of the same incident.

Perhaps none of that will matter in the death of Tyre Nichols case, where there seems to be little doubt about what happened. Im never a fan of the rush to judgment, but by all accounts, the footage is so damaging that its difficult to know what defense the fired officers will mount.

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Yet at minimum the horror from which the nation is still reeling tells us that requiring law enforcement officers to wear cameras is no panacea for what ails us.

Dont get me wrong. Im not by any stretch anti-police. I dont think the median officer is better or worse than the median civilian. Police have a stressful and often dangerous job for which they dont get enough credit or gratitude. Ive argued more than once that those who are concerned about violence committed by officers  if theyre serious  should support raising, not cutting, the budgets of police departments, not least to pay for better training.

That wont comfort a grieving family, but unlike all politicians fighting for television time to say how appalled they are, it might actually make a difference.

More From This Writer at Bloomberg Opinion:

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 Police Training Is Expensive and Its Still Not Enough

 Its Too Hard to Sue the Bosses of Bad Cops

 The Breonna Taylor Settlement Is Part of the Solution

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Stephen L. Carter is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist. A professor of law at Yale University, he is author, most recently, of Invisible: The Story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down Americas Most Powerful Mobster.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was busy this week selling his much-delayed nod for Western deliveries to Ukraine of German-made battle tanks as a case study in prudent leadership. It was certainly a welcome step forward in helping Ukraine defeat the Russian invaders. But the long and fraught negotiations among NATO allies leading up to this breakthrough offer another, more sobering, conclusion for the European Union  and about Germanys role in it.

Its that today and for the foreseeable future, just as during the Cold War, Europe remains entirely dependent on the US for its security. The flip side of this reality is that highfalutin notions by the likes of French President Emmanuel Macron about European autonomy remain pipe dreams, and therefore distractions best discarded in diplomats trash cans.

The backstory that allowed Scholz to free the Leopards  that is, to allow shipments of German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine  is one of transatlantic tension and frustration. The eastern NATO and EU members  Poland and the Baltic states  have been pushing for these deliveries since last summer. The US in recent months has chimed in. But the Germans, until this week, balked.

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The reason was that Scholz feared not only that the war in Ukraine might metastasize into a conflict between Russia and NATO  nobody wants that  but specifically that Germany might find itself in the crosshairs of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Delivering Leopard 2s, Scholz worried, might provoke him to escalate.

As the talks progressed and became more urgent  with a maneuver war expected to start in the spring  Scholz therefore clarified his condition. Germany would agree to sending Leopards only if the Americans also sent their battle tanks, the M1 Abrams.

From a military point of view, shipping Abrams tanks doesnt make as much sense. Theyre probably the most complex tanks around and require not only the longest training but also the most elaborate supply chains for their specialized fuels and parts. Ukraine needs tanks that are state-of-the-art but also nimbler and easier to learn, as well as faster to ship and deploy. Leopards fit that description best. So the Americans initially said no.

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Understanding the conundrum, the other allies tried to get Scholz to move even without Abrams in tow. The populist government of Poland, which is waging an election campaign based largely on anti-German rhetoric, publicly pressured and embarrassed Germany, even threatening last week to send some of its own Leopard 2s to Ukraine without Berlins permission. The Brits took a more subtle approach, pledging 14 of their own Challenger 2 tanks, reckoning that going first might give Scholz enough cover.

None of this sufficed to sway the chancellor. The Poles merely irked him, as he hinted in addressing the Bundestag this week. And the UK  sorry, Brits  evidently didnt strike him as a sufficiently weighty Western power to be Germanys wing man. Scholz insisted on having the Americans onside.

US President Joe Biden understood what was at stake. This is how, for political rather than military reasons, the Americans in the past week came around, announcing that theyll send M1 Abrams tanks after all  31 of them, even though they may take many months to arrive on the battlefield. In private, the folks in the Pentagon and White House are annoyed by Scholzs dithering and peskiness. In public, theyre praising his leadership in keeping the Western alliance united against Putin. And with that support, Scholz felt ready to set his big cats free.

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What matters now is that the tanks actually get to Ukraine in time for the spring offensives by invaders and defenders alike. That goes for the British Challengers, the smaller Bradleys, Marders and other armored fighting vehicles already pledged, but above all for the Leopards.

In total, the Europeans  from Germany and Poland to Spain, the Netherlands, Finland and others  could pitch in about a hundred. But getting them into Ukraine will be a nightmare, because Putin will draw a bead on them all along the way. Fueling and repairing them is another story still, as is using them properly to break through the Russian lines.

One person whos been notably quiet during this diplomatic drama is Macron. Hes hinted that France may also send some of its Leclerc tanks, but provided no more detail than that. Only last weekend, he hosted Scholz at the Sorbonne, along with hundreds of legislators from both countries, for a grand celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Elysee Treaty. Thats the accord that sealed the friendship, and allegedly the joint destiny, of France and Germany as a power couple that might one day  or so Paris long hoped  co-parent a strong Europe and wean it off American guardianship.

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So much for all that. What Scholz and Biden have agreed to this week is good for Ukraine, although it must be followed by even more weapons and support. But their understanding also puts paid to all notions that Germany is any closer to becoming a leader within a Europe that can itself become autonomous within the Western alliance, and a geopolitical power in its own right. Perhaps its good that weve got that straight.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:



So Were In a Polycrisis. Is That Even a Thing?: Andreas Kluth



Big Lesson of the Ukraine War: Theres Only One Superpower: Hal Brands



The Ukraine War Is Still Relatively Low-Tech  for Now: Leonid Bershidsky

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics. A former editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist, he is author of Hannibal and Me.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

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Former Zero Unit members struck terror in the Taliban while fighting in Afghanistan. Now many struggle as U.S. refugees whose immigration status is in limbo.
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As their only declared presidential candidate holds his first public event of 2023, Republicans need to ask themselves a question: If youre too afraid to confront Donald Trump on ideological or moral grounds, how about doing it for crass political purposes? Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao this week made one of the strongest denunciations yet of her former bosss racism  specifically, a series of blatantly racist comments directed at her. Chao had tried ignoring Trump, and urged the media to do so as well. But for whatever reason, Chao decided that she couldnt stay quiet any longer.

Not only is she correct, but other Republicans should follow her lead. It is not often that the right thing to do is also the politically expedient thing to do  but in this case, given the rising influence of Asian Americans in US politics, it is.

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Trumps cruel rhetoric here is different than his Kung Flu references during the early weeks of the pandemic in 2020. Those could perhaps be excused as juvenile (and offensive) attempts at humor at a time when many Americans were looking for some relief from their anxiety. But calling a Taiwanese-American woman Coco Chow  name-mocking is, as Chao notes, painfully common for many Asian Americans  crosses a line rarely seen in politics (at least if you dont count Trump).

Its also politically stupid. Theres at least anecdotal evidence over the last several elections that Asian Americans are becoming more conservative on crime, education and possibly the economy. In New York state, not only did Asian American voters move significantly rightward during 2022s gubernatorial election, they also helped Republicans pick up four US House seats. And an Asian American Republican ousted a 36-year incumbent Democrat on the New York City Council.

In California, defying 2018s blue wave, two Korean-American Republican women, Michelle Steel and Young Kim, flipped Democratic seats in Orange County  a onetime GOP stronghold that has gone blue in recent years. Steel and Kim retained their seats in 2020 and 2022 and are now members of the Republican majority in the US House.

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Meanwhile, Trumps animus is almost pathological. And Republicans cant excuse his behavior as just belligerent pettiness stemming from Chaos resignation after Jan. 6 or the many times Trump was criticized by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Chaos husband. How else to explain Trumps odd mocking of Virginia Governor Glen Youngkins name: Sounds Chinese, doesnt it? Could the insult have anything to do with Youngkins status as a possible 2024 candidate?

On a positive note, this was a rare occurrence when Trump actually got called out publicly by an elected Republican: Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, whose wife and children are Korean American, called Trumps comment racist.

If Trump continues making racist comments about an Asian American woman who served more than capably in four Republican administrations (including his own)  while other Republicans say not a word in repudiation  well, the Democrats 2024 political ads practically write themselves. Especially if Trump is the nominee.

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There are at least two ways for Republicans to avoid sabotaging their emerging relationship with the fastest-growing minority group in the country. They can denounce Donald Trump when he goes off on one of his racist rants, as he inevitably will. And they can nominate a presidential candidate who doesnt have racist baggage.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 Trump Takes His Insults to a New Low: Timothy L. OBrien

 Insulting a Fallen Soldier Is a Bad Look for Trump: Cass Sunstein

 In Praise of Mitch McConnells Straight Talk About Jan. 6: The Editors

Want more Bloomberg Opinion? Subscribe to our daily newsletter.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Robert A. George is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and member of the editorial board covering government and public policy. Previously, he was a member of the editorial boards of the New York Daily News and New York Post.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

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Israeli police said Saturday they had arrested 42 people following a deadly shooting at an east Jerusalem synagogue, including members of the Palestinian gunman's family.

"The police arrested 42 suspects for questioning, some of them from the terrorist's family," as well as residents from his neighbourhood in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, a police statement said.

Police identified the gunman as a 21-year-old resident of east Jerusalem, the sector of the city annexed by Israel after the 1967 Six-Day War.

There has been no indication that he had prior involvement in a militant activity or was a member of an established Palestinian armed group.

He was killed by police following a brief chase after the shooting.

Others detained included residents of the gunman's neighbourhood, police said.

In a separate statement, police said the force had been placed on the "highest level" of alert following the attack in Neve Yaakov neighbourhood of east Jerusalem.

Israel's police chief Kobi Shabtai called the shooting "one of the worst attacks (Israel) has encountered in recent years."

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The Partners

Giuliani brought to the firm some of his closest friends, political advisers and mayoral aides into the firm. Some have had been embroiled in legal cases and political controversies over the years. Here are some of the firm's best-known players.

Bernard Kerik Kerik rose up through the ranks of city government when Giuliani was mayor, serving as chief of both prisons and commissioner of police. He moved to Giuliani's firm in 2002 and oversaw much of the firm's security work. In December 2004, at Giuliani's recommendation, President Bush named Kerik to head the Department of Homeland Security, but the nomination quickly fizzled when several allegations of wrongdoing surfaced. Kerik left the firm shortly thereafter. In summer 2006 he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor corruption charges in New York City.



 DOCUMENT: The 2005 New Jersey gaming division complaint laying out allegations of Kerik's association with organized crime and his acceptance of illegal gifts.

Michael D. Hess Hess served Giuliani's mayoral administration as corporation counsel -- New York City's chief lawyer -- before joining the firm in 2002. Today he serves as senior managing partner, overseeing the firm's day-to-day operations.

 Hess's company bio

Anthony Carbonetti Carbonetti has been one of Giuliani's longest serving political advisers, joining the mayor's office as 20-something aide in charge of patronage jobs and eventually rising to chief of staff.



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Pasquale D'Amuro One of the FBI's savviest anti-terrorism agents, D'Amuro rose through the ranks to become the bureau's executive assistant director -- its third-ranking official -- after the Sept. 11 attacks. In 2004, a Justice Department inquiry into the controversial removal of souvenirs from the World Trade Center attack site disclosed that D'Amuro had asked a subordinate involved in evidence recovery to gather a half-dozen non-evidentiary items from Ground Zero to keep as mementos just weeks after the attacks. D'Amuro acknowledged to investigators he "requested pieces of the WTC building ... for himself and possibly others working on the invetsigation" and kept one piece of granite for himself in June 2003. The IG report blamed senior FBI officials for failing to have a policy on the removal of such items from terrorism crime scenes. The FBI took no action against D'Amuro and he donated his memento to the New York City FBI office before retiring.

 DOCUMENT: The Justice Department's report on removal of items from Ground Zero debris. (PDF)

 D'Amuro's company bio
Its extremely significant. Its as big as NBN, or its as big as mobile number portability, its a huge undertaking, and it needs to be planned, he says. Unfortunately, the flipside of when you introduce something like that is it takes time, and it takes time for organisations to make use of it, it takes times for consumers to even become aware of it, and theyre not aware of it. Mathew Tyrrell, APAC commercial director at fintech Codat, says he believes the launch of open banking landed with a whimper rather than a bang. He worries last years cyberattacks on Optus and Medibank will further slow the uptake of open banking. In light of the recent Optus and Medibank breaches, data security is now front of mind for all Australians, making them more cautious than ever about who they share their data with, he says. Unfortunately, this reluctance now threatens to slow the benefits we can unlock as a nation with open banking. Why has open banking been so slow to get off the ground?

Financial Services Minister Stephen Jones firmly backs the consumer data right system and the governments move to expand the regime into other sectors, including energy. But he agrees customer take-up has been slow. I think the idea of extending it beyond the banking sector into other areas of the economy is absolutely the right policy direction as well, but I think the take-up and provision of new products and services has been very slow, Jones says in an interview. Jones says reasons for the slow progress include labour shortages in the tech sector and the fact the rollout occurred during the hectic period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fintechs, meanwhile, point to complex regulation and differences in how Australia has rolled out the regime, compared to the UK. The CEO of the Australian arm of UK fintech Revolut, Matt Baxby, says open banking can ultimately give consumers a more seamless experience, including the ability to see all their accounts in one place, and to apply for loans more easily.

Were very positive on the opportunity that open banking presents, he says. Were about finding ways to put customers in charge of their money, and a lot of the benefits that weve seen in our UK experience will eventually find their way into the Australian market. However, Baxby says the key difference between Australia and the UKs open banking is something called payment initiation. Essentially, UK customers can allow a third party to not only receive data, but also take action on their behalf, such as opening or closing an account. Experts say this has meant the UKs regime has more use cases for customers, and its therefore driven more switching. I think thats probably been one of the key drivers for why adoption in Australias maybe been a little bit slower than what weve seen in the UK, Baxby says. The government is looking to address this: Jones says it introduced legislation late last year to allow for action initiation. Thats a game changer, Jones says.

Its one thing to be able to say to your bank: I want you to provide my customer data to this bank that Im switching to. Its another thing to be able to say to a service provider: I want you to pay all of these bills, across all of these different banks that I have, on these conditions and these dates. Or: I want you to continually monitor my electricity service provision and I want you to get the best deals in the market on a quartley or a six-monthly basis and switch my accounts accordingly. When such products are actually launched will depend on the industry, but Jones says fintechs tell him they are enthusiastic. Fintechs share Jones optimism that the consumer data right could still drive major changes, but they say its likely to be a slow journey. Digital mortgages - facilitated by open banking - are a case in point. While some believe digital home loans could be a major disruptive force, initially they will only be available to simpler loans, and will probably grab a small share of the overall market.

Chief executive of CBAs digital mortgage unit Unloan, Daniel Oertli, says the bank hopes to roll out open-banking supported applications in early 2023. You do your application, theres about 30 seconds of processing time and then theres a decision. Either it will be an instantly approved decision, or we refer it to a team member. Oertli says for simple application, the process doesnt require paper. Borrowers who are self-employed or who have investment income may still require manual assessments. Will it encourage switching? Oertli thinks so. One of the main reasons customers dont switch, despite having access to a better offer, is not wanting to go through the process, he says. Damir Cuca, chief executive of Basiq, is also optimistic about the long-term potential of open banking, arguing Australia has made remarkable progress in the field. What we need to acknowledge is that its a very ambitious and new infrastructure that were laying out within the Australian economy, Cuca says. Thrassis believes that eventually, open banking will lead to more switching by customers, and that changing mortgages could ultimately become more like changing mobile phone providers. However, it will take time.
Authors, illustrators, and editors will be compensated for e-book and audiobook library borrowings for the first time, in a move by the federal government to bring lenders rights into the 21st century.

A $12.9 million expansion of the annual lending rights scheme over four years will be announced at Mondays launch of the Albanese governments national cultural policy.

ASAs Sophie Cunningham. Credit: Supplied

Introduced by the Whitlam government and expanded under the Howard government to include educational institutions, the current lending schemes pay writers for books held in public libraries, effectively compensating them for books that would otherwise have been sold.

The move, set to take effect from July, comes after Macquarie Universitys National Survey of Australian Book Authors found the average income for authors to be $18,200, falling well below the poverty line.
Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev underscored the necessity of enhancing trade exchange and bolstering economic partnerships between both countries' private sectors via the formation of a joint businessmen council.

This came during a meeting between the two on Saturday in the Azerbaijani capital, Baku.

El-Sisi arrived in the country on Friday in the first ever visit by Egyptian president.

Both leaders discussed means to promote cooperation, shining a spotlight on opportunities and potentials in both countries in several sectors, according to a statement released by Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady.

This includes renewable energy, infrastructure, transportation, pharmaceutical industries and tourism and culture sectors, according to Rady.

Egypt is attempting to transform itself into a regional energy hub.

Aliyev praised the economic reform path in Egypt, saying it has resulted in "remarkable and continuous" improvement in the Egyptian economy, the spokesman added, expressing his country's keenness to elevate ties and consolidate cooperation with Egypt at all level.

Cairo "plays a pivotal role as a pillar of stability, security and peace in the Middle East and Africa," Aliyev assured El-Sisi.

In addition, both presidents witnessed the signing of several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between governmental entities in the two countries in areas of trade, culture and water resources.

On Friday, El-Sisi held a meeting with Azerbaijani businessmen and CEOs of major companies, along with the ministers from both countries, where he expressed his aspiration to increase public and private investments from Azerbaijan in Egypt.

The businessmen stressed to El-Sisi that they are interested in fostering cooperation and joint investments with Egypt, especially in light of the provision of several promising investment opportunities in the country.

Recently, Egypt has offered a host of incentives to attract investors as part of its endeavours to boost the flow of foreign direct investment into the country.

Concurrent views on regional issues

El-Sisi and Aliyev also examined several regional and international issues of mutual interest. The Azerbaijani president hailed the "positive" role played by Egypt to settle regional issues, according to Rady.

El-Sisi and Aliyev also concurred on the importance of supporting efforts for a political settlement in Syria, working on rebuilding the country, eliminating terrorist groups and supporting state institutions.

They emphasised the necessity of preserving the territorial integrity of Syria, realising the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and ending their human suffering, the spokesman pointed out.

As for Libya, El-Sisi also reviewed Egypt's vision for a settlement in Libya and its efforts in this regard to support the political, constitutional and economic tracks. The discussion covered the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the latest updates on the Palestinian cause.

Counter terror efforts

The meeting also tackled efforts to combat terrorism and extremist ideologies, Rady noted, adding that El-Sisi called for "concerted efforts by the international community to besiege this scourge at all levels, be they with regard to financing terrorist groups and supplying them with weapons and terrorist elements."

Aliyev, on his part, praised the comprehensive approach adopted by Egypt in its war on terrorism by addressing the roots of the problem via supporting economic and social development and combating extremist ideology that leads to terrorism.

During the meeting, President El-Sisi also extended his condolences to Azerbaijan after Friday's attack on its embassy in Tehran that killed its security chief and injured two guards, wishing a speedy recovery to those injured in the attack.

He also affirmed Egypt's "full solidarity with Azerbaijan in face of this painful incident that stresses once again the importance of rejecting extremism, violence and terrorism," noted the statement.

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Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Blue Wiggle Anthony Field didnt know what Triple Js Hottest 100 was until a year or so before he won it. During COVID, [my daughter Lucia] was in the pool, having her own pool party, listening to the top 100. And I thought What is this thing!, he says, as Lucia  now aged 18  watches on, sitting alongside her father, visibly embarrassed. But then, out of the blue, we were being invited to do Like A Version, which led to us winning. It was quite surreal. Loading A world away from previous winners like Billie Eilish, Ocean Alley, Kendrick Lamar and Flume, the iconic Australian childrens group won the 2022 countdown for its widely celebrated interpretation of Tame Impalas Elephant. It was the first time a cover had won the national youth broadcasters annual music poll  and The Wiggles were certainly the first winning act to feature a middle-aged man playing bass in an elephant costume. Ive never worked so hard on a song, Field says. We practised six hours a day.

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But that was only the start of what turned out to be an incredibly surreal year for the group. In 2022, The Wiggles went on to cover songs by The Chats, Fatboy Slim, The White Stripes, AC/DC and Lime Cordiale; and local artists including Spacey Jane, DZ Deathrays and Luca Brasi covered their songs right back. The ambitious double album that resulted from these collaborations, ReWiggled, gave the group, which has performed in various incarnations since 1991, its first #1 ARIA album. The OG Wiggles  Field, Greg Page, Murray Cook and Jeff Fatt  also embarked on a national adults-only reunion tour, performing their most iconic tracks for sold-out crowds of drunk millennials and older Gen Z. In April, they were publicly chased by US rapper Lil Nas X who said he was trying to get them to co-headline his tour. And in June, The Kid Laroi delivered. This next guest is the fing Wiggles! the 19-year-old Grammy Award-nominee screamed, before encouraging the crowd at his Melbourne show to mosh to Fruit Salad.

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The Kid Laroi asked us to support him because he grew up with us, Field says, smiling. We get a lot of feedback like that from younger artists. A lot of people say to Murray, youre the first guitarist I ever heard! Its incredible. Theres this photo The Kid Laroi showed me of him at 11 years old where Im doing the Wiggle fingers, and hes doing rude fingers. We had a good laugh. Anthony Field from The Wiggles and a young The Kid Laroi. Credit:Pinterest All of this has been particular exciting for Lucia Field, who officially joined the group as a second Blue Wiggle this year. Nostalgia is a very big thing with my generation  I mean, with all generations, but I think especially now because of social media, she says. Having young Australian acts collaborating with such an iconic Australian group  Its not something that people would ever put together, but it works so well. I feel like I freak out more than [my dad] does because he has no idea who these people are, she says, laughing.

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Lucia and Anthony Field, the Blue Wiggles, in the Big Red Car. Im 60 years old; Im really out of the loop, Anthony admits. But he has discovered a lot of new music along the way too. I met Genesis... [Lucia lets her dad know the Canberra rappers surname is Owusu, but he maintains I just know him as Genesis] and then I saw him perform at Falls, and now Im a big fan. I would never have known him unless we were doing this stuff! Importantly, The Wiggles were also playing at Falls Festival  a throwback set that our reviewer noted sent the crowd ballistic. It was just joyful, Anthony says. It was thousands of people doing Rock-A-Bye Your Bear, and the next act on was Amyl and the Sniffers! Wiggles fans at day one of the Falls Festival at Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Credit:Joe Armao These OG shows  which also include the current, younger Wiggles as backup dancers  have been a bit of a culture shift, he says.

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I didnt even know what a shoey was! Anthony says, recalling a punter trying to get him to scull a drink from his shoe in Darwin. They brought up vodka for Dorothy [the Dinosaur] instead of roses! We dont get out of character though, he adds. I think if we did go out of character, people would feel let down. We are the same as always  except now weve got grey hair and expanding waistlines. Our tour was sponsored by a company that puts out defibrillators so... that says something about how old we are! Anthony Field Wiggles Credit:Joe Amaro Anthony, who still performs in the current Wiggles lineup, is hopeful these OG shows for older audiences can keep running  hed especially love to go to America  but hes not making any promises. Gregs got his own life. And Murrays got another band. And Jeff Jeff fishes a lot. Its also a question of our health as we get older. You know, three of the four guys have had heart surgery. The tour was kind of a celebration that Greg was better [after his heart attack in January 2020]. Hes been doing so much work getting AED defibrillators everywhere. The tour was sponsored by a company that puts out defibrillators so... that says something about how old we are!

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The Age and Sydney Morning Herald have revealed chronic failings within the national watchdog this month, including under-resourcing, bullying, systemic racism and loopholes that prevent the public from knowing about valid complaints made against health practitioners. It has led to renewed calls for an overhaul of AHPRA. What needs to happen now? There needs to be an agreement that the system is just not working, said Dr Mukesh Haikerwal, a former president of the Australian Medical Association and a GP. It needs a complete review of whats gone on. AHPRA declined to report the matter to police and has refused to provide Cate with the findings of its investigation into Tidman, but instead directed her to his online profile which lists temporary conditions on his practice, including training and mentoring about maintaining professional boundaries. Cate, who has spent hours on the phone pursuing AHPRA for updates, feels betrayed by the outcome and has lost faith in the regulators ability to protect the public.

These were serious allegations. Quite naively, I thought the right thing would happen. I trusted it was a government agency, they must be doing the right thing, says Cate, who is now 20 years old. Clearly thats not the case. Tidman continues to work in clinics around Perth. When contacted for comment, a receptionist said Tidman was quirky and made inappropriate comments about womens bodies. I dont think he has a filter. I dont think he realises that what he can say can be quite out of line, rude, hurtful, the receptionist said. Tidmans boss said he was not aware of the AHPRA investigation or conditions imposed on his registration. When Cate arrived for the first appointment at the Mirrabooka Shopping Centre in Perths northern suburbs at 4pm on January 13, 2020, she was wearing denim shorts. According to her witness statement later filed with AHPRA, Tidman allegedly told Cate that fat girls wore similar shorts but she didnt have to worry because she had a great body.

He touched my thigh when he said that, on top of my thigh midway between my hip and my knee, according to the statement. After the appointment, Cate told her mother Dana and friends about what happened. Danas statement, also lodged with AHPRA, corroborated Cates account. Cate with her mother Dana at home in Perth. Credit: Ross Swanborough I was alarmed and horrified by what she was telling me, Dana, whose surname has also been withheld, said. She encouraged her daughter to make a complaint and suggested they approach the police, which Cate declined. Using OPSMs website, Cate lodged two complaints but received no response.

The following year, Cate received an automated email from OPSM for a check-up. When she arrived for the appointment, she was ushered in to see Tidman again. Loading This time, Cate alleges Tidman launched more quickly into making sexual comments, speaking about the size of his step-daughters breasts. He explained how he tells her to unbutton her top to show her breasts when shes working with men, so that shell never have an unhappy customer, according to Cates statement. Mr Tidman then told me that his other step-daughter wasnt so well endowed with her breasts and because of this, she didnt have the same advantage as the other step-daughter.

At this point, Cate alleges Tidman stroked her hair and ear and told me that I would be okay though because Ive got that advantage. I kind of pulled back at that point. I had the big machine in my face at the time while my eyes were being tested ... I just really wanted to get out of there and get it over and done with. Cate tried to change the subject, but the optometrist then allegedly told a story about a woman he met in France who was wearing a bikini and had big boobs and he wanted to rub tanning lotion on her body. Cate emailed OPSM directly to report what happened. I felt violated, she wrote in an email dated February 11, 2021. A representative from Luxottica, OPSMs parent company, quickly responded to say the matter was being taken very seriously. Cate was offered free counselling services.

Less than two weeks later, Luxottica informed Cate that its investigation into Tidman was complete and he was no longer employed by the company. The company then sought Cates consent to share her medical records to report Tidman to AHPRA. Cate was pleased that Tidman had been stood down from OPSM but concerned that he could get a job elsewhere. Over the next 20 months, Cate estimates she called AHPRA about a dozen times for information on the investigation and said it was common to wait more than an hour on hold. When connected, Cate says AHPRA struggled to locate her file and was told on multiple occasions her case had slipped through the cracks. AHPRA staff verbally apologised and made assurances it was now being properly investigated, according to Cate. AHPRA is legally obliged to provide updates to notifiers every three months. However, Cate was told that she was not listed as the notifier because Luxottica had reported Tidman. She says repeated requests to become the notifier were unsuccessful.

During one phone call with AHPRA, Cate says an investigator recommended that she contact police. Cate was informed there were a variety of options to discipline Tidman  including suspension or deregistration. Loading Finally, Cate was contacted last week by AHPRA and was told they had got the outcome they were hoping for. Cate was directed to Tidmans online profile where a short notice listed the imposed conditions on his practice, including requirements to complete six, hour-long training sessions with a mentor of his choice who is approved by the Optometry Board of Australia. Cate said she had been able to keep it together during the investigation because she felt certain the allegations would be taken seriously but when she read the outcome, she broke down into tears. She is speaking out to warn others and call for reform within AHPRA.

He got off with a slap on the wrist, she says. It reinforces that boys will be boys attitude. AHPRA said its role is to protect the public, not penalise past misconduct, and the regulator will consider a range of factors when determining whether to suspend a practitioner. If, based on this evidence, any offending does not meet a threshold of professional misconduct, a suspension or cancellation of registration will not be considered an appropriate measure to protect the public, the spokesman said. The spokesman acknowledged COVID-19 had caused delays in processing complaints and was working to improve that. OPSM and Luxottica declined to comment.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had little alternative but to engage head-on with the Opposition Leaders mischievous campaign this week around an upsurge of crime in Alice Springs.

Once there, the appropriate response for the PM was to heed the raft of local voices and immediately reinstall restrictions on the sale and availability of alcohol, which  naturally  he did.

What the prime minister and his delegation also heard from people on the ground was that not only were the problems afflicting Alice Springs not entirely new, but they were symptomatic of more complex, systemic issues  issues such as overcrowded housing; dire unemployment and education outlooks; and widespread general social disenfranchisement.

The PM was also provided with a fortuitous opportunity to spin his governments failure to entirely scrap the compulsory basics card program  as pledged before the May federal election  as well-considered.
Libby Mettam has publicly confirmed her plans to challenge David Honey for the Leadership of the Western Australian Liberal Party, but has vowed not to address the matter until a special party-room meeting on Tuesday.

In a statement released on Saturday, Mettam confirmed she had written to Honey to inform him of her intention to contest the leadership.

But she made it clear she would not engage in any further commentary until after the matter had been resolved out of respect for David and her colleagues.

Libby Mettam could challenge David Honeys Liberal party leadership within days. Credit: Richard Wainwright/AAP

It comes just hours after WAtoday revealed the leadership challenge was afoot, with the letter emailed to members of the Liberal parliamentary team late yesterday.
Taipei: A Chinese tech firm has been sanctioned by the US for allegedly providing satellite imagery that aided Russias Wagner mercenary group.

Spacety is claimed to have provided the data to Terra Tech, a Russian firm that supports the Kremlin-backed group, which has sent thousands of its own fighters to Ukraine and is the main target of the latest sanctions.

Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin at the funeral for one of his fighters who died fighting for Russia in Ukraine. Credit: AP

The US Treasury said Spacety China and its Luxembourg subsidiary provided satellite imagery orders over locations in Ukraine... [that] were gathered in order to enable Wagner combat operations.

Nearly a year into his invasion of Ukraine, China has neither publicly supported nor condemned Russian President Vladimir Putins actions.
London: Actor Alan Cumming, a star of James Bond and X-Men films, has returned the OBE he received as part of the Queens birthday honours list, saying his eyes had been opened over the toxicity of the British Empire.

Cumming, who turned 58 on Friday, said he had felt incredibly grateful to be appointed to the Order of the British Empire in 2009 for his contribution to the arts and in campaigning for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community, particularly in the United States.

Actor Alan Cumming has handed back his Order of the British Empire.

The Scottish-born actors four-decade movie, TV and theatre career has included starring roles in Annie, X-Men 2, GoldenEye, the Spy Kids franchise and The Good Wife. He has lived in New York since 2000, where he is currently hosting the US version of The Traitors, and said his feelings towards the award had changed.

Cumming said the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September made him reflect on the honour he had received and the institution that bestowed it upon him.
Washington: Dramatic body camera footage of the night Nancy Pelosis husband was viciously attacked has been released, capturing the harrowing moment he was bludgeoned with a hammer by a conspiracy theorist looking for the then-US Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Three months after the incident, a San Francisco court on Friday (Saturday AEDT) released audio and video recordings showing the moments before, during and after the attack, including the 911 call Paul Pelosi made while the intruder was in the couples house, and the moment he attempted to grab the weapon from his assailant.

This image from video from police body-worn camera footage. Credit: San Francisco Police Department

The body camera was worn by San Francisco police officer Colby Wilmes, and shows him and another officer knocking on the door of the Pelosi home in Pacific Heights, an affluent neighbourhood in San Francisco, on October 28.

Paul Pelosi opens the door in a night shirt and shorts, standing next to intruder David DePape, who is wearing shorts and a jumper with his hair tied back in a ponytail. Each of the men have their hands on a hammer.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed "strong" and rapid action on Saturday following two attacks in occupied east Jerusalem carried out by Palestinians, one of which killed seven people outside a synagogue.

The attacks came after one of the deadliest Israeli occupation army raids in the occupied West Bank in two decades, rocket fire from militants in the Gaza Strip and retaliatory Israeli air strikes.

Netanyahu who returned to power in December after just 14 months in opposition has for decades branded himself as the leader best suited to keep Israel safe.

"Our response will be strong, swift and accurate," Netanyahu said ahead of a meeting of his security cabinet.

"We're not seeking an escalation but are prepared for any scenario."

The bloodshed continued on Saturday, when a 13-year-old Palestinian boy shot and wounded a 47-year-old Israeli father and his army officer son, 23, in east Jerusalem.

The Saturday morning gun attack was in Silwan, just outside the walled Old City of occupied east Jerusalem. The boy blamed for the attack was shot and wounded at the scene.

Anger growing

On Friday, a 21-year-old Palestinian killed seven people outside an occupied east Jerusalem synagogue.

Police announced 42 arrests in connection with Friday's shooting, which coincided with International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

After the synagogue attack, crowds shouted "Death to Arabs" at the scene.

Israeli police have renewed a call for people with licences to carry guns, while extreme-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said more people should get permits to bear arms.

"When civilians have guns, they can defend themselves," he told reporters outside a Jerusalem hospital on Saturday.

The occupation army has also announced it is reinforcing troop numbers in the occupied West Bank.

Speaking ahead of the Saturday night cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said he would present further measures "to combat terror", including denying national insurance payments to "terror-supporting families".

The Israeli premier also renewed his appeal against vigilantes and acts of revenge.

"I call again on all Israelis -- don't take the law into your hands," he said. "We have a sovereign state with an army, a government and excellent security forces."

US visit

Several Arab governments that have ties with Israel have condemned the synagogue attack.

But the Palestinian Authority led by president Mahmud Abbas has not, with his office insisting Israel was "fully responsible for the dangerous escalation".

Abbas and Netanyahu are due to meet separately with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken next week, talks that have taken on renewed urgency amid the widening bloodshed.

It will be Netanyahu's first high-level US meeting since returning to power as the head of the most right-wing government in Israeli history.

Netanyahu's domestic critics continued their protests on Saturday, with thousands turning out in Tel Aviv to oppose his controversial judicial reform plan that aims to give politicians more control over the Supreme Court.

Demonstrators observed a minute of silence for those killed on Friday.

'Bullet in his head'

The synagogue shooting has been described as the deadliest single attack targeting Israelis in more than a decade.

The gunman was shot dead by police following a brief car chase.

There has been no indication that he had prior involvement in militant activity or was a member of an established Palestinian armed group.

Authorities have not yet definitively identified the gunman, but Israeli and Palestinian media have named him as Khayri Alqam, who was being praised on some social media platforms including his Facebook page.

Police said the dozens arrested included members of the gunman's immediate family, relatives and neighbours.

On Thursday, nine Palestinians were killed in what Israel described as a "counter-terrorism" operation in the Jenin refugee camp.

It was one of the deadliest Israeli occupation army raids in the West Bank since the second intifada, the Palestinian uprising of 2000 to 2005.

Israel said Islamic Jihad operatives were the target.

Islamic Jihad and Hamas both later fired several rockets at Israeli territory.

Most of the rockets were intercepted by Israeli air defences. The occupation military responded with strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza.

There were no casualties reported on either side, but Gaza's armed groups vowed further action.

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The Conference on Disarmament (CD) resumed on Friday its formal sessions under the Egyptian presidency, with Ambassador Ahmed Ihab Gamaleldin, permanent representative of Egypt to the United Nations in Geneva, chairing the meetings.

The session witnessed the resumption of the general debate of the conference, where several member states delivered their national statements.

CD members explained their positions on multiple issues, including nuclear disarmament, negative security assurances for non-nuclear weapon states against the use of, or threat of use of nuclear weapons against them, as well as prevention of arms races in outer space.

During the session, Tatiana Valovaya, secretary general of the CD and under-secretary-general of the United Nations, stressed in a statement the "pivotal" role of the conference in international disarmament.

Egypt's permanent representative, meanwhile, highlighted the intention of the Egyptian presidency of the CD to convene a thematic discussion in an official session of the conference on Tuesday.

During the session, member states will address the various dimensions related to the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones, as one of the issues of significant strategic relevance with a constructive impact on enhancing international security and stability.

Ambassador Ahmed Ihab Gamaleldin said that the Egyptian presidency of the conference will also convene an additional thematic discussion session to discuss negative security assurances for non-nuclear weapon states against the use of, or threat of use of nuclear weapons,

These assurances are one of the critical demands of the Non-Nuclear Weapon States, especially states that are members of the Non-Aligned Movement, he added.

The CD  which meets three times a year in Geneva  is a multilateral disarmament forum established by the international community to negotiate arms control and disarmament agreements.

The conference, which comprises 65 member states, always takes into account the recommendations of the United Nations General Assembly and the proposals of its member states.

The presidency of the conference rotates among its member states, with each president holding office for four working weeks.

Egypt assumed presidency the CD on Monday. The conference is expected to hold its meetings under the Egyptian presidency until 17 February 2023.

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Egypt has warned against the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli escalation, calling for maximum self-restraint after a shooting in East Jerusalem on Friday killed seven people and injured others.

Egypt expressed its categorical rejection and denouncement of the Jerusalem shooting and stressed its condemnation of all operations targeting civilians, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Saturday.

Egypt warned of the severe dangers of the ongoing escalation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, calling for the exercising of maximum restraint and an end to aggression and provocative measures, the ministry stressed.

The ministry warned against slipping into a vicious cycle of violence that worsens the political and humanitarian situation and undermines efforts to achieve calm and all chances of reviving the peace process.

Egypt also extended condolences to the families of the victims and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

A Palestinian gunman opened fire outside an East Jerusalem synagogue on Friday night, killing at least seven people and wounding several others in one of the deadliest attacks on Israelis in years.

The gunman was shot dead by police following a brief chase after the shooting. Israeli police said on Saturday that they have arrested 42 people in connection with the deadly shooting.

Israeli police also said they arrested a 13-year-old Palestinian boy following a second shooting in Jerusalem on Saturday, seriously injuring two. The alleged assailant is being treated in hospital after he was injured by passersby, according to reports.

The incidents came after Israeli forces raided the West Bank's Jenin refugee camp on Thursday morning, killing nine Palestinians and injuring many others in the deadliest Israeli attack in the occupied territory in more than a year.

The New Year has seen growing Israeli violence against Palestinians, especially in the West Bank and Jerusalem, under the new far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

Egypt has repeatedly called for a fair and comprehensive peace between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, urging Israel to stop unilateral measures that would complicate the situation and undermine chances of reviving the peace process.

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Safaga Port in eastern Egypt received on Saturday 63,000 tons of Russian wheat aboard the dry cargo ship PAREA, according to the Red Sea Port Authority (RSPA) media centre.

Russia remained Egypts main wheat exporter during the second half of 2022, the Russian Embassy in Cairo said earlier this month, adding that Egypt is the second biggest importer of Russian wheat.

Russia exported 5.9 million tons of grain throughout the second half of 2022, according to the Russian Grain Union.

From 1 to 8 January, Russia exported more than 191,000 tons of grain to Egypt, compared to 103,000 throughout January 2021, the union said.

This indicates enhancement of bilateral cooperation in this field, the embassy said.

Egypt, the worlds largest wheat importer, has continued to import wheat from Russia and Ukraine, which provided 80 per cent of Egypts wheat before the war between the two countries broke out in February last year.

However, Ukrainian wheat exports to Egypt decreased by 71 per cent in 2022 to 918,000 tons, Asharq Business reported, citing the head of Central Administration of Plant Quarantine at the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Ahmed El-Attar, as saying last week.

Russian wheat exports to Egypt dropped by 1 per cent in 2022 to 5.4 million tons, he added.

Egypt, which consumes up to 18 million tons of wheat and imports around 12 million tons annually, has worked to encourage farmers to supply more wheat to the government amid the disruption in global food supply chains and the rise in commodity prices.

In mid-January, Egypt raised the price of local wheat procurement for the new harvest season, which starts in April 2023, by 42 per cent to hit EGP 1,250 per ardeb (1 ardeb= 150kg), up from EGP 880.

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Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly inaugurated on Saturday a factory owned by pharmaceutical company BioGeneric Pharma in northern Egypts 10th of Ramadan City, which is set to receive the technology required to produce mRNA vaccines and biologics.

BioGeneric Pharma was chosen by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in February last year to receive the technology to produce mRNA vaccines, therapeutic proteins, and immunoglobulins for treating cancer, a Cabinet statement quoted Mohamed Rabie, the companys CEO, as saying during the inauguration.

The company is set to become a hub for mRNA technology for Africa and low- and middle-income countries, Rabie added.

The company is preparing to receive a delegation from the African Union (AU) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in February to discuss cooperation opportunities regarding the export of vaccines and serums to African markets.

BioGeneric Pharma aims to achieve self-sufficiency in serums, vaccines, and biologics to reduce reliance on imported products and expand exports to African and international markets, the Cabinet said.

This would help increase Egyptian exports in this field after obtaining the necessary global export licenses in order to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and Egypt's Vision 2030, the Cabinet added.

The BioGeneric Pharma factory lies over an area of 20,000 square metres with a possibility for expansion in the future. The factory consists for three main units for the production of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and automatic packaging, Rabie said.

The API production units are equipped with single-use bioreactors with a capacity of up to 2,000 liters, he explained.

In February 2022, World Health Organisation General Director Tedros Adhanom announced that Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia will receive vaccine manufacturing support from the WHOs mRNA technology transfer hub.

The African countries will obtain the technology with help from the EU, Germany, Canada, France, Norway and Belgium, Adhanom said during an event hosted in Brussels at the EU-AU Summit.

Adhanom praised the progress achieved by BioGeneric Pharma and its potentials, which qualify the company to be among the top global companies in this field, the Cabinet said today.

A high-level delegation from the WHO paid a visit to the factory, where they affirmed that BioGeneric Pharma is able to produce high-quality and safe vaccines and become the first Egyptian company to obtain the WHO prequalification, the Cabinet added.

The WHO-affiliated technology transfer project aims to help low- and middle-income countries manufacture mRNA vaccines at scale and according to international standards.

The WHO mRNA technology transfer hub was established in 2021 primarily to address the COVID-19 emergency.

To avoid serious consequences, mRNA vaccines help bodies produce a protein that triggers an immune response, unlike other vaccines that work by introducing a weakened or inactivated germ into the body.

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Finishing high school means all final exams are completed, the last strolls down the hallways are done, and the next chapter of life is about to begin. But for one Hope Lutheran High School senior, it also means continuing the nonacademic journey of working through mental health solutions.

Brianna Mullen was nominated for Above & Beyond by Hope Lutheran staff for what shes overcome and the positive changed theyve seen in her life.

Mullen has struggled with depression, anxiety and self-harm for the last five years, she said. The lowest point was her sophomore year of high school.

I was really anxious  having a hard time getting homework done, constantly relapsing with self-harm, and I was hardly able to get myself to school because of how depressed I was, said Mullen. I felt really lonely during that time, like nobody was truly understanding how broken I felt inside. Rock bottom is really where I was at.

She found help around her, though, she said  from her parents, her teacher Mrs. Littlefield and especially her cat, Bruno.

We werent planning to get a cat. But my mom just brought him home and he took over my life really. He made me feel like I had a sense of purpose, of taking care of him and cuddling with him. He just made me feel so much better, said Mullen. And Mrs. Littlefield always helped me. She was there for me to talk to. If I needed to just rant, I could go to her office. Or if I needed someone to call, I could call her anytime. She just made me feel comfortable enough to actually open up to her.

Mullen also found help from a quote she heard out of the blue on social media one day.

A thief wouldnt break into a house they know had nothing valuable inside. The devil is the same, he wouldnt be attacking you so hard if he knew you had nothing valuable inside you. I dont know why it stuck with me so much. It just randomly showed up on one of my social media sites. I think about it all the time, with all my struggles, said Mullen. Now its just knowing that Ive gone through that point in my life. I feel like I know its not going to last forever.

Now, Mullen notices when other people are going through similar struggles and she checks in with them about how they are doing.

Other students here also struggle with mental health issues as well. I do my best to make sure those students dont feel as alone as I did. I will make sure to go out of my way to talk to them and keep up with them, said Mullen. It looks like me going by their locker, talking to them and asking them how they are  just letting them know Im here.

What started as a suggestion to watch the show Criminal Minds soon took off into research and learning more about criminal investigations, which has now become Mullens career goal.

Someone told me about Criminal Minds one time and I thought it was the dumbest thing ever  until I finally watched one episode. And I was like, Wow, this is the coolest thing. Then it kind of spiraled from there. I looked more into it and then I saw a lot of the episodes were based on true cases. I looked into those cases and got interested in investigating, said Mullen. I plan on going to a tech school to get my basics done. After that, I plan on going to a school that specializes in homicide investigations.

Mullen said she will probably attend Minnesota State College Southeast.

Although I still struggle with these things, Im in a way better place mentally than I was two years ago, said Mullen.
Every year since 2005, Minnesota State College Southeast has recognized outstanding graduates at its commencement ceremonies.

Nominations are now open for the 2023 Outstanding Alumni Awards. Two awards are given each year, one for a Winona graduate and one for a Red Wing graduate.

The Outstanding Alumni Awards recognize our graduates for personal and professional success. The awards provide an opportunity to acknowledge their excellence, said Casie Johnson, director of stewardship and foundation operations at MSC Southeast. We also want to honor their contributions to the community.

The 2023 Outstanding Alumni Award recipients will be honored at the colleges Commencement Ceremony, which will be held on Friday, May 12, at Winona State University.

Last year, MSC Southeast Facilities Manager and Carpentry grad, Tom Hoffman 81 was honored with the Winona campus award. He retired in 2022 after a career spanning 33 years of service to the college. Michelle Larson 14, a Medical Coding grad, was honored with the 2022 Red Wing campus award. As president and CEO of the Red Wing Area Chamber of Commerce, she is instrumental in creating new partnerships and fostering existing ones with Red Wing area organizations.

Nominations for the 2023 awards will be accepted until Feb. 28. Anyone is welcome to make a nomination. To download a nomination form, go to: www.southeastmn.edu/alumniaward.

Requirements for the award include:

1. Must have earned a diploma or degree from Minnesota State College Southeast at least five years ago;

2. Professional and/or personal achievements (e.g., career achievements, obstacles overcome, etc.);

3. Service to others (e.g., community service, service clubs, church, volunteerism, etc.);

4. Support to Minnesota State College Southeast (e.g., financial, board representative, advocacy, volunteerism, support/employment of grads, etc.);

5. Able to attend the 2023 commencement ceremony in person (May 12).

For more information about the Outstanding Alumni Awards or to make a nomination, please contact Casie Johnson at cjohnson@southeastmn.edu or 507-453-2663.

Photos: Ribbon cutting for Minnesota State College Southeast's Manufacturing Initiative Program MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony MSC Southeast Advanced Manufacturing Initiative Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
A Spring Green man recently appeared in Sauk County Circuit Court after being charged with felonies related to child sexual exploitation and bestiality.

Daniel Joseph Ringelstetter, 36, appeared from Sauk County Jail via video with his attorney Jan. 18. Prosecutor Margaret Delain requested a $10,000 bail, which Circuit Court Judge Michael Screnock granted. According to court records, he had not been released on bond as of Friday.

Conditions of the bond include that Ringelstetter have no contact with anyone under 18 unless allowed by the Department of Health Services. Ringelstetter is prohibited from using any device which accesses the internet unless it is for work and from having any contact with domestic animals.

According to the criminal complaint:

The Sauk County Sheriffs Office was contacted by an official with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. The official told police that a Sparta resident had contacted DHS with concerns that Ringelstetter was exposing a child, and in some cases having the child participate in, sexual activity with adults.

Det. Drew Bulin, a sheriffs office sergeant and a DHS official met with Ringelstetter Jan. 11 at his home, where they spoke to him about the allegations and took his phone after getting his consent and the passcode.

Ringelstetter was also interviewed at the Spring Green Police Department, where he denied sexually exploiting children and explained personal sexual fantasies as reason for his behavior. Police were told by the Sparta resident that Ringelstetter had described having a child involved in some of his sexual activity.

When investigators searched Ringelstetters cellphone, they found video calls between him and another adult which showed a child around 5 or 6 years old engaging in sexual activity and being exposed to Ringelstetters genitals in August. There was also a video of him taken in October in which he is walking up to a child whose back was turned with his genitals exposed. At least two separate videos depicted Ringelstetter engaging in masturbatory behavior with a dog.

Ringelstetter denied engaging in the calls when the child was present during a police interview Jan. 13, claiming he disconnected a video call to tell the person he was talking to that he did not agree to it. He said he did not have any contact information for the other adult, who he claimed to have met on a dating app. He could not provide the name of the dating app. He denied exposing any children to sexual activity.

Ringelstetter is scheduled to next appear in court for a preliminary hearing March 9.

GALLERY: Sauk County court, cops Arsonist sentenced Shores enters Spoentgen argues Amber Lundgren hearing 'I'm sorry, that's all I can say' 020221-bara-news-metzger1 Defense attorney Jeremiah Meyer-O'Day Amber Lundgren in shackles Medflight near Baraboo Judge sets $250K bond for Pulvermacher in Baraboo homicide case Amber Lundgren homicide hearing Albart B. Shores trial Sauk County ADA Rick Spoentgen Pulvermacher listens 102519-bara-news-sauk-co-homicide1 William Wenzel Judge Michael Screnock Judge Klicko and attorneys Martinez and Spoentgen Sauk County Assistant District Attorney Rick Spoentgen Drew Bulin testifies Wenzel and Van Wagner in courtroom 073021-bara-news-dogs1 Mike Albrecht sworn in 051121-bara-news-law-zunker
An armed group in Mali that signed a major peace deal in 2015 said this week it was pulling out of efforts to draft a new constitution.

The new constitution is a key part of a peace and reconciliation process designed to return the country from military to civilian rule by March 2024.

The Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) -- a predominantly Tuareg alliance that fought the state for years before signing the peace deal in Algiers in 2015 -- blamed the ruling military junta for foot-dragging.

In a statement seen by AFP on Saturday, the CMA pointed out that it -- and almost all the other armed groups that signed the peace deal -- had in December suspended participation in the peace process because of the junta's "lack of political will to uphold it".

The decision to go further and boycott the work of rewriting the constitution came just hours after Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop accused the armed groups of "hampering" efforts to put the peace process in place.

On the contrary, the "obvious deterioration" in moves towards peace was due to the government's "clear decline in interest", said the statement, which was issued on Friday.

The CMA repeated its request for a meeting with international mediators to discuss the viability of the peace deal, which it had said in December was close to breaking down.

Mali saw two military coups, in August 2020 and May 2021.

Under international pressure, the current military government has agreed to allow a return to civilian rule in March 2024.

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Sebastian Hahn (L) and his girlfriend set off fireworks at a village in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 23, 2023. [Xinhua/Guo Cheng]

HAIKOU, Jan. 25 (Xinhua)  This is Sebastian Hahn's ninth Spring Festival in south China's island province of Hainan, but it's the first time that he spent the Chinese Lunar New year in a village.

Hahn, from Berlin, Germany, graduated from Hainan University in 2020 and opened a cafe with his Chinese girlfriend Tina last year in Haikou, capital of Hainan.

During this year's Spring Festival, Hahn visited Tina's hometown, a village in Danzhou City.

"I used to spend Spring Festival in Haikou, which was almost empty during the festival. Restaurants and shops were closed because people who work here went to their hometowns elsewhere," he said, adding that he could see people everywhere in the village.

In the village, Hahn experienced a totally different Spring Festival, including going to street fairs, making rice dumplings, and playing with fireworks and firecrackers.

"The market is full of people, full of every kind of smell from fresh fruits to fireworks, and I think it is the atmosphere of the Chinese Lunar New Year," he said, noting that it's so traditional and lively that he never knew before.

On the second day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, Hahn learned how to make rice dumplings from his girlfriend's mom. "Use sticky rice flour together with water to make little balls, and then boil them in water. It's interesting," he said. "The rice dumplings go well with sugar and taste delicious."

Hahn's favorite thing was to play fireworks. "When I play fireworks, it reminds me of my childhood, because in Germany, we also have fireworks for the new year," said Hahn.

He also visited the Dongpo Academy, a famous tourist scenic spot in Danzhou. "Su Dongpo was a famous poet who lived in China's Song Dynasty (960-1279), and he was very popular with Chinese people," said Hahn. "You can see his name quite often in Hainan. For example, at Hainan University, there's a big lake named Dongpo Lake, and there's also a big statue of him."

Hahn noticed that besides some general customs and traditions like putting up spring couplets and playing firecrackers, Hainan also has its special local tradition. "In Hainan, people eat a lot of chicken. We ate chicken yesterday and today, and will eat again tomorrow. On the market, chickens are found everywhere, and everybody buys fresh chicken and even live chickens," he said.

Hahn had prepared "hongbao," traditional red envelopes of cash gifts given during the holiday, specially for Tina and her family. "I think when you spend so much time in China, you need to adapt to local customs," he said.

In Hahn's eyes, the Spring Festival is similar to Christmas in Germany. "It's the most important festival for Chinese people, and all the family members come together to reunite, the same like Christmas," he said.

Sebastian Hahn (L) and his girlfriend set off fireworks at a village in Danzhou, south China's Hainan Province, Jan. 23, 2023. [Xinhua/Guo Cheng]

(Source: Xinhua)
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Baerbel Bas, president of the Bundestag lower house, paid tribute to those people persecuted and killed because of their sexual or gender identity during World War II.
Illinois man charged with assault with intent to murder in stabbing of 14-year-old girl in Michigan
Italy's prime minister held talks in Libya on Saturday with officials from the country's west-based government focusing on energy and migration, top issues for Italy and the European Union.

During the visit, the two countries oil companies signed a gas deal worth $8 billion - the largest single investment in Libya's energy sector in more than two decades.

Libya is the second North African country that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, three months in office, visited this week.

She is seeking to secure new supplies of natural gas to replace Russian energy amid Moscow's war on Ukraine. She previously visited Algeria, Italy's main supplier of natural gas, where she signed several memorandums.

Meloni landed at the Mitiga airport, the only functioning airport in Libya's capital, Tripoli, amid tight security, accompanied by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, her office said.

She met with Abdel Hamid Dbeibah, who heads one of Libya's rival administrations, and was also to hold talks with Mohamed Younis Menfi, who chairs Libya's ceremonial presidential council.

At a round table with Dbeibah, Meloni repeated her remarks from Algeria, saying that while Italy wants to increase its profile in the region, it doesn't seek a ``predatory'' role but wants to help African nations ``grow and become richer.''

During the visit, Claudio Descalzi, the CEO of Italy's state-run energy company, ENI, signed an $8 billion deal with Libya's National Oil Corporation to develop two Libyan offshore gas fields. NOC's chairman Farhat Bengdara also signed.

The agreement involves developing two offshore fields in Block NC-41, north of Libya and ENI said they would start pumping gas in 2026, and estimated to reach 750 million cubic feet per day, the Italian firm said in a statement.

ENI has continued to operate in Libya despite ongoing security issues, producing gas mostly for the domestic market. Last year, Libya delivered just 2.63 billion cubic meters to Italy through the Greenstream pipeline - well below the annual levels of 8 billion cubic meters before Libya's decline in 2011.

Instability increased domestic demand, and underinvestment has hampered Libya's gas deliveries abroad, according to Matteo Villa of the Milan-based ISPI think tank. New deals ``are important in terms of image,'' Villa said.

Also, because of Moscow's war on Ukraine, Italy has moved to reduce its dependence on Russian natural gas. Last year, Italy reduced imports by two-thirds, to 11 billion cubic meters.

Meloni is the top European official to visit oil-rich Libya since the country failed to hold presidential and parliamentary elections in December 2021. That prompted Libya's east-based parliament to appoint a rival government after Dbeibah refused to step down.

Libya has for most of the past decade been ruled by rival governments - one based in the country's east, and the other in Tripoli, in the west. The country descended into chaos following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising turned civil war that toppled and later killed longtime autocratic ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

Piantedosi's presence during the visit signaled that migration is a top concern in Meloni's trip. The interior minister has been spearheading the government's crackdown on charity rescue boats operating off Libya, initially denying access to ports and more recently, assigning ports in northern Italy, requiring days of navigation.

At a joint news conference with Meloni, Dbeibah said Saturday that Italy would provide five ``fully equipped'' boats to Libya's coast guard to help stem the flow of migrants to the European shores.

Meloni needs to show ``some kind of a step-up, compared to her predecessor in terms of migration and energy policy in Libya,'' said Jalel Harchaoui, a Libya expert and an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.

But ``it will be difficult to improve upon Rome's existing western Libya tactics, which have been chugging along,'' he said.

The North African nation has also become a hub for African and Middle Eastern migrants seeking to travel to Europe, with Italy receiving tens of thousands every year.

Successive Italian governments and the European Union have supported the Libyan coast guard and militias loyal to Tripoli in hopes of curbing such perilous sea crossings.

The United Nations and rights groups, however, say those European policies leave migrants at the mercy of armed groups or confined in squalid detention centers rife with abuse.

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On December 19, rank-and-file Mack Trucks worker and socialist candidate for UAW president Will Lehman filed a formal legal protest over the first round of the International Officer Elections, which took place in November. Lehman is demanding that all candidates be placed on the ballot in the runoff or that the elections be re-held, citing widespread and deliberate voter suppression, which resulted in a catastrophically low turnout of less than 10 percent.

The court-appointed monitor overseeing the UAW is currently conducting a second round of runoff voting between long-time UAW bureaucrats Shawn Fain and Ray Curry, who each earned less than 4 percent of the total eligible votes in the first round. In a blatant disregard of the rights of union members, the UAW leadership and the UAW Monitor are proceeding with the run-off even though the results of the first round have not been certified. The results cannot be legally certified until the Monitor makes a ruling on Lehmans protest, which remains pending.

Below is a statement issued by Lehman summing up the most important facts about the UAW elections uncovered in his challenge to the election results. For more information, you can read Lehmans entire 50-page protest online at willforuawpresident.org/protest.

1. The entrenched UAW leadership, after being found guilty of grotesque corruption, tried to prevent a direct membership vote of top UAW officers.

Direct elections were forced on the union by the US Department of Justice after an investigation uncovered a culture of corruption within the UAW leadership, resulting in the jailing of two previous UAW presidents and other top officers. UAW leaders were caught taking bribes from Chrysler in exchange for signing sellout contracts and embezzling millions of dollars of workers dues money to finance their luxurious lifestyles.

The Department of Justice required the union to hold a referendum on whether to hold direct elections. This referendum passed in December 2021 over the opposition of the entrenched leadership, including Ray Curry himself, who campaigned for a no vote.

2. Its not a democracy if less than 10 percent get to vote.

One million out of the UAWs 1.1 million eligible members did not vote in the first round of the election. The 9 percent turnout is among the lowestperhaps the lowestin the history of direct elections for national union officers. If the UAW was a country, it would have the lowest election turnout of any country in the world.

The low turnout was predicted by Lehman, who filed a lawsuit in November warning that a majority of members did not have adequate notice of the election. If ballots continue to be sent at this rate each day through the November 28 deadline, total turnout will be roughly 104,000, he warned. As it turned out, a total of 104,776 ballots were counted.

Lehmans lawsuit, which requested a 30-day extension to election deadlines, was denied after it was opposed by the Biden administrations Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, by attorneys representing the UAW apparatus and the court-appointed Monitor.

3. The low turnout was not an accident. It was a goal.

A survey conducted after the election by Lehmans campaign suggested that most locals did not provide any notice of election deadlines. A majority of workers who responded to the survey said that their locals failed to put up posters, send emails, make phone calls or send text messages notifying them about the election. Only about 10 percent of locals posted anything substantial about the election on social media or their websites.

As a result of this inadequate notice, many UAW members learned for the first time that there was an election from leaflets distributed by Lehmans campaign.

Meanwhile, UAW officials put out disinformation designed to discourage members from voting. At some locals, officials lied to temporary part-time (TPT) workers, telling them they could not vote. In a number of locals, Lehmans campaign discovered that members had been told that voting deadlines had already passed when they had not.

4. The entrenched UAW leadership worked behind the backs of the rank-and-file to make sure that officials and their close associates voted.

Lehmans protest proved that the bureaucracy skewed the vote in favor of its preferred candidates by giving notice of the election through an internal communications network called the Local Union Information System (LUIS), which had originally been set up to allow the entrenched leadership to communicate with itself. The LUIS system, which a federal judge admitted kind of cut out the membership, ensured that the bureaucrats and their associates received notice of the election and were able to vote, while keeping rank-and-file union members in the dark.

5. The court-appointed monitor failed to ensure a democratic election.

Lehmans protest documents numerous problems throughout the election that were not addressed by the court-appointed Monitora law firm which is being paid with millions of dollars of workers dues money to oversee the UAW.

In light of widespread problems with the mailing lists during the referendum vote, the Monitor issued rules for the 2022 election, which mandated, the improvement of membership mailing information to ensure the enfranchisement of as many members as possible and the broad education of members on the fact of the 2022 Election to facilitate as broadly as possible their participation in it

However, the UAW Monitor took no serious actions to enforce this mandate. Instead, like leaving a fox in charge of the henhouse, the Monitor left it up to the UAW bureaucracy to update mailing addresses and run the election. 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.

6. The UAW used advanced technology and resources to get out the vote for the Democrats in the midterms, but refused to use those same tools in its own election.

When it came to campaigning for Democratic candidates in the national midterm elections, the UAW utilized advanced technology, organized public events, spent millions of dollars, and bombarded union members with glossy mailers.

Tellingly, the UAW did none of those things when it came to its own internal election. Instead, throughout the election, Lehmans campaign volunteers faced systematic retaliation and intimidation from UAW officials when they tried to pass out leaflets. Union officials frequently called company security on Lehmans supporters in an attempt to prevent them from campaigning, in violation of the election rules.

As Lehman writes in the protest: In one election, the UAW leadership wanted its members to vote. In the other, it did not.

7. The UAW discriminated against academic worker members.

Among 11,000 California State University members, just 29 votes were cast. Among 9,000 University of Washington students, just 72 votes were cast. Among 48,000 University of California workers (who were on strike), turnout was 2.6 percent.

There is no innocent explanation for the unacceptably low turnout among academic and student members, who comprise a large, new, and militant section of the union membership. Meanwhile, the entrenched leadership had a clear motive to disenfranchise members in these locals because it had demonstrably lower support there.

8. The issue is not apathy!

The UAW bureaucracy is now attempting to cover up the rigged election by claiming that members did not vote because they were apathetic.

It is true that many members, with good reason, do not have any confidence in the corrupt UAW apparatus. But members do vote when they are aware of their rights. Local 5810 at the University of California, for example, recently cast 4,756 votes on a contract ratificationbut only weeks earlier, cast only 328 votes in the election for national officers.

This proves that the issue was not that rank-and-file members did not care. The issue was that they did not know that an election was even happening. This was the result of a deliberate policy by the UAW bureaucracy to keep the turnout as low as possible and hold on to their positions and high salaries.

9. Will Lehmans own vote was never counted.

Will Lehman was duly nominated as a candidate for the office of president at the unions 38th Constitutional Convention in Detroit. He is a rank-and-file member of UAW Local 677 in good standing.

However, once the votes were all tallied, Will Lehman discovered his own vote had never even been scanned. If it happened to Lehman, despite the fact that he is a candidate who mailed his ballot well in advance of the deadline, it is likely to have happened to countless other rank-and-file workers.

10. Lehmans protest is about the democratic rights of all members, whether they would have voted for him or not!

Will Lehman is fighting for rank-and-file workers to transfer power from the corrupt UAW leadership to workers on the shop floor to fight job cuts, eliminate all tiers and overturn decades of UAW-backed concessions. But Lehmans protest is not just about his individual rights as a candidate and member. It is about the democratic rights of all active members and retirees to meaningfully participate in an election.

Some members may feel that they were given a fair opportunity to vote, but all rank-and-file members and retirees can agree that the election needs to be redone if not all members were given the same fair opportunity to vote.

The union, the government, and the Monitor will try to sweep Lehmans protest under the rug if they think workers are looking the other way! Will Lehman urges all rank-and-file members to read the entire protest, discuss it out loud, and submit your statements in support. Email Lehmans campaign at willforuawpresident@gmail.com today to share your comments about the elections.
On January 20, the Belmarsh Tribunalnamed after the maximum security prison in the United Kingdom where WikiLeaks founder and journalist Julian Assange has languished for three yearsconvened in Washington D.C. to demand that US President Joe Biden drop charges against Assange, who currently faces extradition to the US and a 175-year prison sentence.

While the tribunal heard important testimony from whistleblowers such as Daniel Ellsberg and principled journalists and civil rights activists such as attorney Margaret Kunstler, it was marred by the bankrupt orientation of the Progressive Internationalwhich hosted the eventwhose entire outlook consists of an appeal to the Biden administration and the Democratic Party.

Assange, 51, has been charged under the 1917 Espionage Act for WikiLeaks exposure of war crimes committed by the US military in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2010, WikiLeaks published the now infamous Collateral Murder footage of US Apache helicopters massacring as many as 18 unarmed civilians and journalists in Baghdad. The subsequently published Iraq War Logs, made up of US Army field reports, detailed systematic war crimes committed against the civilian population of Iraq.

Julian Assange [Photo by David G. Silvers, Cancilleria del Ecuador / CC BY-SA 2.0

The tone for the tribunal was set by Croatian philosopher Srecko Horvat, who in his opening remarks made a ludicrous amalgam between Thomas Jefferson and President Joe Biden, on the basis that both are hypocrites; Jefferson for owning slaves and nominally espousing equality, Biden for nominally defending freedom of the press. He ended his remarks with the first of many appeals to Biden to drop the charges against Assange.

Important testimony was provided by Jeffrey Sterling, a former CIA official turned whistleblower, who compared the Espionage Act to the anti-literacy laws during the slavery era, which were designed to prevent slaves from receiving an education because, in his words, an educated slave wont be a slave for long.

Similarly the Espionage Act, a deeply reactionary law first enacted in 1917, was used to suppress opposition to the United States entry into the First World War.

Sterling denounced the legal travesty of the case against Assange, describing the Espionage Act as a because we say so law, given that the government has not had to prove any harm that was caused by Assanges revelations.

Testimony was provided by civil rights attorney Margaret Kunstler. While her principled stance in defense of Assange is to be applauded, in her remarks she further laid the political groundwork for an appeal to the Democratic Party when she rooted the beginning of the persecution of Assange in 2017, when Donald Trump assumed the presidency. The implication being that Biden and the Democrats can be persuaded to reverse course and drop charges. In fact, it was the Obama administration that spearheaded the initial assault on Assange.

The appearance of Jeremy Corbyn at the panel, who was introduced as the pure opposite of Labour Party leader Keir Starmer, was a shameful display of hypocrisy. In his demagogic address, Corbyn lamented the complicity of elected officials in the US and elsewhere in the persecution of Assange, saying, Your silence makes it worse for democracy as a whole. He ended with a bland appeal to US officials to Speak up!

His appeal to Biden is an echo of his 2021 appeal to the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, as part of the bankrupt Dont Extradite Assange (DEA) campaign, which promptly fizzled out. Corbyns response to this was to throw up his hands and declare, Ive done all I can!

This appeal to the Democrats was taken up by nearly every speaker, including Betty Medsger (Washington Post journalist who covered the leaked FBI files in 1971) and Steven Donziger, who gave important testimony about the corporatism of the US security apparatus, referencing the police murder of the climate activist in Atlanta at the beginning of the year. Despite this, he thereafter called upon Biden to step up and free Assange.

In his remarks to the tribunal, whistleblower Daniel Ellsbergwho most recently released documents showing just how close the US came to using nuclear weapons against China during the Taiwan crisis in 1958spoke about the intentionally ambiguous wording of the Espionage Act, which allows prosecution not just of those who leak sensitive information, but also individuals who merely possess it, overriding the First Amendment. With that in mind, he called on Biden to indict me along with Julian Assange and others, or to drop this unconstitutional attempt to extradite Julian.

Finally, there was a moving address provided by Assanges father, John Shipton, who denounced the hypocrisy of the Western democracies, who trumpet their freedom while persecuting journalists.

Horvat concluded the tribunal by saying it had provided convincing testimony that would hopefully convince Biden to drop charges.

The tribunal provided no serious analysis of the nature of Assanges persecution or the growth of authoritarian forms of rule throughout the world. While it spoke to elements of this tendency, it could not explain it. It could not answer why, in fact it could not even pose this question in any serious manner.

This is par for the course for the Progressive International, originally formed by US Senator Bernie Sanders in collaboration with such figures as the Greek politician Yanos Varoufakis, who served as finance minister for the Syriza government in 2015, when he oversaw the imposition of austerity measures on the Greek workers.

Sanders, for his part, has faithfully served the US ruling class by directing mass opposition to both capitalist parties back into the Democratic Party, with the illusory aim of reforming this party of imperialist reaction.

The speakers could not offer any solution aside from an appeal to the same forces responsible for erecting the police-state apparatus. In his capacity as vice president in the Obama administration, Biden presided over an unprecedented expansion of the power and reach of the US security state. Whistleblowers such as Edward Snowden who exposed this growth of unaccountable powerrevealing, for instance, that the National Security Administration (NSA) was secretly spying on millions of Americanswere ruthlessly persecuted.

The Obama White House crossed another Rubicon with the advent of targeted assassinations using drones, effectively extrajudicial executions even of American citizens, without due process. With this history in mind, appealing to Biden to reverse course now amounts to asking the devil to voluntarily cut off his own claws.

The defense of journalists such as Julian Assange, and the most fundamental democratic rights to free speech and press, cannot be left in the hands of any section of the ruling class. The most principled journalists must turn towards the most powerful social force on earth, and the only one that can possibly defend democratic rightsthe international working class.
The White House confirmed Thursday that the United States is considering sending Western fighter jets to Ukraine to fight Russia.

Asked whether the United States is willing to consider sending fighter jets to Ukraine, White House deputy national security advisor Jon Finer told MSNBC Thursday that the United States will be discussing this very carefully.

[Photo: Tech Sgt. Micahel Ammons, USAF]

The announcement Wednesday by President Joe Biden that the United States would send the Abrams main battle tank to Ukraine was immediately met with demands within the media and political establishment to send the F-16 multi-role fighter jet as well.

The F-16 is a fourth-generation supersonic fighter. It is capable of deploying the 1.2 megaton B83 nuclear bomb. It is a major component of NATOs nuclear sharing system of frontline deployed tactical nuclear weapons in Europe.

The statement by Finer came the same day that Thomas Gassilloud, the chairman of the French defense committee, said that France would leave all the doors open to sending Western fighter aircraft into the war with Russia.

Netherlands Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra, asked last week if the country would consider sending fighters to Ukraine, replied, When it comes to things that the Netherlands can supply, there are no taboos.

On Wednesday, ArmyINFORM, an information agency for Ukraines ministry of defense, reported that Ukrainian fighter pilots have already begun training in the United States. Our military pilots went to the United States, funds were allocated for the training of our pilots, wrote the publication, quoting a Ukrainian ministry of defense official.

The publication reported that the type of aircraft the United States will send to Ukraine has already been decided. The type of aircraft, which is likely to be provided to Ukraine, and the corresponding terms of training have already been determined.

These plans have been underway for months, according to earlier statements by US officials. In July, Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chief of staff of the US Air Force, told the Washington Post that discussions are ongoing about sending fighter jets to Ukraine.

Speaking at the Aspen Security Conference that month, Brown was asked, [I]s it possible the US could sell or provide Ukraine more US fighter platforms? To this, Brown replied, [I]tll be something non-Russian, I could probably tell you that.

While these plans have been ongoingincluding the reported training of Ukrainian pilots on US fighter jetsfor months, they have received renewed public attention after the announcement that the US would send Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine.

On Friday, leading Democratic and Republican senators called on the White House to send F-16 fourth-generation nuclear-capable fighter aircraft to Ukraine.

Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal demanded that the jets be provided to erode Russias capability to continue fighting in Ukraine.

The senators added, While the tanks represent a tremendous upgrade in Ukraines military, we urge the Biden administration and our allies to send more long range artillery, such as ATACMS, and fighter aircraft such as F-16s.

They continued, The combination of tanks, fighter aircraft, and ATACMS will help Ukraine confront the upcoming Russian offensive and go on offense in both the East and the South.

The letter concluded, Lets give the Ukrainians everything they need to winnow.

An intelligence analyst cited by the Kyiv Post embraced the senators call to send fighter jets and long-range missiles, declaring that with these weapons, it will be within Ukraines possibility to take out rail lines and bridges leading into Ukraine from Russia. Ukraines ability to wipe out the Kerch Bridge would become realistic.

The analyst praised the abject fear it would project into the hearts of Russian battle commanders. Using Ukraines incredible human intelligence and Americas geospatial precisionevery Russian commander in Ukraine would become a target.

Plans for supplying NATO jets are already underway. The Financial Times reported that Lockheed Martin has already increased production of F-16 fighters to compensate for countries planning to transfer them to Ukraine. The company is going to be ramping up production on F-16s in Greenville [South Carolina] to get to the place where we will be able to backfill pretty capably, said Frank St. John, chief operating officer of Lockheed Martin.

We will get F-16s, Yuriy Sak, an advisor to Ukraines Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, told CNBC Thursday.

These discussions are taking place as Ukrainian troops are pouring into NATO countries to undergo training. The first Ukrainian soldiers arrived in Germany Thursday to undergo training on Marder Infantry fighting vehicles.

To an even greater degree than the M1 Abrams battle tank, sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine would involve the deployment of a massive logistical infrastructure and supply lines into Ukraine from the NATO countries, likely including the deployment of American civilian contractors to help maintain these sophisticated systems.

In the second mention of the deployment of US contractors to Ukraine this week, CNN speculated that the deployment of F-16s would mean that Western contractors could be sent to Ukraine, putting them at risk of Russian attack.

The deployment of these massive logistic networks for NATO weapons, staffed by civilian contractors for NATO, would greatly intensify pressure for military escalation, including calls for the creation of no-fly zones and the direct deployment of NATO troops to the war zone.
The EU is not adding Irans Revolutionary Guards to its list of terrorist organisations as part of the sanctions announced this week, leaving the way open for further talks with Tehran, writes Manal Lotfy

The latest round of European sanctions against Iranian officials and security organisations involved in human rights violations and the excessive use of force against demonstrators shows the difficulties that Europe and the West in general have in putting pressure on Tehran.

The EU wants Tehran to change its behaviour internally and regionally, but it also wants to maintain cordial relations with it that will allow the continuation of the talks aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Sweden, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, said the new sanctions targeted those driving the repression in Iran.

In a meeting in Brussels on Monday, EU foreign ministers imposed sanctions on more than 30 Iranian officials and organisations, but the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was not included until further legal processes are complete.

The EU decision was considered by many observers as an act of political pragmatism, since the EU does not want to close the door to negotiations with Iran, despite the recent deterioration in relations against the background of the stalemate in the nuclear negotiations, the suppression of the demonstrations in Iran, and Iranian military support for Russia.

Although the European Parliament gave the green light in a non-binding decision to declare the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organisation, the EU foreign ministers did not vote in favour after Iran warned that such a move would be a dangerous escalation to which it would respond by declaring European militaries also to be terrorist organisations.

There are disagreements within EU institutions and among European leaders over the best way to deal with Iran. Much is at stake, including the future of nuclear non-proliferation in the Middle East, the dangerous volatility of the oil market, and the regional balance of power.

The ministers adopted a new package of sanctions against Iran, targeting those driving the repression The EU strongly condemns the brutal and disproportionate use of force by the Iranian authorities against peaceful protesters, the EU Presidency said in a tweet on Monday.

The decision saw 37 additional Iranian officials and organisations, including a government minister and various regional governors and lawmakers involved in the crackdown on protesters and other human rights abuses, added to the list of sanctions.

Among the Iranian officials sanctioned are Irans Sport and Youth Minister Hamid Sajjadi, who has been accused of pressuring Irans athletes to keep silent. The Iranian Special Police Forces were also targeted, accused of using excessive violence and lethal force against unarmed protesters.

Companies linked to cyber-security, spyware, social media filtering, and the production of security equipment allegedly used in the crackdowns were also hit. But the elephant in the room was not declaring the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation, a decision that, had it been taken, would have put Iranian-European relations on a collision course.

Some EU governments and the European Parliament have made clear that they want the IRGC added to the blocs list of terrorist organisations. But EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell, who chaired the meeting, said that this could only happen if a court in a member country handed down a ruling condemning the guards for terrorist acts.

It is something that cannot be decided without a court decision first, he told reporters.

Iran had warned the EU that it would take reciprocal measures after the European Parliament voted in a non-binding resolution to list the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist group.

On Sunday, Irans parliament tabled legislation to designate European armed forces as terrorists, saying that this would be put to a vote if the bloc moved forward with its proposal.

The parliament is working to place elements of the European countries armies on the terrorist list of the Islamic Republic, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Twitter.

Amir-Abdollahian and Guards Chief Hossein Salami attended a closed session of Irans parliament on Sunday to discuss the response. The European Parliament has shot itself in the foot, Irans top diplomat said.

If European diplomats who have no experience in diplomacy... do not correct their positions, every possibility is conceivable, he was quoted as saying by Irans State News Agency (IRNA).

Asked if Iran would consider withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty or expelling UN inspectors from the country, Amir-Abdollahian said all options were on the table.

Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohamed Bagher Ghalibaf also said on Sunday that the legislature would retaliate immediately and decisively if the EU upheld or ratified the European Parliaments vote.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanani warned against such a move. Based on the UN Charter and international law, blacklisting this state entity would constitute a clear violation of the Charter, Kanani said, touting the IRGC as an organisation that significantly contributes to the security of Iran and the region.

Any violation of the IRGC would be a violation of Irans national security, and the repercussions would be directed at the violator, he added.

The EU has already imposed three rounds of sanctions on Iranian officials and organisations, including ministers, military officers, and Irans morality police, for human rights violations over the protests that erupted in Iran in mid-September over the death of Iranian woman Mahsa Amini after being detained by the morality police in Tehran on charges of not wearing her hijab, or Islamic headscarf, appropriately.

The latest round of sanctions means that the EU sanctions now apply to a total of 164 people and 31 entities.

The UK also announced more sanctions on Iranian officials, including Deputy Prosecutor-General Ahmad Fazelian. According to the UK Foreign Office, Fazelian is responsible for a judicial system characterised by unfair trials and punishments, including the use of the death penalty for political purposes.

The list of sanctions imposed also includes Kiyumars Heidari, commander of the Islamic Republics Ground Forces. The UK Foreign Office said in a statement that Heidari had publicly admitted to his forces involvement in the violent response to the November 2019 protests.

Also on the sanctions list is Hossein Nejat, deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard of Sarallah, the division responsible for the security of Tehran. The UK has now imposed 50 new sanctions in response to human rights violations by the Iranian regime since Aminis death.

The US is also tightening its policies towards Iran and sending messages to the effect that all options are on the table if the nuclear negotiations fail.

The US and Israel began a massive joint military exercise in Israel on Monday.

Juniper Oak 23 is the most significant exercise between the United States and Israel to date, a senior US defence official told the US network NBC News, citing its enormous number of aircraft, extensive coordination with the Israel Defence Forces, and complicated live-fire component.

Meanwhile, US Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley said in a Bloomberg TV interview that Washington would increase the pressure on China to cease imports of Iranian oil as the US tries to enforce nuclear sanctions on Iran.

China is the main destination of illicit exports by Iran, and talks to dissuade Beijing from the purchases are going to be intensified, he said.

The US will take steps that we need to take to stop the export of Iranian oil and deter countries from buying it, Malley said. We have not lessened any of our sanctions against Iran and in particular regarding Irans sale of oil.

Irans oil sales have increased in recent months, especially to China, the worlds largest oil importer, after Tehran lowered the price of a barrel of oil to compensate for losses due to the international sanctions imposed on it.

The US Biden administration wants to increase the economic and political pressure on Iran in order to push it to return to the nuclear negotiating table with the West and change its policies regarding support for Russia in its war in Ukraine by supplying it with drones.

However, the European-US strategy to pressure Iran to change its domestic and international approach is fraught with dangers, given the growing belief of a segment within the Iranian elite that the West is supporting the demonstrations in Iran in order to destabilise the regime and that any new nuclear agreement will not last long.

With the deterioration of trust between Tehran and the West, any miscalculations may complicate relations even further and set them back decades.

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Socialist Alternative member Kshama Sawant has announced that she will not seek re-election for the city council of Seattle, Washington and will instead form a new movement, called Workers Strike Back, to rebuild the class struggle in America. Sawant explained the decision in an op-ed published in the local Seattle publication, The Stranger, on January 19.

This marks a sudden change of course for Socialist Alternative and Sawant, who has served on the Seattle City Council for just short of a decade. Sawant was first elected in 2013, was re-elected twice, and defeated a right-wing recall effort in 2021. At the time of her inauguration in January 2014, she presented her election as having made waves around the world and pledged to use her position to help build a new political party, a mass organization of the working class run byand accountable tothemselves. Her present term will expire in January 2024.

Sawants letter presents the Workers Strike Back initiative as the national extension of her time in office. As a member of Seattles city council, she writes that working people achieved historic victories which set a powerful example that has had a national and even international impact. In office, Sawant writes, we have prevailed again and again. This is the most important lesson from our example of socialist politics in Seattle. That when workers and young people get organized and fight, we can win. Among the victories she cites are the passage of a modest city tax on Amazon and the enactment of a $15/hour minimum wage law.

Kshama Sawant [Photo: Seattle City Council]

In her announcement, Sawant focuses on juxtaposing her political record to those of other elected officials in this country, namely members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), who are failing to stand up to the political establishment.

Responding to growing left-wing opposition to the DSA, she writes, Just last month we saw the historic and shameful betrayal of railroad workers by members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, including caucus chair Pramila Jayapal and self-proclaimed democratic socialist Squad members such as AOC [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez].

Sawant writes that working people and the left cannot stand by and wait on so-called progressive elected officials. We cannot put our faith in the AOCs or the Pramila Jayapals and that the organization that should be holding AOC and the Squad accountable, the Democratic Socialists of America, appears to be unwilling to do so. It gives me no pleasure to say this, because I am currently a member of DSA. But the DSA leadership has, for the most part, provided cover for the misleadership of the squad.

Sawants new initiative comes amid a rising wave of strikes and social protests. Under these conditions, Sawant worries that there is a vacuum of real left leadership, locally and national.

The purpose of Workers Strike Back is to fill this vacuum, which Sawant defines with left-sounding language, calling it a nationwide movementan independent, rank-and-file campaign organizing in workplaces and on the streets. She says: The task of rebuilding the class struggle in America will go nowhere if young people and the rank-and-file of the labor movement are not clear about the role of the Democratic Party.

An appraisal of Sawant and Socialist Alternatives role shows they have already systematically violated every principle upon which they claim their new movement will be built.

Kshama Sawant: A political balance sheet

Sawant and Socialist Alternative are not opponents of the Democratic Party. They have operated in a de facto alliance with a section of the Democrats for years, promoting the very same progressive Democrats she now claims cannot be trusted. It is certainly true that the building of a socialist movement must be clear about the role of the Democratic Party, but Sawant and Socialist Alternative have spent years promoting illusions in the Democratic Party.

This was already evident in 2013, when Sawant first won office. At that time, an organization called Democrats for Sawant was created to promote her campaign. Sawant now claims we cannot put our faith in the AOCs or Pramila Jayapals, but that is exactly what Sawant has told her supporters to do for many years. In 2015, Jayapal endorsed Sawant when the former was a Democratic state senator (she is now a congressperson and leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus). Upon winning Jayapals endorsement, Sawant said it was proof that career Democratic Party politicians can be won to socialism:

What this shows more than anything else is the fact that a lot of the people who identify themselves as Democratic Party members or politicians or activists are actually looking for the kind of fight that I have waged in Seattle.

Over the years, Sawant has boasted about the endorsements of official Democratic Party groups and various Democratic officials. In February 2015, Sawant attended a fundraiser for Democratic Party county official Larry Gossett weeks after he voted to build a $200 million youth prison. Socialist Alternative defended the move: We should fight to win the support of Democratic politicians for demands that advance the interests of working people, adding, Its these people who we need to work closely with and convince and encourage to pressure the establishment.

In 2018, when Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was elected to Congress, Sawant rushed to promote illusions in the New York DSA member as a model for change. In a letter to Ocasio-Cortez, Sawant wrote, I am writing to congratulate you, and other newly elected socialists, on your elections To those who campaigned for you I also offer my congratulations, including to members of Democratic Socialists of America, who along with my organization, Socialist Alternative, helped bring your fight to hundreds of thousands of working people.

Sawant downplayed concerns over the fact that Ocasio-Cortez ran as a Democrat, saying, despite these differences we believe we can and should work together to build a sustained movement with democratic structures to win the working class demands on which you campaigned.

Amid the mass demonstrations against the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, Sawant and Socialist Alternative appealed to the Democratic Party to pressure the Seattle police to reform themselves. Socialist Alternative wrote, If there are ordinary cops who really want reform then now is the time to stand up, adding, We believe in the right of the police to form unions so that they have a way to resist being used by the ruling class against working people.

Even after the Democratic Partys anti-democratic, failed attempt to recall her in 2021, Sawant continued to promote the progressive bona fides of a wing of the Democratic-controlled city council, writing, I strongly urge that they and our socialist office act in unity as the City Councils progressive wing.

Moreover, Socialist Alternative essentially transformed itself into an organization for the election of Democratic Party presidential candidate Bernie Sanders in both 2016 and 2020. It promoted Sanders fraudulent claim to be leading a political revolution, which translated in both elections into backing the establishment Democratic Party candidate, while Sanders himself has been elevated into the leadership of the Democratic Party caucus in the Senate.

In other words, when Sawant and Socialist Alternative say all movements oriented to the Democratic Party go nowhere, they inadvertently summarize both their political past and future trajectory.

Sawant and Socialist Alternatives promotion of the DSA

In her letter announcing the formation of Workers Strike Back, Sawant criticizes the DSA for voting to illegalize the railroad strike. She denounces the DSA for betraying the working class and providing cover for the misleadership of the Squad.

Sawant calls these realities unfortunate, and even this choice of words is aimed at obfuscating the DSAs class essence. The DSAs vote to illegalize the railroad strike is not some unfortunate accident that could have been avoided with better leadership. On the contrary, it was an expression of the organizations longstanding role as a faction of the Democratic Party, which is irreconcilably hostile to the working class and eviscerates workers basic rights to secure corporate profits.

Notably, Sawant makes no mention of the DSAs vote to fund the US/NATO war against Russia in Ukraine, helping to cover the DSA members attempt to put a left face on American imperialism. Sawants longstanding support for Jayapal is partly responsible for the latters ascension as head of the Progressive Caucus, which rescinded its mild call for negotiations to end the war and instead called for escalating the war to the brink of nuclear catastrophe.

Sawant and Socialist Alternative have themselves spent the last two years providing political support for the DSA by falsely presenting it as a genuine socialist organization. Sawant makes no attempt to answer the obvious question: If the DSA has exposed itself as a part of the political establishment and an enemy of the working class, what does it say about Socialist Alternatives decision to have its members join it?

The decision by Sawant and other Socialist Alternative members to join the DSA was presented as the organizations last major initiative, announced with the same level of fanfare as the launching of Workers Strike Back.

In December 2020, Sawant expended substantial political capital campaigning for entry into the DSA: Because of the urgency to build a wider socialist movement, I am now joining DSA, while remaining a member of Socialist Alternative.

Socialist Alternatives National Committee published a statement claiming the move was aimed at building a viable alternative to the Democratic Party and its ruling class leadership. Joining the DSA was necessary, Socialist Alternative wrote, in order to rebuild a fighting and democratic labor movement, struggles against oppression, and lay the foundations for a new mass working class party in the US.

Socialist Alternatives National Committee held up the DSA as the path for the building of a socialist movement on the basis of the most pragmatic numeric calculations, adding, DSA has grown dramatically, and a new generation of socialist activists have changed DSA for the better. Socialist Alternative has always been excited by DSAs growth despite our political differences with some of DSAs leading voices.

In this way, Socialist Alternative and Kshama Sawant presented the DSA as capable of leading the fight for a mass working class party, and stated that their aim was to recruit new members into the DSA. In so doing, they only legitimized the Democratic Partys efforts to use the DSA to trap social opposition and thereby rendered crucial political support to the capitalist class.

With DSA in crisis, Sawant and Socialist Alternative prepare a new trap

While it is now trying to distance itself from the DSA, Socialist Alternative joined the DSA because it has always been oriented to the Democratic Party, and because the DSA is the Democratic Party. The exposure of the DSA therefore is also an exposure of Socialist Alternative.

Under these conditions, Socialist Alternatives decision to launch a sudden new initiative is a tardy attempt to rinse off the mud from rolling around the Democratic Party pigsty. Its aim is also to avoid any political discussion of its disastrous policy by rushing its membership from one pragmatic activist exercise to the next.

This instability, which is rooted in the lack of political agreement between its members that characterizes all middle class organizations, also finds expression in the increasing reliance on the individual personality of Kshama Sawant.

Workers Strike Backs social media posts inordinately focus on her image, and it was significant that the change to Socialist Alternatives activity was announced not by the organization in its party publication, but by Sawant in a local newspaper. Sawants announcement also stated that she will be personally hosting a regular video broadcast beginning this summer. Two weeks after Sawants announcement, Socialist Alternative has not even posted a national committee statement endorsing the decision, though it did so in 2020 when Sawant and others joined the DSA.

The program of Workers Strike Back

The program of Workers Strike Back is, on its face, a non-socialist program consistent with the platitudes of most Democratic primary challengers, albeit with more radical language. Sawant describes Workers Strike Backs initial demands as fighting for a real raise, good union jobs for all, quality affordable housing and free healthcare for all, no more sell outs, and a fight racism, sexism, and all oppression. The organizations website lists five longer demands that contain no references to socialism, imperialism, war or COVID. It concludes with a call for building a new party that is careful to avoid using the word socialism:

We need a new, multiracial, working-class party that organizes movements and fights unambiguously for our needs. In such a party, all elected leaders would accept only the average workers wage, like Seattle Councilmember Kshama Sawant. We would need elected leaders to be fully accountable to our membership and our demands, or else be removed. Under capitalism, the bosses call the shots and have a dictatorship over our workplaces. We need workers democracy and a different kind of society.

The non-socialist new party which Sawant and Socialist Alternative are calling for is based on the model set by the Greek Coalition of the Radical Left (SYRIZA), a similar broad coalition left party which enforced ruthless austerity measures at the behest of the European banks in 2015 and carried out brutal attacks on immigrants.

In this case, Socialist Alternatives orientation is particularly to mid-level union bureaucrats, who already make up a significant part of its membership and who are aware that the trade union bureaucracies are viewed as illegitimate and are unprepared to handle the emerging explosion of the class struggle. For this reason, Sawants statement refers to the need to unite progressive labor unions, and says her model for Workers Strike Back is the UK-based Enough Is Enough campaign, set up by the trade unions to better control growing discontent over the rising cost of living.

The United States, as Sawants statement acknowledges, is a social powder keg, with strikes and protests increasing. The DSA is in crisis, losing thousands of members as entire branches and groups become defunct as a result of a growing realization that the organization is nothing but a faction of the Democratic Party. Socialist Alternative is fighting to position itself as the next catchment area for social opposition.

It is most revealing that Sawants statement refers to a vacuum of real left leadership, locally and national. Sawant and Socialist Alternative are highly conscious that the DSA is losing its ability to trap social opposition from breaking out of the Democratic Party. The ruling class needs such traps to crush the class struggle and block opposition to their imperialist geostrategic designs.

Many socialist-minded workers and youth have passed through an important experience with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and are looking for a real way to fight for socialist revolution. The purpose of Workers Strike Back is to create a new trap, in alliance with sections of the pro-capitalist trade union bureaucracies, to block the growth of a genuine socialist movement independent of the two parties.
Friday evening, after weeks of protests by the family and community members, the city of Memphis, Tennessee released video footage documenting the January 7 fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols.



The footage from police body cameras and a stationary camera near the site of the police assault documented the savage attack on Nichols by at least five Memphis police officers, which resulted in his hospitalization and death three days later.

The gruesome footage, watched by millions across the US, evoked shock and outrage, triggering protests in Memphis, Atlanta, New York, Washington D.C. and other cities. The protests are expected to continue over the weekend and spread to other cities. On Friday evening, police reportedly arrested protesters at Times Square in New York.

A portrait of Tyre Nichols is displayed at a memorial service for him on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 in Memphis, Tenn. Nichols was killed during a traffic stop with Memphis Police on Jan. 7. [AP Photo/Adrian Sainz]

The 29-year-old father and FedEx worker was attacked after he was stopped, supposedly for a traffic violation, by members of the Scorpion (Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods) unit of the Memphis Police Department, created in the fall of 2021 by the Democratic city administration.

Driving unmarked vehicles, the police aggressively advanced on Nichols vehicle and surrounded the terrified and completely innocent man. Like Nichols, all of the police officers involvedDemetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills and Justin Smithwere African American.

The video shows that Nichols ran after he was surrounded by the police, who attempted to tase him. The police caught up with Nichols and viciously beat him for many minutes, using batons, tasers, fists and boots. As the police assaulted him, Nichols, who was roughly 100 yards from his mothers house, repeatedly screamed out for his mother and questioned why he was being attacked.

This combo of booking images provided by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office shows, from top row from left, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, bottom row from left, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith. [AP Photo/Shelby County Sheriff's Office via AP]

The cops took turns mocking and pummeling Nichols until he lost consciousness. They could be heard yelling, Give me your f****ing hands, and, Im going to baton the f**k out of you.



The stationary camera video shows that for more than 25 minutes at least a dozen cops, by then gathered at the scene, refused to offer medical aid or get the limp police beating victim to a hospital.

In an attempt to tamp down anger ahead of the release of the video on Friday, the Memphis Police Department announced the firing of the five cops who killed Nichols, and on Thursday the Shelby County district attorney brought multiple felony charges against them, including second-degree murder, kidnapping and oppression. While all five cops were booked into the Shelby County jail on Thursday, as of this writing, four had bonded out.

The killing of Nichols is the latest in an unending series of murders at the hands of police. So far this year, at least 79 people have been killed, according to a tracker maintained by the Washington Post. At this pace, roughly three killings a day, 2023 will meet or top the 2022 toll of more than 1,100 people killed by police officers in the US.



The fatal beating of Nichols by five African-American police undercuts the racialist narrative of police violence advanced by the Democratic Party and its identity and racial politics allies. It shatters the claim that the answer to police brutality is to diversify police departments.

Police violence, like every other social evil under capitalism, is fundamentally a class question. There are more white people killed by police in the US than blacks or Hispanics, although blacks and Hispanics are killed in numbers disproportionate to their percentage of the population. Racism plays a part, but a part secondary to social class. The police are recruited from more backward layers of the population, and police departments are known to be riddled with fascistic and white supremacist elements, including many veterans of US imperialist wars around the world.

What the overwhelming majority of victims of police violence and murder have in common is that they are part of the working class. Racism is itself an ideological and political weapon long employed by the capitalist class to divide the working class, in accordance with the strategy of divide and rule.

Racialist politics buttress this ruling class strategy. Memphis is a clear example. The second largest city in Tennessee has a population of 635,000, over 65 percent of which identifies as African-American. Roughly 56 percent of the police likewise identify as African-American, including female police chief Cerelyn Davis. Within four months of being sworn in as police chief on June 14, 2021, Davis created the Scorpion unit, which has become notorious for its brutal and repressive methods.

The tragedy of Tyre Nichols underscores the dead end of subordinating social opposition among workers and poor people to the Democratic Party and its promises to reform the police.

Following the police murder of George Floyd in May 2020, millions of youth, students and workers of all races marched together in opposition to police violence in cities and towns across the US, as well as in countries around the world. The Democratic Party and its allies intervened to derail the protests along racialist lines and channel them behind the election campaigns of Democratic politicians, including then-presidential hopeful Joe Biden.

In the nearly three years since the police murder of Floyd, billions of dollars have been spent on police departments around the country, and the killing of workers and poor people of all races has continued unabated.

In June 2021, five months after taking office, President Biden announced that states and localities could use any portion of the $350 billion in pandemic relief funds allotted them under the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan to fund their police departments.

In a speech last March unveiling his 2023 budget, Biden said, The answer is not to defund our police departments. Its to fund our police and give them all the tools they need The budget puts more police on the streets for community policing so they get to know the community they are policing.

An example of this on the streets community policing is the Scorpion unit in Memphis.

Under conditions of an unprecedented economic, social, political and geo-political crisis of the global capitalist system, marked by a drive toward world war, the growth of fascistic forces and breakdown of democratic forms of rule, and a revival on a world scale of working class struggles, the ruling oligarchies must bring forward the repressive forces of the state to defend their wealth and power.

As Lenin explained in State and Revolution, paraphrasing Engels, the police are one of the special bodies of armed men of the capitalist state. They exist to repress the resistance of the working class, with whatever violence is needed, to defend the property and wealth of the ruling oligarchy.

In a society so catastrophically unequal as the United States, it is impossible to rule without the savagery of police violence, which will increasingly be turned against striking workers.

Ending police violence requires the unification of the working class armed with a political understanding that the defense of democratic rights, including the right to life itself, requires a struggle to put an end to capitalism and reorganize society on an egalitarian, that is, socialist basis.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 21 million people, has elevated an existential question into concrete immediacy. Following COVID-19, when will the next pandemic of a highly lethal nature strike again?

A chicken farm [Photo by Fot. Konrad ozinski / CC BY 2.0

The first ever extensive global monkeypox outbreak affected multiple countries across nearly every continent. It felt like the world had dodged a bullet when cases began to subside. As well, the outbreak of the extremely deadly Ebola Sudan virus in Uganda threatened the region and beyond as it spread into the densely populated capital of Kampala. Such potential crises are appearing far more frequently in recent years, making new pandemics a risk to the worlds population which cannot be ignored.

The first new pandemic after COVID-19, which is still continuing to infect billions of people, may well be already in plain sight, but overlooked or dismissed for the most part by most news outlets and given no political attention.

The largest recorded outbreak of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been killing millions of birds since October 2021. From disease and related culling, in all more than 140 million poultry, including 60 million in North America and 48 million in Europe, have been killed, according to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).

A genetic analysis of the H5N1 influenza virus in the current avian pandemic has located it in a clade (virus family) circulating among poultry and wild birds across multiple continents, but most closely related to strains among European seabirds.

The first cases in North America were detected in December 2021 in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, on a bird farm. In February 2022, Floridas Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission reported that the death of black vultures at the states Hontoon Island State Park was caused by the same virus.

Over the next several months, the virus had spread into numerous wild bird species, commercial poultry, as well as mammals, including grizzly bears, red foxes, coyotes, seals and dolphins, as well as a human case confirmed on April 27 by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in an incarcerated individual in Colorado who had been involved in culling infected poultry.

In February 2022, the Wall Street Journal noted that the avian flu had affected a chicken farm in Fulton, Kentucky, and a Tyson Foods chicken processing farmhouse, raising concerns about a repeat of the last major bird flu calamity in 2015.

Egg prices have risen almost 60 percent by December, compared to the previous year, with egg inventories down 29 percent. At present, Nebraska has seen 6.7 million poultry deaths, up from 4.8 million in the 2015 outbreak. According to the Journal, Colorado has lost 90 percent of its egg-laying hens.

As disastrous as the outbreak has been to the bird population, the fear remains that the virus will learn to efficiently use a human host to transmit itself. Until now, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 2003 and March 2022, there have been only 864 cases of H5N1 in humans across 18 countries worldwide. The infection in the US was the first time for this country.

The fatality rate, however, is dangerously high with 456 deaths among the 864 cases, giving a 53 percent chance of dying if infected. Thus far, cases have remained sporadic, in small clusters, involving exposure to infected poultry or contaminated environments.

But there is growing concern among scientists that a more virulently infective form of the virus could suddenly evolve and spread rapidly into the human population as a lethal airborne pathogen. Wend Blay Puryear, a molecular virologist at Tufts University, told the Guardian, There is concern about it having pandemic potential. Before COVID was on anybodys radar, this was the one that we were all watching closely.

As a recent report in Think Global Health noted, Each time one species transmits the virus to another, it constitutes a spillover event. These myriad spilloversamong wild bird species, from wild birds to domestic birds, across birds to mammals, and from animals to humansraise serious concerns about the potential for further adaptation and evolution of this influenza lineage and the continued risk associated with avian migration. Understanding which species among these many hosts may be helping the virus adapt is crucial for targeted surveillance and mitigation efforts.

The last pandemic to cause such a significant devastation among birds began in December 2014, when more than 50 million birds died, costing farmers over $1.6 billion. However, by the summer of 2015, the virus suddenly vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Migratory birds returning to Canada were found to be virus-free.

However, in the present instance, the outbreak was sustained throughout the summer and has surged again this winter. Active surveillance has identified more than 3,300 infected birds across 100 species, an immense scale of transmission compared to the outbreak in 20142015 when fewer than 100 wild birds tested positive for H5N1.

A veterinarian with Colorados agricultural department, Maggie Baldwin, told the Journal, One of the challenges is that we dont know why it [the virus] has been able to thrive so long. Were almost a full year into this outbreak and it is ongoing.

Mike Tincher, rehabilitation coordinator for Colorados Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, said, There is no historical context for this. Its like when COVID hit for humans  Weve never seen this before. And its just not slowing down.

As the US Department of Agriculture recently noted, Wild birds can be infected with HPAI and show no signs of illness. They can carry the disease to new areas when migrating, potentially exposing domesticated poultry to the virus. Such asymptomatic spread of the virus poses an exceptional challenge for the international community unless surveillance systems are bolstered across animal and human sectors.

A recent report by Eurosurveillance has garnered much attention on social media. It describes the outbreak of HPAI H5N1 among intensively farmed minks in the Galicia region in northwest Spain in October 2022. Oxford University professor of evolution and genomics Aris Katzourakis tweeted, [I] dont understand how mink farming can be defended. Viruses move easily between mink and humans, and this could play a big role in the emergence of future pandemics.

When the initial outbreak occurred, veterinarians had assumed that the disease was caused by SARS-CoV-2, as it had previously struck mink farms in Denmark in November 2020. However, laboratory testing revealed the culprit was the HPAI H5N1. More than 52,000 minks at the farm had to be culled.

As the Eurosurveillance report noted, the minks were kept in open barns and fed raw fish and poultry byproducts sourced from the same region. Their detailed analysis found the virus was similar to the virus circulating among birds across multiple continents.

A Science article published this week on the bird flu outbreak at the Spanish mink farm states, The virus is not known to spread well between mammals; people almost always catch it from infected birds, not one another. But now, H5N1 appears to have spread through a densely packed mammalian population and gained at least one mutation that favors mammal-to-mammal spread. Virologists warn that H5N1, now rampaging through birds around the world, could invade other mink farms and become still more transmissible.

Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College of London, warned, This is incredibly concerning. This is a clear mechanism for an H5 pandemic to start.

The mutation in question is uncommon and only seen once before, in a European polecat, according to CIDRAP. The mutation could have spontaneously evolved among mink in a convergent evolutionary pathway. The new variant, labeled 2.3.4.4b, emerged in Europe in late 2020 and became predominant in wild birds. It is believed to have originated in Korea through a process of reassortment between the H5N1 and the clade 2.3.4.4b H5N8.

Although it appears the mutation may be less pathogenic for humans, about six people have thus far caught the virus and one has died. It also appears to be more adapted to all birds as Richard Webby, an influenza researcher, noted. It is worrisome that in this reappearance of H5N1, numerous mammalian species have become infected.

Thomas Mettenleiter, head of the Friedrich Loeffler Institute, speaking to Science on the lower pathogenicity (lethality) of the new strain in humans, explained, Of course that can be bad news, too, because it might make it easier for the virus to start spreading under the radar, giving it more opportunity to evolve.
Peru's embattled president Dina Boluarte on Saturday urged lawmakers to find a way of a deepening political crisis by agreeing to snap elections in December, just hours after Congress voted against the idea.

In the early hours of Saturday, lawmakers had rejected her request to move elections forward to December, even as anti-Boluarte protests raging across the country have left dozens dead.

"We regret that the Congress of the Republic has been unable to define the date of general elections where Peruvians can freely and democratically elect the new authorities," Boluarte said on Twitter Saturday.

She urged politicians to "put down their partisan interests and place the interests of Peru above them."

The South American country has been embroiled in a political crisis with near-daily protests since December 7, when former president Pedro Castillo was arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress and rule by decree.

Demanding that Boluarte resign and call fresh elections, Castillo supporters have blocked highways, causing shortages of food, fuel and other basic supplies. The government said it will soon deploy police and soldiers to clear the roadblocks.

No interest in 'clinging to power'

Lawmakers had agreed last month to bring forward elections from 2026 to April 2024.

But in the face of relentless protests, Boluarte on Friday urged Congress to move the vote up further, to December.

However, at a plenary session that ended early Saturday, Congress rejected the proposal, with 45 votes in favor, 65 against and two abstentions.

Demonstrators are calling for immediate elections, as well as Boluarte's removal, the dissolution of Congress and a new constitution.

"Nobody has any interest in clinging to power," Boluarte insisted on Friday. "If I am here it is because I fulfilled my constitutional responsibility."

As Castillo's vice president, Boluarte was constitutionally mandated to replace him after he was impeached by Congress and arrested.

The US State Department on Friday urged dialogue and restraint by all parties.

'Everything is very expensive'

In seven weeks of demonstrations, 47 people have been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters, according to the Ombudsman's Office of Peru.

The autonomous human rights office said an additional 10 civilians, including two babies, died when they were unable to get medical treatment or medicine due to roadblocks.

In southern regions, roadblocks have resulted in widespread shortages.

Some of the worst violence and highest death tolls have come when protesters tried to storm airports in the south.

Southern regions with large Indigenous populations have been the epicenter of the protest movement that has affected Peru's vital tourism industry.

As well as blocking dozens of roads and forcing the temporary closure of several airports, protesters have placed rocks on the train tracks that act as the only transport access to Machu Picchu, the former Inca citadel and jewel of Peruvian tourism.

Hundreds of tourists were stranded at the archeological ruins, with many eventually evacuated by helicopter.

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The world has enough rare earth minerals and other critical raw materials to switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy to produce electricity and limit global warming, according to a new study that counters concerns about the supply of such minerals.

With a push to get more electricity from solar panels, wind turbines, hydroelectric and nuclear power plants, some people have worried that there wont be enough key minerals to make the decarbonization switch.

Rare earth minerals, also called rare earth elements, actually arent that rare. The U.S. Geological Survey describes them as a relatively abundant. Theyre essential for the strong magnets necessary for wind turbines; they also show up in smartphones, computer displays and LED light bulbs. This new study looks at not only those elements but 17 different raw materials required to make electricity that include some downright common resources such as steel, cement and glass.

A team of scientists looked at the materials  many not often mined heavily in the past  and 20 different power sources. They calculated supplies and pollution from mining if green power surged to meet global goals to cut heat-trapping carbon emissions from fossil fuel.

Much more mining is needed, but there are enough minerals to go around and drilling for them will not significantly worsen warming, the study in Fridays scientific journal Joule concluded.

Decarbonization is going to be big and messy, but at the same time we can do it, said study co-author Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at the tech company Stripe and Berkeley Earth. Im not worried were going to run out of these materials.

Much of the global concern about raw materials for decarbonization has to do with batteries and transportation, especially electric cars that rely on lithium for batteries. This study doesnt look at that.

Looking at mineral demands for batteries is much more complicated than for electric power and thats what the team will do next, Hausfather said. The power sector is still about one-third to half of the resource issue, he said.

A lot depends on how fast the world switches to green energy.

There will be short supplies. For example, dysprosium is a mineral used for magnets in wind turbines and a big push for cleaner electricity would require three times as much dysprosium as currently produced, the paper said. But theres more than 12 times as much dysprosium in reserves than would be needed in that clean energy push.

Another close call is tellurium, which is used in industrial solar farms and where there may be only slightly more estimated resources than what would be required in a big green push. But Hausfather said there are substitutions available in all these materials cases.

There are enough materials in reserves. The analysis is robust and this study debunks those (running out of minerals) concerns, said Daniel Ibarra, an environment professor at Brown University, who wasnt part of the study but looks at lithium shortages. But he said production capacity has to grow for some key metals and one issue is how fast can it grow.

Another concern is whether the mining will add more heat-trapping carbon emissions to the atmosphere. It will, maybe as much as 10 billion metric tons, which is one-quarter of the annual global carbon emissions, Hausfather said. Renewables require more materials per energy output than fossil fuels because they are more decentralized, he said.

But the increase in carbon pollution from more mining will be more than offset by a huge reduction in pollution from heavy carbon emitting fossil fuels, Hausfeather said.

Stanford Universitys Rob Jackson, who wasnt part of the study, said while multiple lines of evidence show there are enough rare earth minerals, balance is needed: Along with mining more, we should be using less.

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South Korean concerns about the U.S. nuclear umbrella are expected to be a major focus of U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's upcoming trip to Seoul. Austin, who arrives in the South Korean capital on Monday, is expected to meet President Yoon Suk-yeol, according to South Korean media.

Earlier this month, Yoon made headlines when he said South Korea could demand the redeployment of U.S. nuclear weapons, or even develop its own nuclear arms, if its security situation with North Korea worsens. Yoon later walked back those comments. However, the situation underscores growing South Korean worries over North Korea's quickly expanding nuclear arsenal, as well as questions about the long-term defense commitment of its ally, the United States.

Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told a briefing Thursday that Austin's trip will highlight "our commitment to the region," saying the U.S. commitment to South Korea remains "rock solid." Austin's visit will be closely watched to see whether he addresses Yoon's comments about nuclear weapons.

"He might make some rhetorical gesture indicating gently in public, and certainly much more strongly behind the scenes, that it would be undesirable for South Korea to have its own nuclear deterrent," said Mason Richey, an associate professor at South Korea's Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. "But I think he would do so in a way that would not be intended to publicly irritate South Korea or to call into question South Korea's sovereignty or autonomy," Richey said. Instead, Austin may highlight U.S.-South Korean efforts to expand defense cooperation, he added.

In recent months, Washington and Seoul have increased joint military drills and agreed to the more frequent deployment of U.S. strategic assets, such as nuclear-capable bombers and aircraft carriers, to the region around the Korean Peninsula.

But Yoon, a conservative who embraces a more aggressive approach to North Korea, thinks more should be done to keep up with North Korean nuclear advancements. As a presidential candidate, he briefly embraced the possibility of the United States returning tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea.

The United States removed its nuclear weapons from South Korea in the early 1990s. Instead, South Korea is protected by the U.S. nuclear umbrella, under which Washington vows to use all its capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend its ally. Yoon last month suggested such ideas are outdated and that South Korea needs a bigger role in its own defense. As an alternative, Yoon said he envisioned new levels of nuclear cooperation that would have the same effect as nuclear sharing.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday proposed revisions to its guidelines to make it easier for gay and bisexual men to donate blood, eliminating a three-month abstinence period before donations.

The restrictions were implemented years ago to prevent the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

In a release posted to the agency's website, the FDA said under the draft proposals, all donors -- regardless of sexual orientation -- would be given a questionnaire regarding new partners, sexual history, and certain types of sexual activities.

Any prospective donors who do not report having new or multiple sexual partners and have not engaged in certain practices, such as anal sex, in the previous three months, may be eligible to donate, provided all other eligibility criteria are met.

The proposed new guidelines would allow gay and bisexual men in monogamous, long-term relationships to more easily give blood.
KYODO NEWS - Jan 28, 2023 - 22:19 | All, Japan

A secretary to Japan's top government spokesperson intends to resign after receiving a traffic ticket for driving under the influence, his boss Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said in a statement Saturday.

In an apology to the public regarding his policy secretary's conduct, Matsuno said he takes the matter "very seriously" and that his "supervision and management did not go far enough."

The secretary, who works at Matsuno's constituency office in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, will submit his resignation to the House of Representatives on Monday.

According to Matsuno, his 49-year-old secretary drank alone for about an hour at an izakaya Japanese pub in the city of Chiba from 7 p.m. Friday, and was making the return drive home of less than a kilometer when a police officer stopped him for questioning.

A breathalyzer test found his alcohol level was above the legal limit, and he was issued a traffic ticket.

The secretary said he drank about three glasses of diluted shochu distilled liquor, but because he could not connect a call with a designated driver service he "complacently decided to drive myself," according to Matsuno.
KYODO NEWS - Jan 28, 2023 - 20:25 | All, Japan

The suspected "Luffy" mastermind and three others believed to be behind a string of Japan robberies and now in detention in the Philippines appear to be senior members of a fraud group from which 36 members were detained in the country in 2019, an investigative source said Saturday.

Police have requested the transfer of the four men to Japan from Manila, after obtaining arrest warrants on suspicion of theft in relation to the fraud, which targeted elderly people in Japan. The suspects named in the arrest warrants include Yuki Watanabe and Kiyoto Imamura.

The four are believed to be behind a spate of robberies starting last year that used similar tactics to the fraud operation, including offering large payouts to individuals recruited to stage the crimes.

Photo taken on Jan. 26, 2023, shows a Bureau of Immigration warden's facility in Manila. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

In November 2019, authorities in the Philippines detained 36 Japanese men in connection with the fraud group, which used a hotel in Manila as its base to make calls to targets in Japan.

All of the men were returned to Japan between 2020 and 2021, and arrested on suspicion of theft.

Sources also said Saturday that police suspect another man in Japan also used the name "Luffy" online to organize the robberies.

The possibility of a second "Luffy" emerged after a man charged over an attempted robbery in Iwakuni in western Japan's Yamaguchi Prefecture last November said he met an individual using the name in Tokyo and received instructions on how to commit the crime, the sources said.

The meeting occurred after the four Japanese men including the alleged robberies' ringleader were detained at a Manila immigration facility in 2021. The ringleader is believed to have issued instructions on the break-ins from the facility via an encrypted messaging app.

The sources said the indicted man applied for an illegal part-time job via direct message on Twitter that involved collecting cash from fraud victims.

He was then told to install the Telegram encrypted messaging app on his smartphone and meet "Luffy" at Kumegawa Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line in Higashimurayama, western Tokyo. The individual he met, who spoke with a Kansai accent and appeared to be in his 30s or 40s, issued simple instructions and handed over some cash.

The man then rented a car in Okayama Prefecture and was the driver in the attempted Iwakuni robbery. He picked up an accomplice on the way and received further instructions via Telegram at the scene.

In the attempted robbery of a home by five men in Iwakuni on Nov. 7, residents were threatened with a box cutter, but the group fled after meeting resistance.

The five were indicted last November on charges including attempted robbery, and three of them have been arrested in connection with an October robbery resulting in injury in Inagi, western Tokyo.

According to Japan's National Police Agency, at least 20 cases of theft and robbery in 14 prefectures have occurred since last year, including the murder-robbery of 90-year-old Kinuyo Oshio at home in the city of Komae in western Tokyo on Jan. 19. Over 30 suspects have been arrested in connection with the crimes.

Related coverage:

Man detained in Manila allegedly gave robbery orders in Japan via app

8 arrested in case linked to "Luffy" group robberies across Japan

Presumed mastermind of Japan burglaries may be in Philippines: source
Dan Kitwood - Getty Images

Repatriation, and restitution, will be the big headline in the art world in 2023.

In France, politicians proposed three laws aimed at speeding up the process, addressing the return of human remains in museum collections, art belonging to Jewish families during World War II, and restitution of art from the colonial era. "I hope 2023 will be a year of decisive progress for restitutions," French culture minister Rima Abdul Malak said in a speech, per ARTNews.

In Poland, culture minister Piotr Glinski launched an "Empty Frames" campaign last year, to bring attention to stolen artwork from the country, and it remains a priority this year. "In all, we're now carrying out 130 restitution processes in more than 10 countries around the world," Glinski said in a press conference in mid-January. In Nigeria, there's the ongoing campaigns for the return of the Benin Bronzes, artifacts mainly connected to a a British raid on Benin City in 1897.

"Unless there is clear evidence an artifact was acquired illegally, repatriation is largely at the discretion of museums," Sean Elder writes in Town & Country's February 2023 issue. Even then, they may not have the final word. Members of the British government, for example, were quick to point out this winter that, under current statute, it is forbidden for the British Museum to break up its collection of Greek antiquities. But the movement for returning appropriated antiquities is having a moment at big institutions."

It's not just art getting repatriated from museums, howeverit's also the remains of people. In the United States, Native American communities are bringing increased attention on the remains of their ancestors still held in museums around the country. An investigation by ProPublica published in January 2023 found institutions in America that still hold Native American remains that have not been returned to tribes, despite the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act that was passed in 1990.



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In addition, repatriation isn't just for political entities; the descendants of Holocaust survivors and victims have continued to sue for the ownership of art stolen from their ancestors. In January 2023 alone, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art and the Guggenheim have been sued by Jewish families.

In this timeline, Town & Country will document repatriation news in 2023covering stolen antiquities, war crimes, and disputed archeological finds. Repatriated objects and artwork can originate from a wide variety of sources, ranging from private collections to national museums. In addition, repatriation doesn't just mean returning to a countryit can be artwork returning to families, or remains returning to ancestral burial grounds. We will be updating this timeline throughout the year.

January

- - Getty Images

January 2: A wooden sarcophagus, featured at the Houston Museum of Natural Sciences, was returned to Egypt (pictured above) after U.S. authorities determined it was looted from Abu Sir Necropolis (near Cairo) and smuggled into the United States in 2008.

January 5: An Iron Age ivory cosmetic spoon, found in the collection of billionaire antiquities collector Michael Steinhardt, was repatriated to the Palestinian Authority. The spoon was reportedly looted from the Khirbet al-Koum area in Hebron, a Palestinian city in the West Bank. "It is the first ever event of such repatriation from the United States to the Palestinian Authority in history," the U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs said in a statement.

January 23: New York County district attorney's office returned 60 antiquities from Italy in a repatriation valued around $20 million. The statues, vases, bronzes, and other pieces of artincluding a fresco depicting Herculeswere found in museums and the homes of private collectors. They will go on display at the Museo dell'Arte Salvata (Museum of Rescued Art) in Rome.

January 24: Harvard University's Peabody Museum and Warren Anatomical Museum finished repatriated the remains of 313 Indigenous people from eastern Massachusetts to Wampanoag communities.

January 25: Spain repatriated two Flemish paintings created in the Dieric Bouts shop to Poland. The paintings were looted by the Nazis from a Polish noble family during World War II, ad found in a museum in western Spain in 2019.

January 26: An Australian citizen returned nine Buddha statues to Thailand that had been in his family since 1911. According to the Bangkok Post, the return is part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Fine Arts Department's mission to repatriate Thai antiquities.

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The Royal Ontario Museum's Michael Lee-Chin Crystal has spurred mixed reactions. Tara Walton/Getty Images

Some of the ugliest buildings in the world are home to luxury apartments and government facilities.

From Texas to Thailand, buildings across the world are ridiculed for their function and style.

North Korea's "Hotel of Doom" has been empty for decades, and is widely recognized as an eyesore.

Thanks partly to its blocky, concrete exterior, people in Massachusetts wanted to demolish Boston's City Hall before its construction was even completed.

Boston City Hall. Jorge Antonio/Getty Images

Completed in 1968, this building is an example of brutalist architecture  a controversial style known for its bare, blocky shapes and frequent use of exposed concrete.

Over the years, it has also been criticized for being "ugly" and "anti-urban."

"City Hall is so ugly that its insane upside-down wedding-cake columns and windswept plaza distract from the building's true offense," wrote columnist Paul McMorrow in the Boston Globe in 2013.

"Its great crime isn't being ugly; it's being anti-urban," McMorrow wrote. "... The primary function of cities is clustering people together, but City Hall goes to great lengths to repel them."

In addition, many people in Massachusetts called for the destruction of Boston's City Hall before the structure was even fully built, according to Current Affairs magazine.

North Korea's Ryugyong Hotel, also dubbed the "Hotel of Doom," has stood empty for over 30 years, sparking criticism about its design and construction.

Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea. Catriona MacGregor/Getty Images

Once considered "the world's tallest unoccupied building" by Guinness World Records, the Ryugyong Hotel has been nicknamed the "Hotel of Doom," according to the BBC.

It's also been described as "the worst-designed building in the world" and one of "the world's ugliest hotels" by writers for publications like Esquire and The Telegraph.

When construction began in 1987, the Ryugyong Hotel was designed to become an impressive masterpiece: a building taller than the Eiffel Tower, complete with 3,000 rooms and five revolving restaurants, according to CNN Style.

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Decades later, this hotel has yet to open its doors to guests.

A Washingtonian critic described Washington, DC's J. Edgar Hoover Building as visually unappealing, "cold," "unwelcoming," and "dystopian."

J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, DC. Richard T. Nowitz/Getty Images

The construction of the FBI's headquarters  officially known as the J. Edgar Hoover Building  began in the 1960s. It is emblematic of brutalist architecture, which originated in the mid-20th century.

An article from The Washingtonian, a prominent local newspaper in DC, states that the building, which is the home of the FBI, has long been considered the "scorn of Washingtonians." The author later describes the structure as "cold, unwelcoming, [and] almost dystopian."

According to a survey conducted by home improvement company Buildworld, the building is deemed to be the ugliest building in the US.

The FBI website states that the structure heavily "[contrasts] with the traditional marble, granite, or limestone government buildings."

In defense of the building, Deane Madsen, who runs an Instagram account dedicated to appreciating DC's brutalist buildings, stated, "DC isn't just Greek revival monuments or courthouse style buildings. It's not just these sort of white marble edifices."

Many believe that the Verizon Building on Pearl Street contrasts too heavily with its surrounding buildings, disrupting the beauty of New York City's iconic skyline.

The Verizon Building on Pearl Street in New York. Oleg Albinsky/Getty Images

Built in 1975, the Verizon Building on Pearl Street has remained the subject of much ridicule. Set behind the historic Brooklyn Bridge and adjacent to some of NYC's most beloved structures, many see the building as an affront to the city's skyline.

Paul Goldberger  a New York Times architecture critic  argued that the building might be the "most disturbing" structure in all of New York City in 1975.

In a TimeOut article that showcased critical tweets aimed at the building, Twitter users referred to the building as "stupid" and claimed that it "ruined" their otherwise beautiful photos of the NYC skyline.

Although criticized by locals for its ugly Brutalist exterior, apartments inside The Balfron Tower sell for close to $1 million.

The Balfron Tower in London. Jack Taylor/Getty Images

Similar to the FBI headquarters in Washington, DC, The Balfron Tower is an example of Brutalist architecture. Although the structure was built in the 1960s, the residential building has newly-renovated interiors.

Various publications, including MyLondon, refer to the structure as one of "the ugliest buildings in the country." Nevertheless, after renovations, the Guardian reports that apartments in the Balfron Tower are being sold for upwards of 800,000, or $992,744.

In the same MyLondon article, Josh Bolton notes that in 2010 residents were forced to relocate  and eventually kicked out of the building  to allow for refurbishments. The building offers luxury amenities, including a private dining terrace, a yoga room, and a movie theater.

The Zizkov Television Tower in Prague has been called "the second-ugliest building in the world" and is said to evoke the country's communist past.

The Zizkov Television Tower in Prague. Frank Bienewald/Getty Images

A structure builders began constructing in the 1980s, the Zizkov Television Tower in Prague, Czech Republic, has been nicknamed "the second-ugliest building in the world," according to CBC Radio.

The building sticks out amongst the rest of Prague's charming architecture and is a divisive reminder of the city's former communist government.

Over a decade ago, to make the "eyesore" more unique, artist David Cerny installed sculptures of giant babies crawling up the side of the tower.

First added to the tower as a temporary exhibit, the "Babies" sculptures were recently reinstalled with more durable construction, according to expats.cz. Although the building itself may inspire mixed feelings, the sculptures of babies are quite beloved.

In an article for The Washington Post, an architecture critic called the ROM Crystal in Toronto  considered one of the most hated buildings in Canada  "ugly" and "useless."

ROM Crystal in Toronto. Tara Walton/Getty Images

When it first opened in 2007, the Royal Ontario Museum's Michael Lee-Chin Crystal did not receive much love for its design comprised of glass, steel, sloped walls, and angle joints.

"Daniel Libeskind's addition to the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto surpasses the ugliness of bland functional buildings by being both ugly and useless," wrote Philip Kennicott, art and architecture critic, in The Washington Post in 2009.

Kennicott also questioned the wisdom of creating a building with slanted walls to display art.

In the past decade or so, some Torontonians have come to see the building as an essential addition to the city's landscape and a beloved landmark.

"Architecture needs time to sink in," said Alexander Josephson, cofounder of architecture and design firm Partisans, in Azure magazine.

San Antonio's Alamodome  a multi-use stadium  has been referred to as "an upside-down armadillo" and is hated by Texans and tourists alike.

The Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The Alamodome  which cost $186 million to construct  opened its doors in 1993.

Despite its hefty price tag, San Antonians aren't impressed with the stadium's aesthetic.

According to the San Antonio Current, "Locals have long referred to the 64,000-seat arena by nicknames including the 'Dead Armadillo' and the 'Doo Doo Dome.'"

In 2018, San Antonio Culture Map reported that Judge Nelson Wolff, who was San Antonio's mayor during the Alamodome's construction, explained that San Antonio residents referred to the stadium as "four telephone poles on an airplane hangar" and "an upside-down armadillo."

Strikingly dissimilar to the medieval architecture that Edinburgh is known for, the Scottish Parliament Building has been named the "world's biggest eyesore" by Buildworld.

The Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland. Cornfield/Shutterstock

In Buildworld's survey of the world's ugliest buildings, the Scottish Parliament Building came out on top. They found that, at the time of their study, 42.07% of tweets that mentioned the building were negative.

According to the Scottish Parliament's archive, the building, which was completed in 2004, is made from a mixture of steel, oak, and granite.

According to Buildword, "The project was unpopular from the start, as a national building designed by a foreign architect that quickly spiraled ten times over budget and way beyond its deadline."

Read the original article on Insider
Former Victorias Secret angel Alessandra Ambrosio is and will always be our definition of a Brazilian bombshell. Whether shes wearing a gorgeous gown down a red carpet or going to the beach in a stunning bikini, Ambrosio always looks absolutely photoshoot-ready.

Most recently, during her trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the supermodel showed off her tropical bronzed glow and toned legs in a daring gold dress at a Nespresso event that gave us major flapper girl vibes. The dress, which featured intricate knitwear around the chest area with a plunging keyhole cutout, also had long flowy fringes on the sleeves and skirt (shop a similar style HERE!).

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Sharing some pictures of the look on Instagram, Ambrosio is seen sitting in a swing while a beachfront sunset wows in the background. In another picture of the gallery, Ambrosio is seen swaying the dress and having some fun with fringes. In the last shot, shes sending a kiss to the camera  one of her signature runway poses from her Victorias Secret era.

Yesterday, @nespresso and I took a minute to celebrate and enjoy the summer with The Barista Creations For Ice Coffee line, she wrote in the caption. What an amazing afternoon, full of delicious discoveries, with the brand I love!

Click here to read the full article.

Prior to her coffee-inspired event, Ambrosio posted some pictured enjoying the Brazilian winter as she should: at the beach. In the pictures on Instagram, Ambrosio is seen rocking a high-cut, one-piece white swimsuit at Ipanema beach that gave us major 80s vibes. The bathing suit showed off her toned legs with the daring above-the-hip style and flaunted a plunging V-neckline at the top. When it comes to fashion, Ambrosio can do no wrong!

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Before you go, click here to see all of the models whove walked down the runway pregnant!



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For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
As the world's Western powers struggle with the huge scale of minerals and metals needed to ramp up production of clean-energy technologies, they have turned increasingly to resource-rich countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Recently, for example, the Biden administration floated the idea of providing financial assistance to developing countries that want to open new mines and mineral processing facilities. Under Secretary of State Jose W. Fernandez says the administration is considering financing "around a dozen" mining projects around the world. The money would be provided by the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the Development Finance Corporation, and distributed by the Mineral Security Partnership, a Biden program leveraging international relations to address U.S. supply concerns.

Our reliance on imported minerals and metals is at record levels. One of the primary reasons is the growing need for raw materials required to build batteries for electric cars and the nation's electricity transmission system. A typical electric car requires six times as much minerals and metals as an internal combustion car. An offshore wind turbine requires the input of 1,300 pounds of rare earth minerals plus thousands of pounds of metals. But the United States has just one rare earth mine. Most of our needs for critically important minerals and metals are met by imports.

Despite abundant domestic resources, we're import-dependent on 47 minerals and 100% reliant on imports for 17 of them.

Hear more Tennessee voices:Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought-provoking columns.

With climate action driving the transition to clean energy technologies, the global consumption of minerals and metals is skyrocketing. The International Energy Agency expects demand for minerals and metals to rise six-fold by 2040.

What's worrisome is that some of our key foreign suppliers could establish a mineral cartel and cut off shipments for geopolitical reasons. The reality is that two-thirds of the minerals and metals we import come from adversaries like China and Russia, and there are indications the global trade war is shifting from fossil fuels to metals.

Story continues

G. Ivan Maldonado

China dominates processing, and to a lesser extent, mining of many critical raw materials. It processes 58% of global lithium, 65% of cobalt and over one-third of nickel and copper. Russia is also a major exporter of nickel, palladium, cobalt and aluminum, and Russia and two of its closest allies, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, both former Soviet states, supply about 50% of the uranium fuel used at U.S. nuclear power plants, which alone should be alarming on the basis of energy security.

We can't overlook our own country's myopic neglect of our own vast mineral resources, estimated to be the largest in the world and worth more than $6 trillion. If not for a shortage of minerals and metals for electric vehicle batteries  and inflated prices for some metals like lithium, which rose 1,500% over the past 18 months  growth of EV sales in recent years would have been higher.

Just to meet the escalating demand for minerals will require every possible response. Reducing China's dominance in minerals and metals processing is the key to a cleaner economy. This could be achieved by increasing mineral imports from trustworthy countries and more mining and processing in the United States. In fact, Congress has passed legislation to subsidize domestic mining of crucial minerals and metals, and the recently passed climate bill prohibits a tax credit for purchase of an EV unless the EV battery was built in the U.S. using minerals and metals from domestic mines or mines in neighboring or friendly countries. Also, President Joe Biden has expanded the list of products eligible for financial assistance under the Defense Production Act to include mining and processing of battery minerals and metals.

But Congress has yet to adopt a fast-track process for licensing new mines that would demonstrate its commitment to mineral security and provide the regulatory stability that investors need to start building them. The notion of refusing to improve the licensing process, when responsible progress is being made, serves no useful purpose. This is the reality that Biden and Congress need to recognize even as we attempt to build new supply chains for vital minerals and metals in the U.S. and overseas.

Dr. G. Ivan Maldonado is a professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Tennessee.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Opinion: How US can stop importing vital metals from China and Russia
The ex-boyfriend of a Florida mom whose body was found buried in an Alabama barn has been indicted on federal charges of kidnapping resulting in death.

Marcus Spanevelo, 35, was indicted by a federal grand jury on one charge of kidnapping resulting in death in the case of his ex-girlfriend, Cassie Catherine Carli, 37, federal prosecutors said in a press release on Wednesday.

Carli disappeared on March 27, 2022 after meeting Spanevelo in the parking lot of the Juanas Pagoda restaurant near her home in Navarre Beach, Florida for a pre-planned custody exchange of their 4-year-old daughter. Her body was found on April 2, buried in a shallow grave inside an abandoned barn in Springville, Alabama  275 miles north of where she disappeared  that police said was in Spanevelo's name.

RELATED: Utah Murder-Suicide Leaves 3 Adults, 5 Children Dead Weeks After Wife Files For Divorce

In the indictment, obtained by Oxygen.com, prosecutors charge that Spanevelo "did knowingly, unlawfully and willfully seize, confine, inveigle, decoy, kidnap, abduct, carry away and otherwise hold C.C.C. for his own benefit and purpose." It further alleges that he brought her over state lines from Florida to Alabama and used "a means, facility, and instrumentality of interstate and foreign commerce, including, but not limited to, a cellphone and a GMC motor vehicle, which offense resulted in the death of C.C.C."

A police handout of Marcus Spanevelo

Marcus Spanevelo Photo: St. Clair County Sheriff's office

The indictment does not provide any further details in the case.

Spanevelo is currently incarcerated without bond on abuse of corpse charges in St. Clair County, Alabama, according to jail records reviewed by Oxygen.com. He is due in court for a bond hearing on those charges next week, but is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Birmingham  about 45 miles away  on Feb. 9, according to AL.com.

If convicted, Spanevelo can be sentenced to death or life in prison.

"Personally, I prefer he spend the rest of his life in prison because thats going to be a miserable existence for him," Santa Rosa (Florida) County Sheriff Bob Johnson said at a Thursday press conference, according to AL.com. "The death penalty would be too quick."

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Spanevelo was originally arrested in Tennessee on a warrant out of Santa Rosa County charging him with tampering with evidence, giving false information concerning a missing persons investigation and destruction of evidence. Police said that he'd taken Carli's phone and sent messages posing as her before disposing of it. (The phone was eventually recovered.)

He was eventually extradited from Tennessee to Florida, where he did not receive bond.

Though officials were initially confident that they would charge Spanevelo with murder in Carli's death, an autopsy performed in Alabama and released in October classified her cause and manner of death as "undetermined."

A police handout of Peaches Stergo

Florida dropped the evidence charges against him in October, after which Alabama charged him with abusing a corpse.

"The disappearance and death of Cassie Carli remain under investigation by law enforcement agencies in both Florida and Alabama, Assistant State Attorney for the state of Florida Mark Alderman wrote at the time in court records obtained by Oxygen.com explaining the decision. In an effort to prosecute the strongest case, and after communicating with law enforcement officers in both states, the Office of the State Attorney believes that in the interest of justice the actions of the Marcus Spanevelo are most appropriately prosecuted in Alabama.

He was extradited from Florida to Alabama on Oct. 20, according to jail records reviewed by Oxygen.com. He was indicted on Dec. 6 on abuse of corpse charges  a Class C felony punishable by one to 10 years in prison if convicted.

At Thursday's press conference, Santa Rosa Sheriff Johnson said that law enforcement asked the FBI to assist in the case on Dec. 20.

Oxy App

"The resources they can bring to bear on a case are incredible," the sheriff said, according to AL.com. "They get this case in December and here we are in January."

"I would have preferred to have it occur in Santa Rosa County and have him go through our court system, but because of several things I cant really discuss, thats not going to happen," he added. "The main point is that Mr. Spanevelo is never going to see the light of day again. Thats the most important thing  not only for Cassie but for the Carli family as well."

Carli and Spanevelo's daughter is reportedly in the care of Carli's father in Florida, NBC Tampa affiliate WESH reported.
Dec. 30The rabbi of Chabad Jewish Center of Southern Oregon is asking locals for help replacing a large menorah that was destroyed from back-to-back vandalisms of the fixture in downtown Medford.

The menorah, which for the past six years has marked the days of Hanukkah in Medford's Vogel Plaza, was damaged beyond repair Dec. 27, according to Rabbi Avi Zwiebel. It was the second of two vandalisms in less than a week.

When asked about the extent of the damage, Zwiebel said the menorah  custom-made by a specialist out of the area  was severely bent.

"We're going to need a new one," he said Friday.

Zwiebel, however, refused to dwell on the criminal act and instead focused on the future.

"It'll be even nicer than the previous one," Zwiebel said, describing plans for a larger fixture upgraded with brighter LED lighting.

The spiritual leader said his mindset  focusing on the light  applies one of the core lessons of Hanukkah.

"It's part of the whole message," Zwiebel said. "The more darkness there is, the more light you need to bring into the world."

"We're going to go forward," Zwiebel added.

It was the message he shared Dec. 20 in the plaza in a community Hanukkah celebration joined by Medford Mayor Randy Sparacino.

"Together we celebrated the victory of light and its power to illuminate even our darkest nights," Zwiebel said in a GoFundMe campaign aimed at raising money for the new menorah.

Zwiebel said he hopes to have Medford's new menorah ready in time for next year's holidays and welcomes the greater Southern Oregon community to join Chabad for a larger celebration in downtown Medford during Hanukkah 2023.

They're still thousands of dollars away from their goal as of Friday.

As of 1:30 p.m. Friday, Chabad Jewish Center of Southern Oregon's GoFundMe campaign had raised $535 in nine donations toward a goal of $6,200.

For more information, see gofundme.com/f/help-build-a-new-menorah-in-medford.

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As of Friday, police were still searching for the suspect in the second vandalism, and they ask anyone who may have information in the case to contact Medford police at 541-770-4783 and reference case No. 22-21404.

The first vandalism was reported Dec. 23. Medford police arrested Isaiah Michael Cleveland, 24, on misdemeanor disorderly conduct and criminal mischief charges accusing him of knocking the fixture down and shattering the bulbs.

Police stated earlier this week that Cleveland "gave no indication that his actions were antisemitic" at the time of his arrest.

Cleveland was booked in the Jackson County Jail at 8:50 p.m. Dec. 23 and released at 7 a.m. the following day, jail records show.

Jackson County Circuit Court records show charges have not yet been filed against Cleveland in the vandalism case, but they do show one prior vandalism in his criminal history.

Cleveland reportedly caused thousands of dollars of damage June 2 to a new vehicle parked on West Eighth and South Holly streets, according to documents filed in his case.

As terms of a negotiated plea deal, Cleveland pleaded guilty Nov. 18 to a charge of first-degree criminal mischief that was reduced to a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 10 days in jail, two years of probation and ordered to pay $6,216 restitution to the victim and his insurance company.

Reach web editor Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or nmorgan@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MTwebeditor.
Washington  The FBI toppled an international ransomware group and seized its servers in California after more than a year of spying on the cybercriminals from inside their own network, federal officials and Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Thursday.

The criminal enterprise, known as Hive, and its affiliates, had targeted more than 1,500 institutions in over 80 countries since June 2021, amassing over $100 million from its victims, according to the Justice Department, most recently in California and Florida

Ransomware groups like Hive allegedly design malicious software to infiltrate computer networks through a number of methods including phishing emails, holding their users hostage and demanding payment in exchange for decryption keys that release the high-tech hold. In one case, Hive's attack on a Midwestern hospital disrupted care in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and forced institutions to pay a ransom before they could treat their patients online, the Justice Department said.

According to the Justice Department, other victims included school districts, financial firms, and critical infrastructure.

In July 2022, FBI agents, including those in the Orlando office, penetrated Hive's computer networks and conducted what Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco called a "21st-century high-tech cyber stakeout." The federal authorities lawfully gained access to the hacking system authorized by a court, the officials said, and collected decryption keys for victims under attack by Hive.

Investigators say they shared the keys they collected with ransomware victims across the globe, preventing them from being forced to pay approximately $130 million in ransoms to Hive affiliates. Unlike other law enforcement actions in which federal investigators were able to seize ransom payments already sent to hacking groups, in this case, officials said they were able to provide the victims the tools to subdue the attack before any money was sent.

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The FBI and international partners in Germany and the Netherlands were then able to take down Hive's infrastructure and seize their servers.

Still, FBI Director Chris Wray said only about 20% of Hive's victims actually reported the ransomware attacks to law enforcement. The Justice Department is urging institutions to alert investigators to potential attacks in real time to achieve an optimal outcome.

No arrests have been made in connection with Hive's illicit activities, but federal officials say the investigation is active and ongoing.

"No matter where you are, and no matter how much you try to twist and turn to cover your tracks  your infrastructure, your criminal associates, your money, and your liberty are all at risk," Wray said Thursday, "There will be consequences."

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KYODO NEWS - Jan 28, 2023 - 13:57 | All, Japan

Japan and the Netherlands agreed Friday to join the United States in limiting exports of high-end semiconductor technology to China, U.S. and Dutch media reported.

The deal was struck after the United States in October unveiled sweeping export controls on certain advanced chips that could be used by China to train artificial intelligence systems and power advanced military and surveillance applications.

It could take several months for Japan and the Netherlands to implement the restrictions as they need to prepare domestic legislation, Bloomberg said.

Earlier in the day, White House national security spokesman John Kirby suggested the U.S. government will make an announcement once the talks are concluded.

He confirmed during a press briefing that Japanese and Dutch officials have been in Washington for "a couple of days' worth of discussions" on a range of issues that are important to the three countries and "certainly the safety and security of emerging technologies is going to be on that agenda."

As high-tech competition between the United States and China intensifies, Japan has found itself caught between its security ally and its biggest trading partner, which depends on imports of high-end chips and equipment to manufacture various products.

In response to the U.S. restrictions, China filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization in December, arguing Washington has been "abusing" its control measures by expanding the notion of national security.

The United States has asked Japan and the Netherlands for cooperation in stymieing China's efforts to develop high-end semiconductors, with Tokyo Electron Ltd. and ASML Holding N.V. major players in the global chip-manufacturing equipment market.

When Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited Washington in mid-January, he agreed with U.S President Joe Biden to "sharpen our shared edge on economic security" by protecting critical technologies, such as semiconductors.

Related coverage:

U.S., Japan to expand cooperation on key technologies beyond chips

Japan's Rapidus, IBM team up to produce next-generation chips

U.S. asks Japan to help curb China's bid to develop high-end chips
Air Force Avrocar - Project 1794

Government and military secrets can range from terrifying to amusing to downright absurd, but most are nothing short of intriguing. From a secret U.S. Air Force project to build a supersonic flying saucer to a now-famous World War II-era research program that produced the first atomic bombs to a plan to train domesticated cats to spy on the Soviet Union, here are 24 declassified military and CIA secrets.

Project 1794

Project 1794 Flying Saucer

In late 2012, the U.S. Air Force declassified a trove of documents, including records of a secret program to build a flying saucer-type aircraft designed to shoot down Soviet bombers. The ambitious program, called Project 1794, was initiated in the 1950s, and a team of engineers was tasked with building a disc-shape vehicle capable of traveling at supersonic speeds at high altitudes.

The declassified documents reveal plans for the plane to reach a top speed of Mach 4 (four times the speed of sound), and reach an altitude of 100,000 feet (30,480 meters). The project's estimated cost was more than $3 million, which in today's dollars would be more than $26 million.

Project 1794 was canceled in December 1961 after tests suggested the flying saucer design was aerodynamically unstable and would likely be uncontrollable at high speeds (let alone supersonic speeds).

Project Iceworm

Project Iceworm in Greenland

In the 1960s, the U.S. Army embarked on a secret mission to build a series of mobile nuclear missile launch sites under the Greenland ice sheet. The objective was to house medium-range missiles close enough to strike targets within the Soviet Union.

The program was codenamed Project Iceworm, but to test its feasibility, the Army launched a cover research project called "Camp Century" in 1960. Under this guise, engineers built a network of underground buildings and tunnels, including living quarters, a kitchen, a recreation hall, infirmary, laboratories, supply rooms, a communications center and a nuclear power plant.

The base, which was kept secret from the Danish government, operated for seven years. The program was canceled in 1966 after shifting ice created unstable conditions. Today, the crushed remains of Project Iceworm are buried beneath Arctic snow.

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Project MK-ULTRA

Human Brain

During the Cold War, the CIA initiated Project MK-ULTRA, a secret and illegal human research program to investigate potential mind-control systems. The program's operators examined the effects of hypnosis, biological agents and drugs, such as LSD and barbiturates, on human subjects. Some historians suggest the program was designed to develop a mind-control system that could be used to "program" the brains of potential assassins. [The 10 Craziest Military Experiments]

In 1973, then-CIA director Richard Helms ordered that all documents from Project MK-ULTRA be destroyed, but a formal investigation into the program was launched several years later. The project became the basis for several movies, such as "The Manchurian Candidate" and "The Men Who Stare at Goats."

Area 51

area 51 aerial view

Almost no other site has garnered as much attention from conspiracy theorists and UFO-enthusiasts as Area 51, a remote desert tract near Groom Lake in Nevada, roughly 83 miles (134 kilometers) northwest of Las Vegas. The intense secrecy surrounding the base sparked peoples' imaginations, and Area 51 was commonly linked to paranormal activities, including pervasive theories that suggested Area 51 hid aliens and UFOs.

In July 2013, declassified documents from the CIA acknowledged the existence of Area 51 for the first time, and confirmed that the top-secret site was used to test a variety of spy planes, including the well-known U-2 reconnaissance aircraft.

While Area 51, which operates as a detachment of Edwards Air Force Base in neighboring California, has never been declared a covert base, the research and activities conducted there were some of the nation's most closely guarded secrets.

Project Grudge

UFO Flying Saucer

While Area 51 was not a top-secret base designed to study extraterrestrials, the U.S. Air Force did study the existence of UFOs. Project Grudge was a short-lived program launched in 1949 to study unidentified flying objects. The mission followed an earlier program, known as Project Sign, which published a report in early 1949 stating that while some UFOs seemed to be actual aircraft, there was not enough data to determine their origins. [Top 10 States for UFO Sightings]

Critics of Project Grudge said the program solely set out to debunk UFO reports, and very little actual research was conducted. In his book on the topic, Edward J. Ruppelt, Air Force Captain and director of Project Grudge, wrote: "[I]t doesn't take a great deal of study of the old UFO files to see that standard intelligence procedures were not being followed by Project Grudge. Everything was being evaluated on the premise that UFOs couldn't exist. No matter what you see or hear, don't believe it."

Operation Paperclip

Dr. Wernher von Braun describes saturn launch system jfk

In September 1946, President Harry Truman authorized a program called Operation Paperclip, which aimed to lure scientists from Nazi Germany to the United States following World War II. Officials at the Office of Strategic Services (the predecessor to the CIA) recruited German scientists to America to aid the country's postwar efforts, which would also ensure that valuable scientific knowledge would not end up in the hands of the Soviet Union or the divided East and West Germany.

Operation Paperclip's most famous recruit was rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, who would go on to mastermind NASA's Apollo moon missions.

Operation Northwoods

Fidel Castro arrives MATS Terminal, Washington, D.C.

The tense relationship between the United States and Cuba during the Cold War led the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to hatch a slew of bizarre schemes aimed at taking down the Castro regime. While the goal of most of these covert operations (such as Operation Mongoose) was to assassinate Fidel Castro himself, other plans aimed to incite an all-out war between the U.S. and Cuba, experts have said.

In 1998, the National Security Archive (NSA)  a non-governmental organization that publishes information made available through the Freedom of Information Act  posted declassified documents related to Operation Northwoods. The scheme, dreamed up in 1962 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (uniformed members of the U.S. Department of Defense who advise the president and others), involved committing acts of violence against U.S. and Cuban civilians and then blaming those acts on the Cuban government, according to the NSA documents. These acts, which included faked terrorist attacks in U.S. cities, the hijacking of planes and the sinking of boats full of Cuban emigres en route to the U.S., would then be used to justify a war with Cuba, according to the documents.

The Kennedy administration recognized the folly of Operation Northwoods and rejected it, according to news reports.

Manhattan Project

The only color photograph available for the Trinity blast, taken by Los Alamos scientist and amateur photographer Jack Aeby from near Base Camp. As Aeby later said,

One of the most well-known secret research programs is the Manhattan Project, which eventually produced the world's first atomic bombs. The project began in 1939, and was cloaked in secrecy as physicists investigated the potential power of atomic weapons. From 1942 to 1946, Major General Leslie Groves of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers led the Manhattan Project.

The first nuclear bomb was detonated at 5:30 a.m. on July 16, 1945, during the so-called Trinity test at the Alamogordo Air Base, 120 miles (193 km) south of Albuquerque, N.M. The explosion created a mushroom cloud that stretched 40,000 feet (12,200 m), and the bomb's explosive power was equivalent to more than 15,000 tons of TNT.

A month after the Trinity test, two atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in the waning stages of World War II. To date, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain the only uses of nuclear weapons in war.

Operation Gladio

Arrival ceremony for Giulio Andreotti, President of the Council of Ministers of the Italian Republic, April 17, 1973.

During the Cold War, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, developed a classified plan for keeping Europe "safe" in the event of a Soviet invasion. The plan, known as Operation Gladio, called for the formation of secret armies or "stay-behind" organizations in many NATO countries, including Italy, Belgium and France, according to declassified documents.

The mission of the secret armies was simple: Prepare for a potential communist takeover and lead an armed resistance should such a takeover occur. In some countries, "preparing" for Soviet invasion included espionage and the hoarding of ammunitions.

And these clandestine armies weren't just kept secret from the Soviet Union. High-ranking government officials in countries where the military forces operated were sometimes not aware of the armies' existence. Italian Prime Minister at the time, the late Giulio Andreotti divulged information about Italy's secret Cold War army (known as Gladio) in 1990, becoming the first leader of a NATO country to publicly acknowledge one of these forces. Declassified documents related to NATO's stay-behind armies are accessible via The Black Vault, a website that makes declassified documents available to the public.

My Lai Massacre

Unidentified Vietnamese women and children before being killed in the My Lai Massacre.

In March 1968, American soldiers murdered hundreds of unarmed civilians in the South Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai, according to accounts of the massacre that describe harrowing killings of at least 300 women, children and elderly people.

Army officials managed to cover up the massacre for a year before an investigative journalist with the Associated Press (AP) brought the atrocity to the attention of the American people in November 1969. In light of news reports, an official inquiry was made into the events at My Lai and was concluded in March 1970. The inquiry resulted in criminal charges against 14 U.S. Army officers, all but one of whom were acquitted for their crimes. Declassified documents associated with the inquiry are available from the Library of Congress.

In the wake of the My Lai massacre, the Pentagon established a task force known as the Vietnam War Crimes Working Group, which investigated incidents similar to the killings at My Lai. That group compiled more than 9,000 pages of documents detailing crimes by U.S. troops during the Vietnam War, many of which were declassified during the 1990s. These and other declassified documents regarding Vietnam War crimes can be accessed through the National Archives.

Operation Washtub

winter thaw in Chalkat river in haines, alaska

Secret armies also existed in the United States during the Cold War. In 2014, declassified documents from the U.S. Air Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed a plan dreamed up in 1950 for a "covert intelligence and evasion and escape operation in Alaska."

Nicknamed "Operation Washtub," the plan called for the training of ordinary Alaskans in coding, decoding and other espionage techniques so that they could spy on the enemy in the event of a Soviet invasion of Alaska. While such an invasion never occurred, a total of 89 "agents" were trained for this purpose, according to news reports.

Oleg Penkovsky

Colonel Oleg Penkovskiy's passport, issued in 1960 for a trip to London, identifying him as a reserve officer.

Oleg Penkovsky was a high-ranking Soviet military intelligence officer who worked as a spy for the United States and Great Britain during the Cold War. Best known for his role in the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, Penkovsky supplied the U.S. government with valuable details about the capabilities of Soviet missiles that had been installed in Cuba.

The spy was eventually sniffed out by his fellow Soviet intelligence officers, charged with treason and executed in 1963. However, there are some people who believe that Penkovsky was just a decoy who may have relayed false information about Soviet arms capabilities to U.S. intelligence agents. Some point to declassified documents outlining the intelligence provided by Penkovsky as proof that the spy's loyalty was really to the Soviet Union.

Acoustic Kitty

Nicknamed Acoustic Kitty, the program involved implanting electronic spying equipment into live cats and then training them to

A report from 1967 shows that the CIA spent millions of dollars in an attempt to train domesticated cats to spy on the Soviet Union. Yes, you read that correctly. Nicknamed Acoustic Kitty, the program involved implanting electronic spying equipment into live cats and then training them to "eavesdrop" on unsuspecting Cold War rivals.

If you don't believe this ridiculous program existed, you can read more about it in this memorandum published by the National Security Archive.

Greenland's Lost Bomb

An aerial photo of the Thule Air Base in Greenland.

In 1968, a U.S. B-52 bomber carrying four hydrogen bombs on a routine (but secret) mission crashed near Thule Air Base in Greenland. In the aftermath of the crash, American and Danish officials launched a project to clean up radioactive debris and collect the scattered pieces of the nuclear bombs. However, for years later, news reports out of Denmark and the U.S. questioned whether all four bombs had really been located. [Photos: Top-Secret, Cold War-Era Military Base in Greenland]

In 2008, the BBC published an article based on declassified documents regarding the Thule accident, asserting that one of the four hydrogen bombs was never recovered from the crash site. This claim by a respected publication led the Danish prime minister to request a new investigation of the declassified documents used for the BBC report. That investigation, led by Danish scholar Svend Aage Christensen, found that the BBC's report was not based on any new declassified information (it drew from information that had previously been declassified) and that all four weapons had, in fact, been destroyed during the crash in 1968, according to the National Security Archive.

Project Horizon

Project Horizon summary.

Before the civilian space organization NASA put the first astronaut on the moon in 1969, at least two U.S. military organizations drew up plans for establishing strategic lunar military outposts. In 1959, the U.S. Army drew up a proposal for a "manned military" base on the moon. That proposal, which was submitted by the Army's chief of research and development, was dubbed Project Horizon and would "develop and protect potential United States interest on the moon," according to declassified documents.

Another program, this one developed by the U.S. Air Force, sought to establish a "Lunar Based Earth Bombardment System" that met specific military requirements. Another Air Force study, this one submitted in 1959, involved detonating a nuclear weapon on the moon. The study was spearheaded by Leonard Reiffel, then a physicist at the Illinois Institute of Technology, and also included contributions from the astrophysicist Carl Sagan. In a 2010 interview with The New York Times, Reifell said that the "foremost intent [of the nuclear detonation] was to impress the world with the prowess of the United States."

Mapimi Silent Zone

Mapimi Silent Zone in Durango, Mexico.

A declassified document could help clear up some urban legends at one of Mexico's most bizarre tourist traps. The so-called Mapimi Silent Zone is a small stretch of desert in Durango, Mexico, where, according to local legend, radio waves cannot be transmitted. Often compared to the Bermuda Triangle, Mapimi is frequented by tourists looking for a paranormal adventure.

But the real reason that Mapimi is an interesting location has nothing to do with aliens or paranormal energy  it has to do with a big mistake by the U.S. Air Force. In 1970, an ATHENA V-123-D rocket carrying two small vials of cobalt 57 (a radioactive isotope that is sometimes used in salted bombs) crashed in the Durango desert. The rocket was supposed to land in New Mexico, according to documents declassified in 2013. Local legends may have sprung up as a result of this Air Force flop.

Iran Flight 655

Crew members monitor radar screens in the combat information center aboard the guided missile cruiser USS Vincennes in 1988.

In 1988, a U.S. warship in the Persian Gulf shot down an Iranian civilian aircraft en route to Dubai, killing all 290 passengers on board. Navy personnel incorrectly identified the civilian plane as an Iranian fighter jet before launching the missile that took down the flight, according to declassified documents.

The U.S. reached a settlement with Iran in 1996 in which it agreed to pay $61.8 million to compensate families of the Iranian victims. However, the U.S. government never issued an apology. The Pentagon conducted a now-declassified official investigation into the incident in 1988 and did not find fault with the naval officers who brought down Flight 655.

However, in the wake of the investigation by the Department of Defense, several journalists pointed out discrepancies between the official report and later accounts of what occurred. For example, the flight was originally said to have deviated from its standard route, but this was later found to be false. The report also states that the warship was operating in international waters at the time of the missile launch, when it was in fact operating in Iranian territorial waters.

Kidnapping of the Lunik

A page from a document about the Lunik satellite.

Sometimes, declassified documents read like a scene out of a James Bond film. That's the case with this document, titled "The Kidnapping of the Lunik." It tells the story of a CIA-led mission to "borrow" a Soviet lunar satellite for just one night.

The so-called kidnapping occurred in the early 1960s, at the height of the U.S.-Soviet space race. To make it clear that they were winning this race, the Soviets launched a multinational exhibition of their Lunik satellite, the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Earth's moon. [Top 10 Soviet and Russian Space Missions]

One night, undercover CIA agents convinced the truck driver who transported the satellite from city to city to get some rest at a nearby hotel and leave the satellite in their care, the documents revealed. They then "borrowed" the Soviet orbiter  taking it apart and photographing its components before putting it back on the truck. There was no indication that the Soviets knew what had happened that fateful night, according to the declassified documents.

USS Liberty

USS Liberty (AGTR-5) receives assistance from units of the Sixth Fleet, after she was attacked and seriously damaged by Israeli forces off the Sinai Peninsula on 8 June 1967. An SH-3 helicopter is near her bow.

In 1967, in the midst of the Six-Day War (a conflict between Israel and its neighboring Arab states), Israeli aircraft attacked the USS Liberty, a ship gathering intelligence for the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). Thirty-four Americans were killed in the attack and 171 more were injured. But was the attack intentional?

Many people believe that the Israeli government meant to open fire on the so-called "spy ship" to prevent it from intercepting sensitive information about upcoming battles, according to the declassified NSA report. But official investigations by both U.S. and Israeli agencies concluded that the attack was not deliberate, with pilots confirming that they believed the USS Liberty to be an enemy ship. This declassified NSA report explains the agency's position on the contentious issue.

FBI Surveillance Planes

A stock photo of an airplane conducting surveillance.

In 2015, the AP broke the news of an FBI surveillance program that uses small aircraft to spy on suspects on the ground. The planes carry video and cellphone surveillance technology and are registered to fictitious companies. When the AP released its report in June 2015, the planes had been observed above more than 30 cities in 11 U.S. states in a 30-day period.

While the FBI told the AP that its aerial surveillance program is not a secret, details about what information the planes collect is highly censored in publicly available documents, according to the AP. The report also states that the FBI operates these planes without judicial approval. One document, obtained by the National Security Archive, shows the names and addresses of the fictitious companies that operate the planes. NSA expert and historian Matthew M. Aid also created a list of the aircraft that are used in this FBI "air force."

Operation Crossroads

The

In July 2016, the National Security Archive posted declassified documents, films and photographs that show U.S. tests of atomic bombs in the Bikini Atoll in 1946. Dubbed Operation Crossroads, the tests marked the first atomic explosions since the bombings of Japan during World War II in August 1945. [In Photos: Dive to USS Independence Wreck]

While much is publicly known about the tests, the declassified documents shed new light on how the tests affected people of Bikini Atoll, who were forced to relocate. They also offer a view of the objections raised by scientists and military officials before the bombings, as well as the rationale behind the decision to carry out the tests despite these objections.

Doctor Zhivago

During the Cold War, the CIA played a role in distributing the book

During the Cold War, the CIA played a role in distributing the book "Doctor Zhivago" throughout the Soviet Union. The book by Russian writer Boris Pasternak was banned by the Soviets, according to a Washington Post article, because it displayed an open-minded view of the Bolshevik Revolution and its protagonist, a doctor-poet, was staunchly individualistic.

Seeing the book's potential as a propaganda tool, the CIA worked with its allies in Dutch Intelligence to deliver about 1,000 copies of the book into Soviet hands, according to documents declassified in 2014. The books were distributed to visiting Soviets at the World's Fair in Brussels in 1958 with help from the Vatican, according to the National Security Archive.

Bound in unmarked blue linen and wrapped in brown paper, the books made their way into the Soviet Union, where the CIA hoped they would stir up anti-communist sentiment among disgruntled citizens. The CIA also smuggled other banned books into the Soviet Union, including James Joyce's "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" and Vladimir Nabokov's "Pnin."

FLIR, GIMBAL, and GOFAST: The Pentagon's UFO videos

U.S. Navy videos of alleged UFO sightings were previously available but had not been officially declassified.

In December 2017, three classified U.S. Navy videos showing unidentified aircraft moving in seemingly impossible ways were leaked to the press. The videos, which were codenamed FLIR, GIMBAL and GOFAST, were captured by Navy pilots during routine missions over the coast of California in 2004, and over the East Coast in 2014 and 2015. In each case, the pilots attempted to trail unusual, wingless aircraft that moved at hypersonic speeds, with no visible means of propulsion.

Over the coming months, countless media outlets shared the mysterious videos, leading to widespread interest and speculation. In 2019, Pentagon officials were forced to admit that the videos were real, and "part of a larger issue" of increased UFO sightings near U.S. military bases, The Times reported.

...And hundreds of other UFO sightings

Two aircraft reported seeing a bright green UFO over Canada in July 2021.

Numerous Congressional hearings followed the video leak, and in June 2021 The Pentagon released an unclassified report detailing more than 140 encounters between military personnel and unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), another name for UFOs. While only one of the incidents could be explained with high confidence, the report in no way suggested that aliens have anything to do with UAP; most UAP incidents can likely be explained as foreign surveillance drones or airborne clutter, such as weather balloons, Pentagon officials said in Nov. 2022.

Since the release of the bombshell videos, The Pentagon has taken a much more transparent stance on UFO/UAP investigations, opening a dedicated UAP case management office called the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office (AARO) in early 2022. Reports of alleged UFO sightings from various U.S. military branches have flooded into the new office, with more than 360 new cases identified in 2022 alone. Of these, 171 cases remained unresolved and inexplicable as of the year's end, according to the office's first annual report.
The Jan. 6 rioter who attacked fallen Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick with pepper spray was sentenced Friday to 6 years and 8 months in prison.

Julian Khater, 33, of Somerset, New Jersey, pleaded guilty last year to assaulting officers with a dangerous weapon.

According to court records, Khater maced at least two officers that day at close range as a mob of rioters pulled down metal police barricades on the west front of the U.S. Capitol complex.

PHOTO: Tear gas is fired at supporters of President Trump who stormed the United States Capitol building in Washington, Jan. 6, 2021. (The Washington Post via Getty Images, FILE)

The Washington, D.C., medical examiner found that Sicknick died the next day of natural causes, but the events of the day may have contributed to his condition. As a result, Judge Thomas Hogan noted he could not sentence Khater for causing Sicknick's death.

Hogan said Khater will get credit for the year and 10-plus months he has spent incarcerated so far, in part due to prison conditions that the judge described as a "disgrace."

MORE: Man charged in Jan. 6 assault of officer who died pleads guilty to misdemeanors

Before receiving his sentence, Khater addressed the court, saying he has spent significant time soul-searching, reading and praying.

"This has been a long, agonizing, but humbling experience that has taken a huge toll on me," Khater told the judge.

The judge called Khater's lack of direct apology to the officers a "self-centered" approach. Though Khater said his attorney had advised him against a direct apology, noting that a civil case had been filed against him.

MORE: Longtime partner of officer who died after Jan. 6 files wrongful death lawsuit against Trump, others

Dozens of Capitol Police officers attended Friday's sentencing in support of their fallen colleague. Sicknick's family, along with Officer Caroline Edwards, who was near Sicknick and also maced by Khater, provided emotional statements to the court about their loss.

"I thought I would be happy when this day came - when justice would be served," said Edwards, struggling to hold back tears while explaining the emotional trauma she experienced with the loss of her friend and colleague.

Story continues

Edwards described feeling as though she had failed as an officer due to her incapacitation and inability to help.

Sicknick's mother addressed Khater directly, calling him an "animal" and explaining the enduring stress the entire family has been under.

"You are center stage in our recurring nightmare," Gladys Sicknick said.

Khater's defense attorney, Chad Seigel, called his client's actions "a moment of clouded judgment."

"His emotionally charged conduct was an aberration," Seigel said.

Prosecutors requested 90 months for what they described as Khater's "cowardly and pre-meditated assault" on law enforcement officers. Hogan decided on 80 months minus the 22 months he has already served.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Jan. 6 rioter who maced Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick sentenced to nearly 7 years originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Kevin Holland has now told his side of the story.

The UFC welterweight responded to fellow UFC fighter Joseph Holmes accusations, saying that he was attacked by Hollands crew on Friday night at a local MMA event in Dallas, Texas. Holland says Holmes claims are fake and recounted his version of the situation.

Last night we were at the XKO fights having a good time, enjoying ourselves, and were on our way out, Holland said on his Instagram. Of course, I see Ugly Man Joe, not going to deny that. He was walking up the stairs, I was walking down the stairs. He didnt want to walk on the other side of the stairs where the guy he was beefing was, so he walked in my side of the stairs, like I was going to move.

I was like bro, Chill out. As soon as I put my hand up to say chill out, he grabbed me. As soon as he grabbed me, we kind of almost went flying down the stairs. Quick reactions, neither one of us fell over.

By the time I go to fix my coat, I dont know what happened.  I dont remember any of the stuff he talks about. All I remember is him getting into a fight and me breaking it up. Sounds good. Thats the part of the story that sticks. All the other stuff is drama that you (Holmes) have, and thats between you and another man. Dont use my name for clout, dont put me in your bs.

Holmes says he was simply going up the stairs and Holland tried to stop him, which prompted him to grab Holland. Thats when he was struck by multiple people, according to Holmes. Holmes also said that Holland instructed his people to back off, insinuating Holland had orchestrated an attack.

Related

Michael Bisping critical of Kevin Holland's ego in UFC on ESPN 42 loss: 'That was not high fight IQ' UFC free fight: Kevin Holland sends Joaquin Buckley's mouth piece flying with third-round TKO

Holmes also claimed that there was a bad relationship with Holland and his crew prior to the alleged incident, as they had differences after Holmes dated one of Hollands uncles ex-girlfriends. Holland says he had no involvement in the alleged attack, and the differences are a matter between Holmes and someone else.

Story continues

Holland wrote on an Instagram story proposing Holmes to spar, rather than UFC fight as Holmes has suggested. Holland still stands by that and explained that the origin of his offer was after Holmes came after his little brother on social media.

If you want to fight with me, we got gyms, Holland said. You said to tell the UFC to send a contract. I doubt the UFC will send you a contract.

If you want to spar, you can spar me at my gym. My little brother hit you up online. Hes a minor. You shared him on your page, calling him a clown. So of course, Im going to tag you in stuff like that (saying) if you want to come to my gym and spar for $20,000. Ill give you a chance to spar for $20,000.  Here I am offering you $20,000 to spar with me.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
KITTERY, Maine  The number of people seeking the services of Footprints Food Pantry increased by nearly 50% last year, as the agency also doubled the amount of food distributed.

There are currently more than 270 households in Kittery alone seeking Footprints assistance every month.

Meanwhile, folks down the street and around the corner at Fair Tide are helping five times as many households avoid homelessness as they did in 2018. The thrift shop operated by Fair Tide grossed nearly $250,000 in sales last year, with profits channeled toward the costs of operating the organizations programs and services.

The group also owns a five-unit house in downtown Kittery to provide shelter for occupants who might not otherwise have a home, and is currently in the process of developing two other residential properties in town.

Footprints Food Pantry, Fair Tide teaming up to create Mainspring

Now these two Kittery-based powerhouse non-profit organizations are teaming up to share space under a single roof, and are kicking off a $5.5 million fundraising campaign to get it done. While both have had a significant impact in the area, organization leaders acknowledge the current system needs an overhaul.

The fact is, although these groups have toiled heroically for a combined 55 years, hunger and the lack of affordable housing still persist as problems in the Seacoast. By pooling resources, they say, they can better serve neighbors in need.

There is poverty in this community, even if you cant see it, Footprints director Megan Shapiro-Ross said recently.

Fair Tide Executive Director Emily Flinkstrom, left, and Footprints Food Pantry Executive Director Megan Shapiro-Ross are working to bring their organizations to one location at 22 Shapleigh Road in Kittery, Maine, where a social services hub called Mainspring is planned, as seen Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022.

The joint enterprise has been dubbed Mainspring, which is defined as the chief or most powerful motive, agent or cause.

The genius of the plan lies in its simplicity  it is essentially a case for one-stop shopping. If services being sought by those in need are streamlined within a single facility, applicants will have a much easier time navigating the process. They may also feel more inclined to seek assistance if the task seems less overwhelming.

Story continues

Were just looking to have folks not bounce from place to place, said Fair Tide Executive Director Emily Flinkstrom. The way its set up now, its not working. Its getting worse.

The new Mainspring resource center will be centrally located to Kittery businesses, plans to include other services in the future

Fair Tide purchased the former medical practice building at 22 Shapleigh Road last April through a $750,000 grant from the American Rescue Plan Act. This highly visible site is centrally located between the local post office, the Kittery Community Center, both gated entrances to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and Traip Academy, the local high school.

Fair Tides thrift store on State Road and Footprints market at Old Post Road will both be relocated within the new site, which was most recently used for storage by the Old York Historical Society. Current plans call for the 8,000 square-foot building to be expanded to more than 11,000 feet, and each organization will have its own storefront entrance. There will also be a third entrance at what is now the rear of the building, to Mainsprings administrative offices.

Mainspring, a social services hub coming to Kittery, is expected to open in the summer of 2024.

Plans are under way to include other services as well, including York County Community Action  which administers initiatives like the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program  and the general assistances offices of both Kittery and Eliot, which administer emergency funding from town coffers for residents in need. Eventually legal aid, medical and dental clinics, and other services will be offered as well.

Under the current setup, those seeking services typically have to arrange appointments and fill out applications at various locations. Theyre required to share the most vulnerable details of their lives with strangers, the directors point out, and are sent off to repeat this time-intensive and emotionally draining process over and over again.

Being poor is a full-time job, Shapiro-Ross explained. If youre lacking food, youre likely lacking housing, and if you lack housing, youre most likely lacking health care.

Nobody will be refused help

One of the obstacles both directors encounter is the not in my back yard mentality some individuals carry regarding those people who require such assistance. But what they are finding, especially during this ongoing economic period of inflation, is that many applicants find themselves seeking assistance for the first time.

I could be one of those people  one step away, said Shapiro-Ross, whos headed Footprints since 2020. It takes one health crisis for people to be there.

They emphasize that the towns of Kittery and Eliot are equally committed to this effort. The programs benefit residents of both towns, as well as York and South Berwick in Maine and Portsmouth in New Hampshire.

Previous story:Fair Tide, Footprints Food Pantry to open Mainspring, a Kittery social services hub

But no one approaching them for help will be turned away.

Footprints and Fair Tide will continue to operate separately in their respective missions even after they start sharing space, but Mainspring is a highly collaborative process. One illustration of this team concept is Fair Tides invitation to Footprints to share ownership of the new building they were purchasing, rather than simply charging the food pantry rent as a tenant.

Mainspring transcends Fair Tide's mission, Flinkstrom said, noting that both groups share similar missions of improving their community. As such, it only makes sense to share the work, and the benefits, with our partners.

Plans for the shared 22 Shapleigh Road property, adding other property for affordable housing

These are heady times for Fair Tide in particular. Part of the proposal for the nearly two-acre parcel at 22 Shapleigh Road includes construction of a new house on the property, which will host six deeply affordable units.

In addition, there are also plans to renovate a house on Old Post Road known locally as the Dineen property, where several unused commercial buses were stored for years. This property  which happens to sit directly across the street from Footprints current location  first has to be remediated by the town.

Kittery Town Manager Kendra Amaral said last week officials are working on grants from the Brownfield Redevelopment Program to deal with hazardous waste materials at the former bus depot, including asbestos inside the building and leaked oil and gas in the soils outside. The town is now completing a memorandum of understanding with Fair Tide, after the organization submitted the winning proposal selected to develop the property for affordable housing.

Timeline is not certain, but I am hoping the project will be at least starting construction in 2024, Amaral said.

Kittery Foreside fire station sold. $1.4M contract for Gorges Road station upgrade awarded

Flinkstrom expects to create another four to six units of affordable housing at the tax-foreclosed site once its all said and done. Fair Tide also works with local landlords and property managers to find affordable permanent housing for families and individuals facing homelessness, and provides case management assistance.

There is a big gap in our inventory for rental units that are affordable for people making 80% of the area median income, or less, said Flinkstrom, who has headed the non-profit since 2016.

Affordable housing is defined as mortgage or rent and utility payments which are no more than 30% of the occupants income, according to the Fair Tide director. For instance, the median household annual income in the Seacoast region is about $115,000, she says. Eighty percent of that amount is $92,000.

Based on this 30% formula, a household earning 80% of the average income  or $92,000 a year --can afford $2,300 a month in rent and utilities.

For someone making the average renter wage of $15.21/hour, they can only afford $791 a month in rent and utilities, Flinkstrom noted. You aren't going to find that anywhere!

Who closed, who opened, and more:The year in Seacoast NH and Maine restaurants

As for Footprints, the pantry they plan to install at the Shapleigh Road site will be redesigned as a gorgeous grocery store model, including a commissary kitchen and a kids area supported by a $10,000 Dunkin Donuts grant, said Shapiro-Ross.

Nearly 140 new households sought the services of Footprints last year alone, she noted.

How the idea of merging resources came together

While this resource hub will make these services more accessible for neighbors in need, the shared facility will also help participating agencies streamline their overhead costs. For instance, they will only require one receptionist who can direct visitors to the office they seek, and theyll share a phone system and utilities, snowplowing costs, and so forth.

The directors acknowledge they didnt invent this concept  its becoming more commonplace all across the country, although perhaps not as often as it should.

In their case, it was a matter of almost karmic timing. Flinkstrom and others had determined back in 2019 that having multiple services in a single location would be ideal, but they didnt know where such a place could be located. Then several of these agencies worked more closely together during the COVID-19 pandemic, developing a stronger sense of community.

Finally, the Shapleigh Road site  which was not for sale  became available through the outreach of a board member. This member helped the historical society find a new location right there in York, which made the long-coveted Kittery building available.

Right around this same time, Fair Tide was approved for the American Rescue Plan Act grant that covered the price of the purchase. The non-profit had initially intended to construct a new building at a different site, but had eyed 22 Shapleigh for years.

So far, the organizations have already raised nearly $1 million of the $5.5 million needed to complete the renovation and expansion, including the ARPA funding. Nearly $3.4 million is for actual construction costs, while another $270,000-plus will cover architecture and engineering expenses. ARQ Architects in Kittery is designing the space.

Mainspring is described in promotional literature as The Seacoast Social Services Collective. The groups are now actively seeking donors and supporters.

We invite anybody to approach us and walk on through, Flinkstrom said.

Donations can be mailed to Mainspring c/o Fair Tide, 15 State Road, Kittery ME 03904, or submitted through the website www.mainspringcollective.org/donate.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Kittery, ME resource hub raising money to merge social services
police

Earlier this month, footage of a disturbing police-involved shooting was publicly released. A home surveillance video showed a husband and his wife sleeping in their mobile home when they were awakened by cops on speakers demanding they come outside. Tired and discombobulated, the North Carolina couple obliged. As the man opened the door with his hands up, within seconds, he was shot several times and fell backward onto his floor.

The victim was later identified as 41-year-old Jason Harley Kloepfer. Authorities confirmed the incident happened on Dec. 12 in Murphy, North Carolina. Law enforcement officials were dispatched to the scene for what was believed to be an armed, hostage situation. On Dec. 13, Cherokee County Sheriff Dustin Smith addressed the shooting in a Facebook post. Apparently, after recognizing there was an armed suspect present and the potential for a hostage situation, the Cherokee Indian Police Department SWAT Team showed up at the residence. From there, Kloepfer is accused of engaging in a verbal altercation with officers and confronted them before being shot.

After the footage was made public, Smith refuted his initial claims. Neither myself nor Chief Deputy Justin Jacobs were on the scene at the time of the shooting, so we relied on information provided to us from the Cherokee Indian Police Department, he said on Facebook last week. He added, The first time I ever saw video footage from the shooting was on Jan. 18, 2023. Without a single apology to the disabled resident, the sheriff seemingly blamed the incident on his department not having its own tactical team to handle hostage situations. I will be asking county commissioners for the funds to create such a unit when budget negotiations for the next fiscal year begin, he continued.

In the video footage, members of the North Carolina SWAT team are heard saying, F**k, bro, f**k! Another one alerts his peers that their unjust actions were filmed, adding, Hey, cameras, cameras! Kloepfer suffered from multiple gunshot wounds and was charged with communicating threats and resist, obstruct and delay. I cant talk [too] much about details right now as this is [a] major, major case [thats] still evolving, Kloepfer shared on Facebook on Jan. 20.

See Kloepfers statement below.
Image via Getty

Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe has responded to a supposed study conducted by the aggregate website King Casino Bonus that ranked Ottawa as one of the worlds most overrated cities for tourists.

The sites ranking, based on an aggregate of obscure star ratings, listed Ottawa as the 60th most overrated city in the world, which didnt sit well with Sutcliffe. He took to Twitter to express his disappointment.

I dont normally comment on stories like this, but the headline, the article, and the study itself are misleading and also missing the point, Sutcliffe wrote on Twitter. Ive heard from a number of people in Ottawa who share my view. So I feel compelled to come to the defence of our city.

I don't normally comment on stories like this, but the headline, the article, and the study itself are misleading and also missing the point. I've heard from a number of people in Ottawa who share my view. So I feel compelled to come to the defence of our city. 1/ https://t.co/SlPD5e7VE7  Mark Sutcliffe (@_MarkSutcliffe) January 26, 2023

In the following tweets, Sutcliffe questioned the legitimacy of the lists criteria for being overrated and added that any list that says Miami, London, Paris, and Tokyo are in the top 10 most overrated cities must be flawed.

Sutcliffe also criticized the lists framing before concluding that Ottawa should be proud that it is a top tourist destination. He concluded by scoffing at the list and urging Ottawans to unify and continue to convince the world how beautiful and welcoming Ottawa is to visitors and residents.

Following Sutcliffes Twitter rant, things got weirder.

PressProgress editor Luke LeBrun noticed Sutcliffes anger towards the list and started his own thread explaining the origins of the website and dove into its unusual origins.

Story continues

1. This whole mess begins two days ago with a clickbaity @DailyHive article ranking Canadas most disappointing cities.



Daily Hive cites a study claiming analysts with an organization called King Casino Bonus UK did some hi-tech big data analysis thingy. pic.twitter.com/qMB5GYAZGI  Luke LeBrun (@_llebrun) January 27, 2023

LeBrun continued to explain the weirdness of the King Casino Bonus site by questioning its content, business model, and lack of verified contacts to reach out to. He then found their Twitter account, which was seemingly left for dead and discovered that 3 of the 5 experts at the British organization were based in Romania.

6. Another weird thing was 3 of the 5 experts at this British organization were based in Romania. One appears to be a 20-something Instagram model.



The other two claim to have journalism degrees from American and British universities, but theres no sign they actually exist. pic.twitter.com/hpU1lQoyLk  Luke LeBrun (@_llebrun) January 27, 2023

In his subsequent tweets, LeBrun found out that the site was not British as many Canadian publications had reported and that the sites spokesperson introduced himself to LeBrun as Ionut Marin of Bucharest, Romania, who had his foot in a company that focused on SEO and online gambling.

7. The spokesperson for King Casino Bonus UK identified himself to me as Ionut Marin of Bucharest, Romania.



According to LinkedIn, his background is in SEO. He runs a digital marketing company called Extremoo that has a focus on SEO and online gambling. pic.twitter.com/Fk39xkSyVS  Luke LeBrun (@_llebrun) January 27, 2023

LeBrun concluded his thread by saying that Extremoos owner stopped replying to him and he had told him that Sutcliffe had denounced the list on Twitter.

Your guess is as good as mine as to what this Romanian digital marketing company is up to, LeBrun wrote in his final tweet of the thread.
SAN ANTONIO  Damion Lee is having a career year shooting the basketball from 3.

Suns coach Monty Williams has a theory as to why.

Maybe when you marry into the Curry family, you shoot the ball well, Williams said. Everybody in that family can shoot the ball.

Leading the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage at 48.4% heading into Saturday's game against the Spurs (14-35), Lee seems like a lock to participate in the 3-point shooting contest on All-Star weekend next month in Salt Lake City, Utah.

His brother-in-law and former teammate thinks so.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, right, shoots a 3-point basket over Memphis Grizzlies forward Dillon Brooks during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vasquez)

Oh, for sure, said Warriors All-Star and two-time 3-point contest champion, Stephen Curry, who is considered the greatest shooter ever.

Usually you want the guy shooing the highest percentage and whatever that volume question is. I think he qualifies there.

The NBA will likely announce the All-Star Saturday participants on Feb. 9.

If it happens, it happens, Lee said. Its obviously something that if you get to that point, obviously the respect level is there. It doesnt matter how many times you get there. If you get there, the respect is there. Im not trying to think about it too much. Im not trying to put too much pressure on myself, but if the opportunity presents itself, I would gladly accept it and go from there.

A career 38.2% shooter from 3, Lee has never participated in the 3-point contest.

Related: Corner 3 home destination for Phoenix Suns wing Damion Lee

Phoenix Suns guard Damion Lee (10) shoots the ball over Brooklyn Nets guard Seth Curry (30) at Footprint Center on Jan. 19, 2023.

I dont want to say thats not the end goal, but thats definitely a stepping stone to being known as an elite shooter in this league to have that invite, Lee added.

Shooting 89-of-184 from 3 this season in his first year in Phoenix (25-25), Lee has already made more 3s than he ever has in a single season in his career and the Suns have 32 games remaining.

He just has a natural stroke, Suns wing Torrey Craig said. Consistent. Shoots the same way every time.

And theres that Curry family connection along with fellow Splash brother, Warriors forward Klay Thompson, who won the 3-point contest in 2016.

Story continues

He played with two of the greatest shooters ever, Craig continued. Im pretty sure he had to shoot at a high level just to be in shooting games with them or compete with them. They always hold you to a high level and I think hes just shooting at an all-time high right now.

'Wow': Damion Lee receives championship ring, plays big in Phoenix Suns win over Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) shoots over Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins, right, during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Lee has clearly put in the work to go from hitting just 33.7% of his 3s last season to knocking down nearly 50% of them this season, but hes literally a student of shooting.

My guilty pleasure is studying guide hands, Lee said. I just watch games, watch guys shoot and just study their guide hand. See their release, their shot pocket. How they get into it. One foot. Two foot. Lean. Fade. Stepping into it. Off balance.

The list of players Lee has studied is a whos who list of past and present great shooters with clear connections.

"It's easy huh?"#Suns assistant Patrick Mutombo working with Damion Lee and Torrey Craig getting up shots.



"It is easy." Craig said.



Wait for Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton guest appearances. pic.twitter.com/QnxwLXGAEL  Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) January 27, 2023

Warriors coach Steve Kerr (won the 1997 3-point contest).

Stephen Curry (Warriors guard and Lee's brother-in-law).

Nets guard Seth Curry (Nets guard and Lees brother-in-law).

Nets forward Kevin Durant (Lees teammate at Golden State).

Suns guard Devin Booker (current teammate, 2018 3-point champion).

Cam Johnson (current teammate, shooting career-best 46.7% from 3 this season).

Jan 26, 2023; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Cameron Johnson (23) shoots the ball over Dallas Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie (26) at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Rondone-Arizona Republic

A really good shooter, it all starts with your base, Lee said. Thats one thing when I was studying and try to lock in onto getting my shot to where I felt it was best for me. Just studying the base, the footwork and how to get into it. Even if you are leaning, how you snap your wrist. How you get the ball off. The feel of the shot. I think Book and Cam Johnson, outside of Steph, Klay and KD, have the best base when it comes to shooting. No matter if theyre leaning a little or fading, their base is unbelievable.

Lee continued his shooter breakdown, saying Wizards guard Bradley Beal and Heat guard Duncan Robinson have amazing guide hands.

Tobias Harris, even though its kind of like a cup, it looks amazing, Lee said about the 76ers forward. Steph sometimes shoots with his thumb. Klay leans with his head a little bit. KDs is like straight up.

For subscribers: 5 takeaways after Suns fall short to Doncic-less Mavs

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.

Support local journalism. Start your online subscription.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns' Damion Lee a lock for 3-point contest All-Star weekend?
Two teenage girls who walked away from their Mesa, Arizona group home in early January have been found dead.

Kamryn Meyers, 15, and Sitlalli Avelar, 17, were both living at a Powerhouse Youth Facility Inc. group home in Mesa when, on Jan. 6, staff members overheard the two talking about running away, according to Mesa ABC affiliate KNXV and Phoenix CBS affiliate KPHO. It was something both girls had done at previous facilities.

Under Arizona law, however, the staff had few options.

RELATED: Father, Stepmother Arrested 11 Years After Child's Bones Found In Alabama Trailer Park

Theyre not allowed to lock these children in these facilities," the organization's attorney, Brad Miller, told KNXV. "So, oftentimes, the children are free to leave.

One girl had been at the facility, which had opened in November, for just a month, while the other had been there for two when they hatched their plan to leave.

Immediately the staff followed their standard operating procedure and encouraged these girls to stay," Miller said. The girls, however, left on Jan. 7.

Missing girls Sitlalli Avelar and Kamryn Meyers

Sitlalli Avelar and Kamryn Meyers Photo: Mesa Police Department

"Then of course, immediately the staff went into action: called the DCS hotline, they called the case workers, they filed the incident report, Miller said.

The staff even met with the police again on Jan. 10 after the two still hadn't returned.

Powerhouse did an amazing job at immediately reporting them missing and a few days later they also met with the police department once again, so they did their due diligence, Anika Robinson, the president and cofounder of ASA Now (a non-profit that helps foster families and foster kids), told KPHO.

But not even the girls in Meyers' group chat  at least one of whom met the 15-year-old at a different facility for at-risk teen girls  heard from her after that, her friend Keith Plummer told Mesa NBC affiliate KPNX.

Instead, on Saturday, Mesa Police received a phone call around 6 p.m. from a man walking his dogs on the southwest side of the gated Leisure World community, according to a police press release obtained by Oxygen.com and KPHO. The man reported seeing a mannequin in a water basin, but responding officers determined that it was a body  and they found a second one.

Story continues

Alex Murdaugh sits in the Colleton County Courthouse

Police said it appeared the bodies had been there for quite some time, and it took police and the medical examiner until Wednesday to determine that the two bodies were those of Avelar and Meyers, according to KPNX.

A cause of death has not yet been determined.

"We take any case like this extremely seriously," Mesa Police Det. Richard Encinas told Phoenix Fox affiliate KSAZ. "Most of us have children, most of us have teenagers, around that age so we definitely feel the effects of that."

"She was entertaining; she was hilarious; she always put a smile on my face," Meyers' friend Plummer told KPNX. "I really feel for the girls who were Kam's best friends because it's heartbreaking."

I think all of us were really heartbroken and shocked, Plummer told KPHO. The idea of someone with that big of a heart and always willing to light up a room no matter what was going on in her own life ... It just sucks to see it happen to somebody who really doesnt deserve it.

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She was only 15, and her life was just ended," Plummer added. "She had no real chance in the world because it was just ripped away from her."

The Mesa Police ask that anyone with information about Meyers or Avelar's disappearance or death to call the department's non-emergency number at 480-644-2211.
Tom Verlaine - Photo: Darren Eagles/Getty Images

Tom Verlaine, who became a pivotal figure in the rise of punk and post-punk with his band Television, has died at the age of 73.

Verlaines death was confirmed to the New York Times by Jesse Paris Smith, the daughter of Verlaines peer and former partner Patti Smith. She shared that the musician had died after a brief illness.

Born Thomas Miller on December 13, 1949 in Morristown, New Jersey, he became enamored with the guitar when he heard the Rolling Stones hit 19th Nervous Breakdown in 1966. Shortly after, he adopted his stage name in tribute to the French symbolist poet Paul Verlaine.

With his high school friend, the now-famous Richard Hell, who shared a passion for music and poetry, Verlaine moved to New York City separately and in 1972 they formed the group Neon Boys. It consisted of Verlaine on guitar and vocals, Hell on bass and vocals, and Billy Ficca on drums. The group didnt last long, taking a break in 1973 and reuniting a year later as Television with Richard Lloyd as a second guitarist. Their first gig was in March 1974.

Verlaine, who once dated poet and musician Smith, became a seminal figure of the scene at CBGB in New York, the birthplace of punk music. Television became a steady presence at the venue, lighting up the stage with their brilliant interpretation of punk and rock music.

Television released two albums, 1977s Marquee Moon and the following years Adventure, classic albums that were widely celebrated in critical circles as seminal releases of the new wave era. They disappointed in terms of US sales. But the former is widely considered one of the great rock albums of all time, and was especially admired in the UK, where it made the Top 30 and produced two singles that also reached that mark, the title track and Prove It.

On his own, Verlaine released eight solo albums after departing Television. A 14-year break from recording followed, when he reemerged in 2006 with the album Songs and Other Things and the instrumental project Around, released simultaneously on the Chicago independent label Thrill Jockey.

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In a 2003 review of the bands seminal Marquee Moon, Pitchfork critic Chris Dahlen explored the brilliant guitar work on the album. He wrote, But the things that make the record so classic, that pump your blood like a breath of clean air, are the guitars. This whole records a mash note to them. The contrast between these two essential leads is stunning: Richard Lloyd chisels notes out hard while [Tom] Verlaine works with a subtle twang and a trace of space-gazing delirium.

They play lines that are stately and chiming, rutting and torrential, the riff, the solo, the rare power chord, and most of all, the power note: the second pang on the riff to Venus de Milo lands like a barbell; the opening bars of See No Evil show one axe rutting the firmament while the other spirals razorwire around it.

For the latest music news and exclusive features, check out uDiscover Music.

uDiscover Music is operated by Universal Music Group (UMG). Some recording artists included in uDiscover Music articles are affiliated with UMG.
After multiple mass shootings across the country this week, Uvalde families gathered Tuesday as Texas legislators introduced four new bills that would tighten gun laws in the wake of the Robb Elementary School shooting last May.

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, introduced bills that, if enacted, would empower survivors of school shootings to sue Texas state agencies, allow Texas law enforcement officials to be sued for their on-the-job conduct, create a permanent compensation fund for victims of school shootings by imposing a tax on state gun sales, and repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, a federal law that shields gun sellers and manufacturers from liability.

Watchers of Texas politics said gun reform has little chance of getting passed without support from Republicans, who control both houses of the Legislature as well as the governorship.

MORE: Uvalde educator falsely accused of leaving door open shares her journey to healing

Gutierrez told ABC News that none of the proposed bills currently have a Republican willing to co-sponsor, but that all of them would eventually have companion bills in the Texas House of Representatives. Most of these are nonpartisan issues, he said.

Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde, said it is time to address the nations gun problems as the list of mass shootings continues to grow.

We can sue big tobacco when they market towards kids, but we cant sue big guns. Its ludicrous," Gutierrez said. "How that ever got passed is beyond me and I think my Republican colleagues can get behind me on that one.

PHOTO: Gloria and Javier Cazares, hold a photo of their daughter Jackie, who was one of 19 children killed by a gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, during a news conference at the Texas Capitol in Austin, Texas, Jan. 24, 2023. (Eric Gay/AP)

Last May, an 18-year-old gunman armed with an assault-style rifle attacked Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 students and two of their teachers. It was the second-worst school shooting in United States history, and it has spawned several lawsuits against gun manufacturers.

Velma Duran, sister of slain teacher Irma Garcia and a former teacher at Robb Elementary, urged legislators to consider the proposed bills.

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I come here pleading with you to take notice of these common-sense gun laws that we as Americans and teachers and children need in order to live in peace, Duran said. Are you waiting for it to happen to you or your family before you take the time to stop this gross negligence?

MORE: There have been more mass shootings than days in 2023, database shows

Texas lawmakers filed more than 30 gun regulation bills ahead of the 2022 Texas legislative session, the first such lawmaking session since the Robb Elementary shooting. Other proposals include raising the age to buy an assault rifle from 18 to 21, implementing red flag laws, and mandating background checks for all gun sales.

The age limit should be raised to 21 because having families torn apart is unlivable an 18-year-old should not be allowed to purchase this kind of weapon," Felicia Martinez, mother of victim Xavier Lopez, said on Tuesday,

These laws need to be changed and they need to be changed today, not tomorrow," Martinez said.

PHOTO: State Sen. Roland Gutierrez speaks during a news conference at the Texas State Capitol, Jan. 24, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Despite Uvalde families continuous efforts to lobby for gun reforms, many having gone to Washington, D.C., last year to advocate for a federal assault weapons ban, Texas experts said it will be an uphill battle.

Mark Jones, professor of Political Science at Rice University in Houston, said he is doubtful any gun control policy will make it to law this session.

All of that has been proposed, Jones told ABC News, None of it is going to pass.

MORE: Uvalde school shooting survivors tell their stories through photos

Jones said while most Republicans view proposed reforms as infringements on their second amendment rights, legislators face a tough reality in the Uvalde case.

Uvalde is a difficult issue for lawmakers in that one of the more common-sense gun reforms that has been proposed, that is raising the age to buy an assault rifle from 18 to 21, could have been relevant and prevented, if not the massacre itself, then the scale of the massacre," Jones said.

Houston University Professor Brandon Rottinghaus said the Republican majority under Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick holds all the power.

[Republicans] set the agenda in the state senate. They set the committees, they set the priorities. So, they have a lot of power, Rottinghaus told ABC News.

PHOTO: The families' of 10-year-year old Lexi Rubio and 11-year-old Uziyah Garcia stand together during a news conference at the Texas State Capitol on Jan. 24, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The way that they talk about this is that its a public safety issue not a gun issue. Anything thats related to guns and the restricting of firearms are probably not going to pass," Rottinghaus said.

Others in the Legislature are already looking beyond gun legislation and dealing in the political realities of the gun-enthused state.

Representative Shawn Thierry, a Democrat representing parts of south Houston, has proposed several pieces of gun control legislation but has also advocated for measures to beef up school security.

MORE: Uvalde police chief Pete Arredondo told investigators he heard gunfire, but decided it wasn't active shooter

Thierry plans to submit a bill that would require school districts to adopt an array of school security technology to mitigate threats to students and teachers, like electronic metal detectors and panic alert buttons.

These backstops are going to be necessary even if we raise the legal purchase age to 21, even if we ban assault weapons, even if we mandate background checks, Thierry told ABC News. Those measures would not eliminate the need for additional school security.

Thierry has also proposed legislation that would impose a 1,000% tax on assault rifle purchases  a measure she says could have bipartisan support in the Republican-controlled chamber.

Uvalde:365 is a continuing ABC News series reported from Uvalde and focused on the Texas community and how it forges on in the shadow of tragedy.

Texas senator proposes gun laws allowing school shooting victims to sue state, impose firearms tax originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
KYODO NEWS - Jan 28, 2023 - 18:32 | All, World, Japan

Japan plans to make clear it will maintain an apology to its neighbors over past aggressions, as part of efforts to improve its ties with South Korea, if Seoul finalizes a solution to a wartime labor issue, a government source said Saturday.

Tokyo is considering showing its remorse based on past statements, such as by then Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama in 1995, as the two countries apparently enter the final stage of talks on the issue following a recent proposal by South Korea.

Seoul said this month it was considering having a South Korean foundation compensate lawsuit plaintiffs instead of two Japanese corporate defendants over alleged forced labor during Japan's colonial rule.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed to work for an "early settlement" of the wartime labor issue when they met in November in Cambodia, the first official in-person talks between the leaders of the two countries in almost three years.

Japan has maintained that all issues stemming from the 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula were settled "completely and finally" under a bilateral agreement signed in 1965.

Tokyo-Seoul ties reached their lowest point in years over the wartime labor issue and others during the tenure of former South Korean President Moon Jae In, replaced by Yoon in May.

Senior foreign ministry officials from the two countries are expected to meet Monday in Seoul over the issue, according to the South Korean government.

South Korea's proposal was made during a public hearing in Seoul. One of its senior officials then said Japan needs to "sincerely maintain and inherit the deep apology and remorse" already expressed.

The statement by Murayama, issued on the 50th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, has been repeatedly mentioned by successive Cabinets as the government's basic stance.

Murayama said Japan "caused tremendous damage and suffering to the people of many countries, particularly to those of Asian nations" through its colonial rule and aggression, stating his "feelings of deep remorse" and "heartfelt apology."

But as the South Korean plaintiffs have demanded that Japan issue a fresh apology and pay compensation, the proposal by the South Korean government has triggered a harsh backlash from their supporters and opposition parties.

Japan regarded the proposal as a positive move, the source said. It also eyes allowing Japanese firms to donate to the South Korean foundation as long as demands for money from the two defendants, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. and Nippon Steel Corp., are dropped.

In 2018, the South Korean Supreme Court ordered the two Japanese firms to pay damages to the plaintiffs. But they have not complied with the decision as they heeded the Japanese government's position that the rulings violate international law.

Related coverage:

Japan, South Korea discuss Seoul's proposal to solve wartime labor row

Japan, South Korea vow to maintain communication on wartime labor issue
After successfully bullying M&Ms to sideline its mascots, Fox News Tucker Carlson has now set his sights on the Great White North by suggesting the US should invade Canada.

The Tucker Carlson Today likened Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to a dictator on his show this week, citing the anti-vaccine 2022 trucker protests that disrupted the nations capital for several weeks.

Mr Carlson suggested that the US should send the military to invade and "liberate" Canada.

"Im completely in favour of a Bay of Pigs operation to liberate that country," he said, despite saying the US has never been less ready for war in August.

He did not note that the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba was a failure.

"Why should we stand back and let our biggest trading partner, the country with which we share the longest border, and  actually, Ill just say, a great country, I love Canada, Ive always loved Canada because of its natural beauty  why should we let it become Cuba?" he asked.

He then asked "why dont we liberate it" before complaining about military spending in Ukraines fight against Russias invasion.

Tucker Carlson: We're spending all this money to liberate Ukraine from the Russians, why are we not sending an armed force north to liberate Canada from Trudeau? And, I mean it. pic.twitter.com/21NTd8C9GI  Media Matters (@mmfa) January 26, 2023

"Were spending all this money to liberate Ukraine from the Russians, why are we not sending an armed force north to liberate Canada from Trudeau? And I mean it." he said.

The Fox News hosts comments were met with mockery and scorn on social media.

The #BayOfPigs was a military failure. Dont let effete frozen food empire heirs dictate foreign policy, Twitter user Lisa McCormick wrote.

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@TuckerCarlson called for 'a Bay of Pigs operation to liberate ' Canada but that would not remove Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau.



The #BayOfPigs was a military failure.

Don't let effete frozen food empire heirs dictate foreign policy.  Lisa McCormick (She's one of Us!) (@LisaMcCormickNJ) January 27, 2023

Philip Bump, a columnist at the Washington Post, suggested Carlson read up on the outcome of the Bay of Pigs invasion.

The right-wing philosopher-king should google how that turned out, he wrote on Twitter.

Comedy writer Danny Gallagher was more direct in his criticism, calling the suggestion stupid.

Only a guy like Tucker Carlson who makes a resting face like a dog watching a card trick could suggest something THIS stupid. https://t.co/8sJQJiCiyG  Danny Gallagher (@thisisdannyg) January 27, 2023

Carlson has previously stated he was "rooting for Russia" in its invasion of Ukraine, and it has been reported that his broadcasts are used in Russian state television as propaganda. He has also said in the past that Ukraine was waging a "war against Christianity" by defending itself from Russia.

The conservative talking head then walked back his comments, saying he was "just talking myself into a frenzy here."

Carlsons love for Canada appears to be a new development; in the past he has criticised the nation as a "sick society" that "hates itself."
Ukrainian officials are breaking new ground  and possibly reshaping the future of cyberwarfare  as they seek to convince the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague to investigate whether certain Russian cyberattacks could constitute war crimes.

Cyberattacks have increasingly become a part of modern warfare in recent years, and have been repeatedly used by Russian forces amid the countrys war in Ukraine to target critical infrastructure.

Such attacks, though, are not listed as a form of war crime under the Geneva Conventions. Legal experts and researchers have previously made the case for the ICC to prosecute Russian cyberattacks, but the reported push from Ukrainian officials marks the first time a sovereign government has made such a request to the court  and could be a game-changer.

News that Ukrainian officials are weighing cyberattacks as potential war crimes is reflective of how seriously governments are taking these growing and evolving threats, said Paul Martini, CEO and chief technology officer at cybersecurity firm iboss.

Earlier this month, Ukraines chief digital transformation officer, Victor Zhora, told Politico that his country is gathering evidence of cyberattacks tied to military operations and are sharing information with the ICC in the hopes of potentially charging Russia for those crimes.

Zhora argued that since Russia used cyberattacks to support its kinetic military operations that targeted Ukraines critical infrastructure and civilians, the digital attacks should also be considered as war crimes against Ukrainian citizens.

When we observe the situation in cyberspace we notice some coordination between kinetic strikes and cyberattacks, and since the majority of kinetic attacks are organized against civilians  being a direct act of war crime  supportive actions in cyber can be considered as war crimes, Zhora told Politico.

We are discussing completely new terms and ideas on how to classify these attacks, which happened during the war, which have never happened before, he added.

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Zhora also noted last years Russian attacks against Ukraines largest private energy investor, DTEK, as an example of when cyberattacks are used in conjunction with kinetic warfare.

Their thermal power plant was shelled, and simultaneously, their corporate network was attacked, he said. Its directed and planned activity from Russians, which they did both in conventional domain and in cyber domain.

Convincing the ICC could prove difficult, however, says David Hickton, founding director of the University of Pittsburghs Institute for Cyber Law, Policy and Security, due to cyber crimes not being explicitly enumerated as war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.

Under the 1949 treaties, war crimes can include willful killing of civilians, torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments; willfully causing great suffering; and the taking of hostages, among other actions. Written before the modern technological era, the definition makes no mention of digital warfare.

Though theyre not included in the list, however, Hickton said cyberattacks could still be considered war crimes.

It is quite possible, depending upon the facts, that cyber crimes could constitute war crimes, and I would support the effort to develop the evidence if a cyber medium was being used in warfare illegally, he said.

I think just because cyber is not listed doesnt mean cyber crime couldnt be a war crime, he added.

It is not clear whether or how the ICC has responded to the reported request from Ukrainian officials.

If the ICC does find that destructive Russian cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure and civilians constitute war crimes, that could open grounds for potential prosecutions against the perpetrators of such attacks and possible reparations for the victims.

Ukrainian officials arent the only ones trying to make the case before the ICC. Last year, a group of human rights lawyers and investigators in the Human Rights Center at University of California, Berkeleys School of Law made a similar request to the court, urging it to look into whether a group of Russian hackers, known as Sandworm, could be prosecuted for launching destructive cyberattacks against Ukraine in 2015 and 2016, Wired reported.

That request followed the announcement made days after Russia invaded Ukraine by the ICCs chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, that he was opening an investigation into possible war crimes committed by the Russian army.

I am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to believe that both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine in relation to the events already assessed during the preliminary examination by the Office, Khan said at the time.

He added that his investigation would expand as the Russia-Ukraine war continued to include any potential future crimes falling within the ICCs jurisdiction.

The researchers at Berkeley asked Khan to expand the scope of his investigation to include the cyber domain in addition to traditional domains of warfare  land, air, maritime, and space  given the Russian Federations history of hostile cyber activities in Ukraine.

Lindsay Freeman, the director of technology, law and policy at the Human Rights Center, told Wired that the ICC prosecutors office responded to the groups request and was looking into its recommendations.

But some experts arent convinced that making the case that certain cyberattacks could fall under war crimes is necessary, because theres already evidence showing that the Russians did commit war crimes using conventional warfare.

Im not sure we need to reach into cyber to figure that out, said Jamil Jaffer, founder and executive director of the National Security Institute at George Mason Universitys Antonin Scalia Law School.

I think theres plenty of other stuff to chase down, he said, adding that there are other types of war crimes that the Russians have committed that can be proven more easily in court than cyberattacks.

Although he agrees that the Russians have improved the way they coordinate their land and air warfare with their cyber operations, he said a lot of assessment and analysis must still be conducted to determine whether destructive cyberattacks targeting civilians and critical infrastructure could be classified as war crimes.

[Cyberattacks] are more of a novel application of war crimes, which you can still do and go through and figure out, but there are so many other very clear violations of the laws of war, Jaffer said.

If the goal is to prosecute the Russians for their war crimes, you dont need to go through the cyber analysis, you need to look at what theyre doing on the battlefield, he added.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The discovery of classified documents in the home of a former vice president was once again one of the week's biggest headlines  except this time it was the home of former Vice President Mike Pence where the pages were found. Experts say this latest development highlights the wider issue, which is that the system of handling these documents is in desperate need of improvement.

Former President Donald Trump's own document troubles were overshadowed this week by what analysts have said might be his most serious legal threat. A public hearing in Fulton County, Georgia was held Tuesday, after a grand jury's eight-month investigation into Trump on a series of charges related to election fraud.

Over on the Hill, lawmakers in both chambers were back this week and holding the first hearings of the new Congress. The Senate Judicial Committee kicked off with an investigation into Ticketmaster and the lack of competition in the ticket industry, after the Taylor Swift concert ticket fiasco last fall.

What happened this week in politics?

More classified documents found

The FBI retrieved what Pence's lawyer called a "small number" of classified documents from his home in Indiana. This comes after a series of discoveries in President Joe Biden's personal home and office  the latest found just last weekend  along with a months-long investigation into Trump's document mishandling.

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Security analysts say this points to the bigger issue: the current system for managing and safeguarding classified documents needs improvement.

Aides to former presidents, including Barack Obama and George W. Bush, say all documents from their administrations have been turned over, and that they are not conducting searches at this time.

Nothing 'sinister': Sen. Lindsey Graham vouches for Biden amid classified docs discovery

We asked former presidents: After Trump, Biden, Pence, are others holding classified documents?

Taylor Swift at 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 05, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. (Getty)

Government to monopolies: This is why we can't have nice things

The Senate Judicial Committee is examining Ticketmaster's market domination, following the Taylor Swift ticket pre-sale debacle of last November. And Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Mike Lee, R-Utah, were among those dropping references to the pop star's lyrics throughout the committee's hearing on the matter Tuesday.

The president and CFO of Live Nation, Ticketmaster's parent company, Joe Berchtold, was there in defense of the company, testifying that "industrial-scale ticket scalping" and an unanticipated number of bots were to blame.

Also on Tuesday, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced an antitrust lawsuit by the Justice Department against Google's parent company, Alphabet Inc. The action came in response to the search engine's "dominance over digital advertising technologies," Garland said.

McCarthy continues to back Santos

Speaker Kevin McCarthy said this week he would only support the removal of New York Rep. George Santos if an investigation by the Ethics Committee were to find the congressman had broken a law. McCarthy has so far stood by the freshman representative, who voted for McCarthy in all fifteen rounds of the speakership vote.

The latest discovery on Santos linked him to companies and a fund that federal regulators called a Ponzi scheme. Santos has admitted to lies on the campaign trail, from his ancestry to his education and work experience.

Amid all the media attention, Santos put out doughnuts and coffee for the crowd of reporters outside his office Tuesday.

Go deeper:

'Says a whole lot more about him': Elaine Chao speaks out about Donald Trump's racist comments on her

A win for the former president: Meta to restore Trump Facebook and Instagram accounts, reversing Jan. 6 Capitol attack ban.

Staff change: Biden to name Jeff Zients, who steered COVID response, as White House chief of staff.

Countdown to 2024: These candidates have already announced Senate plans for next election.

George Santos controversy: Here's a look at investigations of the new House Republican.

Jan. 6 trials: Jury convicts rioter who propped his feet up on a Nancy Pelosi staffer's desk.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pence classified documents, Senators grill Ticketmaster: week in politics
Drama actress: Laura Linney, "Ozark" (Netflix)

And  action!

After months of scouting locations and pre-production, actor, producer Ethan Hawke has begun filming "Wildcat" in various locations around Kentucky including Jefferson, Oldham and Shelby counties.

The film stars Hawke's daughter Maya Hawke ("Stranger Things") alongside a pool of major-league actors including Oscar-nominee Laura Linney (You Can Count on Me, "Ozark"), Philip Ettinger (First Reformed), Rafael Casal (Blindspotting), Steve Zahn (White Lotus), Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza), Willa Fitzgerald (Reacher), Alessandro Nivola (The Many Saints of Newark) and Vincent DOnofrio (Law & Order: Criminal Intent).

Thriller starring Orlando Bloom, Andie MacDowell being filmed in Kentucky. What to know

Maya Hawke, who plays famed American author Flannery O'Connor in "Wildcat," is also one of the film's producers.

Maya has been working hard for years to put this project together, and were grateful for the opportunity to introduce a new generation of filmgoers to the genius of Flannery OConnor, Ethan Hawke told Variety. Her work explores themes important to all artists  the intersection of creativity and faith, the blurred relationship between imagination and reality.

The father-daughter duo previously worked together on the limited series The Good Lord Bird, but according to Variety, he is directing her for the first time with Wildcat. In addition to directing the film, Ethan Hawke co-wrote the script with Shelby Gaines.

"Wildcat" follows the life of writer Flannery O'Connor, while she struggled to publish her first novel.

A native of Georgia, O'Connor was an American novelist and short-story author who is considered one of America's greatest fiction writers.

Born in 1925, O'Connor wrote in the Southern Gothic genre and is perhaps best remembered for her short story collections, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" and "Everything That Rises Must Converge." Not long after she was diagnosed with a hereditary illness, O'Connor's first novel, "Wise Blood," was published in 1952.

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Twelve year later, O'Connor died at the age of 39 from systemic lupus erythematosus. In 1972, the posthumous collection of O'Connor's work, "The Complete Stories," received the National Book Award, usually given to a living writer.

No release date has been announced for "Wildcat."

Reach features reporter Kirby Adams at kadams@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Laura Linney, Maya Hawke, Steve Zahn to film movie in Louisville
Embattled New York Rep. George Santos insists he will serve out his term and has indicated it's up to his constituents to reelect him or vote him out of office, despite mounting controversy over his past falsehoods, scrutiny of his finances and investigations in the U.S. and Brazil.

Santos told The New York Post last month that he's not a "criminal" and said, "I will be effective. I will be good."

But the various investigations and complaints he faces could have serious consequences -- including expulsion.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday said that if Santos is found to have broken the law, "we will remove him," though he didnt clarify what that removal would involve.

Resignation

Members of both parties have called for Santos to resign, but the congressman says he has no intention of leaving.

His potentially stepping down has political ramifications for McCarthy, who holds only a five-seat majority.

If Santos were to leave office, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul would have discretion about when to hold a special election for his replacement -- one would not be automatically appointed -- and his 3rd Congressional District is competitive, so a Republican victory isn't guaranteed.

MORE: George Santos target of ethics complaint by New York Democrats

Criminal charges

Santos told The New York Post in December that "I am not a criminal ... not here or in Brazil or any jurisdiction in the world."

Within days of Santos telling the Post that, however, ABC News and other outlets reported that Brazilian prosecutors were seeking to revive check fraud charges against Santos from when he was 19.

A spokesperson for the Rio de Janeiro prosecutor's office said then that prosecutors intended to charge Santos with two counts for alleged fraud, including theft and the check forgery, with each count punishable by up to five years in prison, according to the spokesperson. An official in the prosecutor's office told ABC News, however, that the likely punishment if convicted would be a fine.

Story continues

PHOTO: U.S. Republican Representative from New York George Santos looks on as the House of Representatives continues voting for new speaker at the U.S. Capitol, Jan. 5, 2023, in Washington. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Santos also is being investigated by the New York attorney general, federal prosecutors in New York and the Nassau and Queens County district attorney's offices, according to previous ABC News reporting.

"No one is above the law and if a crime was committed in this county, we will prosecute it," Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, a Republican, said in a statement.

Speaker McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday that Santos deserved the benefit of the doubt.

"I believe in the rule of law. A person's innocent until proven guilty," he said.

MORE: George Santos now indicates $625K of loans to his campaign might not be 'personal'

Ethics action

Earlier this month, New York Reps. Dan Goldman and Ritchie Torres, both Democrats, filed a complaint with the House Ethics Committee calling for an investigation of Santos' financial disclosures, according to documents previously obtained by ABC News.

If a majority of the committee determines Santos has done something wrong, they can then file a recommendation to the full House for one or more punishments, including: expulsion, censure, reprimand, fine, denial of various responsibilities or any other sanction determined to be appropriate by the committee.

Expulsion

The Constitution gives each chamber of Congress the power to remove a seated member who has engaged in "disorderly behavior."

Being expelled from the House requires a two-thirds vote. With the current makeup of the House, 222 Republicans and 212 Democrats, about a third of the GOP members would have to vote with Democrats to expel Santos.

Expulsion is very rare: The last time a representative was expelled was in 2002 when James Traficant Jr., from Ohio, was removed. Traficant was convicted on conspiracy to commit bribery, defraud U.S., receipt of illegal gratuities, obstruction of justice, filing false tax returns and racketeering, according to the House Archives.

ABC News' Aicha El Hammar Castano contributed to this report.

Investigations and complaints facing George Santos could bring serious penalties originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
About five or six years ago, Carolyn Cooksey called Kim Via out of the blue. Im hoping youre the person Im looking for, was how she introduced herself.

They were sort of related. Carolyn's mother, Virginia Hayden, was married to Kim's father, Thomas Hayden Sr. Carolyn's father was Virginia's first husband, who died when Carolyn was three years old, and Thomas was Virginia's third husband. Despite them being stepsisters, they had never met or even spoken to each other before, and to Kim it seemed strange that Virginia's daughter would be calling. She was apprehensive, suspecting that Carolyn was calling on Virginia's behalf to back up the stories she told about her husband's disappearance.

Carolyn put that to rest quickly.

Carolyn asked Kim whether she had heard from her father saying she hadnt seen him since the fall of 2011. She had hosted a family Christmas party at her Maryland home that year, and while Virginia attended, Thomas had not. Virginia had told her that Thomas had gone to Mexico.

She also told Kim that when her uncle passed away, it appeared that Thomas had posted a lot of ugly things about him online. Carolyn was convinced that her mother was behind the vulgar, horrible things being posted on Facebook.

About two weeks after Virginia told Carolyn that Thomas was going to Mexico, she received a letter purportedly from him, asking her to take care of Virginia if anything happened to him.

Carolyn thought the letter was weird. It wasnt in Thomas handwriting; the handwriting appeared to be from a feminine hand. The salutation was Dearest Carolyn, words Carolyn could not imagine coming from Thomas. The text of the letter informed her that he was very sick and I dont think I will make it back. It refers to Virginia as my true love, again something she couldnt fathom Thomas writing. The letter concluded, I will be watching I am counting on you. The closing was Love you and the kids. Below that was Thomas full signature. It had been crossed out and beside it was written Pop, his children's nickname for him.

Story continues

Carolyn shared the letter with Kim, and Kim agreed that it was weird and didnt sound like her father.

They spoke for a while and finally, Kim told Carolyn, I cant take this anymore. I have to move on. Hell call me when hes ready.

But she couldnt let go. She called Virginia and asked again whether she would send a photo of her father to her. Virginia declined. Kim asked her, Do I have to come there?

Virginia became indignant, she said.

She told Kim, You need to stay away from us.

Your father has ceased to exist

In late 2016, Kim hired a private investigator to find out what happened to her father.

The investigator found that Virginia had sold the condo in York County and moved into an apartment near Carlisle with one of her daughters and her granddaughter. The investigator, set up in a neighbors apartment, watched the apartment for several days and saw no sign of Thomas. He talked to neighbors. None of them had seen Thomas and said that Virginia had told some of them that her husband had died or that he was in Mexico seeking treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as Lou Gehrigs disease. The detective scoured public records, the paper trail coming to a dead end.

He told Kim, Its like your father has ceased to exist.

More about the case:Grisly discovery of human remains in FoodSaver bag leads to family mystery

Virginia's plea: Killed, mutilated and hidden: Woman sentenced to prison in husband's 2011 death

Something was terribly, terribly wrong

At that point, Kim said, I knew in my heart that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

On Jan. 21, 2017, Kim called the Pennsylvania State Police to ask them to check on her father, what police call a welfare check. Trooper Krystal Rehn went to the apartment and spoke with Virginias granddaughter, who told her that her grandfather never lived there and that she hadnt seen him in seven years. She told Rehn that Virginia no longer lived there and was residing in another apartment in the complex.

Thomas Hayden Sr. disappeared in the fall of 2011. His wife, Virginia Hayden, was accused of his murder. His body hasn't been found.

The next day, at Rehns invitation, Virginia went to the state police barracks to speak to the trooper. She told the trooper that her husband had left Pennsylvania one night in 2011 to seek medical treatment for an unspecified medical condition, Rehn testified later. She told the trooper that Thomas brother Spencer picked him up. Spencer told police he had done no such thing.

More by Argento:She says someone took a Michael Myers figure from her Wyndham Hills home  and left $200

More by ArgentoYork's 'murder police' went all the way to Philadelphia to find Sam Fullam's missing dog

Virginia gave several different explanations for her husbands absence. Rehn became suspicious and began to record what turned into a three-and-a-half-hour interview. Virginia told the trooper that Thomas had sold their condo to her for $1 while he was out of the country, saying the doctors assisted him during the transaction. Later in the interview, she said the transaction occurred in the presence of her daughter, Connie Pender, who was a notary.

During that interview, Rehn took breaks to call Kim to ask about some of the things Virginia was telling her. Kim told the trooper that much of what Virginia was telling her wasnt true or did not add up.

Rehn concluded that something just didnt seem right. She shared what she knew with Northern York County Regional Police.

A murder victim identified

Northern York County Regional Police Lt. John Migatulski and Detective Mike Hine knew about the FoodSaver bag that had been residing in the departments evidence locker for five years. They pulled up Thomas drivers license photo and noticed that he had long, gray hair, like the hair that had been found attached to a piece of scalp in the bag.

They asked Thomas brothers, Owens and Spencer, to provide DNA samples for testing. The tests indicated that the hair, skin and blood found in the bag belonged to one of their siblings by a factor of 403 billion times.

They had a murder victim.

But they had no body.

An unbelievable true story

Lt. Migatulski has been with the Northern York County Regional Police Department for 28 years and has been involved in every homicide investigation the department has handled since around 2000.

As the investigation proceeded, he said, it became more and more complex. His partner, Detective Hine, said, Every turn, there was something. Every time we got something, there was something better around the next turn.

It was, Hine said, like a jigsaw puzzle. A prosecutor likened the investigation to an onion, peeling back one layer just revealed another layer, and then another, and yet another. Each layer added to what Hine called an unbelievable true story.

Everybodys story was different

The detectives checked the property records for the Haydens Barley Circle condo and found that Virginia had sold it on Nov. 14, 2014, to a man named Robert Denoncourt for $135,000. Denoncourt told them that Virginia had told him that her husband was dead. Denoncourt also told them that several household items were included in the sale, including a queen-sized bedroom suite and a large rubber mat that was on the garage floor. Those items were missing when he moved in, he told the detectives.

The detectives also spoke with the Haydens former next-door neighbor, Carol Bobb, whose husband knew Thomas well, spending hours sitting on the front porch talking. One day, she said, Thomas simply vanished. Virginia told her that Thomas had moved to Mexico to be treated for ALS and had died there.

Thomas Hayden Sr. disappeared in the fall of 2011 and his body hasn't been found.

Bobb also told detectives that shortly after Thomas disappeared Virginia had a new concrete slab poured behind the house, doubling the size of the back patio. She said she and her son-in-law joked that Thomas was buried under the new patio. Police didnt think it was a joke and checked the patio with a dog trained to detect corpses and with a device that could provide imaging under the ground. They found nothing.

As the detectives spoke to witnesses, Migatulski said, Everybodys story was different. Everybodys rendition of what Virginia told them was off. She told the apartment manager at the Carlisle complex that her husband was dead. She told the Realtor who handled the sale of the condo that he left her and went to Mexico. She told someone else that Thomas had gone to Texas and Arizona to seek treatment for ALS. She told family members that he left her, and she was embarrassed that he had, and shed made up stories to cover it up.

The detective reviewed Thomas medical records and found that, although he had been treated for diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease, he did not have ALS. They also learned that he had a brother who had died from ALS, but there was nothing in his medical records about ALS, detectives learned.

The medical records also showed that Thomas had last been seen by his doctor on Sept. 27, 2011. Dating back to 2006, they found, he had never missed a doctors appointment. He had an appointment scheduled for Oct. 25, but Virginia had canceled it, saying her husband had left town.

She talked about feeding a body to pigs

The detectives checked his Social Security and bank records and learned that his Social Security payments  totaling $116,765  had continued to be deposited into the couples joint account.

They also checked records on file with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and learned that Virginia had purchased a Ruger .357 magnum at a Gander Mountain sporting goods store in West Manchester Township on Oct. 2, 2011. Virginia later told police she sold the pistol at a yard sale. The detectives couldnt find any AFT record that such a sale took place.

They checked U.S. Department of Homeland Security records and found that Thomas had never traveled to Mexico.

York Daily Record Subscription Offers, Specials, and Discounts

They learned from Carolyn and Connie Pender that Virginia had a lockbox that contained Thomas drivers license, his Social Security and Medicare cards, his passport and jewelry, along with a day planner.

They also learned that Virginia had discussed how to dispose of bodies, once telling Carolyn that you could feed the body to pigs and the animals would eat everything but the skull. Virginias grandson, Michael Harris, Connie Penders son, told detectives he had conversations with his grandmother about getting rid of bodies, usually while they were watching TV, according to the criminal complaint. She told Harris about feeding a body to pigs, which would eat everything but the hair. She mentioned other methods of disposing of a body, including that you need to stab the corpse before you put it in water or else it would float.

Harris told police he didnt think the conversations were strange, rather that his grandmother was cool to talk to. He also told them that after his grandfather disappeared, Virginia gave him a credit card bearing Thomas name. Harris, who was in high school at the time, simply thought it was free money.

The detectives decided it was time to talk to Virginia.

Columnist/reporter Mike Argento has been a York Daily Record staffer since 1982. Reach him at mike@ydr.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: True crime, part 2: York County cops ID victim, but have no body
2023 Nohl Fellowship winners include Alayna N. Pernell, Janelle VanderKelen, Mikal Floyd-Pruitt, Siara Berry and Fatima Laster.

Five artists, including Mikal Floyd-Pruitt and Janelle VanderKelen, have won southeastern Wisconsin's prestigious prize for individual artists, the Mary L. Nohl Fellowship.

Each year, the Nohl Fund gives two established artists $35,000 and three emerging artists $15,000 each to create new work or complete work in progress. The funds, given in memory of the late artist Nohl, are unrestricted.

Each artist also will receive a $5,000 professional development/production budget.

The 20th annual competition drew 157 applicants.

The five winners, all based in Milwaukee, will participate in a Haggerty Museum of Art exhibit planned for 2024.

Winners in the established artist category:

Interdisciplinary artist Mikal Floyd-Pruitt works in visual art, performance, music, media and community engagement. His practice includes "designing artistic frameworks in which community members, including non-artists of all ages, can gather and contribute," the Nohl Fund said in its announcement. Floyd-Pruitt is co-director of HomeWorks: Bronzeville, a local development initiative. He is a graduate of Harvard University.

Artist, curator and educator Janelle VanderKelen makes films and intermedia installations, including experimental animation. She earned two master's degrees in visual art fields from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. VanderKelen co-curates aCinema, a monthly exhibition of experimental moving images, usually held at Woodland Pattern Book Center. She also teaches time-based media production at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design.

Winners in the emerging artist category:

Sculptor Siara Berry works with a range of materials and media, including woodworking, concrete and found objects. "My practice is an overarching critique of American housing systems and ideals," she discloses on her website. Berry is arts/industry program director at Sheboygan's Kohler Arts Center and is artist-in-residence at the Charles Allis Art Museum.

Interdisciplinary artist Fatima Laster is curator and owner-operator of 5 Points Art Gallery + Studios, 3514 N. Port Washington Ave., which foregrounds a Black American point of view, including producing "resistance art imbued with humor or irony in an attempt to disarmingly reveal rejected or overlooked perspectives and people," according to the Nohl announcement.

Artist, writer and educator Alayna N. Pernell uses research, photography, text and found materials to examine the realities and complexities of being a Black American. She teaches photography and imaging at UWM.

Story continues

Finalists in the established artist category included Emily Belknap, Blanche Brown, Melissa Dorn and David Najib Kasir.

Finalists in the emerging artist category included Anamarie Edwards, Ben Grant and Chris Regner.

This year's jurors included Jadine Collingwood, assistant curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Thomas James, independent curator and executive director at The Last Resort Artist Retreat, Baltimore; and Kimi Kitada, curatorial fellow at Charlotte Street Foundation, Kansas City, Missouri. The jurors visited Milwaukee for a public talk and studio visits with finalists in the established and emerging artist categories.

The fellowship program is funded by a bequest from the late Fox Point artist Mary L. Nohl.

More: 2022 Nohl Fellowship winners include artists Jason S. Yi, Valaria Tatera

More: Paralyzing motorcycle accident couldn't stop 'Driftless' author from writing quality books

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 2023 Nohl Fellowship winners include Mikal Floyd-Pruitt, Siara Berry
A Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol rioter who attacked police officers with pepper spray, including one who died the next day, was sentenced to more than six years in prison Friday.

Julian Khater, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas Hogan to serve six years and eight months in prison. His co-defendant, George Tanios, was sentenced Friday to time served over two misdemeanor charges related to his involvement in the attack.

Both men were arrested last March for their roles in the attack that left several people dead and hundreds of officers injured. Khater, a Pennsylvania resident, assaulted several officers with pepper spray, including Officer Brian Sicknick, who died a day later after two strokes.

Brianne Chapman protests at the sentencing hearing Friday for Julian Khater and George Tanios at the federal courthouse in Washington. Khater admitted to assaulting Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick with chemical spray on Jan. 6, 2021, as officers tried to hold off a mob that had been incited by then-President Donald Trump's claims he lost the 2020 election because of fraud.

Brianne Chapman protests at the sentencing hearing Friday for Julian Khater and George Tanios at the federal courthouse in Washington. Khater admitted to assaulting Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick with chemical spray on Jan. 6, 2021, as officers tried to hold off a mob that had been incited by then-President Donald Trump's claims he lost the 2020 election because of fraud.

Khater pleaded guilty last year to assaulting Sicknick and Capitol Police Officer Carline Edwards with pepper spray. Khater was not charged in Sicknicks death but still faces a civil lawsuit from Sicknicks fiancee, along with Tanios and former President Donald Trump, for their alleged roles in the officers death.

Khaters sentencing is one of the longest among the nearly 200 convicted U.S. Capitol attackers. A retired New York Police Department officer received the longest sentence when a judge ordered in September that he serve 10 years for his role in the attack.

Sicknicks mom, Gladys, gave a victim impact statement during Khaters sentencing Friday, placing blame for her sons death on Khater, WUSA-TV in Washington reported.

Did you feel like a tourist, Mr. Khater, watching my son fighting for his life? she asked.

Hogan noted that in Khaters statement before sentencing, he did not apologize to the officers he assaulted.

Story continues

Your thoughtful statement right now did not really include any apology to the officers you sprayed, Hogan said, according to WUSA. I didnt hear any expression or sorry about the employees of the Capitol, many who hid for their lives and resigned and never came back to work.

Related...
Dutch Government Tightens Ban on Flat-Nosed Dogs

(Picture Credit: Phichet Ritthiruangdet / EyeEm via Getty Images)

Officials in the Netherlands are tightening a ban on flat-nosed dogs and cats with folded ears. Notably, the ban outlaws being a pet parent to such animals, as well as importing and exporting them.

According to DutchNews.nl, farm and wildlife minister Piet Adema explained that legislators tightened restrictions on breeding dogs with flat noses and cats with folded ears in 2014 and 2019. However, people are still breeding and trading them illegally.

In a letter sent to the Dutch parliament, the minister also said, We make life miserable for innocent animals, purely because we think they are beautiful and cute. As a result, the minister said, That is why today we are taking a big step towards a Netherlands where no pet has to suffer from his or her appearance.

An Expected Tightening on Restrictions for Certain Dog Breeds

In 2014, the Dutch government voted to prohibit the breeding of about 20 short-snouted dog breeds, according to the Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA). Interestingly, the law uses a traffic light system to determine which dogs pass the snout-length test. Specifically, snouts must be a third or more of the dogs total head length.

Animal advocates lauded the law as a vital step in stopping the unethical breeding of short-snoutedalso known as brachycephalicdog breeds. Unfortunately, while many dog parents find Pugs and French Bulldogs appealing, their altered anatomy has serious health detriments. Among many things, short-snouted breeds suffer from heat stroke and serious respiratory conditions.

The Flat-Nosed Dogs Ban Also Affects Social Media

Interestingly, the updated rules include restrictions on portraying flat-nosed dogs on social media and in commercials.

Issues like enforcement and the freedoms of social media will take time to work out carefully, minister Adema said. But we want to let people know this is coming. Importantly, the law includes a transition period for existing pets to live their lives and pass away naturally.

However, the law has met pushback from Dutch breeders and dog parents who say theyre being unfairly stigmatized. The UK Times reports that several people worry the law is vulnerable to abuse and charges of discrimination. Additionally, many advocates feel the law will be difficult to enforce with matching legislation across the European Union.

The post Dutch Government Tightens Ban on Flat-Nosed Dogs appeared first on DogTime.
Mark Richards - WPA Pool / Getty Images

Ghislaine Maxwells family have released a bizarre photograph of two people in a bath at her former London home with photographs of Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre stuck to their heads in an extraordinary attempt to discredit Giuffre.

Giuffre claims that she and Prince Andrew engaged in sexual activity in the bath. Maxwells side says the photos show this is impossible.

In fact, the somewhat insane photograph will do little to discredit Giuffre, not least because there is clearly plenty of room in the bath for two people. Plus, in a 2011 interview, she only claimed that Andrew played with her feet in the bath. She said she and Andrew got into the bath where he started licking my toes, between my toes, the arches of my feet.

She said they then went into another room where they had sex.

TELEGRAPH: The photo that clears Duke over bath sex #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/lVpkcKol2q  Neil Henderson (@hendopolis) January 27, 2023

In 2019, she told BBCs Panorama: There was a bath and it started there and then led into the bedroom.

Ghislaines brother, Ian Maxwell said, in comments reported by the Daily Telegraph late Friday, that the images show conclusively that the bath is too small for any sort of sex frolicking. There is no Victorian bath, as Giuffre has claimed, which is proved both by the attached plan of the bathroom and the photos themselves.

Maxwells sides claims about Giuffre describing a Victorian-style bath seem to come from Giuffres unpublished memoir, entitled The Billionaires Playboy Club, which formed part of court records released after a law suit against Maxwell was settled in 2017.

In that book she wrote: It was a beige marble tiled floor with a porcelain Victorian-style bathtub in the middle of the room, however Giuffres lawyers have previously said parts of the memoir were fictionalized and the judge presiding over Andrews trial last year refused to accept the memoir as evidence in the case. It was certainly not written as legal testimony.

Story continues

Andrew paid Giuffre an estimated $14 million to settle her claim that he had raped her three times but did not admit liability.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epsteins ex-girlfriend who was jailed for child sex trafficking in 2021, gave a jailhouse interview this week in which she said that she believed Prince Andrew never met Giuffre and that the famous photo of Andrew with his arm around Giuffres bare midriff, taken when she was 17, is a fake.

Andrew is now reported to be considering reopening the case after Giuffre dropped a case against Alan Dershowitz, and said she may have made a mistake in claiming she had sex with him.

Andrew reportedly sees this as an extraordinary development that throws his settlement with her into question.

However, he has been publicly and vociferously protesting his innocence of ever even meeting Giuffre for years. In a September 2021 email to this reporter, for example, Dershowitz told The Daily Beast: [Giuffre] dropped the claim that she had sex with me. I never met her or even heard of her until her lawyers pressured her to falsely accuse me.

The Telegraph says that the new picture was taken by Ghislaine Maxwells family to discredit Giuffre in the summer of 2021.

Maxwells brother, Ian, said: The whole of Virginia Giuffres case pivots upon a photograph taken more than 20 years ago at my sisters former house in Kinnerton Street, in Belgravia.

It proves nothing. Prince Andrew and my sister think its a fake, but I take the view that its irrelevant. It just shows that Prince Andrew had his arms around a girl who wanted a photograph, as she has said herself, to show to her mother.

Maxwell said: Ghislaine was in custody, and shortly after the picture was taken, the mews house was sold, he said.

[Giuffres] story relating to having had sex in the bath dates back many years, and the obvious time to put it to her that the bath is too small and makes sex impossible was at the trial. But Virginia Giuffre was never called to give evidence, and the photo never came to light.

But her admission that her claim of having sex with Alan Dershowitz may be mistaken and therefore untrue, and given Prince Andrew is considering appealing the settlement, it seemed in the context of that the correct moment to release the images.

Maxwell said masks were used to conceal the identities of friends who acted as stand-ins.

He added: Prince Andrew has been completely cancelled on the basis of the allegationsThe truth really does need to come out. If this photo is helpful in achieving that, then that is what this is all about.

If this is the good news that Prince Andrew has been gloating to friends will rehabilitate him, he is likely be disappointed, not least because many people might consider that Ian Maxwell has lived a very sheltered life if he truly believes it is impossible to have sex in a small bath, let alone lick a toe.

Hands up who thinks this picture proves it IS possible to frolic in a bath?  Simon Smith  (@smithsimonMEN) January 27, 2023

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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KYODO NEWS - Jan 28, 2023 - 08:48 | All, Japan

Major Japanese insurance company Sompo Holdings Inc. is attempting to change its traditional working culture by encouraging some employees to work for almost a year at start-ups and nonprofit organizations unrelated to their usual line of work.

The company hopes that their employees' diverse experiences will enhance its competitiveness in the insurance market as it ventures into new domains such as nursing care and digital realm that require a more varied skill set.

Its main business areas currently are domestic property, life and casualty insurance.

Sompo Holdings President Mikio Okumura says the company wants to encourage people to take on new challenges in unfamiliar areas. "By getting to know people with different values, we want to create a company culture desirable for developing products our clients really need," he told Kyodo News in a recent interview.

The program is set to start for a limited number of employees from fiscal 2023, with the possibility of opening it up to a greater number of applicants from fiscal 2024.

The project's participants will be chosen from those who have indicated interest in a strong career trajectory. They will be picked from Sompo Holdings' direct hires and those of group companies sent to work for the parent company.

Applicants will receive a full salary even if they are working for a non-profit organizations. They will not be treated as having left the company, but simply as being on an extended business trip, meaning that future treatment regarding pay and career development will be unaffected. The company envisions placing these people on its leadership track when they return.

Meanwhile, other insurance companies are also implementing policies to help employees further their knowledge, skills, and experience, to attract and retain quality hires and respond to employees wanting to follow their individual career aspirations.

Besides offering greater career growth opportunities, these companies are looking for ways to make themselves work-friendly.

Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Co. lifted in 2021 a rule forbidding its employees to do side-jobs. From 2030 employees wanting to be promoted to manager will be required to undertake some out-of-company experiences either through a side-job or work at a subsidiary.

Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., a property insurance subsidiary of Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., intends to abolish in fiscal 2026 the traditional Japanese system of forced geographic assignments.

Instead of demanding relocation, the company plans to increase local or mid-career recruitment in cases of workforce shortages at regional offices.

Tokio Marine Holdings President and CEO Satoru Komiya said in a separate interview, "What is most important is what each employee wants to do in our corporate group. We will definitely abolish these types of transfers as a means toward that end."

MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings Inc. is working to collaborate with employees who left the company mid-career. For example it recently asked a former employee who moved into the IT field to sit on a committee reviewing possible new business ventures using digital technology.

"We are creating a network that tells people who left our company that it's okay to come back. Leaving doesn't have to be the end, and depending on the circumstances, they may return or help us even if they remain outside the company," said President and CEO Noriyuki Hara.

Related coverage:

FEATURE: Sony Music leading industry in supporting artists' mental wellbeing

Welfare consultations double in Japan from pre-pandemic level

Teleworked side jobs could provide key to boosting local economies
fresh ginger sliced

Johnny Fogg

TABLE OF CONTENTS

On This Page Ginger, Explained

Buying Guide

How to Prepare Ginger

Fresh vs. Ground

Storage Tips

Cooking with Ginger

Health Benefits and History

Spicy, earthy, and pungent, with a lingering sensation of heat, ginger has worked its flavorful magic for centuries. Fresh or ground, alone, or blended with spices, this superfood transforms countless dishes from the ordinary to the sublime.

While some cooks pigeonhole ginger as a wintry spice best used for baked goods like gingerbread, they're missing out on a world of possibilities. "Ginger is incredibly versatile. It spans the sweet-savory divide," says Ethan Frisch, co-founder of Burlap & Barrel, a public benefit corporation that sources single-origin spices directly from farmer cooperatives and smallholder farms. Here's what you need to know about buying, storing, and getting the most out of this incredible cultivar.

Related: Our Favorite Recipes That Use Fresh Ginger

What Is Ginger?

Thought to be native to Southeast Asia, ginger is a rhizome, a plant stem that grows horizontally, spreading its roots underground; it has shiny leaves, tall shoots, and ginger flower clusters visible. There are about 1,300 species of flowering ginger plants (its botanical name is Zingiberaceae) and several types of edible ginger, including Zingiber officinale, the ginger commonly found in the supermarket.

How to Buy Fresh Ginger

Long and knobby, with papery brown skin and a rootlike appearance, fresh ginger can be broken off and sold in chunks. Look for plump pieces with a firm texture. Avoid any that are shrunken or fibrous.

How to Prepare Ginger

If you've wondered whether using a peeler is the best way to remove the skin on a piece of fresh ginger, or if the trick of using a spoon is better, we have news. You can skip that pesky step altogether. "You never have to peel the skin of gingerbut make sure it's organic. It's the part that touches the soil," says Frisch. He adds that the skin also adds spiciness to ground ginger.

Story continues

Julienne and Mince

To julienne fresh ginger, thinly slice against the grain, spread in a row like a deck of cards, and slice lengthwise to create long strands. To mince, turn the julienned strips 45 degrees and chop.

woman chopping ginger

Lucy Lambriex / Getty Images

Fresh vs. Ground Ginger

Different types of ginger are intended for different uses. "There are gingers that are grown to be consumed fresh, and then there are those that are best in powdered form," says Sana Javeri Kadri, the CEO and founder of single-origin spice company Diaspora Co. Ginger best eaten fresh has a high water content, she says, while ginger grown to be powdered has more depth.

Diaspora Co sells ground Makhir, a small, fibrous ginger variety historically used for its medicinal properties, primarily in Meghalaya, in northeastern India. Kadri was blown away when she first caught a whiff. "Not simply because it was spicy and a very gingery ginger, but because it had these lovely floral and lemongrass-y notes, and a lot of depth of flavor," she says.

Burlap & Barrel's ground Buffalo Ginger, a spicy heirloom variety from northern Vietnam, has a fruity, floral aroma and intense heat. "It has a knobby appearance, which reminds people of buffalo. Ginger seems to attract animal metaphors," Frisch jokes, pointing to another variety, elephant ginger, from Indonesia.

How to Store Ginger

Fresh

Storing fresh ginger comes down to personal preference. Frisch puts ginger knobs in his refrigerator's produce crisper. "I'm not precious about it. If it looks shriveled, it's time to buy more," he says. Kadri also keeps it in the fridge and slices it as needed. You can also make a paste in the food processor, then freeze single-use portions in an ice cube tray, she says.

Dried

As for ground dried ginger? You can leave it out for easy access or store it in a dark, cool spice cabinet. How potent it is and how long it lasts depends on how fresh the spice was when you bought it. It could be a yearor three. Supermarket spices often sit in warehouses and shipping containers for long periods, in suboptimal conditions, Frisch explains.

Cooking With Ginger

Ginger imparts remarkable flavor to gingerbread, brandy snaps, and ginger pudding. It can be made into tea, cooked down to a jam, preserved in sugar syrup, or sugar-coated and dried into snackable crystallized ginger. Ginger is integral to the blends of chai masala, and haldi doodh, used for golden milk. It adds a kick to stews, curries, stir-fries, cocktails, and salad dressingsand pickled ginger clears the palate between bites of sushi.

Spicy Flavors

As for its best flavor applications? "It's complex and spicy, along the lines of chile peppers or peppercorns. It's in the same family as turmeric and cardamom, so you can swap it out and broaden its flavors," says Frisch. He notes that ginger is used throughout India, China, Southeast Asia, and West Africa, too. In Zanzibar, it's sprinkled on cups of local coffee.

Savory Flavors

Kadri embraces ginger's savory side. "Because ginger is so warm, it's very tempting to pair it with all the other warming spices, like cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamonspices that are frequently seen in a sweet context," she says. "But for me, maybe because I'm Gujarati, 'ggp'or garlic ginger pasteis the base of most of my cooking."

Swapping Fresh for Ground Ginger

Can fresh ginger be swapped for ground ginger, and visa versa? It depends on the recipe. "Ginger, when powdered, becomes a lot spicier, and more potent than fresh ginger," says Kadri.

Health Benefits and History

In ancient India and China, ginger was prized for its medicinal value, remedying digestion problems, joint pain, and colds. Today, it's known that gingerol, ginger's natural compound, aids digestion and relieves nausea and gas. It also has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, benefiting conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.

A precious commodity through the ages, ginger was exported from India to the Roman Empire and spread to Europe through Eurasian trade routes known as the Silk Road. By the Middle Ages, Europeans had baked their take on gingerbread.

Spicy gingerbread cookies in fanciful shapes called fairings were popular at Medieval fairs, but the holiday tradition of gingerbread men took root when Queen Elizabeth I had ginger biscuits made to resemble visiting big wigs. The point? Sweet or savory, ginger rulesand always has.
Tyre Deandre Nichols, 29, died Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023, in Memphis, three days being stopped and detained by Memphis Police. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death.

The Memphis Fire Department will be concluding the internal investigation into the departments involvement in the initial care of Tyre Nichols next week.

Nichols died Jan. 10 three days after being stopped by Memphis Police in an incident that is under investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the FBI.

It has led to the firing, arrests and indictments of five Memphis Police Officers and a MFD spokeswoman said Monday that two Memphis Firefighters involved in the initial care of Nichols were "relieved of duty" pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

The department on Friday released a statement that said they did not receive full access to the video footage until Friday and that they are currently receiving the footage.

"We're not going to take it no more," Amber Sherman, a local activist, said at a Thursday vigil held for Nichols. "We want clear answers from every person who was on the scene that violently killed Tyre. Everyone who had a hand, we need every name released. Don't just quietly fire firefighters, don't just quietly fire paramedics, EMTs, release their names. Release the files. All of them got to come out."

The video showing the interaction between the officers and Nichols will be released by the City of Memphis sometime after 6 p.m. today.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: MFD to conclude internal Tyre Nichols investigation next week
(GoFundMe)

Two days before Monica Cannady and two of her children were found frozen to death in a Michigan field, worried neighbours began alerting police to a family wandering in the area wearing clothes that couldnt possibly protect them from the unforgiving cold.

The mother experienced a mental health crisis in the days leading up to the gruesome 15 January discovery and was convinced people were out to kill her, police in Oakland County have said. She reportedly instructed her children  Lilly, 10; Kyle, nine; and Malik, three  to hide if anyone approached them, and told them to lie down and go to sleep in the field.

Only Lilly would escape death from hypothermia, rushing to a nearby home to ask for help after waking up next to the bodies of her mother and brothers.

The local sheriff initially reacted to news of the deaths by condemning the nations broken mental health system  largely glossing over the fact that his agency had been made aware of the dangerous situation beginning on 13 January.

Records obtained by The Independent have since revealed that at least one deputy responding to the calls from concerned neighbors is now under investigation for allegedly failing to perform a complete search of an area where the family were spotted.

Two other deputies came into contact with the family  the children only wearing sweatshirts and wrapped in white bed sheets in the 30F temperatures  at three different locations and offered them coats. Authorities did not intervene further because Cannady did not appear to be suffering from any medical or mental health crisis and asked several times to be left alone.

On the eve of the tragedy, police conducting a welfare check on Cannady and her children found her apartment empty. Two other calls made by neighbours led to fruitless searches for the family in the area.

Deputies also did not immediately link their previous encounters with an apparently lucid Cannady to reports by her family that she was having an episode of paranoia and believed police was involved in the conspiracy.

Story continues

Within the complex web of factors, including police response and a mental health crisis, an impossible question has emerged: Could the deaths have been prevented?

Cannadys family have said she was just recently showing signs of her struggle with mental health. Her aunt Rodhesa Cannady told The Independent that Cannady did not have a history of mental health problems, and had always cared for her children.

Whatever transpired in the last few weeks was her first onset. This tragedy was clearly out of character for her and just came out of the blue, Rodhesa Cannady said. She loved her kids and that was just the bottom line, that was just who she was. She was the epitome of a [great] mom.

Heres what you need to know about the case so far:

A shocking discovery

At 3.10pm on Sunday, 15 January, Oakland County deputies were called to an overgrown field near Pontiac, where three bodies were discovered.

Police identified the deceased as 35-year-old Cannady, and her children Kyle and Malik Milton.

Their deaths were determined to be an accident resulting from hypothermia.

Deputies were alerted to the scene when Cannadys third child, Lilly, knocked on a strangers door and said that her family was dead in a field, Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said.

Monica Cannady, 35, was found dead alongside her two young sons after the three froze to death in a Michigan park. A third child survived (Provided by family)

The weeks leading up to the tragedy

Cannady was an attentive and competent mother, who had only recently started exhibiting signs of mental health struggles, according to her aunt.

Whatever transpired in the last few weeks was her first onset. This tragedy was clearly out of character for her and just came out of the blue, Rodhesa Cannady told The Independent on Wednesday. Kids were always dressed nice, hair always combed. She was a great provider and support for her children.

Rodhesa Cannady said her niece was a hard worker and the sole provider for her children.

She loved her kids and that was just the bottom line, that was just who she was. She was the epitome of a [great] mom. A single mother just raising her kids, doing what she needed to do, she added.

She was perfectly fine. I dont live in Michigan and we went home back in August for a family reunion, and she was just her normal, quiet self, a really neat girl.

In the last three weeks, however, Cannadys family had begun noticing an alarming change in her behaviour. Her loved ones attempted to get her help but the mother-of-three had refused, Mr Bouchard said during a press conference on Monday.

Timeline of police response

The Oakland County Sheriffs department said in a statement to The Independent that a comprehensive review of the events was conducted at the request of Mr Bouchard.

Mr Bouchard said the department analysed calls, radio traffic, canvasses of the neighbourhood and deputies interactions with the family that [could] potentially find ways to prevent such a tragedy in the future.

The review found that local police attempted to assist Cannady several times on Friday after receiving calls from neighbours. They did not receive reports on Saturday or Sunday, before Lilly alerted neighbours.

The family was first located by police around 1pm on Friday (13 January) near Water Street and Mill Street.

The Deputy asked if Cannady needed help and where she was travelling. Cannady responded that she was OK and did not need any help and quickly walked away from the Deputy, the report reads.

A second deputy approached Cannady five minutes later, while she was inside the McLaren Oakland Hospital in downtown Pontiac. She reportedly said her family was at the hospital for an appointment while being questioned in-depth, and left the facility after claiming she was waiting for a ride outside.

The same deputy followed her outside the hospital and reiterated that he would not ask for her identification and that she was not in trouble. The officer then walked with the family to a nearby school and offered Cannady to go to the police station to get coats for the children, who were wearing sweatshirts and bed sheets.

Cannady reportedly refused once again, saying that she was okay and had family in the area.

The Deputy spent approximately 20 minutes with Cannady until 1:30 p.m. on Friday. In those conversations, she was lucid, did not appear to be suffering from any medical or mental health crisis and asked several times to be left alone, the review stated.

Two hours later, Cannady visited her mothers home before an argument about her mental health between the two unfolded. Cannady left the apartment and a welfare check was conducted at her own residence but she was not found.

While a family member spoke with detectives later that day about possibly committing Cannady to a mental health facility, a resident reported seeing a woman wandering in the cold with children near Franklin and Rapid.

The caller noted the children were not properly dressed for the cold temperatures, the department said.

A deputy dispatched to the area did not completely search the area as he was expected to and did not find or make contact with the family. He is now under investigation by the Sheriffs Office Special Investigations Unit.

A commanding officer dispatched five other deputies in two other instances but they were unable to locate the family after canvassing the area.

No reports were made on Saturday (14 June), but investigators later learned from a resident that Ms Cannady had knocked on a door before walking away.

Throughout the weekend, Cannady reportedly knocked on random homes asking for food, but wouldnt accept money.

They were hungry, resident Charles Witherspoon, whose neighbour interacted with Cannady and her family in the days leading up to the deaths, told Click On Detroit. I said, What did you do? She said, I didnt let them in, but her brother Arthur said he tried to give the young lady some money and she wouldnt take it.

Police said they didnt understand the situation was a mental health crisis at play.

From our side, we were not called about a person or kids in crisis, Mr Bouchard said on Monday. We would get an occasional call, Hey, theres somebody in the area that doesnt look like theyre appropriately dressed. Deputies would go there and look, and they werent there.

He added: We later learned from the surviving daughter that [Cannady] had told her kids anytime anybody approached, to run.

This tragedy was fundamentally evidentiary of the breakdown of our mental health system in America.

We dont give our mental health providers and systems enough support and have enough resources at their fingertips.

The state and the federal government need to provide us with funding that allows us to perform more mental health services in partnership with the mental health community, including having more mental health practitioners on our team that can be part of a holistic response to mental health calls.

The investigation into the deputys response was announced on Wednesday.

She was a loving, caring mother

Family members said Cannadys children were her top priority and they do not know what triggered her seemingly sudden crisis episode.

She was a loving, caring mother and she wasnt troubled or had dealt with mental health issues [in the past], Rhodesia Cannady told The Independent. A single mother just raising her kids, doing what she needed to do.

The family has created a GoFundMe to cover the funeral expenses.

Cannadys surviving child, Lilly, is in the hospital in stable condition. Child Protective Services is investigating the case, and she will be released to family members.

Ms Cannady said that while her niece had been impacted by the killing of her childrens father in 2021, she was making the best out of her situation and did not seem to be struggling until recently.

We dont get to define what a crisis is, so if you feel you are in a crisis, or someone in your immediate family or friends notice that something is off, then you could be in crisis, Kristin Blevin, with the mobile crisis team at Common Ground, said during the press conference on Monday.

We can help and we can connect you to those resources. We can help you navigate through the system.

Josh Marcus contributed to this report.
If you are registered to vote, you probably remember that doing so involved giving the state of Iowa a substantial amount of personally identifiable information, or PII, about yourself, including your full legal name, full address, and date of birth. A reasonable assumption that most of us make when filling out a voter registration form is that the state has taken measures to restrict who can access that information, and that when it is being accessed, it's being accessed for a legitimate political purpose.

What might never have occurred to you is that the personal data you provided to the state could end up being indiscriminately disseminated on the internet. And yet this is exactly what has happened to over 2 million Iowa voter registration records earlier this year.

On Feb. 1, 2022, an organization called Voter Reference Foundation LLC, VRF for short, using a third-party collector of public records called Local Labs, obtained all of Iowa's voter registration records from the Iowa secretary of state and put them online in a searchable format on the VoteRef.com website. The 2.2 million unredacted Iowa voter records  readily available for any use to anyone with an internet connection  disclose an alarming amount of personally identifiable information in a single place, making it a perfect gift to identity thieves, disgruntled individuals, shady data mining companies, and other malicious actors. Compounding the individual privacy breach is the fact that each voter's family members' information is also just a click away.

Revealing the date of birth  officially categorized by the U.S. Department of Commerce as sensitive PII  is particularly problematic. In too many contexts, online and offline, including medical care, people are asked to provide their birthdays as the only required proof that they are who they claim to be. If you were born after 1988, your birthdate, together with a place of birth, can be used to guess your Social Security number. And zero-cost access to the date of birth, full legal name, and full address from a single, reliable source can incentivize identity thieves to invest resources into harvesting the remaining pieces of personal data to execute theft.

According to the Iowa Code, any person may request voter registration records from the state (Section 48A.38), but they can be used only to request the registrants vote at an election, or for another genuine political purpose, or for a bona fide official purpose by an elected official, or for bona fide political research. (Section 48A.39).

First-time visitors to VoteRef.com are presented with a consent dialog, asking for acceptance of the sites Terms of Service that prohibit the use of information on the site for any purpose unrelated to elections, and the Voter Reference Foundation's stated goal is to provide public access to official government data pertaining to elections, including voter registration rolls, with a goal of encouraging greater voter participation in all fifty states. Nevertheless, we believe that in redistributing Iowa voter registration records on the internet, VRF is violating both the spirit and the letter of Iowa law.

Iowa Code Section 48A.38(3) explicitly codifies a record-keeping protocol for every person who receives a voter registration list, requiring the registrar to "maintain a log of the name, address, and telephone number of every person who receives a list under this section, and of every person who reviews registration records in the office of the registrar." In doing so, the law unambiguously establishes the registrar and by extension the state as the custodian of the voter records, and prohibits bulk redistribution of non-aggregated records by the recipient since, by definition, such bulk redistribution renders the mandated log keeping meaningless.

We also believe that bulk redistribution of voter records with a vague goal of encouraging greater voter participation does not constitute a genuine political purpose under Section 48A.39. The voter registration lists are public records, already available to members of the public who are interested in examining them. Republishing these records in bulk online might be well-intentioned, but it lacks a specific political use beyond those already enabled by the fact that these records are public, and the claim of encouraging greater voter participation is at best suspect. If anything, knowing that registering to vote in Iowa will lead to the exposure of a large amount of personal information, including sensitive PII, to the world at large is likely to suppress voter participation.

It is worth noting that the release of PII by VoteRef.com varies considerably by state. For example, Michigan lists only the birth year, while Ohio lists only the birth year and month. Lawsuits in several states have led to restrictions on the release of PII, specifically limits on the release of birthdates.

(The Voter Reference Foundation told the Register that its lawyers reviewed Iowa law before the records were published, and again at the Register's request, and concluded that VRF's use of the records is legal. "We are trying to provide transparency to our opaque voting systems, which many million Americans distrust. We all pay for these records and we ought to be able to see them.")

While blowing the whistle on this Iowa voter privacy breach, we would like to make it clear that we wholeheartedly support public access to Iowa voter registration data. An election in which the identity of the electors is not public knowledge is not a free and fair election. The Guidelines for Reviewing the Legal Framework of Elections, representing the joint opinion of the nations that signed the Helsinki Accords, states that transparency requires that voter registers be public documents readily available for inspection. It goes on, however, to say that the legal framework should clearly state the permitted uses of information obtained from ... the voter registers  as well as establishing sanctions for the misuse of information obtained from voter registers.

The Iowa Code provides such a framework, and the Voter Reference Foundation is violating it.

In the Nov. 7, 2022, announcement of a multistate settlement over Experian and T-Mobile data breaches that compromised personal information of more than 25,000 Iowans, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said that protecting consumers personal information should be a top priority, not only for credit reporting agencies, but all businesses. We can't agree more, and we contend that the state of Iowa should hold itself to the same standard.

We urge the Iowa attorney general to take swift action to remove Iowa voter records from the internet, and the Iowa Legislature to amend Iowa Code Section 48A.38(1.f) to mandate the replacement of a voters full date of birth with birth year only when preparing a voter registration list pursuant to that section.

You can send your thoughts on this issue to the attorney general at webteam@ag.iowa.gov.

Aleksey Gurtovoy

Douglas W Jones

Douglas W. Jones is an associate professor emeritus at the University of Iowa, with research primarily focused on computer security and electronic voting, and co-author of the book "Broken Ballots: Will Your Vote Count?" He is a former member of Iowa's Board of Examiners for Voting Machines and Electronic Voting Systems, and has testified before the United States Civil Rights Commission, the House Science Committee and the Federal Election Commission on voting technology issues. Aleksey Gurtovoy is a veteran software engineer and a longtime civil liberties advocate, with a particular interest in First and Fourth Amendment issues. They write on behalf of the Iowa Civil Liberties Council.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Opinion: Iowa voter privacy breach demands swift action
Jay Bilas made an unforgivable mistake prior to ESPNs College GameDay morning start time at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Hours before No. 4 Tennessee (17-3) played No. 10 Texas (17-3) on Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge, the ESPN analyst learned he wore the wrong-colored shoes.

The rabid Tennessee fan section told him the sneakers he proudly showed off were the incorrect shade of orange, donning the burnt orange of Texas rather than the Tennessee orange.

SCOUTING REPORT: Tennessee basketball vs Texas: Score prediction, scouting report

LADY VOLS COLLEGE GAMEDAY: 'College GameDay' showed greatest rivalry in womens basketball and honored Pat Summitt

VOLS AND LONGHORNS HISTORY:Chris Lofton, Kevin Durant and the Tennessee basketball comeback vs Texas in 2006

That mistake was eventually forgiven after Bilas along with fellow analysts LaPhonso Ellis and Seth Greenberg ended the show by all selecting Tennessee to beat Texas. After the picks, a resounding roar and the playing of Rocky Top by the school band flooded Thompson-Boiling Arena.

For the second time in three days, ESPNs College GameDay paid Thompson-Boling Arena a visit. The show was here Thursday an hour before the Lady Vols game against UConn.

Vols spirit

If the vitriol Bilas received for getting his oranges confused says anything about Tennessee fans, it is that they will never disappoint when College Gameday is in Knoxville.

The crowd erupted every opportunity it could when Tennessee's name was beckoned and booed when a rival was mentioned.

Many of the signs within the fan section targeted the University of Texas, such as Horns down and We are the real UT.

The men's team came out during the show to display its "one fly, we all fly" pregame dunk ritual, providing the fans excitement with a D.J. Jefferson windmill dunk surrounded by his leaping teammates.

Even Tennessee football quarterback Joe Milton got in on the fun, showcasing his strong arm by firing half-court shots. He launched one basketball in his football-throwing motion that sailed over the basket and about 20 rows into seating, wowing the fans and on-air crew who witnessed it.

Story continues

Expert opinions

Before all the analysts chose the Vols to beat the Longhorns in their predictions, Bilas explained the importance of tonights game.

Whats at stake in Texas, Tennessee is a No. 1 seed, Bilas said. The committee room at the end of the year, theyre going to look at this game as a separating factor because both Texas and Tennessee are right there. If it ended today, Tennessee would be a No. 1 seed and Texas would probably be a 2-seed."

Greenberg who made his favor for Alabama's basketball team clear conceded that the Vols possess attributes that are emblematic of championship teams.

When you look at this Tennessee team, they can beat you in transition, they beat you in the half court, they beat you with their defense, they beat you with their depth," Greenberg said. Most importantly, you look at the DNA of teams that win championships, they have maturity, and this team is a mature, experienced team.

In the shows GameDay Grab Bag segment, the analysts answered random questions related to SEC and Big 12 basketball. Ellis was asked which player in the SEC or Big 12 deserves more respect. His answer: Tennessee's Santiago Vescovi.

Shooter, lefty, he doesnt get enough love on the national scale, Ellis said.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Vols fans give Jay Bilas jeers, Joe Milton cheers on 'College GameDay'
The 11 people killed last Saturday night in a Monterey Park, California, dance studio marked the fifth mass shooting in the U.S. so far this year.

Less than 48 hours later, another mass shooting took place about 375 miles away when police said seven people who worked on mushroom farms near Half Moon Bay were shot and killed by a coworker.

As always, USA TODAY reporters and photographers were there to tell the stories of those whose lives were lost and how their communities will try to recover.

 Nicole Fallert here and welcome to Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for USA TODAY subscribers (that's you!). This week, we talk with USA TODAY reporter Jordan Mendoza about his work in Monterey Park. You can read Mendoza's most recent dispatch here.

But first, don't miss these stories made possible by your USA TODAY subscription:

'I needed to be out there'

Upon receiving his assignment early Sunday morning, Mendoza quickly packed his equipment and rushed to meet fellow USA TODAY reporter Orlando Mayorquin in a CVS parking lot near the site of the shooting. The suspect was still at large.

"I knew I needed to be out there to understand what was happening and report anything I could," Mendoza said

"Its sort of unsettling because you have no idea where this person could be, and if they could return to the site when youre out and exposed," he said.

Mendoza had gathered basic details from a press conference when suddenly he was alerted the suspect was spotted in a van in Torrance, California. Mendoza then jumped in his car and drove about 40 minutes to the scene. The area was chaotic because police were assessing whether the van posed a hazardous materials risk.

Story continues

"I was there for a while, watching as police approached and entered the vehicle, where we learned that the person in the van was dead," he said. "I was filing any reports I could throughout the day and stayed until the person in the van was determined to be the suspect in the shooting."

72-year-old Huu Can Tran was discovered in a white van in the nearby town of Torrance, California, where authorities found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot.

Mendoza's editor, Susan Miller, was managing the rapidly-changing information coming in from the scene: the shooting involved multiple locations; who the victims were; how a hero wrestled the gun from the suspect.

Miller has decades of breaking news experience and said this week's back-to-back shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay and Oakland, California, reflect the need to not move on too quickly from one story to the next: "People move on, the audience moves on, but I feel sad when there's another shooting because I feel people are going to forget the last one ... We have a sense of responsibility to keep reflecting these communities."

"It was quite the journey," Mendoza said of staying on the story throughout the week, adding he learned of the Half Moon Bay shooting as he was leaving Monterey Park on Monday.

"Seeing how much a community close to where I live (was) hurt by a senseless tragedy, and learning that another one happened in my home state felt so devastating, almost to the point of feeling hopeless," Mendoza said.

Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to Monterey Park on Wednesday provided some comfort to residents and victims' families, Mendoza said, adding he could tell some people were thankful Harris visited.

Throughout the week, the focus remained on the victims and their families.

"You could tell how much they were still hurting," he said. "It was tough, but I'm so thankful and so grateful for all of the community members who took the time to speak with me, on or off the record."

 Want to keep reading? From USA TODAY editor-in-chief Nicole Carroll: Covering mass shootings has become routine  and endless. But it doesn't get easier.

Thank you

Reporting on mass casualty events is a grueling part of a journalist's career. Our newsroom is so thankful to have the support of readers like you to make our necessary work possible. Please take care of yourselves this weekend and I'll be back next week with more top reads from USA TODAY.

Best wishes,

Nicole Fallert

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: It's Your Week: 'I needed to be out there'
Consolidated News Pictures

Attorney General Merrick Garland should fire special counsel John Durham. Durham, a previously well-respected United States Attorney for Connecticut, was assigned in 2019 by Trumps Attorney General William Barr to review the origins of the so-called Russia probeCrossfire Hurricanethat became the Mueller special counsel investigation.

As reported by The New York Times, Barr had been egged on by the former president to support Trumpworlds efforts to discredit the Mueller investigation by opening an investigation to investigate the investigators.

At that time, Durham was not made a special counselwhich would have been inappropriate because special counsel are usually drawn from outside the ranks of current Department of Justice employeesbut simply given an assignment. That is not an uncommon practice in the DOJ, and similar to what Attorney General Garland did in assigning the Chicago U.S. Attorney to conduct a preliminary investigation of classified documents found at President Bidens private office and residence in Delaware.

But after Trump lost the election, Barr secretly made Durham a special counsel just before the 2020 election to ensure that he could continue his work. Barr worked closely with Durham throughout his tenure as Attorney General, meeting with him on a weekly basis, as well as dining and drinking Scotch togetherhardly the picture of an investigation working independently of the DOJ.

Durham has now been investigating the investigators for nearly four years. That is longer than the life of the entire Russia probe/Mueller investigation which concluded in March 2019 and took only 22 months. Durham has cost American taxpayers at least $6.5 million and that does not even include whatever the price tag was to send Durham on trips to Italy and Britain with AG Barr to gather information prior to becoming special counsel.

For these millions of dollars, Durham has managed only one misdemeanor guilty plea and two slam-dunk acquittalsthe second of which followed Durham himself making the closing arguments. Following Durhams apparently less than persuasive performance, the jury took only nine hours to acquit which at least kept them out longer than Durhams first loss, which took the jury only six hours.

Story continues

But it is not Durhams losses and lack of deliverables that make his tenure untenable. After all, prosecutors should be unafraid to try tough cases and lose them. No, the problem with Durham is that his assignment arose from Barrs efforts to undermine the Russia probe to aid Trump, and Durham compounded that unethical origin with his own unethical actions.

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland. Drew Angerer

Actions that included: privately trying to convince the DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz to change his conclusion that found no evidence the Russia probe had been politically motivated and then later publicly disagreeing with those findings; circumventing a federal judges order to stop seeking private email information by subpoena and instead securing the information through direct contact with the company; and, apparently burying a criminal inquiry into Trump that arose after Italian authorities told Durham and Barr about allegations of Trumps financial wrongdoing.

Durhams conduct also sparked resignations from his own staff. Durhams own top deputy resigned in protest over his drafting of an interim report at Barrs request to be circulated before election day. And in apparent disagreement with Durham over his decision to indict his first lost case, two prosecutors left his team with one resigning in protest and the other taking a job in the private sector.

Durhams substantive work is unquestionably at an end. The grand jury he was using has expired and he supposedly is working on his final report. That reportoriginally due to DOJ in May of 2022is still not completed. Given Durhams history, his report is likely to be a morass of disinformation meant in part to cover his own failures while still seeking to serve Barr by pushing conspiracy theories that the Russian probe was a baseless effort to discredit Trump.

The American people would not be well served by such a report. Special counsel reports are not opportunities to engage in political free speech under the First Amendment. Rather they are supposed to be evidence-based disclosures rooted in integrity. Durham gives no indication that he is capable of producing such a piece of work.

Durhams long, futile investigation reminds me of the forgotten Japanese soldiers who hid on Pacific islands, unaware the war was over, still prepared to fight for their lost cause. But those soldiers lacked the ability to impact anyone but themselves. Durham, however, has a platform from which he can do great damage.

If he is allowed to finish his report, AG Garland will be put in the difficult position of deciding whether to make it public. Its a no-win situation: if Garland makes it public, the report will likely fuel baseless Trumpworld conspiracy theories; but if Garland chooses not to publish the report, Trumpworld will also raise hell about the hiding or suppression of the truth. Garland can avoid all of this by firing Durham now.

The special counsel regulations allow for the Attorney General to remove a special counsel for misconduct, dereliction of duty or for other good cause, including violation of Departmental policies. Garland should exercise this authority and end Durhams charade of an investigation. Garland would need to specify in writing his reasons for removing Durham which would be the best final report on the John Durham special counsel investigation.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Grace Beahm Alford/The State via AP

Alex Murdaugh, the disgraced former South Carolina lawyer accused of murdering his wife and son in an attempt to turn the spotlight away from his financial crimes, broke down in court on Thursday as jurors watched graphic body-camera footage of the grisly June 2021 crime scene.

The first prosecutorial witnesses in the highly anticipated murder trial, several Colleton County Sheriffs Office first responders walked jurors through body-cam footage of the murder scene at the dog kennels at the Murdaugh estate. The public and media were only allowed to hear the footage on Thursday after both sides asked for only the jury to watch the video due to its graphic nature.

As Sgt. Daniel Greene described the pools of blood as well as brain matter around Paul and Maggies bodies, Murdaugh was seen at the defense table with his head down crying and shaking his head. Murdaughs face was notably flushed red and he wiped his tears throughout the morning testimony with a wadded-up tissue as jurors watched the footage, in which barking and howling from several dogs in the kennels could be heard in the background.

How the Murdaugh Saga UnfoldedFrom a Boat Crash to Murder

Prosecutors allege that on June 7, 2021, Murdaugh fatally shot his 52-year-old wife, Maggie, and his 22-year-old son, Paul, amid swirling questions about his years-long scheme of allegedly stealing millions from his clients and former law firm.

Murdaughs emotional reaction on Thursday was notable, given it was starkly different than the reaction he displayed to Green and the other officers when he arrived at the crime scene after 10 p.m., about two hours after prosecutors allege the murders occurred.

[Alex Murdaugh] was upset but I did not see any visible tears, Green said on Thursday, adding that Murdaugh was nervous, anxious and upset.

The footage shown Thursday is the first crucial piece of prosecutorial evidence in a case seen by local media as the trial of the century in South Carolina. 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. He is also separately named in a slew of lawsuits and is facing over 80 financial charges after allegedly engaging in a years-long scheme to steal over $8 million to maintain his status as a member of a prominent legal dynasty in the Lowcountry.

Story continues

If convicted, Murdaugh faces 30 years in prison. His defense lawyers on Wednesday maintained their clients innocence, stressing that the prosecutors have no concrete evidence or motive tying Murdaugh to the murders.

Alex Murdaugh with his head down appearing to cry as the sergeant describes the blood around the bodies of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh. "Appeared to be a large amount of blood around each of them as well as brain matter."#AlexMurdaugh pic.twitter.com/pO6oDy07Q4  Cathy Russon (@cathyrusson) January 26, 2023

During opening statements on Wednesday, state prosecutor Creighton Waters argued that Murdaugh first murdered his son before turning a gun on his wife in an attempt to gain sympathy from the community and shift the focus away from his financial crimes.

Those crimes, prosecutors argue, were threatened to be exposed by civil litigation in connection with a February 2019 boat crash. At the time of the murders, Paul was facing trial after allegedly drunk crashing a boat that resulted in the death of his friend, 19-year-old Mallory Beach, and injuring two others.

In a 10:07 p.m. 911 call that was played in court Thursday, Murdaugh is heard telling dispatchers to come to his house quickly because his wife and his son have been shot.

Did they shoot themselves? the dispatcher asks Murdaugh.

Oh no! Hell no! Murdaugh responds, before saying that Paul was shot bad in the head. (As the recording played in court, Murdaugh was once again seen crying and looking down toward the defense table.)

Murdaugh, in another 911 call, tells dispatchers that he last spoke to his wife in person about an hour and a half to two hours prior. Prosecutors noted on Wednesday that after allegedly murdering his family, Murdaugh called his wife at least twice.

Telling the dispatcher he is going to the house to get a gun, just in case, Murdaugh is then heard on the call bringing up the boat crash.

My son has been threatened for months and months and months. Hes been hit several times, Murdaugh is heard saying, adding that he doesnt know who threatened Paul.

Green noted Thursday that soon after arriving at Murdaughs home on June 7, 2021, Murdaugh brought up the boat crash as a possible motivation for the murders.

This is a long story. My son was in a boat wreck months back. Hes been getting threats...I know thats what it is, Murdaugh is heard saying in the body-camera footage. In the recording, Murdaugh sounds upset but does not appear to be crying.

Later in the footage, Murdaugh is heard asking: They arent dead, are they? Green responded to Murdaugh that thats what it looks like.

Colleton County Sheriffs Office Corporal Chad McDowell also testified on Thursday about his interactions with Murdaugh at the crime scene. In the footage, Murdaugh can be heard asking McDowell, How are you? as the deputy approached.

But unlike his colleague, McDowell said that Murdaugh did appear visibly upset at the scenethough noted he did do one quip that made him pause.

How you doing? Murdaugh is heard asking McDowell in the footage, sounding calm as the officer approaches the scene.

Colleton County Maj. Jason Chapman, who arrived at the scene later than his colleagues, told jurors on Thursday that while Murdaugh was upset but dry-eyedhe did not find that unusual because not everyone cries in a traumatic situation. He added that Murdaughs demeanor changed when his team began looking at tire impressions near Maggies body.

The breathing slowed, and he began to watch us work more closely, sometimes out of the corner of his eye, Chapman said. He added that when his team moved away from the tire markings, Murdaugh resumed being distraught.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Floridas COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continue to fall from their early January peaks as sewage in some locales show viral loads climbing again.

Hospitals statewide tended to 2,376 COVID-positive patients Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Department reported. Thats down from more than 2,900 during the first week of this month.

State health officials logged about 22,000 new infections this past week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday. Thats about 10,000 fewer than the second week of January.

For subscribers:When we donned masks for COVID, more people found out they're struggling to hear

The latest numbers:COVID-19 charts: Latest data for Florida

More:Florida's seniors lead nation in COVID deaths since April 2021; population can't explain it

But Tampa Bay-area sewage reveals a rising tide of viral particles there. Hillsborough County wastewater testing found a 60% increase in coronavirus molecules between Jan. 11 and Wednesday, according to Boston-based private laboratory Biobot Analytics. In neighboring Pinellas County, there was a 27% rise.

Viral loads in sewage from Miami-Dade, Orange and Seminole counties continue to fall, Biobot data shows.

Danny Tomasello, a Laboratory Technician at the Loxahatchee River District, collects a wastewater sample.

Conflicting sewage reports in Palm Beach County

In Palm Beach County, the picture is mixed. Biobot data from the Jupiter-area Loxahatchee River District shows a steady decline in viral particles. But samples tested by the nationwide WastewaterSCAN initiative in the same area show nearly triple the amount of the coronavirus genetic material between Jan. 11 and Monday.

It is not clear why the two organizations data oppose each other. We will continue to monitor and if it continues I will try to discuss it with the representatives for each group, Loxahatchee River District information services director Bud Howard said Friday in an email.

Floridas COVID death toll climbed by 319 people in the past week, the CDC said Friday. Thats lower than last week, when it rose by 432. Fatalities can take weeks to enter official statistics.

Story continues

Vaccination rate, especially those most vulnerable to COVID, remains lower in Florida than most states

Floridians continue to lag almost everyone else in America in protecting themselves against COVID.

Just 28.5% of Florida residents most vulnerable to the disease  seniors ages 65 and older  have gotten the latest federally approved COVID booster. Thats worse than every state but Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana, the CDC reported Friday. The national average is 40%.

Fewer than 11% of all Floridians are up to date on their shots, compared with 15.5% of all Americans.

COVID has killed more than 84,927 Floridians and infected more than 7.4 million  more than one in three residents in the state.

Chris Persaud is The Palm Beach Post's data reporter. Email him at cpersaud@pbpost.com. Click @ChrisMPersaud and follow him on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: COVID rising in Tampa Bay area sewage as cases fall across Florida
Chinese Ambassador to Botswana Wang Xuefeng (C) addresses the media during the handover ceremony of personal protective equipment and reproductive health products donated by China in Gaborone, Botswana on Jan. 27. 2023. China on Friday donated personal protective equipment (PPE) and reproductive health products to Botswana.

The donation, made in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), included contraceptives, isolation gowns, examination gloves, surgical gloves, surgical masks, goggles, face shields and coveralls. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)

GABORONE, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday donated personal protective equipment (PPE) and reproductive health products to Botswana.

The donation, made in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), included contraceptives, isolation gowns, examination gloves, surgical gloves, surgical masks, goggles, face shields and coveralls.

"We hope that these products will help protect the life and health of medical workers as well as adolescent girls and young women," said Wang Xuefeng, Chinese ambassador to Botswana, during the donation ceremony.

The reproductive health products will benefit an estimated 87,000 adolescent girls and young women of reproductive age, he said.

The donation demonstrates the continued commitment by the Chinese government to partnering with the Botswana government and the UNFPA to ensure the continuity of safe and quality medical service for all, as well as the sexual and reproductive health for women and girls who need help, Wang said.

China made a similar batch of donation to the Botswana government in August 2021.

Tlangelani Shilubane, who heads the UNFPA office in Botswana, said it is with sincere appreciation that they have strategic partners such as the government of the People's Republic of China, who can meaningfully partner with the UNFPA when they are needed the most.

Botswana Health Minister Edwin Dikoloti thanked the UNFPA and the Chinese government for their fruitful collaboration in addressing Botswana's gaps and unmet needs in the area of family planning.

"This donation will no doubt ensure access to modern contraceptives for many of our people," he said. "We are indeed deeply grateful for this kind gesture and assure you that the commodities will truly go a long way in helping empower our people, especially women, on matters of reproductive health." 

Botswana Health Minister Edwin Dikoloti (C), Chinese Ambassador to Botswana Wang Xuefeng (R) and a UNFPA official pose for a group photo during the handover ceremony of personal protective equipment and reproductive health products donated by China in Gaborone, Botswana on Jan. 27. 2023. China on Friday donated personal protective equipment (PPE) and reproductive health products to Botswana.

The donation, made in partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), included contraceptives, isolation gowns, examination gloves, surgical gloves, surgical masks, goggles, face shields and coveralls. (Photo by Tshekiso Tebalo/Xinhua)
Ukraines breakthrough in securing heavy tanks from the U.S. and Germany has ignited talk about sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine to defend the nations skies.

Well share what Ukraine is saying and the Western response, plus details on a busted murder-for-hire plot allegedly sponsored by Iran that targeted a U.S. journalist.

This is Defense & National Security, your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. For The Hill, Im Ellen Mitchell. Subscribe here.

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F-16s could be next after tank breakthrough

The government of Ukraine this week quickly renewed its calls for world-class fighter jets after it secured the victory on Western nations sending the embattled country modern tanks, arguing it needed the help to defend itself against Russia.

Do everything possible: Shortly after the U.S. announcement on tanks, Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraines defense secretary, told The Hill that Kyiv would do everything possible to secure the fighter jets.

And Dymytro Kuleba, Ukraines minister of foreign affairs, tweeted Wednesday morning that Ukraine has new tasks ahead, naming western fighter jets as one of them.

ArmyINFORM, an information agency for Ukraines ministry of defense, also published an article Wednesday suggesting that Ukrainian pilots are already training in the U.S., but there has been no public announcement on such a program.

Cant blame em for asking: Asked to comment on the possibility of fighter jets going to Ukraine, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby on Wednesday said he had no news to share.

Cant blame the Ukrainians for wanting more and more systems, Kirby said. Its not the first time theyve talked about fighter jets, but I dont have any announcements to make on that front.

Story continues

Time for an upgrade: Kyiv operates a fleet of aging Soviet aircraft and has requested western, modern fighter jets since the onset of the war  but so far it has remained out of the nations grasp.

Toeing the line: Supplying jets would be another escalation in terms of U.S. support for Ukraine, and the Biden administration has been careful in offering support that might intensify the conflict with Russia  particularly with the fear of nuclear weapons hovering over the war.

Hopeful signs: The supplying of jets seems much less unlikely after the Biden administration made a major U-turn by agreeing to send 31 Abrams tanks to Ukraine.

The administration did so to convince Germany to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine. Germany also gave its blessing for other allies to send the German-made Leopards to Kyiv.



A number of experts think the supplying of jets to Ukraine by the U.S. is now likely to happen.

Ukraine has slowly secured more and more advanced weaponry from the U.S. and European allies, and they say American-made F-16s will probably follow that same course.

Read more here





FBI arrests three men in Iranian murder-for-hire plot

At least three men have been arrested in a murder-for-hire plot allegedly sponsored by Iran that targeted a U.S. journalist and human rights activist who is a prominent critic of Tehran, Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Friday.

All three of the defendants are expected to stand trial, Garland added, with two of the men in U.S. custody and a third awaiting extradition, though he did not say from where.

These charges arise out of an ongoing investigation into the government of Irans efforts to assassinate, on U.S. soil, a journalist, author and human rights activist who is a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin, Garland said during a press conference.

The intended victim: While Garland did not name the victim, it is believed to be Masih Alinejad, a prominent critic of the Islamic Republic who was earlier the target of a kidnapping plot that was disrupted by the FBI and revealed in an unsealed indictment in July 2021.

Alinejad on Friday identified herself as the victim of the murder-for-hire plot, writing and posting a video on Twitter that she met with 12 FBI agents in New York where she learned that the three men were arrested.

This is the face of a person who was the target of an assassination plot, Alinejad said in the video.

Plot details: Garland detailed the plot laid out in the indictment alleging that individuals in Iran tasked Rafat Amirov with carrying out the murder-for-hire plot, with Amirov described as a member of an Eastern European criminal organization with ties to Iran. He was expected to be presented in federal court in New York on Friday.

Two other individuals, Polad Omarov and Khalid Mehdiyev, are alleged to have been directed by Amirov to carry out a murder plot against Alinejad.

A disturbing pattern: National security advisor Jake Sullivan released a statement Friday responding to the unsealed indictment. While it did not name Alinejad, he has previously met with the human rights activist and spoke with her last summer following Mehdiyevs arrest near her home.

Sullivan said in his statement that the Justice Departments indictment follows a disturbing pattern of Iranian Government-sponsored efforts to kill, torture, and intimidate into silence activists for speaking out for the fundamental rights and freedoms of Iranians around the world.

Read the full story here





ON TAP FOR MONDAY

Retired Army Gen. David Patraeus will speak at a Washington event on new western aid for Ukraine and the Russian military shake-up at 10 a.m.

The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft will hold a discussion on Blinkens Trip to Beijing: U.S.-China Relations at a Crossroads, at 12 p.m.

The Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies will host an online event on  The Russian War in Ukraine: What Was Accomplished in Minsk 2014-2022 and Why Did the Peace Process Ultimately Fail? at 12:30 p.m.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will host a press briefing on Secretary of State Antony Blinkens anticipated visit to Beijing the first week in February, at 4 p.m.

The Institute of World Politics will hold a talk on Lessons Learned From the Russo-Ukraine War and How They Can be Applied to a U.S. China Conflict, at 5 p.m.

The Stimson Center will hold a virtual discussion on A South Korean Nuclear Program? Assessing the Risks, at 7 p.m.





WHAT WERE READING

Thats it for today! Check out The Hills Defense and National Security pages for the latest coverage. See you next week!

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Nearly 20 protesters took to the streets of downtown Detroit on Friday to call for justice in response to the release of body camera footage showing the brutal assault of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers.

The rally was organized by the Detroit branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, demanding "an end to racist police terror in Black and Brown communities."

"Yet another mother has to bury her son," Detroit Will Breathe and Left Voice organizer Brian Silverstein said during his speech. "The outrage of Memphis and all supporters of Black lives is a justified one. ... We see this pattern way too often."

Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was beaten by five Memphis Police Department officers during a traffic stop on Jan. 7. He was hospitalized in critical condition and died from his injuries three days later.

More:Video shows Memphis police violently beating Tyre Nichols in the traffic stop that led to his death

More; Michigan police may be close to solving slaying of man whose head and hands were cut off

The image from video released on Jan. 27, 2023, by the city of Memphis, shows Tyre Nichols during a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers on Jan. 7, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. Nichols died on Jan. 10. The five officers have since been fired and charged with second-degree murder and other offenses.

A vigil and moment of silence were held. Emotional speeches were shared in solidarity with Nichols life and family. Signs saying, "Unions against police murder," and "Systems of racist police, violence must end," were held by protesters.

Sam Schaefer, an organizer for the Party of Socialism and Liberation, said the murder was truly egregious. ... This is not a flaw of the police system; this is a feature of the capitalist police system."

The former Memphis police officers were members of the departments SCORPION unit, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods. The unit is controversial and is used to attack Tyre like many others in Memphis, Schaefer said. We have similar special police units here in Detroit.

Nichol was a FedEx worker and the father to a 4 year-old-son.

Cameron Harrison, 30, of Detroit, attended the protest to show that police murder is not supported by union workers. Harrison is a member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 876.

Story continues

Protesters from Detroit Will Breathe, Detroit chapter of Party for Socialism and Liberation, Communist Party USA gather at the Spirit Plaza in downtown Detroit in response to the death of Tyre Nichols on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023.

"I'd like to see a civilian oversight board in every city, community control of the police department," Harrison said. "I'd like to see funding go away from weapons and (go to) jobs, housing and water."

Harrison also stated that he does not need to watch the released footage to know "what the police are capable of."

The five former officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmit Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. were fired on Jan. 21 and charged Thursday with second-degree murder and other crimes in connection to Nichols' death, according to USA Today.

State and local officials issued statements Friday denouncing the officers actions and calling for police reforms.

"What happened to Tyre Nichols in Memphis is sickening, said Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter. No human, no family should have to endure such brutality, but here we are, again confronting an appalling reminder that justice is not dispensed equitably. People of conscience are rightfully outraged by this violence and yet it's my hope that in our pain we seek the wisdom and courage to channel outrage into action, reform, and justice for Tyre, his family, and our country."

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard pointed to a plan he has had in the works for years  Policing 2.0  that calls for improvements to modern policing.

Mitchell Bonga of the Party for Socialism and Liberation speaks in response to the death of Tyre Nichols at the Spirit Plaza in downtown Detroit on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023.

The answer is rooted first in better hiring, i.e., ensuring that people have the character and integrity to wear a badge, Bouchard said. And secondly, better real-world training. The need for additional funding for training in de-escalation, use-of-force, and policing tactics is imperative to improve modern policing in America. Proper training facilities and scenario-based training that stresses officers during realistic training allows a better chance for those split-second decisions to be appropriately made. Only those candidates who are vigorously screened, highly trained and competent should be permitted to serve their communities.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroiters call for justice after release of Tyre Nichols video
Emergency personnel respond to a vehicle over the side of Highway 1 on in San Mateo County, California (San Mateo County Sheriff's Office)

The man who is accused of driving a Tesla car and plunging it 250 feet (76 metres) off a cliff in northern California with his family inside has been jailed on suspicion of attempted murder and child abuse, officials said on Friday.

Dharmesh A Patel, was released from the hospital and taken into custody without bail.

Officials said his bail could be arraigned on Monday afternoon if the San Mateo district attorneys office decides to file criminal charges.

It is not immediately clear when Mr Patel was released from the hospital.

The 41-year-old father was arrested after California Highway Patrol investigators developed probable cause to believe this incident was an intentional act, the agency said.

The Pasadena local was seriously injured when the Tesla sedan slipped off the cliff at Devils Slide along the Pacific Coast highway on 2 January.

Rescuers initially hailed the familys survival as a miracle after the sedan plummeted in an area about 15 miles (24km) south of San Francisco. The area is known for fatal accidents.

The family  including Mr Patels 41-year-old wife, 7-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son  had to be pulled out of the mangled remains of the car by cutting the vehicle.

District attorney Steve Wagstaffe said investigators are also examining the Tesla Model Y to rule out the possibility of a mechanical problem in the car.

Talking to the Los Angeles Times this week, Mr Wagstaffe said: 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?

Were having the car looked at from top to bottom, he said.

It wasnt immediately clear whether Mr Patel had an attorney to speak on his behalf.
FREEHOLD - Randolph Goodman was outgoing, fun and family-oriented, his girlfriend, Shalyce Davis, told a jury Friday.

He enjoyed gambling and sports betting, and he also loved cars and would go to auctions to get automobiles to sell, she said.

Goodman also sold drugs, Davis said.

He was in the process of supplying 30 grams of cocaine to Marcus Morrisey when he was shot on the porch of his apartment in Neptune on Nov. 10, 2018, she said.

More:Her boyfriend was shot and barely breathing, 911 caller told police

Shalyce Davis points to Marcus Morrisey during his trial along with his nephew, Danron Morrisey, before Superior Court Judge Marc C. LeMieux in Freehold Friday, January 27, 2023. The men are charged in the 2018 murder in Neptune of her boyfriend Randolph Goodman.

Davis told a Monmouth County jury that Goodman, her boyfriend for 3 1/2 years, was shot as he scuffled with Morrisey and another man she couldnt recognize during the drug deal on a small porch leading to the one-bedroom apartment he shared with an adult son and Davis on Old Corlies Avenue.

Goodman, 42, a father of four, died early the next morning from a gunshot wound to the stomach at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune.

Authorities allege the other man in the scuffle was Danron Morrisey, who is Marcus Morriseys nephew.

The pair are on trial before Superior Court Judge Marc C. LeMieux, charged with Goodmans murder. Marcus Morrisey, 52, and Danron Morrisey, 30, both of Asbury Park, also are charged with robbery, felony murder and weapons offenses.

On the night in question, Davis said she heard her boyfriend running down the stairs from their apartment, so she went outside, saw Marcus Morrisey and Goodman fighting. Marcus Morrisey was trying to pull Goodman off the porch, so she joined in, kicking Marcus in an attempt to get him off of Goodman, Davis told the jury.

Marcus Morrisey stands during his trial before Superior Court Judge Marc C. LeMieux in Freehold Friday, January 27, 2023. He and his nephew, Danron Morrisey, are charged in the 2018 murder in Neptune of Randolph Goodman.

A second person, with a black hood tied tight around his face, emerged and joined in the struggle, Davis said.

We were all like scuffling, and there was a taser, too, she said. I dont know who had it. I could hear it. I could hear it buzzing, and then there was a gunshot.

After the gun went off, Davis said she and Goodman fell back into the hallway, and she closed and locked the door.

Story continues

She asked Goodman if he had been shot, and he said no, but then he ran up the stairs and collapsed on the floor of their apartment, Davis testified.

As he lay there, suffering from a gunshot wound to the stomach, he told me to get the stuff out of the house, Davis said.

Danron Morrisey (right) speaks with his uncle Marcus Morrisey during their trial before Superior Court Judge Marc C. LeMieux in Freehold Friday, January 27, 2023. They are charged in the 2018 murder in Neptune of Randolph Goodman.

The stuff? Ellyn Rajfer, assistant Monmouth County prosecutor, asked.

The drugs, Davis responded. The cocaine that was in the house.

Goodman was concerned about the cocaine because Davis was on parole, after 10 years in state prison for conspiracy to commit murder, Davis testified.

She said she didnt go for the drugs, but instead went to look for a phone to call 911 to summon help for Goodman.

Davis, who now works as a home health aide, testified she couldnt remember if anything was stolen from Goodman the night he was fatally shot. But when Rajfer furnished her with a transcript of a statement she gave to police in November 2018, Davis amended her response and said the 30 grams of cocaine that Goodman was going to sell to Marcus Morrisey was taken.

Randolph Goodman's family leaves Superior Court Judge Marc C. LeMieux's courtroom in Freehold Friday, January 27, 2023, after video was displayed that showed his killing. Marcus Morrisey and his nephew, Danron Morrisey, are charged in the 2018 Neptune murder of Goodman.

Davis testified there was another 70 grams of cocaine upstairs in the apartment that wasnt touched. Earlier in the day, someone had dropped off 100 grams of cocaine at the apartment for Goodman to sell, she said.

Hours after the fatal shooting, Davis said she looked at police photos and recognized Marcus Morrisey in one of them, but told police she didnt recognize any of the assailants.

I was scared of the second person, she explained, scared that they knew who I was, and I was on parole. I didnt want to get tangled in this.

But two days later, she contacted a detective and asked to look at photos again, she said.

A different day, I had got in touch with the detective because I felt bad, because I knew who it was and I didnt say anything, she said.

On that day, Nov. 13, 2018, Davis said she identified Marcus Morrisey as one of the two assailants.

Davis testified she recognized Marcus Morrisey from the neighborhood, from meeting Goodman on prior occasions, and because she had sold drugs to him in the past.

Kathleen Hopkins, a reporter in New Jersey since 1985, covers crime, court cases, legal issues and just about every major murder trial to hit Monmouth and Ocean counties. Contact her at khopkins@app.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Neptune NJ murder trial: Victim told girlfriend to get rid of cocaine
An image from video evidence of an interview taken the night of the murder that was shown at Alex Murdaugh's trial on Friday Joshua Boucher/The State/Pool/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Roughly three hours after he claimed to have first come across the bodies of his slain wife and son at their rural South Carolina hunting lodge on June 7, 2021, Alex Murdaugh gave his first interview with investigators.

Sitting inside a vehicle parked on the property just before 1 a.m. and joined by his lawyer, Murdaugh spoke with Colleton County Sheriffs Detective Laura Rutland and a state agent. He told them how hed found his family shot dead near dog kennels on the property after returning from a visit to his mother.

I knew something was bad. I ran out and then it was really bad, he told the authorities in the interview, a video recording of which was played Friday in court at his closely watched murder trial .

Both Maggie and Paul Murdaugh were laying in pools of blood and brain matter, having been shot in the head. Distraught, Alex described seeing his sons brain exposed from the gunshot wound.

I think I tried to turn Paul over first. I tried to turn him over, Alex said, describing how his sons cellphone had fallen out of his pockets when he did so.

I touched them both. I tried to do it as limited as possible, but I tried to take their pulse, both of them, Alex said.

Testifying in court on Friday, Rutland said that while she was sitting in the car with Alex she made a mental note: That he was clean, she told the jury.

Reenacting the physical effort Alex would have needed to exert to move his sons body in order to check his pulse, prosecutor John Meadors asked Rutland if she observed any blood at all on Alexs hands, arms, shirt, shorts, or shoes. Rutland said she did not. They were clean, Rutland testified.

Is the individual you describe as clean from head to toe in this courtroom? Meadors asked.

Yes, he is, she responded, pointing to Alex.

Prosecutor John Meadors and Detective Laura Rutland Joshua Boucher/The State via AP, Pool

South Carolina officials say Alex, 54, shot his wife and son in a bid to gain sympathy and divert attention away from his alleged financial crimes that were close to being exposed. Maggie, 52, had been shot several times with a rifle, while 22-year-old Paul had been shot twice with a shotgun. Prosecutors allege Alex drove to his mothers house after killing the pair in order to create an alibi, then pretended to stumble upon their bodies when he returned home.

Story continues

In court on Friday, the defense team sought to turn the lack of blood on Alex into an exculpatory piece of evidence for their client, given the extensive blood spatter inside the large kennel structure where Paul had been shot.

To your visual eye, [Alex] did not look like he had just blown his sons head off in the confines of a feed room where splatter is everywhere? defense attorney Jim Griffin asked Rutland.

The detective responded that that would depend on a multitude of factors, including the distance from which the fatal shot was fired.

But prosecutors even speculated whether Alex may have changed his clothes.

Did those clothes appear to be fresh? Like theyd just come out of the laundry? Meadors asked Rutland, who agreed they could have been washed.

Hes sweating and they are dry, so I would say yes, Rutland said.

Alex Murdaugh places his hand over his face during a break in his double murder trial on Friday. Joshua Boucher / AP

Speaking with investigators that night in the car, Alex said he had not communicated with his wife for almost an hour before he left to see his mother. He said hed been napping on the couch after dining with his family, before trying unsuccessfully to call his wife to tell her he would drive to his mothers. Alex had made the same claim to the first sheriffs deputy who arrived on the scene after he called 911.

But in their opening statement on Wednesday, prosecutors said they had video evidence that this was not true. Maggie and Alex could both be heard in a video that Paul had sent to a friend from the kennels just a few minutes before his phone was locked for the final time, according to lead prosecutor Creighton Waters.

Testifying on Friday, Rutland also said she found it unusual that Alex would visit his mother, who had Alzheimers disease, after 9 p.m., believing her symptoms would likely be worse if she were tired at the late hour.

But Griffin, the defense attorney, noted that Alexs father had been taken to a Savannah hospital earlier that day and was seriously ill.

In that context, you dont criticize a son who goes to visit his mother who has early-onset dementia on the very day... the father is admitted to the hospital, Griffin said. Youre not here to criticize him for that, are you?

No, I didnt criticize, Rutland replied. I just made a mental note that was interesting.

As he spoke with investigators that night in the car, Alex told them he had a wonderful relationship with his wife and son. He also said hed been immensely proud of Paul for how the young man had handled the pressure and adversities that came as a result of a fatal boat crash for which he had been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Just as he had done with the 911 operator and the first deputy at the scene, Alex again told the investigators in the car that the boat crash was the only thing that came to his mind as a possible motive. (Prosecutors have said these early mentions of the boat crash were attempts by Alex to divert attention away from himself.)

Paul had been getting threats and was physically attacked following the death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach in 2019, Alex said. He gets them all the time, Alex said of the threats. He gets them all the time.

Hes been punched and hit and just attacked a lot, Alex added. Nothing like this.

Alex Murdaugh Trial
By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A North Carolina man who faced criminal charges after claiming he had a bomb in his truck parked near the U.S. Capitol in 2021 pleaded guilty on Friday, the Justice Department said in a statement.

Floyd Ray Roseberry, 52, of Grover, North Carolina, pleaded guilty to one charge of threats to use explosives during a standoff with police that lasted four hours near the Library of Congress, the Justice Department said on Friday. Roseberry had earlier pleaded not guilty.

Roseberry faces a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Judge Rudolph Contreras of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, who accepted the plea, scheduled a sentencing for June 15, the Justice Department added.

During the incident in August 2021, Roseberry parked his vehicle on a sidewalk outside the U.S. Library of Congress and told an officer who approached him that he had a bomb while holding what appeared to be a detonator, according to police.

Police shut down streets and evacuated nearby buildings as they negotiated with Roseberry. The standoff paralyzed a swath of Washington for several hours.

Roseberry later surrendered to police, who said at the time that they found possible bomb-making materials, but no bomb, in the truck.

Roseberry, who had a history of mental illness, faced charges of using a weapon of mass destruction and making threats to use explosive materials.

He live-streamed his threats from his Facebook account. In the video, he said the "revolution's on."

"I'm ready to die for the cause," he added.

Prosecutors said that he also stated that he was upset about the 2020 election results and demanded that President Joe Biden resign from office. He demanded to speak to Biden about several grievances, according to prosecutors.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
MEMPHIS  Protests were held in Memphis and cities across the country Friday and more demonstrations are planned for the weekend as the nation reacted to brutal footage of the killing of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis police.

Demonstrators were already taking to the streets in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon and local news outlets across the country reported on protests planned for Saturday in New York City, Memphis, Baltimore, Charlotte, Newark, Dallas and Raleigh, among other major cities.

Protests remained mostly peaceful Friday night as people rallied after officials in Memphis released disturbing video of the fatal police beating of Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died three days after a traffic stop on Jan. 7.

Amid freezing temperatures Friday, more than 100 protesters shut down an interstate bridge connecting Tennessee and Arkansas in Memphis. Some chanted "killer cops have got to go."

Protesters locked arms and chanted "we ready, we ready, we ready for y'all," as they marched from the bridge and toward downtown. Onlookers cheered from their balconies.

When is accountability really going to be set forth?" said activist LJ Abraham.

The video of the killing, which involved five Black officers who were charged in Nichols' death, shows Nichols being tased, belted with a baton, repeatedly kicked in the face and brutalized despite seeming to put up no resistance.

Memphis police chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis told CNN Friday that the video shows "acts that defy humanity."

LIVE COVERAGE: Memphis to release footage of traffic stop that led to death of Tyre Nichols

Chicagoans protest in freezing temperatures Friday

A dozen people gathered across from a police precinct in Chicago in freezing temperatures Friday evening to protest the killing of Tyre Nichols, as well as call attention to the killing of Anthony Alvarez, who was fatally shot by Chicago police in 2021.

From Memphis to Chicago, these killer cops have got to go, the group chanted. Some held signs saying Justice for Tyre Nichols and End police terror.

Story continues

Ana Santoyo, 33, a Chicago native running for alderperson, said the killing is another reminder that police brutality is pervasive in the U.S. Its not just bad apples. Its the whole bunch, she said.

Protesters hold signs as they rally against the fatal police assault of Tyre Nichols, in Chicago, Ill. on January 27,2023.

Santoyo said no mother should have to go through what Nichols mother is going through. Santoyo, who is Mexican American, said she worries about how police will see her own infant son as he grows up.

Time and time again we know, cops dont keep us safe  whenever we hear another name, whenever we have to say another name, she said.

Kamran Sidiqi, 27, who helped organize the demonstration, said he hopes protests in Chicago and nationwide send a message that Memphis is not alone in its calls for justice for Nichols. For Sidiqi, justice begins with seeing the officers involved convicted.

"It's tough to imagine what justice is here because Tyre is never coming back," he said. "That's someone's son, someone's friend lost forever. That's a human being's life that is gone. But a modicum of justice would be putting these killer cops in jail. A modicum of justice would be building a whole new system so that this can't happen again."

Demonstrators block traffic on Riverside Drive near the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge as they protest the killing of Tyre Nichols on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn.

Dozens march in NYC's Times Square

Protesters began marching through a congested Times Square shortly after 7:30 p.m. Friday.

New York City Councilmember Chi Osse, the 24-year-old Brooklynite elected after he organized during Black Lives Matter protests after George Floyds murder by Minneapolis police, stood alongside the marchers, who formed a small crowd at the glimmering tourist hub.

Nothing has really changed since 2020, Osse said. And if anything, we've seen police budgets grow across the country, right?

The protests continued southbound on Seventh Avenue just before 8 p.m., with onlookers at Times Square watching. Traffic stood still as marchers passed.

"Justice for," a speaker shouted through a megaphone. "Tyre Nichols," marchers chanted back.

A protester was arrested after jumping on a police car and breaking its windshield, ABC7 reported.

Several hundred protestors march through midtown Manhattan Jan. 27, 2023 after the release of video showing Memphis, TN police beating Tyre Nichols on Jan. 7 following a traffic stop. Nichols died three days later.

'Acts that defy humanity'

Memphis police chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis told CNN Friday that the video shows "acts that defy humanity."

"You're going to see a disregard for life, duty of care that we're all sworn to, and a level of physical interaction that is above and beyond what is required in law enforcement," the chief said.

That description brings to mind the video of police officers beating Rodney King in Los Angeles in 1991. The acquittal of the officers involved in that incident set off many protests.

The incident also comes more than two years after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police  also caught on video  spurred local protests and a global racial justice movement.

RowVaughn Wells, mother of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, leaves at the conclusion of a candlelight vigil for Tyre, in Memphis, Tenn., Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Peaceful protest urged

The family has asked supporters to protest in peace. During a Friday press conference, Rodney Wells, Nichols' stepfather, said, "More than anything we want peace. We do not want any type of uproar. We do not want any type of disturbance.

On Friday afternoon, mayors from major cities spoke with White House Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall and Senior Advisor to the President Julie Rodriguez on a call to be briefed on federal preparations for the expected protests.

"White House officials asked the mayors to remain in regular contact over the coming days and reiterated that the President will continue to be clear in his message to the American people that peaceful protests are appropriate, but violence is never acceptable."

Police forces  some in riot gear  were seen in streets across the nation preparing for demonstrations Friday. In Los Angeles, tensions flared between protesters and police, and smoke filled the air as people shook and banged on a police car with an officer inside, the Los Angeles Times reported. Someone also vandalized police headquarters sign that reads "Los Angeles Police Department" by writing the word "kills" underneath.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Protests after Tyre Nichols video release expected across US
From Ukraine to Memphis, smartphones have brought violence to mass audiences like never before. As the country sees the disturbing video of Memphis police beating Tyre Nichols, what can parents do to mitigate its effects?

The videos expose everyone, said psychiatrist Sarabjit Singh. Its not just a case of parents picking up a newspaper, or watching the evening news anymore. Its a different world that kids are living in. Adults have a choice to read the article. But kids are addicted to these platforms, like TikTok.

Many arent developmentally ready to deal with what they see, added Singh, who is executive medical director of behavioral health services at three local hospitals: St. Clare's in Morris County, St. Marys in Passaic and St. Michaels in Newark.

Provide safe environment for children

Demonstrators gather to protest the killing of Tyre Nichols on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn.

Keep it simple if you see signs of trouble. Ask questions like, What did you think of it? If they are showing signs of stress ask where in the body they are feeling it. Younger children tend to have symptoms like stomach aches, headaches and nausea, said Singh.

The first thing parents should do is provide a safe environment, said Michael Tozzoli, CEO of West Bergen Mental Healthcare. Let them know they are going to be OK.

More:NJ in-school mental health program gets temporary reprieve due to outcry

"You dont want them to wake up at night fearing for their own safety, he said. "With any age group you want to instill a sense of safety: I am the parent and I am going to keep you out of harms way."

Then you can go into people sometimes fight or use weapons, "but you have to fill in your own beliefs here. What do you as parents believe?"

Talk openly but without a lot of detail. This might lead to a conversation about how what happens in the world can affect our moods or how we feel in our bodies. These simple conversations are often enough.

Engage with teens

While teenagers can understand concepts of war and peace, helping them out can often be more of a challenge.

Story continues

They think they know it all and their peers are their source of information. They also tend to selectively know things, said Singh referring to how quickly teens can Google to support their points of view. The key is to engage them, but dont be confrontational.

More:NJ allocates millions in COVID relief funds to college students' mental health services

Focus on what theyre trying to communicate. Is it more positive or negative? Are they agitated or restless? Are they having trouble settling into a movie or TV show? Are they withdrawing from friends and family?

These conversations dont have to be big and intimidating, said Tozzoli. They can be broken down into smaller ones.

Some kids can only handle a certain amount and then its time to move on in the conversation. Those might be five little conversations instead of one big one, Tozzoli said.

If it seems like they are losing interest in things they enjoyed in the past, start a small conversation. Ask them for their views, said Tozzoli. Ask open ended questions like, What do you know about this?

Watch for headaches, nausea or changes in sleep and eating patterns that will indicate its time to check with a professional.

Guidance counselors can help, but if you think there is a big problem, go to your primary care doctor. They have a multitude of assessments they can do in their office, Singh said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How parents can help children understand violent videos on phones
A man visits the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany, Jan. 27, 2023. The memorial, located in the center of Berlin, was built to remember about 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. In 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which designated Jan. 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

A flower is seen at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany, Jan. 27, 2023. The memorial, located in the center of Berlin, was built to remember about 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. In 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which designated Jan. 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

Candles are seen at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany, Jan. 27, 2023. The memorial, located in the center of Berlin, was built to remember about 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. In 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which designated Jan. 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

A woman presents a flower to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany, Jan. 27, 2023. The memorial, located in the center of Berlin, was built to remember about 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. In 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which designated Jan. 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

People visit the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany, Jan. 27, 2023. The memorial, located in the center of Berlin, was built to remember about 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. In 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which designated Jan. 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

People visit the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany, Jan. 27, 2023. The memorial, located in the center of Berlin, was built to remember about 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. In 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which designated Jan. 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)

A woman walks through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany, Jan. 27, 2023. The memorial, located in the center of Berlin, was built to remember about 6 million Jews killed by the Nazis during World War II. In 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution which designated Jan. 27 as the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. (Xinhua/Ren Pengfei)
A Russian T-90M Proryv main battle tank destroyed by Ukrainian forces near the village of Staryi Saltiv in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi

Ukraine accused Russia of staging inflatable tanks near Zaporizhzhia in a Thursday Facebook post.

But the Russian decoys unintentionally deflated, according to Ukrainian officials.

Russia has employed deceptive warfare for decades, but its recent efforts apparently fizzled.

Ukrainian military forces accused the Russian army of deploying inflatable tanks in the south of Ukraine in an effort to deceive the opposing side, saying the country's "rubber" decoys had deflated in an anticlimactic display.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a Thursday Facebook post said Russia's army had run out of steam in the Zaporizhzhia region, where Russian troops have been incessantly firing on Ukrainian defenses in recent days, according to the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration.

"At the time when our partners are coordinating the supply of tanks to Ukraine, the invading army is also increasing the presence of 'tank units' in the Zaporizhzhia area," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine wrote.

But Russia's multiplying tanks are, according to Ukrainian officials, not what they seem.

"Apparently, the free air of the Cossack region is not suitable for the 'rubber' products of the occupiers, so they deflate without fulfilling their main mission. Just like the inflated bravado of the Russian army," the agency said.

Inflatable tanks are a staple of Russia's deception doctrine known as maskirovka, or masking. The country's approach to psychological warfare relies on an arsenal of inflatable tanks and launchers, decoy vehicles and soldiers, and other operations of deceit to boost stealth tactics and sow confusion.

Russia has utilized elements of maskirovka in conflicts going back decades, but their most recent efforts in Ukraine apparently fizzled, Ukraine claims.

It was not clear for what purpose Russia allegedly staged the inflatable tanks near Zaporizhzhia.

Earlier in the war, Ukraine also produced false weaponry, using fake rocket launchers made of wood to entice Russia to waste missiles on useless targets. The wooden decoys were meant to look like US rocket launchers when spotted by Russian drones, prompting Russian cruise missile carriers in the Black Sea to fire on the false targets, according to August reports.

Deception as warfare has a long history. The US also utilized inflatable tanks in World War II as part of its Ghost Army operation in an effort to trick the Third Reich into overestimating the Allied forces' military strength. The unit created illusions and sought to spread disinformation by using inflatable mock-ups of military vehicles, tanks, and artillery, as well as audio recordings of sounds that mimicked the movement of large armies.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A photo of items seized from the lieutenant colonel's home include knives, a knuckle duster, and stacks of foreign cash. Security Service of Ukraine

A lieutenant colonel in Ukraine's intelligence service was charged with being a Russian spy.

Security services said they found stacks of cash and Russian SIM cards in his home.

The arrest underscores concerns that Ukraine's intelligence may be deeply infiltrated by Moscow.

A high-ranking agent of Ukraine's intelligence service has been arrested on suspicion of spying for the Kremlin, local authorities said on Thursday.

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said it detained a lieutenant colonel from its own agency, and discovered stacks of foreign cash and SIM cards issued by Russian carriers when searching his home.

The lieutenant colonel, who was not named, used a mobile phone to photograph documents showing the locations of roadblocks in the Zaporizhzhia region, and sent them to an email registered on a Russian domain, the SBU said.

"Evidence of permanent connections with representatives of law enforcement and state bodies of the Russian Federation was also established," the SBU added. "In particular, close relatives of the traitor are among them."

Photos of items seized in the lieutenant colonel's home also show a knuckle duster, five identification booklets, and knives.

The lieutenant colonel's possessions included multiple identification booklets and a guide for speaking English that was written in Russian. Security Service of Ukraine

"I advise everyone to realize: the SBU is not a place for agents of the Kremlin and people who do not believe in the victory of Ukraine. If someone betrayed the oath and the Ukrainian people, he must answer according to the law," said Vasyl Malyuk, head of the SBU, in a statement.

Malyuk said that the SBU would need to perform a "self-cleansing of our ranks from traitors."

The lieutenant colonel's arrest comes as Ukraine's key security services continue to wrestle with the task of eliminating Russian moles among their ranks.

In July, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy fired his childhood friend and head of the SBU, Ivan Bakanov, citing concerns of treason.

Before he was sacked, Bakanov had appointed Oleg Kulinich, another SBU officer, as head of the agency in Crimea. Kulinich was also arrested in July on charges of spying for Russia and sending state secrets to the Kremlin, per Ukrainian reports.

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Maj Gen. Viktor Yahun, who was deputy head of the SBU until 2015, told The Guardian that the agency has long held close ties with Russia's Federal Security Bureau, the main successor to the famed KGB.

Yahun said the SBU would celebrate KGB Day in its offices until as late as 2010, and that pro-Russian agents are still in the agency, the outlet reported.

"Ukraine made a major mistake in not following the lead of the Baltic nations following independence in reforming the security services from ground zero," he said, per The Guardian.

The SBU and FSB did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Emiliano Sordi is taking his talents to Abu Dhabi, for now.

The 2019 PFL light heavyweight champion has booked his first fight of 2023 and its outside PFL. Sordi (23-11-1) is set to take on Asylzhan Bakhytzhanuly at a UAE Warriors event on Feb. 25. The bout will be contested at 205 pounds.

Sources recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup, but asked to remain anonymous, as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Related

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Sordi is looking to bounce back from a three-fight skid. Prior to that, the Argentine fighter was on a six-fight unbeaten streak that saw him win the 2019 PFL light heavyweight title. Sordis current commitment with UAE warriors stands as a one-fight deal.

His opponent, Bakhytzhanuly (13-4-1), last fought in December when he came out short against Ivan Shtyrkov in a decision at RCC 13  a regional Russian promotion. He was on a two-fight winning streak prior to the defeat with one of the wins coming under the UAE Warriors banner.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
Another mountain lion near Los Angeles has died, over a month after P-22, a beloved local mountain lion who spurred conservation efforts, was euthanized in December after being hit by a vehicle.

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area shared the news Friday that P-81, a four-year-old mountain lion, died on Jan. 22 after likely being hit by a vehicle. Since March 2022, vehicle strikes have been the cause of death for nine mountain lions in the Santa Monica Mountains research area.

Researchers from the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area captured P-81 in March 2020 and equipped him with a radio collar. According to the researchers, P-81 was significant in their study due to his physical abnormalities, including a kinked tail and a deformed reproductive organ.

1) We are saddened to share mountain lion P-81 was likely killed by vehicle strike Sunday, Jan. 22.@CaliforniaDFW officials collected P-81s body on the Pacific Coast Highway near Las Posas Road in the western Santa Monica Mountains. A necropsy will be performed to confirm pic.twitter.com/MrCDUE1ktQ  Santa Monica Mtns (@SantaMonicaMtns) January 27, 2023

According to the researchers, those features were early evidence of inbreeding within the cougar population, leading to concern about the health of the animal population.

Researchers later found that the mountain lions of the Santas Monica mountains have some of the lowest genetic diversity ever documented, second only to Florida panthers in the 1990s.

MORE: Polar bear kills mother, 1-year-old son after rampage through remote Alaska village

According to the National Park Service, Los Angeles and Mumbai are the only two megacities in the world to maintain a population of big cats; however, the growth of roads and traffic have fragmented the cats' habitats, and fast-moving cars have contributed to 34 fatalities of the animals in California since 2002.

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Another mountain lion, P-22, became a local celebrity in Los Angeles, helping spur the creation of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway, which would connect marooned wildlife, including mountain lions, to populations north of the city without having to cross the busy freeway. P-22 was euthanized in December after beginning to act erratically, including killing a chihuahua and attacking other dogs. Veterinarians euthanized P-22 after learning he was hit by a car and had several other ailments.

PHOTO: This Nov. 2014, file photo provided by the U.S. National Park Service shows a mountain lion known as P-22, photographed in the Griffith Park area near downtown Los Angeles. (U.S. National Park Service)

P-22's death came amid a public outcry of support for the famous big cat, whose rise to fame in a city known for its celebrities inspired a generation of conservationists. His death prompted a front-page obituary in the Los Angeles Times, with a headline of the Sunday edition proclaiming, "Improbable trek led puma to win Angelenos' hearts."

"P-22's survival on an island of wilderness in the heart of Los Angeles captivated people around the world and revitalized efforts to protect our diverse native species and ecosystems," said California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

2nd mountain lion near Los Angeles dies, a month after death of famous cougar originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
A few hundred people attend the Roe v. Wade Memorial March at the state Capitol in Lansing Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.

LANSING  Hundreds of anti-abortion protesters gathered at Michigans Capitol on Saturday, rallying against abortion following a year of significant wins nationally and setbacks in Michigan.

The Roe v. Wade Memorial March organized by Protect Life Michigan and Right to Life Michigan included several speakers, and a march in downtown Lansing around the Capitol. Leaders said they were focusing on drawing younger people out for the event, which attracted several hundred people despite the cold weather.

Joseph Plant, a junior at Father Gabriel Richard High School in Ann Arbor, said hes excited to be a part of the pro-life generation.

"Im out here to support support life because I think it's so important to step up, especially in these times, Plant said. It's almost like we have a culture of death these days and everyone is supporting all these negative things  and I think to be that voice to help change is just the most important thing we can do right now."

Protesters celebrated 2022s U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning of Roe v. Wade, but also decried Michigan's 2022 voter-approved constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to abortion, known as Proposal 3.

Despite abortion rights policies being passed on the state level, Plant said, in the future, well just come back stronger than ever.

Michigan State University student Samuel Lucido holds a sign declaring he is a post-Roe generation member at the Roe v. Wade Memorial March at and around the state Capitol Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.

Karyn Koenigsknecht, 63, said she joined the anti-abortion movement after the passage of Proposal 3.

I've been pro-life most of my adult life, and so I just familiarized myself with Protect Life Michigan and I love the work that they're doing, she said, holding a baby lives matter sign. They're getting a lot of young people involved.

Koenigsknecht said the number of young faces at the event left her optimistic about the movements future.

Its very emotional to hear these young people  I think theyre very courageous, she said. And I want to support them in their work.

Several organizers spoke at the event, including Cornerstone University freshman Emilia Vriesman.

Story continues

Young people are seeing the horrific human rights violations taking place in our country, and we are demanding better for women and children, she told those gathered. We are fighting for the unborn in our schools, on our campuses and in our communities.

Speakers and attendees also discussed the next steps forward after Proposal 3s passage, which could only be overturned through another constitutional amendment campaign.

Remember that God used us and those who came before us to overturn Roe v. Wade, and lord willing we can take this down, too, Vriesman said.

Mary Carmen Zakrajsek, Great Lakes regional coordinator for Students for Life in America, said she wasnt deterred by Michigans 2022 election results.

The pro-life movement is going to continue our efforts, she said. We know that we're not going to be weighed down by one election or two elections, that our mission is not only to make abortion illegal, but unthinkable.

Zakrajsek said the anti-abortion movement isnt just about ending abortion in the country, but pushing policies that support families.

Several hundred pro-life supporters rally at the state Capitol as part of the Roe v. Wade Memorial March Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023.

We have a love them both policy, so we love the woman and we love the child, she said. Making sure we have good maternity leave, making sure we have systems in place to support women who maybe have low-income salary and need extra additional care for their children.

The pro-life movement  it's the greatest cause of our day, Zakrajsek continued. And we will continue fighting, both in law and in service, to protect women and children from the violence of abortion.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Anti-abortion protestors gather at the Michigan state Capitol
Jan. 28This season, it has been difficult to tell the Cal State Bakersfield basketball team without a medical chart.

This season, it has been difficult to tell the Cal State Bakersfield basketball team without a medical chart.

"It's been tough when you've had so many guys who have been hurt, " said coach Rod Barnes, whose Roadrunners play Hawaii tonight in SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. "We've had guys who have been in and out of the lineup. It's just been difficult for us."

Until reserve Dalph Panopio returned to the lineup on Thursday, the Roadrunners were without their top three point guards for a two-week stretch. Ivan Reynolds, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, was forced to become the facilitator.

"That's part of our struggle, " said Barnes, whose Roadrunners are 6-14 overall and 2-7 in the Big West. "Ivan Reynolds is doing the best he can, but he's never played point guard for us."

The biggest loss was starting point guard Kaleb Higgins, who leads the Roadrunners in scoring (13.1 points per game ) and assists (4.0 ). During the Roadrunners' third Big West game on Jan. 5, Higgins suffered a season-ending ACL injury. The Roadrunners averaged 65.0 points with Higgins in the lineup, and 52.3 points since he was injured.

"He's had surgery already, " Barnes said. "He's probably going to be out three to four months. He's really good. There are a lot of good point guards in our league, and he's considered one of them."

Naseem Gaskin, who was projected as Higgins' primary backup, has missed nine games this season because of a nerve issue in his foot. Gaskin is in his fourth college program after playing at Utah, Montana and City College of San Francisco. "He's a guy we recruited whom we thought would be one of our best players, " Barnes said. "But he has pretty much been hurt the whole year."

Panopio, who was born in Rome, missed CSUB's first eight Big West games after undergoing thumb surgery.

Story continues

Barnes said two Lithuania-reared posts6-10 Ugnius Jarusevicius (ankle injury ) and 6-9 Modestas Kancleris (fractured wrist )are hopeful of returning for the Big West Tournament in March. Travis Henson, a 6-6 wing, is dealing with tendinitis in his knee.

Barnes said he has adjusted his tactics, preferring a slower-paced offense. "Limit the possessions, " Barnes said, "and try to give ourselves a chance to win."

Barnes also has encouraged making gains each night. "By that, I mean, get wins in a game, " Barnes said, "like, say, we play good defense, or we rebound the ball well, or we execute well. We try to keep their minds focused on playing well right now."

After Thursday's third one-sided loss in a rowaverage margin was 23.3 pointsthe Roadrunners departed Friday morning for what Barnes termed a challenging game against UH.

"The schedule is what it is, " Barnes said. "We're coming there, and we'll have to be there to play a game. We have to try to figure it out, try to get better. It's not the easiest place to play because Hawaii has been a really good team."

The'Bows are seeking to rebound from Thursday's 65-64 loss in which UC Santa Barbara's Ajay Mitchell banked in the winning shot with 1.9 seconds to play. The'Bows, who trailed by as many as 13, made their first 11 free throws, but did not have any attempts from the line in the second half.
At the start of the new year, I found it meaningful to reflect on wisdom from the past and words that have stood the test of time to channel my resolve and courage.

Rumi, a 13th-century Turkish-Persian poet wrote: Wear gratitude like a cloak and it will feed every corner of your life.

In that same century, St. Francis said: Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.

For me these have been words to live by.

As last year was ending, a dear friend who had heard of my transportation troubles, surprised me with a new car. I never saw this miracle coming, and like other people who are recipients are such great generosity, I was stunned, shocked and remain daily, overwhelmingly grateful.

In the 21st-century, we have shortened Rumis lyrical words to Have an attitude of gratitude and St. Francis to Take action to be the change you want to see.

Hear more Tennessee Voices: Get the weekly opinion newsletter for insightful and thought provoking columns.

The times before cell phones created beautiful memories

My generous friend longs to restore the aging red barn at the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessees Camp Sycamore. My daughter and granddaughter were beneficiaries of this amazing outdoor wonder when they were Girl Scouts.

Camp Sycamore was established in 1958 on 742 acres of beautiful bluffs and meadows in Ashland City in Cheatham County. As a child, I was a Brownie in Germany where my Air Force family was stationed and when Dad was transferred to the Pentagon, I was a Girl Scout in Alexandria, Virginia. I have fond memories of being outdoors, making crafts and helping others. Of course, there were no cell phones in the 1950s and 1960s and screen time was the television.

I lament overwhelming numbers of young people are literally attached to their devices and detached from the bountiful natural resources that are our treasures in Tennessee. It is the mission of Girl Scouting to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.

Story continues

I recently rewatched Anne with an E on Netflix. It is set at the end of the 19th century in the panoramic, visually awe inspiring and delightfully pleasing outdoor wonders of Prince Edward Island in Canada and reminds me of the beautiful scenic treasures we are so generously blessed with here in Middle Tennessee.

Campers, friends and families gathered for the Girls Scouts of Middle Tennessee's first-ever Thin Mint Sprint 5k at Camp Sycamore Hills in Ashland City on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022.

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Children spend far more time on screens than outdoors

Last September, I attended the Girl Scout Luncheon in Nashville where I met Agenia Clark, the president and CEO of Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee. She is so inspiring and most definitely lightning in a bottle! Kelsea Ballerini performed and spoke about how instrumental being a Girl Scout had been to her growing up.

Agenia Clark

Helping restore the Camp Sycamore barn is crucial to continuing the critically important mission of instilling and nurturing courage, confidence and character in young girls by getting them out into the great outdoors and interacting with nature and each other.

In this 21st century there is a movement called 1000 Hours Outside. It is an attempt to match nature time with screen time. Children are on media screens about 1,400 to 3,300 hours a year. Children spend an average 4 to 7 minutes playing outside, or 24 to 42 hours a year, according to the Child Mind Institute.

Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv documents the decreased exposure of children to nature, and how this nature deficit disorder is harmful to children and society.

Camp Sycamore encourages love and respect for our fragile earth, its vanishing wildlife, forests, and ever-increasing pollution. I hope kindred spirits will help support efforts to restore and renew this most important barn.

Many magical learning lessons happened in the Green Gables barn. I believe Girl Scouting also cultivates compassion and kindness. Let us learn to live in gratitude for our blessings and take action to encourage character building traits in children and ourselves.

To donate: gsmidtn.org.

Laura Turner is an advocate and educator in Williamson County.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Children are spending too much time on screens and not in nature
Pro-Trump Christian nationalist Jericho Marchers hold

Pro-Trump Christian nationalist Jericho Marchers march around the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. after meeting with several Republican state legislators on March 15, 2021. Credit - Paul WeaverSOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

When I was a boy In Indiana, I lived in perpetual fear. These were the 1980s and so that fear took predictable forms, including the threat of nuclear devastation at the hands of the Soviet Union. Sometimes, during tornado drills in elementary school, teachers would tell us we were practicing for the inevitable atomic strike while reminding us how lucky we were to have been born Americans.

On Sundays, I huddled against the end of the hard wooden pews in my small Baptist church as the preacher sweated and begged God for Armageddon. The world had become too wicked. Too perverse. Satan had found an ally in Moscow and willing accomplices within the United States, including liberals, feminists, gays, and violent criminals who seemed to hide behind every corner. The Devil wasnt an abstraction or a metaphor, but a malevolent being who could manifest in your living room. And his powers were immense and his influence omnipresent. Our sick cultures movies, television shows, and music were demonic and designed to tempt us away from God.

If things were going to be put right, if Good was going to triumph over Evil, then it was going to require nothing short of war.

Read More: 3 Threats Christian Nationalism Poses to the United States

The conversations I heard back 30 years ago sound a lot like the ones Ive been hearing recently. But what was largely kept behind closed doors is now the defining dialogue of a public and worrying movement. I first noticed it in 2016, as I reported from the crowds at Donald Trump rallies, and have since seen it dominate the Republican Party, conservative media, and watched it grow into an international political project.

And, to my horror, the specifics are the same. The world has been tainted. Society is decadent and depraved. Democracy is a danger and subject to manipulation by a satanic conspiracy. And, in order to put things right, any and all means, including extreme violence, is not only an option, but likely necessary.

Story continues

What I did not understand then is that our congregation was being prepared to accept changes outside the walls of our tiny church. The fiery sermons laid the groundwork for political and economic actions that would otherwise seem cruel and unreasonable. Without the religious narratives, the idea of overturning elections, imprisoning political opponents, creating an oppressive system, or executing enemies, which I have heard called for many times now, might be met with some resistance.

Courtesy of Penguin Random House, LLC.

In trying to understand these authoritarian energies, the rise of Christian Nationalism, and the crisis we face, my research has informed me that these narratives have followed very discernible and predictable cycles. Beginning with the merging of Christianity and state power in Rome, the tenets of the faith have been co-opted into aiding in the preservation and expansion of power. The religions persecution complex fuels larger concepts of apocalypticism that create life or death struggles where literally everything hangs in the balance and compromise and mercy are tantamount to suicide.

A philosophy of righteous persecution, forwarded by Saint Augustine, creates justification for oppression, telling true believers that inflicting suffering on sinners is justified if it is for their own spiritual benefit or the benefit of the faith. This has legitimized unthinkable horrors, including enslavement, genocide, colonization, and tyrannical systems that haunt our past and our present.

Our modern moment is once more defined by these concepts. The warnings that used to be relegated to Sunday mornings fill the halls of Congress and are repeated 24 hours a day on Fox News. Individuals and families that would have probably sat across the aisle from me all those years ago are now regularly posting pictures of themselves brandishing semiautomatic weapons with biblical quotes in the captions. And thats only when theyre not retweeting QAnon conspiracy theories that tell the same horror stories that inspired other authoritarian movements like Nazism, Fascism, and have led to one annihilation and war after another.

The solutions are appalling and unsurprisingly they echo the extreme measures necessitated by a looming apocalypse. The evil traitors must be stopped at all costs. Some want them in prison, others need to see them swinging from every light pole. Virtually everything, including our government, elections, economy, and popular culture, are controlled by a sinister conspiracy that is, depending on the day, either explicitly the domain of Jewish puppet masters or simply the Devil himself at the controls, and so seizing power and using cleansing violence and the muscle of the state are the only means of deliverance.

Since reporting from those Trump rallies, I have watched with revulsion as the people I knew and loved lifted a reality television host to the status of messiah. It is yet another component of Christianity, the idea of a divine agent who becomes a tool of the almighty and executor of his will on Earth. There have been many, including Constantine in Rome, who assumed this mantle while promising to protect or expand Christendom and used its influence to wield enormous power. Dictators, demagogues, and tyrants have long anchored their status to this concept, and in an environment like ours, the time is ripe for anyone willing and shameless enough to grab the mantle and use it.

Already we have glimpsed the possible ramifications. It is evident in Russia with Vladimir Putin and in Hungary with Viktor Orban, both of whom have weaponized these concepts in order to rig their political systems, dismantle democracy, and, in Putins case, justify an illegal war by claiming it is a defense against godless conspirators deadest on destroying the faith.

In America, we have seen suffering inflicted on refugees, boldfaced white supremacy and cruelty, attacks on gay and transgender Americans, open anti-Semitism, the destruction of Roe V. Wade, and even an attempted coup. These are all worrying examples of supposedly unthinkable developments this ideology serves. Whether it will enable further losses of civil rights and liberties, oppression, totalitarianism, and even war remains to be seen, but much will depend on our understanding of the very real nature of this threat.

This heretical ideology represents an existential crisis. Its gaining popularity and influence should serve as a wakeup call that the danger extends beyond Donald Trump or his cadre of fame-seeking flunkies. The terror that kept me and countless other young people awake at night in the past has escaped the confines of the church and now possesses millions of Americans the same way we once worried a demon might take over our bodies and our souls.

And let there be no doubt that history is very clear what the consequences are should we not exorcise this harmful spirit from the body politic.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Getty

Drivers who break traffic laws risk penalties. But innocence did not protect Mario Rosales when a police SUV pulled up behind his Ford Mustang at a red light on June 17, 2022, in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Mario signaled and turned left on green. He did not speed, litter, swerve out of his lane or drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He had done nothing illegal.

Neither had his girlfriend, Gracie Lasyone, who was in the passenger seat.

The Mustang was equally clean. It had current tags, working equipment and was not linked to any criminal investigation. The only thing conspicuous about the car was its red color and out-of-state plates, from New Mexico.

Cops Love ImmunityUntil Theyre the Ones Abused by Police

Officers had no good reason to initiate a traffic stop. Yet they flashed their emergency lights before the Mustang cleared the intersection. Dash-camera and body-camera video shows that Mario pulled over promptly, spoke in a respectful tone and obeyed all police orders. So did Gracie.

Nothing helped. Claiming that Mario had failed to activate his blinker, despite clear video evidence to the contrary, the officers ordered Mario and Gracie out of the car. Then the officers frisked Mario, took his phone, put it in the cab of the police vehicle, forced him to empty his pockets, and grilled him for 20 minutes about his personal life.

They also interrogated Gracie. When she askedtwiceif she could record the encounter on her phone, they refused to allow it. Ultimately, they cited Mario for three alleged infractions that the city eventually dropped.

The entire encounter was bogus, despite police assurances that everything they did was by the book. One officer actually called himself a constitutionalist, while violating the Constitution in multiple ways.

Rather than accept the abuse, Mario and Gracie fought back with a civil rights lawsuit. Our public interest law firm, the Institute for Justice, represents them.

The litigation highlights a nationwide problem. Cases in Georgia, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, and elsewhere show a similar pattern. Officers use pretexts to conduct traffic stops, then show cavalier disregard for motorists constitutional rights.

Story continues

The Supreme Court Put Politics Above Law and Surrendered Its Legitimacy

Sometimes the goal is fines and fees. Dozens of Louisiana municipalities receive more than half their revenue from citations. One village near Alexandria relies on traffic enforcement for 93 percent of its budget.

Other times the goal is revenue through a process called civil forfeiture, which allows the government to take and keep assets without proving wrongdoing in criminal court. Many law enforcement agencies cash in without arresting or prosecuting anyone. The process works with factory-like efficiency in Detroit.

With Mario and Gracie, the officers seemed to hope the couple were big-time criminals. Theres more to this than meets the eye, one officer said. He later expressed disappointment when dispatch informed the officers that Mario and Gracie do not have criminal records.

Regardless of the motive, the practice is the same from coast to coast. Officers dont wait for legitimate reasons to stop drivers; they stop drivers to find a reason.

The Constitution forbids this mode of policing. The Fourth Amendment requires officers to have reasonable suspicion that motorists did something wrong before detaining them. Officers cannot detain someone to find a crime.

Even if officers have legitimate reasons to make a stop, they cannot unnecessarily prolong the interaction while hunting for additional violations. Yet all too often in Alexandria and elsewhere, officers and their departments escape consequences when they disregard the Constitution.

One reason is simple economics. Holding the government accountable for violating rights is expensive. It does not make financial sense to sue an agency unless its officers inflict serious harm. Yet two problems emerge when casual violations go unpunished.

Heres Why Legalized Marijuana Wont End the War on Due Process

First, officers can grow accustomed to ignoring the Constitution. Without fear of reprisal, individual liberties disappear. Second, if rights are enforceable only when the government commits gross violations, then no one is secure from unreasonable searches and seizureswhich often start as minor inconveniences.

Mario and Gracie drove away from their police encounter, but others leave in the back of a squad car, ambulance or hearse. No one should have to wait for the worst to happen before insisting on accountability.

If motorists must follow traffic laws, then the police must follow the Constitution.

Marie Miller is an attorney and Daryl James is a writer at the Institute for Justice in Arlington, Va.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Two cruise lines rescued two dozen people on small boats on Monday, cruise officials told ABC News.

Staff on the Fort Lauderdale-bound Celebrity Beyond ship rescued 19 people from a boat Monday and provided them food, shelter and medical services, the ships Capt. Kate McCue said in a video posted on Instagram on Tuesday.

We are grateful for our crews quick action and the lives saved as a result, Celebrity Cruises told ABC News in a statement.

MORE: Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida Keys closes after hundreds of migrants arrive

Additionally, crew members from the Carnival Celebration noticed five people about 29 miles northwest of Cuba and stopped to help them, company spokesperson Matt Lupoli told ABC News in a statement.

The crew reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard and met up with them near Key West, Florida.

PHOTO: A group of Cuban migrants stand in the sun on the side of U.S. 1 in the Middle Keys island of Duck Key, Fla., Jan. 2, 2023. (Miami Herald via AP)

After that, "The ship resumed on its voyage with its scheduled itinerary unaffected and Carnival Celebration returned to Miami on Tuesday morning after a week-long Caribbean cruise," Lupoli said.

The Coast Guard did not respond to request for comment.

The rescues came the same day as Dry Tortugas National Park in the Florida Keys announced Monday it would close to the public after an influx of migrant landings over the past few days shut down operations at the park there.

MORE: Where historic number of migrants is coming from and why: ANALYSIS

"Homeland Security Task Force - Southeast is aware of multiple migrant landings this weekend on Dry Tortugas National Park and the Marquesas. The U.S. Coast Guard and partner federal, state and local components in HSTF-SE are coordinating efforts to recover the individuals currently stranded on the remote, uninhabited islands," Rear Adm. Brendan C. McPherson, commander of the Seventh Coast Guard District and director of Homeland Security Task Force, said in a statement.

Dry Tortugas is a 100-square-mile park located 70 miles west of Key West, Florida. It comprises seven small islands and is accessible only by boat or seaplane.

ABC News' Armando Garcia contributed to this report.

Cruise ships save 2 dozen migrants on boats near Florida Keys, officials say originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
This file photo shows Ernest Bai Koroma, head of the AU-COMESA Election Observer Mission and former president of Sierra Leone, speaking during a press briefing in Nairobi, Kenya, Aug. 11, 2022. (Photo by Charles Onyango/Xinhua)

The African Union has called on African countries scheduled to hold elections during the first half of 2023 to ensure peaceful and inclusive elections.

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The African Union (AU) has called on African countries scheduled to hold elections during the first half of 2023 to ensure peaceful and inclusive elections toward silencing the guns in Africa.

The call was made by the AU's Peace and Security Council in a statement issued on Thursday that followed its recent meeting that dwelt upon elections that were conducted in Africa from July to December 2022 and an outlook for 2023.

The Council welcomed the "relentless efforts" being deployed by AU member states scheduled to organize elections during the first half of 2023, namely Benin, Djibouti, Nigeria, Mauritania, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone, an AU statement read.

It encouraged the countries to sustain their effort in order to ensure that their planned elections are peaceful, inclusive, transparent, democratic, and credible toward realizing the continental aspiration of silencing the guns in Africa.

People queued to cast their ballots at a polling station in the Province of Luanda, Angola, Aug. 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

It underscored the need to further strengthen the institutional capacity of judicial systems across the continent toward effectively addressing all electoral disputes, and to promote platforms for dialogue, consensus building and amicable settlement of election-related disputes among political actors.

The Council further called on all AU member states to continue to redouble their efforts in mobilizing domestic financial resources for their election processes with a view to insulating the elections from unintended consequences of depending on external sources of election financing.

Meanwhile, the Council congratulated countries that successfully held elections during the second half of 2022 in a peaceful and transparent manner, namely the Republic of Congo, Senegal, Kenya, Angola, Sao Tome and Principe, Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia and Lesotho. 
Gowun Park, 41, a Simpson College economics professor accused of killing her husband, pleaded not guilty on March 13, 2020.

Interviews a former Simpson College professor had with West Des Moines police before she was charged with murdering her husband can be used at her trial, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday.

The ruling vacated an Iowa Court of Appeals ruling that found four of the five interviews could not be used. That appeal came after a Dallas County judge ruled all the interviews must be excluded, a decision the justices reversed.

Gowun Park, 43, was charged with first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping after calling 911 for medical attention for her husband, Sung Woo Nam, 41, at their West Des Moines condominium on Feb. 15, 2020. Detectives summoned to the scene said Nam, who was determined to be dead, was tied to a chair with his hands and feet bound and a towel taped over his head.

The cord used to tie him to the chair was around his neck and the cause of his death was listed as strangulation, according to court documents. The case, argued before the Supreme Court Nov. 16, centered on the contention by Parks attorneys that detectives improperly promised leniency if she spoke to them during interviews on Feb. 15 and 16, 2020. Prosecutors maintained that the detectives, though deceptive, had acted within the bounds of the law.

Parks attorneys could not be reached for comment Friday.

Previous rulings threw out interviews

Dallas County Judge Brad McCall ruled in 2021 that none of the interviews could not be used because:

Detectives who arrived at Park's condo to investigate Nam's death effectively detained her  even though they said she was not being held  and should have read her her Miranda rights before questioning her, because they would not allow her to go to the hospital to check on her husband, who she believed was still alive. In addition, they restricted her movement within the condo to the point that she could not change out of her pajamas before they took her to the West Des Moines Police Department.

In a second interview at the police department, detectives kept questioning Park, a native of South Korea for whom English was a second language, even though she asked to speak with a lawyer and it was clear she did not understand her rights when they were read to her.

Though Park initiated a third conversation about eight hours later, detectives failed to check whether she had spoken to a lawyer before carrying on the interview. She also was interviewed twice more. after which police charged her.

Detectives implied Park would be treated with leniency if she talked to them.

Story continues

In June, Iowa Court of Appeals Judge Anuradha Vaitheswaran ruled that statements from the first interview between Park and two West Des Moines police officers at her condominium could be admitted at trial. The other four interviews should be excluded, Vaitheswaran wrote, because officers deceived Park and misled her into giving damning statements, which led to her arrest.

Prosecutors then appealed to the Supreme Court, which in its 5-0 decision vacated Vaitheswarans ruling and reversed McCalls ruling. Justices Thomas Waterman and David May abstained.

Park who was released from jail on a reduced bond because of the COVID-19 pandemic, pleaded not guilty in March 2020.

Park, who Simpson hired as an assistant professor in 2017, told detectives her husband was abusive and had given her permission to tie him up when he became violent, according to court documents.

West Des Moines police officers interviewed Park for the first time at her home from 7 to 8:15 p.m. Feb. 15, 2020.

Officers led her away from a room where Nam was receiving medical attention and then confined her to a bedroom, but did not read Park her Miranda rights.

In Fridays ruling Justice Edward Mansfield wrote for the majority that officers restricted Park's movement to preserve evidence and that the questioning at her condo focused on determining what had happened, not on getting her to confess to murder. Their other interactions with her were part of an attempt to calm her, Mansfield wrote.

The officers were calm, respectful, and sympathetic, Mansfield wrote. At the beginning of the interaction, the officers were trying to console Park in her emotional state. At most points throughout the interaction, multiple officers were present, but the questioning was intermittent and generally conducted by only one officer at a time.

The Supreme Court found that the district court and Court of Appeals had improperly suppressed Parks second interview at the West Des Moines Police Department between 9 p.m. Feb. 15 and 3 a.m. Feb. 16. In their rulings McCall and Vaitheswaran wrote that detectives mislead Park by lying to her about her husbands condition when they knew he already had died.

Vaitheswaran and McCall also found that Park did not properly waive her Miranda rights. At one point Park was asked to read and waive her Miranda rights, to which Park responded, "I'm not sure " according to court documents.

"A reasonable person in Park's shoes would surmise that the deception was designed to circumvent her right to remain silent," Vaitheswaran wrote last year.

Mansfield acknowledged that detectives deceived Park about Nams condition, but used no deception about exactly what they were looking for: Information on how Nam ended up with ligature marks on his wrist and neck.

Vaitheswaran found that the trickery got Park to talk. Supreme Court justices disagreed. Mansfield wrote that the detectives' deception was distasteful, but did not cause Park to waive her Miranda rights.

Park was willing to talk about how Nam ended up bound and tied to a chair from the get-go. Her answers in that regard didnt change until midday February 16, when she returned for the third interview, well after she knew that Nam had died.

Detectives also told her they were trying to help her if Nam had abused her.

The second interview ended when she declined to speak without a lawyer. Park initiated a third interview with police when she returned to the police station at 11 a.m. Feb. 16. McCall said detectives failed to ask if she had spoken to legal counsel. Her attorneys argued this showed that she believed she was not in trouble.

She was interviewed a fourth time at her condo on Feb. 18, 2020, and a fifth time on Feb. 19, 2020, when she contacted police. At the end of that interview detectives arrested her, read her Miranda warnings and charged with first-degree murder.

Supreme Court: Park 'ought to control the narrative from the time she called 911'

The Supreme Court found that Parks explanations evolved as she talked to detectives and realized that law enforcement could obtain incriminating evidence from her cell phone.

Park comes across on the videos as an intelligent person who, although clearly distraught, realized that she might be in legal jeopardy and who sought to control the narrative from the time she called 911, Mansfield wrote.

The case will now be remanded back to Dallas County district court. If convicted Park faces spending life in prison.

Park came to the U.S. after finishing high school in South Korea. She got a doctoral degree in economics in 2017 from the City University of New York. She earned a master's degree in economics at New York University in 2010 and taught there as an adjunct professor from 2015 to 2017.

Her Simpson contract was up at the end of the 2019- 2020 academic year and she had a job in Kentucky lined up, according to court records. Park had no prior history with law enforcement.

Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and RAGBRAI for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at pjoens@registermedia.com or on Twitter @Philip_Joens.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ex-Simpson prof's statements OK in murder trial, Supreme Court rules
Downtown Phoenix skyline with the South and Sierra Estrella mountain ranges in the background

Latinos contributed at least $65.1 billion to the Phoenix-area economy, according to a new report measuring the gross domestic product of the region's fastest growing demographic group.

That is higher than the entire economies of the states of Maine and North Dakota, the report found.

The report is intended to create a broader understanding of how the Latino population contributes to the business and economic growth of the Phoenix area and show where that growth is headed in the future, said Benito Almanza, the Arizona state president of Bank of America, which funded the 2023 Phoenix metro Latino report.

"There are a lot of narratives that really don't paint that great a picture" of the Latino population, "and certainly this is we think a great story that is happening here in Arizona and across the country," Almanza said during a gathering Friday at the Heard Museum, where the report's findings were presented to business and community leaders.

The Phoenix metro area is made up of 4.9 million people and is the 9th largest metro area in the U.S.

Latinos comprise 1.5 million, or 31% of the total Phoenix metro population. That makes the Phoenix metro area the 8th largest in the U.S. by Latino population, said Matthew Fienup, one of the report's authors. He is executive director of the Center for Economic Research and Forecasting at California Lutheran University.

Big picture: The report is one of a series of reports funded by Bank of America that show that Latinos are driving economic growth in cities and states with large or fast-growing Latino populations. The reports measured Latino GDP for the year 2018, the most recent year data was available.

Much of that economic growth is being driven by rapid Latino population growth and rapid increases in Latino educational attainment and labor force participation, Fienup said.

Latino population growth in the Phoenix metro area is two times greater than non-Latinos. Latino work force participation is four times that of non-Latinos. And household formation and homeownership growth is three times that of non-Latinos, Fienup said.

Story continues

The Latino GDP for the entire state of Arizona is $91.7 billion, Fienup said. Latinos in the Phoenix metro area are responsible for 71% of Arizona's Latino GDP.

Latino GDP is mostly driven by Latino consumption, Fienup said. Latino consumption in the Phoenix metro area amounts to $44.5 billion. That is larger than the entire economy of Wyoming, Fienup said.

Nationally, Latinos contributed $2.6 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2018, the most recent year data was available, up from $1.7 trillion in 2010, the report said.

For perspective: If Latinos living in the U.S. were their own independent country, Latino GDP would be the 8th largest GDP in the world, larger than the economies of Italy, Brazil and South Korea, the report said.

The Latino GDP was the single fastest growing among the worlds 10 largest GDPs in 2018, the report said. Latino real GDP grew 21% faster than Indias and 30% faster than Chinas.

Bottom line: In cities and states with large or fast-growing Latino populations, rapid economic growth is driven by rapid population and labor force participation of Latinos, many of whom came to the U.S. as immigrants, said David Hayes-Bautista, another co-author of the report. He is professor of medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the School of Medicine at the University of California-Los Angeles.

Investing in the education of Latinos and providing economic opportunities to Latinos will help further drive economic growth, he said.

"If the largely immigrant Latino population of the late 20th Century could create the world's eighth largest GDP, their children, who are born here, who are U.S. citizens, who are highly educated, what kind of GDP can they create?" Hayes-Bautista said.

"That is the possibility. That is the opportunity. That can be a reality if we choose to make it so. Investing in these Latino children now will ensure growth" in the future, he said.

Reach the reporter at daniel.gonzalez@arizonarepublic.com or at 602-444-8312. Follow him on Twitter @azdangonzalez.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Latinos contributed $65 billion to the Phoenix metro economy
Casemiro scored a magnificent brace before Fred flicked home audaciously as Manchester Uniteds Brazilian stars sparkled in Saturday evenings FA Cup win over Reading.

Erik ten Hag surprisingly only made one alteration for a seemingly straightforward fourth-round assignment that his side initially made hard work of at Old Trafford.

But second half samba magic in the Manchester rain sealed United a 3-1 victory on a night when Amadou Mbengue grabbed Reading a consolation after Andy Carroll was sent off.

Marcus Rashford saw a goal ruled out for offside in an opening period that saw United fail with their 15 shots and nearly go behind in after Junior Hoilett caught Tyrell Malacia out just before the break.

But Antonys excellent defence-splitting pass put compatriot Casemiro through to beautifully lift over goalkeeper Joe Lumley early in the second half.

The former Real Madrid midfielder followed that with a fizzing 30-yard strike that was added to by a daring flick by Brazil team-mate Fred.

Ex-Liverpool striker Carroll received his marching orders shortly before Uniteds third and Readings travelling fans were able to celebrate Mbengues goal as Paul Inces men ended brightly.

The result means Uniteds Old Trafford clash with rivals Leeds can be played on February 8  one of eight fixtures they face in a jam-packed month.

Casemiro gave United a two-goal lead (Martin Rickett/PA)

Next month will surely end with a shot at Carabao Cup glory after Wednesdays 3-0 semi-final first-leg win against Nottingham Forest, making Ten Hags selection here all the more eye catching.

Story continues

Harry Maguire replaced Lisandro Martinez in the only alteration from the City Ground win and United dominated possession throughout a one-sided first half.

Home debutant Wout Weghorst saw a smart flick blocked and Christian Eriksen bent a 20-yard free-kick narrowly wide.

Another set-piece opportunity soon followed and Lumley did well to parry in-form Rashfords stinging strike, with Eriksens follow-up attempt thwarted.

Antony missed efforts either side of a timely Tom Holmes block that prevented Weghorst getting away a close-range strike on the turn.

Fred added a third goal for United (Martin Rickett/PA)

Eriksen was denied by another important Holmes block, with Bruno Fernandes curling over and dragging across the face of goal as the onslaught continued.

United finally appeared to have opened the scoring in the 35th minute, only for the VAR to intervene.

Rashford met Weghorsts looping header back across goal with a headed effort that Lumley could not prevent crossing the line, but the target man had strayed offside in the build-up.

Casemiro saw penalty appeals fall on deaf ears as United ended the half with 15 shots to Readings two, although complacency so nearly allowed Hoilett to make his count.

Andy Carroll was sent off for Reading (Martin Rickett/PA)

Malacia was caught napping at a cross, with the Canadian nipping ahead of him to get away a close-range shot that previously untroubled David De Gea denied.

The stoppage-time opportunity was completely against the run of play and United finally added some bite to their attack in the 54th minute.

Antony superbly slipped through Casemiro, who kept his cool to expertly lift over Lumley in front of the rocking Stretford End.

The 30-year-old pointed at his compatriot during the celebrations in recognition of the assist  but there was no need to share the love four minutes later.

Fred had no idea Casemiro would meet his lay-off with a stunning first-time strike from 30 yards that skipped past Lumley and nestled in the bottom corner.

Reading boss Paul Ince tasted defeat on his return to Old Trafford (Martin Rickett/PA)

It was a fine drive and Carrolls sending off for a second bookable offence for a late challenge on Casemiro in the 65th minute ended any faint hopes of a comeback.

United were playing with the shackles off and substitute Fred took inspiration from his Brazilian roots when meeting Fernandes near-post cross with a fine flick a minute later.

Reading pulled one back in the 72nd minute as substitute Mbengue scored a free header from a corner and Inces team had further openings that they failed to capitalise on.

Alejandro Garnacho looked most likely to add gloss for United but there was to be no more goals.
Wondering who represents you at the Missouri State Capitol?

As the General Assembly returns to Jefferson City for its annual legislative session in 2023, it's important to know who to contact if you have questions, requests or want to weigh in on current issues or bills.

Not a Springfield or Greene County resident and want to find out who represents you? Easy  just use the Missouri House and Senate legislator lookup tools, which let you enter your address to find your lawmakers.

Here are Springfield and Greene County's delegation for the 2023 legislative session.

Springfield: Sen. Lincoln Hough

Sen. Lincoln Hough

Party and district: Republican, Senate District 30. First elected in 2018, re-elected in 2022.

Bio: Prior to representing Springfield in the Senate, Hough served three terms in the House and two years as Greene County Commissioner. A cattle rancher and Missouri State University graduate, Hough will be one of the most influential members of the legislature as the chair of the Senate's budget committee. Much of his time and effort will be focused on that budget process, which takes months and allocates tens of billions of taxpayer dollars.

A conservative focused primarily on business and workforce issues, Hough has frequently touted the importance of bipartisan compromise, at times breaking with other members of his party and pushing back against those who have sought a more hardline right-wing style of legislating.

Office phone: 573-751-1311

Greene County: Sen. Curtis Trent

Sen. Curtis Trent

Party and district: Republican, Senate District 20. Elected in 2022.

Bio: Trent, an attorney who focuses on Social Security law, has previously served as deputy chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Billy Long and served three terms in the House before being elected to the Senate in November.

He's been involved in various criminal justice issues during his time in the statehouse, including sponsoring a bill creating nurseries in state prisons, and has continued to propose bills this year relating to the justice system and prisons.

Story continues

Office phone: 573-751-0136 (could change with move to Senate)

Republic and Greene County west of Springfield: Rep. Bishop Davidson

Rep. Bishop Davidson

Party and district: Republican, House District 130. First elected in 2020.

Bio: Davidson is the owner and operator of Pelion Learning, an educational services company, and previously worked at a conservative nonprofit that operates on college campuses. Entering his second term, he has focused primarily on legislation aimed at professional licensing and changing the state's initiative petition process.

Office phone: 573-751-2381

West and north Greene County: Rep. Bill Owen

Rep. Bill Owen

Party and district: Republican, House District 131. First elected in 2020.

Bio: Owen, a longtime banker, returned to the House in 2020 after one term in the 1980s, making this his third term total. He has focused on legislation creating land banks in Springfield and other Missouri communities, as well as financial and banking policy.

Office phone: 573-751-2948

Northwest Springfield: Rep. Crystal Quade

House Minority Leader Crystal Quade

Party and district: Democrat, House District 132. First elected in 2016.

Bio: Entering her final term in the House and fourth year leading the Democratic caucus, Quade serves as one of the leading voices of her party in the state. A former nonprofit director, she has focused on funding public education, the social safety net and protecting voting and abortion rights in Missouri, while frequently criticizing legislative efforts from Republicans.

Office phone: 573-751-3795

West Springfield: Rep. Melanie Stinnett

Party and district: Republican, House District 133. Elected in 2022.

Bio: The founder of speech therapy business TheraCare, Stinnett won this open seat in November. She said she was inspired to run for office to support small businesses and children with disabilities, and has filed a bill early on to restore voting rights to those on parole or probation.

Office phone: 573-751-0136

Battlefield and south Greene County: Rep. Alex Riley

Rep. Alex Riley

Party and district: Republican, House District 134. First elected in 2020.

Bio: Riley, a business attorney, has focused on budgetary and business issues heading into his second term. His priorities have included reforming tort litigation in Missouri and reducing regulations on small businesses.

Office phone: 573-751-2210

Northeast Springfield and MSU: Rep. Betsy Fogle

Party and district: Democrat, House District 135. First elected in 2020.

Bio: Fogle, a former public health worker, enters her second term in the House. She has focused on funding public education and improving access to child care and has advocated for Missouri to spend more money on the state's safety net and social services.

Office phone: 573-751-9809

Southwest Springfield: Rep. Stephanie Hein

Rep. Stephanie Hein

Party and district: Democrat, House District 136. Elected in 2022.

Bio: Hein, who unseated Rep. Craig Fishel in November and flipped the seat's party control, is the emeritus hospitality management department head at Missouri State University. She said on the campaign trail she is focused on funding government services for Missourians, including health care, education and infrastructure.

Office phone: 573-751-0232

East Greene County: Rep. Darin Chappell

Rep. Darin Chappell

Party and district: Republican, House District 137. Elected in 2022.

Bio: Chappell, a longtime city administrator, minister and college instructor, was elected to fill this new seat in November. He has advocated for cautious and limited government spending.

Office phone: 573-751-3819

Galen Bacharier covers Missouri politics & government for the News-Leader. Contact him at gbacharier@news-leader.com, (573) 219-7440 or on Twitter @galenbacharier.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield and Greene County lawmakers in 2023 Missouri legislature
Protesters have shut down parts of Interstate 55 in Memphis after the city released videos of the police beating of Tyre Nichols.

The videos were released on Friday evening and show five Memphis police officers beating Nichols, 29, during the arrest. He died from his injuries three days after the shocking incident.

The five officers, all of whom are Black, were immediately fired from the force and now face murder charges.

The protests began shortly after the video was released at 7pm ET, with a large crowd taking to I-55 in downtown Memphis headed towards the Mississippi River bridge, according to ABC24.

Shortly after the videos release at 6 p.m., a large crowd took to I-55 in downtown Memphis and appeared to be headed towards the Mississippi River Bridge.

There were no immediate reports of damage, according to the news channel.

Protesters then also headed towards the citys police station, according to NBC News.

Meanwhile, groups of protesters also gathered in New Yorks Times Square, Washington DC and Atlanta, Georgia.

The footage shows the Black officers savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes in an assault that the Nichols familys legal team likened to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.

Officers who caught up with Nichols after he fled the scene of the initial stop then wrestled him to the ground and pepper spray was seemingly deployed in Nicholss face.

I am going to baton the f**k out of you, one officer can be heard shouting., while another says Watch out, Ill spray your a** again.

Nichols on the ground can be heard crying out loudly for his mother.

The officers then can be heard on bodycam video repeatedly shouting at Nichols give me your f***ing hands.

Another officer can be heard saying, That mother f**** made me spray myself with pepper spray.

The video then showed Nichols slumped against a car while the officers stood around laughing, recounting the arrest and what they had done to capture him.

I jumped in, started rocking him, one officer can be heard bragging as another claimed that Nichols put his hand on their gun.

He literally had his hand on my gun. That mother*****r was on there, the officer stated.
Derek Menchan brings Beethoven to Tallahassee through the Javacya Arts Conservatorys 2022-2023 Arts-in-the-Heart Concert Series concert on Friday, Feb. 3, at St. Peter's Anglican Cathedral.

Intention and affirmation make the music man

As children, we sat in our rooms staring at the carefully placed glow-in-the-dark stars, fantasizing about what will come. Will we grow to be rock stars or famous politicians? A doctor, a lawyer, a candlestick maker? Will we get what we wish for? For musician and educator Derek Menchan, these moments were karmic and cosmic visions of what was to come. And, as he says, its pretty baller.

Derek Menchan brings Beethoven to Tallahassee through the Javacya Arts Conservatorys 2022-2023 Arts-in-the-Heart Concert Series concert on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.

With an eloquent poetic lilt, Menchan speaks of his journey as an artist as an interactive connectedness and constant communication with the cosmos through affirmation and intention. He believes he has been guided and, at times, been told by the universe, Thats good for you or No, thats not what you need right now.

Menchan recalls a story that accentuates his point. When Menchan was a teenager he drew a picture of a string quartet of animals. A lizard, a tree frog, a mandrel, and a horned owl. The Lizard is my alter ego. In his hands, he is holding [an] old Italian cello. I drew it when I was 14. I took time to put cracks in special places, recalls Menchan gleefully. Only to find out that last year, I go to Chicago, and Im made aware that that very instrument that I drew was for sale. I now own it. I willed myself that cello. My whole family is gifted that way.

This gift transcends into the ability to play the cello at a level that surpasses most and fills a room with the lower vibrations that excite Menchan about the cello. However, Menchan admits that the instruments possibilities were enticing. I was attracted to lower vibrations, the lower pitches. The cello has the low sideand it goes up as high as you dare, as high as your chops will take you. I think I was attracted to what the cello can do in jazz and bluesI can dig it.

Story continues

Derek Menchan brings Beethoven to Tallahassee through the Javacya Arts Conservatorys 2022-2023 Arts-in-the-Heart Concert Series concert on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.

Ties to Tally

The role of any parent is to nurture. For a parent of a musical prodigy, there is so much more. As musicians themselves, Menchans mother was a pianist, and his father was part of the glee club; his parents encouraged Menchans early predilection for music. Derek Menchan, having perfect pitch, took to many instruments throughout his early childhood: from the piano at 2, strings at 2, and finally, with his true love, the cello, entering his life at 8. Throughout it all, he credits his parents' constant nurturing and introduction to new instruments as his foundation.

Menchan blossomed from a young music student in Orlando to a professional internationally known cellist working in New York City and Houston for numerous orchestras and ensembles, including Houstons OrchestraX, the Orlando Symphony, and the New York Pro Arte Ensemble.

Derek Menchan brings Beethoven to Tallahassee through the Javacya Arts Conservatorys 2022-2023 Arts-in-the-Heart Concert Series concert on Friday, Feb. 3, 2023.

He earned a Master of Arts from the Manhattan School of Music, where he won the Pablo Casals Award for Musical Accomplishment and Human Endeavor. Menchan had the privilege of studying with some of the greats, like world-renowned Olga Rostropovich, daughter to master cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. After a successful career, he found stability and solace in the classroom.

A self-proclaimed "mad professor," Menchan is highly regarded at Polk State College in Winter Haven, where he currently teaches in the humanities and serves as director of the Voices of the People Chamber Music Series, which features talented classical musicians.

Although he has traveled the world, Mechan claims strong ties to Tallahassee. His father went to Florida A&M University and pledged Kappa in 1948 on the yard. As a young man, Menchan recalls attending many National Association for the Advancement of Colored People events with his father. He eventually joined the legacy when he, too, pledged Kappa.

Back to the basics in Beethoven

As described by Menchan, classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven was a jokester in his music. He fills his scales with displayed accents, moments of extreme musical dichotomy between pianissimo and crescendo, and an overall charm, which Menchan describes as pleasant and jocular.

Menchan is honored to join forces with pianist Joanna Sobkowska and violinist Kinga Augustyn to play Beethovens Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Piano in C major Opus 56, commonly known as the Triple Concerto, at the Javacya Arts Conservatorys 2022-2023 Arts-in-the-Heart Concert Series.

Joana Sobkowska, piano

Kinga Augustyn, violin

Although this will be Menchans fourth time attempting one of Beethovens heroic concertos, he admits that he was tested and forced to go back to the basics to keep up with the genius of the music. He bought a metronome to review the music, note by note, beat by beat.

The cello [part] is so hard, we love it, there is fear and paranoia, it's really quite difficult, says Menchan. He then slowed down the music and played the score 100 times a day until the muscle memory came. Menchan states, there is also an intense view of what you think Beethoven would do. I take the score and ask, what is he saying?  If you dont know what to say, you wont know how to say it.

Derek Menchan continues his solo musical journey with his latest release of a hot new single, "Don't Dream Its Over," found on YouTube.

Join The Derek Menchan trio and the Javacya Elite Chamber Orchestra to witness the beauty of classical music strung by modern musical marvels.

If you go

What: The Derek Menchan Trio at the Javacya Arts Conservatorys 2022-2023 Arts-in-the-Heart Concert Series

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3

Where: St. Peters Anglican Cathedral, 4784 Thomasville Road

Details: donations accepted; visit javacyaarts.com; 800-658-1230; info@javacyamail.com

Dr. Christy Rodriguez de Conte is the feature writer for the Council on Culture & Arts (COCA). COCA is the capital areas umbrella agency for arts and culture (tallahasseearts.org).

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Cellist gets back to Beethoven for Javacya Arts concert
A Naples man accused of critically injuring a 14-year-old boy in a crash more than two years ago will head to trial in April.

Juan Pablo Alvizurez Giron, 49, is accused of striking the boy, who the Collier County Sheriff's Office identified as "Jamesly," as he walked to school at 6:40 a.m. Sept. 3, 2020.

Alvizurez Giron was taken into custody Sept. 9, 2020, charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving serious bodily injury, according to troopers.

Back home:14-year-old boy injured in East Naples hit-and-run crash returns home from hospital

Naples attorney accused:Attorney arrested in fatal crash was late to pick up daughter on day of wreck, report says

Jamesly was using a crosswalk with his skateboard at the intersection of U.S. 41 and Southwest Boulevard, near Whistlers Cove apartment complex, when Alvizurez Giron struck him.

When troopers received a tip about a pickup with damage consistent with the pieces found at the crash scene, they impounded Alvizurez Giron's pickup.

Alvizurez Giron told troopers he lent the pickup to his brother that day, and added that his brother mentioned someone crashed into the pickup and fled the scene, the arrest report indicated.

Troopers asked where his brother, Luis Felipe, was. Alvizurez Giron said he flew to Guatemala the morning after the crash.

While they searched Alvizurez Giron's phone, they interviewed three of his other siblings, who said Luis Felipe hadn't been in the U.S. for some time.

Jamesly was flown to Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers with injuries to both arms and his left leg.

He spent several weeks recovering from multiple surgeries, according to the sheriffs office.

The Sheriff's Office said Jamesly at the time of the crash was a straight-A student at Lely High School and began to worry about falling behind in class.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Trial date set for Naples man accused of injuring teen in hit, run
LONDON, January 27, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Acuity Knowledge Partners ("Acuity"), a leading provider of high-value research, analytics and business intelligence to the financial services sector, today announces that funds advised by Permira, the global private equity firm, have acquired a majority stake in the business from Equistone Partners Europe ("Equistone"), one of Europes leading mid-market private equity investors. Equistone will reinvest in Acuity as a minority shareholder. Acuitys management team also remains significantly invested in and committed to the business. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Acuity Knowledge Partners serves a global client base of over 500 financial services firms, including banks, asset managers, advisory firms, private equity houses and consultants. Its diverse team of analysts, industry experts, developers and data scientists work as an extension of clients teams and, combined with its proprietary technology solutions, allow clients to transform their practices and processes, increase revenues and maximise operational efficiency. Headquartered in London, Acuity operates globally, including in the UK, USA, India, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, China and Dubai, UAE.

Acuity has recorded strong organic growth since it was established as an independent business in 2019 through a management buyout from Moodys Corporation supported by Equistone. Last year the business completed the acquisition of Cians Analytics, a provider of research and analytical support for financial institutions, expanding its client base and service offering. Under the Permira funds ownership, and with Equistones continued support, Acuity will invest further in its teams, services and technology, positioning the business to best support its clients worldwide.

Robert King, CEO of Acuity Knowledge Partners, said: "Despite the current challenges for the financial services sector, we have experienced continued growth and a strong demand for our solutions and services. Supported by Permira and Equistone, who both have significant experience of investing in and growing first-class businesses in our sector, we are now driving numerous strategies for developing our offerings. Among other things, we want to deepen our relationships with our valued clients and forge new partnerships across our growing global client base. Given the significant demand within the financial services sector for value-added research and analytics, and the need for operational efficiency, with Permiras deep experience in tech-enabled services and its global network, I am confident the business will continue to flourish."

Daniel Tan, Head of Asia, and Chris Pell, Principal at Permira, commented: "Rob and his team have done a phenomenal job building Acuity to what it is today. The Company stands out because of its domain expertise, scale, long track record serving blue-chip financial institutions and innovative technology solutions. In the context of rising cost pressures facing the financial services industry, the value proposition of Acuitys tech-enabled, global delivery specialists is extremely clear. We see great potential for Acuity to further extend its leadership in existing segments as well as branch into new adjacencies and geographies  growth areas we are very experienced in facilitating via our deep sector knowledge, across both services and technology, and global network."

Tim Swales, Partner, and Richard Briault, Investment Director at Equistone, commented: "Acuity has performed exceptionally well in its three years of operating as an independent business, growing both its client base and its team of industry specialists substantially. This is testament to the high-quality customer experience and extensive service offering it provides to financial institutions, at a time when structural and technological changes within the industry are fuelling demand for greater and more efficient research and analysis. We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Rob and his team in this next phase of Acuitys growth journey."

The deal, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023.

Equistone was advised on the transaction by Rothschild & Co and DC Advisory, and Latham & Watkins acted as legal counsel. Robert W. Baird Limited served as financial advisers to Permira, and Clifford Chance is acting as legal counsel. Management was advised by Travers Smith and Jamieson.

Notes to editors:

About Acuity Knowledge Partners

Acuity Knowledge Partners is a leading research, analytics, and business intelligence consultant to the financial services sector. The companys network of analysts and industry experts, combined with advanced data and technology, supports over 500 financial institutions and consulting companies worldwide to operate more efficiently, and unlock their human capital, driving revenues higher and transforming operations. It specialises in investment banking, investment research, private equity & consulting and commercial lending. Acuity is headquartered in London and operates from nine locations worldwide. In 2019, the company was established as a separate business from Moodys Corporation through its acquisition from Equistone Partners. www.acuitykp.com

About Permira

Permira is a global investment firm that backs successful businesses with growth ambitions. Founded in 1985, the firm advises funds with total assets under management of 75bn+ and makes long-term majority and minority investments across two core asset classes, private equity and credit. The Permira private equity funds have made approximately 300 private equity investments in four key sectors: Technology, Consumer, Healthcare and Services.

Permira is one of the worlds most active investors in the Services sector, having deployed over $11.5 billion to partner with more than 40 companies globally. Current and previous investments from the Permira funds in the sector include: AlterDomus, Axiom, Cielo, Clearwater Analytics, DiversiTech, Engel & Volkers, Evelyn Partners, Kroll, Motus, Relativity, Reorg and Tricor.

Permira employs over 450 people in 15 offices across Europe, the United States and Asia. In October 2022, Permira announced the appointment of Siddharth Narayan as Head of India. For more information, visit www.permira.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

About Equistone Partners Europe

Equistone is an independent investment firm wholly owned and managed by its executives. The company is one of Europes leading investors in mid-market buyouts with a strong, consistent track record spanning over 40 years, with more than 400 transactions completed in this period. Equistone has a strong focus on change of ownership deals and aims to invest between 25m and 200m+ of equity in various businesses. The company has a team of over 40 investment professionals operating across France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK, investing as a strategic partner alongside management teams. Equistone is currently investing its sixth buyout fund, which held a final closing at its 2.8bn hard cap in March 2018, and has recently launched the Equistone Reinvestment Fund, with a mandate to make minority re-investments alongside new sponsors following a portfolio company exit from one of its main buyout funds. Equistone is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Further information can be found at www.equistonepe.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230127005109/en/

Contacts

For more information please contact:

For Permira:

Nina Suter

Nina.Suter@permira.com

+44 207 9594037

OR

Headland

Carl Leijonhufvud / Max Kelly

permira@headlandconsultancy.com

For Acuity Knowledge Partners:

Gyanendra Pati

Head of Marketing & Communications

gyanendra.pati@acuitykp.com

+91.888.440.9150

For Equistone:

Hawthorn Advisors

Steve Atkinson / James Davey

+44 (0)7858 373 930

equistone@hawthornadvisors.com

For Acuity Knowledge Partners:

Montieth & Company

Cameron Penny

+44 (0)7766 312 502

acuity@montiethco.com
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A Portland, Oregon, woman was awarded $1 million following a racist incident in 2020, KGW reported.

Rose Wakefield said a gas station employee told her, "I don't serve Black people."

Her attorney said when she contacted management, her complaints were ignored, CBS News reported.

A Portland woman was granted $1 million in damages by a jury this week for suffering racial discrimination during a confrontation at a gas station three years ago, according to reports.

Rose Wakefield recounted the incident, which she described as "painful," in an interview with KGW. She said she went to fill up her tank at Jacksons Food Stores in Washington County, Oregon, in March 2020. While there, she said a gas station employee on site, identified as Nigel Powers, ignored her multiple times, KGW reported citing court documents.

Security footage the local news station viewed showed that Powers then went inside the store to ask another employee for assistance. Before Wakefield left, she said the gas attendant scoffed at her saying, "I don't serve Black people," the outlet reported.

"I went to a gas station to get gas and service, and I wasn't served," Wakefield, 63, told KGW. "I was actually humiliated and disrespected."

After the confrontation, Wakefield reached out to managers about her experience, but her complaints went unanswered, CBS News reported. Her lawyer, Gregory Kafoury, alleged that management erased her voicemail about the incident, per the reports, and failed to investigate her claims.

"The attendant was never questioned by the company about the racist comments, and was disciplined only for failing to serve customers in the order of their arrival," a press release from Kafoury & McDougal said, adding that Powers was terminated a month later for being on his phone at work.

Jacksons Food Stores released a statement following the jury's decision, emphasizing that the company has "a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination of any kind," according to the reports.

The statement later continued: "After carefully reviewing all facts and evidence, including video surveillance, we chose to take this matter to trial because we were comfortable based on our knowledge that the service-related concern actually reported by the customer was investigated and promptly addressed. As such, we respectfully disagree with the jury's ruling because our knowledge does not align with the verdict."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Memphis Awaits Release Of Police Body Cam Video Of Tyre Nichols' Arrest Prior To His Death Days Later

Demonstrators block traffic on Interstate 55 while protesting the death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, on on January 27, 2023. Credit - Scott OlsonGetty Images

After body camera and surveillance footage of the violent traffic stop that led to the death of Tyre Nichols was released Friday, in which 29-year-old was restrained, battered, tased and pepper-sprayed by Memphis police, protests quickly swept Memphis, Atlanta, New York and other parts of the country, demanding justice for Nichols and calling for serious police reform. The protests are expected to continue throughout the weekend.

On Friday evening, protesters marched to Interstate 55 in downtown Memphis where they shut down the highway that connects Tennessee and Arkansas. Protests also took off around Martyrs Park in Memphis, Tennessee. More than a hundred protesters marched, chanting we ready, we ready, we ready for yall, and asked to speak with the citys mayor and chief of police, according to local news outlet, Memphis Commercial Appeal.

In Atlanta, Georgia, protesters gathered at Centennial Olympic Park. The city is still reeling from intense protests last week over the police shooting of local activist Manuel Esteban Paez Teran. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp issued a state of emergency this week, allowing him to call 1,000 National Guard troops.

In California, about a hundred protesters gathered outside of a Los Angeles Police Department, where they were met with police officers in riot gear, according to the Los Angeles Times. Protesters were also calling for justice for 31-year-old Keenan Anderson, who died in LAPD custody in early January after he was repeatedly tased by police.

Protesters face off with police officers during a rally against the fatal police assault of Tyre Nichols in Los Angeles, California, on January 27, 2023. Qian WeizhongVCG/Getty Images

Protestors also tore down metal barriers that the department had put up, the paper reported. Protests also took place in San Francisco and, and Portland, Oregon.

In New York City, where more than 200 people gathered near Times Square, at least three protestors have been arrested, one of whom jumped atop an NYPD vehicle and smashed the windshield, according to NBC. In Washington, D.C., protesters also gathered outside The White House. Apart from isolated incidents, the protests have been primarily peaceful, but with heavy police presence, poised and ready to intervene.

Story continues

People march while protesting the death of Tyre Nichols in New York City, NY, on January 27, 2023. Michael M. SantiagoGetty Images

Protests are likely to continue throughout the weekend in Memphis and Atlanta. Several other major cities planned organized gatherings too, including Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Detroit and Washington, D.C., among others.

Before the release of the video and protests began, Nichols family asked protesters to stay peaceful. The family also praised law enforcement for acting swiftly to fire and charge the officers allegedly involved in Nichols death.

When that tape comes out, its going to be horrific, Nichols mother, RowVaughn Wells said earlier this week, according to the Los Angeles Times. But I want each and every one of you to protest in peace. If you guys are here for me and Tyre, then you will protest peacefully.

On Thursday, Five Memphis police officers were charged with second-degree murder, as well as other misconduct and assault charges. All five officers are Blackas was Nicholsbut Nichols family and activists say that the big issue here is racial inequality in traffic stop procedures.

Nichols was pulled over and arrested for reckless driving two minutes away from his home, according to his mother, but the arrest quickly escalated, with seemingly 10-12 officers in total at the scene, many watching from the side as Nichols was battered by officers. Nichols eventually got medical attention that night after complaining that he was short of breath, and as an investigation into the use of officers force ensued. Nichols died three days later.

The city has a history of police brutality and activism that follows. The 2015 killing of teenager Darrius Stewart, also at a traffic stop by a Memphis officer, shed some light on the systems flaws and after months of protester demands, Memphis police began wearing body cameras, like the ones that captured Nichols assault.

Today, protesters are demanding even more, such as the dissolution of the SCORPION (Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods) unit, that pulled Nichols over. Critics say that SCORPION has not reduced crime in the city, and predominantly patrols low-income areas.

This is not the first time that we saw police officers committing and engaging in excessive brutal force against Black people in America who are unarmed, but yet we have never seen swift justice like this, Nichols familys attorney Ben Crump said Friday at a press gathering.
ADEN, Yemen, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed on Friday in an attack launched by the Houthi fighters on military sites of the Yemeni government forces in the southern province of Lahj, a local military official told Xinhua.

"A group of Houthi fighters carried out an attack and attempted to advance militarily on the ground in order to capture key sites controlled by the government forces in the northern part of Lahj Province," the official said on condition of anonymity.

The Houthi attack sparked intense fighting, leaving at least five rebels and three government soldiers killed, he said, adding the rebel fighters were forced to retreat following hours of intense fighting.

Following the attack, large Houthi reinforcements were dispatched from the neighboring province of Taiz to key areas located near Lahj that houses a number of military bases of the Yemeni government forces, according to the official.

Earlier this month, local officials said Yemen's warring parties are gearing up for new waves of conflict in 2023 amid a lack of decisive steps toward sustainable peace.

Various regions in Yemen have witnessed sporadic armed confrontations between the local warring factions after a cease-fire brokered by the United Nations in April expired in October last year.

Yemen has been mired in a civil war since late 2014 when the Houthi militia stormed several northern cities and forced the Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa. 
Richard Bland co-leads in Dubai (Kamran Jebreili/AP) (AP)

Englishman Richard Bland holds a share of the lead at the halfway stage of the Hero Dubai Desert Classic after posting two successive rounds of 67.

The 49-year-old returned to complete his second round on Saturday morning after making three birdies over the first four holes before play was suspended due to fading light on Friday.

And he carded three more birdies and a solitary bogey in his remaining 14 holes to set the target at 10 under par.

Belgiums Thomas Pieters joined Bland at the summit after closing his Saturday 67 with seven birdies on the back nine before American amateur Michael Thorbjornsen made it a three-way tie.

Thorbjornsen carded an eagle, seven birdies and one bogey in his 64 to grab a share of the lead.

Scotlands Connor Syme, Swede Marcus Kinhult and Spaniard Adri Arnaus sat one shot off the lead on nine under.

The pre-tournament build-up had been dominated by a war of words between Northern Irelands Rory McIlroy and American Patrick Reed, who were another stroke back on eight under but will play in different groups in Sundays third round.

First time out at @DubaiDCGolf and Michael Thorbjornsen delivers.



He joins the lead at -10. #HeroDDC | #RolexSeries  DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 28, 2023

Joining the pair on that number were Englishmen Matt Wallace, Dan Bradbury and Ian Poulter, Austrias Bernd Wiesberger, Australian Lucas Herbert and Spains Angel Hidalgo.

Bland has made just one bogey in the opening two rounds and is happy with where his game is at.

He said: Every part of my game is in pretty good shape.

The only dropped shot was at the sixth this morning where (on my) second hole of the day, I misjudged the temperature and chipped to three feet and missed.

So other than that, its been pretty stress-free which is kind of nice.
A Houston, Texas, woman will spend 6 years in federal prison and forfeit a Bentley Bentayga and a Mercedes Benz for bilking victims out of more than $1.26 million in an online romance scam.

Dominique Golden, 31, and four co-conspirators used dating websites such as Match.com, Our Time and Christian Mingle as well as apps and the telephone to hit 12 victims in 10 states, including a Wakefield resident who lost $660,00, according to records in U.S. District Court, Providence. All of the victims were women, either widows or divorcees.

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha announced the sentence of Dominique Golden in an online romance scam that bilked a Rhode Island resident of $660,000.

Golden was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Providence, U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha said in a news release. She pleaded guilty Sept. 1 to one count each of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud. Golden admitted to U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. that she collected and banked more than $1.26 million of the more than $2.5 million she and co-conspirators bilked from the unsuspecting victims, Cunha said.

More:Pandemic isolation and Valentine dreams may make the lonely vulnerable to romance scammers

McConnell ordered Golden to pay restitution of $1,263,823. As part of that, she will forfeit her interest in any assets related to the scam, including the cars, two gold oyster perpetual Rolex watches, a 24-inch gold rope chain, a 16-inch gold rope chain with a diamond coin pendant, and three firearms, Cunha said.

With todays sentence, Ms. Golden will deservedly trade her stolen luxuries for a prison jumpsuit, and I am pleased that we have the chance to return at least some of the proceeds of her fraud to her many victims," Cunha said in the release.

The scam ran from at least May 2015 until November 2019, according to an affidavit. To carry it out, the conspirators would contact victims, "primarily elderly individuals," via the internet and app-based communication platforms, get the victims' trust, and convince them they urgently needed money, Cunha said.

Golden previously admitted that she obtained fake identification using various aliases, created business in her own name as well as in the names of her aliases and opened multiple bank accounts using both her aliases and businesses to receive and deposit "romance scam" victim funds, Cunha said.

Story continues

Golden collected and deposited $1,263,823 into the bank accounts she controlled, according to Cunha. Golden admitted that, collectively, members of the conspiracy defrauded victims of about $2,545,041 while Golden was involved, Cunha said.

More:'General Miller' pleads to million-dollar online scam in US court in Providence

In the Rhode Island case, someone contacted the victim, identified in the indictment only as P.T., born in 1943, via the online game Words with Friends. The caller identified himself as "General Matthew Weyer," said he was stationed in Afghanistan and needed money to ship a box to the United States. From March 2018 until about February 2019, P.T. sent $660,000 in checks and wire transfers to Golden and other conspirators, the indictment says.

Fraud that preys on the emotions and vulnerabilities of vulnerable victims  especially the elderly  to cheat them out of their hard-earned savings is unconscionable, Cunha said.

McConnell ordered that Golden's 78-month sentence be served at the same time as an unrelated 54-month federal sentence out of Georgia for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Golden will also be under federal supervision for three years after her release.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton, with the help of Assistant U.S. Attorney John McAdams. It was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, with the help of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General and U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration in Atlanta.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Texas romance scammer gets prison time for stealing from RI resident
Then-President Donald Trump shakes hands with then-Florida GOP gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis during a campaign rally in Tampa, Fla., on July 31, 2018. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Ron DeSantis leads Donald Trump in the critical early-voting state of New Hampshire, according to a UNH poll.

The survey showed DeSantis leading Trump 42% to 30%, with many GOP voters desiring a fresh face.

Trump on Saturday will visit New Hampshire and South Carolina as he seeks to stake his claim to the GOP nomination.

As former President Donald Trump ramps up his campaign activity ahead of the 2024 Republican presidential calendar, he finds himself trailing Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida in the early-voting state of New Hampshire, according to a new poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire.

In what could be a highly competitive presidential primary, likely New Hampshire Republican voters in the survey preferred DeSantis over Trump by a 12-point margin  42% to 30%, respectively. The former president's support among GOP base voters  while still strong in many states  has nonetheless eroded in some national polls and statewide surveys in recent months.

Nikki Haley, the former US Ambassador to the United Nations and ex-South Carolina governor who could potentially launch a campaign in the coming months, came in third with 8% support.

Gov. Chris Sununu, who was easily reelected to a fourth term last November as New Hampshire's governor and has been critical of Trump's continued influence within the party, earned 4% support in the survey.

Also, former Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and former Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland each earned 4% support among the GOP respondents followed by Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota at 2%. Former Vice President Mike Pence, and Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas each received 1% support in the survey.

After Trump launched his presidential campaign last November  making him the first high-profile contender in the field  his campaign activity largely went cold.

But that will change this weekend as he heads to New Hampshire and South Carolina to speak with Republican leaders and activists as part of efforts to stake his claim in winning the GOP nomination.

Story continues

Politico reported on Saturday that Trump was bringing on New Hampshire Republican Party chairman Stephen Stepanek to help lead his campaign in the pivotal state. And he will rally with Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina  an early 2016 backer  and Sen. Lindsey Graham in the Palmetto State.

In 2015, Trump entered the GOP contest and quickly took the field by storm  knocking off experienced candidates like former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, then-Gov. John Kasich of Ohio, and Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida  and drawing many nontraditional GOP voters to the polls across the country, which helped him defeat former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the general election.

While Republicans almost uniformly laud Trump's tenure in office, he was deeply polarizing, which contributed to Democrats winning back the House after the 2018 midterms and the election of now-President Joe Biden in the 2020 election.

As Trump has continued to nurse his grievances about the 2020 contest, some Republicans have argued that the party suffered in the 2022 midterms by reflecting too much on the past and failing to articulate their vision for the future.

In the poll, a little under half (46%) of Republicans felt that Trump should run for president again, while roughly 50% thought that he should definitely not run  a sharp decline from UNH's July 2021 poll, when 62% of respondents felt he should run and 35% thought that he should forgo another campaign.

Soon after the November midterms, Hogan blasted Trump over the party's performance.

"This should have been a huge red wave. It should have been one of the biggest red waves we have ever had because President Biden's approval rating was so low, one of the lowest historically, more than 70 percent of people thought the country was going in the wrong direction. And yet we still didn't perform," he said during a CNN interview at the time.

The University of New Hampshire Survey Center polled 349 likely Republican voters from January 19 through January 23; the full survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Jan. 27The Texas Tribune will host a live conversation on school choice Feb. 16 in Austin.

Four leaders in Texas education, including Ector County ISD Superintendent Scott Muri, will discuss what is best for Texas students at the Tribune event, set for 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Titled "School Choice: What's Right For Texas?" it is a free in-person event at the Tribune's Studio 919, at 919 Congress Ave., on the sixth floor.

It will also be livestreamed texastribune.org/events/ and available for on-demand viewing afterward at texastribune.org.

School choice has been debated across the state and is a rising priority in the Texas Legislature. Advocates say families should have the option to use state money to fund their children's education outside the public school system while some rural Republicans and other public education advocates cite the lack of access to nonpublic schools in rural communities and the fact that public education is largely a hub of employment in many less-populated areas.

Along with Muri, speakers include Laura Colangelo, executive director, Texas Private Schools Association, Michelle Smith,

executive director, Raise Your Hand Texas, Randan Steinhauser, national school choice director, Young Americans for Liberty, and Brian Lopez, public education reporter for The Texas Tribune.

Colangelo is the executive director of the Texas Private Schools Association, an advocacy organization representing over 900 private, accredited schools in Texas in the state Legislature and in Washington, D.C. Prior to this role, she was the head of an Episcopal preschool in Austin, focused on providing a quality early childhood educational experience for a historically underserved population.

Muri has served as superintendent for the Ector County Independent School District since 2019. Previously, he was superintendent of Spring Branch Independent School District in Houston, where he oversaw a redesign of the compensation system and recruiting efforts to more effectively recruit and retain employees.

Smith joined Raise Your Hand Texas in 2018 after eight years with HillCo Partners, where she focused on public school finance, school choice, assessment and accountability, facilities funding, transparency and elections. She also was the executive director of the Fast Growth School Coalition for five years.

Steinhauser is currently the national director of school choice for Young Americans for Liberty and the Texas advisor to EdChoice. She is the co-founder of Bastrop CAN: Charter Advocate Network and the founder of Sweetwater Schole, a classical homeschool co-op that serves more than 40 homeschool families in her community.
Decades from now, when the government belatedly releases the Trump and Biden purloined records, Americans may well wonder what all the fuss was about.

The document cases tied to the president and his predecessor dramatize what national security experts of every political stripe have known for decades: Far too many government records are classified. Most are classified not to protect sources and methods  the standard intelligence community rationale  but to protect intel analysts against embarrassment or to protect government "secrets" that the public should know.

A famous example is the classification of millions of documents ostensibly tied to President John F. Kennedy's assassination: Each release of a new trove, most recently last month, has prompted questions about why most of the documents were classified in the first place.

An issue of national security

In examining another American tragedy, the bipartisan 9/11 commission found that far from protecting the United States, excessive classification had left our country vulnerable to the 2001 terror attacks by restricting important intelligence findings about al-Qaida and other jihadist groups to too few essential U.S. security figures.

What we have learned is that overclassification can also be damaging to national security, or at a minimum, it can lead to second-guessing what might have been if we were only able to get the information in the right hands at the right time, Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said at a 2016 House oversight hearing.

Seeing secret documents: Biden's classified document snafus predate his presidency

Chaffetz, who retired in 2017, said the government had spent $100 billion over the previous decade on security classification activities  much of them unnecessary, and some of them harmful.

When I came to Washington as a correspondent, I was surprised to cover Sens. Patrick Moynihan, a liberal Democrat from New York, and Jesse Helms, a conservative Republican from North Carolina, co-sponsoring legislation to streamline the classification system. At a 1997 Senate hearing, each senator dramatically brandished and then read from recently declassified documents that were so innocuous, their readings elicited audience guffaws around the committee room.

Story continues

The rise of overclassification

You can draw a direct line from the needless classification of material stretching back well over a half-century, deep into the Cold War, to todays toxic distrust of the government among tens of millions of Americans.

In supporting the Moynihan-Helms bill, The Washington Post editorialized: Government keeps too many secrets. It keeps material classified far too long. Excessive secrecy is expensive, breeds popular distrust of government and withholds from historians, researchers and the voting public information that is important.

Letter from House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., to White House counsel Stuart Delery on Jan. 10, 2023.

That measure failed to pass, instead giving rise to a new bureaucracy now at the center of the Trump and Biden imbroglios  the National Archives and Records Administration, or NARA for short.

The late FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover bears some responsibility for the damage done by overzealous classification. As the first head of the nations primary domestic intelligence agency, he turned it into a vast, Soviet-like collection fiefdom that too often had more to do with his personal proclivities and animosities than with the nations security.

Former Sen. Joseph Lieberman: Presidential records belong to the American people, not former presidents

To cite just one of many examples, belatedly released records show that he paid informants and planted listening devices to gather evidence of alleged extramarital affairs and communist ties of Martin Luther King Jr.

In July 2021, USA TODAY quoted a Senate reports conclusion that the Commerce Department had acted as a rogue, unaccountable police force across multiple presidential administrations in targeting its Asian American employees. The report found that a departmental division called the Investigations and Threat Management Service had used overclassification of documents to protect the unit from external scrutiny.

Three tiers of classification

The federal classification system has three main tiers: Top Secret, Secret and Confidential. The most highly sensitive records are stamped Top Secret and truly need to be closely guarded, seen by a limited number of vetted officials with high-security clearances, in order to protect the United States against real harm by foreign or domestic enemies.

They can be viewed only in SCIFs  Sensitive Compartmented Information facilities that look like giant bank vaults and normally can be accessed only by accredited individuals using eye scans, fingerprints or complex entry codes. But far too many Secret or Confidential documents protect the individual reputations of analysts whose forecasts proved disastrously wrong.

Attorney General Merrick Garland appoints on Jan. 12, 2023, a special counsel to further review the handling of classified documents found at a former office space used by President Joe Biden and at his home in Wilmington, Del.

An example is the lead-up to the Iraq War debacle when Vice President Dick Cheney made unprecedented personal visits to Langley to pressure senior CIA officials to alter intel assessments in order to support a U.S. invasion and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

The Moynihan-Helms initiative led to the creation of the deliciously named Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy. That panel, in turn, helped establish the National Declassification Center as part of NARA  the agency that has exploded in the news in recent months since the FBI search of Mar-A-Lago in Florida.

Each quarter the center dutifully releases thousands of boxes  boxes, not individual documents  of newly declassified material. Even a cursory look at its most recent release in November might elicit new guffaws: For instance, 15 boxes of "foreign media summaries" from Sweden, Denmark and other Scandinavian countries. Other newly released records long ago lost whatever sensitivity they once had, such as 150 boxes from 14th Air Force records tied to World War II and the Cold War between 1943 and 1968.

Not even close: False equivalency between Biden, Trump classified docs cases continues

A double standard?: If Trump was 'irresponsible' for stashing secret documents, what does it make Biden?

A false sense of importance

As a Moscow correspondent, I would share lunch or drinks with U.S. Embassy diplomats who confided that much of the information they weren't allowed to tell journalists came from reading those journalists' articles! Later, as a Pentagon reporter, I was frustrated by military or civilian officials who would tell me things off the record or on background that were either common knowledge, available online or had no possible intelligence value.

In addition to frustrating journalists, the overclassification and extended retention of government records stifle academic research  the very research government policymakers depend on to make informed decisions. A major problem with today's classification system is that it was created in the pre-internet era when information was much less fungible.

The problem with former President Donald Trump's response to FBI inquiries of the Mar-a-Lago documents, as with his responses to so much scrutiny of him, is that his overwrought, accusatory declarations make them appear more sensitive than most of them probably are.

Far savvier is President Joe Biden's apparent response of disclosure and cooperation to the more recent discovery of classified records at the Penn Biden Center in Washington and at his home in Delaware.

History suggests that the bulk of the restricted documents found in both presidents personal possession contain information already in the public domain  or information that should be in the public domain. Unfortunately, Americans likely wont learn this key fact until it is much too late to matter.

James Rosen is a former Pentagon reporter for McClatchy who earlier covered the collapse of the Soviet Union as a Moscow correspondent.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden, Trump classified documents show too many records are secret
More than half of respondents to a University of Iowa Campus Climate Survey say they considered leaving.

More than half of faculty, staff and postdoctoral students who responded to the University of Iowa's Campus Climate Survey said they "seriously" considered leaving UI in the last 12 months, according to survey findings released by the university.

The 2022 Campus Climate Survey, which was administered in last year in March, collects feedback from faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students on a variety of topics including experiencing bias, UIs commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, retention and freedom of expression.

The university sent the survey to 19,290 faculty and staff and 26,290 undergraduate, graduate and professional students.

Of that, 5,759 faculty and staff and 4,679 students responded.

Findings reveal faculty, staff and postdoctoral students have increasingly considered leaving UI

The campus climate findings showed that 51% of faculty, staff and postdoctoral students said they considered leaving Iowa in the past 12 months, compared to 39% in 2018.

"It was not surprising to see this number as we see what is happening nationally in institutions in higher education," said director of cultural engagement and analytics in the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Isandra Martinez-Marrero in an email. "We have seen these numbers increase over time, as has the job market in higher education."

The top reasons for this include salary and better compensation, workplace climate and culture, career advancement opportunities  which have remained among the top three reasons in previous campus climate surveys  lack of professional support and bias.

"Our workforce has been through a lot of change since the first campus climate survey in 2018, most notably the pandemic," Martinez-Marrero said. "Each campus climate survey is a snapshot in time, and we dont have benchmarks with other institutions. We do know that our workforce challenges are not unique to Iowa but are in line with employment trends in higher education."

Story continues

Responses to In the past 12 months, I have seriously considered leaving the University of Iowa show that 53% of faculty, staff and postdoctoral respondents who identify as an underrepresented minority such as Black or African American, American Indian, and Latino agreed with that statement. Half of white and multi-racial respondents agreed.

While nearly half of faculty, staff and postdoctoral respondents who identified as a woman or man agreed with the statement, 68% of transgender and gender nonconforming respondents agreed.

Other data points include:

57% of LGBQ respondents agreed with that statement compared to 48% of respondents who identified as straight;

64% of respondents with a disability agreed with that statement compared to 47% of people without a disability;

Faculty who answered yes to having considered leaving UI in the past 12 months is up 11 percentage points from 2018; and

Staff who answered yes to having considered leaving UI in the past 12 months is up 13 percentage points from 2018.

Since one of the top reasons for leaving the university was due to workplace culture, Martinez-Marrero said the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will be "laser-focused" on improving campus culture.

Martinez-Marrero said to address this challenge, the university will "increas(e) our ability to listen and respect each other through our differences" and "unify... our understanding of our core values."

The Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will immediately "begin to meet individually with each college and unit to review these results to develop action steps" to address these findings, she said.

Experiencing bias among reasons to consider leaving UI

Experiencing bias caused 75% of faculty, staff and postdoctoral respondents to consider leaving the university, compared to 69% in 2020.

More than half of all faculty, staff and postdoctoral respondents who identify as Asian, multi-racial, an underrepresented minority or white said that experiencing bias has caused them to consider leaving the university to some extent.

A decrease among respondents feeling valued

Faculty, staff and postdoctorals responded to the statement, I feel valued as an individual at the University of Iowa.

Responses categorized by gender showed that while 80% of people who identified as either a woman or man agreed with that statement, only 59% of transgender and gender nonconforming people agreed with that statement.

That number varied among undergraduate and graduate students, 50% and 68% respectively.

Data available from all three campus climate surveys shows that faculty agreement with that statement has decreased over the years from 86% in 2018 to 71% in 2022. For staff, its decreased by 6 percentage points since 2018 to 79% in 2022.

Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Reach her at PBarraza@press-citizen.com or 319-519-9731. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: UI employees' survey responses show over half considered leaving jobs


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Tulsa King stars Sylvester Stallone as Dwight "The General" Manfredi, a New York mafia boss who is exiled to Tulsa, Oklahoma, after serving a 25-year prison sentence. Once in his new location, "The General" assembles an unlikely crew and starts building his own criminal empire. If it sounds like a story that could have been ripped from the headlines, you're not alone. The Paramount+ hit has many fans wondering, "Is Tulsa King based on a true story?"

To put it simply, no. The premise for the show came straight from the mind of Taylor Sheridan, the creative force responsible for Yellowstone, 1923, 1883, and Mayor of Kingstown. And the story behind the show's creation is an impressive one.



According to The Hollywood Reporter, Taylor wrote the script for the pilot in just one day. David Glasser, Taylor's producing partner, explained that he told Taylor on a Friday that Sylvester Stallone had always wanted to play a gangster. David says, "Taylor starts to spitball the idea of a fish out of water story for an hour. Then, Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m., he goes, 'Check your inbox.' There is a script hes already written called Kansas City King and its incredible."



Brian Douglas

The next week, the duo pitched the script to Sylvester Stallone, who signed on along with show-runner Terence Winter, the Emmy-winning writer behind The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire. The show's name was later changed to Tulsa King after Terence decided Kansas City "didnt feel remote enough."

Sylvester Stallone himself has taken a hands-on role in the show's creation. Terence told The Hollywood Reporter, "With Stallone, you're getting a writer, a director, a producer, an editor. He's got great ideas, and he's got strong opinions about things, and hes been doing this for a really long time at the highest possible level. Hes also been in his own skin for so long that he knows what works and knows what he does well."



Story continues

Brian Douglas

Screenrant reports that the plot of Tulsa King is loosely inspired by the Inzerillo crime family of Palermo, Italy, who were exiled to New York after a run-in with Salvatore Riina of the Sicilian mafia. But the comparison stops there, and fans shouldn't go searching for clues about the Tulsa King season 2 plot in the Inzerillo family's story.

We'll just have to wait and see what the show's creators come up with next! Tulsa King streams exclusively on Paramount+.

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Jan. 28A federal indictment has been filed against a woman arrested in Geneva for her part in the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Jordan Siemers, of 25, was arrested in Geneva on Nov. 30, and was one of a trio of Perry residents indicted on charges of illegally entering the U.S. Capitol.

According to an affidavit filed when the trio were first charged, Siemers, Saul Llamas and Ryan Swope are accused of unlawfully entering the U.S. Capitol at 3:08 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2021, and rema inside the building for nine minutes before leaving.

The affidavit also claims Swope sprayed a chemical irritant through a door in the direction of a Capitol Police Sergeant.

Swope was indicted on one count of civil disorder, one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers using a dangerous weapon, one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon, one count of act of physical violence in the capitol grounds or buildings.

Siemers and Llamas were indicted on one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds and one count of disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds.

All three were indicted on one count of disorderly conduct in a capitol building and one count of parading, demonstrating or picketing in a capitol building.

All three pleaded not guilty at an arraignment in federal court on Thursday, according to court records. All three are on personal recognizance bonds.

According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia. The FBI's Cleveland and Washington field offices investigated the case.
The file photo shows people participating in a rally in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, Dec. 5, 2021. (Xinhua/Wang Ping)

The Ethiopian government on Friday disclosed that preparations have been finalized to resume public land transport services into the country's conflict-affected northernmost Tigray region.

ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian government on Friday disclosed that preparations have been finalized to resume public land transport services into the country's conflict-affected northernmost Tigray region.

The Ethiopian Ministry of Transport and Logistics said instructions have been sent to public transport associations to start land transport from Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, to the Tigray region, state-affiliated Fanta Broadcasting Corporate (FBC) reported.

According to the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, the service will start as soon as the national ministerial committee, headed by the country's Minister of Peace, approves it.

It said the service will be started in areas including the regional capital Mekele, Axum and Shire, among others.

Late last month, Ethiopian Airlines resumed its flights to Mekele, the rebel-held capital of the country's Tigray region.

The resumption of flights is said to enable families to reunite, facilitate the restoration of commercial activities, stimulate tourist flow and bring many more opportunities which will serve society.

The resumption of basic services, which also includes telecom and banking, came after a permanent cessation of hostilities agreement signed on Nov. 2 between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which now controls the northernmost region.

The deal also includes restoring law and order, restoring services, and unhindered access to humanitarian supplies.

Ethiopia, Africa's second most populous nation, has seen a devastating conflict between government-allied troops and forces loyal to the TPLF for the past two years, which left thousands dead and millions more in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. 
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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday urged the establishment of "guardrails" to prevent hate speech, extremism and misinformation.

"The online world is one of the main reasons that hate speech, extreme ideologies and misinformation are disseminating so fast around the world," said the UN chief, calling on all those involved to do more to stop the spread, and set up enforceable "guardrails."

At a UN ceremony to mark the Holocaust at the UN headquarters in New York, the top UN official warned that antisemitism, hate speech, and misinformation are ever-present, 90 years after the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany.

The UN chief noted that people are living in a world in which an economic crisis is breeding discontent, populist demagogues are using the crisis to win votes, and "misinformation, paranoid conspiracy theories, and unchecked hate speech" are rampant.

He warned that social media platforms and their advertisers are complicit in moving extremism to the mainstream, turning many parts of the Internet into "toxic waste dumps for hate and vicious lies." 
The fresh newsletter for the International Community in Hungary - described by readers as a "Great read each week" - is now available for your interest and use via the link below.
Indigo airlines began daily flight service to New Delhi from Mangaluru. Flight number 6E6303 will leave from New Delhi at 2.55 pm and reach Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) at 6.05 pm. Flight number 6E6304 will leave from MIA at 6.35 pm and reach New Delhi at 9.35 pm. In the flight that left for Delhi on Friday, 147 passengers were on board. On Saturday, 170 people have already booked their tickets to travel to New Delhi from Mangaluru, a release from the airline said on Saturday.

As the re-carpeting work for renovation of runway has begun from Friday at the international airport in the city, IndiGo, Air India Express and Air India flights will operate under revised schedule except Sundays and public holidays.

IndiGo flight number 6E 172 to Kolkata will not operate from Monday to Saturday. This will only fly on Sunday, when re-carpeting work will not be done. Flight number 6E 172 will fly to Kolkata via Bengaluru from Mangaluru.

This flight will leave from Mangaluru at 12.15 pm. From Bengaluru, the same flight will depart at 2 pm and reach Kolkata at 4.35 pm, the release said.
An Emirates Airline flight going from Dubai to Auckland made a U-turn 7 hours after being in the air, due to flooding in New Zealand. As seen on flight tracking website FlightRadar24, an Airbus A380 superjumbo plane operated by Emirates on the way to Auckland Airport returned back to the Dubai International Airport after travelling for 7 hours due to heavy rainfall in New Zealand, that resulted in flooding in many parts of the country, including Auckland. The flight was over the Indian Ocean, near Malaysia, when a decision to return back to the originating country was taken by the Captain.

Torrential rain and wild weather in Auckland on Friday caused disruptions throughout New Zealand's largest city. Video posted online showed waist-deep water in some places, and authorities were asking residents in flood-prone areas to be prepared in case they needed to evacuate. Lawmaker Ricardo Mendez posted a video of water surging into residential houses. "We've just had to evacuate our home as the water was already rising rapidly and coming in aggressively," he tweeted.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand said it had taken over 1,000 calls for help, but that many calls were from people who had flooded properties. The agency was urging callers to clear the lines for those in immediate danger. The unseasonable weather also caused some flights to be delayed or canceled.

Auckland Airport said it had reduced its runway operations after an arriving aircraft had damaged runway lighting. "This is largely impacting international arrivals and departures and larger aircraft travelling domestically," the airport wrote on Twitter. "Our maintenance team is on site and is working hard to fix the damage."

The storm also caused an Elton John concert to be canceled just before it was due to start. About 40,000 people were expected to attend the evening concert at Mt Smart Stadium in New Zealand's largest city. Thousands were already at the venue when organizers decided to cancel not long before John was due to take the stage at 7:30 p.M.

The concert was billed as a final farewell tour for John. Frontier Touring, one of the concert promoters, tweeted the concert had been canceled due to unsafe weather conditions. Many concert goers who had braved the conditions were frustrated the decision hadn't been made hours earlier.

Weather agency MetService warned of flash flooding and hazardous driving conditions. On Friday night, transport authorities closed parts of State Highway 1, the main highway that bisects Auckland.

With PTI inputs
Last year, Nikita Nayan was declared the winner in a ceremony held at hotel Bellamonde in Delhi and famous Bollywood actor Mouni Roy honored her with the award. Not only this but Nikita has also been honored with many awards like International Business Award 2022-2023.

It has been more than 10 years since Nikita became her expert and in today's date, she has clients not only from Delhi but from all over India, sometimes it happens that her clients come to Nikita to get their work done and for this many have to wait for many days. Nikita's Nayan Makeover is often crowded with her clients. No one can guess Nikita's repeat clients because Nikita's repeat clients figure is 85% from work to work and they are not only from Delhi but from all over India. Nikita travels frequently in connection with her work.

Nikita won the Mrs. Diva crown in 2019 and even after that she appeared in many competitions and kept on winning awards. Nikita appeared in many pageants shows sometimes as a make-up artist and sometimes as a respected judge.
New Delhi: Tech billionaire and Twitter head Elon Musk is noted for his long working hours to run his 5 companies in the respective fields including automobile-carmaker Tesla, Space Venture SpaceX, Microblogging platform Twitter, Brain research Neuralink and hyperloop mobility the Boring company. Handling all these companies at once is a tricky business and he works every day long hours to manage all of them.

He has narrated how he spends his entire day in his new tweet. He said that he worked all day, then went home and played work simulator. His tweet so far has garnered over 7.5M views, 115.2k likes and 7,066 retweets. Netizens are suggesting him to take a break.

I work all day, then go home & play work simulator  Mr. Tweet (@elonmusk) January 28, 2023

ALSO READ | Artist Uses AI Technology to Create Portraits of Historical Indian Rulers

Heres how Netizens react

A Twitter user named eve6 took a dig as he commented that he told himself tweeting was working too. He is referring to Elon Musk who tweets very often.

I work all day and then do different work to relax from the all day work. January 28, 2023

It is clearly true based upon results pic.twitter.com/OkyG5p1nVM  Melnyiam (@Melnyiam_) January 28, 2023

Only work and no reading makes jack a dull boy, they told me in school.  Dr Edmond Fernandes (@Edmondfernandes) January 28, 2023

That's how users react.
A man casts his vote during the second round of presidential election at a polling station in Prague, the Czech Republic, Jan. 27, 2023. Voters in the Czech Republic began to cast their ballots on Friday afternoon in the second round of this year's presidential election. The first round was held on Jan. 13-14. (Photo by Dana Kesnerova/Xinhua)

PRAGUE, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Voters in the Czech Republic began to cast their ballots on Friday afternoon in the second round of this year's presidential election. The first round was held on Jan. 13-14.

Since postal ballots is not an option, Czechs living abroad could already go to the polls on Thursday so that their votes can make it in time for the final tally on Saturday.

The two candidates in the two-day runoff are retired army general Petr Pavel and former prime minister Andrej Babis.

The winner will succeed incumbent President Milos Zeman, whose second and final term ends in early March.

The election results are expected to be announced late on Saturday.

Analysts predict a higher voter turnout this weekend, pointing to aggressive campaigning by both candidates.

Pavel, 61, served as head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee. He was endorsed by the current ruling government coalition. Babis, 68, the head of the Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) party, served as prime minister from 2017 to 2021.

Public opinion polls have given Pavel an edge over Babis. In the first round, which included eight candidates, Pavel received 35.4 percent of the vote to Babis's 34.99 percent.

Voter turnout was 68 percent, about six percentage points higher than that in the 2018 election.

The president of the Czech Republic is chosen in a direct election and serves a term of five years. The mandate can be held for a maximum of two consecutive terms. 

A woman casts her vote during the second round of presidential election at a polling station in Prague, the Czech Republic, Jan. 27, 2023. Voters in the Czech Republic began to cast their ballots on Friday afternoon in the second round of this year's presidential election. The first round was held on Jan. 13-14. (Photo by Dana Kesnerova/Xinhua)
New Delhi: An employee of Google who left the firm to care for his dying mother was let off. Paul Baker, who held the position of Video Production Manager at Google, disclosed that he was let go while on a caregiver's leave. The connection to his laptop was gone, but when he checked in using his home computer, he learned that he had also been laid off recently. Dozens of tales have been published that explain how abrupt layoffs can affect people's lives.

While she was still in the hospital after giving birth, a woman was fired. Similar circumstances led to the employment loss for another partner. Baker disclosed that his mother had terminal cancer and that he has taken a month off work to care for her. His acquaintance told him about the layoffs while he was on vacation. (Also Read: Looking for Monthly Return Policy? THIS SBI Scheme may Fulfill Your Desire: Check Interest, Duration And Other Details)

Baker realised that his work laptop had been disconnected shortly after the mass layoffs were announced, so he turned to his home laptop to check his mail. He learned at that point that the layoffs had an effect on him as well. (Also Read: 'Why me? Why now?': 8 months pregnant IT employee pens down heart-rending post after being fired from Google)

"After reading several heartbreaking/inspiring stories and learning that 12k Google employees will be laid off on Friday, I'm prepared to share my experience. I lost my job as well while on carer leave for a terminally ill member of my close family. Following the first shock, melancholy set in because I missed the folks. I miss being fully enmeshed in the Google culture and career," Baker wrote on LinkedIn.

According to Baker, he was often worried that Google had too many employees. He did anticipate that the business would implement other cost-cutting initiatives as opposed to layoffs. Because he worked for Google Ads, a department that generates income for the corporation, he believed he would be safe.
PSSSB, Punjab: The application process for the posts of Firemen/ Driver/Operator has been commenced by the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSSB). Online applications are accepted at sssb.punjab.gov.in. The deadline for application submission is Friday, February 28 at 5:00 p.m.

PSSSB recruitment 2023: Vacancy details

The PSSSB recruitment drive is being conducted to fill 1317 positions, comprising 326 Driver/Operator and 991 Fireman posts.

PSSSB recruitment 2023: Eligibility criteria

Age Limit: 18-37 years as on January 1, 2023.

Educational Qualification: Fireman: Class 10 (Matriculation) pass.

Driver/ Operator: Class 8 pass + HMV Driving License (5 Yrs Old)

PSSSB recruitment 2023: Application fee

Candidates in the general category are required to pay a fee of 1000, while those in the PwD category must pay a fee of 500. SC/ST/EWS category candidates have to pay a fee of Rs250. The Ex-Servicemen & Dependents should pay 200.

PSSSB recruitment 2023 How to apply: Steps to apply for Firemen and Driver/ Operator posts

1. Visit the official website sssb.punjab.gov.in

2. On the homepage click on the CLICK HERE to apply for Advertisement No. 01 of 2023 for the recruitment of Fireman 991 posts and Drivers/Operator 326 posts (Last Date is 28.02.2023)

OR

Click on Online Applications and click on the apply link for Advt No 01/2023.

3. Register and proceed with the application.

4. Upload the required documents and pay the required fee.

5. Submit the form and take a printout.

For more details, candidates are advised to visit the official website here.
Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir: The Yatra was resumed from the Chersoo area of Awantipora where former J-K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, along with her daughter and mother joined the pad yatra led by Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhis sister and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi along with other Congress leaders also joined the Yatra near the Lethpora area in Pulwama.

Congress leader and Member of Parliament Rahul Gandhi who is in the last leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir paid tributes to CRPF jawans killed in Pulwama terrorist attack in 2019. Gandhi stopped his Yatra for a while at Lethpora and laid a flower bouquet at the spot where over 40 CRPF jawans were killed in a deadly terrorist attack.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which started from Kanyakumari on September 7 has reached the Pantha Chowk area in Srinagar outskirts and will move inside Srinagar tomorrow. The Yatra will conclude in Srinagar on January 30 with Rahul Gandhi will address the public rally.

Congress General Secretary InCharge Communication, AICC, Jairam Ramesh while speaking to reporters said After tomorrow Bharat jodo pad yatra will end, he added the Bharat Jodo Yatra is not about the alliance between the political parties. It has nothing to do with the elections and other related processes. It's to unite India " he said at PCC headquarters in Srinagar.

Jairam Ramesh said that the security arrangements unlike yesterday were adequate. He further added that the restoration of the democratic process and restoration of the Statehood of J&K is the utmost priority at present.

Ramesh further said that of a total of 136 days, Rahul Gandhi led a yatra that marched 4080 kilometres in 116 days in which people from different walks of life participated and extended their support.

In J&K also, the yatra was held in five districts each in Jammu and Kashmir while a main and culmination function will be held on January 30 and tomorrow a flag hoisting ceremony will be done at PCC headquarters in Srinagar. He further said that the main function will be held at Sher-e-Kashmir Stadium here in Srinagar.
The controversy surrounding the BBC documentary is not going to die down soon. While the Congress party is criticising the Modi government for banning the documentary, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has dissented from his party's stand on the issue. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that while the wounds of the 2002 Gujarat riots may not be healed, people in the secular camp gain a little from debating the issue. Tharoor was responding to a Twitter user who claimed that Tharoor asked Indians to move on from the riots.

The Twitter user wrote, "Shashi Tharoor demanded an apology from the British government for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Yesterday, he asked Indians to move on from the 2002 Gujarat massacre!"

To this Tharoor replied, "I did not do that. I've repeatedly made it clear that i believe the wounds of Gujarat have not fully healed, but that given that the Supreme Court has issued a final ruling, we gain little from debating this issue when so many urgent contemporary matters need to be addressed."

I did not do that. I've repeatedly made it clear that i believe the wounds of Gujarat have not fully healed, but that given that the Supreme Court has issued a final ruling, we gain little from debating this issue when so many urgent contemporary matters need to be addressed. https://t.co/kvfcb6u27p January 27, 2023

He further added, "I acknowledge that others may disagree with my view, but distorting my four-decade record on communal issues &two decades of standing up for the Gujarat riot victims is cynical in the extreme. People in the "secular camp" gain little from being viciously malicious to their own."

Meanwhile, many anti-BJP student organisations have screened the film in their university campuses across India despite prohibitory measures by the administration. Delhi Police on Friday detained around 20 people from outside the Faculty of Arts at the University of Delhi in the wake of a call by NSUI-KSU for the screening of the BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Provisions under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) are imposed outside the Faculty of Arts.
BBC documentary: The FTII Students` Association (FTIISA) said the documentary was screened on January 26, coinciding with the 74th Republic Day celebrations.

"On 26/01/23, we screened the banned BBC documentary `India: The Modi Question` at FTII," said an FTIISA statement issued on social media on Saturday.

"Throughout history, banning of literature, music, and in recent times, media, has been a sign of a crumbling society. The act of scrutiny should be welcomed by our elected representatives. Instead, they quickly tag it as false propaganda and try to shove it under the rug. They should know that the most sure-fire way for something to be watched is to ban it," the FTIISA said in the Instagram post.

"However, the BBC documentary barely scratches the surface of the kind of violence that has been perpetuated throughout the country for a dedicated, singular, vicious purpose," the FTIISA added.

"It would be startling to us if anyone in India is surprised by the happenings in this documentary. Communal violence has become a part and parcel of the ruling party`s politics," it said.

Meanwhile, it`s learnt that the FTII management has initiated a probe into the screening of the documentary on campus.

Earlier on Saturday, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai had called off its planned screening of the BBC documentary, following protests by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha.

However, though the TISS management had warned against the screening and did not allow the use of a projector, the Progressive Students Forum showed the documentary on students` mobile phones, laptops and tablets.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the annual NCC PM rally at the Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi today, at around 5:45 PM, said a press release by Prime Minister's Office. This year, NCC is celebrating the 75th year of its inception. During the event, Prime Minister will release a special Day Cover and a commemorative specially minted coin of Rs 75 denomination, commemorating 75 successful years of NCC.

The rally will be held as a hybrid day and night event and will also include a cultural programme on the theme `Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat`. In the true Indian spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, 196 officers and cadets from 19 foreign countries have been invited to participate in the celebrations.

Addressing last year's rally, PM Modi had lauded the cadets while saying that the training and learning the PM got in NCC has given him immense strength in discharging his responsibilities towards the country.

It should be our endeavour that more and more girls should be included in NCC, PM Modi had said.

Noting the young profile of the cadets, who are mostly born in this century, the Prime Minister underlined their role in taking the country towards 2047. Your efforts and resolve and the fulfillment of those resolutions will be the achievement and success of India, he said. The Prime Minister said no power of the world can stop the country whose youth starts moving ahead with the thinking of nation first. India's success in the playfield and the startup ecosphere exemplify this very clearly, the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister had asked the cadets to get associated with Self4Society portal which is working to give new energy to collective efforts of the country. More than 7 thousand organizations and 2.25 lakh people are associated with the portal.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Malaseri in Rajasthan's Bhilwara today. During his visit, PM Modi will address the ceremony commemorating the 1111th `Avataran Mahotsav`of Bhagwan Shri Devnarayan ji. The timing of this visit organised by the Culture Ministry is crucial as it comes 10 months before the assembly election in Rajasthan.

The visit to Malaseri, Bhagwan Dev Narayan's birthplace, seems crucial and has a hidden political agenda. It is to be noted that this place is respected in the Gujjar Community, which is also an important ground of support for the two major political parties in the country and the state, i.e., BJP and Congress.

Also read: Indira Gandhi vs Narendra Modi vs Atal Bihari Vajpayee: Who is Best Prime Minister of India?

Furthermore, considering past experiences, the visit seems to have a strategic importance and gives a chance to BJP to improve its reach within the community. The party also seeks to change the results of the past elections, as Nine members of the Gujjar community received tickets from the BJP for the last election. In an effort to elect Sachin Pilot as the first Gujjar chief minister of Rajasthan, they all lost as the Gujjar support swung to the Congress.

The Gujjars hold an important place in the population of Rajasthan, with about 9 to 12 percent of the state's population. Moreover, they are crucial in 40 to 50 seats in Eastern Rajasthan. Adding to it, they have been politically active in the past with violent protests demanding reservations for the community. Recently, community leaders even threatened to disrupt Rahul Gandhi's entry into the state during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The politically active community in Rajasthan looks forward to getting their MLAs a seat in the upcoming assembly elections in 2023. With this visit, the scale of the election results can tip in the favour of the Bharatiya Janata Party, considering the influence of the community on around 40 seats out of the total 200 seats in the Congress-ruled state.
Students sing a traditional Chinese song in Windhoek, Namibia, Jan. 27, 2023. (Photo by Musa C Kaseke/Xinhua)

The Confucius Institute at the University of Namibia on Friday acquainted local students with traditions related to the Chinese Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival.

WINDHOEK, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The Confucius Institute at the University of Namibia on Friday acquainted local students with traditions related to the Chinese Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival.

The Year of the Rabbit, according to the Chinese zodiac, fell on Jan. 22 with festivities expected to last for 15 days, a Chinese lecturer surnamed Zhu from the Confucius Institute told students of a local high school on Friday during Chinese classes.

The lessons took students on a journey to China through a video presentation, while Zhu explained in detail the Chinese zodiac which features a 12-year cycle with each year represented by a specific animal.

A Chinese lecturer from the Confucius Institute at the University of Namibia gives a lecture on traditions related to the Chinese New Year in Windhoek, Namibia, Jan. 27, 2023. (Photo by Musa C Kaseke/Xinhua)

The students learned the names of the zodiac animals in Chinese, sang Chinese songs, and experienced question-and-answer quizzes about the festival.

Victoria Amukwaya, a grade 11 student, said she managed to absorb a lot of interesting knowledge during the classes. "The Spring Festival is amazing. I had a great time."

According to Zhu, apart from this high school, six other schools also recently held activities to acquaint local students with Chinese culture. 
Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, said on Friday that "Sanatan Dharma is the national religion of India" and demanded that all citizens obey it while presiding over the restoration and consecration of the idol programme at the Neelkanth Mahadev Temple in Bhinmal, Rajasthan.

CM Yogi urged people to launch a campaign to rebuild damaged sacred sites along the lines of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya during his speech to the audience. CM Yogi and Union Water Power Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat planted Rudraksha during this occasion.

Also read: Rajasthan Elections 2023: PM Narendra Modi to Visit Key Gujjar Areas in Congress-Ruled State

Chief Minister Yogi further remarked, "If our religious places have been desecrated during any period, then a campaign for their restoration must be launched on the lines of Ayodhya where the construction of a grand temple of Lord Rama is going on after 500 years with the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. All of you devotees contributed to the construction of this grand national temple of Lord Rama, representing national sentiment.

Jalore, Raj |Sanatana Dharma India's 'Rashtriya Dharma'.Rising above selfishness,we connect to 'Rashtriya Dharma'. Country remains secure...if our religious places were desecrated,restoration campaign begins. Construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya began after 500 yrs..:UP CM(27.1) pic.twitter.com/DMEJy1WCZT  ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2023

"CM Yogi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the entire countrymen pledge to respect their heritage and preserve it. The restoration of Lord Neelkanth`s temple again after 1400 years on a grand note is an example of respect for and protection of heritage, he added.

CM Yogi said that the land of Rajasthan is the focal point of coordination of religion, karma, devotion, and power. "If you want to understand the real secrets of religion, then it is necessary to come to Rajasthan.

(With ANI Inputs)
In a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge seek his help in providing sufficient security for the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir. His letter to Shah was sent after the Bharat Jodo Yatra was postponed for the day on Friday due to a "security lapse." The Congress claimed that the J and K Police had removed security around Rahul Gandhi during the foot march in Qazigund due to soaring crowds.

"We are expecting a huge gathering to join the yatra over the next two days and also the function that will be held on 30th January at Srinagar. Many senior Congress leaders and leaders of other important political parties are attending the culmination function to be held on the 30th of January.

Also read: 'Sanatan Dharma India's Rashtriya Dharma': Yogi Adityanath in Poll-Bound Rajasthan

"I shall be grateful if you could personally intervene in this matter and advise the concerned officials to provide adequate security till the culmination of the yatra and the function on the 30th January at Srinagar," the Congress president said in his letter to the home minister. He said he is writing after the "unfortunate security lapse" during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

On the advice of the security officials in charge of the security detail of Rahul Gandhi, the Yatra had to be suspended, Kharge said. "We appreciate the Jammu and Kashmir Police and welcome their statement saying they will continue to ensure complete security till the culmination of the journey," he said.

However, the leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha also said, "You will appreciate the fact that a large crowd of common people has joined and walked in the Bharat Jodo Yatra every day. It is difficult for the organisers to tell exactly how many people are expected over the day as it is a spontaneous gesture of the common people to join the yatra."

The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Gandhi started in Kanyakumari on September 7 and will culminate on January 30 in Srinagar after traversing through 12 states.

The 3500-km foot march is aimed at galvanising the Congress cadres across the country, but the party is claiming that the Yatra is not political and seeks to unite India in the wake of growing "hatred".

With PTI Inputs
New Delhi, Jan 28: The dramatic arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf (PTI)`s former Information Minister, Fawad Chaudhry from outside his Lahore house in the early hours of Wednesday, January 25 by a posse from Kohsar Police Station, Islamabad represented a sharp rap on the knuckles of former Prime Minister, Imran Khan.

It signifies that with the PTI- Pakistan Muslim League (Q) coalition government of former Chief Minister Pervez Elahi dissolved in Punjab, and the Caretaker regime under Syed Mohsin Naqvi firmly in the saddle, outspoken PTI leaders would no longer have leeway to keep lambasting the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government at the Centre or senior government officials discharging their official duties.

52-year-old Fawad Chaudhry hails from a prominent political family from Dina, Jhelum district with old moorings in the Pakistan Muslim League. His uncle, Chaudhry Iftikhar Hussain served as Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court from 2002 to 2007. Himself a lawyer, Fawad had developed typical political ambitions during a career which saw him peregrinating from various ruling dispensations in quest of perks of office.

Starting from contesting the Member Provincial Assembly seat from Dina (MP-25) as an independent candidate, he joined the All-Pakistan Muslim League floated by sycophants of former President Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf in 2011. He then moved to the People`s Party of Pakistan in January, 2012 and was inducted as Special Assistant to Prime Minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani for Information. In 2016, he contested the National Assembly NA-63 seat from Jhelum on a Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-e Azam) party ticket but lost.

In 2018, he joined the PTI and won from both the NA -67 Jhelum National Assembly and the Punjab Provincial Assembly seat PP-27 Jhelum, becoming in the process an articulate loyalist of emerging Prime Ministerial aspirant, Imran Khan and even an aspirant for the post of CM Punjab.

Possessing the gift of the gab, he supplicated Imran in earnest, holding the prestigious Information Ministry at the Centre briefly (Aug 2018) before being shafted, for a temporary gaffe, to the less important Ministry of Science and Technology (April, 2019). He made a comeback, however, to the Information Ministry (April, 2021). Especially after Imran` ouster from power in April, 2022, Fawad Chaudhry came to the forefront echoing his master`s vituperations against Federal Government Ministers, officials and even Army Generals.

In recent times, as cases for violation of rules in the Toshakhana (false declaration/concealment of assets) and illegal foreign funding were taken up in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), making Imran`s disqualification and possible arrest imminent, both Imran and Fawad Chaudhry had become very offensive in their criticism of the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of Pakistan, Sikandar Sultan Raja and his team of officials. Raja is a former bureaucrat appointed, ironically enough, by Imran Khan himself when he was Prime Minister.

According to the FIR filed by a senior ECP office Chaudhry called the ECP a `munshi` and threatened the CEC, ECP members and their families that they will pay back in kind (read `violence`) if anything `unjust` happened to the PTI.

The charges in the FIR against Fawad Chaudhry include Section 124-A (sedition), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups, etc.), 505 (statements conducive to public mischief) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation).

Chaudhry`s arrest on Jan 25 morning was likened, by his wife, Hiba to a `kidnapping`.

Another PTI politician, Farrukh Habib tried to jump before the police cars whisking him away.

The Islamabad Police took transit remand from a Lahore judicial magistrate before taking him away. Despite this, PTI supporters moved a habeas corpus petition before the Court of Justice Tariq Saleem of the Lahore High Court (LHC).

It may be noted in this context, that recent judgements of the LHC were perceived to be one-sided and partial to the PTI.

Predictably, Justice Saleem demanded immediate return and production before him of Fawad Chaudhry.

He summoned the newly appointed Inspector General of Police, Punjab, Usman Anwar as well as the IGP, Islamabad to appear before him in person by 6 p.m. the same evening.

However, after a quick medical examination and production of Fawad Chaudhry in the court of Islamabad judicial magistrate, Naveed Khan on January 25 afternoon, the case petered out.

IGP, Punjab, Dr Anwar appeared before Justice Saleem, explaining that the Punjab Police no longer had jurisdiction.

Thereafter, the habeas corpus petition was dismissed.

After an initial 2-day police remand, Fawad Chaudhry has been given 12-days` judicial remand by Judge Raja Waqas Ahmed and lodged in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

After Chaudhry`s arrest, Imran Khan held a press conference alleging this was an attempt to silence him and scuttle his election agenda.

He also asked President Arif Alvi to help. The latter came down to Lahore, this time staying only at the Governor`s house but apparently explained his limitations in this regard.

Fawad Chaudhry resorted to bravado during his arrest, claiming to have been victimized like Nelson Mandela, but later toned down his defiance by stating during court deposition that as party spokesperson, he was opining what was the party`s policy, not his personal opinion.

Media personnel in Pakistan criticised his arrest as an attempt to muzzle freedom of opinion.

The Supreme Court Bar Association also took up cudgels on his behalf.

However, protests on the streets of Lahore and Islamabad, called for by Imran Khan`s supporters fizzled out.

The perception predominantly prevails in Pakistani public opinion now that Chaudhry is paying for the wild oats he sowed in his recent attacks on Army Generals by name and he is likely to cool his heels in custody for a while.

The message has clearly been conveyed to Imran Khan by the new military establishment that he better behave in a more civil manner, eschew unparliamentary language and curtail frequent press appearances to sustain his narrative of unfair ouster and conspiracy, which has started to wear thin.
New Delhi: The generation next star Janhvi Kapoor sure knows to amp up her Instagram handle. She has set her social media game on fire with a latest bold photoshoot in a sultry saree look. She can be seen donning a huge nose ring with a brown saree, flaunting her svelte figure. The actress has got some rave comments on her timeline too.

Her half-sister Anshula Kapoor among several other celebrities also appreciated Janhvi's hot look and dropped a comment. A few days back Janhvi stunned all in a black bodycon dress she wore for Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal's wedding anniversary bash. Check it out here:

On the personal front, Janhvi is rumoured to be back with her ex Shikhar Pahariya. She was recently spotted with her rumoured boyfriend at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant's engagement bash at Antilia, Mumbai. The stunning star wore a light baby pink double-shaded saree to the event and was joined by her love interest at the entrance gate.

Shikhar Pahariya is the grandson of Sushilkumar Shinde, the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

On the work front, Janhvi Kapoor has Bawaal with Varun Dhawan which will open in theatres next year. She also has Mr and Mrs Mahi with Rajkummar Rao.

The actress was last seen in Good Luck Jerry and Mili which was an official Hindi remake of the critically-acclaimed Malayalam film Helen.
NEW DELHI: Actor Rakhi Sawant's mother Jaya Bheda, who was battling cancer and was hospitalised a few weeks ago, is no more. As per reports, Jaya breathed her last on January 28 at a Mumbai hospital, where she was undergoing treatment for brain tumour and cancer.

Paparazzo Viral Bhayani shared the news on social media writing, "#RakhiSawant's mother #Jaya passes away in #Mumbai after a prolonged battle with #cancer." Rakhi has been sharing her mother's health condition with her fans regularly. She had informed that her mother had not been keeping well since last few years. In fact, the actress had made the revelation about her mother's cancer when she was locked in the Bigg Boss 14 house.

A couple of days ago, Rakhi had dropped an emotional video where she divulged about her mothers condition. She urged all the fans to pray for her moms health as she is battling cancer and brain tumour. She was spotted visiting her mother at Mumbai Taj Memorial Cancer Hospital several times.
New Delhi: This week, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) issued a fresh security alert to Microsoft users, expressing worries about a vulnerability in the Microsoft Edge browser. The security agency is still keeping an eye on reports of problems from throughout the world, and consumers in the nation are understandably concerned about the Edge browser running on Windows PCs.

Due to the high severity level assigned to the new alert, any security flaws can only be resolved by updating your system's Edge browser. (Also Read: LIC Policy: Invest Rs 1300 Per Month, Get Rs 27.60 Lakh, Here's How)

According to CERT-vulnerability In's post, "These vulnerabilities exist in Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based), which might be exploited by a remote attacker to gain elevated privilege and bypass security constraints on the targeted machine." (Also Read: Looking for Monthly Return Policy? THIS SBI Scheme may Fulfill Your Desire: Check Interest, Duration And Other Details)

The letter also warns that Microsoft Edge browsers running earlier versions than 109.0.1518.61 may be vulnerable to hackers due to this security flaw. Attackers can simply infect the device with malware to steal information or spy on the user if they manage to get past the protection and gain access to the system.

CERT_In stands for Indian Computer Emergency Response Team and it is operational since 2004. CERT-In is the national nodal agency for responding to computer security incidents as and when they occur.
MOSCOW, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The Latvian ambassador to Russia, Maris Riekstins, should leave Russia within two weeks, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Latvian Charge d'Affaires Dace Rutka was summoned to the ministry in protest over Latvia's decision to lower the level of Russian-Latvian diplomatic relations, the ministry said in a statement.

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said on Monday his country recalled its ambassador from Russia and downgraded diplomatic relations with Russia to the level of charge d'affaires as of Feb. 24. Rinkevics said the decision was made in a show of solidarity with its neighbor Estonia.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called Latvia's justification of its decision completely unacceptable. It said that the only way the Baltic states had shown solidarity was through their "total Russophobia" and their efforts to promote hostility against Russia. 
New Delhi: The G20 Education Working Group (EdWG), which is set to meet here on February 1 and 2, will focus on ensuring foundational literacy and numeracy especially in the context of blended learning, making technology-enabled learning more inclusive, qualitative and collaborative at every level. Besides, it will also focus on building capacities, promoting lifelong learning in the context of future of work, strengthening research, promoting innovation through richer collaboration and partnerships.

The Tamil Nadu Education department is among the key participants of an exhibition on 'Naan Mudalvan' and 'Nama Palli'. Ahead of the meeting, a seminar on 'Role of Digital Technology in Education' will be organised at the Research Park, IIT Madras.

The key participants in the exhibition are from Tamil Nadu (Naan Mudalvan / EDII - Tansim / Guidance Bureau / TNSDC / Nama Palli), India Swayam, Samarth, Diksha other government initiatives such as Start Up India Education for Physically challenged Dyslexia and Bipolar Disorder. Saudi Arabia, UAE, France, China, the Netherlands and UNICEF are also among the participants.

"It has been organised to build a resilient and inclusive education and skilling ecosystem and realise the creative potential of each learner which is further elucidated in the National Education Policy, 2020," an official release here said.

The G20 will provide an opportunity to share what India has achieved in the education sector on a global platform while it would also be a chance to learn and highlight the best practices from around the world.

As many as 13 G20 member and guest countries including international organisations will be participating in the seminar to be organised at the Research Park, IIT Madras. The seminar is divided into three sessions in the form of a panel discussion: Providing accessible and equitable education for K-12 learners, enabling high-quality learning opportunities at scale, and emerging technologies to provide skill education and training. The delegates would be taken on an excursion trip on February 1 to the Shore Temple and Five Chariots, Mahabalipuram.
New Delhi: During this year's Unpacked event on February 1, South Korean tech giant Samsung is scheduled to introduce its Galaxy Book3 series along with the eagerly anticipated Galaxy S23 lineup. The Samsung laptop family will reportedly include five models this year, with the Ultra serving as the flagship, according to a report by the tech news website GSM Arena.

The Book3 Ultra has been discussed before, and the business has practically confirmed it. However, this report provides some important specs, and it appears to be a high-end smartphone of some real quality. (Also Read: Google Layoffs: Employee Takes leave to Care for his Mother With Terminal Cancer, Company Abruptly Fired him)

A 16-inch 2880 x 1800p AMOLED screen, a 13th generation Intel Core i9 processor, up to 32GB of RAM, 1TB of PCIe NVMe Gen4 storage, and a powerful Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU are all anticipated to be included. (Also Read: Google Layoffs 2023: HR Fired From Company While Interviewing a New Candidate to Hire for Job Role)

All of this equipment is reportedly powered by a 76Wh battery, and the laptop includes a 136W charger. It is astonishing for a 16" laptop that all of stuff can fit inside a 1.8 kilogramme body that is only 17mm thick at its thickest point. A S Pen holster is also mentioned in the report, however it hasn't been verified yet.

The Book3 Pro, on the other hand, is available in two sizes, 14-inch and 16-inch, and features either a Core i5-1340P or Core i7-1360P processor along with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB NVMe SSD.

The Pro will rely on the built-in Iris Xe graphics, unlike the Ultra. According to GSM Arena, the 14-inch model will have a 63Wh battery, while the 16-inch model reportedly has the same 76Wh cell as the Ultra.

(With ANI inputs)
New Delhi: Twitter users will be able to appeal account suspensions and be evaluated under the social media platform's new criteria for reinstatement, starting Feb. 1, the company said on Friday. Under the new criteria, which follow billionaire Elon Musk's purchase of the company in October, Twitter accounts will only be suspended for severe or ongoing and repeat violations of the platform's policies.

ALSO READ | Artist Uses AI Technology to Create Portraits of Historical Indian Rulers

Severe policy violations include engaging in illegal content or activity, inciting or threatening violence or harm, and engaging in targeted harassment of other users, among others. Twitter said that going forward, it will take less severe action, in comparison to account suspension, such as limiting the reach of tweets that violate its policies or asking users to remove tweets before continuing to use the account.

ALSO READ | Do You Face Difficulty Spotting FAKE NEWS? Here are FIVE STEPS to Check Them

In December, Musk came under fire for suspending accounts of several journalists over a controversy on publishing public data about the billionaire's plane. He later reinstated the accounts.
KUNMING, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Yunnan Province posted 45.15 million visits made by tourists during this year's Spring Festival holiday, up 244.7 percent year on year, according to the provincial culture and tourism department.

The tourism revenue during the seven-day holiday ending Friday hit 38.44 billion yuan (about 5.68 billion U.S. dollars), up 249.4 percent year on year.

Data from the provincial culture and tourism department shows that 20.58 million visits made by tourists from outside Yunnan were registered during the holiday, accounting for 45.59 percent of the total visits, an increase of about 22 percentage points year on year.

The number of tourists received in 16 prefectures and cities of the province all maintained double-digit growth. Among them, Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Baoshan City, and other border prefectures and cities are fully recovering. 
Artists perform lion dance at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Jan. 21, 2023. (Photo by Phearum/Xinhua)

The arrival of Chinese travelers is warmly welcomed by Cambodian local authorities on Friday. Hor Sarun, secretary of state for Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism, said the country is ready to welcome all Chinese people and tourists.

SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Friday welcomed the arrival of Chinese travelers after the world's second-largest economy optimized its COVID-19 strategy early this month, officials said.

A Ruili Airlines flight, carrying more than 100 passengers from Kunming in southwestern China's Yunnan Province, landed in Sihanoukville in southwestern Cambodia on Friday morning, receiving a warm welcome from local authorities.

Speaking to reporters at the welcoming event, Hor Sarun, secretary of state for Cambodia's Ministry of Tourism, said Cambodia is ready to welcome all Chinese people and tourists.

"There is neither COVID-19 restriction, nor COVID-19 test on Chinese travelers, and they are free to travel everywhere in Cambodia," he said.

Chea Aun, secretary of state for the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said he expected the number of Chinese tourists to Cambodia to reach the pre-pandemic level within a couple of years.

"We hope that the number of Chinese travelers to Cambodia and other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will again increase sharply," he said.

Tourists visit the Wat Phnom historic site in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Jan. 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Phearum)

China was the largest source of foreign tourists to Cambodia in the pre-pandemic era, a report from the Ministry of Tourism said, adding that the kingdom received 2.36 million Chinese tourists in 2019, generating about 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in revenue.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon has told Xinhua that Cambodia is projected to attract at least 1 million Chinese tourists in 2023, an expected increase from merely 110,000 in 2022.

"China is the most important outbound tourism market for the world, so China's resumption of outbound tourism is very beneficial not only to Cambodia, but also to the whole world," he told Xinhua.

Thourn Sinan, chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia chapter, said China's resumption of outbound tourism would give a boost to global tourism growth.

"Not only Cambodia but also the whole world are waiting for the return of the Chinese tourists to their countries," he told Xinhua. "The presence of Chinese tourists has greatly contributed to the development of the tourism industry in Cambodia."








[ diplomacy / war ] 01.27.23 The Mapouka

I t was Christmas eve morning, and we'd been living in Cote dIvoire as diplomats for three months. In the house, the heat was like a wet embrace. I wanted little more than to retire to the hammock and nurse a cool drink. We'd wrapped presents for the children the night before and planned a small celebration that evening. We got the news by phone.

You saw palm trees at attention You saw clouds evacuate the sky

The American embassy activated the emergency phone tree to convey the news that General Guei and a rag-tag group of soldiers had marched on Abidjan government headquarters and given President Bedie an ultimatum: Sors dici! (get out of town!)

You saw an empty market place You saw baby-faced soldiers cradle AK-47s

The now-deposed President headed to France. A few of Gueis soldiers celebrated their new-found power by looting and burning neighborhood stores.

You saw no one on the street make eye contact You saw musical snow on TV

Its surprising how easily one becomes inured to the sight of gun-toting young men dressed in fatigues. Young, as in, not-much-older-than-my-son. Young, as in, does your mother know what youre doing right now?

You heard: A civil war could never happen here

Over the ensuing months, workplace chatter alternately portrayed hope, denial or disdain; elections are forthcoming; this situation is merely temporary; Ivoirians are too educated and erudite to go the way of other African nations.

You heard the buzz of a cut phone line

One afternoon, Dr. Agnes and I were driving back from Pisam Hospital after having visited a government volunteer. We werent hurrying, although, mountains of work awaited us at the office. We were in the official U.S. government vehicle with license plates that announced our diplomatic status. Agnes was driving. She came to a stop sign, lightly tapped the brake with her foot, then turned, executing a California stop.

A soldier waved her to the side of the road with his gun. He was a handsome young man, about twenty-something years of age. He maintained a firm grip on his gun and I tried hard not to stare. Agnes is Ghanaian and, between us, the better French speaker. She did the talking. The soldier informed Agnes that shed violated the law. She apologized. Desole. It will not happen again. The soldier began to complain of hunger; saying that neither he nor his family were not getting enough to eat. He gripped his gun, all the while. Agnes reached into her purse and gave him fifty dollars in Ivorian currency. He thanked her and advised her to drive more carefully motioning at the car with his gun. The embassy had long advised us never to give money to avoid issuance of a ticket.

You heard the embassy announce via walkie talkie: hoard water in pots & cans & bowls & pails You heard rumors of bodies ditched & dumped You heard no one say: this will pass

While the population was engaged in deep philosophical discourse about the countrys political path, an odd national mood of conviviality surfaced. A few people began dancing the Mapouka; then, more and more people; in clubs, in bars, at parties. In the streets. The Mapuoka became a fever, explosive and gripping. Everywhere, the Mapouka. It even caught the attention of the New York Times, Dance Has Africans Shaking Behinds, and Heads.

You smelled burned flesh You smelled fear like surround sound

The Mapouka was wanton. A dancer isolated her lower body, propelled and controlled the movements of her behind. She leaned forward slightly and undulated her buttocks in fast circles. The very best dancers could move each buttock in opposite directions simultaneously. Young women tried urgently to gain weight in their backsides in order to do justice to this dance.

You must stay home & away from windows You must mattress with loved ones

General Robert Guei, a big Mapouka fan, was rumored to have summoned the countrys best dancers for a private show. Sometimes people gestured towards me and muttered in French, Ah, she must be a very good Mapouka dancer! Despite my generous derriere, I was not.

What I didn't know at the time, was, that tribalism would soon overtake the country; that the U.S. government would eventually evacuate my family and me following the next coup; and, that the Mapouka would come to represent a peculiar lull preceding the storm of civil war.

You must witness, witness, witness
BEIJING, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- China will consolidate and expand the momentum of economic rebound, accelerate consumption recovery and stabilize foreign trade and investment, according to the decisions made at the State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Saturday.

Noting the continuing trend of economic recovery and rebound, the meeting stressed the need to implement the decisions of the Central Economic Work Conference and focus on ensuring stability in growth, employment and prices, to keep the economic performance within a proper range.

Solid steps will be taken to ensure effective implementation of the policy package for stabilizing the economy and its follow-up measures. Key projects and equipment upgrading and renovation supported by fiscal and financial policy tools will be advanced to generate more physical gains.

Policies to extend the duration of VAT relief for small-scale taxpayers and inclusive loans granted to micro and small businesses will be effectively implemented.

It is imperative to remain firmly committed to consolidating and developing the public sector, and to encouraging, supporting and guiding the development of the non-public sector, to protect the lawful rights and interests of private businesses and foster a market-oriented, world-class business environment governed by a sound legal framework. The platform economy will be supported in pursuing sustained and sound development.

The meeting underscored the need to facilitate a speedy reopening of businesses and production after the Spring Festival and to provide good services for migrant workers in returning to their work or landing new jobs.

"We need to step up efforts to deliver on the policies for expanding consumption," Li said.

Noting the pressing challenge of lackluster demand, the meeting urged timely measures to promote an early recovery of consumption as the main economic driving force, steadfastly advance opening-up, and stabilize and upgrade foreign trade and investment.

Consumption will be further boosted. Policies for supporting consumer service businesses and self-employed individuals and promoting the consumption of cars and other big-ticket items will be fully implemented. Various activities will be launched to stimulate consumption and facilitate the early recovery of contact-based service industries.

Consumer loans will be increased as appropriate. The policy toolkit will be harnessed following a city-specific approach, to meet people's basic housing needs and the need for improved housing conditions and ensure the delivery of pre-sold homes.

"Boosting consumption is a key step to expand domestic demand. We need to restore the structural role of consumption in the economy," Li said. "The greatest potential of the Chinese economy lies in the consumption by the 1.4 billion people."

The meeting reaffirmed China's commitment to the basic national policy of opening-up and called for more concrete measures to stabilize foreign trade. Efforts will be made to promote the resumption of in-person exhibitions at home, and support enterprises to participate in exhibitions overseas.

Policies concerning export rebates, credit loans and credit insurance, among others, will be earnestly implemented, and the RMB exchange rate will be kept generally stable at an adaptive, balanced level. Enterprises will be supported to further explore market opportunities by making full use of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Development of cross-border e-commerce and overseas warehouses will be further promoted. The competitiveness of foreign trade will be enhanced. Import will be expanded as appropriate.

Active efforts will be made to attract foreign investment. The new Catalogue of Encouraged Industries for Foreign Investment will be put into effect at a faster pace. Local governments will be supported in attracting businesses and investment. The role of pilot free trade zones and other platforms will be better leveraged.

Facilitative measures on cross-border travel will be earnestly implemented. Sustained efforts will be made to improve services for foreign-invested enterprises, and promote the earlier delivery of major projects.

"We must fully leverage our competitive advantages, improve our business environment and stabilize foreign trade and investment by opening wider to the world. Opening up is in China's fundamental interests," Li said.

The meeting urged relevant departments to make comprehensive plans in early February and ensure a greater sense of responsibility at all levels to promptly start spring plowing and farming preparations, in order to lay a solid foundation for bolstering food supply and stabilizing consumer prices. 
by Jose Gabriel Martinez and Zhu Yubo

MERIDA, Mexico, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The southeastern Mexican state of Yucatan is looking to boost cultural and trade exchanges with Chinese counterparts to attract Chinese tourists, a local official has said.

Chinese travelers are usually deemed as "seekers of new experiences" with a love for learning and culture, said Miguel Andres Hernandez, undersecretary of market intelligence at the Yucatan Ministry of Tourism Development, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"The Chinese market is one of the most important for us, and we will continue trying to enrich and increase our 'twinning' to generate a larger flow" of tourists, said Hernandez, referring to the pairing of Yucatan with two Chinese provinces, Anhui and Sichuan.

After it nailed down a twinning agreement with Anhui in 2014, Yucatan signed a memorandum of understanding with Sichuan in early 2022 to strengthen bilateral friendship and cooperation.

Pairing two geographically distant places as twin or sister cities or regions is a common practice of local governments to expand cultural and trade ties. Such twinning is "a spearhead to attract tourism and generate exchanges in good practices," he said.

The state rich in tourism resources can offer colorful experience -- from romantic beachside getaways to adventure tourism, Hernandez said, highlighting the Mayan culture that flourished in the Yucatan Peninsula, archaeological sites such as the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, and many other tourist attractions.

"We want them (tourists) to think of Yucatan as a destination where they can have a unique, once-in-a-lifetime, complete experience," said Hernandez, who also recommended local cuisine as "one of the most important in Mexico and the Americas."

Yucatan views tourism as a way to strengthen cultural exchanges and spur the economy. Nowadays, the state has set its sights on the Chinese market as part of its tourism recovery strategy, he said.

Last year, the international airport in Yucatan's capital Merida saw a record number of arrivals with some 3 million passengers, and Chichen Itza was the most visited archaeological site in Mexico, Hernandez said.

Although many Chinese visitors arrived in Yucatan from Mexico City or Cancun, Hernandez believes the state's twinning agreements and tourism development strategies will bring more Chinese tourists directly to Yucatan.

Given the populations of China and Mexico, there could be significant tourism and trade exchanges between the two sides, he said, adding strengthening cultural ties will also benefit both sides through greater understanding.

"We must find our similarities in our differences. We have to take advantage of the millenary wealth we both have ... to gain better knowledge of our countries, both our needs and our strengths," he added. 
JERUSALEM, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to act after a shooting attack killed at least seven people and wounded three others Friday in a Jewish settlement in East Jerusalem.

Netanyahu, who arrived at the scene shortly after the attack, said the authorities have "decided on a few immediate measures" and he would convene a special security cabinet meeting on Saturday evening to discuss further measures.

During the attack on Friday night, a gunman opened fire on people near a synagogue. Israeli police said that the assailant, identified as a 21-year-old resident of East Jerusalem, was shot dead by a police officer.

The attack came a day after an Israeli military raid in the West Bank resulted in the killing of nine Palestinians. After the raid, Palestinian militant organizations vowed revenge.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is scheduled to visit the West Bank and Israel later this weekend, condemned the attack on his Twitter account.

According to a statement from the White House, U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to Netanyahu after the attack. The president "offered all appropriate means of support to the Government and People of Israel over the coming days," said the statement. 
European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 27, 2023. Judicial cooperation in the fight against organized crime topped the agenda of an informal meeting of the European Union (EU) member states' justice and home affairs ministers here on Friday. (Johannes Frandsen/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua)

STOCKHOLM, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Judicial cooperation in the fight against organized crime topped the agenda of an informal meeting of the European Union (EU) member states' justice and home affairs ministers here on Friday.

"Organized crime has never posed such a threat to the EU and its citizens as it does today," Sweden's Minister for Justice Gunnar Strommer said in a press release. "This is particularly true in Sweden. Effective judicial cooperation is therefore crucial as we step up the fight against cross-border crime."

At the meeting, the EU Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust) presented its work to support the coordination of cross-border criminal investigations by national authorities. The ministers discussed the important role of Eurojust and a new instrument for the transfer of proceedings and how this contributes to the fight against organized crime.

"It is important that (EU) member states draw on the experience of previous national prosecutions of core international crimes and cooperate through Eurojust," Strommer said.

The participants in the two-day meeting, which started on Thursday, also discussed migration challenges. 

European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders (L) and Swedish Minister for Justice Gunnar Strommer attend a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 27, 2023. Judicial cooperation in the fight against organized crime topped the agenda of an informal meeting of the European Union (EU) member states' justice and home affairs ministers here on Friday. (Johannes Frandsen/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua)

European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Jan. 27, 2023. Judicial cooperation in the fight against organized crime topped the agenda of an informal meeting of the European Union (EU) member states' justice and home affairs ministers here on Friday. (Johannes Frandsen/Government Offices of Sweden/Handout via Xinhua)
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- UN humanitarians report that recent clashes between Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) forces and M23 rebels have displaced about 90,000 people, a UN spokesman said on Friday.

The chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Stephane Dujarric, said that initial reports from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) centered the fighting in and around Kitchanga in North Kivu province in eastern DRC.

"Many of the displaced are seeking refuge in nearby Mweso, in schools and churches and with host families," Dujarric said. "As more displaced people arrive in Mweso, humanitarian organizations are concerned about the spread of cholera, following an outbreak last month."

He said the clashes also impeded road access, making it difficult to deliver humanitarian aid.

The spokesman said the UN peacekeeping mission, known as MONUSCO, provides physical security and immediate assistance, including shelter, water and medical care, to about 500 displaced civilians in and around the UN base in Kitchanga.

Dujarric said the United Nations reiterates the secretary-general's call on all armed groups to lay down their weapons and join the national Disarmament, Demobilization, Community Recovery and Stabilization program. 
Presidential candidate, retired general Petr Pavel, leaves a polling station in the village of Cernoucek, the Czech Republic, Jan. 13, 2023. (Photo by Dana Kesnerova/Xinhua)

With 99.99 percent of precincts counted, Pavel won with 58.32 percent of the vote to Babis' 41.67 percent. Turnover for the election surpassed 70 percent.

PRAGUE, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The second round of the Czech presidential election concluded Saturday, with retired general Petr Pavel winning over former prime minister Andrej Babis, according to official results.

With 99.99 percent of precincts counted, Pavel won with 58.32 percent of the vote to Babis' 41.67 percent. Turnover for the election surpassed 70 percent.

Voters cast their ballots on Friday and Saturday, with Czechs abroad heading to the polls on Thursday. The first round, which took place on Jan. 13-14, featured eight candidates before going to a run-off between the two men after Pavel received 35.4 percent of the vote and Babis received 34.99 percent.

Presidential candidate, retired general Petr Pavel, presents his identity card before voting in the presidential election at a polling station in the village of Cernoucek, the Czech Republic, Jan. 13, 2023. (Photo by Dana Kesnerova/Xinhua)

Pavel, 61, served as head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee. He was endorsed by the current ruling government coalition. Babis, 68, the head of the Action of Dissatisfied Citizens (ANO) party, served as prime minister from 2017 to 2021.

In his victory speech, Pavel called on Czechs to work together to get through differences and solve the country's various challenges.

"It is important that we are able to solve problems together, as one community," Pavel said at an election watch party in Prague. He said that the Czech society was not only divided by the campaign but also by the hardships the country is currently facing.

The president of the Czech Republic is chosen in a direct election and serves a term of five years. The mandate can be held for a maximum of two consecutive terms. Incumbent President Milos Zeman's term concludes in March.

A man casts his vote during the second round of presidential election at a polling station in Prague, the Czech Republic, Jan. 27, 2023. (Photo by Dana Kesnerova/Xinhua)
NEW DELHI, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- India on Friday released as many as 17 Pakistani nationals who had completed their respective jail terms, confirmed the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi.

They were released through the Attari-Wagah Border that divides the two countries and is adjacent to India's northern state of Punjab, the Pakistan High Commission confirmed on Twitter.

"Our efforts will continue to repatriate all Pakistani prisoners from India on completion of their sentences," tweeted the Pakistan High Commission. 
PHNOM PENH, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) convened its extraordinary congress here on Saturday to set out a strategic plan to secure victory in the upcoming general election, said the party's Honorary President Samdech Heng Samrin.

Speaking in his opening speech, Samrin said the CPP is a solid foundation supporting long-term peace and development in the Southeast Asian nation.

"We really have a lot of work to do in the future, and we must do our best to win the seventh National Assembly election on July 23, 2023," he said.

Samrin, who is also president of the National Assembly, said the congress would approve a new political program for the party to carry forward for five years from 2023 to 2028.

The two-day congress was presided over by the CPP's President Samdech Techo Hun Sen, who is the prime minister of Cambodia, and was attended by some 3,558 party members from across the country.

In the 2018 general election, the CPP won all 125 seats in the National Assembly. 
YANGON, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed when a passenger bus collided with a probox car on Friday evening in southern Myanmar, according to a traffic policeman.

The accident occurred in Ye township of Mon State at around 6:40 p.m. local time on Friday.

"All the five people onboard the probox car died on the spot. The passenger bus got only damaged," he said, adding that no one onboard the passenger bus were wounded or killed.

The probox car was badly damaged, he added.

The dead included two men, two women and a child, and they were caught in the accident while returning to Yebyu township of Taninthayi Region, a rescuer said. 
Song Yanqun (L), minister-counselor for culture at the Chinese embassy in Australia, visits an exhibition with Frances Adamson, governor of South Australia, during the "China Today" arts week in Adelaide, Australia, on Jan. 28, 2023. The "China Today" arts week was launched in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, on Saturday in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia.

Co-hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Chinese embassy in Australia, the Consulate-General of China in Adelaide and the Adelaide Festival Center, the arts week runs till March 19. (Photo by Lyu Wei/Xinhua)

ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- The "China Today" arts week was launched in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, on Saturday in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia.

Co-hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Chinese embassy in Australia, the Consulate-General of China in Adelaide and the Adelaide Festival Center, the arts week runs till March 19.

It features an exhibition of ceramic artwork from China's Jiangxi province and paintings and prints from the northeastern Heilongjiang province.

The 50 items from Jingdezhen, a world-famous porcelain town in Jiangxi, were created by three generations of inheritors of an intangible cultural heritage, while the 39 works chosen from traditional Chinese paintings, oil paintings, prints, watercolor and other forms of art showed the scenery of northeastern China as well as people's life there.

Frances Adamson, governor of South Australia, said in her speech that having worked in China for years, she had developed an appreciation for Chinese art forms.

"Previously as a diplomat and now a governor, I have seen the important role the arts can play in diplomacy, and strengthening people-to-people relations," she said.

Douglas Gautier, CEO of the Adelaide Festival Center, noted that cultural collaboration between China and Australia helped enhance understanding between peoples.

"Our audiences here get to see those wonderful items. And equally, the whole cultural sector of Australia over years has been taking Australian artists to China," he added. "That collaboration is a positive thing."

"Culture works as a bridge," said Song Yanqun, minister-counselor for culture at the Chinese embassy in Australia.

He believed that the exhibition, launched for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties and during the Chinese Lunar New Year, had special significance, hoping that many Australian people could visit. 

Frances Adamson, governor of South Australia, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of "China Today" arts week in Adelaide, Australia, on Jan. 28, 2023. The "China Today" arts week was launched in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, on Saturday in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia.

Co-hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Chinese embassy in Australia, the Consulate-General of China in Adelaide and the Adelaide Festival Center, the arts week runs till March 19. (Photo by Lyu Wei/Xinhua)

Douglas Gautier, CEO of the Adelaide Festival Center, delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of "China Today" arts week in Adelaide, Australia, on Jan. 28, 2023. The "China Today" arts week was launched in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, on Saturday in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia.

Co-hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Chinese embassy in Australia, the Consulate-General of China in Adelaide and the Adelaide Festival Center, the arts week runs till March 19. (Photo by Lyu Wei/Xinhua)

This photo taken on Jan. 28, 2023 shows ceramic artwork displayed during the "China Today" arts week in Adelaide, Australia. The "China Today" arts week was launched in Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, on Saturday in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Australia.

Co-hosted by the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, the Chinese embassy in Australia, the Consulate-General of China in Adelaide and the Adelaide Festival Center, the arts week runs till March 19. (Photo by Lyu Wei/Xinhua)








[ crash ] 01.27.21 Before, During, After

After

How it all happened is up to you. Do you remember? The motorbike swerving round the corner of the cliff and the cliff knowing that something is going to break here, a branch off a tree, maybe, a tyre bursting, maybe, a heart stopping, maybe. A cliff is that place where a hairs breadth could lead to everythingor nothing, if you are lucky. The police ask questions. Were you a witness? How many people were involved? Was it going at high speed? An ambulance takes you away and more questions: Maam, please keep talking, the flashlight killing my eyes, Maam keep talking, a voice stabbing my sleep, youll be fine, Maam, just keep talking. You wanted to ask questions, did you ask any questions: Is he alive? Is he alive? Why isnt he here? Why is he not here? Who or what crashed into that part of him that was the softest, most essential, most beautiful? Ask stupid questions if you remember how to speak. Do you know what happened? Do you remember exactly what happened, Maam? Parts of you are broken. Remove watch, jewellery, piercings. Enter the MRI scan, the big black hole and make a wish that none of this ever happened, make a wish that the black hole will cancel everything, the big black MRI is your life in between before and after, and when you come out of it, youre a different person. Do you remember what happened before? Exactly? They say parts of you are broken but theyre wrong. It isnt your leg, or your rib. Its something else.





Before

Did I see you next at an event, some kind of party, where we celebrated our narrow escapeor was the event before all this. I gave you a stick of marshmallows which you were supposed to dip in the chocolate fountain. My, what a fairy tale ending, a chocolate fountain, and you smiled, and I thought you looked tired and maybe I said Are you tired? And maybe you had a glass of wine, or two? In the photo there is no wine, there are no drinks, just a chocolate fountain next to you, flowing, flowing. And somebody (who? I cant remember) took a photo of us, the golden couple. Before and After, like those Before and After cosmetic surgery photos you sometimes see, everything perfect, bad turns to good, the broken are unbroken. Yes, all good! If I didnt have the photo as proof, I would never know that moment existed. We are both in the photo, almost touching but not quite. Youre holding a stick of marshmallows. On your right, a chocolate fountain. On your left, the person who was me.





During

I think I must have screamed but all I can hear is silence. A silent scene in slow motion of things crashing, splattering, crumpling, shattering, flying, rolling,slashing, cracking. I think I must have screamed but I cant hear it, it all happened so fast and so slowly it happens again and again. I was there. It happened. I witnessed it, it happened. I was part of it, it happened. And yet, the details, the exact details that the police officer was after, I dont have those. You were wearing that T-shirt Id given you for your birthday. Or was it the white shirt you wore for work? The smell of the aftershave from the smashed bottle in the glove compartment burned into my nostrils, I would recognise that smell anywhere. Everything else is shrouded in mist. Was it marshmallows or strawberries? I think it was strawberries. Yes, now that I think of it, it was a stick of strawberries. There is no photo of us at that last event, and I cant be sure.
This photo taken on Jan. 27, 2023 shows a scene of a memorial activity in St. Petersburg, Russia. Activities were held here to mark the 79th anniversary of ending the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II. Leningrad, known as St. Petersburg today, was besieged by the Nazi troops on Sept. 8, 1941 and the siege was lifted on Jan. 27, 1944. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)

ST. PETERSBURG, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Russia's second largest city St. Petersburg on Friday held the annual "900 Days and Nights" memorial event marking the 79th anniversary of the lifting of the Siege of Leningrad during World War II.

The commemoration featured an interactive performance held among military installations in the courtyard of the St. Petersburg State Academic Capella, the oldest Russian professional musical institution. The audience watched the light and sound performance of air raids and bombardments.

Newsreel footage of the besieged Leningrad was demonstrated on the facade of the Chapel. Fireworks display was held later in the evening at the Peter and Paul Fortress.

The military siege of Leningrad lasted nearly 900 days, from Sept. 8, 1941 to Jan. 27, 1944. The Battle of Leningrad went down in history as one of the longest and bloodiest battles of World War II. 

Children lay flowers at a memorial activity in St. Petersburg, Russia, Jan. 27, 2023. Activities were held here to mark the 79th anniversary of ending the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II. Leningrad, known as St. Petersburg today, was besieged by the Nazi troops on Sept. 8, 1941 and the siege was lifted on Jan. 27, 1944. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)

People line up to lay flowers at a memorial activity in St. Petersburg, Russia, Jan. 27, 2023. Activities were held here to mark the 79th anniversary of ending the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II. Leningrad, known as St. Petersburg today, was besieged by the Nazi troops on Sept. 8, 1941 and the siege was lifted on Jan. 27, 1944. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)

Children line up to lay flowers at a memorial activity in St. Petersburg, Russia, Jan. 27, 2023. Activities were held here to mark the 79th anniversary of ending the Nazi siege of Leningrad during World War II. Leningrad, known as St. Petersburg today, was besieged by the Nazi troops on Sept. 8, 1941 and the siege was lifted on Jan. 27, 1944. (Photo by Irina Motina/Xinhua)
Islamabad: Pakistan is currently going through the biggest economic crisis, but its ministers are still not backing down from their rhetorical statements. The latest case is that of Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who has also started playing the religious card to reduce the displeasure of the people of the country. Pakistan is the only country founded in the name of Islam and Allah is responsible for its development and prosperity, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday, as the cash-strapped country faced a serious payment crunch.

Reports say that while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the Green Line Express train service here, the senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said that he was confident that Pakistan will progress because it is made in the name of Islam. Dar has said about this that if Allah can make Pakistan then he can also protect, develop and prosper it. The Finance Minister said that he is also making all efforts to improve the condition of Pakistan under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

If reports are to be believed, Ishaq Dar has blamed the 'drama' that started 5 years ago for the current plight of Pakistan and said that the people here are still suffering. He said that Pakistan's economy was in good condition during Nawaz Sharif's tenure during 2013-17 before this drama.

Australia issues a serious health advisory

Serbians are becoming less supportive of joining the EU

China conflict is imminent, according to a top US general
USA: NBC reported on Saturday, citing internal documents, that a senior US Air Force commander advised his subordinates to prepare for war with China over Taiwan in just two years.

General Mike Minihan, the head of Air Mobility Command, claimed in a memo obtained by the outlet and confirmed by US officials that Beijing will be able to attack the self-governing island because both the US and Taiwan will be "distracted" by their presidential elections in 2024.

I hope I'm mistaken. My instinct tells me I'll fight in 2025," the memo reportedly stated. The document directs all Air Mobility Command wing commanders and other operational commanders of the Air Force to submit a one-month report on all significant efforts related to a potential standoff with China.

Also Read: Synagogue attack leaves seven dead as West Bank violence escalates.

Additionally, the memo instructs US military personnel stationed in AMC to "fire a clip into a 7-meter target with full understanding that unrepentant lethality matters most." "Go for the head," according to NBC. Additionally, US commanders are urged to take risks during drills. You are not taking enough risk if you approach training in a comfortable manner, according to Minihan.

The authenticity of the memo was confirmed by an AMC spokesperson, but a Pentagon official who asked to remain anonymous told NBC that "these comments are not representative of the department's view on China."

Also Read: An Iranian cleric is against using force to enforce the hijab

After Nancy Pelosi, the then-Speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited Taipei in August of last year despite strong opposition from the Chinese leadership, and a number of other Western officials followed suit, tensions over Taiwan increased.

Senior US official's visit was seen in Beijing as a breach of Washington's One-China policy.

Chinese President Xi Jinping declared in October that Beijing "will never promise to give up the use of force" and reserves the option to "take all necessary measures" to achieve this goal, despite its desire for peaceful "reunification" with Taiwan.

Also Read: Think tank at the Pentagon cautions against a "long war" in Ukraine

The One-China policy accords Taiwan the status of a sovereign Chinese territory in Beijing. Since 1949, when they fled the mainland with assistance from the US after communists won the Chinese Civil War, nationalists have ruled the island.
Manila: The murder of a Filipina worker whose body was found in a desert in Kuwait has sent a shockwave through the Philippines, where a two-week vigil will begin after her remains return to the country on Friday.

Jullebee Ranara, 35, was one of more than 268,000 overseas Filipino workers mostly women employed as domestic helpers living in Kuwait.

Her charred remains were discovered in a desert on Sunday. Kuwaiti media reported that she was pregnant and had been subjected to blunt-force trauma. The 17-year-old son of her employer has been arrested by Kuwaiti police on murder charges.

Also Read: Woman teacher raped student, 'If you fulfill my sexual demand, will give good marks'

Until the National Bureau of Investigation has performed an autopsy, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople has refrained from commenting on the circumstances surrounding Ranara's passing.

As to the cause of death and the reasons behind it, there are many theories. During a Friday morning press conference, she stated that the family had asked for an autopsy.

The police's quick action is what matters. The Kuwaiti police have the main suspect in custody, and we are keeping a close eye on the situation. Following the return of Ranara's remains on Friday evening, a vigil will start.

By Sunday, we anticipate her wake to begin, Ople told the press. According to the husband, they would like the wake to be held two weeks from now so that friends and family who are in the province can attend.  Former OFWs like Maria Nida Dizon described the news of her death as "dreadful."

Also Read: Syrian Kurdish forces in the east of the country capture a Daesh commander

It is inhumane what they did to her. She travelled to Kuwait to work, bringing with her every dream of a better life, only to die a horrifying death, the source told Arab News.

My personal experience has shown me that migrant workers rarely feel protected, especially when it comes to our rights. When they are abused, there is no assurance that justice will be served.

Dizon, who previously worked in the UAE, did not believe that Ranara's situation would discourage Filipino workers from looking for work abroad, where they could earn significantly more than they could at home.

Even though there have been numerous reports of abuse, many of our citizens, especially women and mothers, still want to attempt to work abroad. They believe that working outside will enable them to better support their family.

Rick Hernandez, a local administration worker in Manila, was now certain he would stop his family from working as domestic helpers abroad, despite the migrant workers secretary's declaration that Philippine authorities would collaborate with Kuwait to implement better screening and accreditation mechanisms for employers. Many Filipinos, especially our women, are prepared to endure harsh environments and abusive bosses in order to support their families, he claimed.

I would rather starve here as a father and husband than send my daughter or wife to work as domestic servants in another nation. Musaed Saleh Al-Thwaikh, Kuwait's ambassador to the Philippines, stated on Friday that the incident had also "shocked and saddened" Kuwaiti society.

Our justice system will not lose sight in ensuring justice for Mrs. Ranara, he wrote in a letter addressed to Ople.

We assure you that such an incident is an isolated case.

Ranaras murder, however, was not the first such incident in Kuwait that shook the Philippines, which in 2018 imposed a worker deployment ban to the Gulf country after the killing of Filipina domestic helper Joanna Daniela Demafelis, whose body was found in a freezer at an abandoned apartment. The ban was partially lifted the same year, after the two countries signed a protection agreement for workers.

Also Read: Refugees in S. Sudan hope that peace will be brought by the pope's visit

Constancia Lago Dayag, a Filipina maid, was killed in Kuwait in May 2019, and Jeanelyn Villavende, another one, was murdered by torture by her employer a few months later.

In January 2020, the Philippines once more imposed a worker deployment ban, which was later lifted after Kuwaiti authorities accused Villavende's employer of murder and gave her a hanging verdict.
Washington: One of the most important positions in an administration preparing for a potential re-election campaign is White House Chief of Staff, a position that President Joe Biden named former top Covid-19 aide Jeff Zients to on Friday.

Ron Klain, who accompanied Biden through the first two years of his term in the positionpossibly the most important behind-the-scenes position in any US administrationis replaced by Zients. On February 8, the day after Biden gives his State of the Union address to Congress, the swap will take place.

The departure of Klain will deprive the 80-year-old president of an especially close, trusted aide. Klain has worked with Biden throughout his decades-long Washington career, from senator to vice president, then winner over Donald Trump in 2020.

Also Read: Woman teacher raped student, 'If you fulfill my sexual demand, will give good marks'

The president's chief of staff handles everything, including controlling who has access to him, setting his agenda, liaising with political insiders, managing crises constantly, and serving as a sounding board for ideas.

Ron and I have faced some significant struggles over the past 36 years. And you really get to know someone when you spend as much time together in the trenches as I have with Ron. You can clearly see their composition, according to Biden's statement.

Klain is credited with orchestrating the complex, behind-the-scenes negotiations between the White House and congressional representatives that allowed Biden to pass a number of historic laws over the past two years, frequently defying expectations.

Also Read: Syrian Kurdish forces in the east of the country capture a Daesh commander

Democrats had a slim majority in both houses of Congress up until the midterm elections in November, and Klain played a key role in preventing key party faction splits.

Klain was referred to by Biden as a "once in a generation talent with fierce intellect and heart" on Twitter.

Zients, who oversaw the extensive Covid-19 pandemic response when Biden took office, is regarded as a skilled technocrat who will work to ensure that the earlier legislative victories are carried out despite lacking Klain's extensive political connections.

The efficient and just implementation of the laws that have been passed is a significant task going forward, according to Biden. I pledged to make the government work for the American people when I ran for office. Jeff performs that," Biden said. "I have no doubt that Jeff will carry on Ron's smart, steady leadership style."

Although Biden has not yet announced his candidature, many believe he will, potentially pitting him against Trump in 2024.

Republicans will be flexing their muscles in the House of Representatives, where they won their own narrow majority in November, as Zients also take power. As the hard-right of the party gains ground, Biden will likely be the target of a number of aggressive inquiries into his policies and his son Hunter's business dealings.

Additionally, Biden is currently under investigation by the Justice Department after a small number of classified documents were found in his home and at a former workplace. After Biden served as Barack Obama's vice president, the White House claims that the documents were accidentally misplaced.

Also Read: Refugees in S. Sudan hope that peace will be brought by the pope's visit

Trump is also being investigated for handling classified documents, though in his case there are hundreds of them and the Republican has consistently refused to cooperate with investigators.
London: A man who killed another man during a failed robbery and then fled to Pakistan to avoid capture has been sentenced to life in prison in the UK.

In 2016, while he and three other people Suraj Misty, 26, Lamar Wali, 23, and Sander van Aalten, 54attempted to rob Javeed's food warehouse in Birmingham, Tahir Zarif, 31, from Derby, shot Akhtar Javeed, 56.

One of the four knew the layout of the warehouse from prior employment there. Javeed was dragged to his safe, where Zarif shot him in the leg to force him to open it. The workers at the site were then tied up.

Also Read: Israel and Denmark are in discussions to replace the howitzers donated to Ukraine

Javeed eventually freed himself, but Zarif retaliated by shooting him in the chest and throat as he tried to flee. Javeed eventually collapsed after stumbling out of the warehouse and into the street.

Zarif departed the UK for Pakistan five days later. Two years after his arrest in Mirpur in 2018, he was extradited. Later, video footage of Zarif firing a machine gun while fleeing in Pakistan surfaced. Additional footage captured him grinning as he was formally apprehended by UK police on board his extradition flight to London.

Also Read: Filipino employee killed in Kuwait leaves Philippines in shock

Despite Zarif's claims that Javeed's death was an accident, the Coventry Crown Court sentenced him to a minimum of 30 years in prison for his "clear willingness to use the gun" and "intention to kill."

2016 saw the conviction and sentencing of his fellow robbers. Misty received a 23-year sentence for manslaughter, while Van Aalten and Wali received seven- and six-year sentences, respectively, for conspiring to commit robbery.

Following Zarif's sentencing, Javeed's daughter spoke to the media while requesting anonymity and said: "It's been six years and nine months since Tahir Zarif took my father's life.

Also Read: Former Covid aide is appointed by Biden as the new White House chief of staff

Since then, we have thought about my father every day. My father was an honourable gentleman, as I've said before.

"My father's wrongful death was caused by another man's greed. We appreciate the West Midlands Police's dedication to seeing that justice is done.
Ramallah: Many have condemned the killing of a Palestinian woman and eight other men by Israeli troops during their assault on Jenin on Thursday.

According to Arab News, 61-year-old Majida Obaid was inside her home and was in no danger from the advancing army. His family and the people of the town are in shock after the murder.

After her mother finished her morning prayers, her daughter, Kifaya Obaid, 26, a government employee, told Arab News she heard several gunshots right in front of their house around 9 a.m.

Also Read: Synagogue attack leaves seven dead as West Bank violence escalates.

"She looked out a window to see what was happening. And I was shocked to learn that in less than a minute she had been shot in the neck. She fell from her chair and was bleeding on the ground. Was. Was

Kifaya screamed and tried to use her hands to stop the blood. First aid was performed by volunteer paramedics, but Israeli forces opened fire on them. To save Majida from another blow, they dragged her out of the room.

Majida, the mother of six daughters and one son, lived in Jenin with her two daughters, Kifaya and Shireen.

Kifaya described his mother as a pious, simple woman who constantly prayed to God for a martyr's death. Kifaya claimed that she was fasting at the time of her death.

According to Kifaya, since they were firing at every moving target, never before had Israeli soldiers brutally targeted my home and my family.

Living at home without a mother will be challenging, but I am proud to be the daughter of a martyr." Her father, Omar Obaid, 58, who works in an Israeli factory, visited his wife as soon as her death was confirmed. returned home to attend the funeral.

Also Read: An Iranian cleric is against using force to enforce the hijab

His married daughters divided their time between Jordan and Beersheba in southern Israel. The last rites were postponed till the arrival of relatives.

Kifaya claimed she was still puzzled as to why Israeli soldiers targeted her mother when she was inside her home and expressed doubt that the murder would be thoroughly investigated.

He said, "No one has been held responsible, so I don't trust their investigation. What happened to Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh confirms my belief."

On May 11, 2022, an Israeli soldier shot and killed Abu Akleh, a Palestinian American journalist who spent 25 years covering Israeli raids in Jenin for Al Jazeera. According to Omar Obeid speaking to Arab News, "Israel's abhorrent occupation does not discriminate between a woman or a child."

What can we expect from these haters, he continued? Majida was killed by bullets that sat directly in his house. They didn't struggle or fire on the military to warrant such heinous treatment. "We have no confidence in their investigative work. No army in the world fires randomly as these killers do when they are shooting."

Also Read: Think tank at the Pentagon cautions against a "long war" in Ukraine

"This is something I never imagined. After he passes away, my life will be challenging and harsh, and I will miss him very much. Fatal Majida is the first lady of the year in Jenin. 34 out of 59 citizens who were killed in the city during fighting with Israel last year.
Jerusalem: Friday night, a Palestinian gunman opened fire outside an east Jerusalem synagogue, killing seven peopleincluding a woman in her 70sand injuring three more. He was later shot and killed by police, according to officials. It increased the likelihood of additional bloodshed and was the deadliest attack on Israelis in recent memory.



The assault took place a day after an Israeli military raid in the West Bank that left nine people dead. It happened as locals were observing the Jewish Sabbath. The shooting sparked celebrations in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, where people fired guns into the air, honked horns, and handed out candy.

The outbreak of violence has presented an early challenge for Israel's new government, which is predominated by ultranationalists who have pushed for a hard line against Palestinian violence. It also included a rocket barrage from Gaza and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes. Additionally, it tainted US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's Sunday visit to the area.

Also Read: NATO state unveiled its largest arms deal for Ukraine

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters at the national police headquarters in Israel that he had conducted a security assessment and made a decision on "immediate actions." After the Sabbath ended on Saturday, he declared that he would meet with his Security Cabinet to discuss an additional response.

Netanyahu chose not to go into further detail but promised that Israel would act "determinately and calmly." He urged the populace to refrain from enforcing the law themselves.

Speaking on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US strongly condemned the attack and was "shocked and saddened" by the lives lost.

Later on Friday, US officials revealed that President Joe Biden had spoken with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express US support for the Israeli government and people and to describe the shootings as "an attack against the civilised world." The call, according to the White House, "the President stressed the ironclad US commitment to Israel's security."

The shootings took place in Neve Yaakov, a neighbourhood with a sizable ultra-Orthodox population, according to Israeli police, and the shooter escaped in a car. According to the police, they pursued him and killed him after exchanging gunfire.

In addition to the shooter, Chief Doron Turjeman of the Jerusalem Police confirmed seven deaths and three injuries.

Also Read: German FM under fire for remark about "war with Russia"

A 21-year-old resident of east Jerusalem who appeared to act alone was the assailant, according to police. Turjeman pledged to make "significant and aggressive" efforts to find anyone who assisted him. A picture of the gun the police claim the attacker used was also made public by the police.

Yoav Gallant, Israel's defence minister, met with the military chief and other top security officials and gave them orders to support police and bolster security for Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and close to Jerusalem.

According to Gallant, "Israel's defence establishment will act decisively and firmly against terror and will reach anyone involved in the attack." Five men and two women, many of whom were in their 60s or older, were among the dead, according to Israel's MADA rescue service. A 15-year-old boy was recovering from surgery, according to Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the attack was the deadliest against Israelis since a shooting in 2008 that left eight people dead in a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem. It had the potential to prompt a stern response from Israel given the situation's timing and location.

Rockets fired by Gaza militants into southern Israel overnight on Thursday were all either intercepted or fell in open spaces. Israel's response was to attack targets in Gaza with airstrikes. There were no casualties reported, and before Friday night's shooting, tranquilly seemed to be settling in.

No one immediately took responsibility. The attack was "revenge and a natural response," according to Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem in Gaza, to the deadly military raid on Thursday.

Dozens of Palestinians gathered in impromptu demonstrations across the Gaza Strip to celebrate the attack in Jerusalem; some of them emerged from dessert shops carrying sizable trays of sweets to hand out.

Gunfire in celebration could be heard in Gaza City's downtown as cars honked and shouts of "God is great!" came from mosque loudspeakers. Palestinians lit off fireworks in a number of West Bank towns.

The raid in the town of Jenin on Thursday, which resulted in the deaths of nine people, including at least seven militants and a 61-year-old woman, increased tensions, which were already high. In the West Bank, it was the single deadliest raid in 20 years. Separate clashes close to Jerusalem resulted in the death of a tenth Palestinian.

As they laid the final victim of those killed a day earlier to rest, furious Palestinians marched on Friday.

After a 22-year-old Palestinian's funeral, fighting broke out between Israeli security forces and Palestinian protesters in the occupied West Bank and other locations, but for the majority of the day, peace reigned in the disputed capital of Jerusalem and the blockaded Gaza Strip.

That abruptly ended with the shooting in east Jerusalem, which former prime minister and opposition leader Yair Lapid called "horrific and heartbreaking."

Israel considers the religious Jewish community of Neve Yaakov to be a part of its capital's neighbourhood. While the Palestinians want east Jerusalem to serve as the capital of their future state, Israel claims that all of Jerusalem is its undivided capital.

The purpose of Blinken's journey will likely now be to ease tensions. He will probably talk about the root causes of the conflict, the goals of the new far-right government in Israel, and the PA's decision to stop security cooperation with Israel in retaliation for the raid.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby noted that the Biden administration has been in close contact with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in recent days, highlighting the "urgent need here for all parties to deescalate to prevent the further loss of civilian life and to work together to improve the security situation in the West Bank."

Since the militant group seized control of Gaza from adversarial forces in 2007, Israel and Hamas have engaged in four wars and a number of smaller skirmishes. Following a string of Palestinian attacks, Israel increased its raids in the West Bank last spring, which heightened tensions.

According to the leading Israeli rights organisation B'Tselem, 2022 was the deadliest year in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since 2004 with close to 150 Palestinian deaths. 30 people were killed in Palestinian attacks on Israelis last year.

Also Read: Why the US is genuinely concerned about Russia's Wagner in a private military competition

30 Palestinians have died this year so far, according to a tally by The Associated Press. Most of those killed, according to Israel, were militants. However, youths opposing the incursions and others who were not involved in the altercations have also perished.

Israel claims that the goals of its raids are to destroy militant networks and prevent attacks. The West Bank, east Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip were all taken by Israel during the Mideast War of 1967, adding to its 55-year, unrestricted occupation, according to the Palestinians.
Ukraine expects to receive 24 modern fighter jets, says Air Force Command 28 January, 04:57 PM Yuriy Ihnat (Photo:Air Force of Ukraine)

Ukraine expects to receive 24 modern fighter jets from partner nations, Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said in a comment to Spanish daily newspaper El Pais on Jan. 28.

The F-16 Fighting Falcon, a US multirole fighter aircraft, is seen as a priority, Ihnat said. Frances Rafale and Swedens Gripen are also under consideration.

But even once negotiations for the delivery of these jets will be completed, Ukraine will not be able to use them on the battlefield for months, as training of pilots and technicians will take at least half a year, Ihnat warned.

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U.S. political news outlet Politico reported on Jan. 26 that European countries had been discussing the supply of fighter jets to Ukraine, though a number NATO members raised concerns about perceived escalation on Russias side.

U.S. national security advisor Jon Finer stated that Washington would be discussing this idea "very carefully. Meanwhile, commenting on the F-16s for Ukraine, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said that the U.S. is going to continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs in the short term and the long term.



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France and Italy to buy 700 missiles for antimissile systems promised to Ukraine 28 January, 03:37 PM SAMP/T antimissile systems (Photo:French Ministry of Defense)

The Defense Ministers of France and Italy, Sebastien Lecornu and Guido Crosetto respectively, have agreed on the purchase of 700 Aster 30 missiles for SAMP/T antimissile systems, which Ukraine is expected to receive, the French publication L'Opinion reported on Jan. 27.

According to the publication, the deal was struck during Lecornus visit to Rome on Jan. 27.

This batch of Aster 30 missiles will cost about EUR 2 billion ($2.17 billion). However, it is not known exactly how many missiles will be transferred to the Ukrainian military.

Lecornu confirmed on Twitter that Ukraine was on the agenda of the meeting with his Italian counterpart.

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We shared a common commitment to continue supporting Ukraine, safeguard the Mediterranean Sea from new threats, and increase our joint production capabilities, in particular in the field of air defense, the French minister said.

Read also: France first to supply Ukraine with modern armored vehicles

At the end of December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Then it officially became known that Rome was considering the transfer of air defense systems to Ukraine.

Italys Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in an interview with Corriere della Sera on Jan. 21 that Rome and Paris were finalizing preparations for sending SAMP/T systems to Ukraine. He said Italy and France were planning other actions of support that were being worked on confidentially.



Read also: France starts work on special tribunal on Russian crimes of aggression

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Dela Rosa eyes AFP's 'best of the best' to implement ROTC program

SENATOR Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa on Wednesday announced that he is committed to ensuring that the "best of the best" in the Armed Forces of the Philippines will be the ones to manage the implementation of the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program to avoid abuses and corruption.

Dela Rosa, the chairperson of the Senate Subcommittee on Higher Education, Technical, and Vocational Education, made the commitment after the public hearing of the panel on his Senate Bill 1349, or the "Reserve Officers Training Corps for Tertiary Education Act of 2022," and five ROTC bills by other senators.

"Parang standard ng PMA ba. Kung gaano kagaling 'yung mga pinaglalagay do'n na mga superintendent, mga commandant, mga tactical officer ng PMA, talagang tinitingala ng kanilang mga peers, ng kanilang mga colleague na incorruptible, malinis, at magaling, may service reputation talaga, ay 'yun ang ilagay natin sa ROTC program. 'Yan ang sabi ko sa kanila kanina," Dela Rosa told reporters after the hearing.

The former top cop said qualified reservists in the military could also implement the ROTC program and not necessarily AFP ?personnel from active service.

"And kung kukulangin pa talaga, then, pwede tayong mag-recruit, additional recruitment. Every year naman tayong nagre-recruit ng additional na sundalo so dagdagan natin 'yung recruitment quota nila," he said.

Asked by the media, Dela Rosa said that even military reservist politicians and celebrities could be instructors in the ROTC as long as they are qualified.

If enacted into law, first-year and second-year students in tertiary education or college are mandated to undergo and finish the basic ROTC program.

The ROTC curriculum will be formulated by the Department of National Defense (DND) in coordination with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) based on general

objectives and purposes, which include broadening the base of the military reservists that can be mobilized anytime to defend the country, training on disaster risk reduction management and response, leadership training, and education on patriotism and love of country.

"So, based on these four objectives, magkakaroon tayo ng curriculum. So, hindi ito purely military tactics, siguro 50 percent lang dito o 60 percent ang...military training and tactics, at mayroong portion ito na kino-cover 'yung mga objective na sine-set natin," Dela Rosa said.
Israel supports Ukraine behind the scenes, says Israeli ambassador to Germany 28 January, 06:49 PM Ron Prosor (Photo:Ambassador Ron Prosor/Twitter)

Jerusalem supports Ukraine in its defense against the full-scale Russian invasion much more than the public knows, Israels ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, said in an interview with German newspaper Funke Mediengruppe, German public broadcaster DW reported on Jan. 28.

Prosor called for understanding of his countrys reserved position on this issue.

We have got Russians in Syria, the Israeli ambassador explained.

As you know, the Israeli army regularly stops the supply of weapons from Iran to Syria and Lebanon. Among them are Iranian drones and missiles that Russia uses in Ukraine.

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The ambassador cited the presence of a large Jewish community in Russia as the second reason why Israel is forced to act out of the public eye.

Israels ambassador to Ukraine, Michael Brodsky, had earlier said that Israels reserved approach in supporting Ukraine was a consequence of security agreements with Russia, which reportedly cannot be overridden.

On Oct. 23, 2022, U.S. newspaper The New York Times wrote that Jerusalem is secretly helping Kyiv with intelligence data, citing unnamed Ukrainian officials, particularly with intelligence that concerns Iranian-supplied kamikaze drones used by the Russian military.

The U.S. government has asked Israel to allow it to remove HAWK anti-aircraft missile stored in that country, in order to then transfer these missiles to Ukraine, U.S. news outlet Axios reported on Jan. 25. Israel has not officially denied the request, though all earlier requests for military aid have thus far been rebuffed.



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Ukraine to receive 321 tanks from Western partners in total, says ambassador to France 28 January, 11:58 AM Abrams tanks (Photo:REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo)

Western countries have promised to supply Ukraine with 321 modern tanks, Ukrainian Ambassador to France Vadym Omelchenko said during an interview with the French TV channel BFM, CNN reported on Jan. 27.

As of today, numerous countries have officially confirmed their agreement to deliver 321 heavy tanks to Ukraine, Omelchenko told BFM.

He did not specify which countries would provide the tanks or provide a breakdown of which models.

Delivery times are case-by-case and we need this help as soon as possible, he added.

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Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian army needed 300-500 tanks for the offensive.

In December 2022, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said in an interview with the UK magazine The Economist that Ukraine needs 300 tanks to push Russian forces back to the borders of Feb. 23, 2022.

Omelchenkos comment comes after the U.S. pledged to provide 31 M1 Abrams tanks and Germany agreed to send 14 Leopard 2 A6s. Previously, the United Kingdom pledged sending 14 Challenger 2 tanks, while Poland asked for approval from Germany to transfer some of its own German-made Leopard 2s to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said that on Jan. 27 the Ukrainian tank coalition already includes 12 countries.

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Representational image: Pixabay

The recent suicide of Prem Prasad Acharya in front of the federal parliament building in Kathmandu highlights the growing frustration and despair among the citizens of Nepal due to the prevalent issue of corruption in the country.

Transparency Internationals latest report has ranked Nepal 117th out of 180 countries in terms of corruption perception. This has not only had a detrimental effect on the economy but also on the lives of citizens who are struggling to make ends meet.

The number of suicide cases in Nepal has been alarmingly high in recent years. This is a clear indication of the deep-rooted social and economic problems that the country is facing.

So what happens after the death of Prem Prasad Acharya? Will Nepal see a fall in corruption? If yes, what should be done to effect such change?

The trigger for a new mechanism

Representational image. Photo: Pixabay

The case of Prem Prasad Acharya is a heartbreaking example of how the corrupt system has adversely impacted the lives of citizens.

He had been struggling with his business, foreign employment, and harassment from various financial institutions, banks, and individuals to whom he had taken loans. Despite his repeated attempts to seek help, he was met with apathy and indifference.

So what could have been done? The government should also establish a robust mechanism for addressing grievances and complaints related to financial institutions, banks, and individuals who engage in malpractice and harassment.

This can be achieved through the establishment of a dedicated agency or department that can investigate and prosecute such cases and provide support and assistance to victims of financial exploitation.

To prevent the deaths of other Prem Prasad Acharyas in the future, it is imperative that the government of Nepal take immediate action to address the underlying issues and problems faced by the people.

This includes implementing stricter laws to curb corruption, and providing support and assistance to small businesses and entrepreneurs. Then, it should also ensure that the citizens have access to basic necessities such as healthcare and education.

Moreover, the government should also work towards creating an environment that encourages transparency and accountability in all sectors. This can be achieved by promoting transparency in government procurement and contracts and by ensuring that all financial transactions are conducted in an open and transparent manner.

Additionally, the government should also increase public awareness about financial literacy and the rights of citizens and provide training and education on financial management to small businesses and entrepreneurs.

An opportunity for the government

The incident of Prem Prasad Acharya serves as a tragic reminder of the dire consequences of corruption and the urgent need for action.

But, it is also a lesson to learn, and if learnt correctly, it can be an opportunity for the government to correct its public image. For this, the government of Nepal must take responsibility for the well-being of its citizens and strive towards creating a more just and equitable society.

Only then can we hope to prevent incidents like the suicide of Prem Prasad Acharya from happening in the future. It is important to create a system where people can trust the government and feel safe to report corruption without fear of retaliation.

Furthermore, the government should take steps to increase transparency and accountability in its institutions while also providing better access to justice for its citizens.
Members of the public stage a demonstration in Kathmandu calling the government to address concerns raised by Prem Prasad Acharya, who killed himself in Kathmandu, on January 25, 2023. Photo: Chandra Bahadur Ale

Prem Prasad Acharya self-immolating in front of the parliament building on Tuesday with hundreds looking on has posed some serious questions.

His death on Wednesday has posed even more questions to the government along with the capitalist society. Acharya left with questions that those in power must answer. These questions are strong and affect every member of the public. Maybe that is why the Council of Ministers, on Wednesday, met promising to discuss those questions in the coming days. It was followed by the Ministry of Home Affairs decision to commission a committee.

One thing is clear, when the rule of law is weak, those who do not have access to people in power feel helpless. This results in a person losing all hope and faith and that is when they realise how weak they are and give up on the will to live.

Taking another persons life or ones own is a crime. However, sometimes such offences turn into rebellion. After all, is not it the way the state is run that is pushing people to do this? Maybe we need to look into Prem Prasad Acharyas death from that perspective.

Maybe it is time we started looking for how the state has become compliant in all this as others like Acharya are also taking these steps. The government knows this. But how long can they stall the people and find out why all of this is happening?

Big questions to the biggies

Representational image

The death of Prem Prasad Acharya has indicated that dissatisfaction is growing in Kathmandu, the centre of state power. People are making this known. In the recent elections, people chose to not vote for the status quo. There have been protests demanding a better country and self-immolation incidents like this just show how frustrated people are to the point they are willing to light themselves on fire in the middle of the road.

Why do people live under the control of a state? Because they believe that it will protect their life and property when in trouble. But, when they feel that the state system is only there to discourage and rob them, they realise enough is enough.

This incident has rocked Nepali society too. It is not just the government or those in power that have been affected by it. It has also affected the business, labour and finance sectors too.

Nepal is a country where many young men and women in a foreign land are coming home in wooden boxes. Nepal is a country where an ambulance arrives to pick up the body of a dead person who was travelling on a bus as he did not have money for an ambulance. Nepal is a country where government distributes firewood after hearing news of people dying due to cold. Nepal is a broken country.

Frustrated with all this, some people walk to Maitighar Mandala with a question  is this a country or a slaughterhouse?

The contradiction of having to listen to the dream of prosperity in speeches and having to live a life of scarcity every day is increasing frustration among the citizens. One persons despair is slowly being turned into the despair of the masses. If the government wants to stop this, it needs to be alert that what happened in Kathmandu on Tuesday does not happen again. It needs to create an environment for people to live freely in the country, if not, a storm is brewing and the government will not know what hit them.

Sure, not everything we do in life will be successful. Prem Prasad Acharya too failed in ventures he had invested in. Frustrated, he decided to give up on living. But he left with an important question  Is this country for only the corrupt and not for those who work hard?

Let them work

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Acharya felt that he was robbed by everyone from banks to insurance, from government offices to big businesses. He has listed the atrocities committed against him in his note. His series of struggles for success in life is amazing.

His 6,553-word note will bring a tear to anyones eye. If we separate the emotion from the note, one will find how he has tried to highlight our social financial structure on it.

He said he was sacrificing his life so that the government would listen to his suffering and pain. This step of him has also raised questions about our social structure and political system, which do not listen to and understand a citizen until he chooses the path of death. Before setting his body on fire, he made a disappointing conclusion about the country, This country is corrupt; there is discrimination and injustice here step by step.

What will happen if the state does not regulate the market system? Prem Prasad Acharyas self-immolation is a part of the price being paid by the young generation who are trying to venture into entrepreneurship today.

Looking at the complaints he published on social media, it looks like a systematic demand letter. In it, he has said that some families and foreign companies have captured the Nepali market and have demanded the government free it from them.

He has also asked the government to make it mandatory for businesses to pre-pay so that the farmer is not discouraged. Demands have been raised to discourage corruption during grant distribution, and labour approval and asked to end the middlemens role. However, this is not the first time he or anyone else has raised such a demand.

Revolution in the offing

James DeFronzo, a sociologist at the University of Connecticut, is famous for his theory of revolution. He has argued that collective despair arises from the phenomenon of relative scarcity.

The primary task of revolutionary ideology is to provide as many people as possible with the same or compatible view of the need for social change so that they will be motivated to help in the revolutionary struggle, he says.

In his understanding, for rebellion, the nation needs to go through such a historical process where the sharp decline in the economy limits the physical living conditions and capabilities of the citizens. As the gap between the peoples expectations and the governments ability to meet those expectations increases, extreme frustration is born among the citizens.

Image by No-longer-here from Pixabay

Millions of young people have to go abroad as they see no future in the country. All they see are the same old men ruling one by one. They see these men as opportunists who do not understand how to create a fair system for fall. All these leaders have been able to do is create insensitive mechanisms, and poor economic policies and promote corruption. Everyone knows this, but nothing has changed in the country resulting in Prem Prasad Acharya feeling helpless.

Even the newly elected leaders did not give Acharya hope. On his note, he has asked the leaders to open their eyes and solve issues that are plaguing the common people.

The spark of the powerful Arab revolution, which led to a coup in the entire Middle East and Arab countries, started with the self-immolation of educated unemployed youth in Tunisia.

At the end of 2010, the demonstration that started after 26-year-old Mohamed Bouazizi self-immolated in Tunisia turned into a massive mass movement and he became the hero of the revolution that brought down the Arab dictator. That revolution spread beyond the borders of one country and spread throughout the Middle East and Arab countries.

The Arab Spring that started after Bouazizi set himself on fire after not being able to do business in the street market succeeded in overthrowing President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who had been ruling for 23 years. Ben Ali and his family, who fled the country, were also charged with crimes against humanity and corruption.

The Arab revolution was born out of a struggle between wealthy rulers and citizens with a low standard of living. This shows that the choices of the oppressed citizens are becoming narrow due to the excesses imposed by corruption, bureaucracy and bureaucracy.

Here in Nepal, Prem Prasad Acharya has written in the note, I wanted to have fun with my daughters, I wanted to make them good citizens, I wanted to keep my wife in my arms forever. But all these are just desires. Where do I go? Who do I tell?

Bouazizis last words were also similar. Before setting himself on fire, he questioned  How do you still want me to live?

This story was translated from the original Nepali version and edited for clarity and length.
Have a story idea or tip about something happening in the East Village? Or maybe a photo? Or several photos? Or video! We'd love to hear about it. Or see it. Or something. Please go here to submit a tip.
By Nate Raymond and Brendan O'Boyle

MEXICO CITY, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Five U.S. gun dealers filed a motion late Friday in a U.S. court to dismiss a lawsuit by Mexico accusing them of participating in illicit weapons trafficking.

Mexico's government filed the suit in October, arguing that the five dealers in Arizona were responsible for selling guns. It said that those guns ended up in the possession of people who moved them across the nearby border with Mexico.

Mexico has strict gun laws, but the government alleges that drug cartels use guns purchased in the United States to commit crimes in Mexico.

The motion, filed in a U.S. district court in Arizona, says the dealers are protected by the U.S. Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA), a 2005 law that shields gun makers and sellers from liability when their products are used in a crime.

Mexico's lawsuit against the dealers in October came days after a U.S. federal judge in late September dismissed Mexico's historic $10 billion lawsuit against U.S. gun manufacturers seeking to hold them responsible for facilitating the trafficking of weapons to drug cartels.

The judge in that case cited the PLCAA in his decision, which Mexico is appealing.

"As expected, the defendants argue that they can continue to sell weapons to anyone," said Alejandro Celorio, top legal adviser for Mexico's foreign ministry.

"They point out that there is nothing the Mexican government can do to stop it or hold them accountable," he told Reuters on Saturday.

Celorio told Reuters in October that Mexico's lawsuits aim to address the "root causes" of gun violence in Mexico.

Lawyers for the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment. M (Reporting by Brendan O'Boyle and Nate Raymond; editing by Diane Craft)
At a time when regulators are scrutinizing the crypto industry like never before, digital assets bank Custodia hoped the U.S. government would welcome its compliance-first business strategy. The central bank saw it differently, however, and rejected the Wyoming-based bank's application for membership in the Federal Reserve System.

The firm's novel business model and proposed focus on crypto-assets presented significant safety and soundness risks, said the Federal Reserve in a press release.

Caitlin Long, CEO and co-founder of Custodia, decried the Feds decision and reaffirmed the validity of her application. Custodia offered a safe, federally-regulated, solvent alternative to the reckless speculators and grifters of crypto that penetrated the U.S. banking system she said in a statement posted to Twitter.

https://twitter.com/custodiabank/status/1619009284314120192

Membership in the Federal Reserve System allows any state-chartered bank access to tax benefits, investment opportunities, and other conveniences. But what was maybe even more important for Custodia was the potential for a substantial public relations win, a chance to show cryptocurrencys increasing acceptance at the highest levels of government.

The denial of Custodia is yet another example of the federal governments increasingly assertive approach to crypto in the past few months, as the SEC and DOJ have launched primetime investigations into the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, and Congress has treated cryptocurrency regulation as a hot-button issue

And Long, a veteran of Wall Street who has helped pass 24 crypto-friendly laws in Wyoming as of 2021, was not deterred by the Feds decision. The Boards denial is unfortunate but consistent with the concerns Custodia has raised about the Federal Reserves handling of its applications, an issue we will continue to litigate, she said in her statement.

Long's comment refers to a lawsuit that Custodia brought against the central bank over the Fed's long delay in ruling on Custodia's application for a master accounta key permission that lets banks transfer funds with each other and the Fed directly favorable rates. In its complaint, Custodia asked a federal judge not only to process its application but to give it a favorable ruling. Long's comment suggests the company will litigate the merit of this week's decision by the Fed.

Story continues

Despite the denial of Custodias application, the Fed said in an accompanying press release that it was open to granting membership to banks who hold crypto assets if their safekeeping services are conducted in a safe and sound manner and in compliance with consumer, anti-money laundering and anti-terrorist financing laws.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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Bob Iger just put his foot down and told Disney employees to come back into the office
(Corrects to add media slug, no change to text)

TOKYO, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Japan is considering relaxing controls on exports to South Korea as President Yoon Suk-yeol seeks to improve bilateral ties amid a strained East Asian security environment, the Sankei newspaper reported on Saturday.

Tokyo will decide whether to ease the curbs on shipping high-tech materials, which it imposed in 2019 over a dispute about Japan's wartime forced labour of Korean workers, as the neighbouring countries hold a series of talks aimed at solving the dispute, Sankei said, citing government sources it did not name. (Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by William Mallard)
NNIT A/S

The Danish Business Authority has conducted a compliance review of NNIT A/S annual reports as stated in company announcement 12/2022. Following dialogue with NNIT, the Danish Business Authority has made a final decision affirming that the earn out payment related to the acquisition of Excellis Health Solutions should not be included in capitalized acquisition costs and goodwill, but instead expensed as remuneration as the earn out is in part subject to the selling shareholders continued employment during the accrual period.

In consequence, NNIT is required to update its accounting treatment of earn-out payment in the annual reports from goodwill to special items as outlined below. A similar approach will be applied to the recognition of earn out payments for other acquisitions, including SCALES, Valiance Partner, HGP Group, SL Controls and prime4services.

The technical changes to historical accounting policies will have no impact on total cash flow or the planned divestment of NNITs Infrastructure Operations Business.

Impact on accumulated profit before tax

The preliminary accumulated profit before tax impact for the period 2017-2021 is approximately DKK 165 million, which will mainly increase special items. The future impact for 2022-2025 related to earn-out payments concerning the acquisition of Excellis Health Solutions and other acquired companies is estimated in the range of DKK 100-150 million, depending on performance, and will increase special items only, with no impact on total cash flow.

NNIT A/S intends to publish supplemental/corrective information to its annual report for 2021, including comparative numbers for 2020, as soon as possible.

NNIT A/S disagrees with the decision and considers it to be of principled nature for strategic acquisitions in the Danish IT service industry, hence intends to appeal the decision to the Danish Commerce and Companies Appeals Board.





Contact for further information

Carsten Ringius

EVP & CFO

Tel: +45 3077 8888

carr@nnit.com

Story continues

Media Relations

Tina Joanne Hindsbo

Media Relations Manager

Tel: +45 3077 9578

tnjh@nnit.com

The NNIT Group provides a wide range of IT and consulting services internationally.

In Denmark, where the Group HQ is based, we are one of the leading IT companies, servicing both private and public sector customers across all industries. In the rest of Europe, Asia and USA, we are solely focused on companies within life sciences.

Supporting the entire supply chain, we help optimize internal company processes, production, sales and customer experiences:

We advise, build, operate and support, enabling digital transformation and customers to reap the full potential of their organizations. Our role is to foster innovation and make the mark our customers and we aspire to. The NNIT Group consists of group company NNIT A/S and subsidiaries SCALES, Excellis Health Solutions and SL Controls. Read more at www.nnit.com.

Attachment




For the first time in four years, Oklahoma's Teacher of the Year made the short list for the country's top teacher award.

Tulsa Union High School's Rebecka Peterson is one of five finalists for 2023 National Teacher of the Year.

"When I got the call, I really think that my heart stopped for a second," Peterson said. "It was just so surreal."

Finalists were chosen from a pool of 55 educators representing every U.S. state, extra-state territories, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity. The Council of Chief State School Officers will announce the winner later this spring after the five finalists complete interviews with the award's selection committee.

Cindy Johnson, of Collinsville High School, left, and Juan Renteria Jr., of Truman Elementary, right, react March 3, 2022, as Rebecka Peterson, of Union High School, is announced as the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year 2022 at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

Oklahoma last had a finalist for the national award in 2019 with Donna Gradel, of Broken Arrow. No teacher from the state has been crowned National Teacher of the Year since Lawana Trout, of Sand Springs, in 1964.

Peterson teaches 10th-12th grade math and boasts an 87% pass rate from her Advanced Placement calculus class, far outstripping the state average of 47% in the subject. Like all winners of Oklahoma's highest teaching honor, she is taking a yearlong hiatus from the classroom to serve as an ambassador for the teaching profession.

If Peterson were to win National Teacher of the Year, she would spend another year as an ambassador for teachers throughout the U.S.

Rebecka Peterson, of Union High School, is announced as the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year 2022 on March 3, 2022, at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

She joins Harlee Harvey, of Alaska; Carolyn Kielma, of Connecticut; Jermar Rountree, of the District of Columbia; and Kimberly Radostits, of Illinois, as a finalist for the national teaching award.

Peterson, who has taught for 14 years, said her first objective in the classroom is to foster a sense of belonging by learning her students' backgrounds and sharing her own story as a child of a Swedish-Iranian immigrant family, according to her application for the national award.

Establishing trust with students is essential to being able to push them mathematically, she said.

"Math is quite stigmatized in our culture. Its like weve tied your math ability to your intelligence," Peterson said. "Because of that stigma, so many students are so scared to make mistakes and are so scared to fail, but that's how we learn.

Story continues

"Once they know my story and I know their stories, we build this trust and they know, 'Mrs. P's got me. She's in my corner. She would not push me if she didn't think I could handle it.'"

Then-state schools Superintendent Joy Hofmeister awards Rebecka Peterson, of Union High School, as the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year 2022 on March 3, 2022, at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

She took a similar approach to her Oklahoma Teacher of the Year tenure, traveling to all 77 counties and listening to teachers' stories in every corner of the state. The series is called "Teachers of Oklahoma."

Peterson said she receives the same response in every interview as to why each teacher stays in the classroom  the students. Or as every interviewee says: "My kids."

The answer has been similarly consistent, she said, to how Oklahoma  a state that has lost thousands of teachers a year for the past decade  could recruit and retain more highly effective educators in public schools.

"Money does come up, but unequivocally teachers say, 'We need to be appreciated and respected,'" Peterson said. "It simultaneously mends and breaks my heart because that seems like the bare minimum we could do.

"The only way we win, the only way our kids win, is if we lock arms and do this work together and put aside any differences and insist that we belong to each other."

Reporter Nuria Martinez-Keel covers K-12 and higher education throughout the state of Oklahoma. Have a story idea for Nuria? She can be reached at nmartinez-keel@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @NuriaMKeel. Support Nurias work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Tulsa Union High School teacher up for National Teacher of the Year
Pakistan, Russia reaffirm commitment to peace, stability in Afghanistan

Xinhua) 08:13, January 28, 2023

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan and Russia reaffirmed their commitment to continuing practical engagement with the Afghan authorities to ensure stability and peace in the war-torn country, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

The two sides also expressed their commitment to joint efforts to solve issues related to regional security, said the ministry in a statement.

The statement came after a meeting between Russian Special Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar here Wednesday.

Both sides agreed to remain actively engaged to promote peace, stability and economic development in the region for the welfare of the people.

Underscoring that a peaceful neighborhood remained a strategic imperative for Pakistan, Khar stressed that Afghanistan, with its location as a bridge between Central Asia and South Asia, is central to achieving the full potential of socio-economic development and regional connectivity.

The minister also reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to working with other regional countries to achieve the goals.

He urged the international community to extend assistance and support in order to address urgent humanitarian needs and to provide a sustainable pathway for Afghanistan's prosperity and development.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Press Release

January 27, 2023 STATEMENT OF SENATOR RISA HONTIVEROS ON THE ICC DECISION TO RESUME PROBE IN THE PH BLOODY WAR ON DRUGS I welcome, with renewed hope, the ICC's decision to resume the investigation of the bloody war on drugs in the Philippines. I hope the president adheres to international law and the Rome Statute as part of our commitment to the community of nations against state sponsored impunity. I previously welcomed the commitment of the SOJ Remulla to provide information to the ICC, "in the spirit of comity". Now, I hope for the cooperation of all agencies involved so we may give justice and peace of mind to all the victims. The ICC is filling a long-standing vacuum in the investigation of the state-sponsored "tokhang". The government itself cannot credibly investigate murders allegedly committed by government agents as part of government policy. Justice requires that an impartial body investigate killings connected to the so-called war on drugs. Justice is not fully served when only the foot soldiers are behind bars. The PBBM administration has actively engaged with the wider international community, in contrast to the previous administration, and so it should be necessary for the current admin to express the Philippines' cooperation with the ICC investigation. This increased international participation also makes it only appropriate for the Philippine gov't to rejoin as a state party to the Rome Statute as soon as possible. I would like to stress our solidarity with the families of Kian delos Santos, Carl Angelo Arnaiz, Reynaldo "Kulot" de Guzman, and thousands of other Filipino families who have had to endure harrowing moments because of state-sponsored impunity. We will never forget. There is overwhelming evidence that the war on drugs carried out widespread and systematic violations of human rights. Let justice be done.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo by ALEXEI DRUZHININ/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images

The European Union's upcoming ban on Russian oil products could spell more turmoil for the Kremlin.

China and India are unlikely to buy refined Russian fuels that were once sold to the EU, which will ban them on February 5.

That's in contrast to Russian crude oil, which were snapped up by China and India after Europe shunned those supplies.

Russia faces new sanctions on its energy exports, but this time China and India may not come to President Vladimir Putin's rescue.

The European Union will ban imports of refined Russian fuels on February 5, adding to its embargo on seaborne Russian crude oil that began in December.

But while China and India eagerly snapped up discounted supplies of Russian crude that Europe shunned, they are unlikely to buy refined Russian fuels that were once sold to the EU.

"Both are net exporters of products, so there's no need for them to be importing more," Viktor Katona, lead crude analyst at Kpler, told Insider.

Russian fuels could instead find buyers in Singapore and Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, then head to larger Asian markets from there, but not the big ones, he added.

Russian products could also flow to West Africa and Latin America, while Europe will likely start sourcing more of its diesel from the US and Asia in a "round of musical chairs," Katona said.

China and India produce fuels at their own refineries that could also supply Europe. In fact, a Chinese cargo is already headed to Latvia, according to the Financial Times, despite the extra time and cost of shipping across such distances.

In addition, a ban on Russian fuels could give both China and India more room to bargain for any supplies they do end up buying, according to Morningstar energy and utilities strategist Stephen Ellis.

Looming over the fuel market is a price cap on Russian fuels. Similar to the oil price cap, the EU and G7 plan to bar other countries from accessing insurance and shipping services unless they abide by a cap on refined products.

Story continues

EU officials are considering a cap of $100 per barrel for Russian diesel and a cap of $45 a barrel for Russian fuel oil, sources told Bloomberg.

However, Moscow wouldn't be helpless. Russia could refine less fuel but keep oil production stable, resulting in even more crude exports to India and China, Katona said.

The Kremlin could also "weaponize refined products by cutting exports," said Ellis. That would eventually result in lower supplies for Europe.

"China will likely to have to use its own products, reducing refined products exports from China that would have otherwise been available to EU buyers," he said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Meeting comes as South Texas Blood & Tissue marks fifth anniversary of program designed to boost survival in trauma cases

Donor-patient meeting at South Texas Blood & Tissue event

Mayah Zamora (right), a survivor of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022, takes a selfie with Adrianna Garcia, a senior at Poteet (Texas) High School whose first-ever blood donation went to one of the emergency transfusions Zamora received. The donor and patient met for the first time at the fifth anniversary celebration of the Heroes in Arms program, held at South Texas Blood & Tissue on Jan. 28. Heroes in Arms supplies emergency responders with blood that can be transfused to any patient in emergency trauma situations.

A survivor and her parents

Mayah Zamora (left) speaks to news media as her parents, Christina and Ruben, look on. Mayah Zamora, a survivor of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in May 2022, met three of the donors who gave some of the blood she received during emergency treatment. The meeting took place during the fifth anniversary celebration of the Heroes in Arms program, held at South Texas Blood & Tissue on Jan. 28. Heroes in Arms supplies emergency responders with blood that can be transfused to any patient in emergency trauma situations.

San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A 10-year-old survivor of the Uvalde school shooting and her parents got to thank another set of life-savers  her blood donors  on Saturday as South Texas Blood & Tissue marked the fifth anniversary of a lifesaving whole-blood donor program.

Christina and Ruben Zamora have met and thanked everyone from emergency medical technicians to trauma surgeons involved in the care of their daughter Mayah, who was injured in the shooting at Robb Elementary School in May 2022.

But Saturday was the first time for them to meet those who gave the blood, including a 17-year-old girl whose first-ever donation was used as part of emergency treatment.

Were forever grateful to the people who saved my life, Mayah said, and I hope my story will let people know how important donating blood is to saving lives.

Among the donors at the event whose blood helped save Mayah was 17-year-old Adrianna Garcia, whose donation at a drive at Poteet High School was her first. Mayah and her family also got to meet donors Larry Whatley, who has been giving blood since 1976, and Sylvia Enriquez.

Mayah received specially screened blood from the South Texas Blood & Tissue Heroes in Arms program, which supplies emergency responders with blood that can be transfused to any patient in emergency trauma situations, as opposed to once the patient reaches the hospital. She also received O-negative blood, which is given in many cases to pediatric patients.

What were seeing here today is living proof that this program makes a difference, said Dr. Ronald M. Stewart, a surgeon at University Healths Level I trauma center and Chair of the Department of Surgery at UT Health San Antonio.

Stewart told Mayahs parents that she survived the helicopter trip to University Hospitals trauma center because of blood transfusions. As a result, Christina and Ruben Zamora have become strong advocates for blood donations.

Story continues

Youve got to make something good out of something so bad, Christina Zamora said. This is something that is part of the good that she can do.

Ruben Zamora encouraged people across South Texas to donate.

Im going to be the second one in my family to give blood, and Im terrified, but Mayah said she would hold my hand, he said.

Adrienne Mendoza, Chief Operating Officer, South Texas Blood & Tissue, which is a subsidiary of San Antonio nonprofit BioBridge Global, highlighted the need for blood at all times.

Mayahs story, for us, is a powerful symbol of the need for all kinds of donors and the need for donors to continue to give blood, she said. We hope people realize the need.

It was the blood given by generous donors in the days ahead of Uvalde that was ready for Mayah that tragic day, she said. By becoming a regular blood donor and giving four times a year, youll help our community be ready at any time for any tragedy or need.

The meeting between the 10-year-old patient and some of her blood donors was part of a transformative day for Heroes in Arms, the first civilian program in the country designed to save lives through blood donation in emergency vehicles.

Saturday marked the re-branding of the program, which launched five years ago as Brothers in Arms, seeking male donors with type O-positive blood and low levels of certain antibodies. A combination of greater demand and new screening has allowed South Texas Blood & Tissue to open the program to certain female donors  hence, the name change to Heroes in Arms.

The program provides whole blood to emergency responders and follows research by the U.S. Army showing improved survival rates for trauma patients who were transfused whole blood, as opposed to blood that has been separated into its three major components (plasma, platelets and red cells.)

A study published in the Annals of Surgery journal last year confirmed the statistics from the military.

Compared with BCT [blood component therapy] the use of WB [whole blood] was associated with a 48% reduction in mortality in trauma patients, the studys conclusions said. Our study supports the use of WB use in the resuscitation of trauma patients.

The whole blood program was launched in conjunction with the South Texas Regional Advisory Council, which coordinates emergency care in 22 counties, and major medical helicopter services. It since has expanded to the citys two level 1 trauma centers, University Hospital and San Antonio Military Medical Center, as well as San Antonio Fire Department units, and hospitals and EMS services throughout the region.

The concept of whole-blood transfusion was pioneered in South Texas by Dr. Donald Jenkins, who worked on a similar program for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and a pilot program at the Mayo Clinic before coming to University Health System and UT Health San Antonio.

In one of the fastest-growing regions in the country, the demand for blood in trauma situations has created a need for an expanded donor pool to join this program. Women who have never been pregnant and have low levels of certain antibodies are eligible to be Heroes in Arms donors, as pregnancy tends to produce higher levels of antibodies.

For more information, donors can call 210-731-5590 or visit SouthTexasBlood.org.

About South Texas Blood & Tissue: South Texas Blood & Tissue (STB&T) is a nonprofit community blood center that provides blood, plasma, platelets and other blood components to 100 hospitals in 48 South Texas counties. It is the largest blood supplier in our region. In addition, STB&T supports the development of advanced therapies, including those derived from donated human cells and tissues used in research and in new therapies and cures for cancers and degenerative diseases. Through the generous life-legacy gifts of human tissue, STB&T also supports development of tissue allografts for patients in need of reconstructive surgery, repair or tissue regeneration. South Texas Blood & Tissue has a 49-year history serving the South Texas community and is part of the BioBridge Global family of nonprofit organizations, which offers services in regenerative medicine and research including blood banking and resource management; cellular therapy; umbilical cord blood collection and storage; donated human tissue recovery and distribution for transplant; and testing of blood and plasma to help patients in the United States and worldwide. STB&T has nine donor centers in South Texas and conducts hundreds of mobile blood drives each year. Learn more at SouthTexasBlood.org .

About BioBridge Global: BioBridge Global (BBG) is a San Antonio-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit regenerative medicine enterprise that offers diverse services through its subsidiaries  South Texas Blood & Tissue, QualTex Laboratories, GenCure and The Blood & Tissue Center Foundation. BBG provides products and services in blood resource management, cellular therapy, donated umbilical cord blood and human tissue, as well as testing of blood, plasma and tissue products for clients in the United States and worldwide. BBG is committed to saving and enhancing lives through the healing power of human cells and tissue. It enables advances in the field of regenerative medicine by providing access to human cells and tissue, testing services and biomanufacturing and clinical trials support. Learn more at BioBridgeGlobal.org .

Attachments

CONTACT: Roger Ruiz BioBridge Global 210-296-9026 Roger.Ruiz@biobridgeglobal.org




This week my family marked the two-year anniversary of the passing our of matriarch, my beloved grandmother, Dolores Miller. I have been thinking about her and her legacy a lot this week. Four years ago, on the occasion of her 90th birthday, I wrote the following tribute. The words and the sentiments behind them mean even more today than they did then. I hope they move you to live your life like she did, with a love for God and a love for others in your heart. Enjoy.

***

My grandmother, Dolores Miller, turned 90 years old this week. This incredible milestone has caused me to reflect not just on her life, but on the world events that she has lived through during her near 100 years on this earth.

She was a little girl during the Great Depression. Her mother made her dresses out of chicken feed sacks.

She came of age during World War II and worked for the Navy at Fort Eustis. She remembers rationing and breadlines. I grew up hearing stories of how her and her friends used eye pencil to draw a line up the back of their legs so that it would look like they were wearing stockings. She watched news reels of the atrocities taking place overseas.

My grandmother lived through Pearl Harbor, the civil rights movement, the Hindenburg crash, the Cuban missile crisis, the feminist movement, the Texas clock tower shooting, the assassination of JFK, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Vietnam, the Korean War, Chernobyl, the Cold War, the LA riots, Sept. 11th, the Oklahoma City bombing, the list goes on and on.

During these horrific tragedies, people questioned the state of the world in which they lived. They asked themselves the same questions that we are asking now. How could such horrible things happen? Why would God allow it? How do we heal the divide? How can we go on in the face of such tragedy, violence and evil?

I believe the answer can be found in the way my grandmother has lived her life. We live our lives to the fullest. We unconditionally love those around us with a fierce passion. We give of ourselves to serve others with our time and talents.

My grandmother has dedicated her life to others through service to God, family and her church. She faithfully served as an elder, secretary and Sunday school teacher for over 30 years. Every Sunday you would find her raising her hands in praise to the Lord as she sang with the church choir.

She helped my mother raise me and my little brothers when my father walked out the door. She became a surrogate grandmother to the children she taught through her role as a school teacher and nursery worker.

She lived large. She loved to dance to the big bands like the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Every summer included extended trips to Atlantic City (before the casinos took over), long days spent on the beach, and nightly strolls on the Boardwalk.

The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the church in Rome, told the Christians there to . . . not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:20). A quick glance through history proves that there has always been evil in the world. Sadly, as long man has free will, some men will choose to hurt and harm those around them.

In the face of this sickening reality, we must choose the good. We cannot allow ourselves to live in fear or to be overcome by evil, hate and bitterness. No, instead we do what my grandmother and countless others before her have done.

We live well and love well. That is the answer to how we go on from these tragedies. We cherish every moment in honor of those who had their moments cut short. We look for ways to serve those around us. We give of our time, talents and finances. We love others unconditionally. We seek God on a daily basisfor the strength to get through the dark days and to thank Him for the good.

Thank you, Maw, for being such a wonderful example of a life well-lived and well-loved.
In a steel structure on the banks of the Potomac River, where loud booms from the Navy base at Dahlgren blend into the background and an eagle watches from its tree perch, a handful of craftsman are building a high-performance, high-priced, light and very fast catamaran boat.

The craft will be used, not for weekend fishing trips or hauling oyster pots, but adventures in the deep blue sea. The 42-foot Schionning Arrow 1280S will be an oceangoing vessel, worth upward of three-quarters of a million dollars.

Were more like, at the four-door Ferrari end of the spectrum, said Ridge Turner, a King George County native and the owner and founder of Ojigwan Yachts.

Turner and his team may be the only people this side of the Atlantic Ocean doing such work. Theyre taking precut pieces from an Australian company, assembling them, sort of in Ikea fashion, except theres extensive labor involved with gluing and sanding, finishing and painting.

You have to touch every surface of the boat anywhere from seven to 11 times, Turner said. As far as I know right now, we are the only humans in America building boats like this, as others went bankrupt or moved to the southern hemisphere, primarily for cheaper labor.

Deciding to build his dream boat wasnt the first time that Turner, who turns 43 next week, dipped his toe into the water. He grew up on it.

His full name is Horatio Whitridge Turner V, but he goes by Ridge. When his father, the IV, retired 29 years ago from the Navy, the family sailed to Venezuela. Ridge Turner was 14 at the time.

That was sort of when I first got the bug and an experience of water sailing. Years later, I sort of rediscovered the love, I was racing in the Chesapeake Bay, doing offshore races in the Atlantic, Marblehead, Halifax, Bermuda, stuff like that, he said.

Then he had a crazy idea of living on a catamaran, so he sold a perfectly good house, docked his boat on Solomons Island in southern Maryland for seven years and sailed up and down the East Coast.

Turner has a master captains license from the Coast Guard. Hes certified to handle vessels up to 100 tons.

At the start of an interview, Turner confesses that hes verbose and loquacious  and hes not kidding. Hes like a bilge system on a boat except he pumps out information, technical details by the tonnage, about the processes involved and how hes using what hes learned in his day job to keep the five-year-old business afloat.

Turner works as a civilian with one of the Navys aircraft platforms at Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent, Maryland. He has more than 14 years experience, managing multiple system upgrades, each totaling more than $30 million with teams of more than 30 members, according to the Ojigwan website.

Even so, the work being done in the shed as its called, with its 20-foot high ceilings and 1,800 square feet of climate-controlled space, is new to him.

Ive worked on boats my whole life, but Ive never done anything like this, Turner said.

A crossroads

Turner found himself at a figurative crossroads during the earlier years he lived on a boat. He had gotten married, and while Jessie Turner wasnt a born sailor, she enjoyed the activity and supported him. They were sailing in the Bahamas when he got an offer to work in New Zealand.

He wondered if he should sail to the land of the Maori or return to Pax River and work with some really exciting new technology with the Navy. Turner also wanted a faster boat.

A sailing mentor who had built boats suggested Turner take all the things hed learned over his lifetime on the water and put it, and sweat equity, into building his dream boat.

And so we could sort of afford to build a boat that we couldnt afford to buy, Turner said.

He expects the 42-foot catamaran to be worth between $650,000 and $800,000 when all is said and done.

Turner took the plunge and started Ojigwan Yachts in 2017. He never planned, or expected, to make money, but went into business primarily to get wholesale prices on tools and materials. He already seems to have a contact in every port, but the business has helped him establish others, many in the southern hemisphere.

His mentor pledged to be with him every step of the way. The Turners assumed an incredibly frugal lifestyle, living in a cottage on his parents Dahlgren farm, not far from the steel shed. He used his life savings as well as money borrowed from retirement funds.

Then a few changes rocked the boat. The sailing friend couldnt pass up the opportunity to work with the Americas Cup team, and Turner lost one of his primary sources of knowledge.

But he and Jessie also gained another family member. A year ago, they had a son, Horatio, whose full name is Horatio Whitridge Turner VI.

Its tough having a 40-hour a week job, a 2-hour commute, and then nights and weekends here (at the shop) and having a 1-year-old, Turner said. It is a lot to balance, but you gotta do it. Family comes first.

A good challenge

One reason Turner hasnt gone into full panic mode, yet, may be because he has a self-taught craftsman named Jason Panek on his team. Panek capitalized on the pronunciation of his last name (sounds like panic) years ago, when he advertised handyman services to Marines in Stafford County.

He posted flyers that said: When you got more s-  to do than time to do it, dont panic. Call Panek.

He went on to to do commercial power washing, exterior painting, laying miles of tile that bordered on works of art and even installed commercial glass, dangling from a scaffolding six stories up in Washington.

A friend contacted him when Turner and company were having trouble getting the steel building squared away. Panek liked the boat-building plans he saw, and joined the company, not the slightest bit intimated by the new field.

Heck no, he said. I love a good challenge. When I have to make something or mold a part out of nothing, Im like, Im on it. I love stuff like this.

Hes even figured out processes that improve traditional methods, said Chris Whittington, the companys other full-time employee. He learned how to sand and paint from his late grandfather Chip Whittington, the world famous custom painter.

Hes worked on motorcycles, RVs and boat restoration for more than 20 years and enjoys one-on-one operations, not factory-like atmospheres where theres no heart in it.

The process here is different but I can see where its very efficient, everything is super-thorough, clean, prepared to the nines, Whittington said. Within my industry, Im actually learning and thats cool for something youve been doing for 20 years. I love it.

Make it perfect

Soon after Turner started Ojigwan, an out-of-state boating company went bankrupt, leaving three customers whod paid deposits on yachts, hung out to dry. Turner agreed that finishing the boats would provide the team experience  and capital  and work on those other yachts has been the main focus for the last five years.

As the crew recently worked on the second hull of the Turner catamaran, they illustrated one of the better ways theyre finding to build a boat.

After core panels are covered with fiberglass and a peel-ply material, something called fairing is applied. Turner described it as a sort of Bondo, professional putty used for home and auto repairs, but the kind designed for use underwater.

The fairing is applied, then sanded down, and the work is far more precise than sanding drywall mud, said Panek, whos done that as well.

You have to build it up enough so that you can take it down and make it perfect, Turner said.

Any uneven places  high or low spots  will be obvious the moment the sun reflects off the water onto the boat, he added. Hours are spent sanding, with a 3-foot long sheet of sandpaper attached to what they men called torture boards.

To improve the process, Panek uses a tool from his tile days. He lays a track of pliable putty with a large trowel whose ridges show peaks and valleys that help him keep the coating even so theres less sanding needed.

Turner is so excited by discoveries like that, he wonders if Ojigwan Yachts can become a viable business. Hes proud that hes been able to offer his workers competitive pay and benefits some never had before, like health insurance and retirement savings.

Hed like to continue that trend and cultivate future workers through a program at his alma mater, King George High School.

But theres only so much his mind can process at one time. Hes fixed on the team finishing the boat by October 2024, after putting in as much as 8,000 manhours of labor.

Hed be happy to have someone buy it, then he could use the money to build his dream boat next. Or he could keep it.

Worst case scenario: Its either ours for a little while or somebody makes an offer, Turner said. At that point, Ive had an incredible experience and its been lifechanging and something that Im really proud of.
Officials from the Fremont Fire Department verified at 9:10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, that an industrial fire inside the ADM grain facility in downtown had been extinguished.

Fremont Fire Capt. Brian Monaghan said there were no injuries to employees or any firefighters.

"We are tearing (equipment) down now. Initially we got a call here to ADM for a fire. When we first got here, there was smoke coming out of a building," Monaghan said at 9:15 p.m. Friday. "We made access on the second level and made it to the third level where we found the fire. It looks like it was in one of the hoppers."

Monaghan said the cause of the fire is not known, and an investigation will be conducted. He said facility managers arrived on the scene about two hours after the fire was reported to assist with putting the blaze out.

"No injuries at this point, that I know of. We got all of the personnel out of the building," he added. "We did have to utilize some of the ADM personnel to get around the building and understand the layout and access points. They have been extremely helpful and used a system called a 'snuff steamer' to help put out the fire."

Jackie Anderson, a spokesperson for ADM based in Chicago, thanked Fremont fire staff for their assistance with the blaze.

"At approximately 6:30 p.m. this evening, employees at ADMs oilseed processing facility in Fremont detected a fire in the heater coil system at the plant. They quickly called the local fire department for assistance and shut down facility operations," Anderson said in an email to The Fremont Tribune. "No one was injured. We are in the processing of evaluating the damage and repairs needed to resume operations. We appreciate the quick response and assistance from the fire department to manage this situation."

The initial call for the fire came in at about 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, to the ADM grain facility on the south edge of downtown Fremont.

Several Fremont fire engines, supported by officers from the Fremont Police Department, frantically searched the exterior of the facility before being told by an unnamed ADM employee that the fire was on an upper level of one of the many towers at the site.

The fire caused a temporary stoppage of Union-Pacific railroad traffic into the downtown tracks near the ADM facility. As of 9:25 p.m., the train flow was still on hold.

At 7:20 p.m., Fremont fire officials requested mutual aid with one fire engine and at least four firefighters from the Fremont Rural Volunteer Fire Department arriving on scene along with FRVFD Chief Carl Nielsen on site, too.

While Fremont firefighters were battling the blaze, fire staff and units from Hooper and Arlington were summoned to Fremont to assist with covering any other fires, accidents or medical emergencies that may have arisen.

The blaze was feisty in the early stages, resulting in a call at 7:07 p.m., Friday, in which fire officials also requested assistance from the county 911 dispatch center to have electrical power to the facility turned off to assist with fighting the blaze.

Speaking to the Fremont Tribune about 15 minutes after fire officials arrived at the North Broad Street facility, the unnamed employee said no one had been injured and he was unsure what had caused the fire, other than stating it was not caused by the grain processing work done at the plant.

The blaze is the fourth to strike the grain facility since 2019, and the second fire at the site since December, when a grain bin erupted in flames. There were also grain bin fires in February 2022 and August 2019 at the North Broad Street facility.

The facility is owned by Archer Daniels Midland, a large Chicago-based agriculture company that according to its website transforms, crops into products that serve vital need, and converts, oilseeds, corn, wheat and cocoa into products for food, animal feed, industrial and energy uses.
Saturday

HomeStore open, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., 701 E. Dodge St., Fremont. The HomeStore sells donated items at discounted prices. Proceeds support the mission of Fremont Area Habitat for Humanity.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous womens heart-to-heart group, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Fremont Eagles Club open, noon to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Spiritual 12-Step Recovery Program, 7 p.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous The Lie is Dead meeting, 8 p.m., LifeHouse, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont. The hotline number is 402-459-9511.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10:30 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Sunday

Alcoholics Anonymous Happy Sober Sunday Group, 9 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous Seekers of Serenity meeting, 10:30 a.m., LifeHouse, 723 N. Broad St., Fremont. The hotline number is 402-459-9511.

Fremont Eagles Club open, noon to 6 p.m., 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous Freedom Works Group, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous Sunday speaker, 7:30 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Monday

TOPS Club (Take Off Pounds Sensibly), 9 a.m., First United Methodist Church, 850 N. Broad St., Fremont. Weigh-ins begin at 8 a.m. Visitors (preteens, teens and adults  male and female) are welcome. The first meeting is free.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 10 a.m., Chapter 5 Club, 136 N. Main St., Fremont.

Lightkeepers Womens Group, 10 a.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, noon, Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

American Red Cross blood drive, noon to 6 p.m., Scribner Fire Station. To schedule an appointment to donate blood, call Doris at 402-568-2363. Blood donors are asked to use RapidPass if possible.

Fremont Eagles Club open, 3 p.m. to midnight, 649 N. Main St., Fremont. The club may stay open later or close early depending on business. There will be a trustees meeting at 4 p.m.

Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, 5:15 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.

Celebrate Recovery, 6:30 p.m., Fremont Church of the Nazarene, 960 Johnson Road.

Fresh Hope Mental Health Support Group, 7 p.m., Lighthouse, 84 W. Sixth St., Fremont.

Narcotics Anonymous Freedom Works Group, 7 p.m., Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1440 E. Military Ave., Fremont.

Alcoholics Anonymous 12x12 meeting, 8 p.m., Chapter 5 Club, Fremont.
Joy McKay can see how working with kids and in banking helped prepare her for the job she has today.

McKay is executive director of Fremont Area Habitat for Humanity.

Since April 2012, McKay has led the local affiliate of a global, nonprofit, Christian-based organization that works to provide decent, affordable housing by constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes.

Launched locally in 1993, this year marks the 30th anniversary for the organization in Fremont. The organization plans to start work on a 95th home.

We hope to close on one of our loans by the end of the month, which will be the 92nd house in the Fremont area, McKay said. Were working on two more houses and will start another this year.

McKay overseas three full-time and four part-time staff. The nonprofit has 15 to 20 regular volunteers along with other individuals and groups.

The road that brought McKay to Fremont began in Indiana, where she was born, then went to Greece and Wyoming.

McKay said her family moved to Chicago shortly after her birth. They lived there briefly before moving to Athens, Greece, where her dad, the late Savas Joannides, was a pastor.

We lived there for six years, she said. When I was little I was fluent in English and Greek. My mom (Olive) told me I used to translate for her when I was little.

McKay doesnt know much Greek anymore, but adds that her sister, Jan, was born in Greece and has dual citizenship.

Im a little jealous of that, McKay said, smiling.

When McKay was in second grade, the family moved back to the United States. She lived in Anderson, Indiana, where she graduated from high school.

She went to Anderson University. Her major was sociology and criminal justice.

While in Indiana, she worked in a girls group home, a juvenile detention center and then was a juvenile probation officer for about seven years.

While I was a juvenile probation officer, I started going to law school, she said.

McKay worked full time and drove to Indianapolis, about an hour from where she lived, five nights a week for school. She went for two years part time, eventually completing one year of law school.

Then McKay decided she wanted something different.

She moved to Casper, Wyoming, and lived with her best friend and her husband for about a year-and-a-half. McKay helped care for their little girl and baby.

McKay met her husband, Brent, in Casper.

While in Casper, McKay was co-director of Big Brothers Big Sisters and remains friends on Facebook with the Little Sister she had there.

McKays road took a different turn.

I got sidetracked into banking for 12 years, she said, smiling again.

McKay was a personal banker in Casper and then was recruited by First National Bank in Scottsbluff. For a time, she was a personal banker, while also working as a mortgage lender.

She then worked solely as a mortgage lender.

After that, McKay became executive director of a child advocacy center, called Capstone, in Scottsbluff.

Its like Project Harmony in Omaha, but on a much smaller scale, McKay said, adding, I loved that job.

The McKays moved to eastern Nebraska when her husband got a job in Fremont.

She applied for the executive director position with Fremont Area Habitat for Humanity.

I wanted to work in a nonprofit or with kids, because those are my two passions, she said.

Shed also had previous experience with a Habitat affiliate.

While in Scottsbluff, McKay was on the board of directors for the Habitat there for seven years. She was treasurer and also was on the steering committee that started it.

I had a lot of the base knowledge about Habitat, she said. When you start a Habitat, theres a lot of work involved. So I had gone through that whole process and was very familiar with it.

Most of her other jobs involved working with people, which is a large part of what she does with Habitat.

Being an executive director of the Child Advocacy Center was helpful, because I learned a lot more about managing a nonprofit through that and about applying for grants and trying to keep the funding flowing, she said.

McKay also had the mortgage lending experience from having worked in a bank.

The banking background helps, because we originate mortgages here, she said.

Habitat houses are sold  never given away  to partner families who make mortgage payments. Partner families work sweat equity hours on building homes and other approved projects. They purchase the homes with a 0% interest loan.

McKay recalls the interview for the position in Fremont.

I had a pretty extensive interview process, but it was a good experience and I am grateful that I got the job, McKay said.

McKay has two stepsons, Ben and his wife Michaela, and Andy and his wife, Hope. Each couple has two sons and Andy and Hope are expecting a girl.

The McKays have a dog, a Great Pyrenees-Labrador retriever mix named Aspen.

McKay said she enjoys being involved in her church and Fremont Kiwanis. Through Kiwanis, she is involved in the Aktion Club for adults with disabilities.

She is a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteer and anticipates being assigned a youth soon.

My passion is kids who need a little extra love, she said.

McKay likes her Habitat job.

I enjoy what we do here, she said. Im never bored. Theres always something going on. Weve got construction. Weve got a store (Habitats HomeStore). We have families and loans. Theres a lot of different parts to this job.

The most rewarding part involves families.

When they finally get to move into their homes  thats the best part, she said.

Shes been touched by families stories of how theyve lived in the past and what a Habitat house means to them.

People in our community dont realize how some people live and the condition of their housing and we see that with our families, McKay said. Its not that they want to live like that, its just that they cant afford to move out or do whatever to get into a better situation.

Habitat partners with families to move them into a better situation.

And I think it impacts the family for generations, she said.

McKay is optimist.

I always try to look for the best in people, she said.

Shes quick to credit others.

We have a great board of directors and I have a great staff that helps accomplish everything we do and we have a lot of volunteers that help us, she said. Its not me doing everything. Its everybody combined. Everybody together with God at the head.

Besides constructing houses, the local Habitat has started a repair program. Two houses are being repaired now and the plan is to start a third soon.

We are hoping to ramp up our repair program this year, McKay said.

Looking back, McKay said shes enjoyed her almost 11 years with Habitat.

One of my favorite things is running into our families in the community at the grocery store or whereverand we hug, she said. Seeing the kids get older and how they have matured and how theyre doing is always touching to me.

She enjoys seeing families grow. Some may not know English very well at first. But after being in the program, they are speaking the language well.

I always encourage their kids to speak both languages, McKay said. I say, Dont give it up like I gave it up. I never practiced my Greek so I lost it. But now, Im trying to learn Spanish.
The 108th Legislature presents a new adventure for me after being elected Chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. Previously, I was chairman for the Business and Labor Committee so I have experience in leadership positions at the capitol. It was much more of a streamlined committee that only had 23 bills referenced to it last year. In comparison, the HHS Committee represents the Department of Health and Human Services, one of the largest agencies in state government.

As its chairman, I will be evaluating legislation that covers around 60 health-related boards and commissions. I am relying on my experience in the healthcare industry for the last 16 years and know that my personal philosophy will be essential in taking on this responsibility.

In preparation for this position, I started looking at the entire workforce structure of DHHS. The department employees around 5,000 people and uses a third of the states budget. In total, with federal funding, it has a budget of around six billion dollars. It is my intention to run the HHS Committee in a way that fosters a healthcare system that incorporates efficiency, empathy and effectiveness. Ill be supportive of reducing burdensome and overbearing red tape that hinders the free market, protecting personal responsibility, prioritizing parental rights, and helping healthcare workers spend less time doing paperwork and more time in patient care.

Eight-six bills were assigned to the HHS Committee this session, encompassing a wide variety of topics. It is a unique committee because it deals with the most vulnerable populations of the state. Medicaid and all the regulations involving health care coverage is a main subject matter I will be working on.

Addressing Nebraskas child welfare, aging services, developmental disability services, behavioral services, disease management and public health issues will keep me busy along with a long list of economic assistance programs. Agencies like SNAP, the ADC (Aid to Dependent Children) and heating or cooling assistance have been assigned to the HHS Committee and we will manage legislation regarding the licensing of health professions and health care facilities.

Because there are 86 bills, there will be 30 hearings spread out over the next two months. Remember, Nebraska prides itself in taking the time to hear public comments on every piece of legislation introduced. We also will have hearings on Legislative Resolutions that propose constitutional amendments and hearings to review around 30 appointments of DHHS directors and members to health-related boards. Thankfully, I am not alone in this.

Bryson Bartels is my new Research Analyst. After 22 years with DHHS, he brings a plethora of resources with him. My Legal Counsel from Business and Labor, Benson Wallace, followed me to the HHS Committee. We have worked together for two years already and I find his expertise in law crucial to understanding policies. Christina Campbell works as the Committee Clerk, running hearings and keeping all the paperwork organized. I will be depending on them throughout the year.

While I will work with senators and the lobby to pass legislation, constituent testimony remains a significant part of the committee process. If you have questions or comments, please contact Carson Clayton or Ellie Stangl in the District 16 office at (402) 471-2728 or email me at bhansen@leg.ne.gov. To follow along with the session, please visit nebraskalegislature.gov or you may watch the live stream when available at nebraskapublicmedia.org.
Press Release

January 28, 2023 UP confers Senator Mark Villar with Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa The University of the Philippines has conferred an honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Senator Mark A. Villar on Friday, 27 January 2023 for his valuable contribution to the country and to the UP community. "Today, I stand before you all, truly humbled and privileged as I accept this great honor bestowed upon me. One of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon someone, from one of the most prestigious institutions in the World. I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to the University of the Philippines", Villar said on his acceptance speech. The honorary degree is conferred upon individuals for outstanding achievements in their fields and exemplary service to their fellowmen. "I would like to dedicate this award to all those who have guided, helped, and sometimes carried me in this journey. It's an honor to serve as a vessel for the dreams of so many Filipinos who dream for a better tomorrow and yearn for a country where we can all achieve the high quality of life that all Filipinos deserve", Senator Villar said. The UP recognized his outstanding accomplishments as Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways where he led the Golden Age of Infrastructure. Senator Villar was also instrumental in the construction and rehabilitation of numerous facilities in different UP campuses. "I realized that this award is not just for me, it is for all of those who have guided and supported me throughout my life and to all those who worked tirelessly to accomplish the goals of the Build Build Build Program", Senator Mark villar said. The ceremony was attended by members of the UP Board of Regents, officials of the UP College of Law and UP System, DPWH officials, and Senator Mark Villar's family -- Former Senate President Manny Villar, Senator Cynthia Villar, Congresswoman Camille Villar, and Paolo Villar. His wife Atty Emmeline Aglipay Villar and daughter Emma Therese Villar were witnesses to the conferment.
Forty Years Ago This Week: The Democratic candidates competing for the 6th Congressional District seat in a special election had seemingly pulled a disappearing act with a total of four candidates withdrawing from the race.

The special election was called after the death of former astronaut and Republican Rep.-elect Jack Swigert who had won election in November but died of cancer on Dec. 27 before he could be sworn into office.

An apparently bitter Steve Hogan was one of those candidates to withdraw from the special election race. Hogan had been the Democratic nominee facing Swigert in 1982, but this round he surprised the Dems, announcing he would not be a candidate any longer because he was tired of carrying water for the party. He asked that the Democrats fill the bucket for him for a change. Swigert had defeated Hogan with 64% of the vote in the newly minted 6th CD.

Both political parties had until Jan. 29 to select their nominee for the March 29 special election. While the Republicans had a plethora of announced candidates on deck, the Democrats were disappointed to receive a letter from former Gov. Steve McNichols announcing that he would not submit his name for consideration at the convention.

To make matters worse, Steve Leatherman, a corporate executive who had made an outsized impression on the Dems was found to be ineligible as hed only been registered member of any party since Jan. 10.

Democratic CD6 chair Judy Henning found herself put forward as a logical alternative to Republican Sen. Dan Schaefer, R-Lakewood, but said flatly, No  although I would love to take on Dan Schaefer. I might win, and I have no desire to go to Washington. My home and my family are here.

Henning opined to Colorado Statesman reporters that Dan Schaefer was not that outstanding of a candidate, Yet, Im getting the impression that the national party is writing off the 6th, she added.

Henry Strauss, former state party treasurer and chairman of Hogans 1982 campaign, swore that the district was winnable for the Democrats.

These races ought to be contested, Strauss said. Thats the way people make their choices.

But when prodded as to why his candidate had dropped out of the race, Strauss replied that Hogan had withdrawn for purely financial reasons.

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The real question is who can raise the funding  if anyone. Its a shame it has come down to that.

Hogan said that he had found an abundance of encouragement for his candidacy at the local level, but very little at the national level. I cant see running a sacrificial lamb campaign, he concluded.

Henning joked with Statesman reporters saying that shed been wondering for a week how to raise money for the eventual Democratic candidate and thought shed finally found the answer  run a lottery and whoever plucked the winning ticket would get to be the nominee.

Maybe some of the losing Republican contenders would want to give it a try, and even Steve Leatherman might be able to get backing that way, Henning said. This certainly has been a lesson in democracy in action.

Thirty Years Ago: In a unique move, Gov. Roy Romer, along with members of his staff, were set to begin a tour of Colorado setting up interactive computer booths that would ask citizens to attempt to balance the state budget.

Romer said he was eager to get out among em once again.

I am anxious to speak to Coloradans about their opinions and concerns about this state and this government, Romer said. We are designing the open forums to make them convenient for people. Were going to the places where they gather during their off times to ensure they have the opportunity to take part in making these tough decisions.

The computers, which had been supplied free of charge by IBM and Edge Corp., would also log the choices made by respondents. With their answers to the questionnaires and personal conversations, Romer said he was confident he would have a good idea about what choices Coloradans wanted made.

Rachael Wright is the author of the Captain Savva Mystery series, with degrees in Political Science and History from Colorado Mesa University and is a contributing writer to Colorado Politics and The Gazette.
Candidates in a crowded mayoral race to replace Mayor John Suthers in April will slug it out publicly in the coming months, throwing all they have at it: money, name recognition, political experience and strong vision for the city.

Likely front-runners with stuffed war chests and lengthy resumes include Wayne Williams, Colorado Springs councilman and former secretary of state; Longinos Gonzalez, a county commissioner; Sallie Clark, a former Colorado Springs councilwoman and El Paso County commissioner; and Yemi Mobolade, political newcomer and businessman.

They are among 12 candidates running to replace Suthers, who is term-limited. They join Councilman Tom Strand; former county commissioner and city councilman Darryl Glenn; businessmen Andrew Dalby and Jim Miller; and comedian and model Kallan Reece Rodebaugh. Johnathan Tiegen, a former CIA security contractor and founder of a local militia group, and Lawrence Martinez, who has worked as a hospice home care specialist and a business consultant, are also competing.

Though Williams faced an unsuccessful recall effort in the summer, he doesn't feel it will hinder his campaign, he said.

"The fact that people overwhelmingly rejected that attempt shows that is not where the majority of people in Colorado Springs are," he said.

Williams was targeted for his appearance with Secretary of State Jena Griswold in a public service announcement about the security of elections.

He also faced criticism for voting to reduce the amount of parkland developers must give to the city when they build new homes; for opposing an effort known as Protect our Parks that would require a vote of the people to approve parkland deals; and for supporting District 3 Councilwoman Stephannie Fortune's appointment to City Council. Fortune was also named in the same recall effort.

The candidates will need to address top resident concerns in their campaigns including public safety, affordable housing and development, homelessness, transportation and an unstable economy, local politicos said.

They are competing to replace a mayor that saw strong economic growth during his tenure.

In the past eight years, the city added 47,000 jobs, added 50,000 residents, and saw its annual gross domestic product grow to $40 billion, up from $30 billion, Suthers reported in September during his last State of the City speech. The city also saw only 0.1% of an economic loss during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

Possible front-runners for mayor have been fundraising in earnest ahead of the little more than two-month campaign before them. Mobolade is leading with the most cash available  about $204,800  as of Jan. 11, the most recent city finance records show. Gonzalez had about $179,300, Williams about $106,600, and Clark about $104,400.

The next round of campaign finance records must be filed with the city by Wednesday.

Strong fundraising allows candidates to reach more people with messages about key challenges, such as housing, water availability and public safety.

The city will need a strong voice at the state level to help keep housing construction costs down, Gonzalez and Williams said.

"Smart growth" would also mean looking for options to build near existing infrastructure and essential services, Gonzalez said.

On Tuesday, the City Council approved a new zoning code that lays a foundation for more infill building and future neighborhoods with a wider variety of housing, as well as other changes.

Gonzalez said he thinks the new code will be a key part of helping the city keep housing costs down, emphasizing that "we need public dialogue to best take advantage of these revisions."

Mobolade said the city should also focus on its "missing middle" earners, or residents who make between 60% and 150% of the area's median income. In El Paso County, those are residents with household incomes of between $50,000 and $100,000 a year, he said.

"These are our firefighters, law enforcement officers, teachers, clerks," he said. "These are working professionals that we need to help keep our city running. ... There's virtually, right now, no housing for that group of people."

Mobolade said if elected, he would work to implement a "missing middle gap fund" that would partner with businesses and philanthropic organizations to provide funding for more efficient housing that will, in turn, "drive down the cost of new types of housing that we need in our community."

The strength of Colorado Springs' economy, Williams said, will also depend on its housing availability. In the discussion of whether Space Command headquarters should remain in Colorado Springs or should move permanently to Huntsville, Ala., he said, housing availability in the Pikes Peak region has been a concern.

The council has taken a number of steps to address the housing crisis, including adopting a fee rebate program for developers to encourage them to build more affordable housing for some of the lowest income earners in town, he said. Colorado Springs Utilities will also earmark $2 million each year to pay for infrastructure costs for 120 single-family homes or 2,000 apartments, "key actions" he said the next administration must continue.

Colorado Springs will need to participate in regional solutions for water availability as the Colorado River experiences a megadrought, candidates said.

The City Council also on Tuesday approved a tweaked version of a controversial water rule that requires Utilities to have 128% of the water necessary to serve existing city demand and the projected demand from new properties.

The council said it, too, would study regional water needs, as several neighborhoods in El Paso County rely on diminishing groundwater and could require in the future water from Utilities.

"We need to bring all our stakeholders together to see how this rule, or any rule, should be implemented and how it affects us all," Gonzalez said.

A proposal from Councilwoman Nancy Henjum on Tuesday to form a regional water task force that would deliver recommendations received broad support. The council, though, did not commit to a date to set up a new task force.

Clark said she supports the proposed task force to "slow down" the conversation and assess the community's resources. If elected mayor, Clark said she would commit to establishing the task force within her first 90 days in office.

"How we grow is going to be determined by our resources," she said. "... This water rule can have long-ranging impacts on our community."

Alongside the new water ordinance, Williams said, officials must "continue to work on where to acquire water resources, and work collaboratively with our neighbors to acquire water in a way that still allows farmers to grow agriculture to support our state and community."

Public safety, too, should be top of mind for the next administration as the city fights rising crime rates, candidates and politicos said.

Though the council in December approved a $1 billion budget, adding funding for 15 police officer positions, the city is still short about 50 police officers. Officials will have to fill those new positions amid changing attitudes toward law enforcement, Clark and Williams said.

"The numbers are there in terms of ability to hire. The question is, why we aren't able to fill those positions?" Clark said.

Clark said the next administration should consider bonuses for officers who recruit peers, keeping wages and benefits competitive, offering opportunities for continuing education, and ensuring officers have support from supervisors, the City Council and the mayor.

Gonzalez said more conversation between the community and police force through town halls could help re-instill public trust in law enforcement, which will help recruit more officers.

The city's efforts to implement a police academy that can operate more frequently throughout the year could also help, Williams said. Typically, applicants could wait months between receiving their employment offer and joining the academy, increasing their chances of finding other work in the interim to provide for themselves, he said.

"Being able to decrease the waiting time between the offer and the start of the academy is one of those critical steps that we need to take," he said.

Leaders must also find better ways to address homelessness, Clark said.

"How can we be tough, and how can we also be compassionate, and how can we also be innovative in solving this problem?" she said.

An innovative and tailored solution requires engaging leaders across several sectors like health care, behavioral health and human services, criminal justice, employment, education and others, she said.

Candidates also said fire-response times and evacuation routes must be top of mind.

No matter who is elected in April, Mobolade said, Colorado Springs leadership has to work collaboratively together and with residents.

"We have to keep moving forward. We cannot stay stagnant," he said.
Remember the early days of the internet, when tech companies told us how their inventions would bring freedom of speech to the entire planet? Facebook and Twitter and Google promised a big interconnected World Wide Web that would forever guarantee the free flow of information, bringing light to the worlds dark crevices.

Now, Colorado U.S. Rep. Ken Buck, in a new book called Crushed, argues that we have come full circle, and the very tech titans who had promised to bring free speech to the four corners of the globe are the biggest threat to free speech on the planet.

No question the internet has transformed the public square, supplanting our actual public squares with a vast virtual one. Problem is, Buck says, our communication commons is controlled by a handful of tech companies  Twitter, Meta, Google, and Amazon  not us. Theyre dictating who can speak and how they may speak.

The marketplace of ideas is now a gated community within the digital sphere. For 200 years, that marketplace was self-regulated. Not anymore.

So if Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk dont particularly like certain people and what theyre saying, they are so powerful and the platforms they control used by so many people, they can effectively restrict the free speech of those individuals.

And Buck worries that gives tech lords the ability to effectively deny constitutionally protected liberties. What good is a government-guaranteed right of free speech if the government doesnt have any real control over the public square?

Big Tech controls the marketplace of ideas and the markets in a way that defies oversight, Buck contends.

Ken Buck is a conservative, and much of his argument is built on claims that tech companies have unfairly silenced conservative voices. But liberals shouldn't be distracted by the axes he grinds in his book: The alarms Buck sounds in "Crushed" should worry free speech lovers of all stripes.

Lets unpack Bucks argument a bit more to see why.

In the marketplace of ideas  a wonderful phrase coined by English philosopher John Stuart Mill  ideas get accepted by competing with each other head to head, without government interference or censorship. For Mill, ensuring an unimpeded flow was a way to protect individual independence and prevent social control by a government or an oppressive popular idea, Buck writes in his book. Good journalism embraces much the same thing: the ideal news story gathers the best arguments from both sides of an issue and lets those ideas battle it out, allowing readers to decide which argument is the stronger.

Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes expanded on Mills idea in a dissenting opinion: "Ultimate good desired is better reached by free trade and ideas. The best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.

But Big Tech has put a thumb on the scale, Buck argues. They are the arbiters of the marketplace now, and they are able to selectively disseminate information as they see fit, so the test for the truth is broken.

Arent their good intentions and promises to live up to our sacred right of free speech enough? Theyre good Americans, arent they?

Buck says no one should be trusted to always do the right thing, no matter how benign they claim their intentions are. Thats giving them way too much power over the First Amendment.

Constitutionally, they have total freedom to do whatever they want with the speech on their platforms. They are private companies, after all. The First Amendment only forbids government actors from limiting free speech, and Facebook, Amazon and Twitter are not government actors.

So the tech lords are immune to the very safeguards that keep government from infringing on free-speech rights.

So what do we do about it? If free speech is truly threatened, how do we save our most precious American commodity?

Buck believes it's time for some serious trust-busting. Like the big monopolies of the early 20th century  John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Co. and J.P. Morgan's Northern Securities Co.  Buck thinks todays tech companies need to be busted.

He believes Big Tech companies have overextended their power through self-preferencing practices, restricting competition through mergers and acquisitions, and through censorship.

As his foreword states, "There has never been such an aggregation of power in the history of humankind as Big Tech enjoys today with the money, monopoly power, and hubris that comes with the unchecked exercise of power."

Reining in that power will take fresh legislation from Congress, lawsuits invoking antitrust laws that chip away at their anti-competitiveness, and concerted individual action against Big Tech, as well, Buck believes.

On Tuesday, Colorado jumped into this fight with both feet. A group of eight states including Colorado sued Google, accusing it of illegally creating a monopoly over technology that powers online advertising. It is the fifth antitrust lawsuit filed by U.S. officials against Google since 2020, as lawmakers and regulators try to rein in the power that Big Tech exerts over information and commerce.

Another reform sponsored by Buck that would help the cause of free speech is languishing in Congress right now. It is vital to the future of journalism in this country, and therefore near and dear to my heart. A group representing publishers has pushed Congress to allow news sites to negotiate the terms of ad deals collectively with Google and other online platforms, coordination that is now illegal under antitrust laws, even though Google is much bigger and more powerful than all those publishers combined. The publishers efforts have been unsuccessful so far.

Buck has some practical suggestions for us individuals in this fight, too. Among them are:

 Seek alternatives to Big Tech products so that competition whittles away their dominance. Buck himself has gone cold turkey and stopped using all Amazon, Apple, Meta and Google products.

 Change your settings on their sites so you share less data with Big Tech.

 Ask your elected leaders and favorite political organizations if they take donations from Big Tech. And then ask them to take the Pledge for America, which Buck has done, swearing off Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter campaign donations.

 Spread the word, donate to campaigns that will fight for free speech, and vote for the politicians who are committed to the fight.

Buck believes the future of free speech depends on what we do right now. Its a big uneven fight, he concedes, with Big Tech pouring millions of dollars into lobbying to keep their monopolies. In fact, on Friday Buck was snubbed by his own party in his bid to head an antitrust subcommittee in Congress. His push for a more significant role for the federal government in checking the power of Big Tech has some fierce enemies among pro-business Republicans.

But he points out that America was born of just such a David-Goliath fight.

"As Ive documented, the United States of America was formed in large part to counteract a vicious, oppressive monopoly. We must carry that lesson as we go forward.

"This threat to free speech is a risk that America cant afford.
The federal appeals court based in Colorado agreed on Wednesday that police officers were entitled to immunity for entering a man's Aurora home without a warrant and performing a "protective sweep" that included removing his sleeping infant.

A protective sweep generally does not involve looking for evidence, but, rather, it entails law enforcement moving through an area to spot hidden threats to officer safety. At the time officers decided to enter the N. Dallas St. home of Marquise Harris, however, he was already under arrest and the court record revealed no immediate need to extract the child.

Further, there was confusion on the scene between the Aurora and Denver police departments about whether anyone was actually pursuing a search warrant for the residence.

A trial judge found the officers may have committed a Fourth Amendment violation by unlawfully entering Harris' home, but granted the officers qualified immunity because of the lack of a prior court case declaring, under similar circumstances, that such police conduct was unreasonable.

Harris died last year in Denver. The Denver Police Department has labeled it a murder.

According to the narrative agreed upon by the parties, Denver police requested assistance from Aurora in apprehending Harris, who was suspected of shooting a victim in Denver on Aug. 17, 2017. Officers surveilled the N. Dallas Street home for at least an hour that same day and watched Artesia Cabral leave the residence by car. Police knew Harris and a 19-month-old child remained inside.

When Harris left to walk to a neighbor's home, police arrested him without incident. He acknowledged the child was inside, but told police they did not have a warrant to enter the home.

Denver officers told their Aurora counterparts a search warrant was imminent, and Aurora got into position to perform a protective sweep, partially in case others were inside the residence. But then the officers learned Denver did not "want" the home after all.

Confusion ensued about whether Denver was seeking a search warrant and if a protective sweep was necessary. Eventually, after receiving word Denver did "want" the home, Aurora officers entered, retrieved the child, looked in potential hiding spots and otherwise did not take evidence. The entry lasted two minutes.

Police then returned the baby to the mother, Cabral, who had since arrived at the home again. A search warrant never materialized and prosecutors later declined to pursue murder charges against Harris.

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Harris and Cabral sued the officers and the cities of Aurora and Denver, alleging a violation of the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael E. Hegarty, in evaluating the lawsuit, acknowledged there were exceptions to the Fourth Amendment's requirement that police obtain a warrant prior to a search, but none of them seemed to fit the facts of the case.

For example, by the time police swept the home, Harris was already in custody and the officers' entrance was not connected to arresting him. There was also no seeming need to provide emergency aid to the child because Aurora police had always intended to wait for Denver's authorization before entering. Finally, there was no stated concern that anyone was inside the home destroying evidence.

"Defendants actions do not fall squarely within any of the relevant exceptions," Hegarty wrote in December 2021. "How Defendants should have proceeded may not have been clear."

Because of the lack of clarity, Hegarty granted the officers qualified immunity, which is a judicial doctrine that shields government employees from civil liability unless they violate someone's clearly-established legal rights. Typically, a prior court decision under similar circumstances is necessary to put officers on notice their conduct is unconstitutional. Such a case did not exist, Hegarty concluded.

Harris and Cabral appealed Hegarty's decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit.

"The Defendants were all aware that Plaintiff Artesia Cabral was mere moments away from being available to enter her home to retrieve her safely sleeping child inside when they entered Plaintiffs' home," they wrote. "Defendants did not have legitimate grounds to perform a protective sweep of Plaintiffs' home."

A three-judge panel for the 10th Circuit upheld Hegarty's reasoning, agreeing there was no clear prohibition against the officers' protective sweep at the time.

"The Aurora officers confronted two problems: the need to secure the home until a search warrant issued and the possibility that a baby was alone inside," wrote Judge Joel M. Carson III in the panel's Jan. 25 order. "Although Plaintiffs insist the officers should have allowed Ms. Cabral herself to retrieve her baby, that option may have compromised the goal of securing the home. Yet allowing no one to enter may have compromised the babys safety."

The case is Harris et al. v. City and County of Denver et al.
Joshua Johnson, the man accused of killing 17-year-old co-worker Riley Whitelaw at a Colorado Springs Walgreens, has a new trial date.

At a motions hearing on Friday morning, Johnson's defense attorney Deana O'Reily requested for a continuance of Johnson's trial date, which was originally scheduled to begin on March 6.

O'Reily said there was not enough time between now and the start of the jury trial for Johnson's defense to hire an expert to review DNA evidence that was submitted to the defense one week ago.

The prosecution had no objection to a continuance, and thus, Judge Eric Bentley set May 8 as the new jury trial date.

Bentley also ruled on several different motions filed by both the prosecution and defense at the hearing.

The first motion ruled on by Bentley was a motion to allow testimony from friends and family of Whitelaw to speak about unwanted advances that Johnson allegedly made towards Whitelaw while working together at Walgreens.

Johnson, 28, allegedly killed Whitelaw in the breakroom of the store at 6820 Centennial Blvd., in June 2022. At Johnson's preliminary hearing in September Colorado Springs police detectives testified that Whitelaw told friends, family and co-workers that Johnson had a romantic interest in her that made her feel uncomfortable.

Detectives at the hearing testified that Whitelaw had made complaints to her manager at Walgreens about Johnson more than a year before her death, saying he was making advances towards her that made Whitelaw uncomfortable.

Several weeks before her death, Whitelaw had requested different hours so she would no longer have to work with Johnson, according to police. However, when Whitelaw asked for additional hours, she was told it would require her to work with Johnson.

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Bentley ruled that while the testimony wasn't intrinsic, it was admissible at trial due to being potential evidence as a motive for Johnson's alleged actions. Bentley made the same ruling in regard to the admissibility of a voicemail from Whitelaw prior to her death.

The last significant ruling made by Bentley was a denial of the request from Johnson's defense for a change of venue, with Bentley stating that despite the significant media coverage of the homicide that it did not warrant a change of venue.

A motion to suppress evidence and testimony filed by Johnson's defense that requires testimony from at least one CSPD detective will be heard at a motions hearing on a different date, according to Bentley.

During Johnson's preliminary hearing in September, CSPD detectives testified that only Johnson could be responsible for killing his teen co-worker.

At the preliminary hearing, Bentley described Johnson's story of another man potentially committing the crime as "wildly implausible," before ruling that Johnson would face a trial for allegedly killing Whitelaw.

Johnson was last in court in November when he entered a not guilty plea to the charge of first-degree murder. While Johnson is scheduled to begin his trial in May, he will return to court on March 17 for a motions hearing.

Johnson remains in custody at the El Paso County jail on a no-bond hold. If found guilty of first-degree murder Johnson will be given a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
For nearly three decades, Colorado students have been able to attend any public school in the state for free, regardless of where they live. The application process for school choice, also known as open enrollment, is now underway for the 2023-2024 school year in El Paso County.

Heres what to know before making your school choice.

How does school choice work?

With the 1994 passage of Colorados Public Schools of Choice law, students are no longer bound by school district lines. Families can apply to any public school in the state.

The law resulted in a more competitive education ecosystem, which ups the ante as schools vie to retain families and lure newcomers from outside, according to Colorado Springs District 11 spokesperson Devra Ashby.

In that time weve just seen a robust growth of all kinds of different programs and opportunities, Ashby said. If your neighborhood school is just not meeting the needs of your child, there are other options out there.

Different schools cater to different passions and needs. Some boast stronger arts programs whereas others emphasize STEM or trade skills. Choice allows students to find the right fit based on their own interests.

If a parent or guardian wants to enroll their child outside their neighborhood school, they can fill out a choice application on a districts website. Students can choice enroll into a school within or outside of their zoned district. Classroom capacity is typically the biggest obstacle to an applicants acceptance.

Once a student is enrolled, parents will not have to fill out another application as long as the student remains at that choice school. For example, Ashby, who choice enrolled her second-grade son into his current elementary school, will not need to re-apply until middle school, at which point she can either enroll her son at their default neighborhood school or fill out a new choice application.

Application windows vary, and so do expectations

Every district follows a different timeline, so its important to know when your school of interest opens its applications and when its priority deadline closes.

Methods for determining applicant priority can also vary between districts, often straying from a strictly first-come, first-served basis. For example, priority in Academy District 20 is first given to in-district families with siblings already attending the choice school, then in-district families with no siblings attending the choice school, followed by out-of-district employee children, returning out-of-district students, and finally new out-of-district students.

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D-11 follows a similar hierarchy, though Ashby said the sooner an application is submitted, the better the odds of acceptance since applications are date stamped.

But in D-11, where demographics have shrunk in recent years, Ashby said capacity is rarely a barrier for choice students.

In contrast, Manitou Springs District 14 is much smaller, with about 50% of its students choice enrolling in, according to Superintendent Elizabeth Domangue.

There are definitely grades and academic programs across the school district that we consistently have a waiting list for from year-to-year, Domangue said. If we are at capacity, we communicate with families if a spot becomes available.

In D-20, where just over half of all students choice enrolled in, classrooms have hard caps on classroom capacity, according to spokesperson Allison Cortez. However, they do try to reserve a few spots for neighborhood residents who might move into the area late or get denied from an outside school of choice. In the event there are no available seats at a students neighborhood school, the district will work with families to place their child elsewhere until there is an opening.

For the most part, every student will be accepted as long as there is room at the given choice school. However, some schools have special stipulations, especially charters, that might result in a rejection. Possible factors include expulsion history, course prerequisites or age restrictions. Whats more, smaller schools might lack the capacity to care for certain special needs.

Do your research

Families commonly purchase houses and choose schools before ever setting foot in the state of Colorado, according to Cortez. This method of decision making can easily backfire without proper research.

A newly developed neighborhood does not necessarily indicate availability at the neighborhood school, according to Ashby, who said families sometimes assume expanding housing equates to expanding classroom capacity. This misguided assumption can leave a student without a seat at their nearest school.

Parents are encouraged to tour a school and speak with the principal about capacity before making a move, Ashby said.

Families should also inquire about transportation. Districts sometimes have satellite pick-ups for students who choose a school outside of their neighborhood, according to Cortez. Transportation is not a guarantee, however, like it is at a neighborhood school.

With so many factors at play, Ashby said there is no one-size-fits-all solution for students. When parents ask her which school is the best, her answer is simple: The best school is the best school for your child.
Wendy Birhanzel received the 2023 Colorado Superintendent of the Year award before hundreds of supportive students, principals, staff and community members at Sierra High School on Friday.

The audience was fitting, given that the award is just as much theirs as it is hers, the Harrison School District 2 superintendent said.

This is an amazing day, but its not a day about me, Birhanzel said, repping Sierras colors with her cardinal jacket. Her son graduated from the high school in 2015. The plaque says my name, but it should say District 2.

The Colorado Association of School Executives presented Birhanzel with the honor after a committee of former winners and superintendents selected her from a pool of 178 school districts statewide. The associations executive director Bret Miles said she demonstrates an unparalleled commitment to elevating student voices.

Birhanzel created 20-person student advisory groups at Harrison and Sierra high schools, which regularly meet with her to discuss ideas and address issues. She also created an equity council and began supporting and training staff members in alternatives to suspension while ensuring each school in the district employed a full-time social worker. The work has paid off; over the past three years, out-of-school suspensions have dropped 38%, officials said.

The initiatives have also contributed to an 81% graduation rate and helped shrink the dropout rate to 1.2%.

Watching from the bleachers was Stratton Meadows Elementary Principal Christina Clayton, who coordinated matching outfits with her boss in honor of National Big Wig Day, which just so happened to align with the award ceremony. In her kajillion years working in districts across Colorado Springs, shes never had a superintendent quite like Birhanzel.

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Clayton said it is not uncommon for disconnects to arise between superintendents and the communities they lead. With so many big-picture issues to manage, day-to-day interactions become a secondary focus.

Its just a 30,000-foot view all the time, but she is not, Clayton said. She has the ability to deal with all the macro things for our district and then sit on the floor of the kindergartners and read a book with them, and shes genuine ... Its all about the kids. She says it, and she lives it.'

Birhanzel's accessibility has in part contributed to the highest employee culture scores the district has ever seen and an all-time-high staff retention rate, Clayton said.

It doesnt take long when talking with Dr. Birhanzel to realize shes a fierce advocate for all of you: students, teachers, staff and community partners, Colorado Springs Mayor John Suthers said. She is doing transformative work in your school district and in our entire community.

Superintendent of the Year is far from Birhanzels first recognition. She received the Mayors Young Leader Award in 2015, and in 2022 she was named a Woman Making a Difference by the League of Women Voters and received the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award from the Colorado Springs Business Journal. Under her leadership, the Colorado Springs Business Journal also named D-2 the 2022 Best Education Workplace.

We know that in our district we have plenty of haters throughout the city, throughout the state, who say were not gonna do what we said were gonna do. We cant do what we said were gonna do," Birhanzel said. "Guess what, guys? We did it.
The founder of a local militia group, John "Tig" Tiegen, jumped into the crowded race for Colorado Springs mayor this week.

Tiegen is one of 12 vying to replace Mayor John Suthers, who is term-limited and cannot run again. He is facing off against some well-known names, such as City Councilman and former Secretary of State Wayne Williams and former City Councilwoman Sallie Clark, El Paso County Commissioner Longinos Gonzalez and businessman Yemi Mobolade.

Tiegen, a former CIA security contractor, promoted his intent to run on Twitter Jan. 20, saying he pledged to promote "justice, general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty for all residents" of Colorado Springs.

The Gazette's attempts to reach Tiegen via email and phone were unsuccessful.

Tiegen fought to repel the 2012 attacks on a diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, and collaborated with other security team members and author Mitchell Zuckoff for the book "13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi."

In recent years, he founded the United American Defense Force, a group that pledged to stand up to mobs causing mayhem. It also promises to stand up to human trafficking.

The organization is the militia arm of nonprofit Faith, Education, Commerce United founded by Joe Oltmann. The group is working for change nationally through local elections.

In a candidate forum in October 2020, Tiegen said United American Defense Force would train its members to do "urban warfare."

"There are other organizations that, they'll train you to do urban warfare. They'll train you how to do all kinds of stuff, but they never show up, either. That's why I'm standing here, because they never showed up," he said.

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Tiegen listed the United American Defense Force among other private business interests in his candidate filing, records show. The organization is described in the documents as a humanitarian organization.

In 2020, Tiegen organized a "Patriot Muster" that drew more than 100 people to Denver's Civic Center Park. Tiegen's supporters, many in paramilitary garb and some with firearms, were met by a counterprotest associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, The Gazette reported previously.

The events turned deadly when a 9News security guard fatally shot a man during a confrontation while the protests were ending, the newspaper reported.

In June 2020, after the Colorado Springs Independent published a story showing photographs of armed men associated with Tiegen, Colorado Springs protest leaders said they feared potential violence involving Tiegen and his group.

One of the photos showed an unidentified man in combat fatigues and holding a military-style rifle while standing atop a parking garage overlooking a George Floyd protest at City Hall downtown.

In recent months, Tiegen has posted on social media that he does not believe in Arizona's election results and supported those calling for a new election.

"Who [sic] willing and brave enough to join myself and others to shut this corrupt system down?" he posted in November, while also calling for an alternative to the existing Republican Party.

He has also appeared as a guest several times on Oltmann's Conservative Daily podcast, which among other topics promotes assertions of widespread election fraud. Election officials in Colorado and elsewhere have repeatedly refuted those claims.

Gazette reporter Breeanna Jent contributed to this report.
A fire Friday burned about a tenth of an acre in southeast Colorado Springs, according to fire officials.

Colorado Springs Fire Department spokesman Capt. Mike Smaldino said the fire in the Hancock Expressway and Transit Drive area near Evergreen Cemetery around 6 a.m. was contained to a large debris and slash pile, spreading only a few yards past.

CSFD arson investigators linked the fire to a propane-fueled stove located in an unoccupied homeless camp nearby, police wrote in their crime blotter entry. The area burned measures approximately .16 acres and the estimated property damage is $5,000. No suspects were identified at this time.

The property is jointly owned by the city of Colorado Springs and by Evergreen Cemetery, police said.

Police are asking anyone with information to call them at 719-444-7000.

The debris is a remnant of cemetery construction, Smaldino said.

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The fire was contained shortly before 8 a.m. and fully extinguished by 11:30 a.m., the fire department announced on Twitter.

"It's a good reminder that fire season is a year-long event," Smaldino said, "the fuels were dry, and this thing (the fire) took off with snow on the ground."

Correction: This story has an updated acreage total from the fire.
Local business leaders and city officials call it the Southwest effect  and for good reason.

After Southwest Airlines brought service to the Colorado Springs Airport nearly two years ago, local air fares plunged to a 25-year low, according to recent federal transportation data.

Whats more, the gap between air fares for passengers who fly out of the Springs versus those who drive to Denver International Airport has shrunk to its lowest level in 20 years, the data show. As a result, flying out of Denver isnt quite the bargain it once was.

We are seeing the Southwest effect  fares are down and traffic is up, said Joe Nevill, the Colorado Springs Airports air service development manager. Traffic is growing and fares are going down in most markets (from Colorado Springs).

We believe we are taking passengers off the road to Denver, Nevill said.

We are becoming more competitive vs. Denver, and that helps us keep more local traffic. Airlines see that, and it turns into good results and more (service) expansion.

According to figures from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics:

 The average fare for passengers who flew out of the Colorado Springs Airport fell to $312.13 in 2021, the lowest annual average since 1997. That was the last year that low-fare startup Western Pacific Airlines operated a hub from the Springs Airport before it moved to Denver and later filed for bankruptcy.

 The decline in local fares also cut the difference in average fares between the Colorado Springs and Denver airports by half from the previous year to just $40, the bureaus data shows.

 Annual data for 2022 wont be available until April, but similar data (which doesnt include passengers on connecting flights) from the U.S. Department of Transportation show the difference in average fares between the Springs and DIA continued to decline last year and was less than $20 in each of the first three quarters of 2022. Thats the smallest fare gap between the airports since 2003.

A narrower gap between Colorado Springs Airport and Denver International Airports airfare gives our businesses more options and flexibility in their travel plans, said Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer, the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDCs president and CEO.

Notably, the Southwest effect continues as the data points to a shrinking gap in overall fares since their arrival (in Colorado Springs).

Doug Price, CEO of Visit Colorado Springs, the areas lead tourism agency, said the declining fare gap between Colorado Springs and Denver is a sign Southwests impact as well as cost-containment efforts by the Springs Airport.

Fares in Colorado Springs had been lower than in Denver from 1993 to 2001, Price said, but local fares were higher for the next 20 years, which makes the recent decline in the fare gap a welcome development for local travelers.

At Visit COS, we urge both residents and visitors to look hard before they book, Price said. Its important to factor in the value of time (for travel to each airport and in security lines) and costs (airfares, tolls and parking) in comparing airports. The Colorado Springs Airport, he added, is heading in the right direction.

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A note of caution: Consumers should be aware that both sets of federal Transportation Department data are average domestic fares, so individuals looking for flights might find higher or lower fares when they compare fares for specific flights from Colorado Springs and Denver.

In any case, local passengers responded in a big way to the lower fares.

The number of enplanements  travelers who board outgoing flights  from the Colorado Springs Airport totaled 1.07 million in 2022  an increase of 15% over 2021 and a jump of 27% from pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Last years enplanements were the highest annual total since 2000 and the first time the Colorado Springs Airport has reached more than 1 million outbound passengers in 15 years. The increase came in spite of Southwest canceling many flights in late December due to operational issues.

Southwests impact on fares also was demonstrated by contrasting its average fare in the third quarter of last year, when its Colorado Springs fares were an average of $5 less than its fares in Denver, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics data. Average fares for the three other airlines serving Colorado Springs were $64 higher than their Denver fares.

Nevill believes the gap between Colorado Springs and Denver fares will continue to narrow this year as long as Southwest continues to be a big part of the market here. Southwest carried nearly half of departing passengers last year.

Southwests competitors in Colorado Springs  American, Delta and United  have responded by switching from 50-seat regional jets to larger-capacity aircraft and additional flights to their current destinations that has significantly expanded the seat capacity on flights from the local airport, Nevill said.

Sun County Airlines announced plans in November to expand to Colorado Springs and offer seasonal service to Minneapolis-St. Paul starting June 8, prompting Delta Air Lines to add that city to its local schedule and restore service to Atlanta, both on June 5.

Southwest also has expanded its initial schedule of 13 daily flights to Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas and Phoenix to 16 daily flights. The low-fare giant also has experimented with holiday-season service to Houston, San Antonio and San Diego.

The carriers fares are likely to stay low for a while  Southwest launched a major fare sale this month as it tries to lure back passengers reluctant to book in the wake of the airlines December cancellations and delays.

Mike Boyd, an Evergreen-based aviation consultant who formerly worked with the Colorado Springs Airport, said Southwest may trim flights, locally and nationally, in coming weeks and months as it tries to solve its operational issues. But his outlook for local air service remains upbeat.

The market can support this (the current level of service) and perhaps much more, as the nations major airlines and some low-fare upstarts battle to attract passengers, Boyd said.

He cautioned that a large number of local passengers always will drive to Denver for a much larger selection of destinations, especially international cities popular with many travelers such as London, Paris and Tokyo.

Denver, Boyd said, remains the gateway for the entire region.
President Ilham Aliyev has strongly condemned today's terrorist attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran, Azernews reports.

"I strongly condemn the terrorist act committed against our embassy in Tehran today. I offer my deepest condolences to the family and relatives of senior lieutenant Asgarov Orkhan Rizvan, who died while protecting the embassy and its employees," the leader stated in a Facebook post.

The president demanded that the act of terror be soon investigated and terrorists are punished.

"A terrorist attack against diplomatic missions is unacceptable!" he stated.
The personal information of some UCHealth patients, providers and employees may have been leaked in a recent data breach that targeted a software company that provides hosted services to the hospital system, officials announced Friday.

Information that may have been downloaded could include names, addresses, dates of birth and treatment-related information, states a news release from UCHealth, which operates in Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska.

"In very limited cases," Social Security numbers and banking information may also have been involved, according to the release.

"We apologize for the concern and inconvenience this data breach may cause, and we remain committed to safeguarding our patients, employees and providers information," UCHealth officials said.

Diligent Corp., a software company that provides business operations tools for organizations including UCHealth, experienced the data breach on its servers. The company reported its software was accessed and attachments, including UCHealth files, were downloaded.

It was unclear how many UCHealth accounts may have been compromised.

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UCHealth's systems, however, including its electronic medical record  or digital patient charts  weren't impacted, the release said.

"Though we have no reason to believe the person who took the data from Diligent's system shared or misused it in any way, we are sharing this security incident so individuals may protect themselves by watching for any suspicious activity or possible identity theft," officials said in the release.

The health system is notifying those whose information may have been compromised as state and federal reporting requirements stipulate.

Diligent has also said it took additional steps to protect its data and prevent another security attack.

Officials encourage people who have questions or need more information to call 855-624-6798 Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Colorado law enforcement agencies on Friday reacted to body-cam footage released of a traffic stop and deadly beating of a 29-year-old Black man in Memphis earlier this month.

CSPD

Colorado Springs Chief of Police Adrian Vasquez said he was "horrified" after watching the footage.

"I want to offer my condolences, and those of everyone on the Colorado Springs Police Department, to the family of Tyre Nichols. We respect and honor Mr. Nichols family," Vasquez said in a statement.

Vasquez called the actions of the officers involved "appalling and indefensible," acknowledging that conversations between law enforcement and the communities they serve is vital.

"I want to emphasize that all police departments should be having conversations with our communities about what law enforcement looks like moving forward. This includes the Colorado Springs Police Department. The conversations were currently having regarding police use of force in our community focus on procedural justice, which is vital to building trust with the Colorado Springs community," he said.

Watch Chief Vasquez's full video statement here: https://t.co/artyRxyhkO  Colorado Springs Police Department (@CSPDPIO) January 28, 2023

"To my community, as Chief of Police I remain committed to emphasizing our dedication and service built on a foundation of fairness, impartiality, transparency, and ensuring all people have a voice. This pursuit goes on daily. I thank you for the trust youve placed in the Colorado Springs Police Department.

EPCSO

El Paso County Sheriff Joseph J. Roybal admonished the actions of officers in Memphis and extended condolences to family and friends of Tyre Nichols in a statement Friday.

"Mr. Nichols' death is tragic and the actions of the officers which led to his death are not in line with the values and ethics of this Office or the law enforcement industry," the statement said.

The statement called the incident in Memphis a betrayal of trust between local law enforcement and communities they police.

"The men and women of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office remain committed to professionalism, positive community engagement and partnerships, and the highest standards of conduct."

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Pueblo

Pueblo Chief of Police Chris Noeller said in a statement:

"The members of the Pueblo Police Department and I are deeply saddened and disgusted by the murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Memphis Police Officers on January 10, 2023," Noeller said in the statement.

"There is no place for brutality or abuse of power within our profession. As law enforcement officers, we have a sacred duty to serve and protect our community, and any violation of that duty is a betrayal of the trust placed in us by those we serve.

"I want to assure you that our department is committed to the highest standards of professionalism and integrity. We have strict policies in place to prevent and address any instances of misconduct, and we take all complaints of abuse seriously. " he said.

Noeller also recognized the damage that these incidents can have on public trust of law enforcement, saying that the events in Memphis have blemished those in law enforcement who are working to serve the community.

"Please know that I am here to listen and we will do our best to make sure that such incidents don't happen here," Noeller said.

Colorado Department of Public Safety

The Colorado Department of Public Safety released a statement related to the incident, signed by Stan Hilkey, executive director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety; Matt Packard, chief of the Colorado State Patrol; John Camper, Colorado Bureau of Investigation director; and Chris Schaefer, incoming CBI director.

"It is difficult and physically sickening to see individuals who are entrusted with protecting the public engage in such heinous acts. As you process the horrifying behavior of five uniformed officers in Memphis, please know that the members of the Colorado Department of Public Safety share your shock, disbelief, disgust, and yes, anger.

"Those of us who are members of law enforcement commit our careers to protecting and serving our community and every individual within. For most of us, this is not just a job: its the embodiment of our values and the core of our lives  indeed, our members put their own lives on the line to serve others.

"We work constantly to build and maintain trust with those we serve and protect. Incidents like this endanger our communities both directly, due to their violence, and indirectly, because they erode public trust in public safety institutions and harm the morale of the ethical, caring majority of public safety professionals."

The Public Safety statement concluded with an expression of sadness for Nichols' family and loved ones and a call for "swift and thorough justice."
On a snowy early morning last week, Colorado State Patrol trooper Cameron Gill was on the scene of a one-car crash in the Denver metro area. Not a minute after exiting his vehicle to speak to another first responder on scene, a vehicle smashed into the back of Gills patrol vehicle.

The driver had disregarded pre-warning devices set up a quarter of a mile ahead of the crash in the westbound lanes of C470 at Santa Fe Drive. Attempting to pass other vehicles, the driver lost control, entered the closed toll lane and struck the trooper vehicle that was  thankfully  unoccupied.

The driver who caused the crash was left with bumps and bruises and was cited for the "Move Over, Slow Down" law, according to Gill, who only graduated from the Colorado State Patrol Academy in April of last year. The law requires drivers to move over and slow down when approaching not only police cars, fire trucks and ambulances, but also tow trucks and maintenance vehicles.

Its definitely jaw-dropping and it opens up a whole new perspective of keeping your head on a swivel, Gill said of the incident. Im more conscious in my personal driving and when Im in a patrol car or on the scene on the side of the highway.

The crash on Jan. 18 was one of two serious struck-by crashes in the Denver metro area in the past week, according to Maj. Darce Weil of Colorado State Patrol Division 1, who called the recent trend concerning at a press conference Friday.

A second struck-by crash on Jan. 25 left a Colorado Department of Transportation vehicle battered on Interstate 25 while first responders tended to a two-vehicle crash near Castle Rock. Two individuals were transported to the hospital with minor injuries, including a CDOT employee who was in the safety vehicle when it was "violently" struck by a driver disregarding pre-warning signs to move over.

While we didnt have serious injuries in these two crashes, I cant emphasize enough the danger that these crashes pose, Weil said. Were seeing an alarming trend this year already. Were in January and weve had a substantial increase in struck-by incidents of first responders. Its a concerning trend.

Weil said drivers need to move over and slow down to prevent these dangerous incidents  and comply with the law. On roads with speed limits 65 mph or above, drivers should slow down by at least 20 mph, and even more during inclement weather when approaching first responders, CDOT or tow carriers.

First responders and maintenance workers have pre-warning signs set up for drivers ahead of crash scenes or maintenance, including flares, triangles, cones, patrol lights and arrow boards  all indicators for drivers to exercise caution by slowing down or moving over.

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Deputy Director for CDOT Bob Fifer said the dangers posed by drivers create an increasingly stressful work environment for CDOT employees. He cited a 133% increase of struck-by crashes of CDOT vehicles from 2021 to 2022 and a 50% increase of hit safety patrol employees.

"It is nerve-wracking to stand on the side of an interstate when somebody is going 90 mph and theyre three inches from you," Fifer said. He recognized that drivers may feel like they're in a bubble in their cars. Keep in mind that your bubble is a weapon in our eyes and can quickly take a life away."

Last year, 50 first responders died as a result of struck-by incidents nationally as of Dec. 22, according to State Patrol. Of those killed, there were 17 law enforcement officers, 17 tow-truck operators, four road service technicians, one CDOT or safety service patrol operator, and 11 firefighters and EMS personnel.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that motor vehicle incidents are a leading cause of death for law enforcement officers in the line of duty, accounting for 33% of line-of-duty deaths between 2011 and 2020.

State Patrol trooper Cody Donahue was killed in 2016 by a commercial truck while investigating a crash on the side of I-25 near Tomah Road in Castle Rock. Donahue, who had been with the force for 11 years, was 34 years old. The driver of the truck who struck him was convicted in 2021 of careless driving  passing of an emergency vehicle resulting in death and failure to remain in a single lane.

"Thats something that we will live with for the rest of our lives," Weil said.

The press conference comes not long after reports that last year saw the highest number of vehicle-related deaths in the state since 1981. Traffic crashes claimed 745 lives on Colorado roads in 2022, representing a 57% increase from 10 years ago, according to traffic officials.

I dont want that trend to continue, Weil said of the statistic. Seeing the struck-by trend already, I am concerned. I am concerned for my officers safety, for the employees of CDOT, Im concerned for roadway workers and, most importantly, Im concerned for the public.
By Sabina Mammadli

Early this morning, in a brutal terror attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran, the chief of the embassy security guard was killed and two others were wounded.

Further, the Tehran police said that the attacker, who was later identified as a 50-year-old man, was detained. Besides, the identities of the victims of the attack have been revealed. This way, a 43-year-old embassy employee was killed, and two employees aged 30 and 35 were injured, one in the arm and one in the leg.

According to preliminary investigation, he drove up to the administrative building in a car together with two young children: a 14-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy. He entered the embassy building, opening fire right at the entrance to the building. Saying that he was unarmed, the attacker threatened the guard standing at the door and entered the embassy. He started shooting towards the entrance gate of the embassy.

The victims were taken to the hospital by ambulance, and law enforcement officers and rescuers immediately arrived at the scene.

According to an informed source, the terrorist was planning to kill all the embassy staff if the embassy security did not prevent the attack.

Speaking about the attack, an embassy employee, who tried to stop the attacker, talked about the moment of death of the head of the security service of the embassy, ??Orkhan Asgarov, while repelling the terror attack.

Chief of the Tehran police Huseyn Rahimi said that the police immediately launched an operation and detained the attacker, and the investigation is continuing.

The attacker cited personal and family problems as a motive for the attack.

The police in the area of the attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran made no attempt to prevent the terror attack and no operational activity is currently being observed.

The video below shows that an Iranian law enforcement officer is inactive. As can be seen from the video footage, there are no children near the attacker, as reported by the Iranian police earlier, and he did not attack the Iranian policeman standing at the door.




On Black Friday, Nov. 25, 2022, Andrea Bettis claims she watched her roommate shoot and kill her husband outside their apartment in Colorado Springs.

Two months later, despite Bettis stating there were multiple people who witnessed the shooting, Colorado Springs Police Department has yet to make an arrest in the death of Jacob Langley, 22.

"Communication was terrible and as of now they (CSPD) will be closing out Jacob's case with no arrest," Bettis told The Gazette.

"They (CSPD) haven't pressed charges because the shooter is saying self-defense, but the evidence doesn't show that," Langley's sister, Katelynn Hancock, said. "It doesn't make sense."

On Nov. 25, Bettis said she and one of their roommates got into a verbal altercation that led to her roommate pulling a firearm and pointing it at Bettis and Langley's 1-year-old daughter, with the roommate saying he would "beat them up."

Bettis told The Gazette that after the roommate, who hasn't been charged, pointed the gun, she called Langley and her aunt to come to the apartment to help pack up so they could leave.

While the family was packing their car, the dispute again began to boil over and Langley took the roommate's gun from him, which Bettis said made the alleged shooter even more upset than he was before.

Bettis said that while she was in the apartment continuing to pack she heard two gunshots and ran outside. When Bettis got outside, she saw her roommate yelling at Langley about the gun he had taken, and that's when she claims she saw him fire three more shots at Langley with a second gun he owned as Langley attempted to drive away. But the shots hit him, the car rolling to a stop.

Bettis said the roommate and his girlfriend immediately left the scene, and that when police arrived they attempted CPR and other life-saving measures on Langley, but he died at the hospital later that day.

Now, over two months after the incident, Bettis and other family members of Langley have become frustrated with the lack of an arrest.

Christina Langley, Jacob Langley's mother, told The Gazette that she had only spoken to CSPD once since the incident despite several attempts to contact the detectives in charge of the case.

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"I haven't heard anything since November," Christina Langley said.

Jacob Langley's sister, Hancock, told The Gazette she had also only spoken with CSPD one time since her brother was killed.

Bettis claims that CSPD had told family members that the investigation had come to a halt because they believed Jacob Langley posed "a significant risk" to the roommate during the altercation.

CSPD spokesperson Robert Tornabene said the detectives in charge of the case were unavailable for comment, and that the case had been turned over to the District Attorney's Office for review.

"To comment on this case at this time would be inappropriate," Tornabene told The Gazette in an emailed statement.

Jacob Langley moved to Colorado Springs in 2019 to pursue a career as an HVAC installer after growing up in Cushing, Okla., in what Bettis described as a "rough upbringing."

Christina Langley said that while her son was growing up  alongside his five brothers and three sisters  she struggled with drug addiction and that when Jacob Langley was just 12 years old when his father died.

"

"Jacob was an amazing father, he loved the outdoors, hunting and he loved his family," Hancock said. "He had the perfect smile, he was a good person and it breaks my heart they are letting the guy that did this walk."

Christina Langley described her son as shy, funny and incredibly caring and driven to make a life for his wife and 1-year-old daughter, Adelita Malyssa Marie Langley.

"I was just so proud of him," Christina Langley said. "He was going to make something of his life  he was going to make it light-years beyond where I had made it."

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to remove the incorrect cause of death of Jacob Langley's father.
Minutes before midnight on a Friday last May, gunfire ripped through the walls of Babilonia Bar along Platte Avenue.

Nineteen-year-old Montaries Jennings, there for a show by his favorite rap artist, fought his way to safety through the panicked, stampeding crowd before posting on social media that hed just seen a man get shot, and that he was praying for him.

He then called his mom and told her he was bruised but alive, and heading home.

Jennings hung up and a few miles east pulled his car into the parking lot of Woodys Bar and Grill off Pikes Peak Avenue. He planned to stay only a moment, to pay homage at what remained of a sprawling chalk-painted mural honoring his auntie Gwen Watson, his moms close friend, who had been shot to death there the previous summer. He wanted to thank her for keeping him alive.

It was then that three bullets pierced the teens side and lung, dropping him to the ground by the memorial to the woman he called his guardian angel. Three others also were shot, and survived, but Jennings, caught in the crossfire of other mens wrath, died.

Montaries Jennings, who died May 28, was the 23rd homicide in Colorado Springs, during a year of record-setting violence in a city thats bucking national trends in the bleakest of ways.

"It's just been tragedy after tragedy," said Jennings mother, Tameka Totten, 43, reflecting on how Colorado Springs (a city that also saw a record number of traffic fatalities in 2022) is a much more dangerous place to raise a family than it was a generation ago. "As soon as they walked out the door I started to panic. Those streets are not safe. They're just not safe."

The Springs saw more homicides last year than in any year since 1985, FBI data shows, even as pandemic highs were creeping down in other cities.

Fifty-four people were killed in murders and negligent homicides here in 2022.

More than three-quarters of that number  41 people  died by gunfire.

Young men and boys represented nearly a third of victims.

The first homicide of 2022 was that of a 13-year-old boy with a baby face, Marcus Venezio-Hernandez, who died in a Jan. 9 shooting that also killed his 15-year-old friend, Nevean Tafoya.

Victim vignettes Sofia Hernandez Crade hasnt picked up a paintbrush for months. Before sunrise on Oct. 11, the Old Colorado City-based artists life was forced to a standstill when her mom called her in a panic to tell her that her little brother, 19-year-old Demitri Crockett, had been shot and killed by a still unidentified youth the evening before. On Black Friday, 2022, Andrea Bettis claims she watched her roommate shoot and kill her husband outside their apartment in Colorado Springs. Two months later, despite Bettis stating there were multiple people who witnessed the shooting, Colorado Springs Police Department has yet to make an arrest in the death of Jacob Langley. When Jessica Westrich raced to the hospital the night of her sons death last March she drove past the flashing lights of a crime scene at the Citadel Mall. She had no idea yet her oldest child, Matthew Westrich, had died, likely instantly, during a shooting in the malls parking lot along with Jeremiah Brown, 20, on March 25, 2022. On June 1, 2022, 19-year-old Castle Rock native Hoani Bartlett was sitting in the car outside an apartment complex, writing a poem for his 9-month-old son Elijah. A man in a ski mask walked up and shot at the the car several times. Hoani was hit passed away a short time later. As the best friend of one victim of gun violence and the mother of another, Tameka Totten has borne her share of tragedy. On May 28, 2022, her son, 19-year-old Montaries Jennings was caught in the crossfire of a feud at a bar where his moms friend had been gunned down less than a year before.

The older of the two suspects in the robbery gone wrong that led to their deaths was young enough at the time of the killings that  given a recent plea agreement and seven-year sentence to Colorados Youthful Offender System  he could be free before his youngest victim would have turned 21.

Nationwide, homicide rates spiked by almost 30% during the pandemic, with more people in America felled by guns in 2020 than in any other year on record, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Much of the country saw those numbers begin to drop slightly last year, as the factors experts say contributed to the rise  social and economic upheavals, shutdowns and shut-ins  continued to lighten, level out or, at least, sink in.

Not Colorado Springs, which had 10 more homicides than in 2021 and was on track to break a grim record even before the mass shooting at Club Q on Nov. 19.

El Paso County also had a record-setting year for homicides, with 72 in 2022 compared with 61 in 2021 and 55 in 2020, said Coroner Dr. Leon Kelly.

Colorado, by contrast, saw 366 homicides in 2021 and provisional data shows 236 homicides in 2022, according to the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Denver recorded 88 murders in 2022, the Denver Police Department reported, down from 96 in 2021 and 95 in 2020.

Colorado Springs wasnt the only city to defy more-encouraging statistical trends.

Thirteen of the 27 cities the Council on Criminal Justice looked at for its year-end report on the Pandemic, Social Unrest, and Crime saw more homicides in 2022 than in 2021, including Seattle, Milwaukee and Raleigh, N. C.

Homicides resulting from domestic and family violence are far and away the largest category locally, said coroner Kelly.

"These are committed almost entirely by men who are struggling to deal with general, normal stresses of life," Kelly said.

While the city's population growth, 18% since 2010 would figure into increased homicides, it isn't the only factor.

"Weve almost doubled the number of death investigations and autopsies (since 2010), which  all things being equal  should have increased by 18%" Kelly said.

"You would expect that as a population grows all of these types of deaths grow essentially at the same rate as the population, and so increases over time dont worry me and they shouldnt worry the community. Its when you see dramatic deviations from your population growth or when you see dramatic deviations from one year to the next, is when you have to ask, whats happening thats different?"

Family violence can erupt into greater conflict with a police officer getting injured in one case last year.

A spate of homicides in the homeless community led to 10 deaths within that small subset of the population in 2022, Kelly said.

Cycles of violence can become storms when the root causes remain unaddressed, say experts. What those root causes may be, however, depends on who you ask.

David Pyrooz, a sociology professor who studies crime trends and criminal justice policy at the University of Colorado Denver, said many point to the impact of criminal justice trends and a modern emphasis on reform, rather than incarceration.

This, he said, has led some to believe that criminals are becoming more emboldened to commit crimes.

Its about (the) certainty of being punished rather than the actual punishment itself, Pyrooz said. It gives a sense of impunity.

Mike Williams, executive director of the Citizens Project, has heard from residents in Colorado Springs community meetings that economic drivers and a lack of social connectedness  compounded by pandemic isolation  is contributing to the overall rise in crime, although he could not speak specifically to homicides.

When you are not connected to other people, you may not see them as your neighbors, he said.

The connections police build and maintain within a community can also play a powerful role, not only in deterring crime but encouraging cooperation in solving crimes when they occur, said Ernesto Lopez, with the Council on Criminal Justice.

A report earlier this year found that Colorado Springs police officers said they do not have enough time to spend on proactive policing or building relationships.

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The annual homicide clearance rate for the department, which CSPD spokesperson Lt. Pamela Castro said is usually over 80%, was 58.4% for 2022. CSPD blamed the low rate on the high number of cases that are still in the investigation phase. Once arrests are made, the rate will go up.

Castro concedes that CSPD is currently understaffed.

It has 763 officers currently employed, including 48 academy trainees, and the department would be fully staffed at 818 officers. The homicide unit currently has 15 detectives and three sergeants, with just one detective vacancy.

Understaffing plays a role in CSPDs ability to properly police and respond to crimes across the city, Castro said, but added that the department believes one of the primary drivers of the rise in homicides and violent crime in the city has nothing to do with the police department.

She pointed to new Colorado laws and policies that restrict the lengths to which law enforcement can go to take criminals off the streets, specifically changes in legislation regarding weapons possession by previous offenders.

Changes in state law have consequences, Castro said.

Colorado once barred anyone who was convicted of a felony from purchasing firearms, but in 2021 state law changed so that only those convicted of crimes identified in the Colorados Victim Rights Act face additional penalties for possessing a gun. The act covers 50 violent crimes, such as murder and rape, The Gazette reported previously.

Where we would have arrested individuals who were convicted of illegally possessing a gun before, now we cant arrest them for that, Castro said.

She also pointed to the impact of changes in parole policies.

In the past if previous offenders violated their parole, they would be arrested and not given the chance to post bond, she said. In many cases such offenders now remain eligible for parole, a chance to bond out and potentially commit more crimes.

We are currently looking to reduce the number of people in jail. Well, that means just by the nature of that scale there can be a resulting increase in crime, Castro said.

A study by the U.S. Justice Department following a half-million prisoners freed from state prisons in 2008 found that 82% were rearrested within 10 years of their release.

Of the 27 known individuals charged with a homicide in Colorado Springs in 2022, The Gazette found that 11 had previously been convicted of one felony in Colorado. Seven of those convictions were for violent crimes, with one additional person facing an open case for second-degree assault against a peace officer.

It's still too early to tell whether Colorado's 2021 safe storage law, aimed at keeping guns from juveniles and others prohibited from having such weapons, has had the effect advocates hoped it would on gun violence, injuries and suicide specifically. The most recent data available is from 2020.

A "red-flag" law passed in 2019 made it easier to legally remove guns from those who pose a risk to themselves or others in Colorado. That law, however, failed to keep firearms out of the hands of Anderson Lee Aldrich, accused of killing five people and injuring 18 in the Nov. 19 mass shooting at Club Q.

The effectiveness of the laws in preventing homicides is difficult to parse because among firearm deaths in general, murder is rare, said Dr. Eric France, chief medical officer at Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

The laws also are not well understood, and greater education could help ensure families know the steps to take in times of crisis, he said.

"Every household that has guns should understand those laws, he said.

At the federal level, the CDC was barred from conducting any firearm-related research for more than 20 years, until 2019, because of a law preventing the agency from using federal money to "advocate or promote gun control."

Understanding motives and preventing violent outcomes likely requires a more nuanced approach, a better understanding of those perpetrating crimes as well as the potential influence of virtual peers and social media, especially among younger generations, say those who've studied the trends, and those whove lived them.

Sofia Hernandez Crade, whose foster brother Demitri Crockett was shot to death Oct. 10, said she believes whoever pulled the trigger did so out of pride and adrenaline, which, when mixed with the rationality of a teenage brain and easy access to firearms, creates a cocktail for lots of unnecessary death.

I feel like a lot of young men feel very lost and kind of frail, and that they lean on this hyped-up machismo sense of manhood to give them power and to feel less afraid in a scary world, Crade said.

Whatever the causes, Castro said if changes arent made she believes the homicide and violent crime rate could continue to escalate.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome, Castro said. I dont think we can say things are going to change if we stay on the same path. Our community, our society and Colorado as a whole has to decide what balance were willing to trade: Freedoms and crime rates."

While violent crime and homicides have been on the rise in Colorado Springs, Castro emphasized that the city remains a safe place.

Only a small segment of the community is responsible for committing a majority of the crimes in Colorado Springs, Castro said she believes.

Neighbors who live near the places where crimes are frequent are pushing back in their own ways.

Men of Influence, a group dedicated to quelling violence, successfully worked with gang members to stop the string of shootings at Memorial Park, said DOntay Roy, chairman of the city's Law Enforcement Transparency and Advisory Commission. Men of Influence's members include those who participated in violence in the past and do not want to see others repeat their mistakes.

However, he expects real change will take participation across the police department, justice system and the community. The police department could hire more and better qualified police officers and the justice system could ensure consistency in discipline, Roy said.

"Until we actually start valuing peoples lives I dont think much is going to change, Roy said.

Neighbors who heard the gun shots the night Jennings fled Babilonia are also fighting to have the venue's liquor license revoked. The bar is now known as Paradise Night Club and Restaurant, but it is owned by the same people and operates under the same license.

In their formal objection letter, neighbors cite the bars history of violence and crime including eight shootings between January and June of last year, as well as armed robbery, assault, disorderly conduct, and brawling in the streets.

A judge's decision on the liquor license is expected on Feb. 3 after the hearing was postponed last week, when city attorneys said they were not taking a position on the license.
By Fatima Hasanova

Mykhailo Podolyak, the adviser of the Office of the President of Ukraine, in an interview with the Armenian Azatutyun news agency, stated that Ukraine did not supply Azerbaijan with any weapons that would be used in the second Karabakh war, Azernews reports.

When questioned about whether Ukraine gave Azerbaijan weapons used in the second Karabakh war, specifically phosphorus bombs, Podolyak refuted this claim by pointing out that Ukraine officially maintains a neutral position and minimizing the likelihood of delivering weapons anywhere, especially to hot spots.

"Ukraine officially maintains a neutral status. And we have minimized the possibility of supplying weapons anywhere, especially to conflict areas. Yes, we had an arms sale segment, but it was a typical legal arms sale with full contracts, export controls, etc. There is no point in engaging in controversy, conflict situations to escalate or provoke a conflict," Podolyak stated.

Referring to various anonymous sources, Armenia spread untrue information about the alleged use of phosphorus bombs by Azerbaijan during the second Karabakh war though not a single piece of evidence has so far been provided by Armenia.

The 37th rifle division of the first combined arms army of the armed forces of Armenia's third motorized rifle regiment received significant amounts of phosphorus-containing cargo, according to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense in 2020.

Phosphorus bombs were previously used by Armenia against Azerbaijan.

A 122-mm incendiary cannon projectile was fired by Armenia on Fuzuli District on October 8, 2020, containing 3.6 kilograms of white phosphorus.

During the time of the ceasefire, Armenia also attacked Azerbaijan with phosphorus bombs. In the year 2016, Armenia attacked the village of Askipara in Tartar District with a phosphorus bomb.

The 44-day war ended with the Russia-brokered peace deal signed on November 10 by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders.

The peace agreement ended the 30-year-old conflict between Baku and Yerevan over Azerbaijans Nagorno-Karabakh region that along with the seven adjacent districts came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s.

For about three decades, Armenia refused to implement the UN Security Council resolutions, demanding the withdrawal of the Armenian troops, which was the main obstacle to the resolution of the conflict.
The more than 3,000 psychologists operating in Colorado could soon be able to prescribe mental health medications to patients  if a bill from Rep. Mary Bradfield is passed into law.

Currently, if a psychologist providing therapy or counseling decides their patient needs medication such as antidepressants, they must refer the patient to a psychiatrist or medical doctor to get a prescription. But due to a lack of prescribers in Colorado, Bradfield said this process can take months to complete and delays necessary care for people who are struggling.

House Bill 1071 would let a licensed psychologist prescribe and administer psychotropic medications if they complete additional education and are certified by the state's Board of Psychologist Examiners.

I want to see Colorado have accessible mental and behavioral health, Bradfield said. This is not a quick fix. It does not make Colorado healthier tomorrow or next month. But it can be another tool in the toolbox for anybody who has behavioral or mental health problems and has had trouble getting in to see a psychiatrist.

This effort comes as the 2022 State of Mental Health in America report ranked Colorado as the worst state in the country for adult mental health. The year before, Childrens Hospital Colorado declared a state of emergency for youth mental health, as suicide became the leading cause of death for Colorado kids ages 14 to 19.

Bradfield, a Republican, is sponsoring the bill with Boulder Democrat Rep. Judy Amabile, along with another Republican/Democrat pair in the Senate. But despite the bipartisan support, the mental health community is divided on the bill.

Opponents have raised concerns about allowing non-medically trained psychologists to prescribe medications, saying they do not understand how medications impact the body or how physical illnesses can manifest as mental health issues.

There are many medical considerations for prescribing and treating a child on powerful psychiatric medications  weight, blood pressure, metabolic panels, organ systems, side effects and interactions with other medications, to name a few, said Dr. Cassie Littler, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics Colorado Chapter. Even with the training requirements listed in the bill, a prescribing psychologist would be the least-trained professional with prescriptive authority in Colorado.

Under the bill, a psychologist could apply for conditional certification if they, in part, have a doctorate in psychology, a masters degree in clinical psychopharmacology, pass the national psychopharmacology exam and hold professional liability insurance.

Psychologists would hold conditional certification for two years, during which time they could only prescribe and administer medications under the supervision of a physician or nurse. After two years, the psychologist could apply for full certification and work without supervision, so long as they maintain their license, their insurance and complete at least 20 hours of continuing education annually.

Supporters of the bill point out the two-year supervision period for prescribing psychologists  as well as the permanent requirement that they inform a patients primary care doctor of what is being prescribed  as making the program safe.

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This partnership between psychologists and other prescribers is a comprehensive approach to patient care that treats both emotional and physiological conditions together instead of in a silo, said Kyle Piccola with Healthier Colorado. "Coloradans deserve life-saving mental health medications without delay, and psychologists can be added to the care team to ensure they have access.

Psychologists can already prescribe mental health medication in five states  New Mexico, Louisiana, Illinois, Iowa and Idaho  as well as in the U.S. military.

In New Mexico and Louisiana, deaths by suicide were reduced by between 5% and 7% since psychologists were granted prescriptive authority, according to Healthier Colorado.

Colorado is in the middle of the worst mental health crisis because we are failing people with mental health and emotional conditions by not having enough providers, said Dr. Jin Lee, a pediatric psychologist and chair of the Colorado prescriptive authority task force. Prescribing psychologists are valuable resources for patients and the medical team because they work as an integrated team.

Other organizations backing the bill are the Colorado Psychological Association, National Association of Social Workers, One Colorado, Boulder County and Envision: You.

Groups in opposition to the bill include the Colorado Medical Society, Colorado Psychiatric Society, Colorado Radiological Society, Colorado Society of Anesthesiologists and Kaiser Permanente.

The Colorado Psychiatric Society maintains that the bill is unsafe and argues that it wouldnt have the desired effect of increasing prescribers, claiming that fewer than 250 psychologists throughout the entire country have been issued licenses to prescribe with current psychologist prescribing laws in effect in five other states.

Allowing psychologists to prescribe powerful psychotropics will not increase access and is not a viable solution, said Anna Weaver, executive director of the Colorado Psychiatric Society. "Investing in programs that truly expand access, integrate care, and do not compromise patient safety is the right solution to address our crisis.

Dr. Patrick Pevoto, president of the Colorado Medical Society, agreed, calling granting psychologists prescriptive authority lowering the standard of care and increasing the focus on medicating adults and children.

However, Bradfield said the current system is simply not working for the Coloradans who are struggling with mental and behavioral health issues.

I understand where the pushback is coming from. I get it. Prescribers have worked very hard and spent many years working to get their degree and to be licensed to practice  but there aren't enough of them," Bradfield said. There just aren't enough. We need to do something in this state to improve the access to care.
Ed Perlmutter always knew he wanted to spend his life giving back to Colorado.

As a child in Jefferson County, Perlmutter said he watched his father love and serve their state, inspiring him to do the same. This inspiration carried Perlmutter through his decades-long career as a lawyer, through eight years as a state senator and, most recently, through 16 years representing Colorados 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

I think we live in the best place on the planet and our job is to keep it that way, Perlmutter said. "I wanted to give back as much as I could. I wouldn't live any place else. I'll be here until my last breath.

After 25 years in elected office, Perlmutter left Congress in January. Perlmutter, 69, was the first member of Colorados congressional delegation in decades to step down voluntarily without seeking higher office, saying it was time to pass the torch to the next generation of Colorado leaders.

Now, he is being honored with the Public and Community Service Award from Gov. Jared Polis as part of the 2022 Governors Citizenship Medals.

This category wasnt even close, Polis said of the award. Theres nobody, nobody who has given more to Colorado than Ed Perlmutter. Through his service in the state senate, as Colorados most effective member of Congress, as the go-to person in the United States Congress to get things done. Ed has transformed this state through his work.

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Throughout Perlmutters long career, some of his biggest achievements include creating a $2 billion veterans' affairs hospital in Aurora, assisting World War II veterans in visiting Japan for a memorial ceremony, and leading successful legislation to modernize the banking system, support aerospace development and champion renewable energy technology.

Though, Perlmutter said his proudest accomplishment is the family he built with his wife, Nancy, consisting of four daughters, two sons and soon-to-be five grandchildren. Perlmutter also delighted in the success of those hes worked with in his career, saying many of the people around him have run for office or otherwise given back to the community themselves.

Former U.S. Ambassador Daniel Yohannes said Perlmutter was the one who encouraged him to join public service, and Perlmutter's former chief of staff Danielle Radovich Piper said he gave her the support and space she needed to become the best version of herself.

I was just starting a family, soon to be a mom. For him to have as much confidence in me and support a young woman getting going in her professional career really says something about him, Piper said. I cant think of anyone who is more deserving than he is of such a high honor.

While his political career is seemingly behind him, Perlmutter said he has no intention of slowing down. He is currently working as a government relations attorney and general practitioner in the Holland and Knight law firm in Denver and Washington, D.C.

Perlmutter plans to continue to use his work to help Colorado, and said he feels indescribably honored to be recognized for this ambition with the Public and Community Service Award.

To honor me with this award for service that I've given to the state, when I felt so blessed to be able to give that service. I feel doubly blessed, Perlmutter said. I want my legacy to be that I was a good man, an honest citizen and that I helped keep Colorado a fantastic place."
Sofia Hernandez Crade hasnt picked up a paintbrush for months.

Before sunrise on Oct. 11, the Old Colorado City-based artists life was forced to a standstill when her mom called her in a panic to tell her that her little brother, 19-year-old Demitri Crockett, had been shot and killed by a still-unidentified assailant the evening before.

Over three months later, Crade sat on the bay-window sofa in the living room of her apartment, walls laden with bold canvas paintings  manifestations of her lifes work  sidelined by insurmountable grief and the frustration of mourning without closure.

Demitri had lived with her there, once, before finding his own apartment on 19th Street, just down the hill from hers. The night before he died, he and Crade had watched a scary movie, then stayed up late having a heart-to-heart conversation about past traumas and learning how to trust. Crade, ever the vigilant big sister, reminded him of the nights he used to spend by her bedside when he was a child.

The last thing that I said before he (went home) was, If you get scared, just walk up the hill and knock on my door and Ill protect you, she said, her voice catching in her throat as she looked out the window and down the hill.

Had she been home a little after 7 p.m. on Oct. 10, would she have heard the shots?

Obviously, I wasnt able to protect him.

Her family still doesnt know much about the night that Crocketts life, marked both by a series of hardships and the prowess to overcome them through lyricism and dance, ebbed away in the cracked parking lot of his apartment building. In that way, Crockett is one of several faces of a notable local trend: Nearly one-third of the citys record 54 homicides in 2022 are unsolved, and in those cases, young men represent a majority of the victims.

Demitri's death was the 38th homicide investigation of the year.

Nine years ago, Crades mom, Mary, and stepdad, Jess, had fallen in love with the little boy and decided to foster him, Crade said. Crade first met Demitri, who was captivated by Michael Jackson and dressed in a pinstripe blazer and black fedora to match, when he and her parents traveled to Wisconsin in 2013 to move her from college back to their home in Woodland Park.

The 10-year-old had asked his new sister if he could give her a gift, and proceeded to perform a dance, body and music so inextricably tied that his talent was clearly more than childs play, Crade said. The boy was a genius at work, she wrote in a poem after his death.

"Life just beginning

Smile brimmin

Heart overspillin

I knew I loved you then."

As he danced, his radiant smile veiled the underlying pain of a troubled childhood.

Demitri and his brother, Zaire, were born in New York City before the Army took their mother to Colorado Springs, where he was placed for adoption when he was 2. According to Crade, Demitri suffered enough abuse at the hands of the woman who adopted him  sometimes forced to stand in a corner, unable to sit down and more  that he was removed by Social Services.

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As close as blood siblings, Crade and Demitri grew together as artists. She said she introduced Demitri to rap music  his first taste of the genre through which he would dream for the rest of his life.

As the fast-talking, animated child entered the social minefield that is middle school, he became quieter. Woodland Park was a great place but lacked diversity, Crade said, and as a Black kid in a predominantly white school, Demitri endured racist harassment, she said.

Still, he dreamed of being a successful rap artist and performer and never lost sight of that goal and retained a tremendous presence and power," Crade said. He figured that after high school, hed buy a house, then another. Hed use Crades art on his album cover when he finally made it big, he said.

He was magnanimous in his dreaming, unhindered by those inconvenient economic realities of adulthood or the classroom naysayers.

You want to build (kids' dreams) up but also make them a little more realistic and refined, Crade said, laughing. But he definitely had a huge vision and the talent to match. He could talk all day and give advice about how hes going to make it, but he also wanted to bring everybody else up with him.

Demitri was working tirelessly  stacking his bread, he would say  toward that goal. By the name of DC Malice, he created 50 original songs on BandLab, an online music platform. I like music that is meaningful as well as (music) that just goes hard, his online profile reads. My main concern is to address real world issues though.

But as songwriting served as an outlet for his struggles with trauma, Demitri faced the pressure to appear tough in an industry where so many rappers have raw, valid feelings to convey but where songs about violence keep going to the shelves, Crade said.

Like most teens, Crade added, her brother was trying on identities. She said shes not exactly sure what activities he engaged in, but that they were small and low-key. She said the Colorado Springs Police Department told her family in mid-December that they were closing in on an arrest, but no more information, other than that the shooter was a juvenile, has come.

She believes many young men who feel lost face pressure to appear strong, and, when paired with access to guns and a lack of healthy masculine influence in life, may resort to violence as a way to prove themselves.

When you see how much can be lost, you also want to protect what little you have," Crade said. "I dont think anything (Demitri) did shouldve gotten him killed. I think (the shooter) did something out of pure pride and adrenaline.

"Heart sinking

Head overfillin

This senseless killing

This SENSELESS killing

I knew I loved you then."

Crade hopes to paint again, soon. She said shes moving to a new studio soon and plans to petition the city to do a mural honoring Demitri. In addition to painting for commission, she wants to paint more for herself, including a few large canvases depicting Demitri that are raw, full of vitality and authentically imperfect, like he was.

Stack her bread, as Demitri mightve said, when shes ready.
DES MOINES  Iowa House lawmakers are poised to again pass legislation that would prevent a defendant from using a victims sexual orientation or gender identity as a mitigating factor if charged with a violent crime or assault.

The House Judiciary Committee this week voted unanimously to advance for a floor vote and recommend passage House Study Bill 6, which bars the so-called gay panic defense that has been used successfully in other states by those charged with violent crimes to reduce their sentences.

Defendants who use the legal strategy claim that learning a person is gay, lesbian or transgender in a non-violent sexual advance led to a loss of self-control and the subsequent assault.

Supporters of the bill, both Democrats and Republicans, called the defense tactic heinous, insulting and discriminatory as it excuses or minimizes violence against LGBTQ+ Iowans.

Bill supporters cite the 2016 killing of Kedarie Johnson, a gender-fluid Burlington teenager who was shot twice by a man who intended to have sex with the 16-year-old, who often presented as female and was dressed in women's clothing on the night of Kedarie s death.

The bill has never been considered in the Iowa Senate, but it has passed the House unanimously twice before.

Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the bill will get a fair hearing and ran out of time last session to get it moved for a floor vote in the Senate.

SWAPPING STATEMENTS

The head of the national teachers union and Gov. Kim Reynolds traded shots via statements regarding Reynolds $345 million, state-funded private school financial aid package that she signed into law this week.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, in a statement to Fox Business criticized Reynolds plan, saying it will put new money in private schools hands while leaving communities holding the bag.

Parents and families, no matter where they live, want safe, well-funded public schools, not schemes to funnel taxpayers money to the wealthy few, Weingarten said in the statement.

The governor of Iowa is risking real political damage by doing the bidding of Betsy DeVos. After her midterms failure in Michigan, DeVos has leaned on the Iowa Legislature to ram through a reckless spending spree opposed by conservatives and liberals alike.

Reynolds responded with her own statement, which included criticism of Weingarten for supporting schools that chose to operate virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Education is not a zero-sum game. And shame on Weingarten for thinking that political outcomes are what matters here, Reynolds said in her statement.

In Iowa, were funding students over systems and putting kids first. If the teachers union started thinking that way, families would be better off. With Weingarten at the helm, I know that will never happen.

MORE BIRD V. BIDEN

Iowa has signed onto a multistate lawsuit over a federal rule that would allow retirement plan managers to consider climate change and other social governance factors when investing.

In a statement, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird alleges the proposed rule would put retirement savings at risk.

Americans spend a lifetime working and saving for their retirement. They dont deserve political agendas illegally driving investment decisions that cost them money, Bird said.

Bird, a Republican, also joined six other governors in repeating Midwest states request that the federal government approve the year-round sale of the E15 ethanol blend in other states.

Debt relief pending SCOTUS decision

The U.S. Department of Education has approved 169,000 applications for student loan forgiveness in Iowa, and 264,000 Iowans overall have applied or were automatically deemed eligible, according to numbers from the White House released Friday.

President Joe Biden announced a plan to forgive up to $20,000 for tens of millions of student loan borrowers in August. The plan is on hold until the U.S. Supreme Court decides on multiple legal challenges.

Iowa is a party to one lawsuit, Biden v. Nebraska. Gov. Kim Reynolds said when the lawsuit was filed the cancellation punishes people who have already paid off their student loans or chose not to pursue higher education at all. Iowas Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird signed onto the lawsuit after taking office in January.

In a statement, White House regional communications director Haris Talwar said the administration is hopeful the plan will survive court challenges. If the administration does win the challenge, Talwar said debt for those approved will quickly be discharged and more applications will be processed.

Millions of borrowers could be experiencing relief right now were it not for meritless lawsuits brought on by opponents of the program and elected officials who sued to deny their own constituents from getting much-needed relief, he said.

Photos and video: Iowa legislators pass governor's private-school funding bill
A GOP proposal to expand the Iowa attorney generals authority in handling election-misconduct claims could politicize the office, according to one Democratic senator.

The proposal, along with one that would give the attorney general the right to prosecute criminal cases without a referral from a county attorney, is contained in a draft bill that has yet to be introduced in the House or the Senate.

Iowa Capital Dispatch has reviewed draft bill language from two independent sources. The proposal appears to be tied to Gov. Kim Reynolds effort to reorganize and consolidate state government.

The draft bill provides that the attorney general, rather than county attorneys, will decide whether alleged violations of Iowas election misconduct laws are to be criminally prosecuted. Another element of the draft bill eliminates the authority of county attorneys to even investigate allegations of election misconduct within their borders.

Like the attorney general, the states county attorneys are elected officials. Just over one-fourth of Iowas county attorneys are Democrats. The current attorney general is the newly elected Brenna Bird, a former Guthrie County and Fremont County prosecutor. Like Reynolds, Bird is a Republican.

Sen. Nate Boulton, a Polk County Democrat who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, says in its present state, the draft bill raises more than one issue for state lawmakers.

First, I think we have to be a little bit concerned as to just how much this may politicize the office of the attorney general, Boulton said. Were under no illusions here, this is an elective office, but it is an office thats about doing justice, not doing political work. And when you start to see things like this, changing around enforcement responsibilities, the concern becomes that this elective office becomes very much a political office in terms of deciding how these cases are going to be handled. That is concerning.

As for the measure that would enable the attorney general to prosecute criminal cases of any kind that are normally handled at the local level, Boulton said such a move could disrupt the cooperative relationship that Iowas county attorneys have long enjoyed with the attorney generals office.

We want cooperation, we want justice to be done, he said. And we want criminal prosecutions in particular to be handled by the people who are best equipped to do it, and not be setting up turf wars on these cases and how they should be handled.

Currently, Iowas attorney general prosecutes local criminal cases only when the county attorney refers the matter to the state for prosecution. Typically, that happens in smaller counties that lack the resources to prosecute major crimes, and in cases where the county attorney has a conflict, which can occur when police officers or deputies are charged with crimes. In fact, the attorney generals Area Prosecutions Division is set up specifically to handle cases referred there by county attorneys.

The governors spokesman, Kollin Crompton, did not respond when asked about the rationale for the proposed changes.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. (Photo courtesy of Brenna Bird)

The attorney generals spokeswoman, Alyssa Brouillet, declined to comment, noting that the bill has yet to be introduced.

Representatives of the Iowa County Attorneys Association and the Iowa State Association of Counties also declined to comment on the proposals.

Boulton said hes not focused on the GOPs motives in proposing the changes.

Im less concerned about the motives and more concerned about the impact, he said. I think thats what I have to do as the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I have to look at what this actually can achieve, what it can accomplish, and what the consequences of this change  intended or unintended  would be.

Birds successful 2022 campaign to unseat the nations longest serving attorney general, Democrat Tom Miller, was politically charged, with Bird referencing her opposition to the administration of Joe Biden and the radical socialists. She promised in television commercials to give Joe Biden exactly what he deserves. On her first day in office as attorney general, Bird signed onto lawsuits challenging the Biden administrations vaccine mandates and student-loan debt relief program.

During the 2022 campaign, Miller and Bird were asked by the Des Moines Register what sort of changes each of them planned to make in the office if they prevailed on Election Day.

Miller outlined his continued support for county attorneys, saying, We respect the authority of county attorneys and step in when asked to handle serious crimes.

Bird, who has served as president of the Iowa County Attorneys Association, told the Burlington Hawk Eye she hoped to hire more attorneys in the Area Prosecutions Division so it could better handle the criminal cases referred there.

Photos: North Iowa history book, 1940s-1960s 1962 Band Festival Hamilton basketball South Federal Avenue 1961 McDonald's Drive-in MCHS wins championship Lock store Hawke hemp farm Gone with the Wind Federal Avenue at night 02-23-1949.jpg Main and State streets Christian Church fire Navy books 1962 Band Festival Tug of War in East Park Officers find ammunition in car
The US State Department has condemned the attack on the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Iran, Azernews reports.

"We echo President Aliyevs call for a prompt investigation into this unacceptable violence. We offer our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who were killed and injured today. Any attack against diplomats or diplomatic facilities anywhere is unacceptable. We remind the Government of Iran of its responsibility under the Vienna Convention to protect foreign diplomats in Iran," Ned Price, Spokesperson for the US State Department, said.

The armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran on January 27, 2023, at about 0830 (GMT+4) claimed one security guard killed and two others wounded.

The gunman turned out to be a man in his 50s, who drove up to the administrative building, armed with a Kalashnikov automatic rifle.

Earlier reports from the Tehran police chief said there were two children in the car with the gunman, the security camera footage released later proved the man was alone. He entered the building after briefly waving hand to the Iranian security guard outside.

No attempts were made to detain the gunman, as he freely entered the embassy. The man managed to kill the head of the security service and wound two embassy guards. The shooter was eventually detained. The incident is currently being investigated.
Bunuel wrote:

to travel to Europe rather than experiencing an African safari .





A. to travel to Europe rather than experiencing an African safari



B. travelling to Europe rather than to experience an African safari



C. to travel to Europe rather than the African safari experience



D. European travel rather than the experience of what is known as an African safari



E. travelling to Europe rather than experiencing an African safari









Check the links to other Butler Projects:

Data Sufficiency Butler





Problem Solving Butler



Critical Reasoning Butler



Reading Comprehension Butler



Integrated Reasoning Butler This is a SC Butler Question A leading tourism agency has reported that last year tourists preferredA. to travel to Europe rather than experiencing an African safariB. travelling to Europe rather than to experience an African safariC. to travel to Europe rather than the African safari experienceD. European travel rather than the experience of what is known as an African safariE. travelling to Europe rather than experiencing an African safari

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

A leading tourism agency has reported that last year tourists preferred to travel to Europe rather than experiencing an African safari .

A rather than B requires that A and B belong to the same part of speech. If A and B are unconjugated verbs, they should be of the same type. To travel is a To verb whereas experiencing is a Verb+ing.



What helps us identify this question as a Parallelism question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign:



A rather than B This answer choice is grammatically incorrect. The constructionrequires that A and B belong to the same part of speech. If A and B are unconjugated verbs, they should be of the same type.is a To verb whereasis a Verb+ing.What helps us identify this question as a Parallelism question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign:

A rather than B requires that A and B belong to the same part of speech. If A and B are unconjugated verbs, they should be of the same type. Travelling is a Verb+ing whereas to experience is a To Verb.



What helps us identify this question as a Parallelism question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign:



A rather than B This answer choice repeats the original mistake and is grammatically incorrect. The constructionrequires that A and B belong to the same part of speech. If A and B are unconjugated verbs, they should be of the same type.is a Verb+ing whereasis a To Verb.What helps us identify this question as a Parallelism question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign:

A rather than B requires that A and B belong to the same part of speech. In this answer choice, A is an unconjugated verb ( to travel ) whereas B is a noun ( African safari experience ).



What helps us identify this question as a Parallelism question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign:



A rather than B This answer choice is grammatically incorrect as it repeats the original mistake. The constructionrequires that A and B belong to the same part of speech. In this answer choice, A is an unconjugated verb () whereas B is a noun ().What helps us identify this question as a Parallelism question as well as identify the mistake is the following Stop Sign:

Although this answer choice corrects the original Parallelism mistake, it is stylistically flawed. The phrase of what is known as is redundant since it creates an unnecessarily long sentence.



Look for an answer choice that is both grammatically correct and concise.

This answer choice correctly uses the construction A rather than B . A and B parallel each other as they are both unconjugated verbs of the same type (Verb+ing).

A. to travel to Europe rather than experiencing an African safariB. travelling to Europe rather than to experience an African safariC. to travel to Europe rather than the African safari experienceD. European travel rather than the experience of what is known as an African safariE. travelling to Europe rather than experiencing an African safari_________________
Email special events to news@registerbee.com. The deadline is noon Wednesday.



20-YEAR CELEBRATION

The Remnant Church of Power, 601 Berryman Ave., will celebrate its 20th-year celebration of the 500 Youth-N-Black with a kick-off service at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 3 with guest speaker Bishop Brandon Jacobs from New Zion Temple Church in Hammond, Indiana. Music will be provided by the Youth-N-Black praise team and choir and Myasia Hogue.

SWEETHEART RECEPTION

The Cherrystone Youth Department will have a Sweetheart Reception at the Cherrystone Missionary Baptist Association Center at 4 p.m. Feb. 4 with minister Robin Owens, associate minister of Christian Life Church, Danville. Donations are $10 due by Friday. For more information, contact Nicole Toomer at 434-251-0608.

FOUR CHAPLAINS SERVICE

American Legion Post 325 will sponsor the Four Chaplains Service at 11 a.m. Feb. 5 at Riverview Baptist Church, 523 Park Ave., Danville. The public is invited and all veterans are encouraged to attend this service honoring the true sacrifice of The Four Chaplains

FOOD & CLOTHING MINISTRY

The Union Hall Baptist Church Food and Clothing Ministry, 6861 Strawberry Road, across from Union Hall Baptist Church, will be open from 9 a.m. to noon Feb. 4 with food and clothing of all types.

HEALTH & WELLNESS MINISTRY

Shockoe Missionary Baptist Church, 857 Java Road, Java, has resumed its monthly Wellness Walking Ministry from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., meeting every fourth Saturday. All ages are welcome to participate. The Health and Wellness Ministry will meet at 9 a.m. before each walking session. For information, contact Kathy B. Ramsey at 434-251-0379 or atbjrk@gmail.com.

IN PERSON/ONLINE SERVICES

Ascension Lutheran Church, 314 West Main St., worships Sundays at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary and live on Facebook at www.facebook/ascensionlutherandanville.

Mount Vernon United Methodist Church offers in-person services at 10 a.m. each Sunday as well as online worship services every Sunday at mtvernonumc.org or www.facebook.com/MountVernonUMC.

IN-PERSON SERVICES

Christ the King Lutheran Church, 1172 Franklin Turnpike, will have in-house worship services on Sundays at 11 a.m. Masking requested if not immunized. Social distancing except for family members. Free books available anytime in outdoor library located on a post next to the driveway.

Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, 406 Gay St., has in-person services at 10 a.m. for hour of power on the first and third Sundays.

North New Hope Baptist Church, 123 Old Piney Forest Road, has resumed in church worship services at 11 a.m. and Sunday school at 9:30 p.m.

Mount Sinai Glorious Church of God, 716 Jefferson St., will hold services in the sanctuary with Sunday school at 10 a.m. and morning worship at 10:30 a.m. Participants are asked to wear a mask and to practice social distancing. The service also will be streamed on Facebook.

Mount Freeman Baptist Church, 2100 Laniers Mill Road, hosts in-person service at 11 a.m. Sunday. There will be no Sunday school.

ONLINE WORSHIP SERVICES

Sacred Heart Catholic Church will livestream worship service at 9 a.m. Sundays in English and noon in Spanish at www.facebook.com/sheartchurch.

DRIVE-IN SERVICES

Staunton River Baptist Church, Long Island, will hold drive-in services at 10 a.m. each Sunday.

ONGOING SERVICES

Sacred Heart Catholic Church celebrates Mass every weekend with a vigil Mass at 5 p.m. Saturday and at 9 p.m. Sunday in English and noon in Spanish.

Watson Level Missionary Baptist Church holds Sunday worship services each week at 11 a.m. Because of COVID-19, a face mask is required for all attendees and social distancing is mandatory.

Calvary Church of the Nazarene, 2450 Franklin Turnpike, from 6 to 7 p.m. every Sunday, will hold Ladies Need Encouragement, an hour of worship and prayer. Participants are asked to bring a Bible and practice social distancing. The event is for ages 10 and up with adult supervision. For more information, call 540-907-8836.

Mount Zion Temple, now located at 503 Hughes St., presents The Word Homelitic Institute at 10 a.m. every Sunday. Transportation is provided by calling Bishop David K. Fuller at 434-429-8960.
Two separate crashes within sight of each other damaged seven vehicles, but resulted in no injuries.

Shortly after 8:30 this morning, the 911 Communications Center dispatched police to the intersection of Mount Olivet Road and U.S. Route 58, where it had been reported that three vehicles were involved in a collision.

Although there were no injuries, one vehicle was leaking fluid and the vehicles were impeding traffic.

Before officers arrived, a second crash occurred involving a Henry County school bus and three other vehicles, including a truck with a large trailer attached.

Additional law enforcement and Henry County Public Safety responded when it was learned that a second crash had occurred.

One of the responders on the scene said that it appeared that an unusually bright sun prevented eastbound motorists from seeing the road and other vehicles, causing two crashes involving seven vehicles.

A school official on the scene confirmed that none of the students on Bus #89 were injured and paramedics were assisting occupants in the other vehicles, but no one appeared to be injured.

The Virginia State Police arrived to investigate the crashes and Henry County sheriff's deputies assisted with traffic control.
Tanks but no tanks and Free the Leopards were the clever headlines earlier this week about Ukraine.

They referred to German Chancellor Olaf Scholzs frustrating refusal to send badly needed Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine to help Kyiv break the current military stalemate with Russia. Scholz kept insisting the U.S. must first send M1 Abrams tanks, even though the German tanks are far more suitable for the Ukrainian battlefield and can be delivered more quickly.

However, the Leopards were finally freed on Wednesday  coincidentally the birthday of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy  thanks to a sudden but smart political decision by President Joe Biden.

Reversing past U.S. reluctance to send the M1s, Biden announced Wednesday that 31 of these most sophisticated U.S. tanks will be delivered to Ukraine much later this year. His snap policy turnaround called Scholzs bluff. Germany will now deliver 14 Leopards and green-light other European allies to send some of the German tanks they have in their arsenals, with a goal of delivering at least 70 fairly soon to Kyiv.

Yet Bidens tank decision has wider, positive implications for the broad allied effort to help Ukraine in its struggle. It signals the president has finally concluded that NATO allies must do more than help Ukraine defend against Russian aggressors. They must enable Kyiv to drive the invaders out of its land.

For those concerned that the M1 decision will expand the war, here are six reasons why Bidens decision was the right one  and why the White House must do what it takes to get Kyiv whatever weapons it needs, in order to roll the Russians back from Ukraine this year.

An unforgiving calendar

Time is not on Ukraines side, and a stalemate is untenable. While Putins military cannot defeat and occupy all of Ukraine, it can destroy the countrys cities and wreck the economy if the conflict drags on indefinitely. Despite the impact of the war on Russias future economy, Putin is willing to throw newly mobilized men into a meat grinder, and import drones and missiles from Iran and North Korea for a spring or summer offensive. Sufficient weapons, soonest, would enable Kyiv to hit the Russians hard before such an offensive  and before a new GOP House majority threatens to cut Ukraine aid.

The urgent need for tanks

Those heavy battlefield tanks are needed now, as we approach the first anniversary of the Russian invasion next month, so Ukraine can mount a successful counteroffensive against dug-in Russian positions in the east and south of the country. Scholzs dallying may mean the Leopards wont arrive by spring, and the projected numbers are still insufficient  Ukraine says it needs 300  but 70 German tanks is a good start, and more may follow. If the nimble Ukrainians can break through Russian lines and cut off Russias land bridge to Crimea, they will take a huge step toward defeating Putins army.

This time, German tank drivers are the good guys

There is nothing wrong with German tanks rolling again into Ukraine. Yes, the German public is ambivalent, recalling uneasily how Nazi tanks rolled over Russia (then including Ukraine) during World War II. And Moscows propagandists are promoting that image. But Russia is now playing the Nazi role with its genocidal effort to wipe out the Ukrainian state and slaughter its civilians. This time, German tanks are manned by the good guys.

Confirming NATOs unity

It was important for Biden to call Scholzs bluff and cement a stronger German role in supporting Ukraine. No doubt, Scholzs true concern was the ambivalence of elements of his Social Democratic Party who yearn to maintain their diplomatic ties, trade relationships, and gas deals with Russia. Those days are over. The German leaders dithering over the Leopards was creating the impression for Moscow that the NATO alliance could still be splintered over help to Ukraine. Biden was correct to haul Scholz back into the fold.

A few U.S. tanks are a small price to pay

It was worth promising M1 tanks to prod Scholz into action. True, the U.S. tank is much heavier than the Leopard, unsuited to Ukrainian roads and runs most often on hard-to-procure jet fuel rather than diesel. But the short-term objective here was to free the Leopards, since there are 2,000 of them in various European countries, meaning an allied coalition could send them fairly quickly to Ukraine. I second Delawares Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, who told ABCs This Week on Sunday: If it requires our sending some Abrams tanks to unlock getting the Leopard tanks from Germany, from Poland, from other allies, I would support that.

Bidens new clarity about the wars endgame

The presidents willingness to deliver advanced U.S. tanks appears to indicate hes dropped his ambivalence about a Ukrainian victory, along with the false distinction between offensive and defensive weapons. As he correctly said Wednesday, Ukraines battle is not an offensive threat to Russia. If Russia returned to its territory, this war would be over today. Having signed off on tanks, now is the moment for the White House and NATO allies to send the other key weapons Ukraine still needs  the air defenses and long-range munitions that can make the difference between stalemate and victory. Freeing the Leopards should be a giant step toward ending Putins war in 2023.
RALEIGH  A spokesperson for State Auditor Beth Wood said he has turned in his resignation notice  days after news of his boss being charged last month in a hit-and-run crash was first reported.

Lane Rosen, an information and communications specialist with the state auditors office, said his resignation was already planned and unrelated to the hit-and-run incident. Asked why he decided to leave his position at the auditors office, Rosen said it was for a personal reason.

Recently, Rosen posted a video on TikTok in which he said he was quitting his job. Come with me to quit my state government job working as a communications specialist for an elected official who just got charged with a misdemeanor hit-and-run, Rosen says in the 27-second video.

Later in the video, Rosen appears to be sitting at a desk in the auditors office.

Now, in my office, waiting for the right time, in between the onslaught of media calls, Rosen says.

He then shows a copy of his resignation letter, stating, I have written the letter, and now I am simply too anxious to give it to them. Here we go, Rosen says as he walks down a hallway.

The video ends with Rosen stating: I did it, and now Im off to hike the Appalachian Trail.

After The News & Observer contacted Rosen, the TikTok video appeared to have been taken down.

Rosen joined the auditors office as an executive assistant to Wood in June 2021, and took on the role as a communications specialist in June 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Rosens resignation comes amid increased pressure on Wood to explain what happened during the Dec. 8 crash.

Wood did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but recently released a statement in which she said she was driving from a holiday gathering in downtown Raleigh that night when she inadvertently crashed her vehicle into a car parked on the side of the road.

I was shaken by the incident and, when I was unable to move my vehicle, I left the scene, Wood said in the statement. That was a serious mistake and I regret my decision.

Wood, who has served as state auditor since 2009, sits on the Council of State, a group of 10 statewide elected officials that meets monthly.

The North Carolina Republican Party has called on Wood to resign.

While the car accident may have been a mistake, the decision to sneak away from the scene was intentional and wholly unbecoming of an elected official, the organization posted on Twitter. North Carolina deserves better from their State Auditor.

Another call for Wood to resign was spotted over the weekend in Youngsville, about 25 miles north of Raleigh, where a billboard showed a graphic of one car on top of another and said, In a hit-and-run and need help? Call 1-800-RESIGN.
The campaign to collect signatures organized by the Popular Initiative in North and East Syria, in coordination with the Syrian Initiative for the Freedom of Leader Abdullah Ocalan, continues to demand an end to isolation in the cities and districts of Qamishlo canton, and it starts in the districts of Darbasiyah and Shaddadi in Al-Hasakah canton, at 10:00 (attached with photos and videos) .

The people of Derik district of Qamishlo canton bid farewell to the body of the citizen Abd al-Rahman Hussein Hussam, who was martyred in air strike of the Turkish occupation on the Qamishlo-Derik road on January 18, at exactly 10:00 am at the shrine of the martyr Khabat Derik. (Attached photos and video) .

The youth of Idlib in the Future Syria Party makes a statement rejecting the rapprochement between the Turkish occupation state and the Damascus government, in front of the ministries building in the city of Manbij, at 12:00 (attached with photos and videos).

The Syrian Revolutionary Youth Movement comes out with a demonstration to denounce the strict isolation imposed on the leader Abdullah Ocalan, from the Martyr Robar roundabout in the city of Qamishlo, towards the People's Municipality, at 17:00. (attached with photos and video)

The components of the popular initiative, through their announcement of a campaign to collect signatures against the strict isolation imposed on the leader Ocalan, highlighted the danger of isolation, and called on the European Committee against Torture to "make its laws and actions serve human rights and not serve states." (Attached photos and videos).

The youth of the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor rejected the rapprochement between the Damascus government and the Turkish occupation state, stressing that a rapprochement of this kind would not serve the interests of the Syrians (attached with photos and videos).

The head of the Syria First Party, Salman Shabib, stressed the need for a dialogue between the Autonomous Administration and the Damascus government, and stressed that this dialogue, if it takes place, will constitute the beginning of a new Syria and the liberation of the occupied lands (attached with photos).

Relatives of recently deceased people in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods resorted to finding alternative means to provide warmth for the arriving guests. to perform the duty of condolence; As a result of the lack of heating materials, due to the siege imposed by the Damascus government on the two neighborhoods (attached with photos and videos)

World

Last week, the White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, Brett McGurk, and the commander of the Quds Force, Esmail Ghaani, arrived in Baghdad, raising the timing of the visits; Questions about the ongoing US-Iranian competition over Iraq (attached with photos)

ANHA
The security forces of the Iranian state arrested the Kurdish woman, Shahla Abdi from West Azerbaijan Province, during her participation in the Urmia protests, in mid-October 2022, according to NUJINHA Women's News Agency.

The agency indicated that Shahla, although she was pregnant, remained in the central city prison for about a month, and then was transferred to Tabriz prison about three weeks ago, and later transferred to the detention center of the Ministry of Intelligence.

According to what the agency quoted from a detainee in Urmia prison, she said: "When I saw Shahla Abdi, she looked very young, weak and subjected to abuse, then I realized that she was four months pregnant."

Another detainee said, "Shahla Abdi was in a state of severe shock, it was clear that she had not showered for a long time, she was very afraid," and described the prison conditions as very difficult. "There was a woman who was sick for two months, and they did not give her a single pill."

It is noteworthy that on January 18, Zahra Nabizadeh was also arrested while she was six months pregnant in the city of Mahabad in Rojhelat, and she had a miscarriage after the Iranian security forces kicked her in her stomach during her arrest, and she was sentenced to death, and she is now awaiting execution in prison, according to NUJINHA Agency.

There are at least two other pregnant protesters have been arrested in recent.

a.k

ANHA
By Fatima Hasanova

Azerbaijani ministers and officials condemned the deadly armed attack on the country's embassy in Tehran, which killed one security officer and wounded two others, Azernews reports.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov posted a note on his Twitter page calling for the immediate punishment of those responsible.

"We strongly condemn the treacherous terrorist attack on the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Iran. We express our condolences to the family and relatives of our deceased officer. The perpetrators of the terrorist attack and those who ordered it should be punished in the shortest possible time," he tweeted.

Azerbaijani Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov also shared a post, denouncing the incident.

"We strongly condemn the terrorist attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran. We extend condolences to the family and loved ones of senior lieutenant Orxan Asgarov, who was killed as a result of the attack, and wish a speedy recovery to those injured. May he rest in peace. We stand in solidarity with our diplomats. Motherland comes first," the minister wrote on his Twitter page.

Speaker of the Milli Majlis (Parliament) Sahiba Gafarova shared a post on her Facebook page in connection with the terrorist attack against the embassy of Azerbaijan.

"We strongly condemn the terrorist act committed against the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Islamic Republic of Iran on the morning of January 27. We demand that this treacherous attack be investigated quickly and objectively and that the culprits be punished. We pray for God's mercy to the employee of our Embassy, who was martyred while preventing the attack, and offer our deepest condolences to his relatives," said the post.

Azerbaijan's Commissioner for Human Rights, Ombudswoman Sabina Aliyeva issued a statement in response to the armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran.

"We strongly condemn the terrorist act committed against the Embassy of our country in the Islamic Republic of Iran this morning. As a result of this vile attack, Orxan Askerov, the head of the security service of the diplomatic mission, was killed while performing his official duties, and two employees of the embassy were injured. This incident is primarily a serious violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Thus, according to Article 22 of the Vienna Convention, the receiving State is under a special duty to protect the premises of the mission against intrusion and damage, and to take necessary measures for ensuring the normal operation of the mission" said the Ombudswoman.

Sabina Aliyeva claims that in addition to being illegal, this act constitutes a grave violation of the 1973 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons, including Diplomatic Agents.

Azerbaijani Ambassador to Iran Ali Alizada has called for punishment of all those responsible for the armed attack.

As a result of an armed attack on our embassy, our valuable employee Orkhan Asgarov was killed, two of our employees were injured, the diplomat wrote on his Facebook page, expressing his deepest condolences to Orkhan Asgarovs family and friends on behalf of himself and on behalf of the diplomatic mission staff, also wishing a speedy recovery to the injured. We strongly condemn this brutal act of terrorism and demand the full punishment of those responsible. Diplomatic missions are inviolable and their protection must be fully ensured by the host state! the ambassador wrote on his Twitter page.

Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Department for Economic Affairs and Innovative Development Policy of the Presidential Administration Shahmar Movsumov also shared a post on Twitter in connection with the terrorist attack.

"Brutal attack on #Azerbaijan Embassy in #Iran must be condemned by every civilized country! The perpetrators must be punished! Brave Azerbaijani servicemen saved innocent lives today. May the lost soul rest in peace #StopTerror" the tweet said.

As reported earlier, the head of the security guard of the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran was killed in the armed attack on the building on January 27 at about 0830 hours (GMT+4).

"An individual with a Kalashnikov assault rifle attacked the security post and killed the head of the security guard. Two embassy guards were also wounded while preventing the attack. Their conditions are satisfactory. This treacherous attack is currently being investigated. The public will be provided with detailed extra information," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Sources reported that the Turkish occupation authorities deported 100 Syrians from Turkey to settle them within the settlements that was established with the support of the Gulf, Palestinian and European Muslim Brotherhood organizations.

The sources stated that the occupation authorities deported the citizens from the Bab al-Salama crossing, located in the occupied Azaz area in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

The Turkish occupation state forcibly deports the Syrians to the occupied territories in batches, after imprisoning them in places of detention in the city of Marash for weeks.

Most of those deported by the occupation authorities come from various Syrian regions, especially from the capital, Damascus, and the cities of Homs and Hama, according to the same sources.

Officials in the Turkish occupation state, led by Erdogan, said earlier that they are working to settle one million Syrian refugees in the occupied areas in northern Syria.

The Turkish occupation's step aims to complete the demographic change of the occupied Syrian regions, especially the Kurdish ones, by settling foreigners instead of the indigenous population.

a.k

ANHA
Growing up in the suburbs of Madison, Wisconsin in the mid-1970s, Julie Lythcott-Haims didn't know she was a latchkey kid. All she knew was that mom and dad both worked, so it was up to her to come home from school, let herself in, make a snack and get started on homework before running out to play with the neighborhood kids.

"I don't recall ever feeling neglected," says Lythcott-Haims. "I felt trusted, competent, it was very normal."

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Lythcott-Haims sees great psychological value in the freedom she was afforded as a latchkey child of the 1970s, especially compared with what she views as the hyper-controlled and over-monitored existence of kids today. Her book, "How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success," is a rebuke of this overinvolved parenting style  prevalent today in upper-middle-class families  that she says produces young adults who can't think or act for themselves.

"I loved my free childhood," says Lythcott-Haims, who witnessed the ill-effects of overparenting as dean of freshman at Stanford University. "I loved the fact that my parents weren't involved in the minutia of every playdate, that they didn't feel they had to take me everywhere and stand on the sidelines of my life."

In contrast, Lythcott-Haims says, many of the students she met at Stanford were brilliant on paper  sky high grades and test scores, endless lists of activities  "But they couldn't think for themselves. They couldn't solve a simple problem without checking in with a parent. They couldn't make a choice."

Lenore Skenazy didn't grow up as a latchkey kid, but is a vocal advocate for the type of unsupervised, unstructured time that kids enjoyed 30 to 40 years ago. Her organization (or movement, some say) is called Free-Range Kids and her mission is to combat what she terms as the "hysteria" among parents that their children are constantly in danger and should never be left alone.

"When my mom let me walk to school by myself, she couldn't name ten children who had been kidnapped by strangers the way all of us can today," says Skenazy, "and therefore she wasn't burdened with the idea that what she was doing was irrational bordering on dangerous letting me have any unsupervised time."

Both Skenazy and Lythcott-Haims see overparenting as the enemy, not latchkey kids. They cite studies linking intrusive parenting with stunted psychological development, particularly in the area of "self-efficacy," the feeling that you have control over your life and that your actions lead to outcomes. Lacking that sense of control leads to anxiety and depression, conditions that are on the rise among young adults.
Jefferson County authorities early Friday arrested the man who had prompted a stay in place order for some area residents, with officials describing him as a "very dangerous individual."

Shawn Robert Arrants was taken into custody in Jefferson County just before 3 a.m. Friday, officials said.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys Office District of Montana said Arrants was arrested on a federal warrant for allegedly violating conditions of federal supervised release.

She declined further comment.

The warrant was signed Sept. 16 by U.S. District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen. The warrant states that Arrants had received stolen firearms.

The Montana Highway Patrol said that Arrants had a long list of charges in his criminal history including dangerous drugs, burglary, theft, assault and more in multiple Montana counties.

People in the Comet area from High Ore Road east to Depot Hill Road, and down to Interstate 15 were asked to shelter in place and lock their doors.

Jefferson County Sheriff Tom Grimsrud said law enforcement ended up finding Arrants after spotting a vehicle waiting to go into the area and pick him up.

My hats off to the Highway Patrol and the marshals, they were just fabulous help, Grimsrud said. The FBI called, they were offering help. Kalispell K9 team called, they were offering a team, and my own deputies, dispatchers and communications officer were amazing.

He said he did not release more information about Arrant s during the search, saying he was deferring that decision to the U.S. Marshal's Service.

Grimsurd also thanked the Lewis and Clark County Sheriffs Office and Sheriff Leo Dutton who showed up as well to offer assistance.

At the same time Jefferson County Sheriffs Department was handling this incident, they were also dealing with three reports of domestic disturbance and one report of burglary, he said.

For our little agency, it was kind of kicking our butt, so it was nice to have all that help around, Grimsrud said.
Helena's newest retailer opened its doors to the public Saturday.

US Foods CHEF'STORE, a national chain of warehouse grocery stores, picked Helena for its 87th location and third in the Treasure State.

"We've done well in Missoula, Kalispell, these mid-tier cities," US Foods Vice President of Retail Support Stan Walker said in an interview Friday. "This is kind of our niche."

Local officials were also on hand Friday for the store's soft opening.

Helena City Commissioner Andy Shirtliff said he was reminded of his first job as a 16-year-old was at Glacier Wholesalers in Evergreen.

"It was not as nice as this," he said.

Shirtliff said the store's opening is a boon for Helena consumers.

"People want more options when it comes to retail and food," Shirtliff said. "It's terrible that we lost the Panhandler last year, so having a store like this offers another option."

The locally owned Panhandler Plus was forced to close up shop in 2022 when its lease was not renewed. Former Gov. Steve Bullock and his brother, Bill, have announced plans to open a brewery in the building.

CHEF'STORE manager George Sewell said he has already heard excitement from a number of local restaurants and similar businesses.

"There's a real need here for the types of products we carry," Sewell said, adding that business owners he has spoken with said they typically have to make four or five stops to get all the supplies they need. "We provide those products all in one stop for them."

Restaurateurs, food truck operators and the like are the main customer base for the store.

"Those mom and pop businesses are the backbone of what we do," Sewell said. "But we have our everyday families too. Big families love to shop here."

Sewell was previously an assistant manager at the Missoula store. He said he has family in Helena, so when the new location was announced, he applied for the gig.

"I'm excited to be home," he said.

While a new business might typically bring excitement over a handful of new job opportunities, times have changed. Employers in Helena and across the state are finding it increasingly difficult to hire employees.

Sewell said the 2885 N. Sanders St. store has been lucky in that regard so far.

"We had a good pool of applicants, a very diverse group," he said.

Walker said having opened five stores in the past six months, the company is keenly aware of the workforce shortage.

"What we've tried to do is put an emphasis on our people and our culture," he said. "So far, I think we're doing a pretty good job. If you take care of people, you tend to retain people."

The Helena City Commission in recent weeks re-zoned two parcels just south of the store's location on Sanders Street to make way for 420 apartment units to be built in the coming years as part of two separate developments.

Shirtliff said government and the private sector need to work together if they hope to find solutions to these large community issues.

"Statewide, we're facing shortages in workforce, housing and child care," he said. "In an effort to help relieve those pressures on our economy, we have to encourage growth."

Sewell said the store's grand opening begins Saturday at 7 a.m. and lasts until 7 p.m.

The event is set to include free food, drinks, raffle prizes, gift card giveaways and cooking demonstrations.

Story updated to say store opened Saturday.
A new restaurant and bar will make a landing at the Helena Regional Airport on Wednesday after the absence of an eatery on the public side of the terminal for more than a year.

The Retreat will touch down Feb. 1, and be a full-service restaurant, offering burgers, fries, sandwiches, soups, salads and some other items said Michael Reilly, president and chief executive officer of Oakwells, operator of the restaurant.

Oakwells, with offices in Georgia and Florida, now operates airport concessions at Great Falls International Airport and has had great success there, he said, adding Helena seemed like a good fit for the company, making it Oakwells 12th airport.

According to its website, Oakwells was formed in 2004 and is a privately held company that wholly owns and operates newsstands, specialty retail and food and beverage locations in airports, rail stations, hotels and hospitals.

We have experience with this size airport, Reilly said, adding Helenas passenger numbers on flights is strong, and, at least on paper, the company made the numbers work.

The restaurants hours will be 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

We believe we will do well, Reilly said, adding a ribbon cutting will be held Feb. 8.

He said food will also be offered in the post-security, passenger area, consisting of soups, salads, paninis and sandwiches.

Reilly said they will also be adding gift items and have travelers necessities for sale.

He said they will likely start offering some of the promotions they have at other restaurants, such as a monthly Italian night, a Taco Tuesday and brunches.

Reilly said Oakwells will also focus on marketing the event spaces at the airport, promoting them as a great spot for business meetings and group meetings.

The logo for The Retreat is a person flyfishing, which plays off and enhances the name.

It just seemed to come with (being in) Montana, where you go to gather your thoughts and retreat, he said.

Airport Director Jeff Wadekamper said the pandemic made it a real challenge for a restaurant to thrive at the airport. He said there has not been a full-service restaurant at the airport for more than a year, since Smokejumper left.

He said 1889 Coffee House came in and provided services for passengers. He said the company will not remain as the airport had to go through a bidding process to find a new operator.

Wadekamper said he has heard good comments about Oakwells.

Everyone we talked to  had nothing but great things to say about them, he said.

He and Reilly both said they hope it becomes a destination stop for the Helena area.

The nice thing about the Helena airport is we are in town and close to other things as well, Wadekamper said. It could become a destination.

The restaurant has an occupancy of about 50 people. It has a full-service kitchen and, like all commercial airports, it has a liquor license, he said.

Reilly said there is free parking just to the east of the main terminal building, which makes it convenient for people to park who want to grab a bite to eat.

Wadekamper said its always been a priority for Helena Regional Airport to have a restaurant, primarily for passengers.

But he notes there are about 2,000 people on the 1,400-acre airport campus.

He said when the airport did expansion in 2020, it improved the passenger side by making food and drink available.

Its an amenity passengers look for and like to have, Wadekamper said.

He said people are excited to see a restaurant return to the airport.

We hear about it all the time, there is interest from passengers and attendants, Wadekamper said. People seem to be excited to see a restaurant operation in terminal building.
A bill introduced Friday would revise laws related to Montanas Indian Language Preservation program.

Established by the Legislature in 2013, the Montana Indian Language Preservation program, often called MILP, was created to revitalize Native languages traditionally spoken in the state. The program allows each tribe to produce resources that will help perpetuate language usage. The Legislature in 2021 awarded the program $1.5 million in funding.

U.S. assimilation and termination policies have contributed to widespread language loss in tribal communities. A Montana Budget and Policy Center report states that Montana is home to 12 tribal languages, and of those, Assiniboine, Gros Ventre and Montana Salish are critically endangered, meaning the youngest speakers are elders and they often speak the language partially or infrequently.

House Bill 287, sponsored by Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, revises MILP guidelines and requirements and elevates the role of tribal governments in preserving their own Native languages. There is no fiscal note attached to the bill.

What changes does this bill propose?

The Office of Public Instruction administers MILP, and has done so in collaboration with the Montana Historical Society, state director of Indian affairs as well as each tribal government in Montana.

HB 287 strikes the historical society and director of Indian affairs from the collaboration, leaving the program to be administered only by the Office of Public Instruction in partnership with tribal governments.

The bill also strikes old guidelines and provides a new list of requirements for the program. Specifically, it proposes that program guidelines must outline the roles of tribal governments and organizations in partnering with school districts and include definitions of language fluency to measure progress.

Additionally, the bill states that the Office of Public Instruction must equitably distribute funds to tribal governments, and if wishing to participate in the program, tribal governments must submit an application with statements of commitment from partner school districts, a designated tribal entity that will administer the program, a description of the role of language and culture specialists in the program, a description of proposed curriculum and a description of how activities support the tribes long-term strategy for language preservation.

The bill also requires tribal governments and school districts to report annually to the Office of Public Instruction, and says that tribal governments failing to meet requirements may not receive program funds until requirements have been met.

HB 287 also requires the Office of Public Instruction to submit a detailed report to the Legislature, Education Interim Committee and State-Tribal Relations Committee. The report must outline current program guidelines, a summary of each participating tribal governments activity and metrics that indicate how well the funded activities are promoting language.

The bill strikes some previous requirements in MILP, including the development of certain materials as well as suggested partners.

The bill includes three new sections. One outlines that the Legislature intends to collaborate with the Office of Public Instruction and tribal governments to adopt the new guidelines by Oct. 1, 2023, and that funds may be distributed no later than Feb. 1, 2024. A second section requires the secretary of state to notify all federally recognized tribes in Montana of the changes, and the final new section establishes an effective date of July 1, 2023.

What do people think?

Several people spoke in support of the bill at a hearing before the House Education Committee on Friday afternoon.

Jade Bahr, representing the Montana Budget and Policy Center, said the bill works to preserve, protect and perpetuate Indian languages in all their forms.

We believe the direction of MILP should be guided and led by Indigenous voices, she said. If their voices are saying changes are needed, then we should trust to follow their lead.

Carrie Spotted Bear, a tribal policy coordinator for Zero to Five Montana, said the bill uplifts Montana tribal families and communities.

Saving our tribal language is vital to growth and development of each tribe, she said, adding that many tribes have lost elders who were fluent in Native languages to COVID-19. Now we need to look to the next generation to carry on that duty.

Lance Four Star, who spoke on behalf of several members of the American Indian Caucus, said language preservation is vital to the health of tribal nations.

Our Indigenous people know that once we lose our languages and cultures, our nations, as different from each other as Spain is to Germany, will no longer be nations, he said.

No one spoke in opposition of the bill, and the committee did not issue immediate executive action.
Advocates for school choice rallied at the Montana Capitol Friday, just one of thousands taking place across the country as part of National School Choice Week.

Hosted by the Montana Family Foundation, Fridays snowy rally drew about 100 people to hear speeches from Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras, Superintendent of Public Instruction Elsie Arntzen, Sen. Steve Daines, and representatives from a private scholarship organization and the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity. The rallies bring awareness of public charter schools, public magnet schools, online learning, private schools and homeschooling.

Speakers offered the alternatives as both tailoring education to individual needs as well as promoting families and parents to dictate education of their children.

Each childs needs should be at the center of academic success and educational excellence, Arntzen said. The large lesson we learned from the pandemic is that learning can take place at the kitchen table, digitally, through a hotspot, through a tablet or at a rural bus stop. Lets take this lesson forward. Its time our educational system is accountable for the learning and that (it) honors the family-centric approach.

Juras read a proclamation echoing the importance of education and family involvement from Gov. Greg Gianforte proclaiming January Education Month, in Montana.

Opponents of school choice often raise concerns over efforts to push public funding for private programs, such as vouchers, which they argue could come at the expense of funding public education in Montana.

School choice has gained momentum over the last two decades as advocates have sought to increase availability and funding. They have seen success in a number of areas in Montana through litigation and legislation, including a 2021 bill greatly expanding a tax credit program for donating to scholarship programs.

House Majority Leader Sue Vinton is carrying House Bill 294, which would increase the programs cap from $2 million to $5 million.
DECATUR  Buddy, can you spare a lawyer?

Or more specifically, a prosecutor with the skills and aptitude to be an Assistant Macon County states attorney. Right now, Macon County States Attorney Scott Rueter is in the market to recruit four of them, which is how many he is short.

He said his prosecutorial team consists of 13 lawyers, including himself, and thats a tough legal challenge to meet for an office that handles some some 5,300 cases a year, from traffic infractions to murder.

Looking out over a bleak legal landscape, Rueter said the prospects for any kind of easy recruitment must be treated as hostile. Its not just Macon County, its all over Central Illinois, he said, describing a crippling shortage of prosecutors.

Sangamon County, McLean County, Champaign  all of us are having difficulty finding and attracting people to work in this part of the state.

Whats going on? That is a more difficult case to crack. Rueter does acknowledge that Central Illinois does not have the attractions of salaries and perks found in bigger urban areas like Chicago and its hinterland. But he has also noticed other long-term trends out there which arent helpful.

I do know there are less people going to law school and, of the people that are going, there are less people graduating and, of the less people who are graduating, there are less people that are managing to pass the bar, he said.

"And so the number of new attorneys entering the workplace these days is actually down fairly significantly from, like, 10 years ago."

(The bar exam is the qualification that enables lawyers to practice. Candidates have to score 266 out of a possible 400 points to make it. The latest pass rate listed for Illinois was 68%; the toughest state bar is apparently Vermont, with a pass rate of barely 50%.)

The shortage is not universal; several counties in the region, including DeWitt, said they were fully staffed. But for those who are affected, it comes as prosecutors across the state are preparing for significant potential changes under the Pretrial Fairness Act, a component of the broader criminal justice reform legislation known as the SAFE-T Act.

The measure would eliminate cash bail for criminal defendants and change pretrial procedures, requiring prosecutors who wish to keep a suspect in custody to petition the court for pretrial detention and argue the matter at a hearing. The law was set to take effect Jan. 1, but its implementation was delayed by the Illinois Supreme Court, which is preparing to hear arguments in a lawsuit filed by over 60 county state's attorneys objecting to the legislation.

Illinois is not alone in facing a dearth of prosecutors. Nelson Bunn, executive director of the National District Attorneys Association, told Reuters last year that the problem extended across the country. "It's not limited to large jurisdictions versus small jurisdictions," he said.

In Dodge County, Wisconsin, there were no full-time prosecutors remaining in the district attorney's office as of mid-January, according to the Watertown Daily Times. Last month, KSAT-TV reported that judges in Bexar County, Texas, worried about a lack of prosecutors leading to a delay in trials; 16 people had resigned from the district attorney's office in the prior month. And a spokesperson for the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council earlier this month told a lawmaker committee that the state was short 440 prosecutors and several counties were operating with significantly fewer prosecuting attorneys than their caseloads demand, according to Inside Indiana Business.

Asked how he plans to try and scare up more attorneys, Rueter jokes about taking clubs and sacks and going to law schools. At least, hes jesting about the clubs and sacks part, but isnt ruling out at least some local law school visits.

In the meantime, hes hitting bulletin boards at those schools and lots of social media recruitment sites  which did score him one new hire recently  and pursuing any kind of outreach that might put him face-to-face with a qualified candidate.

I dont care if they are experienced or just out of law school, its the matter of finding the right person, he said.

Some of the shoes hes looking to fill recently belonged to former Assistant Macon County States Attorney Tammy Wagoner. She recently left the office after landing a plum job as part of the general counsel staff at the Illinois State Police.

Wagoner had been the Democratic candidate for Macon County states attorney who lost to Rueter in 2020, and then surprised many by accepting an offer to come work for him. The two had known each other for years, had previously worked well together, and Wagoner says it was a good fit.

She sympathizes with her former bosss struggle to find someone to replace her, and wonders if prosecutor recruitment is going the same way as police officer recruitment, which is also struggling.

Were all kind of part of that same law enforcement group, and all of our numbers are down, she added.

Its a little calmer over in Moultrie County, where the entire prosecutorial office consists of States Attorney Tracy Weaver and one assistant states attorney, Elizabeth Dobson.

Weaver has been in the job since 2018 and, in that time, said she has only had to hire two ASAs: Dobson and her predecessor, Daniel Guido. She did note in an emailed comment, however, that when she advertised for an ASA several years ago, I only received a handful of resumes over a period of several months the issue with hiring new prosecutors is a problem many states attorneys offices are facing.

Weaver specifically cited the difficult situation over in neighboring Coles County.

Traditionally, the office here would be myself and five assistants (states attorneys), Coles County States Attorney Jesse Danley said. Right now, Ive got myself and one assistant.

Danley said turnover and staff moving on to better things is a settled part of the nature of work in smaller, downstate prosecutorial offices and hes glad to see that happen for attorneys careers. Whats changed, however, is the struggle to find anyone to take their places.

Ive advertised on every possible media that I am aware of and they (job candidates) are just not here, he added.

Danley said he has worked with a cooperative county board to make Coles County ASA jobs as attractive as possible and said were right in the middle as far as salaries go.

But he fears, like Wagoner, that other forces may be at work. He believes the perception of state support for law enforcement was damaged by the passage of the controversial SAFE-T Act, which he said was seen by many as making it harder for law enforcement to do its job.

I think the Act has hurt our profession, he added.

And, in its wake, the grinding problem of recruitment persists. Danley insists he loves his job but right now is having to burn the legal candle at both ends by working 100 hour weeks. He said the office of the attorney general has offered some help to cover cases but that assistance is limited and wont last forever.

The Coles County states attorney said he would like to get out and do more in-person recruitment, but hes too busy prosecuting these days to abandon the office in search of more prosecutors.

So I dont know what the answer to the question of recruitment is, he added. And that is what is so scary right now.

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CHARLESTON  A former Coles County assistant states attorney has been charged with 32 counts of misconduct over interactions with three Coles County women, according to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office.

Brady Allen, 33, turned himself in to the Coles County Sheriffs Office on Thursday after a warrant was issued for his arrest, Raoul's office said. Allen, who previously lived in Charleston but now lives in Missouri, has since been released and will make his first appearance in Coles County Circuit Court at 9 a.m. Feb. 16.

Raoul said his office charged Allen with nine counts of bribery, all Class 2 felonies; one count of witness harassment, a Class 2 felony; 21 counts of official misconduct, all Class 3 felonies; and one count of witness intimidation, a Class 3 felony.

Coles County State's Attorney Jesse Danley said he is am grateful to the Illinois State Police and the attorney general and his staff for their professional and thorough investigation into this matter. He said due to the nature of the initial allegations, it was necessary to forward the investigation on to outside agencies.

"My office has and will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation and prosecution," Danley said. "The charges filed by the attorney general reflect the basis for Mr. Allen's immediate termination from my office in 2020, and I am glad that my request for investigation by the Illinois State Police at that time was followed with diligent action."

Allens attorney, Fred Johnson of Mattoon, declined to comment when he was contacted Friday. At the appropriate time, we will address the court on the filing that was made, Johnson said.

A booking photo of Allen wasnt available because the camera at the Coles County Jail was inoperable Thursday, jail officials said.

The charges stem from allegations that Allen had inappropriate communications "that were sexual in nature" with female defendants while he was serving as an assistant state's attorney from December 2018 until his resignation in August 2020. The women were between the ages of 18 and 35, Raoul's office said, and were either currently being or had been prosecuted by Allen.

Raoul's office alleges that Allen solicited sexual contact, photos and videos with an understanding that in exchange, the women would receive preferential treatment in their pending criminal cases. Even after Allen was assigned to another courtroom, according to the allegations, he continued to solicit sexual contact, photos and videos with the suggestion that he could influence fellow prosecutors in the state's attorney's office.

Once Allens behavior was discovered, he offered to pay one woman's fines and court costs if she could convince another female defendant to not pursue claims against him, according to Raoul's office.

If convicted, Allen could face up to seven years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines.

As a prosecutor who has sworn to uphold the law, I am shocked and outraged that a fellow prosecutor would allegedly use that authority to manipulate and victimize women in the community, Raoul said in a statement. I appreciate the continued collaboration of the Illinois State Police, which investigated this complex case. I am absolutely committed to holding public employees accountable for using their positions to take advantage of the residents they are supposed to serve.

The case was investigated by the Illinois State Polices Division of Criminal Investigation.

Coles County State's Attorney Jesse Danley, who was Allen's boss, said in August 2020 that he sought an Illinois State Police investigation after becoming aware of the accusations and conducting an internal investigation.

That statement came a week after attorney Todd Reardon filed a motion to dismiss two Coles County DUI cases, saying that Allen sought sexual favors from the defendant in these cases.

Danley did not return messages seeking comment Friday.

When contacted Friday, Reardon said he had been surprised to see the Illinois Attorneys Generals Office file charges against Allen. Reardon said so much time had passed since he filed a complaint report about Allen in 2020 that he was worried the attorney general would treat the matter as water under the bridge and take no action.

Im glad that justice may be served, but well find out, Reardon said.

Reardon also is the attorney of record in a case filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois, East St. Louis Division, naming Allen, Danley and Alex Hesse and Jason Taylor of the Mattoon Police Department as defendants.

The lawsuit, filed in August 2022 on behalf of Kara Chumbley, alleges that her rights to due process and equal protection as guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution were violated.

In addition to some of the same allegations made in the states criminal filing, the federal case alleges that Allen continued to make threats to Chumbley even after his resignation from the states attorneys office, and that Danley, Taylor and Hesse falsely claimed to initiate a proactive investigation against Allen to intimidate any and all corroborating witnesses and other victims.

Among the documents filed in that case are copies of text conversations and a copy of a signed statement from Allen dated Aug. 23, 2020.

I deny all allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, Allen wrote. He wrote that he and Chumbley had a relationship outside of court entirely over social media after they were matched on a dating app and that they never met in person. Allen stated the relationship ended after she became a defendant in a case to which he was assigned. After he received a promotion, the idea of a relationship was entertained, but he said that Chumbley became frustrated when he wasnt able to help with her case and said she altered text messages to give the appearance of impropriety.

He went on to say the allegations against him were part of a political stunt leading up to a contested race for states attorney between Danley and Reardon.

After he left the state's attorney's office, Allen began working as a criminal defense attorney, according to a website that appears to promote his service.

In the "About" section, Allen touted his experience with the state's attorney's offices in Coles and Franklin counties as a selling point for why prospective clients might hire him, noting that he could offer "an elevated level of strategic and practical guidance."

"Brady also understands that clients who require legal counsel are typically experiencing a great deal of anxiety, and are deeply concerned about their future," the website continued. "To alleviate this stress, he ensures that each client is always up-to-date on their specific legal matter, and fully prepared for the next step in the process.

"Furthermore, Brady prides himself on being responsive and treating each client with the respect, professionalism and care that they deserve. To Brady, clients are real people  not mere cases."

According to the Illinois Supreme Court's Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission attorney directory, Allen is currently licensed to practice law in the state of Illinois and is registered under an address in Belleville with the firm John Buchmiller and Associates.

The commission's public records show no records of discipline or pending proceedings against Allen.

"There's nothing formal pending against him," confirmed Steve Splitt, a spokesman for the commission.

Per Illinois Supreme Court code, Splitt said, all investigations are private. Any investigations and related records are not made public until a formal complaint is made by the commission.

Though the attorney generals news release listed Allen as living in Missouri at the time of his arrest, a search from the Missouri Bar Association's online directory revealed no licensed attorneys under the name Brady Allen.

Taylor Vidmar contributed to this report.

2022 in review: The year in photos
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Azerbaijani and Russian Foreign Ministers Jeyhun Bayramov and Sergei Lavrov respectively on January 28 discussed on the phone the terror attack on the embassy, Azernews reports, citing Foreign Ministry.

Sergei Lavrov strongly condemned the armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran and expressed condolences to the family of the murdered embassy employee, the leadership, and the people of Azerbaijan. He said that it is necessary to bring the criminal to justice in a short time.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov thanked his colleague for the call and condolences. The minister condemned the treacherous attack. It was brought to the attention that it is strongly required to establish as soon as possible and punish the persons who committed this terrorist act, as well as those who ordered this bloody act in the most severe way.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 82F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
BRISTOL, Va.  The city of Bristol, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality on Friday finalized a consent decree to govern remediation work at the city landfill.

The decree grew out of a lawsuit filed Jan. 13 by Miyares office on behalf of DEQ, the Virginia Waste Management Board and the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board against the City of Bristol, Virginia.

It sought injunctive relief and civil penalties for violating the Commonwealths environmental laws and regulations governing the city landfill.

The decree specifies:

The city of Bristol will complete a series of injunctive relief items designed to address odor and emissions, and long-term management issues at the quarry landfill, which stopped accepting waste in September 2022. These efforts include important work which is already underway: construction of a sidewall odor mitigation system that will run the entirety of the rock quarry landfill; upgrades of the wells and pumps within the landfill; implementation of additional cover over the waste; intensive mapping and measurement of the landfill; and the ultimate installation of a cover.

The city of Bristol will pay $92,000 for reimbursement of Virginia Environmental Emergency Response Fund monies expended by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality as a result of alleged violations during the monitoring of the landfill and implementation of improvements.

The Commonwealth will suspend the balance of remaining civil charges of $377,697, pending Bristols satisfactory completion of the injunctive relief.

Upon Bristols satisfactory completion and financial demonstration of monies spent for improvements at the landfill, Bristol may petition DEQ for reimbursement of up to $2 million of funding set aside by the Virginia General Assembly to assist Bristol with resolution of ongoing environmental issues at the landfill.

The decree specifies the $92,000 is to reimburse DEQ the costs of convening the expert panel to study the problems at the landfill and provide solutions which form the framework of steps the city is taking.

The city of Bristol, Virginia is very pleased to have entered into a formal consent decree with the Virginia Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), according to a written statement from the city. This is a critical next step in our concerted efforts to resolve challenges at the Bristol quarry landfill and place Bristols landfill remediation efforts and timeline into a court order. The consent decree is now open for public review and comment. We hope this period will give the public confidence in our remediation work at the landfill.

The decree also establishes deadlines for the city to notify DEQ regarding any inability to meet a deadline or circumstance causing any delays. The city must notify DEQ as soon as possible and no later than 24 hours or in writing within three business days when Bristol becomes aware that circumstances will occur, are occurring, or have occurred that have or are reasonably certain to delay compliance or cause noncompliance with any requirement of the consent decree.

The city of Bristol greatly appreciates the amount of time and effort Virginia OAG & DEQ have put into helping us reach this agreement and serve the citizens in our community. We are fully committed to addressing and resolving challenges at the Bristol quarry landfill in an environmentally sound manner, the citys statement said.
HICKORY  Like many organizations during the COVID pandemic, the Catawba Valley Parkinsons Support Group discontinued meeting.

Now the group is ready to resume meeting under the leadership of two Parkinsons disease patients, Carrie Craymer and Ginny Koch. They picked up the ball from Bill McLaughlin who led the group for several years, but recently returned to his home state. McLaughlin inspired many Parkinsons patients and caregivers with his commitment and energy, especially organizing support group meetings and actively engaging in Parkinsons exercise classes at the YMCA.

The Parkinsons support group is for anyone with Parkinsons disease, caregivers/family members. Meetings will be held on the second Sunday of every month from 3:30-4:30 p.m. at the YMCA C.O. Miller Teen Center, 701 First St. NW, Hickory. The first meeting will be held on Feb. 12. Lala Kozischek, Corporate Wellness Director at the YMCA Catawba Valley, will be the guest speaker. Attendees will be asked to provide ideas for future meeting topics.

"Getting together with other Parkinsons disease patients is important for me and them, says Craymer. It helps me relieve anxiety hearing their stories and helping newcomers. Its a great source of information learning from local guest speakers. Its a place for patients to share whats working and whats not working.

Koch added, Parkinsons disease can be very isolating. It takes its toll on every family member, thats why having a support group for patients and caregivers is so important. Parkinsons is different for every patient. Our hope is that Parkinsons patients will understand they can have a full and enriched life. We invite you to join us.

For more information or if you have questions, contact Craymer at 828-310-3313 or email Koch at cvpark.group@gmail.com.
CONCORD  The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation says the state is ranked ninth in the United States for the volume of human trafficking cases. Neighboring Charlotte is considered a hotspot for activity, and that puts Cabarrus at a much higher risk for incidents to occur, according to Cabarrus County Sheriff Van Shaw.

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention month, and Shaw hopes a recently awarded $1 million state grant will help combat the problem locally. The grant will create two full-time positions to be filled by experienced investigators familiar with human trafficking and child exploitation cases.

We want to have an impact on child exploitation and make sure it doesnt bleed over into human trafficking, said Shaw. Well also be looking over the other elements of human trafficking as they get reported and investigated.

Instances of human trafficking arent typically like what people see in movies and television, the sheriff said.

We see more of a grooming process  where the utilization of money, flattery and other things compromise the victim and make them do something they wouldnt normally do.

Child exploitation cases are a concern for Cabarrus law enforcement.

Shaw said child exploitation can cover a wide range of crimes such as child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child.

The grant originated from a single case involving a 15-year-old girl. After seeing details about the case in a news article, a Cabarrus resident contacted N.C. Sen. Paul Newton to ask for more resources to combat the problem.

Shaw and Newton met and drafted a proposal to address the issue. While the sheriffs office investigates human trafficking cases, those detectives are also covering other crimes. The proposal created detective positions that are dedicated to human trafficking and child exploitation.

It was really a great example of citizens getting involved and shows what can happen when elected officials work together to benefit the community, said Shaw.

Newton secured the $1 million legislative appropriation to establish two positions for the next five years. The funding will also pay for associated equipment, vehicles and training.

The sheriffs office uses other resources to battle human trafficking, including the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations.

Closer to home, the Sheriffs Office partners with nonprofit Present Age Ministries. The organization works to combat the sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking of teen girls.

Present Age works with individualized care plans that include services such as weekly home visits, individual counseling, group sessions, tutoring as well as other identified services based on needs, according to Founder and Executive Director Hannah Arrowood.

Learn more about the organization at presentageministries.org.

To help in the home, Shaw recommended parents stay vigilant and be nosy. Be involved in your childs internet activity and what they do. Taking the time to learn and use parental controls on internet devices is critical because there are a lot of predators out there.

Available resources:

If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911.

You can also call the Cabarrus County Sheriffs Office Criminal Investigations Division at 704-920-3057 or email sheriffsoffice@cabarruscounty.us.

For additional assistance and resources, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP to 233733.
The Chamber, Leading Business in Cabarrus in partnership with Cabarrus County Schools, Cabarrus County Education Foundation, Cabarrus County EDC, Cabarrus College of Health Sciences, Kannapolis City Schools, Kannapolis Education Foundation, NC Works Career Center and Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, will host Cabarrus County Career Connections Day (C4 Day) on March 14 at Cabarrus Arena and Events Center.

The event is divided into two sessions. The morning session, 8 a.m. to noon, is for high school juniors (and seniors who have not determined their post-graduation goals) to learn the vast variety of careers available in Cabarrus County. Businesses will host booths with interactive displays to discuss the various careers available within their organizations. Cabarrus County Schools and Kannapolis City Schools will prepare their students for the event, so they arrive with completed resumes and questions for potential employers. All students must be registered through their schools to attend.

This year, from 57 p.m., the event will be open to the public and serve as a job fair for those looking for new career opportunities or wish to learn more about our communitys businesses.

Workforce development is a top concern for businesses of all sizes, said Barbi Jones, executive director, The Chamber, Leading Business in Cabarrus. From our smallest to largest businesses, there are fantastic careers available in Cabarrus County, and we want our students to realize they dont have to leave their home community to find something that interests them. Our businesses are eager to fill their talent pipelines locally, and this event allows students to make valuable connections with future employers.

All Cabarrus County businesses are invited to participate by hosting a booth, with several sizes available. Single-table booths are $200, and doubles are $400. Businesses are encouraged to introduce students and adults to possible career fields by sharing hands-on experiences about career opportunities, recruit for open positions, help students and adults learn about alternative paths for achieving necessary career education through community schools, trade schools, etc., share information on internships and apprenticeship programs and distribute organizational marketing materials.

All hosting proceeds will cover event expenses with remaining funds donated to CCS and KCS Career Technical Education programs to help defray student CTE competition expenses.

To register as a participating business, please visit www.cabarrus.biz or call Jess Buchanan at The Chamber at 704.782.4000. Deadline to register as a business is Friday, March 3.
Concord Police Chief Gary Gacek released a statement on the death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee.

The death of Tyre Nichols is deeply upsetting. The actions of the now criminally charged and former Memphis police officers are inconsistent with the training, practices, professional standards, and core values of the law enforcement profession.

I commend Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis and Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy for their swift and decisive action in this matter. I trust that federal, state, and local officials will work cooperatively to fully investigate Tyres death, and bring justice to his family and his community.

I pray that protests in Memphis, and elsewhere, are peaceful and lawful so that we can properly honor Tyre, consistent with his familys wishes, while at the same time objecting to his indefensible death.

Police officers have a difficult job. Ensuring they have the trust of the community is vital. I spoke with several local African American community leaders today, like Glorisha Jones with the Black Political Caucus of Cabarrus County, Dr. Leonard Jarvis with the NAACP, and others.

I did so in order to let them know  in no uncertain terms  where the Concord Police Department and I stand. We stand for doing whats right. We stand for accountability and justice. We stand for peace. We stand for the sanctity of human life. And, we stand with you.

Dr. Jarvis said, The Cabarrus County NAACP vehemently objects to policing of this nature. No mother or father should be subjected to such avoidable tragedy. We thank the Concord Police Department for acknowledging the actions that led up to Mr. Tyre Nichols death as incongruent with proper police practices.

The Concord Police Department will continue to work tirelessly to maintain trust and legitimacy with the community it serves. The department will remain fully committed to its evidence-based community policing philosophy, its reverence for all human life, and its desire to always work cooperatively with the public. I extend my deepest condolences to the Nichols family for their loss, and pray that swift justice will be served.
By Azernews

By Qabil Ashirov

World Azerbaijanis expressed deep grief and sorrow over the terror attack on the nation's embassy on January 27, 2023, as a result of which one Azerbaijani security officer was killed and two were wounded, Azernews reports.

World Azerbaijanis consider the incident as a terror act plotted by Iranian special services, and each of our compatriots curses the perpetrators of this treacherous attack and bloody crime and declares that they do not believe the false information spread to distract attention, the Congress of World Azerbaijanis said in a statement.

The statement noted that the fate of 40 million Azerbaijanis living in Iran and the violation of their rights, the absence of diplomatic immunity, as well as personal immunity deeply concern them.

By bringing the information about the terrorist act that hinders peace and stability in the region to the attention of the UN, the European Union, the Council of Europe and their institutions, and other competent international and regional organizations, we call on them to take urgent measures at the legal and political level to prevent the Iranian special services from committing such serious criminal acts, the statement reads.

It also states that world Azerbaijanis are aware of illegal activities done by Iran and Armenia on Azerbaijani territory during the nearly 30-year-long occupation of Karabakh. Thus, recently, 27 Iranian citizens went to Khankandi through the Lachin road, but neither Iran nor Armenia has clarified the purpose of this visit.

We honor the memory of those who died as a result of the terrorist act, condemn the same position of the Islamic Republic of Iran against Azerbaijan constantly facing various acts of terrorism by Armenia, and demand a fair position from the international community to bring to justice those responsible for the crimes against peace and humanity in the region as soon as possible, the statement ends.
Hungarian ambassador to be summoned to Ukrainian MFA over Orban's statement that Ukraine, like Afghanistan, is 'land of nobody'  Nikolenko

The Hungarian Ambassador will be summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine for a frank conversation in connection with Prime Minister Viktor Orban's disparaging remarks about Ukraine, Spokesman for the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Oleh Nikolenko has said.

Earlier, the media said that during a conversation with journalists, the Hungarian Prime Minister compared Ukraine with Afghanistan and called it "the land of nobody."

"Another dismissive statement by Viktor Orban against Ukraine. Such statements are categorically unacceptable. Budapest continues its course of deliberately destroying Hungarian-Ukrainian relations, significantly hindering the possibility of further dialogue between the two neighboring countries. The Hungarian ambassador will be summoned to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry for a frank conversation," Nikolenko said on Facebook.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry saud they reserve the right to take other response measures.

Earlier, Orban, at a meeting with journalists in Budapest, said he did not believe in Ukraine's victory and believed that the country "is gradually turning into an uncontrollable ruin." According to Orban, "Russia's goal is to turn Ukraine into an unruly ruin so that the West cannot claim it 'as a prize.'"
A second offensive by the occupying Russian army may begin by February 24 in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov believes.

"Now they are preparing for maximum activation, given that they are people from the USSR, and that by some anniversary they should have some achievements. There is no secret that they are preparing for a new wave [of offensives] by February 24," Danilov said in an interview with Radio Liberty.

According to him, the National Security and Defense Council and the Armed Forces of Ukraine have an understanding in which areas the Russian army wants to repeat the offensive maneuver.

"They [the Russian army] have a task regarding Donetsk and Luhansk regions so that they completely reach their borders," he said.

In addition, Danilov noted, the invaders had been engaged in reconnaissance of the defense capabilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the direction of Zaporizhia for a week now.

"And now [the occupiers] have a certain accumulation of troops there. We understand what is happening in the Russian Federation on this matter," he said, adding that the Ukrainian Defense Forces now need to be in maximum concentration and readiness, since the Russian Federation has a lot mobilized and armor.

At the same time, according to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, today the vigilance of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukrainian border guards is in a completely different state than last year.

"Ukraine in February 2022 and February 2023 is already a different situation ... As it was in February 2022, they definitely won't succeed. But this is not a reason for us to rest on our laurels, to believe that everything is over. On the contrary, we must prepare as much as possible," he summed up.
CHARLESTON  John Anderson was driving down a highway in 2015 when he happened upon a stranded motorcyclist who had been unable to get help from passing motorists.

That got the Springfield-area resident, who was a volunteer firefighter for 10 years and a fire medic, thinking about ways to assist others in such situations. He and his wife, Vivian Pratt Anderson, subsequently launched their Distress Bandanna emergency flag for stranded motorists in 2017 and started partnering with driving safety programs throughout Illinois and Indiana.

"We try to do whatever we can," Anderson said on Friday after he and Vivian spoke to driver's education students at Charleston High School through a partnership with Ameren Illinois.

One of the main focuses of the Charleston presentations was on downed power lines. Ameren reported that Illinois Department of Transportation figures show that each year in the state, more than 3,000 distracted drivers leave the roadway and strike a power pole. In some cases, live lines fall on top of the vehicle. Ameren reported that exiting the vehicle in these situations could be a fatal mistake.

The Andersons handed out Ameren safety tips advising the students not leave their vehicle in those cases, and instead call 911 and wait for the power company to arrive. If they notice smoke or fire in their vehicle, they are advised to jump out with both feet together and without touching the car and ground at the same time. Then, they need to shuffle or hop as far away as they can with both feet together.

Each student received these tips as part of a pack that also included a Distress Bandanna. Vivian Pratt Anderson said stranded motorists can use these white and orange emergency flags day or night to signal for help, noting the flags include reflective material strips made by 3M. She said drivers should stay in their vehicle while hanging the bandanna out their window or from a side mirror.

"The fatal zone for stranded motorists is right around your vehicle," she said, explaining that motorists have been killed while stepping outside their vehicles to seek help or make repairs along busy roadways.

The Distress Bandanna also can be used in a first aid role. John Anderson recruited one student in each driver's education class to help him demonstrate how these emergency flags can be used to apply pressure to a wound or be twisted into "rough-and-ready makeshift" tourniquets and wrists splints.

Students such as Jace Boyce, Nathaniel Cutler and Addison Daugherty indicated they could feel the increase in pressure as the presenter used a pen or stick to twist the tourniquet to stop the imagined flow of blood. John Anderson said tourniquets hurt, but those using them need to explain to the accident victim that this binding is necessary.

"The goal is to keep them from bleeding to death and dying," he said.

Vivian Pratt Anderson said they shortened each presentation to approximately 20 minutes on Friday due to Charleston High School having an early dismissal. She said the presentations are normally 55 minutes each and cover other topics such as distracted driving, drowsy driving, the Move Over Law, and seatbelt usage.

"Our initiative has presented a total of 1,940 classroom teen driver safety presentations impacting 75,000 teen drivers in Illinois and Indiana," Vivian Pratt Anderson said.

Close Incoming sophomore Peyton Walker and her mother, Laura Walker, set up a school-issued laptop. Students filtered in throughout Monday morning to do the same, as well as register for the upcoming school year. Darin Doughty sets up his classroom for his first year teaching Social studies at Charleston High School. Mady Bettinger learns her new locker combination Monday at Charleston High School with the help of her father, Mark Bettinger. Mady said she is looking forward to the school year, which starts Thursday. She's especially looking forward to setting up a table where she'll pray with fellow students during lunch on certain days throughout the week. CHS prepares for 2022-2023 school year Charleston High School is preparing for students to start school Thursday. Incoming sophomore Peyton Walker and her mother, Laura Walker, set up a school-issued laptop. Students filtered in throughout Monday morning to do the same, as well as register for the upcoming school year. Darin Doughty sets up his classroom for his first year teaching Social studies at Charleston High School. Mady Bettinger learns her new locker combination Monday at Charleston High School with the help of her father, Mark Bettinger. Mady said she is looking forward to the school year, which starts Thursday. She's especially looking forward to setting up a table where she'll pray with fellow students during lunch on certain days throughout the week.
SHELBYVILLE  The Shelby County Board has two items related to the county's soon-to-be vacant state's attorney seat on the agenda for its special meeting Monday.

The board will discuss and vote on a recommendation for the seat from the Republican Central Committee and to request that the resident circuit judge takes necessary action to fill the position until the new state's attorney takes over.

Shelby County's current state's attorney, Nichole Kroncke, will leave her office Jan. 31 to begin a position as special prosecutor for the Illinois States Attorneys Appellate Prosecutors Office. The office will also be without the county's only assistant state's attorney, Jay Scott, whose last day will be the same day.

The responsibility to find a new state's attorney to complete the final two years of Kroncke's term falls on the party's chair, Jeremy Williams who will need the County Board's approval to get his choice in the office.

The meeting will be at 7 p.m. in courtroom A.
DECATUR  Plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the state's semiautomatic weapons ban filed a motion in Macon County Circuit Court on Friday seeking either a declaratory judgment that the law is unconstitutional or, at minimum, a temporary reprieve from its enforcement.

It comes less than a day after a group of more than 600 plaintiffs, including state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, and Decatur Jewelry & Antiques owner Perry Lewin, became the latest to challenge the two-week-old ban in a downstate court.

Jerry Stocks, the group's attorney, said the motion offers the judge "more alternatives" than the motion for a temporary restraining order that was requested and granted by an Effingham County judge last week in a separate but similar lawsuit challenging the ban.

"What they received in Effingham County was a declaration that essentially says 'timeout, we got to study all this before this gets enforced,'" Stocks said. "We're going to try to say something a bit different, that you can declare this unconstitutional, and the whole case kicks up to the appellate court, and not just call a 'timeout' pending other issues to be resolved."

A hearing on the motion is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Feb. 3. Macon County Circuit Court Associate Judge Rodney Forbes has been assigned the case.

If the motion is granted, Forbes has the option to issue a declaratory judgment, which would be a final legal action at the circuit court level. The case would then likely be elevated to the appellate court.

Alternately, he could issue a preliminary injunction, which would block the ban from being enforced on the plaintiffs until the case is resolved, or a temporary restraining order, which would also block enforcement but only for a short amount of time.

A hearing on a preliminary injunction is set for Feb. 1 in the Effingham case. The temporary restraining order in that case remains in effect for the time being.

State lawmakers passed and Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the semiautomatic weapons ban into law two weeks ago. Illinois is now the ninth state with a ban on assault-style firearms.

The measure also bans high-capacity magazines and strengthens the state's "red flag" law, which allows a court to take away someone's weapons temporarily if the person is deemed a danger.

Within a week, lawsuits began piling up in federal and state court, with the former focusing on the perceived conflicts between the new law and the Second Amendment, and the latter honing in on the legislative process that proceeded the law's inaction.

Tom DeVore, the 2022 Republican nominee for attorney general, is behind two of the state-level lawsuits, including the one in Effingham.

At the federal level, groups like the Illinois State Rife Association and the National Rifle Association have filed lawsuits.

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
GREENSBORO  A woman whose three young children were killed in a December house fire was charged Friday with child abuse in connection with the blaze, Greensboro police said in a news release.

Brandi Sturdivant, 28, is accused of leaving her 1-year-old twin boys, Aerious and Anyis Little, and 4-year-old son, Antonio Little Jr., alone at the home when the fire started.

She is charged with three counts of felony neglect and child abuses. She was being held at the Guilford County jail on $150,000 bail, Greensboro police spokeswoman Josie Cambareri said.

No other information about the arrest was immediately available.

The investigation by the Greensboro Police and Greensboro Fire departments remains active.

Guilford Metro 911 first received a call about the fire in the one-story home at 7:54 a.m. on Dec. 19. When firefighters arrived at 2518 Grimsley St. four minutes later, there was fire coming out of every window and the front door, Greensboro Deputy Fire Chief Dwayne Church said at a news conference that morning.

Firefighters found three of Sturdivants six children dead in a corner bedroom after fire consumed much of the house at 2518 Grimsley St. The cause of the fire and the childrens deaths remains under investigation, police spokeswoman Josie Cambareri said. After the fire, Sturdivant told a reporter her other children were at school when the fire began.

A neighbor called 911 about the fire and Sturdivant could be heard screaming in the background.

Sturdivant already faced a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a child, stemming from an investigation into conditions observed at the home on Sept. 20.

According to an Oct. 19 arrest warrant for Sturdivant, a child younger than 2 years old was found covered in fecal matter. The conditions were so bad that the boys penis was swollen and injured, apparently caused by severe diaper rash, according to the warrant.

Sturdivant was arrested on Nov. 1 and was given $5,000 secured bail. Sturdivant bonded out of jail that same day, court records show. A court hearing on that case was postponed to April 13.

The day after the fatal fire, Sturdivant told a reporter that she did not know how the fire started. And the smoke detectors dont work, Sturdivant said. I didnt get no kind of alarm to the house being burned down.

However, neighbors noted that her car was parked in the middle of the street when she began screaming for help. Sturdivant herself said she was outside of the home when the fire began, but later said she barely made it out.

I tried to go back in and get my babies, but there was no way. It was too smoky, Sturdivant said Dec. 20.

Neighbors said that after firefighters arrived at the scene, Sturdivant jumped into her car and sped away, crashing into concrete barriers at the end of the street.

She was taken to a hospital and released later that day.

PHOTOS: Fire destroys Greensboro home IMG_8938.JPG IMG_8925.JPG IMG_8928.JPG IMG_8929.JPG House fire IMG_8936.JPG IMG_8940.JPG House Fire House Fire
A postal carrier was attacked and seriously injured by two Great Dane dogs in Lenoir on Thursday. Both dogs were seized by the Caldwell County Animal Care Enforcement.

Following the attack Kristi Goldsberry, 47, was transported via ambulance to Caldwell UNC Health Care. She was then taken by a helicopter to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. Goldsberry suffered severe trauma to her right forearm and puncture wounds to her back and right leg, the Lenoir Police Department said in a news release.

Shortly before 2 p.m., Lenoir police officers responded to a call of a dog bite with injury at 956 SW Norwood St. When officers arrived, they found Goldsberry, Lenoir police said.

During the investigation, officers determined Goldsberry is a United States Postal Service mail carrier. Goldsberry was delivering mail to the residence and made contact with the homeowner at the front door. While handing the package to the homeowner, two Great Dane dogs pushed by the homeowner and attacked Goldsberry. The homeowner immediately began to take control of the dogs and render first aid to Goldsberry, Lenoir police said.

Caldwell County Animal Care Enforcement responded to the scene and took possession of both dogs. The owner of the dogs stated the dogs are 4 years old and had never bitten anyone before Thursday, Lenoir police said.

There are no documented calls for service to the residence for dog-related calls, prior to the attack on Thursday, Lenoir police said.

So far, there are no anticipated criminal charges, Lenoir police said.
KEARNEY  On an 11-acre plot in Kearney sit dozens of what look like shipping containers.

Inside the containers are racks and racks of computers. Thousands of computers, solving complicated math equations around the clock.

Here on the outskirts of town, wedged between a solar field and a cornfield, the computers mine for cryptocurrency.

They use as much electricity as the entire city of Kearney, pop. 33,790, to do it.

This is one of the largest cryptocurrency data centers in Nebraska  a massive, 100-megawatt host site for the computers racing to verify crypto transactions.

Its likely the first of many data centers to settle in the state, as the new and oft-volatile crypto industry carves out a home here.

Cryptos instability already hit the Kearney location  in September, Compute North, the company that opened the data center, declared bankruptcy, though the center is still running under a new owner.

Not even freefalling crypto prices and the infamous failure of crypto exchange FTX have stopped the industrys expansion in Nebraska.

Just this month, the Hall County Board of Commissioners approved the construction of a 14-megawatt crypto data center near Grand Island.

We werent actively pursuing these, they came to us, said Neal Niedfeldt, chief executive officer of Southern Public Power District, one of many Nebraska utility districts fielding crypto company calls.

A digital currency, crypto relies on a network of computers maintaining a blockchain  think of it like a digital ledger of transactions. The computers solve complicated math problems to verify transactions, adding them to the ledger. In exchange, they receive digital coins  like bitcoin or ethereum.

The currency is largely unregulated. Its not backed by any government, like the U.S. dollar. For crypto enthusiasts, the decentralized structure is appealing.

Basically, the business of crypto is converting electricity into computer computations, said Gus Hurwitz, a professor at the University of Nebraska College of Law.

Businesses like the Kearney data center function as a rental space for the computers. Crypto miners ship in their equipment, paying for space, maintenance, internet and  crucially  electricity.

Electricity is the main cost of business since the computers run virtually 24/7. The companies running these hubs are looking for cheap power.

Compute North found it in Nebraska  the only state served entirely by publicly owned utilities mandated to deliver the cheapest electricity possible.

They had heard our rates are low, and theyre stable, said Nicole Sedlacek, economic development manager for Nebraska Public Power District.

The company had a few other criteria: It liked the power districts mix of carbon-free energy. It needed affordable land. It sought a place that could handle its massive electrical load, and a local government open to the idea of crypto coming to town.

Kearney had everything company officials were looking for.

The central Nebraska town had been working to develop its technology park. A crypto data center promised a few jobs, said Stan Clouse, longtime mayor and also an NPPD manager. The data center would double the electrical capacity of Kearneys power grid, making power more stable and keeping rates low. It would also mean an influx of cash.

Increasing the load increases revenue, Clouse said. Thats an excess of $1 million annually to Kearney. For a community our size, thats pretty significant.

But for some, the Kearney data center and others soon opening in Grand Island and York arent to be celebrated. Theyre concerning.

Its not about job creation and opportunity for Nebraska, said Scott Scholz, spokesperson for advocacy group Nebraskans for Social Good. Its about out-of-state companies leveraging our electrical system for their own profit.

In June 2019, the Kearney City Council voted unanimously to approve a development agreement with Compute North. (Clouse abstained because of his NPPD role.)

The company received 11 acres of free land, valued at $165,000 and paid for by the Economic Development Council of Buffalo County, and a temporary rebate on electricity.

NPPD added mobile substations to help transmit the increased load. Its now working on a new $12.5 million permanent substation that will exclusively send power to the crypto-mining location.

In return, Compute North delivered 11 new jobs. It helped develop and add to the electrical capacity of Kearneys tech park. By 2021, it grew to be a 100-megawatt customer.

By comparison: The rest of Kearneys energy needs peak at 100 megawatts. The second-largest user is manufacturing company Eaton, peaking at 10 megawatts, Clouse said.

Cryptos electricity use raises environmental concerns, Scholz said. One year of global crypto mining uses more electricity than the country of Argentina, according to an estimate in a White House report  accounting for as much as nearly 1% of the worlds electricity usage.

In New York, lawmakers recently passed a two-year ban on fossil fuel-powered crypto mining projects. In Montana, a coal-fired power plant was set to shut down, cheering environmentalists  until a crypto data center opened nearby.

In Nebraska, NPPD already had the energy capacity to power the Kearney data center, said Pat Hanrahan, NPPDs general manager of retail services. Roughly 62% of NPPDs energy generation is carbon-free, and has remained steady since Compute North came to Kearney, said Grant Otten, NPPD spokesperson.

Still, a data centers constant energy usage is likely drawing from all available energy sources.

Its coming from a mix of more green sources, like wind, as well as not-so-green sources, like coal and natural gas, said University of Nebraska-Lincoln civil engineering professor Bruce Dvorak.

In the past five years, NPPDs economic development arm has fielded calls from 25 crypto companies interested in Nebraska, Sedlacek said. Some towns, like Kearney, were excited.

Others were hesitant. They welcomed economic development. But we dont want crypto, they told her.

The crypto market is young and volatile. In November 2021, the price of bitcoin peaked at $68,764. Its since crashed, plunging to $16,625 in January.

In November, giant crypto exchange company FTX filed for bankruptcy. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried was then arrested for fraud, sowing distrust among crypto skeptics.

We are definitely at a low point, said Hurwitz, the law professor. Anyone entering into this market right now needs to be better capitalized, and capitalized in a less risky way than a year ago.

Compute North, the company that opened Kearneys data center, declared bankruptcy late last year, citing rising energy costs and falling bitcoin profits. The bankruptcy didnt interrupt local operations. Today, the cluster of computers continues mining new cryptocurrency.

Because they can move in so quickly, they can move out rather quickly, too, NPPDs Sedlacek said. We spent a lot of time as a utility really talking through that. How can we protect our ratepayers so we arent left stranded with  unpaid bills?

She thought the calls would slow last year, when the digital currencies cratered. They didnt.

More Nebraska projects are now in the works.

The York City Council decided in April to sell land to BginUSA, an Omaha company building an $8 million mining complex. In Minden, a planned Compute North expansion is now being transferred to another company.

In November, residents opposed to a proposed crypto data center near Doniphan crowded a Hall County Commissioners public hearing.

This isnt a farm facility going in, resident Justin Gregg said during public comment, according to NTV News. Its all cornfields around us, and should stay that way.

The company pulled its request for a permit before the commissioners voted.

In mid-January, Hall County approved a conditional use permit for a different crypto project near Grand Island.

Questions loom around cryptocurrencys future, including possible regulation. Nebraska towns and utility districts now hopefully understand cryptos risks, Hurwitz said.

I would not be willing to take anything on credit, he said.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.
It's too early to begin fruit tree pruning now, but it's not too early to prepare. For homeowners with only a few fruit trees -- who can choose the ideal time for pruning their trees -- it's best to wait until just before new growth begins. This is typically late February into March.

Wounds heal fastest when pruned at this time. This is especially important for tender fruit trees (apricot, peach, nectarine, sweet cherry). Early pruning of these trees could lead to cold damage at the pruning sites.

As weather allows, this is a great time to scout trees for problems and develop a pruning plan. One problem to keep an eye out for, which is easily seen at this time of year, is black knot. This fungal disease affects primarily plum and cherry trees, both fruiting and ornamental, and occasionally infects apricots, peaches and other plants in the Prunus genus, like chokecherry. Black knot is common throughout Nebraska in wild plum thickets.

Symptoms

This disease gets its name from hard, elongated, black swellings that develop on infected plants. Black knot fungus infects fruiting spurs, stems and branches of susceptible plants and occasionally the main trunk. Infection occurs through splashing or wind-blown spores when new growth is about 1 inch long. Fungal spores are discharged in moderate to heavy amounts during the pink blossom stage of cherry or plum and ends about the time elongation of the new growth stops.

On infected plant parts, abnormal growth of bark and wood tissues produce small, light-brown swellings which eventually rupture as they enlarge. In late spring, the rapidly growing young knots have a soft (pulpy) texture and become covered with a velvety, olive-green growth of the fungus.

During summer, the young knots turn darker and elongate. By fall, they become hard, brittle, rough and black. The following growing season, the knots enlarge and gradually encircle the twig or branch. The cylindrical or spindle-shaped knots may vary from one-half inch to a foot or more in length and up to 2 inches in diameter.

Small knots may emerge from larger knots forming extensive galls. After the second year, the black knot fungus usually dies and the gall is invaded by secondary fungi that give old knots a white or pinkish color during the summer.

Smaller twigs usually die within a year after being infected. Larger branches may live for several years before being girdled and killed by the fungus. The entire tree may gradually weaken and die if the severity of the disease increases and effective control measures are not taken.

Management

The two major plum varieties grown in Nebraska "Stanley" and "Damson," are susceptible to this disease, as well as "Bluefire" and "Shropshire." "Methley," "Milton," "Early Italian," "Brodshaw" and "Fellenburg" are moderately susceptible; and "Shiro," "Santa Rosa," and "Formosa" are only slightly susceptible. "President" is apparently resistant to black knot. Japanese varieties of plums are generally less susceptible than most American varieties. When selecting plum and cherry cultivars from fruit catalogs, be sure to check for black knot resistance.

Among ornamental landscape plants within the Prunus family, "Canada Red" cherry and "Schubert" chokecherry are often affected, along with other cultivars.

Avoid planting new plum or cherry trees next to or downwind from an old or abandoned orchard with a significant black knot problem. Similarly, remove all wild plum and cherry trees, which are a potential disease reservoir, from fencerows or woodlands within 600 feet of the orchard site.

Established orchards or backyard trees should be scouted or examined each year for the presence of black knot, and infected twigs should be pruned out and destroyed or removed before bud break.

It is important to prune at least 2 to 4 inches below each knot because the fungus grows beyond the edge of the knot itself. If pruning is not possible because knots are present on major scaffold limbs or the trunk, they can be removed by cutting away the diseased tissue down to healthy wood and out at least a half-inch beyond the edge of the knot. Burn or bury the prunings before April 1.

Fungicides can provide some protection against black knot but won't be effective if pruning and sanitation are ignored. Fungicides are most necessary and will provide the greatest benefit if applied before rainy periods, particularly when temperatures are greater than 55 degrees. In evaluating control programs, remember that knots often do not become apparent until the year following infection.

For information

Black Knot of Plums and Cherries, Ohio State University, https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/plpath-fru-31

Black Knot, The Morton Arboretum, https://mortonarb.org/plant-and-protect/tree-plant-care/plant-care-resources/black-knot/

Pruning Fruit Trees, https://extensionpublications.unl.edu/assets/pdf/ec1233.pdf

Fruit Tree Pruning  Basic Principles, https://extension.psu.edu/fruit-tree-pruning-basic-principles

Next week, we'll discuss fireblight, another serious fruit tree disease often controlled through pruning.
Thursday evening, Doane University's IT staff removed biology professor and volunteer firefighter Brad Elder from the email lists, then sent out a secret announcement to those on campus that Elder was coming home.

Three months ago, while helping battle a wildfire in southwestern Lancaster County, Elder was caught in the flames, badly burning 20% of his lower body, the back of both legs and his left hand. He's been at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital since being released from the CHI St. Elizabeth burn unit.

Students gathered Thursday night to make signs for Elder and maintenance staff spray-painted his name on snow shovels to wave.

Then Friday morning, Crete residents and Doane students and faculty lined the streets to welcome Elder home.

At about 10:30 a.m. Friday, Elder arrived at the edge of Crete to see firetrucks lined up and fellow firefighters waiting for him.

They put him in the passenger seat of the first firetruck for the last part of his journey.

"I was doing my best not to cry through the whole thing," Elder said. "This amazing outpouring of support from the community, it's been overwhelming."

The procession wound through downtown Crete before turning to go through the Doane campus.

"I expected to see one, maybe two firetrucks," said Patty Lavelle, Doane's manager of event services. "I think they brought all five or six and the police joined in their cruisers with the sirens on, people were cheering  it was just a very exciting atmosphere."

When Elder finally reached his house, down the hill from Doane, he found more than 50 people waiting outside.

"I don't know that anyone thinks they're worth that kind of effort," he said, beginning to cry. "That's my crew and they kept me alive, I wouldn't be here without them. It's just overwhelming to come back and see them all out there, all there waiting for me."

Elder said he looks forward to returning to Doane this semester.

"I had to fight to get a class on the schedule," he said. "I begged and fought until they gave me one  my senior research students."

For now, his future as a firefighter remains unclear. Elder said the skin grafts make it difficult to fight fire safely, since they can't detect temperature or thermoregulate with sweat.

"At some point, you kind of have to stop running into burning buildings," the 54-year-old said. "I'd planned to stop around turning 60, but now it'll just be six years earlier."

Doane is hosting a benefit event for Elder on Feb. 4.

"It's been amazing to see the college and the community coming together to support one of our own," Lavelle said. "He's a friend, he's a colleague and he means a lot to the community. Everyone's been really worried about him and I think we're all glad to contribute in any way we can."

Top Journal Star photos for January 2023
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has met with President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdulfattah Al-Sisi in an expanded format.

The heads of state addressed the meeting.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said:

- Dear Mr. President, distinguished guests. I sincerely greet you once again.

We attach great importance to your visit. I am sure that the visit will be a very important step for the development of Egyptian-Azerbaijani relations. We have just discussed many issues in our one-on-one meeting. We have no disagreements regarding the future development of Egyptian-Azerbaijani relations. There are ample opportunities for cooperation in many areas. I am sure that we will implement the agreements reached after the visit.

Mr. President had a meeting with Azerbaijani businessmen yesterday. According to the information I have, the meeting has produced very good results. Of course, the joint activity of business communities will further strengthen our relations. We have also identified areas of future cooperation. I am sure that both mutual investments and an increase in trade turnover will be possible in the near future.

Of course, the issues of strengthening our political relations are also on the agenda. We will strengthen our joint activities in international organizations and deepen our cooperation.

I am sure that the visit of President Mr. El-Sisi to Azerbaijan will contribute a lot to the future successful development of our countries. Welcome again!

x x x

President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said:

- Honorable Mr. President, first of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to you for the warm welcome and hospitality I have enjoyed since yesterday. At the same time, I would like to express my condolences regarding the attack on the Azerbaijani embassy yesterday.

Mr. President, the mutual understanding that manifests itself in all fields during our meeting, the presence of the political will of both sides in the direction of the development of cooperation in political, economic and other fields gives me confidence in saying that these relations will further strengthen. At the same time, I am honored to convey our congratulations to you on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late President and National Leader of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, who was a close friend of the Egyptian people.

Of course, good results were also achieved in the meeting of the Azerbaijan-Egypt Intergovernmental Joint Commission held last year. But I think that the development of relations between our countries in all fields will deepen further after this visit too  in the conditions of mutual understanding, on the basis of mutual interests and political will.

Mr. President, we have also agreed that facilitating measures should be taken in our countries for both Azerbaijani and Egyptian investors. The establishment of joint ventures and joint investments, mainly in the field of pharmaceuticals, is also part of the agreement reached between us. As you mentioned, after the list of all the medicines Azerbaijan needs is developed and presented to us, we will do our work in this direction.
Two days after Lincoln Police uncovered at least five homemade explosive devices during a Wednesday traffic stop, a 24-year-old Lincoln man is facing felony charges over his alleged involvement in making and possessing the explosives, according to authorities.

Spenser Speidell owned the vehicle that police pulled over early Wednesday in northwest Lincoln, where officers discovered two handmade explosives wrapped in duct tape inside the vehicle, Assistant Police Chief Brian Jackson said.

Speidell's arrest marks the latest development in an investigation that started with a seemingly random traffic stop at about 1 a.m. Wednesday and now involves the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Jackson said at a news conference Friday morning.

Police stopped Speidell's car  which was being driven by a 23-year-old Lincoln man  near Northwest Seventh Street and Cornhusker Highway and searched the vehicle for narcotics after finding the driver in possession of suspected methamphetamine, Jackson said.

Police found two suspected explosive devices and radioed for Lincoln Fire and Rescue's bomb squad. Technicians responded and rendered the devices safe, Jackson said.

In court records, Investigator Robert Martin said the officer who initially discovered the explosive devices during the traffic stop found what appeared to be a small lock box.

Upon opening the box, white beads poured out, Martin said, and police found a metal canteen wrapped in tape. Inside the canteen, authorities saw exposed wiring connected to a battery pack, surrounded by what appeared to be gunpowder, Martin wrote in court filings.

As technicians handled the explosives, investigators turned their attention to Speidell, who owned the car and lived in an apartment a block from where the traffic stop occurred.

Police served a search warrant on the apartment, one of several units in a home at 2330 N.W. Eighth St., and found Speidell hiding under a blanket in the laundry room, Martin said in the affidavit for Speidell's arrest.

Investigators also found three additional explosive devices. Authorities evacuated the apartment complex and removed the devices without incident, Jackson said.

The assistant police chief said some of the devices recovered from Speidell's apartment were "in various stages of development." He said police also located items that suggested Speidell was constructing the devices at his residence.

Jackson declined to speculate on why Speidell had allegedly possessed or manufactured the explosives, but said investigators "have no indication of domestic extremism."

"But, again, (it's) an illegal act, and certainly of concern based on the nature of the violations."

Federal investigators will work to determine the potential potency of the explosives.

Jackson said police hadn't ruled out whether the 23-year-old who was driving Speidell's car had been involved in the alleged explosives operation, but as of Friday morning, the second man had not been arrested for any such connection.

"'Ruled out' is not a term I would use," he said of the driver, who was arrested on suspicion of two counts of possession of a controlled substance for the suspected meth that initiated the search of the car.

The 23-year-old was staying with Speidell, said Capt. Ben Miller, who noted investigators have talked to "numerous individuals" and examined several locations beyond the apartment, "but (have found) nothing, really, that's caused concern at this point."

Miller said police are working to determine how long Speidell had allegedly been constructing explosives, but as of Friday, hadn't found an answer.

Though Police Chief Teresa Ewins had previously described the traffic stop that led to the explosives as random, stemming from a license plate violation, Jackson described it differently Friday.

"I would describe this as very good work from our officers overnight, who patrol blocks of business areas against burglaries, graffiti, other crimes," he said.

"(They) saw this individual at an area convenience store, saw him act in a suspicious manner, stopped at the convenience store to make sure the clerk was OK, but then also observed this vehicle immediately in violation of a traffic code."

Jackson didn't further describe the suspicious nature of the driver's interaction with the store clerk.

Both men  Speidell and the 23-year-old  were in custody Wednesday, but only Speidell remained jailed as of Friday.

Prosecutors charged Speidell with possession of a destructive device, a felony punishable by up to two years in jail.

At Speidell's initial court appearance Friday afternoon, Judge Timothy Phillips set his percentage bond at $20,000. He must pay $2,000 to be released.

As a part of Speidell's bond conditions, Phillips barred him from possessing explosive materials while his criminal case unfolds.

No charges are pending against the driver.
When Travis Benda and his sons ventured out on an early December deer hunting trip in Southeast Nebraska, they werent expecting to find a millennia-old fossil.

The group discovered the lower jaw of a mastodon, an elephant from the Ice Age, frozen in a sandbar along the Little Nemaha River.

I thought it was nothing, Benda said. It looked like a tree limb until my son saw the teeth.

Unsure what the bone frozen in dirt was, Benda took photos and emailed them to Shane Tucker, a highway paleontologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the first person he saw on Google who might have an answer.

When I sent those photos to Shane, I thought it might be from a buffalo, maybe a mammoth if we were lucky, Benda said. So, to find out that it was rare, the kids were super excited.

Tucker said Nebraskans call about fossils frequently, with common finds like horse and bison teeth being reported two or three times a month. Mastodons are much rarer.

Out of the University of Nebraska State Museums collection  more than 1.5 million fossils  there are only 10 mastodon jaws. As soon as Tucker knew what the fossil was, he reached out to the landowner to see if she would be willing to donate it to the museum.

Shane reached out and left a voicemail for me, said Arlis Scanlan, the landowner. At first, I laughed  I thought it was a prank.

The farmland the fossil was found on has been in Scanlans family for more than four generations. Currently, its leased out under Nebraskas Open Fields and Waters Program, which allows public access to private land for hunting, trapping and fishing.

The creek bed where the kid spotted the fossil is my moms old swimming hole, Scanlan said. She used to meet her cousins and her brothers at the bank to swim during the summer.

Scanlan and her 86-year-old mother joined the Bendas, Tucker and other UNL employees for the excavation.

When they reached the site, they found themselves in a unique situation.

Usually, Tucker said, collections are done in the summer, when the ground is soft and easy to dig. With the increased snow and rain, the team was concerned that the river would rise and cover the jaw.

Instead of lifting the fossil out of the ground, the team covered the area with plaster and burlap to build a protective outer shell. Then, the group used a wheat-burning torch to melt the ice and slowly chipped away at the sediment.

After hours of work, the jaw, still encased in layers of dirt and grime, was removed and transported to a lab.

The fossil will be prepared in front of the public at Morrill Hall starting at the end of February.

Scanlan is a seventh grade teacher at Platteview Central Jr. High School and said her 91 students will be front-and-center, watching.

Paleontologists will use small scalpels and brushes to remove the dirt from the fossil, then use a chemical solution to seal any cracks and stabilize the bone.

The students are studying Earth layers and fossils right now, Scanlan said. This experience makes it real for them, it takes it off the page and puts it in front of them.

Tucker said the fossil is anywhere between 12,000 and 40,000 years old.

Eventually itll come back to our research collection, Tucker said. Itll be here for students to research, faculty and staff to research, or even researchers from all over the world.  Morrill Hall is a library of Nebraskas past; we just have bones instead of books.

Close Archie, the life-size bronze replica of an ancient Nebraska mammoth at the University of Nebraska State Museum, gets his biennial wash from J.R. Elkins and Colby Cochran of G & M Window Service on Thursday, June 28, 2012 in front of Morrill Hall in Lincoln. Patterned after the giant fossil skeleton on display in the museum's Elephant Hall, the statue is 15 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 5,000 pounds -- considerably less than the 15-ton mass of the real Archie who roamed the Plains 30,000 years ago. (JACOB HANNAH/Lincoln Journal Star) Archie, the life-size bronze replica of an ancient Nebraska mammoth at the University of Nebraska State Museum, gets his biennial wash from J.R. Elkins (left) and Colby Cochran of G and M Window Services in 2012 in front of Morrill Hall in Lincoln. Patterned after the giant fossil skeleton on display in the museum's Elephant Hall, the statue is 15 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 5,000 pounds -- considerably less than the 15-ton mass of the real Archie who roamed the Plains 30,000 years ago. Archie, the life-size bronze replica of an ancient Nebraska mammoth at the University of Nebraska State Museum, gets his biennial wash from J.R. Elkins and Colby Cochran of G and M Window Services on Thursday, June 28, 2012 in front of Morrill Hall in Lincoln. Patterned after the giant fossil skeleton on display in the museum's Elephant Hall, the statue is 15 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 5,000 pounds -- considerably less than the 15-ton mass of the real Archie who roamed the Plains 30,000 years ago. (JACOB HANNAH/Lincoln Journal Star) Photos: Mammoth gets a wash Archie, the life-size bronze replica of an ancient Nebraska mammoth at the University of Nebraska State Museum, gets his biennial wash from J.R. Elkins and Colby Cochran of G & M Window Service on Thursday, June 28, 2012 in front of Morrill Hall in Lincoln. Patterned after the giant fossil skeleton on display in the museum's Elephant Hall, the statue is 15 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 5,000 pounds -- considerably less than the 15-ton mass of the real Archie who roamed the Plains 30,000 years ago. (JACOB HANNAH/Lincoln Journal Star) Archie, the life-size bronze replica of an ancient Nebraska mammoth at the University of Nebraska State Museum, gets his biennial wash from J.R. Elkins (left) and Colby Cochran of G and M Window Services in 2012 in front of Morrill Hall in Lincoln. Patterned after the giant fossil skeleton on display in the museum's Elephant Hall, the statue is 15 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 5,000 pounds -- considerably less than the 15-ton mass of the real Archie who roamed the Plains 30,000 years ago. Archie, the life-size bronze replica of an ancient Nebraska mammoth at the University of Nebraska State Museum, gets his biennial wash from J.R. Elkins and Colby Cochran of G and M Window Services on Thursday, June 28, 2012 in front of Morrill Hall in Lincoln. Patterned after the giant fossil skeleton on display in the museum's Elephant Hall, the statue is 15 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs 5,000 pounds -- considerably less than the 15-ton mass of the real Archie who roamed the Plains 30,000 years ago. (JACOB HANNAH/Lincoln Journal Star)
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  The Memphis police chief on Saturday disbanded the city's so-called Scorpion unit after some of its officers beat to death Tyre Nichols, reversing an earlier statement that she would keep the unit intact.

Police Director Cerelyn "CJ" Davis said she listened to Nichols' relatives, community leaders and uninvolved officers in making the decision.

Referring to "the heinous actions of a few" that cast "a cloud of dishonor" on the unit, Davis said it was imperative that the department "take proactive steps in the healing process."

"It is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the Scorpion unit," she said in a statement. She said the officers currently assigned to the unit agreed "unreservedly" with the step.

Scorpion stands for Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace in our Neighborhoods. The unit is composed of three teams of about 30 officers who target violent offenders in areas beset by high crime. It had been inactive since Nichols' Jan. 7 arrest.

Protesters marching though downtown Memphis cheered when they heard the unit had been dissolved. One demonstrator said over a bullhorn: "the unit that killed Tyre has been permanently disbanded."

Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, lawyers for the Nichols family, said the move was "a decent and just decision for all citizens of Memphis.

We must keep in mind that this is just the next step on this journey for justice and accountability, as clearly this misconduct is not restricted to these specialty units. It extends so much further, they said.

The disbanding was announced as the nation and the city struggled to come to grips with video showing police pummeling the Black motorist.

The footage released Friday left many unanswered questions about the traffic stop involving Nichols and about other law enforcement officers who stood by as he lay motionless on the pavement. It also renewed doubts about why fatal encounters with law enforcement continue to happen after repeated calls for change.

The five disgraced former Memphis Police Department officers, who are also Black, have been fired and charged with murder and other crimes in Nichols' death three days after the arrest.

The recording shows police savagely beating Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx worker, for three minutes while screaming profanities at him in an assault that the Nichols family legal team has likened to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King. Nichols calls out for his mother before his limp body is propped against a squad car and the officers exchange fist-bumps.

The five officers  Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith  face up to 60 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.

Davis has said other officers are under investigation, and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said two deputies were relieved of duty without pay while their conduct is investigated.

Rodney Wells, Nichols' stepfather, said the family would "continue to seek justice" and noted that several other officers failed to render aid, making them "just as culpable as the officers who threw the blows."

A Memphis police spokeswoman declined to comment on the role played by other officers who showed up at the scene.

Cities nationwide braced for demonstrations, but the protests were scattered and nonviolent. Several dozen demonstrators in Memphis blocked the Interstate 55 bridge that carries traffic over the Mississippi River toward Arkansas. Protesters also blocked traffic in New York City, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon.

Blake Ballin, the lawyer for Mills, told The Associated Press in a statement Saturday that the videos "produced as many questions as they have answers."

Some of the questions will focus on what Mills "knew and what he was able to see" and whether his actions "crossed the lines that were crossed by other officers during this incident," Ballin said.

Davis acknowledged that the police department has a supervisor shortage and said the lack of a supervisor in the arrest was a "major problem." City officials have pledged to provide more of them.

Questions swirled around what led to the traffic stop in the first place. One officer can be heard saying that Nichols wouldn't stop and then swerved as though he intended to hit the officer's car. The officer said that when Nichols pulled up to a red light, the officers jumped out of the car.

But Davis said the department cannot substantiate the reason for the stop. "We don't know what happened," she said, adding, "All we know is the amount of force that was applied in this situation was over the top."

The officers beat Nichols with a baton, and kick and punch him. It takes more than 20 minutes after Nichols is beaten and on the pavement before any sort of medical attention is provided.

Throughout the videos, officers make claims about Nichols' behavior that are not supported by the footage or that the district attorney and other officials have said did not happen.

During a speech Saturday in Harlem, the Rev. Al Sharpton said the beating was particularly egregious because the officers were Black, too.

"Your Blackness will not stop us from fighting you," he said. "These five cops not only disgraced their names, they disgraced our race."
Lincolns first City Directory, published in 1873, lists only one contractor, Stout & Jamison, who built the first Nebraska State Penitentiary. By 1881 there were seven contractors with only Dobson & Campbell yielding a name which would be associated with Lincoln builders for over a century.

By the year 2000 there were over 150 contractors noted. Thus, through the years, construction companies large and small, have come and gone, some being absorbed or changed their names while others simply closed and are forgotten. One, now largely forgotten, was responsible for several University of Nebraska structures, office buildings and government buildings throughout the Midwest.

Ernest Fridrich Rokahr was born in 1862 in Hanover, Germany. Arriving in Omaha in 1881, Rokahr found work as a stonemason and bricklayer until 1901 when he moved to Avoca, Iowa, partnering with John C. Marxen to build the Crawford County Courthouse in Denison, Iowa.

In 1904 Seward County, Nebraska, voters approved $100,000 to build a new courthouse. In 1905 a contract with Rokahr for $83,600 built the 80-by-100-foot structure which boasted a clock that kept good time [with] a clear bell that could be heard all over the city, and was termed the best courthouse in Nebraska.

The Rokahr family moved, briefly, back to Omaha and the contracting partnership dissolved. About 1908 Rokahr moved to Lincoln where he formed the Trenton Building Co. and moved to 1834 Cherry (later Sumner) Street with the firms offices in the basement.

In 1912 Ernest built the extant brick and stone house at 1743 S. 24th St. for a reported $2,500 by using used and new materials left over from previous building projects. Around the same time his firm was also responsible for the amazing reconstruction of the former Burr Block for Security Mutual Insurance Company on the northeast corner of 12th and O streets.

Ernest and his three sons formed Ernest Rokahr & Sons Construction Co., often called E.R. & S., in 1918 with their first major contract coming the following year with a building in Chadron.

In the mid-1920s the firms office moved to 904-5 Terminal Building and won its first million-dollar contract for a high school in Wichita, Kansas. The University of Nebraskas Board of Regents began discussions around furnishing a womens dormitory resulting in two contracts for the Rokahr firm; one, which had 16 bidders, gave the $146,841 contract to build Carrie Belle Raymond Hall and another $7,800 to extend the steam tunnel from the Heat & Power Building to the new dormitory.

Rokahr, interestingly, also built the Davis & Wilson-designed heat and power generation building, which was, at the time, said to be the only building of architectural importance on the campus. By the end of the 1920s Rokahr had also built on the campus Andrews Hall, Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity at 635 N. 16th St. and Gamma Phi Beta Sorority. Off campus, the Rokahr firm was building Lincoln General Hospital and the adjoining Nurses Building.

Although primarily thought of as being a contractor of buildings, they also built two houses for friends, the Reginald Woodruff house at 2770 Woodsdale and the Stewart home at 3115 Sheridan Blvd., while the firms office moved into the new Stuart Building and also occupied a building at 2241 Y St.

During the 1930s they also experimented with three residences on 49th Street, north of South Street but did not carry out further plans. George, one of the remaining sons, then moved to 800 S.18th St. while overseeing the building of the extant 4-H Building on the State Fairgrounds. Georges son, grandson Jack, related that the buildings vast amount of concrete was poured overnight as daytime temperatures hovered around 100.

In July of 1936, Ernest Rokahr died in Lincoln, but the firm continued under son George. While building the Kresge Dime Store on the southwest corner of 12th and O streets, their basement excavations broke into the sewer lines on the south end of the lot causing considerable delay and nearly bankrupting the company.

During World War II, E.R. & S. joined Olson and Assenmacher Contractors in building barracks at the Lincoln Air Force Base, parts of the Fairmont Air Force Base, a P.O.W. camp at Tonkawa, Oklahoma, and the Hastings Ammunition Depot.

With the death of George Rokahr in 1948, the last of the sons in the firm, the firm completed the Nebraska Highway Department Building at 14th and Highway 2 but then ceased operation. Daughter Elsie Rokahr taught at Lincoln High School while in the fall of 1938, her sister Mary Rokahr, became the first female to enroll in the University of Nebraska School of Architecture. She ended her career at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington.

Numerous Rokahr buildings are extant in Lincoln and the Midwest though the contracting firms name is now largely only vaguely remembered.
KYIV, Ukraine  Ukraine and its Western allies are engaged in "fast-track" talks on the possibility of equipping the invaded country with long-range missiles and military aircraft, a top Ukrainian presidential aide said Saturday.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Ukraine's supporters in the West "understand how the war is developing" and the need to supply planes capable of providing cover for the armored fighting vehicles that the United States and Germany pledged at the beginning of the month.

However, in remarks to online video channel Freedom, Podolyak said that some of Ukraine's Western partners maintain a "conservative" attitude to arms deliveries, "due to fear of changes in the international architecture." Russia and North Korea have accused the West of prolonging and taking a direct role in the war by sending Kyiv increasingly sophisticated weapons.

"We need to work with this. We must show (our partners) the real picture of this war," Podolyak said, without naming specific countries. "We must speak reasonably and tell them, for example, 'This and this will reduce fatalities, this will reduce the burden on infrastructure. This will reduce security threats to the European continent, this will keep the war localized.' And we are doing it."

The U.S. and Germany agreed Wednesday to share advanced tanks with Ukraine along with the Bradley and Marder vehicles promised earlier, a decision that led to criticism not only from the Kremlin but from the prime minister of NATO and European Union member Hungary.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban asserted Friday that Western countries providing weapons and money to assist Ukraine in its war with Russia have "drifted" into becoming active participants in the conflict. Orban has refused to send weapons to neighboring Ukraine and sought to block EU funds earmarked for military aid.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it would summon Hungary's ambassador to complain about Orban's remarks. A ministry spokesperson, Oleg Nikolenko, said Orban told reporters that Ukraine was "a no-man's land" and compared it to Afghanistan.

"Such statements are completely unacceptable. Budapest continues on its course to deliberately destroy Ukrainian-Hungarian relations," Nikolenko said in a Facebook post.

President Joe Biden's announcement that the U.S. would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine reversed months of arguments by Washington that they are too difficult for Ukrainian troops to operate and maintain.

The U.S. decision persuaded German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who had expressed concern about a unilateral action drawing Russia's wrath, to agree to send 14 Leopard 2 tanks from Germany's stocks and to allow European countries with tanks to send some of theirs.

Western weapons have proven essential to Ukraine's defense while stoking ever-higher tensions with Moscow.

Russia's Defense Ministry said Saturday that Ukrainian forces used U.S.-made HIMARS rockets to strike a hospital in the eastern Ukrainian town of Novoaidar, killing 14 people.

Novoaidar is located in Luhansk province, which is almost entirely under the control of Russian forces or Russian-backed separatists. The Russian Defense Ministry alleged the hospital was deliberately targeted. Its claim of a strike in Novoaidar could not be immediately verified.

"A deliberate missile attack on a known operating civilian medical institution is an unconditional grave war crime of the Kyiv regime," the ministry said, according to Russian news agencies.

Amid the news of the Western pledges of heavy tanks, Russia bombarded Ukraine with missiles, exploding drones and artillery shells this week. The attacks continued Saturday, when Russian missiles struck the city of Kostyantynivka in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk province.

The missiles fell in a residential area, killing three civilians, wounding 14 and damaging four high-rise apartment buildings, a hotel and garages, Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko said.

Russian rockets hit a residential area the Donestsk town of Chasiv Yar on Friday night, killing of two people and wounding five more, the governor said. Photos attached to Kyrylenko's post showed a three-story school building on fire.

Russian forces continued ground attacks around Bakhmut and Avdiivka, another Donetsk city to the south, while Ukrainian troops were on the offensive in southern and northeast Ukraine, the Ukrainian military said in a Saturday morning update.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said that Russian troops "are defending themselves" near Lyman in Luhansk and Kharkiv provinces north of Donetsk, as well in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia provinces in the south.

In the same update, the military reported that Russian forces launched 10 missile strikes, 26 air strikes and 81 shelling attacks on Ukrainian territory between Friday and Saturday mornings. The shelling killed two civilians in Kherson, another province that is partly Russian-occupied.

Podolyak, the presidential adviser, said Ukraine needs supplies of Western long-range missiles "to drastically curtail the key tool of the Russian army" by destroying the warehouses where it stores cannon artillery used on the front line.
The chronic stress of caregiving can lead to mental health issues, as well as chronic issues with physical health and the likelihood of life-threatening diseases in caregivers themselves. This session will introduce family caregivers to natural ways to promote prevention, healing and self-regulation to get you on a path to better health.
In collaboration with Carnegie Hall, Lincolns Symphony Orchestra is participating in Link Up: The Orchestra Sings, a music education program provided by Carnegie Halls Weill Music Institute (WMI).

"Over the years, LSO has had an excellent working relationship with the music teachers at Lincoln Public Schools, as we have explored a variety of educational programs for our Young People's Concerts, says LSO Executive Director Barbara Zach Lee. It is especially exciting this year to bring this nationally recognized program to Lincoln; our advisory group of teachers worked with the Link Up materials to create customized lesson plans to prepare the students. We're excited to hear how the students learn from this special participatory program, unique from anything we've done in the past."

Students participating in the Link Up curriculum will attend a culminating concert, LSOs Young Peoples Concerts, on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, where they will sing and play the recorder with the orchestra from their seats. This experience often serves as students first concert and provides them with the opportunity to apply the musical concepts they have studied. The concert will also be presented as part of LSOs Family Series Sunday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. in ODonnell Auditorium at Nebraska Wesleyan University.

For more than 35 years, Link Up has paired orchestras with students in grades 3-5 at schools in their local communities to explore orchestral repertoire and fundamental musical skills, including creative work and composition, through a hands-on music curriculum. Link Up addresses the urgent need for music instruction and resources by providing a free, high quality, year-long curriculum that teachers can implement, along with classroom materials, online video and audio resources, and the professional development and support necessary to make the program an engaging experience for students.

LSO is one of over 100 national and international organizations chosen for this program. Since 2003, Carnegie Hall has partnered with professional, community and university orchestras across the U.S. and around the world to support their existing education programs and strengthen their partnerships with local schools. In 2022-2023, Link Up is partnering with sites in the U.S., as well as in China, Canada, Colombia, Spain, Kenya, New Zealand, Poland and Japan to serve approximately 450,000 students and teachers globally. Visit carnegiehall.org/LinkUp for a complete list of participants and further details.

Tickets for all LSO Family Concerts are priced at $10 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets can be ordered online at www.lincolnsymphony.com or by calling LSO at 402-476-2211.

To stay current with symphony events, follow Lincolns Symphony Orchestra on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter  and remember to use #LSOLove when sharing your personal concert experiences.
As temperatures hit bitterly cold lows and Nebraskans spend more time indoors, it is important to consider the air quality inside your home.

The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Lung Association are encouraging Nebraska residents to take action and test their homes for radon.

Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that is colorless, odorless and tasteless. It can enter into homes through gaps and cracks in walls, floors and foundations. Elevated radon levels can be found in any type of home, regardless of age. As radon cannot be detected by any of the senses, the only way to know the radon level in your home is to test. In Nebraska, more than 50% of homes have elevated radon levels.

Radon kills more than 21,000 people every year and is the leading cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. If you smoke, exposure to both tobacco and radon further increases your risk of lung cancer. When breathing in radon, radioactive particles can damage lung tissue. It typically takes many years for lung cancer to develop. It is important for people to take steps to reduce their radon exposure and avoid this long-term health risk.

Nebraska residents who have recently purchased a home and waived the home inspection might be unaware of their risk. Now is a good time to consider testing these newly purchased homes for radon. The EPA recommends testing your home for radon every two years, even if you have a radon mitigation system installed or if you have previously tested your home.

Nebraska residents can have their homes tested by hiring a licensed radon measurement business to perform the test, or by performing a self-test in their own home using a radon test kit. The Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department no longer provides home test kits, said Gary Bergstrom, supervisor of the department's Environmental Health-Air Quality program. However, test kits are readily available at local home improvement and hardware stores, he said. For more information about purchasing test kits, visit https://dhhs.ne.gov/Pages/Radon-Test-Kits.aspx.

There is no known safe level of radon. When interpreting radon measurement test results, its important to know that the EPA encourages anybody with radon levels above 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) to take action and fix their homes. The most common solution for elevated radon levels in a home is installing an active radon mitigation system. DHHS encourages anyone who is looking to mitigate an elevated radon level in their home to work with a licensed radon mitigation business to ensure that the work is done safely and correctly. Lists of licensed businesses can be found at https://dhhs.ne.gov/pages/radon.aspx.
RACINE  The Arc of Racine County Inc. is celebrating the receipt of a one-time $25,000 grant that will help Racine students achieve success.

Potawatomi Hotel & Casino surprised the organization with a Heart of Canal Street donation during last months charity event and random drawing. Funds will be dedicated to Arc programs that help Racine students make progress toward their math, reading, attendance and self-advocacy goals.

The grant is a boost to the Special Education Advocacy program, which is presently funded to reach 500 students countywide who are receiving special education services in Racine area public schools. Through this program, student success advocates provide free direct support and advocacy to students and parents by:

Discussing concerns and answering questions regarding the students IEP (Individual Education Program) or 504 Plan.

Attending school IEP or 504 Plan meetings in support of best educational outcomes for students.

Assisting with information about SSI benefits and other agency resources available in the community.

100%ers program

The Arc 100%ers program is for teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It fosters individual independence through peer-to-peer mentoring in small groups. The program participation in facilitated activities with peers helps build self-esteem and self-confidence. Monthly meetings hosted by Arc facilitators encourage members to:

Set individual goals for the future

Learn new life skills

Develop healthy habits

Seek employment options

Make new friends

Engage in social activities

Volunteer in the community

Funding

The Arc of Racine County Inc.s mission is to advocate for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities by safeguarding their rights, facilitating choice, and promoting independence and inclusion in school and community life. Established in 1954, it is one of 250 local chapters nationwide and are affiliated with The Arc of the United States and The Arc Wisconsin.

Funding for the nonprofit charitable independent agency is provided through grants and donations from individuals and businesses. The Arc is thankful for the sponsorship of its programs by United Way of Racine County, Racine Community Foundation, SC Johnson, Knights of Columbus, WISPACT Foundation and the AC Buhler Family.

The office is located in the Western Village Plaza, 6216 Washington Ave., Suite C-5. Appointments for office visits can be made from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information or assistance, call 262-634-6303.
CELAC should consolidate integration, deepen ties with China, experts say

Xinhua) 08:15, January 28, 2023

MEXICO CITY, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) should deepen regional integration and forge even closer ties with China, some experts and diplomats have said after Chinese President Xi Jinping addressed the CELAC Summit on Tuesday via a video link.

In his speech, Xi said that CELAC has played an important role in safeguarding regional peace, promoting common development and advancing regional integration, noting that China always supports the regional integration process of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Eugenia Dos Santos, an expert at the Chile-based University of Santiago, said that Xi's remarks highlighted regional integration, people's welfare, justice and peace, among others, and reaffirmed China's support for the region's economic recovery.

"Economic integration is not only an advantage for the region, but a matter of life or death" at a time of global economic slowdown, said David Castrillon Kerrigan, an international relations academic at the Externado University of Colombia, calling regional integration an "existential issue."

Against the backdrop of a changing international order, deeper regional integration will grant regional countries a say on a range of issues of both regional and global significance, including climate change, new technologies, anti-corruption and the reform of global institutions, Kerrigan said.

Latin American integration was not driven by ideology or politics, "but by a real integration that includes all regional countries, without exclusion," he added.

Argentine sociologist Marcelo Rodriguez believed that strengthening CELAC integration would help forge a relationship with China at the regional level as a whole and not just with each country.

Xi's speech conveyed the message that China values its "friendly and cooperative" relations with CELAC, an integral part of the Global South, said Decio Machado, an international political analyst and a Spanish citizen who has been living in Ecuador for years.

Former Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Huanacuni said Xi's speech reaffirmed China's commitment to greater cooperation with the region through the China-CELAC Forum. "We can cooperate regionally with China for win-win and shared benefits."

"This platform (China-CELAC Forum) provides the region with the possibility to participate in a more active way in the Chinese initiatives for global security and development as well as for the creation of a community with a shared future," Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said.

China's cooperation with CELAC contributes to the main development needs of regional countries, namely infrastructure and economic support, without the imposition of conditions, said Pamela Cristales, an academic at the Mexico-based Autonomous University of Yucatan.

"Multilateralism encourages all countries to seek solutions to common challenges," Cristales said, adding that China's proposals share common values with CELAC's goals of seeking "cooperation based on mutual respect, the promotion of dialogue among equals, respect for sovereignty and non-interventionism."

"China's contribution to the Latin American and Caribbean region has been made evident in recent years through South-South cooperation, equality for developing countries and proposals such as the Belt and Road Initiative," said Gonzalo Tordini, director of the China-Argentine Strategic Program at the National Defense University in Buenos Aires.

Former Peruvian Foreign Minister Miguel Rodriguez Mackay believed that China offers CELAC the opportunity to turn shared development into a reality through closer cooperation, recommending that the region strengthen ties with China for fruitful outcomes that benefit all sides, particularly in the areas of technology and industrialization.

(Web editor: Cai Hairuo, Liang Jun)
By Azernews

By Sabina Mamamdli

Azerbaijani Foreign Jeyhun Bayramov and his Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov discussed the terrorist attack in Tehran on a telephone call, Azernews reports.

The Uzbek minister strongly condemned this act, expressed condolences to the family of the attack's victim and the fraternal people of Azerbaijan, and also expressed solidarity with the country.

In turn, Bayramov expressed gratitude to his Uzbek counterpart and noted that Azerbaijan will use all possible means to bring to justice and punish those responsible for this crime as soon as possible.

The armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran on January 27, 2023, at about 0830 (GMT+4) claimed one security guard killed and two others wounded.

The gunman turned out to be a man in his 50s, who drove up to the administrative building, armed with a Kalashnikov automatic rifle.

Earlier reports from the Tehran police chief said there were two children in the car with the gunman, the security camera footage released later proved the man was alone. He entered the building after briefly waving hand to the Iranian security guard outside.

No attempts were made to detain the gunman, as he freely entered the embassy. The man managed to kill the head of the security service and wound two embassy guards. The shooter was eventually detained. The incident is currently being investigated.
RACINE  The Racine Heritage Museum and Racine Unified School District will host a book event featuring Racine native and author William Greer at noon Saturday, Feb. 4, at the museum, 701 Main St.

Greers Walkers Way is a western with a Black cowboy protagonist named Joe Walker. The book explores themes such as the role of African-Americans in the Civil War, the end of slavery and settling the west. Greer, a graduate of Horlick High School, will discuss his inspiration for writing and his publishing journey.

Walking tours

Racine Heritage Museums summer walking tours will be back in 2023. Trained guides will lead attendees along the lakefront and down Main Street as they learn about area companies such as Western Coil and John Oster Manufacturing; the transformation of the lakefront from public dumping grounds to todays bustling recreational port; the moving of the mouth of the Root River; Racines abolitionist activities; and some of the communitys famous and infamous visitors. Tours begin in June.

Be a volunteer

People who have a love for the community are invited to volunteer at Racine Heritage Museum. Volunteers represent the museum by greeting visitors, answering phones, and helping people discover the museum and its exhibits and programs. Training is provided.

Social media series

This Day in Racine History is the Racine Heritage Museums latest social media series. Visitors can discover a different Racine County historical tidbit or happening every day in 2023 by visiting the museums Facebook or Instagram page.

Recent postings link the 1893 Columbian Exposition to our area. The Racine Hardware Manufacturing Co. was awarded a contract to build 25 launch boats for the fair. Powered by electric battery motors, the boats carried close to 800,000 people around the lagoon and through the canals of the exposition. In addition to the boats, the company made 500 turnstiles and 50 large aquariums and benches for the exhibits.

Case archive grant

Thanks to a generous grant from CNH Industrial, Racine Heritage Museum continues to tackle the long-standing project of integrating the Case Co. archive into the museum archive collection.

Archive closed

The museums archive is closed through Feb. 3 for routine collections care and to assess conservation needs for the documents and materials housed in the archive. This is important for the preservation of the collection. The museum and exhibits will remain open to the public during this time.

The Racine Heritage Museums Research Center provides the community with a wealth of information spanning from the 1830s to the present. Archive staff members are available during hours of operation to answer questions and offer guidance. To make an appointment to conduct research when the archive reopens, send email to archive@racineheritagemuseum.org.

For more information on any RHM programs or exhibits, call 262-636-3926 or go to racineheritagemuseum.org.
WATERFORD  Luxury condominium living and commercial real estate are now available in the heart of Downtown Waterford.

Construction is underway on the mixed-use Waterford Lofts, a 28,200 square foot project at 506 East Main St.

The project is a partnership between the Village of Waterford, Wisconsin Redevelopment LLC and Milwaukee-based Selzer-Ornst Construction Company.

Pre-sales of residential and commercial condo units have begun.

According to Shorewest Realtors Renata Greeley, even with the development under construction, the 12 loft-style condominiums are already in high demand.

More information Potential residents interested in purchasing a condo unit can contact Greeley at 262-210-6956 or rgreeley@shorewest.com. Businesses interested in the commercial space can contact Vandeville at 262-865-4282 or tim@trustinlegacy.com.

The Village of Waterford, and Racine County in general, offer a great atmosphere to start a family, advance your career or just enjoy a high quality of living, Greeley said in a news release. When you combine a flourishing small-town community with the style, excellence and comfort of these units, of course there is going to be high demand.

Each condo unit is about 1,130 square feet and will cost between $330,000 and $380,000. Greeley said she expects potential residential occupancy this summer.

Waterford Lofts also offers a location for new businesses to locate to the downtown. First-floor retail in the project will be anchored by Community State Bank.

An additional 2,800 square feet of space is available for retail and commercial businesses. The space can be occupied by one or multiple businesses.

The Village of Waterford is very interested in attracting the right tenant(s) who want to set their roots in Waterford, said Tim Vandeville Jr., owner and broker for Waterford-based Legacy Realty Group. The Village of Waterford, which owns the retail condo units, will work with the businesses to buy the units outright or on a rent-to-own basis.

Waterford Lofts in progress, in photos Renata Greeley and Jake Howell at Waterford Lofts construction site in Waterford Exterior work underway at Waterford Lofts property with commercial and residential space Luis Nilleda frames door inside Waterford Lofts commercial-residential development Construction workers Erick Flores and Luis Espinoza install windows in Waterford Jake Howell Tim Vandeville Jr. Renata Greeley Tim Vandeville, Jr. and Renata Greeley
RACINE  Two men have been charged with having over 4 pounds of kratom in a backpack and their car.

Evan R. Baldwin, 31, of Delafield and Kyle P. Couture, 25, of Milwaukee were charged with misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to a criminal complaint, deputy was traveling on Interstate 94 on Wednesday and initiated a traffic stop.

The driver, who was identified as Couture, reportedly did not have any ID but did have a prescription bottle on him bearing his name.

Couture was asked to get out of vehicle and, according to the complaint, he initially denied having any drugs in the car but later admitted that the passenger, identified as Baldwin, had some (expletive) in the car.

Baldwin reportedly said there was nothing else in the vehicle except for the kratom, which is illegal in Wisconsin.

During a search of the vehicle, a pill bottle containing Gabapentin reportedly was found in the center console, in addition to a backpack which had Baldwins license, multiple prescription pill bottles bearing his name and six bags with kratom.

The complaint said four bags were full and two had less substance inside.

The search also reportedly found a jar containing five plastic bags of kratom near the back seat.

The total amount of kratom discovered was 2,088.4 grams or 4.6 pounds, according to the complaint.

At the jail, Couture reportedly asked to speak with his mother and told her he was at the jail because he and Baldwin had some (expletive) in the car.

Baldwin also contacted his mother to explain that he had kratom in his car, according to the complaint.

Baldwin and Couture were given $750 signature bonds and $250 cash bonds in Racine County Circuit Court on Thursday. Both have a status conference scheduled for April 25 at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, online court records show.
WATERFORD  A public show of support for the Waterford Public Library has not persuaded the villages elected leaders to reconsider a $100,000 cut in funding to support the library.

Village President Don Houston and other members of the Village Board say they have no plans to revisit a more than 30% funding reduction that has prompted library officials to make plans for program cuts and staff layoffs.

Library backers have objected loudly to the villages budget action.

Restoration of the librarys funding was a common theme Jan. 9 during a town hall-style meeting that drew about 200 people inside the local firehouse.

Elected officials, however, are offering little reason for hope that the villages financial support for the library in 2023 will be discussed any further.

Houston said the villages budget for this year has been approved, and he has heard nothing about any member of the Village Board wanting to reopen the library issue.

Houston said he is waiting to hear something from the librarys board of trustees rather than planning to take action at the village level.

I want to work together, he said. We can work through it.

The library board has approved plans for laying off as many as 10 employees and eliminating yoga, book clubs and other programs, after the Village Board reduced its financial support of the library from $300,000 a year to $200,000.

Village officials have described the library as overstaffed and overfunded, with a total budget of $800,000, which includes other funding from Racine County and private donors.

Village Board Trustee Pat Goldammer said he is willing to revisit library funding next year, but he would not propose any reconsideration this year, and he doubts any other board member would, either.

Its a done deal for this year, he said.

The Waterford Village Board in November approved a $16.5 million village budget for 2023 that raised property taxes by $300,000  from $2.6 million to $2.9 million  while reducing funding for the library, as well as capital spending and other operations.

After hearing public questions and objections to the library cut, village officials held a special meeting Jan. 9 at the village fire station to discuss the issue.

Members of the community and other library backers urged reconsideration of the budget or other steps to restore the librarys financial base.

Although local government agencies often make midyear adjustments to their budgets, Village Board Trustee Troy McReynolds joined Houston and Goldammer in saying that no reconsideration is likely for the library.

McReynolds said it would establish a terrible precedent if the village set a spending plan and then reopened debate on specific departments or funding issues.

I dont want to go down that road, he said.

Referring to the library, he added: We have to find a way for this to operate within the money that is available.

The Village Board is scheduled to meet Feb. 6, but library funding is not on the agenda.

Other board members could not be reached for comment.

Located at 101 N. River St., the library operates in a village-owned building  next door to Village Hall  but it functions separately and is governed by its own board of directors.

The facility is open six days a week and has 16 employees, most of them part-time.

The library records about 52,000 visitors a year, or more than 100 a day on average.

The funding issue has created controversy in the community, with library supporters calling the villages $100,000 budget cut excessive, while village officials say the library has engaged in reckless spending and questionable fiscal management.

Houston, McReynolds and Goldammer all said they support the library and its role in the community.

Im willing to work and help, Houston said. But Ive heard nothing from the library board.

Goldammer said he likes the idea of a joint meeting between the Village Board and library board to discuss the funding issue.

There just has to be a bigger dialogue, he said. We have to work together.
RACINE  Until recently, Valerie Harmon was scared to wear her natural hair in public.

That began to change when Harmon signed up for the Black Student Union at Case High School.

Harmon joined the BSU last school year and fell in love with it, she said.

She is now its vice president.

The Black Student Union has helped Harmon appreciate my culture and what it means to be Black.

That includes wearing her natural hair, which Harmon said she can do proudly today.

Cases Black Student Union, now in its second year, aims to create a welcoming, communal environment for students to connect, learn, work together and have conversations they may not be comfortable having elsewhere.

It was mainly a support group to be started for Black students and something for us to all come together and be a unit, said Davion Robinson, BSU president.

Samya Gray, BSU lead, joined the group to support Black students and address inequalities.

Black Student Union members want to be a part of something bigger, Gray said. We all created a safe space for each other.

The BSU, which is open to students of all races, meets every Tuesday from 3-4:30 p.m. at Case, 7345 Washington Ave.

Finding their voices

Case students said the Black Student Union has provided education, friendship and belonging. Robinson said he has learned how to be a better person from BSU.

The organization is a collaborative, student-led effort that receives support from adult advisers.

Timber Day, BSU adviser, attends every meeting and recently helped BSU members with college applications, scholarships and financial aid.

Previous meetings included information about Black culture and history.

The group has also hosted several guests, including a virtual appearance from Caron Butler.

During meetings, students speak about issues at Case, in the community and nation. They talk about challenges Black students may face, such as how to respond if a teacher or classmate makes a negative comment toward them.

BSU offers a forum for students to discuss difficult subjects.

Corey Prince, Black Student Union coordinator for the Racine Unified Office of Extended Learning, said the group has helped students become more willing to talk about topics like equity and discrimination.

Its a lot easier for them to come and express those issues when its not off-limits, Prince said.

Gray said BSU has taught her the importance of speaking out.

If you dont advocate for yourself and your people, then no ones going to, Gray said.

James Akakpo, BSU lead, agreed and wants more students to understand the importance of their voices.

I feel like that takes people a long way, Akakpo said.

One of the ways student voices are being heard is via the Case BSU podcast that began this school year.

Three podcast episodes have been released on YouTube. Students have provided information about themselves and discussed many topics, including college, racism, gun violence and domestic abuse.

It shows more what were about and what we talk about in meetings, Akakpo said of the podcast. I feel like it gives people a taste of what we do  Hopefully some people will relate.

Supportive environment

Some pushback against the group has occurred.

Zemirah Hunter, a former Case BSU secretary, was surprised when a Case student made a negative comment about her BSU shirt, but Hunter made an effort not to dwell on it.

It is what it is, said Hunter, who recently transferred to Horlick and plans to join its BSU. It goes in one ear and out the other.

At the administration and community level, Prince said he has not received any resistance toward BSU.

We all just want to help each other and help these kids, Prince said. Ive encountered nothing except for a love and a zeal to see these kids succeed.

Prince initially visited the group last school year as a guest speaker to discuss being a business owner. Students asked him to return, and Prince became more involved.

Prince has helped BSU students take part in community events, including an upcoming April tour of historically Black colleges and universities. By visiting colleges and business, Prince hopes students horizons are broadened to career and educational possibilities.

My goal is to expose the kids to as many opportunities as possible, opportunities that they didnt know existed, Prince said. The more that we expose them to what they dont know, the greater their success will be.

Through BSU, high-schoolers have also volunteered with younger students and met local business leaders.

Gray appreciates showing people that our group is something that you can come to and you can look at it and say, These people know what theyre doing. These people are a great group of students  Theyre doing stuff for people other than themselves.

By running BSU meetings and working on committees, students have learned how to be part of an organization

Giving young people control, I think, allows them to be empowered, Prince said. Thats what I see more than anything, is them being empowered.

BSU members appreciate the constant support from advisers.

We can always call upon them for anything, and Ive learned that having that connection and having that backbone is very helpful, Robinson said.

BSU members are working on several events for Black History Month, including a Feb. 21 talent show. That involves a lot of work, but students are comforted by advisers aid.

They always have our backs, Robinson said.

Day said celebratory moments, like when Robinson called to tell her he was accepted to Howard University, are the most rewarding parts of advising the Black Student Union.

Its fulfilling to see the growth in the students  (and) seeing the joy on their faces from their accomplishments, Day said.

Similarly, the best part for Prince is listening to the kids talk, he said. Hearing them embody the mission of the BSU, what it means to them, where they want to see it go and just watching them lead, I think, is the most enjoyable part.

Sense of self

Pamela Harris, BSU adviser, said investing in high-schoolers will pay off in the long run, and she appreciates that the group has helped students gain a better understanding of themselves.

Its important that our kids know who they are, where they come from and where theyre going, Harris said. Its important for all of our kids to have a sense of self. We all stand to gain or we all stand to lose, because truly there is a connection in all of our lives.

Advisers are glad the Black Student Union exists and wish one did when they were in high school.

Kenberly Davidson, Case extended learning coordinator and clerk, said a Black Student Union could have assisted with comfortability, knowing ourselves, social anxiety, social skills and development  It could have helped with a lot.

The Case BSU has roughly 30 members, meaning it could significantly grow. That is why students and advisers are working to recruit underclassmen and offer a supportive atmosphere.

I feel like what we got going is good, and I want this to keep going, said Akakpo, a senior. Even when all of us graduate, it keeps flowing and then  people are thirsty to join our group, or want to get started and actually speak upon what they got going on with their life.

Cases BSU started last school year, and Horlick and Park high schools founded Black Student Unions this school year. Case students and advisers are encouraged by that and would like to see area colleges start BSUs as well.

Its a movement, Day said. (We are) hopefully trying to bring some unity throughout the community and help to dissolve a lot of the issues that are happening throughout the Black community.

Going forward, Robinson hopes area Black Student Unions will work together in the community to assist with a wide array of issues.

I want us to be able to link together, be together and be a family, Robinson said.

The BSU has helped educate and empower Case students. It has provided community, given them confidence to wear natural hair and helped them understand the power of their voices. Students want the same to be true for more people in the future.
Easy to make up ahead and just finish in a hot oven, this potato-vegetable mashup is wonderful as an entree on its own (especially if you choose to do a whole potato for each serving) or as a side to any simple chicken, fish or meat dish. This is also a wonderful luncheon main course served along with a crisp green salad.
Honor Beauvais every breath was a battle as a snowstorm battered the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota.

The asthmatic 12-year-olds 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, Honors 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 states 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 didnt 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 tribes 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 nations 574 federally recognized tribes.

OJ Semans, a consultant for the tribe, said the programs 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 wasnt 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 deputys 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 Dillons funeral 11 days after his death.

Even angry doesnt reach the level of the neglect, Semans said. This was an atrocity.
Last Sundays Editorial in the Racine Journal Times and Kenosha News Making Constitutional Changes No Way to Legislate completely misses the boat when it assumes the proposed amendments are because of a toxic political climate. In fact, the editorial board is the one engaging in political rhetoric. Had they done minimal research, they would know these issues are constitutional in nature.

Let me make one thing clear, I agree, legislating through the Wisconsin Constitution is foolish. The Constitution should only be amended for constitutional issues. I know few legislators who disagree with me. Using it otherwise, frankly, has caused some of the problems were addressing in our new proposals.

Ill start with the bail reform amendment, which is before voters on the April ballot. In 1980, the Legislature did exactly what the newspapers are claiming the current legislature is doing. They put a convoluted, restrictive bail statute into the Constitution. As a result, judges hands are tied when setting bail and determining pre-trial detention. At national conferences, Wisconsins current constitutional bail system is held out as an example of what NOT to do. Its exactly why you dont put legislation into the constitution.

As I said on the floor of the Senate, if we could fix Wisconsins bail system without amending the constitution, we would.

But we cant. Its the constitution that limits a judge to a single factor when determining cash bail. Its the constitution that limits judges to considering injury with a risk of death when determining any condition of release, not the statutes. Changing the bail statutes doesnt fix the problem. If you want to fix bail, you have to fix the Constitution. Twelve of the 46 Democrats in the Legislature supported the changes  including 3 of the 4 Democrats in Racine and Kenosha County. Its a bipartisan issue with bipartisan support.

Ensuring the legislature, not the Governor, controls the purse strings should also have bipartisan support. For 175 years, the Wisconsin Legislature has decided how money is spent, and the Governor implements that spending plan. Its the way our constitutional writers intended it from the start at both the federal and state level.

Whether or not one believes that Governor Evers spent federal COVID money wisely doesnt matter. What matters is the right process is followed. It doesnt matter if the Governor is a Democrat or Republican. Using a loophole to spend money as only one person desires is not good policy, good practice, or good process.

Its a loophole that is allowing non-citizens to vote in 16 different jurisdictions across the country. Many of the states allowing non-citizens to have the identical constitutional language as Wisconsin.

The activists, who have been pushing for non-citizen voting for at least 6 years, are using the concept of home rule to allow for every resident, not citizen, to vote in elections. The current constitution and laws in Wisconsin are extremely similar to the states where non-citizen voting is authorized. According to the University of Kentucky, Wisconsin is one of only 14 states with no impediments (constitutional or otherwise) to governments authorizing non-citizen voting. Just because it hasnt been proposed yet, doesnt mean we shouldnt take steps pro-actively from preventing it. Weve seen the Madison and Milwaukee local governments emulate radical ideas from both coasts in the past. Should we wait until they implement non-citizen voting before we try to prevent it? Of course not.

The Journal Times and Kenosha News are correct that legislation shouldnt be in the Constitution. But, instead of a thoughtful look at the constitutional proposals, they engage in political rhetoric, assuming political rather than legal motives.

You can disagree on the merits of the proposals, but assigning political motives where none exist is a disservice to the voters and only contributes to the toxic political climate that the boards decry.

31 of the sharpest red carpet looks from Racine Founder's Rotary Post Prom 2022 In uniform Not all promgoers wear capes... but at least one did Under my umbrella Cool in orange A red carpet selfie What a look King of the prom court Throwback Masked, and rocking it Channeling The Fonz Cheesin' Cowboy and cowgirl Cool in blue A red carpet smooch Positive energy, good vibes Rocking in red Subtle colors, an eye-catching look Pretty in purple Solo in red Back to back Pink and more pink On the red carpet Side by side, by side Side by side, by side, by side Eyes on the camera Shady Headwear welcome Well red Laughing it off Back to back Shady
1. Yes. Having a community member interview panel is an excellent opportunity for input.

2. Yes. Its good that the city will allow residents to meet the finalist at a reception.

3. No. The city should have conducted a public survey early in the process, as KISD is doing.

4. No. Residents should be able to meet candidates before a lone finalist is chosen.

5. Unsure. Its hard to know how to gauge the proper level of public involvement.

Vote

View Results
UK Ambassador to Azerbaijan Fergus Auld and Presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev discussed regional issues, Azernews reports.

"An important meeting took place with Hikmat Hajiyev. I offered the British Governments condolences for the death of the security manager at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran. We also discussed important regional security and humanitarian issues," Auld tweeted.

As reported earlier, the head of the security guard of the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran was killed, two other employees were wounded in the armed attack on the building on January 27 at about 0830 hours (GMT+4).

The gunman turned out to be a man in his 50s, who drove up to the administrative building, armed with a Kalashnikov automatic rifle.

No attempts were made to detain the gunman, as he freely entered the embassy. The shooter was eventually detained. The incident is currently being investigated.
KEARNEY  If anyone amongst Alexis Goodsells siblings had to get cancer, shes glad it was her.

I would hate to be in their shoes. Id rather be the one with cancer than the one always worrying if they are going to be OK, Alexis, who typically goes by her nickname of Lexi, said. Its a big burden for them to always be worrying about me, but I would rather have them do that than do this. Its not a fun thing to go through.

Finding the silver lining has become a common practice for Lexi and her family as the 13-year-old battles leukemia.

Rise & Grind fundraiser for Lexi Rise & Grind coffee shop in Gibbon will be hosting a fundraiser for Lexi and her family from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 12. The event will be held at the business, 712 Front St. in Gibbon. All proceeds from sales will go to Lexi and her family. For more information, call 308-216-1712.

Lexis fight against cancer

Lexi is a seventh grader at Sunrise Middle School in Kearney. She loves to run, and she was a member of the schools cross-country team. She enjoys crafting, singing, dancing, volunteering at her church and being with her family, which consists of mom Bobbi Lyons; stepdad Lance Lyons; brother Brandon Goodsell, 16; and sister Avonlee Nemitz, 8.

Lexi had just begun her seventh-grade year in August at Sunrise Middle School, where she is a straight-A student. But 2022 had already proved to be a challenging year for her family.

In August, Avonlees father passed away in a trucking accident near Juniata. A little over a month later, Lance and Bobbi experienced their third pregnancy loss of a baby boy named Isaac. At the same time, Lexi had been unwell with strep throat. She had been on antibiotics and was on the mend. But on Oct. 7, her fever came back.

That morning when we woke up, I did check her temp, and she had a fever of 103.5. So along with her stomach ache that she was having, her head hurting really badly and then that fever, I was kind of concerned. She had just gotten over being sick. It was like, Are you sick again? Whats going on? Bobbi said.

Bobbi took Lexi to see Dr. Randall Goldfish at Kearney Regional Medical Center-Bryan Health in Kearney. He thought Lexi might have a strain of the flu. He ran blood and urine tests, and when he came back to go over the results with Bobbi, she knew there was something wrong.

Ive never had a doctor come in the room with the actual blood work to show me. So, I was kind of concerned about that at first. He started showing me the blood work. She had absolutely no white blood cell count whatsoever, Bobbi said. Zero.

Lexi also had a low hemoglobin level, and Goldfish told Bobbi that he thought Lexi might have leukemia.

He just looked right at me, and he said, Im not trying to alarm you in any way or worry you. Im just trying to prepare you for whats to come, Bobbi recalled.

Goldfish had Lexi transported by airplane that day to Omaha Childrens Hospital. After undergoing various testing, she was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Lexi spent the month of October in inpatient care at Childrens Hospital. In November, Lexi and Bobbi moved to the Carolyn Scott Rainbow House, an overnight guest house for families at the hospital, while she continued to be treated. She was able to return home in December. On Dec. 8, her cancer was determined to be in remission.

However, her battle hasnt ended yet.

Lexi is currently in phase two of the five-phase treatment plan for her leukemia. She continues to undergo chemo treatments, which causes her to have low blood cell counts leading to multiple blood transfusions. Phase three will be an 84-day period. She will have three days of inpatient chemotherapy every two weeks in Omaha. The process of the treatments and preventative care is expected to last about two years, Bobbi said.

Faith and support

When Bobbi first learned of her daughters diagnosis, she immediately feared losing her little girl.

When people in society today kind of think of cancer, they think of death right away. So, that was definitely a fear of mine for a while, she said. Then the more and more I learned about leukemia and the type that she has and what kind of treatments they have to offer us and how much of the success rate there is, at that point in our lives I just really had to place everything in Gods hands.

The familys faith in God has helped them keep a positive attitude during the most difficult times. Each day, Bobbi and Lexi talk about the God finds that have happened throughout the day. Whether its someone offering to bring them lunch or positive medical results, they are always looking for the ways God is working in their life, Bobbi said.

Even though we are going through these trials and through all of our suffering with this whole situation, he has managed to continue to bless us. Being able to recognize that he is there with us, walking alongside us every step of the way has truly been a godsend, Bobbi said.

Since Lexis diagnosis, the family has received an outpouring of support from Kearney eFree Church, Sunrise Middle School and the Kearney community. Kearney eFree helped the family financially while Bobbi stayed with Lexi in Omaha for two months, and theyve provided emotional support as well. The Rev. Jordan Hinrichsen prayed with the family when they lost Isaac, and hes visited and prayed for Lexi at the hospital.

Theyve just done so many things for us, and its truly been amazing to see God work in our lives and create as much community and support as he has for us, Bobbi said.

Friends and family have organized fundraisers and meal trains for the family throughout Lexis treatment. There have also been many simple, meaningful ways loved ones have shown their support. One of Lexis friends made her a blanket that her church prayed over, and the kids in the congregation sent her cards. When Lexi began to lose her hair, her family had a shaving party. Bobbi, Lance and Avonlee all chose to shave their head, but Brandon didnt jump on board. At first.

He felt bad that everybody else shaved their head, so for a Christmas present, on Christmas Eve after everybody else went to bed, he had my mom shave his head downstairs in the bathroom, Lexi said.

On Christmas Day, Brandon wore a Santa Claus hat to hide his haircut until he jumped up to give Lexi her present.

He goes to grab a present, and he sets the present on the ground and rips the hat off his head. I actually cried because he is obsessed with his hair. He loves his hair so much, and he still decided to shave it off, so I cried. He tried walking away and I was like, No, no. Give me a hug, Lexi recalled.

Brandon and Avonlee initially took Lexis diagnosis pretty hard, Bobbi said. When visiting his sister in the hospital, Brandon would often be wary of the hospital surroundings.

When they would visit me, my brother would always stand in the background and stare wide-eyed, Lexi said. When we were in the Rainbow House, we FaceTimed them every single night to say goodnight, and I could tell he had no clue what to say, and he was just like really in shock. When I was able to go back home, he did get better.

After a few weeks, Brandon and Avonlee adapted to Lexis diagnosis and were eager to help their mom with their sisters care. Bobbi gives an enormous amount of credit to the Childrens Hospital and Kearney Cancer Center for the support and outreach they have provided their family.

The support that they give you there is just, its constant. These people that work at the Childrens Hospital are always following up with you. Theyre always coming to visit you. Theyre always coming to see how youre doing, Bobbi said. They create a circle around you of hope to help you push through this emotionally. So thats been a huge blessing that they can provide that kind of care for kiddos and for their parents.

Since being diagnosed, Lexi has been working remotely on her schoolwork, and she may be able to go back to in-person school later this spring if she is doing well after phase 3 of treatments. Once she is done with her cancer treatments, Bobbi has promised Lexi to get her hair professionally dyed. They also want to plan a family trip to Great Wolf Lodge, an indoor water park, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The support from their community and their faith in God has helped the family stay positive and make it through the past year.

Its something that you didnt plan for, but maybe something that was Gods plan, and hes carrying out your testimony. Hes carrying out your plan that He has for you. So just being able to recognize that and move forward every day knowing that hes preparing you for things and hes making that way for you, I think thats been our whole familys motivation throughout this whole thing, Bobbi said.
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
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 state's 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 Children's Hospital & Medical Center and Community Alliance's 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.

"We're 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 center's 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.

HopeSpoke, a Lincoln nonprofit that provides mental health services for low-income youth and families, received a total of $600,000 to recruit and retain therapists and other staff over the next few years.

"HopeSpoke is grateful for these awards," said Executive Director Katie McLeese Stephenson. "Especially during the pandemic, agencies like HopeSpoke have strained to serve all of the children waiting for services. This funding will help more kids find the care they deserve."

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 impact 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 it's 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.

Top Journal Star photos for January 2023
Former Grand Island Public Schools superintendent Tawana Grover will lead an Iowa school district.

Effective July 1, Grover will become superintendent of Cedar Rapids Community School District in Iowa. In January the Grand Island Public Schools board approved her resignation.

Cedar Rapids Community School Districts board of education unanimously approved her hiring Jan. 26. In a phone interview, at-large board member Marcy Roundtree said, We are very impressed by her and looking forward to the work that she will do here.

Roundtree declined to specify when Grover submitted her application to CRCSD or whether anything surrounding her GIPS tenure affected the districts hiring decision, citing legal employment privacy practices.

We have done our due diligence to look at her background.

During the Jan. 26 school board meeting, CRCS board president David Tominsky said: This board is confident Dr. Grover fits the leadership profile. (She) is well respected with a tremendous amount of community leadership  were excited for her to assume this role.

Grovers approved contract is for three years, with her salary at $305,000 the first year and that amount or more in subsequent years.

Grover resigned her Grand Island superintendent position effective in early January, but will continue her role as a consultant with the district through June 30, when her first contract year ends. Per her contract with GIPS, after that date, she will be available on-call as needed regardless of her employment status.

According to GIPS officials:

The only thing affected in the existing agreement with GIPS, if Dr. Grover accepts another job, is GIPS will not continue with the previously agreed health insurance coverage. If she takes another employment opportunity the hiring organization pays the health insurance. She still receives everything else listed in the agreement.

On Jan. 27, the Grand Island Independent submitted a public records request to CRCSD for a copy of the contract between Grover and Cedar Rapids Community School District. The Independent is waiting for a response from the district.

The districts former superintendent, Noreen Bush, died in Oct. 2022 following a two-and-a-half-year battle with cervical cancer, according to local media.

Cedar Rapids Community Schools had just over 15,000 students grades K-12 during the 2021-2022 school year, according to district data.
Bibby grew up on a farm in Trempealeau County, where he still farms part-time today. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Platteville where he earned his undergraduate degree in soil and crop science in 2019. He then attended North Dakota State University and earned his masters degree in plant science. Bibbys masters research was titled Corn-Alfalfa Intercropping with Different Row Spacings and was focused on developing a more profitable way for producers in the Northern Great Plains to establish alfalfa. Most recently, he worked for the NDSU Forages and Industrial Crops Program as the Research Specialist and was responsible for designing, managing, and analyzing field trials related to forage and industrial crop production.
YWCA La Crosse has selected its new executive director, naming author and educator Laurie Cooper Stoll to the position.

Cooper Stoll, professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at UW-La Crosse, will succeed Lauren Journot in the role beginning Feb. 1.

Tricia Johnson, vice president of the YWCA Board of Directors, says staff and the board felt grateful to have an applicant of such high caliber whose heart lies in continued service to foster equality for the most vulnerable within our Coulee Region neighborhoods.

In addition to teaching, Cooper Stoll founded the UW-L Institute for Social Justice in 2013, has served on the School District of La Crosse board for six years  including two as president  has written for peer reviewed journals and is author of two books, Race and Gender in the Classroom, which won an award from the American Sociological Association, and Should Schools Be Colorblind?

Cooper Stoll also works with educators to advance equity through policies, practices and environments that are safe and inclusive.

We are so excited that Laurie has accepted our invitation to lead YWCA La Crosse, said Liz Wallace, president of the Board of Directors. Beyond her unrivaled scholarly and professional credentials, she brings to the organization new drive to continue to build collaborative relationships in the La Crosse area in order to promote justice for all individuals in our communities.
By Azernews

Sabina Mammadli

Diplomats and organizations from Turkic-speaking nations have expressed their solidarity with Azerbaijan, as well as shared their condolences over the death of the security officer while repulsing the terror act on the nation's Tehran embassy on January 27, Azernews reports.

Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Sentop strongly condemned the bloody terror attack in a telephone conversation with Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova.

During the call, Sentop said that he was saddened by the death of an embassy employee, and expressed condolences to the Azerbaijani people.

Similarly, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of Turkish Baykar Technologies company Selcuk Bayraktar also expressed his condolences.

"Our brotherly country resolutely condemns the treacherous attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran. My condolences to our people," he tweeted.

During a meeting between Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu and Turkiye's Ambassador to Russia Mehmet Samsar at the Azerbaijani embassy in Moscow, the Turkish diplomat extended condolences and support of his country over the armed attack.

Bulbuloglu noted that the martyred Senior Lt Orkhan Asqarov has previously served in the Azerbaijani embassy in Moscow and that he knew him personally. He proudly noted that Mahir Imanov and Vasif Tagiyev - who were wounded in repulsing the attack and neutralizing the terrorist, also worked at the embassy in Moscow.

In his turn, Samsar pointed out that Turkish diplomats have also been subjected to terrorist attacks several times, and added that his country resolutely condemns this attack on the Azerbaijani diplomatic mission. The Turkish diplomat expressed deep condolences to the family of the victim and a speedy recovery to the wounded.

Also at the meeting, the parties expressed confidence that the organizers and perpetrators of this terrorist act would suffer the most severe punishment.

In a similar vein, the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation has rebuked the terrorist attack on the embassy, expressing shock and condolences over the death of the embassy employee, wishing a speedy recovery to the wounded ones.

"Considering that terrorism, which constitutes a serious threat to the modern world, results in the death of people, the destruction of material and spiritual values generates violence, mistrust, and hatred, we demand Iran to thoroughly investigate this crime and bring those responsible to justice," the Foundation said.

The Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States joined to the wave of condolences and condemned the attack.

"We call for the Iranian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation concerning this violent attack and to bring the perpetrators to justice. We express our heartfelt condolences to the family of the officer who lost his life today and wish urgent recovery for those injured," the statement said.

Additionally, the General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) also strongly condemned the treacherous attack and called for bringing the perpetrators of the heinous attack to justice.

The organization underlined the necessity of ensuring the security and safety of diplomatic missions.

While expressing his solidarity with the government and people of Azerbaijan, OIC Secretary General Hissein Ibrahim Taha offered his condolences to the family of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.
Putin Confirms, Theres No Statute of Limitations on Nazi Crimes

Jan. 27, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)In a meeting with Russian Jewish leaders yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that there is no statute of limitations on Nazi crimes. The majority of Jews killed by the Nazis were Soviet citizens, and we share this pain. ... We are strongly against consigning crimes of this kind to oblivion, since crimes like this have no statute of limitations. We hold this policy to make sure that nothing like this ever happens to humankind again, the President told his guests.

Putins meeting with leaders of the Jewish community was timed to coincide with Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is marked on January 27, the day the Red Army liberated the largest of Nazi death camps, Auschwitz, in 1945. I am aware of the position of the Jewish community of Russia and the position of the State of Israel regarding the role and importance of the Red Army in defeating Nazism and fascism. We highly appreciate this, but to reiterate, this matter is of particular importance for our people, Putin continued.

We know that Jewish organizations around the world are supportive of the work we are doing. ... Unfortunately, many countries use various pretexts to avoid participating in joint efforts in this important area. We will continue to pursue this work regardless of the ongoing political developments, Putin stressed. Russia, however, was excluded from this years annual commemoration ceremony at Auschwitz.

You are also aware that the investigating authorities and the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation continue to deploy serious efforts trying to identify crimes of this type committed against any citizens of the former Soviet Union, regardless of their ethnic origin. Without a doubt, this work is a major contribution to the efforts seeking to bring to light the crimes committed by the Nazis against the Jews as well,

Putin emphasized.

Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar, who had participated in the Jan. 26 meeting with Putin, blasted the exclusion of Russia from the commemoration ceremony. Its not the first time, unfortunately, that Russia hasnt been invited to Oswiecim [Auschwitz]. Its definitely a humiliation for us because we know and remember perfectly well the role of the Red Army in the liberation of Oswiecim, the victory over Nazism, he said after a ceremony dedicated to International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center. For our people, the role of Russia, the Soviet Union was decisive at the time. Theres surely no place for these political games on Holocaust [Remembrance] Day, he said.

The UN General Assembly took the decision in 2005, to mark Jan. 27 of each year, the anniversary of the Red Army liberation of Auschwitz, as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR SATURDAY JANUARY 28, 2023

Not 90 Seconds to Midnight, but One Week To the Age of Reason or the Annihilation of Humanity

Jan. 27, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)Pentiti! No!...Ah! tempo piu non ve! Repent! No!...Ah! Your time is up! But the Doomsday Clock still read 90 seconds to midnight! What had happened? The explanation was simple. The clock-time was not physical time. They had all precisely miscalculated. Anglosphere geopoliticians and strategic realists, take heed. Pentiti!

The Age of Reason, or the Annihilation of Humanity? is the To be, or not to be question for those that choose to recognize that the time for change is now, in this instantnot 90 seconds from midnight.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in his opera Don Giovanni, in its climatic scene, depicts how the arrogant oligarch, a serial killer and rapist (based on a real historical death-merchant of Venice), dooms himself to destruction, by refusing to recognize that a higher law has visited him in the form of the stone guest, the ghost of one of his victims, the murdered commendatore. The apparition appears to him, as Hamlets father appeared to Hamlet. The stone guest does not come for revenge, but for Giovannis atonement. It is a terrifying act of love, that will indeed avenge the murdered mans death, whatever Don Giovanni decides. It is a choice that requires a metanoia, a moment of total upheaval, a moment of hellish self-recognition required for his own salvation.

But Don Giovanni chooses No! not once, but three times, with no idea that he is sealing his own fate. Like the sophists and predators of todays City of London, Wall Street, the State Department, the pseudo-governments of the EU, and especially British intelligence, in his infinite world-wisdom and boundless hubris, Don Giovanni miscalculated. He, too, thought it was only 90 seconds to midnight.

January 27, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozarts birthday, was memorialized in 2005 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Though today, Russia, whose Red Army liberated the death camp at Auschwitz, was excluded from the official ceremony held there, President Vladimir Putin, meeting with a group of Jewish leaders in Moscow, observed that Out of all the Jews exterminated by the Nazis, the majority were citizens of the Soviet Union, and this is a source of our common pain.... And we are doing this, we are pursuing a policy aimed at ensuring that nothing like this will ever happen again in the history of mankind....

But how will this be ensured, not only in our time, but for all time? In Don Giovanni, Mozart and his librettist, the American Revolution partisan Lorenzo Da Ponte, supplied a polemical, tragic conclusion to their drama: After Don Giovanni is dragged down to Hell by the forces of natural law, those most adversely affected by him come together on the stage, and make it clear that they are essentially unchanged by his self-demise. They are as susceptible to his oligarchical evil as they were before. Consider the fact that right now, before our eyes, persons from all over the world that have sworn Never Again! to the atrocities of World War II, including in the nation and government of Israel, are now launching, less than a century later, a World War III that would dwarf that wars 100 million deaths, and possibly eliminate the entire human race.

Even with this threat, the fear of association with the late Lyndon LaRouche, and with Helga Zepp-LaRouche, still listed as Number 1 on the published Ukrainian kill lists, is being used to bludgeon people into silence, but to less and less effect. This has been done in the case of an upcoming Washington, D.C. rally against NATOs war against Russia scheduled for Feb. 19, at which Independent Senate candidate Diane Sare will be speaking. This is being done in restricting the access of International Schiller Institute representatives and members of The LaRouche Organization to social media platforms.

The countervailing force against this suppression, however, is the reliable and apparently inexhaustible stupidity of our opponents. Take Germanys foreign (as in extraterrestrial) minister, Annalena Baerbocks we are at war with Russia remark. The fool Baerbock, like many of the hapless Greens of Germany and elsewhere, is probably unaware of the fascist roots of her Malthusian outlook, and therefore incapable of knowing that the reason she could be so stupid as to make the statement, we are at war with Russia, not with each other, is the same as the reason for her and her compatriots insane energy policies concerning nuclear, oil and coal. A foreign ministry is precisely the location where the slightest imprecision in stating the policies of ones nation is often, and correctly, met with the sternest of consequences, precisely because misunderstandings between nations leading to war can so easily arise.

The self-righteous Greens, ever the stewards of Mother Earth, have, in the form of Baerbock and Habeck, in their advocacy of the war against Russia, whether intentionally or not, revived the policy of the Austrian hippie, Adolf Hitler, on behalf of their British sponsors. It is not a German phenomenonwe see the same mentality in Poland, the Baltic, and of course, Ukrainebut a NATO-wide one, a project for an Allgemeine SS de-industrialization and de-population of today Germany, tomorrow the world, including through war. How Green Were the Nazis? is now no longer merely the title of a book, but is a legitimate question to pose to todays Malthusians of the Great Reset all over the world.

Let us remember that this is the same Baerbock who said, in September, that she would support Ukraine no matter what my German voters think. Does Baerbock also support what Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said, during testimony in front of the Congress: Senator Cruz, like you, I am, and I think the administration is, very gratified to know that Nord Stream 2 is now, as you like to say, a hunk of metal at the bottom of the sea. Is that the administration on whose behalf Baerbock is speaking? Does she support the blowing up of the pipeline by, not Russia, but an ally-enemy of Germany, no matter what my German voters think? Isnt that called treason?

When historian Barbara Tuchman pointed out that Mankind, it seems, makes a poorer performance of government than almost any other human activity. In this sphere, wisdom, which may be defined as the exercise of judgment acting on experience, common sense, and available information, is less operative, she was only partially correct. Information is not knowledge, and knowledge is not wisdom. Don Giovanni knew that he was confronted by a unique circumstance, which he saw before his eyes, but he did not have the wisdom to change into his opposite, a true human being. Changing ones axioms of thought, renewing the mind, requires what Martin Luther King referred to as the strength to love.

Be not conformed to this world, but rather be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Pauls admonition to the church at Rome, poses a problem, but as a thought-experiment. It is Socratic-Christian. It does not say, transformed by your faith, or transformed by hope. It says by the renewing of your mind. That practice of thought-experiments with truth, is the only reliable and reproducible method by which policy can be made in and for all societies, and with respect to, and for all people. Principles Eight and Nine of the Zepp-LaRouche Ten Principles for a New International Security and Development Architecture, excerpted here, pose the solution concept for this current situation, and in this time:

Eighth: In former times, one civilization at one corner of the world could go under, and the rest of the world would only find out years later, due to the length of distances and the time needed for travel. Now, for the first time, because of nuclear weapons, pandemics, the internet, and other global effects, mankind is sitting in one boat. Therefore, a solution to the existential threat to humanity cannot be found with the help of secondary or partial arrangements, but the solution must be found on the level of that higher One, which is more powerful than the Many. It requires the thinking on the level of Coincidentia Oppositorum, the Coincidence of Opposites, of Nicholas of Cusa. Ninth: In order to overcome the conflicts arising out of quarreling opinions, which is how empires have maintained control over the underlings, the economic, social and political order has to be brought into cohesion with the lawfulness of the physical universe. In European philosophy this was discussed as being in character with natural law, in Indian philosophy as cosmology, and in other cultures, appropriate notions can be found. Modern sciences like space science, biophysics or thermonuclear fusion science, will increase the knowledge of mankind about this lawfulness continuously. A similar cohesion can be found in the great works of classical art in different cultures.

This is the idea of the higher hypothesis which is made concrete for this particular moment in world history. It defines a physical space-time different from the clock-time of geopolitics, in which it is not only not 90 seconds to midnight, but probably 90 seconds after. It operates as the stone guest does in Don Giovanni. It comes from the complex domain, beyond the realm of what is presumed to be possible, to solve an otherwise insoluble problem through the beautiful idea that the human species is inherently good, no matter what crimes its individual nations and members have committed.

In one week, on Saturday, Feb. 4, the Schiller Institute will pose this penitent question to all those with ears to hear. The Age of Reason, or the Annihilation of Humanity? How will you answer?
The Carter Center said recently that only 13 human cases of Guinea worm disease were reported worldwide last year. That is a major drop from 3.5 million cases of infected people in 1986.

These early numbers are expected to be confirmed in the coming months. Still, the Carter Center, founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, Eleanor Rosalynn Carter, said the last part of the international effort to end the parasitic disease will be the most difficult.

Guinea worm is a disease that affects poor communities in distant parts of Africa and Asia that do not have safe water to drink. People who drink unclean water can get parasites that can grow up to 1 meter. The worm grows in people for up to a year before painfully coming out, often through the feet or other sensitive parts of the body.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says there is neither a drug treatment for Guinea worm disease nor a vaccine to prevent it. Guinea worm disease can be prevented by training people to filter and drink clean water.

In 1986, the Atlanta-based Carter Center joined the WHO and UNICEF in the fight against Guinea worm disease. The center said the remaining infections occurred in four countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Six human cases were reported in Chad, five in South Sudan, one in Ethiopia and one in the Central African Republic. The Central African Republic case remains under investigation.

Adam Weiss is the director of The Carter Centers Guinea Worm Eradication Program. Weiss told The Associated Press that the final efforts to eradicate, or completely end, the disease could be difficult.

Weiss said the populations where Guinea worm still exists often face insecurity, including conflict, which can prevent workers and volunteers from going house to house to offer support.

Weiss cautioned if support for these communities slows or stops theres no question that youre going to see a surge in Guinea worm. He added, Were continuing to make progress, even if it is not as fast as we all want it to be, but that progress continues.

Guinea worm could be the second human disease to be ended after smallpox, says The Carter Center.

Im John Russell.

Alex Sanz reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

worm  n. an infection or a disease caused by tiny worms that live inside the body of an animal or person

parasite  n. an animal or plant that lives in or on another animal or plant and gets food or protection from it

filter  v. to pass (something, such as a gas or liquid) through a filter to remove something unwanted

surge  n. a sudden, large increase
The cost of attending a college or university in the United States is very high. Education Data Initiative, an organization that collects data on the U.S. education system, says the average college student spends more than $50,000 each school year.

Some international students receive scholarships or financial aid. But many have to pay full price and often need to work outside of their class and study hours. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency says students on an F-1 visa are permitted to work both on, and off campus, as long as they follow certain rules.

Students can also get experience with American work culture by volunteering for organizations outside of their study area.

Learning English recently spoke with two international students about what they learned about American culture from their jobs.

The Indian pollster

Khushi Agnish, from India, recently finished her undergraduate studies at Quinnipiac University in the northeastern state of Connecticut.

Agnish received a scholarship from Quinnipiac. But she needed a job to cover extra costs. She got a job making public opinion research phone calls for the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. The poll researches a wide range of topics such as tensions between Russia and Ukraine and New York Citys new mayor.

Agnish said she made up to 100 phone calls a night for the work. One thing she learned was how to confidently speak on the telephone with Americans. She said sometimes Americans had trouble understanding her accent.

People just think if it's an Indian person calling or if they're talking to an Indian person, it's probably a scam. Other than that, a lot of times people were actually really nice.

Agnish also worked at the campus technology center and volunteered at a hospital as a sexual assault counselor. At the technology center, she helped people who had computer problems, like lost files. At the hospital, she helped people who said they had been assaulted to contact the police and fill out paperwork.

Agnish said she learned that in America people are not just sitting at home or telling girls to sit at home. She said that is different than in India, where many women do not go out alone because they are concerned about rape.

I was glad I could help in some way, she said.

The piano player teaching kids

Tony Yan Tong Chen just completed his undergraduate degree at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He is now applying to study for an advanced degree in piano performance.

He came to the U.S. from New Zealand with a strong background in classical music. Along with piano, he is a skilled string musician.

Chen said the best jobs at Eastman for piano players are saved for graduate students. He could do things like work in an office or direct people to their seats during musical performances. He chose not to do those jobs.

Instead, Chen got a job with ROCmusic to teach young students from Rochester schools how to play music in an orchestra. Many of these students lack a musical background and do not know how to talk about music. I had to change my vocabulary to make it accessible and help them improve, he said.

When certain students even just show up, that will really please me. So I think in general, its just really celebrating small successes.

Academic advice

Like other international students, Agnish and Chens work experience gave them extra money and added to their understanding of American culture.

But one professor who studies education had a warning for international students: do not let your work prevent you from completing your degree on time.

Walter Ecton is an assistant professor at Florida State University. He and two other professors recently wrote a paper on students who work while attending college. The paper noted that students who work are about 20 percent less likely to complete their degrees than those who do not. He said the best amount of work for students is five to 10 hours a week.

Ecton said it is likely that international students who work while going to school learn a good deal about American culture, new kinds of people and work routines. But they need to be sure they do not put themselves in a bad situation by delaying their progress.

For international students, many of them are paying really large amounts to be over in the United States. They need to work to support themselves, but they also want to get their degrees as quickly as possible.

If the students can finish on time and move on to the next part of their lives, a little bit of work can be, as Chen put it, a way to get out of the music school bubble  and feel more integrated into the community.

Im Caty Weaver. And Im Dan Friedell.

Dan Friedell wrote this story for Learning English.

Quiz - International Students also Learn outside of Class Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

campus n. the location of a school

undergraduate n. the first level of higher education in the U.S.

poll n. a public opinion survey

accent n. a way of pronouncing words that occurs among the people in a particular region or country

scam n. a dishonest way to make money by deceiving people

counselor n. a person who provides help or advice

assault n. a physical attack

apply v. to ask for the chance to enter or attend something, such as a school

string adj. a kind of instrument that makes a sound because of strings, such as a guitar, violin or cello

graduate adj. a student working on an advanced degree

accessible adj. understandable

certain pronoun. one member of a group

routine n. something that happens often or usually

bubble n. a protected area, an area not influenced by outside forces

integrate v. to become a member of a larger group

_______________________________________________________________

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Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the terrorist attack at the Synagogue in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood in Israel's Jerusalem, Azernews reports.

"We express our condolences to the family of the killed and wish a quick recovery for the injured," the ministry said.

At least seven people were killed and another 10 injured in a terror attack at a synagogue in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood of Jerusalem on Friday evening, The Jerusalem Post says.

The terrorist, a resident of Shuafat, opened fire at people leaving the synagogue after Friday night prayers, and was then killed by security forces after attempting to escape in a car.
A new study has found that light pollution is making the night sky brighter and the stars dimmer.

The study examined data from more than 50,000 citizen star watchers across the world. It found that man-made, or artificial, lighting is making the night sky about 10 percent brighter each year.

Data for the study was collected from 2011 to 2022. The research findings recently appeared in the publication Science.

The result was a much faster rate of change than scientists had estimated in the past.

We are losing, year by year, the possibility to see the stars, said Fabio Falchi. He is a physicist at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. He was not involved in the study.

If you can still see the dimmest stars, you are in a very dark place, Falchi said. But if you see only the brightest ones, you are in a very light-polluted place.

As cities expand and put up more lights, a skyglow is created in the sky. Skyglow is a term scientists use to describe light that becomes more intense.

Christopher Kyba is a physicist at the German Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam. He was a co-writer of the study. He told The Associated Press that the 10 percent change was a lot bigger than he had expected.

The research team gave an example to explain the result. If a child is born where 250 stars can be seen on a clear night, by the time that child turns 18, only 100 stars will be seen.

This is real pollution, affecting people and wildlife, Kyba said. He urged policymakers to do more to reduce light pollution. Some communities have set limits.

Past studies involving artificial lighting used satellite images of the Earth at night. They had estimated the yearly increase in sky brightness to be about 2 percent a year.

But the satellites used are not able to identify light with wavelengths toward the blue end of the spectrum  including light given off by energy-effective LED bulbs.

The researchers noted that more than half the new outdoor lights put in across the United States during the past 10 years have been LED lights.

The satellites are also better at finding light that gets spread upward  like a spotlight  than light that spreads out from side to side, Kyba said.

Skyglow affects human circadian rhythms as well as other forms of life, said Georgetown University biologist Emily Williams. She was not part of the study.

Migratory songbirds normally use starlight to orient where they are in the sky at night, Williams said. And when sea turtle babies hatch, they use light to orient toward the ocean  light pollution is a huge deal for them.

Falchi, the physicist at the University of Santiago de Compostela, said part of what is being lost is a universal human experience. The night sky has been, for all the generations before ours, a source of inspiration for art, science, literature," he added.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press reported this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for Learning English.

____________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

dim  adj. not bright or clear

spectrum  n. all the different ideas, opinions and possibilities that exist

bulb  n. a glass object that contains a wire and produces light from electricity

circadian rhythms  n. a natural cycle of physical, mental and behavioral changes that the body goes through in 24 hours

orient  v. to direct something toward the interests of a particular group

hatch  v. to produce young by incubation: to sit on eggs to get them to open by the warmth of the body

inspiration  n. someone or something that gives you ideas for doing something

_______________________________________________________________

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States are spending more money and creating new incentives to ease the severe child care crisis, with most federal pandemic aid set to dry up 
By Azernews

Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijan has been receiving messages of sympathy from foreign states over the act of terror against its embassy in Tehran, which killed one security officer and wounded two, Azernews reports.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry has expressed deep condolences to the government and people of Azerbaijan over the attack.

"The ministry expresses the solidarity of the Kingdom with the government and people of the Republic of Azerbaijan, in particular, rejects all forms of violence directed against diplomatic missions and their employees, expresses condolences to the family of the deceased, and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured," the statement said.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu also condemned the attack on his Twitter page.

"Any act of violence against any diplomatic mission is completely unacceptable. I extend my deepest condolences to the family of the victim and wish a speedy recovery to those who were wounded," the minister said.

Stating that such acts are unacceptable, the Netherlands also condemned the violent attack.

"Any attack against diplomatic missions and personnel is completely unacceptable. Our condolences to the family of the victim and we wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured," the foreign ministry said.

Similarly, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) strongly condemned the attack, noting the necessity of ensuring the protection of diplomatic missions.

"The UAE strongly condemns such criminal acts and rejects all forms of violence and terrorism aimed at undermining security and stability. It is necessary to ensure the protection of diplomatic missions in accordance with the norms and charters governing diplomatic missions," the statement reads.

Saudi Arabia strongly condemned the terrorist act, expressing the Kingdom's solidarity with friendly Azerbaijan and its people on this difficult day and calling for respect for the inviolability of the diplomatic mission and punishment of the perpetrators.

The Swiss embassy in Baku expressed its condolences on its Facebook page.

"Following todays attack at the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Tehran, which caused the tragic death of an employee and left two people wounded, the Swiss embassy in Baku expresses its sincere condolences and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded," the publication said.

"Montenegro strongly condemns the attack on the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Tehran. Acts of violence against diplomatic missions cannot be tolerated. We offer our condolences to the victim's family," the country's foreign ministry tweeted.

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry also expressed solidarity with Azerbaijan, saying that the government received with concern the news, and recalled the principle of inviolability of diplomatic missions under international law and the importance of protecting their facilities.

The Brazilian government expressed its solidarity with the government and people of Azerbaijan, as well as with the families of the victims.

The Czech Republic also expressed its strong condemnation of the attack, noting that any attack on diplomatic missions is unacceptable.

Sweden condemned the attack and expressed its condolences.

The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said the country is deeply saddened by the attack.

"We express our condolences to the family of the deceased and pray for a speedy recovery of the wounded. Pakistan stands in solidarity with the brotherly people of Azerbaijan at this sad moment", the ministry tweeted.

The spokesperson for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Oleg Nikolenko, stated that Ukraine strongly condemns the attack and offered its sincere condolences to the loved ones of the victim, and a speedy recovery to the wounded.

"We strongly condemn today's attack on the embassy of Azerbaijan in Tehran. There is no justification for violence aimed at diplomatic missions. Condolences to the government and people of Azerbaijan, our thoughts are with those affected and their families in these difficult moments", the Croatian Foreign Ministry said on Twitter.

Further, Director of the Department for Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia of the German Foreign Ministry Matthias Luttenberg expressed his deepest condolences to the family of the man killed in the attack.

"Attacks on diplomatic missions are unacceptable! The circumstances of this crime must be investigated as soon as possible," Luttenberg wrote.

Qatar strongly condemned the attack and expressed its condolences.

"Qatar expresses its strong condemnation of the attack that targeted the Embassy of Azerbaijan in the Iranian capital Tehran, which led to the death of the chief of the security service and two wounded, and the firm position of Qatar rejecting violence. The ministry expresses its condolences to the families of the victims," the country's foreign ministry said.

The Japanese embassy in Baku also posted an Instagram publication in connection with the terrorist attack and expressed its sincere condolences.

The embassy of Greece condemned the attack in a Twitter post.

"We're appalled by today's armed attack against the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Iran. The inviolability of diplomatic missions is a fundamental principle of international law. Our hearts and minds go with the families of the victims," the embassy tweeted.

"The perpetrators must be brought to justice. We express our condolences to Azerbaijan and wish a speedy recovery to the injured," the message reads.

Attacks on diplomatic missions are unacceptable, Lithuanian Foreign Ministry said.

Further, the Polish Foreign Ministry extended its condolences to the family of the deceased and sympathy to the injured and their families.

France condemned the attack and expressed condolences as well.

"We express our condolences to the family of the deceased. Any attack on diplomats and the diplomatic corps is unacceptable. We call on the Iranian authorities to protect foreign diplomats in the country and investigate this attack in accordance with their authority," the country's foreign ministry said.

Oman's Foreign Ministry condemned the attack and affirmed the Sultanate's firm position in rejecting any action targeting diplomatic missions and destabilizing security and stability.
Local authorities are searching for a McDowell County man after an armed robbery of a BP gas station in South Carolina.

He was identified as Walter Raleigh Williamson, 36, of Nebo.

The Marion Police Department received information that Williamson was seen Saturday morning near West Henderson Street between the U.S. 221 Bypass and Zaxbys area. He was on foot, asking subjects for a ride.

According to multiple law enforcement agencies, the robbery happened on I-26 and Asheville Highway on Thursday, Jan. 26 in Spartanburg County.

According to police, Williamson at that time was in a 2005 Grey Buick Rendezvous with NC tag THX6599, officers said.

He is described as six feet tall, weighs 233 pounds and was wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt baggy pants. He has a tattoo on the left side of his neck.

He is considered armed and dangerous with an extensive criminal history, including convictions for larceny, obtaining property by false pretense and drug trafficking.

If anyone has information regarding his whereabouts, call 828-652-4000.
Public art doesnt just appear. A beguilingly shiny interactive installation at the Missoula Public Library that will be unveiled on Saturday had to traverse the mountain passes first.

Earlier this week, Denver-based artist Mike Lustig drove up through Wyoming in a 4Runner fully loaded to the gills with 10 mirrored dishes with over 2,710 individual glass tiles and $200 worth of bubble wrap, he said.

If you go The unveiling of the project is Saturday, Jan. 28, at Missoula Public Library. At 2 p.m., Lustig will give an artist talk. A dedication/reception will follow at 3 p.m. with speakers: Missoula County Commissioner Dave Strohmaier, Missoula Mayor Jordan Hess and MPL Executive Director Slaven Lee. The piece is located in the stairwell from the parking garage.

That cargo represents his largest sculpture yet. 2,710 Points of Light, which will hang in the stairwell leading from the parking garage on the ground level to the main floor.

Lustigs work is on view at the interactive art museum Meow Wolfs Denver location. Hes designed an elaborately lit mirror ball made of polished stainless steel for the Mission Ballroom, also in Denver.

Hes particularly excited about this location because the librarys open to all ages year-round, where it has the the best opportunity to reach developing minds and plant seeds of thought.

He hopes his interactive, mirrored art can allow viewers to see themselves in new ways, and transform opinions of themselves and relationship to the world, he said.

Collaboration

The project is a collaboration between the citys Public Art Program and the library, funded by an outside nonprofit, according to Kathi Olson, chair of the Missoula Public Art Committee.

Lustig said the sculpture originated with ArtAffect, a national program that funds art projects around the U.S. It partnered with Dashboard, an Atlanta-based nonprofit, to pick artists. He was asked to apply, and Dashboard connected them with communities that have established successful public art programs, including Missoula.

Olson said thats an honor for the city to be selected as a partner for the grant, which fully funded the project. Lustig visited Missoula to scout locations in 2021. They took a miles-long walk around town looking at options, both indoor and outdoor, that would be a good fit for his work.

Mirror effects

He thinks of mirrors as an analog feedback system. While mirrors are a common feature in every gas station bathroom, he said, its not far back in human history that they were available only to the wealthy.

If youre walking up the stairwell from the parking garage, you wont be able to miss it, or yourself. The sculpture is roughly 9 feet tall, mounted on the wall, consisting entirely of reflective surfaces: 10 hexagonal, curved mirrors, each around 2 feet in diameter, with carefully arranged individual glass tiles.

The effect relies on parabolic focus, the means by which satellites and the Webb telescope work. In his sculptures, he tries to capture and amplify light in a way thats playful.

If you can align all of these mirrors parabolically, then they create these singular focal points where all the arrays of light are concentrated on a single area, and in this case, its your retina, he said.

Assembling them in a perfect tessellation, in which a shape is repeated with no gaps, is challenging, since hes laying them on a curved surface, he said.

Once assembled, the sculpture captures a single reflective frame, and as it spreads throughout the curve, spreads that image and expands and duplicates it.

The edges of the glass will create a side reflection at offset angles that creates a startling effect, he said.

As you move, theres almost this checkering, shimmering movement of light across the tiles because of their different placements on the curved subform, he said.

Connection to Ukraine

Lustig, a self-trained artist and lawyer, began experimenting with mirrors and glass a decade ago.

The revelation started with something others might consider bad luck  he saw fragments of a shattered mirror on the ground.

There was almost a topography to it that suggested to me that I could create my own shapes that I lay mirror tiles on, he said.

Initially, he experimented with salvaged materials, in part due to the cost. He would find curved forms wherever he could and build on top of them. Then he began making his own out of foam and wood, eventually moving to custom carved fiberglass.

The precision of those little tiles and details matter, since he believes that the last 5% of a piece comprises 50% of its effect. You need to hone in to a point where its so finished and accurate and specific and intentional, it really amplifies the aesthetic impact, he said.

He orders the glass pieces from a custom glass worker in Ukraine named Aleksander Hreben. Russias invasion of the country created delays, as his supplier couldnt ship to him for a period of time. Nor could Lustig easily find someone else who could make exactly what he needed. You cannot, he said, walk down the street and ask someone if they can make, say, 15,000 glass hexagons.

When shipments were possible again, he ordered 5,000 for this project, going above what he needed, in case some broke during transit. (They didnt, and hes proud that he was able to support a business in a country during wartime.)
Mohanda "Mahatma" Gandhi, shown in this undated file photo, is one of the leaders who carried the dream of universal human rights slowly but relentlessly forward through the 20th century.

Seventy-five years ago on Jan. 30, 1948, perhaps the worlds most renowned apostle of peace and nonviolence was stripped of his life at 78 years old.

Mahatma Gandhi, who championed for Indias independence from British rule, was shot by Hindu extremist Nathuram Godse while on his way to a prayer gathering in New Delhi. Godse tried to shoot himself but was immediately seized by the crowd. He was tried for murder and executed the following year.

Intercultural Center for Peace: Birthday of Mahatma Gandhi celebrated at UNF

Ashok Bazaz, president of the Gandhi Memorial Society, places a flower garland around an 8-foot tall bronze statue of Mahatma Gandhi after it was unveiled during Gandhi Day at the University of North Florida on Oct. 1, 2006, in Jacksonville.

Gandhis legacy extends all the way to Jacksonville where the University of North Florida became the first college in the country and first place in Florida to erect a statue in his honor in 2006.

Created in India by artist Jasu Shilpi and donated by the Gandhi Memorial Society of Jacksonville, the bronze statue is about 8 feet tall and 1,500 pounds. It stands in the Peace Plaza between Founders Hall and J.J. Daniel Hall, adjacent to a similar statue designed by Shilpi of Martin Luther King Jr. that was unveiled in 2012.

Jason Pidcock of Powell's Custom Metal welds the glasses on the top of the ears of a statue of Mahatma Gandhi on Sept. 25, 2006, preparing for its installation at the University of North Florida.

It depicts a lifelike, bespectacled Gandhi walking with a long stick and the base engraved with four principles he stood for: nonviolence, peace, compassion and truth.

University of North Florida: 50 years of learning and growing and a look ahead

In an April 26, 2006, Times-Union story previewing the plans, Dev Goswami of the Gandhi Memorial Society said Gandhi was the most noble man who ever walked the earth.

"The best thing we can do for Gandhi is spread his thoughts and philosophies," he said.

Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi sits and spins cotton in Ahmadabad, India, in this file photo taken circa 1931. Gandhi's wooden spinning wheel still stands among the simple throw pillows where he once sat cross-legged, threading cotton, receiving world leaders and promoting his vision of a unified, secular India. Today, just beyond the white-washed cottages of the independence leader's ashram, Muslims and Hindus have turned on one another with a ferocity not seen in a decade.

Ramesh Vashi, also of the society, noted that Gandhis philosophies are and will always be needed across the globe.

"His values are so relevant in today's age," he said. "Violence is rampant in today's society."

Vintage Times-Union: Martin Luther King Jr.'s stop in St. Augustine hastened passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964

In 2017 one of Gandhis grandsons even visited Jacksonville to speak at a Girls Inc. of Jacksonville event. Robin Rose, CEO of the agency at the time, was a longtime friend of Arun Gandhi, the subject of her doctoral dissertation and she once ran his nonprofit in Denver. He travels the world sharing the lessons from his elders.

Story continues

Peace activist and author Arun Gandhi speaks in front of a photo of his grandfather Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement and proponent of nonviolent civil disobedience. The younger Gandhi served as the keynote speaker at a Girls Inc. of Jacksonville event in 2017.

"My grandfather had a vision for an empowered and nonviolent world that he passed down to me," the 83-year-old activist and author at the time told the Times-Union ahead of his visit. "He lived by his most famous saying, 'Be the change you want to see in the world.' He believed that individual efforts do make a difference in creating the change we want to see in the world, which is a world without violence."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Assassinated 75 years, Mahatma Gandhi statue is at UNF in Jacksonville
A local relief organization is looking for a new home after receiving notice property owners intend to sell.

In a Wednesday meeting between the executive committees of Burke Charitable Properties and Burke United Christian Ministries, BUCM leadership was told of BCPs intent to sell the property at 305-C W. Union St, which has housed the ministry for the last 22 years. BUCM will have six months to find another place.

According to BUCM Board Chair Michele Byrd, representatives from BCP told her the decision was made to sell the property so BCP could further align with where they may be going within their own mission.

Burke Charitable Properties Board President Doug Setzer confirmed to The News Herald that a six-month notice has been delivered to Burke United Christian Ministries, but could not elaborate, saying the details are still being worked out.

Last month, BUCM Executive Director Alice Horton said the organization signed a month-to-month lease with BCP. Horton said she was told the month-to-month lease was in response to backlash from different entities that were concerned about our location.

Horton said representatives from BCP have told her they will continue to support BUCM in the future and will work to help make the move as smooth as possible.

They are not trying to find us another place, but they want to see us in a good position, Horton said.

According to Setzer, when the property is sold, BCP also plans to donate some of the proceeds to BUCM. An amount has not yet been determined.

Local clergy members also are seeking to find ways to help the ministry move forward.

We in the faith community are working to find ways to address this devastating news, said the Rev. Dana McKim, pastor of First United Methodist Church and a member of the Morganton Area Ministerial Alliance. We will find a way to meet the needs of the least, the last and the lost.

Horton said the next six months and beyond are going to be significant challenge for the 45-year-old organization, but she is hopeful the community will rally around it.

We are actively looking and searching, she said. We need support from the community, not only financial support to make this happen, but we also need support for moving, volunteers, because its going to be a big undertaking.
Local student received academic honor

DAVENPORT, Iowa  Landen Smith, of Nebo, has been named to the fall 2022 quarter deans list at Palmer College of Chiropractics Florida Campus in Port Orange, Florida.

Palmer College of Chiropractic, the first and largest college in the chiropractic profession, has campuses in Davenport, Iowa; San Jose, California; and Port Orange, Florida.

BEREA, Ky.  Kara Webb, a resident of Valdese, has been named to the Fall 2022 deans list at Berea College. A student is named to the deans list who achieves a GPA of 3.4 or higher while passing at least four total credits, a course load equivalent to 16 semester hours.

Founded in 1855, Berea College is a liberal arts institution offering bachelors degrees in 34 majors, including arts and sciences and select professional programs, as well as independent majors designed by students to mirror approved majors at other colleges.

Student named to deans list

IOWA CITY, Iowa  Andrew Chamberlain, of Nebo, was among the more than 4,000 undergraduate students at the University of Iowa named to the deans list for the 2022 spring semester.

Chamberlain is a fourth-year student in Iowas College of Engineering and is majoring in Industrial Engineering.

Undergraduate students in the College of Engineering who achieve a grade-point average of 3.50 or higher on 12 semester hours or more and who have no semester hours of I (incomplete) or O (no grade reported) during the same semester are recognized by inclusion on the deans list.

Students recognized for achievement

MARS HILL  Mars Hill University recognized 339 students named on deans list for the fall 2022 semester. To qualify for the deans list, students must earn a grade-point average of 3.5 on a minimum of 12 semester hours, and carry no grade below a C.

Among students on the deans list are:

Alexis Brooke Stephens of Connelly Springs

Brooke Lynn Grabowski of Morganton

Lydia Autumn Hildebrand of Morganton

Ava Ariel Wright of Morganton

Founded in 1856, Mars Hill University is a private, liberal arts institution offering over 30 baccalaureate degrees, as well as masters degrees in criminal justice, elementary education, teaching, and management.
Kit Harington got his big break acting in the snow, but this is just ridiculous.

Harington, who rose to fame as Jon Snow in HBOs megawatt Game of Thrones, is one of the stars of Blood for Dust, an indie thriller filmed in and around Billings. The film wrapped in December, after a month-long shoot in one of the coldest late-fall, early-winters in modern Montana history.

Blood for Dust follows Scoot McNairy (True Detective, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Argo and a host of other scene-stealing character-actor parts) as Cliff, a traveling salesman drudging through wintertime Montana. Cliffs slog of a life gets derailed when he agrees to partner with Haringtons character Ricky. The pair run guns and drugs for a cartel boss named John, played by Josh Lucas, already well acquainted with Montana audiences from his role on Yellowstone.

The script reads like a modern headline, but Blood for Dust is set in the recession of the early 1990s. McNairy drew comparisons between the movies economic state and what you can see by turning on the news, or even just looking out the window.

The actor said the film shows how the backbone of this country, middle America, has struggled for so long to just survive.

Other than that, details on the movie are still pretty scant, although Harington did tell The Hollywood Reporter that he was excited to play a pretty gnarly dude. Thats a big change from his Thrones character Snow, who was quiet, steely-eyed and cherubically bent on righteousness  or at least as cherubic as a man can be when he carries a broadsword so famous it has its own name.

The movie was directed by Rod Blackhurst, a former Funny or Die contributor who directed the true crime documentaries Amanda Knox and John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise.

For Blood for Dusts director, who has only made one feature-length narrative film before this, and its star, a descendant of King James I, whose family has their own coat of arms, a tense, bloody thriller is unfamiliar territory. So why not film it in literal unfamiliar territory?

In their time in Billings, the movie shot in a variety of locales, including the stripper bar Planet Lockwood, Andys Bar and Lounge, PAYS Auction Yard, Big Sky VCR, the 1145 Club, really anywhere that fit within Blood for Dusts early 90s setting. They even spent a full day in the Billings Gazette building, utilizing it as a period-accurate office building, and filming on the big industrial printing press in the back.

Part of the movie is set in Billings, but not all of it. Other spots in the area had to stand-in for different states.

Blackhurst and his creative partner David Ebeltoft (the pair have worked together on a series of shorts and 2016s Here Alone) came up with the story structure of Blood for Dust, and Ebeltoft wrote it. The film was to be set in Texas.

Noah Lang, the movies producer and another frequent collaborator of Blackhursts, said the decision to start production in Montana instead of Texas came down to a few things.

Texas is not a super film-friendly state, Lang explained. Their tax credit isnt great. Crews are a bit limited.

Montana offers a series of tax incentives to encourage film productions in the state. That program is headlined by a 20% income tax credit, and includes a lot more incentives.

That helps, but the one thing movies really need to succeed is people. The director and the actors get their names above the title on the poster, but there are many, many people behind the scenes. Some think of movies as singular achievements, but it takes a big group to make anything screen worthy.

Those little things add up to making a movie, Lang said. Its a million moving parts.

Filming in Montana provided a sizable group of people who could work on the film. A lot of them are behind the camera, serving as crew and figuring out logistics. The script and the cinematography are one thing, but what about parking? Wheres the nearest bathroom? What are the cast and crew eating? Whos going to make sure everyone is safe, and that the ice and snow are taken care of before the camera roles?

Its a lot easier to answer those questions when youve got a local base of workers behind the scenes.

Rod and I are big proponents of sending the elevator back down, Lang said. When we started, there werent a lot of people trying to help us and mentor us. And wed like to do differently than that.

One of the films local production assistants cold emailed the production company and was hired on the spot.

Theyre great, and theyre committed, Lang said.

But not every local was behind the camera. Blood for Dust used locals as extras. And one of the leads is Amber Rose Mason, an actress and wrangler from Virginia City. Lang called Mason spectacular, and noted that they used Montana-based casting director Tina Buckingham to help them find local talent.

It was a beautiful place to work, with some really amazing locations. The city was so hospitable, McNairy said of Billings. We worked with so many locals that were incredibly helpful and a lot of fun to be around.

Lang echoed the praise.

Ive never had an experience like this, the producer said. Im from New York, and I live in LA. When you shoot in places like that, people are pretty jaded. Its not exciting to them. But in Montana, and especially in Billings, its not something that happens so often. I think it means a lot to people to have filmmakers come and showcase their city. People want to work with us. Theyre incredibly kind.

Even the cold didnt get in the way.

I wont sugarcoat it, its been hard, Lang admitted. But we make it work.

Making it work means having a solid infrastructure in place, with heaters and hand warmers, or even having hot cups of soup ready to hand out.

Acting is so cerebral, so inside ones own head. Youd imagine it would be all the more difficult when your head is freezing.

But McNairy said he wasnt bothered by it. He feels that extreme and harsh environments only add more to the story, the cinematic experience and the actors performance.

I dont mind the cold or the heat as much as I mind shooting indoors, McNairy continued. There is nothing I love more than going to work outdoors, and working outdoors in Montana just added to the experience.

This was the actors first time in Montana. Hes already looking forward to returning, and having an opportunity to check out the state, without having a work schedule to keep.

Ive decided to come back and do nothing but explore and experience the fishing, hiking and backcountry, McNairy said.

The movie is now in the editing phase, and Lang estimated that it might see release around early 2024. He'd like to do a festival-style screening in Billings once that time comes.

"We're really confident in the movie," Lang said. "I think it's going to be really special."

I would bring another movie to Billings as soon as next year, he added. Id love to come when its not winter, though.
The Israel-Azerbaijan AzIz International Association has appealed to international organizations in connection with the terrorist attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran on January 27, Azernews reports.

The association expressed condolences to the Azerbaijani people in connection with the death of an embassy employee as a result of the terrorist attack, called on the international community and organizations to take a fair position regarding the situation in the region, fight against crimes against humanity, and take urgent legal and political measures.
People opposed to proposed policy that goes even farther than past attempts to limit the kinds of care and treatment transgender minors can receive in Montana showed lawmakers Friday what kind of resistance they can expect to see to this year's legislation.

Legislators held an initial hearing for Senate Bill 99, from Rep. John Fuller, R-Kalispell, whose previous efforts to ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors were stalled last session by a coalition including a small faction of Republicans and all Democrats in the Legislature.

This year Republicans hold an even larger portion of seats  a supermajority  and many who spoke against the bill Friday said if the legislation is passed lawmakers can expect a swift legal challenge.

The roughly 45 people who spoke in support of the bill said they wanted to protect kids from surgical procedures they felt they were too young to decide to undergo. They also raised concerns that counselors and educators were forcing ideas about gender identity onto children. Others who transitioned as adults shared stories of suffering, depression and suicidal thoughts from medical procedures they later regretted.

But from a line of just shy of 100 opponents that at points ran out the door of the committees hearing room, lawmakers heard a mix of forceful rebukes that ranged along a wide spectrum. Some plainly laid out what denying care meant to them, with several people describing suicide attempts and suicidal thoughts because of blocks to accessing care. Others highlighted the joys receiving gender-affirming treatment brought them.

The hearing lasted about five hours and the committee did not take immediate action on the bill.

This sessions debate over the bill is happening as the first openly transgender lawmakers in Montana serve in the House.

Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the first openly trans woman to hold public office in Montana, said she decided to run after fighting against Fuller's bill from last session.

"I believe when we are going to talk about trans people, when we are going to draft legislation that is going to directly impact trans people, we need to hear and listen from trans people in our community and those people need to be in the room for those decisions, Zephyr told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday.

Fuller told the committee the bill is designed to protect children from the imposition of chemical and surgical procedures for the purpose of causing your child to physically appear more like a person of the opposite sex.

In his opening remarks, Fuller equated gender-affirming care to activities illegal for minors.

Society has a vested interest in protecting children from potentially dangerous actions. We do not allow children to make many kinds of unhealthy decisions, such as smoking, drinking, child pornography, sex with adults and illegal drug use, just to list a few.

Under the bill, doctors who provide puberty blockers, hormones or gender-affirming surgery to transgender minors would lose their licenses for a year. The bill would also stop taxpayer money from going to hospitals that promote or advocate those kinds of treatments for gender dysphoria. And it would block state employees, such as teachers, from providing or promoting social transitioning (which can include things like different clothing or haircuts or using a different name or pronouns), medication or surgery as a treatment.

Fuller also said arguments against the bill on the grounds it inserts government into the family-patient-doctor relationship are based on a "fake premise" and that claims the bill is unconstitutional are a "red herring" to direct away form the "the real issue is that subjecting children to irreversible cosmetic and life-changing surgery before they are an adult and responsible for their own future.

Leading off supporters of the bill was Walt Heyer, who years ago as a 42-year-old had surgical procedures and identified as a female for the following eight years. Heyer said he later felt he was a man and went through a process to reverse the transition.

Through a website he created, Heyer, from California, said he has received emails from many people who told him they regretted their surgical transitions.

Others who said they wished they did not have previous surgeries done as adults included Camille Kiefel, of Oregon.

I was severely misdiagnosed, Kiefel siad.  Now I'm living in a mutilated body.

But Dr. Lauren Wilson, a pediatric hospitalist in Missoula and president of the Montana Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said gender-affirming surgery is not performed on minors.

Wilson said that after puberty, families who have a child that expresses concerns about gender in an "insistent, consistent and persistent" way seek care and that theres no set path of what that looks like. Sometimes its a different haircut or clothing, in other cases it may be puberty blockers after puberty has started.

Those who supported the bill also argued that they didn't think minors were mature enough to make major medical decisions.

Dr. Shaun Gillis, an obgyn in Bozeman who said they were a minority voice in their medical community, said she supported the bill because of concerns about kids getting treatment she thought they would not fully understand.

They have no ability to consent to the potentially life-altering risks, Gillis said.

But opponents said teenagers and children getting timely care was critical to kids growing up safe and healthy.

Jaime Gabrielli, of Butte, said her son struggled greatly before getting gender-affirming care, and then he flourished.

If you have not witnessed the brutal reality of this suffering, or the freedom and relief that comes on the other side of gender-affirming care, you cannot possibly know what is best for my son or any other transgender child, Gabrielli said. These decisions are not impulsive. They are life-saving decisions and they do not belong in the hands of uninformed strangers who do not understand the type of help and support that my child needs to thrive to survive.

Discussion on the bill also fell into a larger debate this session over how parental rights interact with public schools, as testimony took place during a school choice rally outside the Capitol. Those backing the bill said it would protect parents rights from having others influence their children. Opponents flipped that narrative, saying the legislation would tramples on parents ability to seek out the best medical care for their child.

Proponents criticized educators and school-based counselors, claiming they were forcing children toward questioning their gender.

Parents are the first educators of our kids, not the school. Parents need to recognize the dangers with this transgender fad sweeping the country, said Butch Barton, of Belgrade.

But Sid Beardsley, a 17-year-old Helena student, described the difficult path that finally led to starting testosterone treatments two weeks ago after a year of trying to get care.

People will tell you it that is forced; that is a lie, Beardsley said. I do not regret it, I never will.

SK Rossi, a lobbyist speaking on behalf of the city of Bozeman and also a member of the transgender and nonbinary community, said since the bill would dictate what kind of medical care parents can get for their kids, it flies in the face of parental rights.

At a time when the halls of this building are filled with cries for parental rights, protecting medical autonomy and freedom and cries for protecting privacy, this bill runs afoul of all three of those principles, Rossi said.

While some physicians spoke in support of the bill, saying they felt kids were too young to make the types of medical decisions the legislation would ban, doctors who spoke against it said it would worsen the states physician shortage if passed.

This bill would prevent our providers from doing their daily jobs of providing quality care to our patients and could result in our providers leaving be the state of Montana, which enhances the workforce shortages we already suffer, said Adrienna Hines, speaking on behalf of Benefis Health System, one of the major hospital networks in Montana.

Akilah Deernose, who represents the ACLU of Montana, called the bill a breathtaking assault and affront to protections in the state and U.S. Constitutions, arguing the bill discriminates on the basis of sex.

Other opponents focused on the joy they said care has brought them. Shawn Reagor spoke on behalf of the Montana Human Rights Network and the Montana Gender Alliance.

The first time when I looked in the mirror and saw a man staring back, I remember the feelings that I felt. I remember how exciting it was, how confident I felt, how good it felt to finally see myself staring back at me," Reagor said.

Rossi, a well-known lobbyist around the Capitol, opened their testimony with a message to transgender Montanans, something several other opponents to the bill echoed.

We see you, we love you and youre not alone, Rossi said.

Rossi then laid out what the rest of the session could look like if the bill advances.

If this bill moves past this committee or out of the Senate, we will see you in the halls and we will see you in the House. If it moves out of this Legislature and is not vetoed by  the governor, we will see you in the court. Regardless, our right to be left alone will eventually defeat the sponsor's obsessive desire to invade our lives.
Montanas American Indian Caucus is comprised of 11 Indigenous lawmakers who serve in Montanas Legislature.

This legislative session, Indigenous lawmakers make up 7.3% of all Montana legislators, which mirrors the Native population in the state. Native representation in the Legislature has dramatically increased since data on it was first recorded more than 30 years ago. In 1989, for example, there was one Indigenous lawmaker in Montana.

While tribes are sovereign entities, state laws affect everyone living in Montana. A bill moving through the Legislature would provide resources for communities experiencing high rates of missing persons cases, for example, and theres a bill draft establishing hunting seasons on fee land within the Flathead Reservation.

The American Indian Caucus is not monolithic  its made up of two Republicans and nine Democrats. While the caucus doesnt agree on everything, they often come together to support or oppose legislation. Other lawmakers and members of the public are welcome at caucus meetings, as well.

Native lawmakers this session submitted 26 pieces of legislation, as of Friday. Legislators have until Friday, Feb. 24 to introduce general bills.

Heres a look at who serves in the American Indian Caucus, which committees theyve joined and what bills they are sponsoring. This list of lawmakers was taken from the Governors Office of Indian Affairs.

SENATORS

Sen. Jason Small

Caucus Chair

Party: Republican

Tribal affiliation: Northern Cheyenne

Hometown: Busby

Committee assignments: Business, Labor and Economic Affairs, Energy and Telecommunications, Natural Resources and Joint Natural Resources

Sponsored bills:

to revise alcohol laws relating to purchasing beer.

to prohibit local governments from banning or limiting energy choices.

to revise laws related to court administration of certain civil cases. This bill was tabled in committee, meaning it is probably dead.

to prohibit local governments from banning petroleum fuels.

Sen. Mike Fox

Party: Democrat

Tribal affiliation: Aaniiih

Hometown: Hays

Committee assignments: Fish and Game, Business, Labor and Economic Affairs, State Administration, Joint House Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Senate Fish and Game, and Joint State Administration

Sponsored bills:

to revise laws related to Montana national guard benefits and rights.

SB 80 to authorize investment authority for retained interest.

Sen. Shane Morigeau

Party: Democrat

Tribal affiliation: Confederated Salish and Kootenai

Hometown: Missoula

Committee assignments: Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Finance and Claims, Natural Resources, Rules, Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, Joint Appropriations and Finance and Claims, Joint Education, Joint Natural Resources and Joint Rules Committee

Sponsored bills:

to revise independent contractor laws.

to revise laws related to redistricting data for inmates.

to limit the number of registered voters in each election precinct.

to create Indigenous Peoples Day.

to revise laws related to wage transparency.

Morigeau has said he will bring a bill that expands Indian Education for All to lawmakers.

Sen. Susan Webber

Party: Democrat

Tribal affiliation: Blackfeet

Hometown: Browning

Committee assignments: Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Education and Cultural Resources, Judiciary, Public Health, Welfare and Safety and Joint Education

Sponsored bills:

to provide a tax exemption for tribal members who are transferring fee land to trust.

to establish the Chief Earl Old Person Memorial Highway. After some contention, this bill passed the Senate and has moved to the House.

to recognize the Indian boarding school experience.

REPRESENTATIVES Rep. Tyson Running Wolf

Caucus Vice-Chair

Party: Democrat

Tribal affiliation: Blackfeet

Hometown: Browning

Committee assignments: Education, Fish, Wildlife and Parks, State Administration, Joint Education, Joint House Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Senate Fish and Game and Joint State Administration

Sponsored bills:

to establish a missing persons response team training grant program. Browning residents traveled to Helena to testify in support of this bill.

to revise laws related to Indian affairs and economic development.

to revise and extend the Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force.

Rep. Donavon Hawk

Party: Democrat

Tribal affiliation: Crow

Hometown: Butte

Committee assignments: Ethics, Human Services and Judiciary

Sponsored bills:

None yet

Rep. Frank Smith

Party: Democrat

Tribal affiliation: Assiniboine Sioux

Hometown: Poplar

Committee assignments: Agriculture, State Administration, Transportation and Joint State Administration

Sponsored bills:

to revise tobacco, alternative nicotine and vape product laws.

to revise laws related to tribal DUI task forces.

to revise country of origin labeling.

Rep. Sharon Stewart Peregoy

Party: Democrat

Tribal affiliation: Crow

Hometown: Crow Agency

Committee assignments: Appropriations, Rules, Joint Appropriations and Finance and Claims, Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural Resources and Transportation and Joint Rules Committee

Sponsored bills:

None yet

Rep. Marvin Weatherwax

Party: Democrat

Tribal affiliation: Blackfeet

Hometown: Browning

Committee assignments: Agriculture, Natural Resources, State Administration, Joint Natural Resources and Joint State Administration

Sponsored bills:

None yet

Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy

Party: Democrat

Tribal affiliation: Chippewa Cree

Hometown: Box Elder

Committee assignments: Appropriations, Joint Appropriations and Finance and Claims, Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Education and Joint Education

Sponsored bills:

to revise laws related to Indian language preservation.

to revise laws related to tuition waivers for American Indian students.

to provide for the Montana Indian Child Welfare Act.

to revise laws related to Indian Education for All.

to revise the tribal computer programming scholarship program.

Rep. Rhonda Knudsen

Party: Republican

Tribal affiliation: Turtle Mountain Chippewa

Hometown: Culbertson

Committee assignments: Natural Resources, Rules, Taxation, Joint Natural Resources and Joint Rules Committee

Sponsored bills:

HB 28 to increase l

egislator per diem reimbursements for lodging and meals.

How to access the legislative session

Lawmakers in Montana convene for three months every two years to pass new laws. Bills are typically introduced in a committee, where the bill sponsor explains the bill, and proponents and opponents are encouraged to share their thoughts. Committees can either table the bill, meaning it does not pass, or they can pass it, meaning the bill will advance to either the House or Senate. To become a law, bills must move through the House and Senate and be signed by Gov. Greg Gianforte.

To follow bills or offer testimony, visit leg.mt.gov and visit the tabs called look up bills, watch/listen to meetings and look up legislators.

Groups that serve Native Americans in Montana, including the ACLU of Montana, Western Native Voice and Red Medicine, also offer resources on how to engage with bills that affect Indian Country.
The Montana VA Health Care System is hosting an open house in Missoula to allow Montana veterans and their families to enroll in VA health care.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3 at the David J. Thatcher VA Clinic, officials will be on hand to help enroll veterans in benefits, according to a press release.

Information on eligibility and enrollment, women's health, whole health, caregiver support and the Veterans Benefits Administration will be available. Veterans can also get a toxic exposure screening, the release said.

"The Montana VA has one, single-minded focus  Veterans, said Montana VA Executive Director Dr. Judy Hayman in the release. We are here for our Veterans and their families. On the anniversary of our new clinic in Missoula, we are opening our doors and inviting Veterans to see the beautiful state of the art facility and learn more about the high-quality health care services that we provide."

Veterans can connect to their VA health care records, information, and message their VA care teams 24 hours a day through the MyHealtheVet patient portal (myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/how-to-use-mhv). Montana VA information, updates, and events are available on the Montana VA website (va.gov/montana-health-care) and Facebook page (facebook.com/VAMontana).
MUSCATINE  With the yearly budget due to the Muscatine County Auditors office by March 31, the Muscatine City Council will begin budget season and spend several evenings discussing the line items with the Muscatine city staff.

City administrator Carol Webb and Finance Director Nancy Lueck have worked with department heads and staff members over the last several months to prepare the budget for the councils consideration. Webb is slated to present an overview of the proposed budget during the Jan. 26 council meeting as a start to a series of budget work sessions to be held in council chambers over the next several weeks. The sessions are open to the public. Public comment will not be permitted during the budget sessions, but a public hearing on the budget will be held in March.

The work sessions, which begin at 8 a.m. Saturday will include presentations from the various departments and outside agencies supported by the City of Muscatine.

Due to a change approved by the Iowa legislature in 2019, the annual city budget adoption process is that municipalities are required to hold an additional public hearing to identify a total maximum property tax dollars to be derived from certain levies in the budget for the next fiscal year. A public hearing and the passage of a resolution on the proposed maximum property tax dollars must proceed a public hearing on the adoption of the budget. To help the cities make these requirements the deadline for the budget has been moved back.

Sessions will be held on Jan. 31; Feb. 1; Feb. 2; Feb. 4; Feb. 7; Feb. 8; and if needed Feb. 11. The complete schedule of meetings can be found on the City of Muscatine web site on the finance and records page.
U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, spoke Friday on the floor of the House of Representatives about the fatal shooting of seven people at two farm sites in the Half Moon Bay area earlier in the week.

The seven victims who died in Monday's shootings have been identified as Zhishen Liu, 73, Aixiang Zhang, 74, Qizhong Cheng, 66, Jingzhi Lu, 64, Marciano Martinez Jimenez, 50, Yetao Bing, 43, and Jose Romero Perez, 38. A co-worker at one of the farms, Chunli Zhao, has been arrested and charged in the killings.

Eshoo, whose congressional district includes Half Moon Bay, talked on the House Floor about the coastal community being "as all-American as can be."

She said, "it's a bucolic community on the magnificent California coastside. It is known for its pumpkin festival, it's known for its Maverick competition in terms of surfers, but it's also for over a century been known for its floriculture and its agriculture."

Eshoo said the killings allegedly by Zhao were "intentional, it was targeted, it was execution. And children witnessed this."

She called on her fellow members of Congress to consider their conscience in the wake of the tragedy, one of dozens of mass shootings around the country already in the first few weeks of 2023.

"When the number one cause of death of children in our nation is from gun violence, we have to stop and examine our conscience," Eshoo said. "We say 'home of the brave, land of the free'  my prayer today is that we will be the home of the safe."

A candlelight vigil was held Friday at Mac Dutra Plaza on Main Street in Half Moon Bay. More community memorial events are planned next week, according to the city.

Those interested in donating to an emergency drive created for farmworkers affected by the recent floods and mass shooting in Half Moon Bay can visit https://gofund.me/ff938946.
The Napa Valley Register community calendar includes events submitted by our readers. To list your event in the community calendar, fill out the online form at napavalleyregister.com/forms/nvrcalendar. For more details, email Online editor Samie Hartley at shartley@napanews.com.

Sunday, Jan. 29

Napa Lighted Art Festival

6-10 p.m. This free, walkable outdoor experience in downtown Napa features 10 lighted art sculptures and projection artwork on 3 iconic downtown buildings. The installations is on display Monday through Thursday from 6-9 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 6-10 p.m. Info, donapa.com/lighted-art-festival.

Saturday, Feb. 4

Authors Forum

2 p.m. Authors Vanessa Hua and Margo Candela present their latest novels, "Forbidden City" and "The Neapolitan Sisters" at the Napa AAUW Authors Forum held at the Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center, 2277 Napa Vallejo Highway, Napa. Tickets are $40.

Crab Feed Fundraiser

5-10 p.m. Napa Valley Horsemen's Association hosts its annual crab feed fundraiser at 1200 Foster Road, Napa. Tickets are $85 and include dinner and live music by Salty Dawg. Info, napahorsemen.org.

Tuesday, Feb. 7

Napa High Alumni Association

11 a.m. The Napa High Alumni Association holds its general meeting at Hop Creek Pub, 3253 Browns Valley Road, Napa. The guest speaker will be Jolene Yee, co-president of the Napa Foundation for Options in Education. She will discuss the planned Mayacamas Charter Middle School. All are invited. Free admission. Info, 707-695-7321; marilynkreid@gmail.com.

Wednesday, Feb. 8

Youth of the Year

6 p.m. Boys & Girls Clubs of Napa Valley hosts its annual Youth of the Year event at the Uptown Theatre, 1350 Third St., Napa. This free event is a night of inspiration as the community celebrates the journeys of some incredible Napa Valley youth. Info, begreatnv.org/events/yoy; greg@begreatnv.org; 707-255-8866.

Thursday, Feb. 16

Napa Valley Genealogical Society

1 p.m. Napa Valley Genealogical Society hosts the free virtual presentation The True Story of the 1890 United States Census. Using contemporary accounts and forensic genealogy, researcher Margaret Melaney will unravel the true story of the destruction of the 1890 Census by fire and what's available to replace the records today. To register for the event, visit napagensoc.org and select "The 1890 Census" under Upcoming Events. Info, info@napagensoc.org; 707-252-2252.

Saturday, Feb. 18

Comedy

7 p.m. Comedian Jeff Capri performs at Grand Reserve at The Meritage, 850 Bordeaux Way, Napa. Tickets are $32. Info, info@thelaughcellar.com.

Saturday, Feb. 25

Family Biking Workshop

9-11 a.m. Napa County Bicycle Coalition and McPherson Family Resource Center hosts a free, bilingual family biking workshop at McPherson Elementary School, 670 Yajome St., Napa, to teach children ages 5-12 and their parents/caregivers the skills they need to ride bikes safely and confidently. Space is limited. Sign up at bit.ly/mcphersonFBW. Info, csainato@napabike.org.

Documentary

1 p.m. The Michael Leonardi Foundation hosts a free screening of Dead On Arrival  a documentary about fentanyl from filmmakers Dominic Tierno and Christine Wood, at the Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington St., Yountville. RSVP required. Reserve your seat at eventbrite.com. Info, michaelleonardifoundation.org, 707-815-7744.

Saturday, March 11

Ol' School Dance Party

6:30-10 p.m. The St. Helena Cooperative Nursery School hosts its Ol' School Dance Party benefit fundraiser at Native Sons Hall, 1313 Spring St., St. Helena. Tickets are $65 and include beer, wine, and food along with live music. Info, sthelenacoop.org.

Saturday, April 1

Viva Mariachi!

3-7 p.m. Napa Valley College hosts the Viva Mariachi! Festival at its Performing Arts Center, 2277 Napa Vallejo Highway, Napa. This cultural event promotes the rich heritage and traditions of Mexico through Mariachi music and music education. The event features Mariachi de Uclatlan as headlining performers. Tickets are $15. Info, 707-256-7161.
With a death toll of at least 22 Californians from mass shootings since the dawn of 2023, Napa County residents may be forgiven if their minds drift back to the horror that happened at Yountville Pathway Home in 2018.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.

But most would be surprised to learn that the California Veterans Home tragedy  that resulted in the deaths of three victims as well as the shooter  doesnt technically fit the definition of a mass shooting. The term, as defined by the Gun Violence Archive, means four or more people were killed or injured, not including the shooter.

The state has had four that do qualify as of Jan. 1. Most recently, at least three people were killed, and four were injured, in a shooting early Saturday in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles. A 77-year-old man is in custody following the Monday killing of seven people in Half Moon Bay. And in shootings last week, 11 people died and nine were wounded in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park, while another six died in an apparent gang-related slaying in Tulare County.

Mass shootings are relatively rare in the North Bay, with Sonoma County having two, Marin County two and Solano County four since 2018. Alameda County is the nine-county Bay Area outlier, with 28 within the same time period  most occurring within Oakland's city limits.

But despite Napa County's literal  if technical  dodge of this particular bullet, many Napans have, indeed, felt the impact of gun violence, including mass shootings.

Local politicians, educators and clergy said that, given the climate of gun violence in the United States, they remain vigilant of the threat gun violence poses, and have taken steps since 2018 to reduce the risks.

Rabbi Niles Goldstein, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Shalom of Napa, said that ever since the 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting  an antisemetic attack that killed 11 people  the Napa synagogue has hired an armed guard to be present whenever they hold any kind of worship service or event. Theyve also improved cameras and alarm systems, and the members of the congregation have undergone active shooter trainings.

Goldstein added that the Napa Police Department has helped pay for some of these security upgrades, as did a January 2022 investment of $126,525 from the California Office of Emergency Services, part of a $47.5 million effort to enhance security and safety at nonprofits and faith-based organizations that the state determined were at high risk for violent attacks and hate crimes.

But even with that funding into safety improvements, members of the congregation are still wary about the possibility of violence, he said.

Weve done quite a bit, but obviously many members of my community are still uneasy, Goldstein said.

Goldstein added that some shootings are clearly connected to extremism  though he noted the last two mass shootings in California dont seem to connect to that  and antisemitism is one subset of extremism. But he thinks much of the problem, in general, is accessibility of high-powered firearms.

The fact that high powered, semi-automatic weaponry is so easily accessible to people is at the core of this problem, he said. Theres extremism everywhere, theres mental illness everywhere, all over the world, but with these kinds of mass shootings that occur with such regularity in this country, the one common denominator seems to be ready access to these high-powered weapons, which really dont have any other purpose other than to kill people.

At the school level, Julie Bordes, spokesperson for the Napa Valley Unified School District, said in an email that the district recently installed camera systems at all school campuses, and  by using funding from the Measure H bond measure  fencing and gates around many campuses.

Beyond the question of physical security, the district maintains partnerships with Napas law enforcement agencies, mental health professionals and other school safety experts. The district maintains comprehensive school safety plans to help coordinate all the moving pieces of its safety infrastructure, she said.

Bordes also noted that school administrators and other school staff meet regularly with local police departments, fire departments and public health contacts, as well as officials who oversee air quality and wildfire safety. There are also police officers, in the form of School Resource Officers, at each of the districts middle and high schools.

Ruben Aurelio, superintendent of the St. Helena School District, noted in an email that staff there received active shooter training at the beginning of the school year. The district also sent a handful of staff members to threat assessment training with law enforcement, conducts at least two lock down drills per year, and has over 90 handheld radios for communication purposes  and local law enforcement have an emergency channel to hear emergencies directly from the school setting.

Steve Potter, Napa's city manager, said in a statement hes proud the city has a well-trained police department, and that regular trainings remain a top priority for the city. The large-scale training event held at the former Harvest Middle School campus on Saturday, he noted, is one such example of that preparation.

Lindsey Sin, deputy secretary for CalVet, said that, for security reasons, CalVet doesn't provide information about security measures at Veterans Home campuses. A spokesperson for BottleRock Napa Valley also said it doesn't comment on its security procedures.

Along with the increased safety precautions, others in the Napa Community are attempting to enact change.

Arik Housley has been impacted by gun violence more than most Napans. He created the Alainas Voice Foundation with his wife, Hannah Housley, shortly after their daughter Alaina Housley, a Vintage High School graduate and Pepperdine University Freshman, was shot along with 11 others in the 2018 Thousand Oaks shooting.

But Housley, a gun owner, noted that his organization doesnt focus on gun violence itself; it instead attempts to create positive change in the world, and particularly in the local community, through education, music and mental health initiatives. Thats accomplished through scholarships, he said, and by providing therapeutic services to those in need.

Hannah and I dont see mass shootings changing until the narrative changes in our country, Housley said. We can blame guns, we can blame mental health, we can blame anything, but in the end its humanity. For our side, its a little bit of all of it, mental health, guns, large clips, whatever. But thats not something we as a foundation focus on. We have to get people just to a table to have a conversation first.

At the federal government level, efforts to regulate firearm ownership have moved forward in congress  and mostly stalled out  for decades.

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, noted that he believes in the Second Amendment and he personally knows many responsible gun owners in his district. But he also referred to gun violence as an epidemic that needs to be clamped down on by the federal government  one he said recently become more pressing when firearms last year became the top cause of death for children in the United States, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.

We all recognize we have a right to own a firearm, but with that right comes a responsibility, Thompson said. If someone is a danger to themselves or others, they shouldnt be able to get anywhere near a firearm.

Thompson said that though passing gun control legislation has long been an uphill battle that just became more complicated  owing to the Republican Party taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives  the federal government did pass gun control legislation, the 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a month after the Uvalde, Texas shooting that killed two teachers and 19 children.

That legislation poured funds into mental health programs, and into enhancing school security. It also enhanced background checks for gun purchasers under the age of 21, and provided funds for states to put in place what are known as red flag laws. Such laws essentially allow officials to temporarily confiscate firearms from people when its determined, in court, that theyre too dangerous to own them.

Thompson praised gun safety efforts at other levels of government, but added that it was important for the federal government to take action on gun control, given that guns often cross state lines.

California has some of the stricter gun laws in the country, Thompson said. As a result, all the assessments of how safe states are, vis-a-vis gun tragedies, California ranks right up at the top, we get an A grade. But were still vulnerable because people can go to other states and buy guns and bring them in to our state. So thats why the federal government needs to be more involved to make sure theres parity in the laws get around one states laws by stopping in one state to another.

In recent months, some of Napas municipalities have taken action to regulate safe storage of firearms, efforts that Thompson praised. So far in Napa County, St. Helena and Yountville have passed such ordinances  which are largely educational, as theyre not particularly enforceable  while the city of Napa is in the process of developing one that will soon go before the City Council.

St. Helena Councilmember Anna Chouteau started that process by reaching out to St. Helena Police Chief Chris Hartley about the possibility of establishing such an ordinance.

She said her effort was inspired by the Napa Valley Moms Demand Action  one part of a national effort to improve gun safety in the United States.

Chouteau noted that Hartley was at first unconvinced about the need to pass the ordinance. She said that she sat down with him several times to go over gun violence statistics, and she shared her stories about how she lost two cousins to firearm-enabled suicide.

Hartley eventually came to the conclusion that he needed to bring the ordinance to the St. Helena City Council, Chouteau said. He cited many statistics about gun violence, and the ordinance received unanimous support from the council.

One small child dies almost every day in this country after finding an unsecured firearm in their home, or in a relative's home, or while playing at a friends house, Hartley said at that council meeting. Two older children, particularly teens, die every day in this country by suicide from an unsecured firearm that they obtain from their home or their family members home. In addition, 80% of school mass shootings are done by current or former students using an unsecured firearm obtained from their own home or a relatives home.

Shortly after St. Helena passed the ordinance, Napa City Councilmember Mary Luros  also inspired by Moms Demand Action  brought up the possibility of developing a similar ordinance at a council meeting, and the other councilmembers agreed it was a good idea.

Luros said in an email that gun violence is a complex problem, but a preventable one. She said the country needs more common sense gun regulations, and people need to be more comfortable having that conversation.

Our job as a local government is to pass laws that address the needs of our community, and we are in a unique position to do so, because we face fewer bureaucratic hurdles than state and federal levels do, Luros said. We have an opportunity and a responsibility to create innovative policies that meet our needs. We certainly cant accept the increase in gun violence as the norm.

Luros added that she was saddened that children have to go through active shooter trainings, and that places of worship need guards. She noted that background checks get guns out of the hands of criminals, and that responsible gun storage saves lives.

Every time we experience a gun violence tragedy as a country, we fall back on our thoughts and prayers,' a pattern of feeling terrible about what has happened and at the same time feeling completely helpless, she said. We need to break out of this pattern and take action to make real change in our community. While an educational ordinance about safe gun storage may seem like a small step, its a step towards a bigger conversation about what we can and should be doing in Napa to help prevent gun violence.
SACRAMENTO  Vintners looking to stem sagging sales need to redouble efforts to appeal to a younger and more diverse audience, a wine marketing expert said at a conference here this week.

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Sonoma State Professor Liz Thach spoke Wednesday as part of a panel at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, which served as a type of counterpoint to the Silicon Valley Bank State of the U.S. Wine Industry report, released a week earlier.

In the report, analyst Rob McMillan called the retail silence of millennials deafening, stating, nothing will change these trends unless the wine industry decides to take on the challenge. The generation is generally defined as being born between 1981 to 1996.

As consumers move away from wine and drink more across categories or join the sober-curious movements like Dry January or abstain from alcohol all together, McMillan wrote that the industry is not willing to band together to fix the issue.

In an interview with a frustrated McMillan, he said the root of the problem is that we have a bifurcated industry with high volume producers suffering volume losses and lower production, premium producers still seeing growth. Weve known the issue was about attracting younger consumers for some time.

His report referenced data from wine retailers that suggest younger wine consumers are buying wine  and are even willing to spend more per-bottle than their parents generations  but see wine as a drink for special-occasions rather than for everyday enjoyment.

Thach, for her part, said wineries need to focus on connecting with multicultural consumers by creating what she called gateway wines, to lure in younger, more diverse generations.

They want to have something that tastes good to them" she said during the conference. "The research shows that peoples positive first experiences were with sweet reds, Moscato, and sparkling wines.

She also suggested more inclusive ads, QR codes on labels, ingredient lists  Ridge Vineyards, based in Cupertino, has led the pack here, printing ingredients on their label since 2011  and marketing across social media platforms.

And no discussion about the future of advertising and customer experience would be complete without mention of the metaverse. It is time to catch up to the spirits and beer industry who already have brands like Jose Cuervo and Heineken using the virtual, augmented reality 3D technology, Thach said.

While grape growers pull and planting new vines as they try to predict the varietals that will become popular, Thach said it's important to remember that millennials are variety-seeking consumers who enjoy ignoble, non-traditional varietals and are willing to explore wines from new regions.

Consumers are actually open to new grape varieties and regions that help deal with global warming. So this is the time to actually start researching or considering planting some of your heat-loving varieties, as consumers understand the need of this.

She said winemakers can communicate this adapting to global warming and conscious decision into the marketing, which will resonate with increasingly environmentally conscious consumers who are often willing to pay more for products that are responsibly made.

If you are using less water, or using drought resistant rootstock, make sure that info is being marketed on your website or on your label, she said.

As consumers move to become more health and wellness conscious, especially young consumers, they are cutting down on all alcohol. With new non-alcoholic beers, and mocktails hitting the market, she said it might be time for wine labels to consider adding low or no alcohol wines to their repertoires.

In his report, McMillan questioned the special interests behind recent studies that have found that alcohol, even in moderation, may be harmful. He believes many published studies about alcohols effect on health contain unbalanced health messaging thats driving young consumers away from drinking.

Today, much of the science that you read starts with a conclusion that is meant to make a public statement, said McMillan an interview, and admitted his claims may sound conspiratorial. I do acknowledge Im biased, I believe governments role shouldnt be to define peoples lives with alcohol, but give is the information to decide for themselves.

During the Unified Symposium session, Thach also addressed consumer health concerns, saying that while the wine industry cannot make health claims about their products, it can become more market-savvy by using buzzy phrases  like no sugar added, keto friendly and plant-based  in their marketing and labeling.

Another recurrent reminder from Unified Symposium panelists: There have always been ebbs and flows in the wine industry, and a slump should come as no surprise.

Still, McMillan noted, The industry has to accept the issue before addressing it. We've been slow to take action. Where we are as an industry is something I've been warning for many years now.
The opinion of the Napa Valley Register

Half Moon Bay was the most recent; before that it was Monterey Park and Visalia.

These California communities share a tragic connection  they have all been hit by a mass shooting this month, bringing with them a swell of emotions from residents across the state and a renewed focus on gun safety.

As people continue to cope with feelings of despair and fear following these eerily familiar events, some Napa County residents may be reminded of a tragedy closer to home  the fatal shooting at the Yountville Veterans Home. The 2018 incident involved a former client of The Pathway Home who took the lives of three employees, including one who was seven months pregnant.

Despite the anxieties we are all feeling in the aftermath, our board wants to make note of a simple fact: we are not helpless. The influx of alarming headlines may be coming from communities less than 100 miles away, but Napa County residents have a voice and can use it to address gun safety.

One such effort is playing out in the Napa City Council chambers, where a safe firearm storage ordinance  which would regulate the storage of firearms when theyre not in use  is in the works.

If the council votes to adopt the ordinance, Napa would join several nearby cities  including St. Helena and Yountville  that have passed similar laws recently. We applaud any and all moves to reduce shooting injuries and death, whether accidental or intentional.

Other efforts might resemble the Day of Action event held at Napa City Hall on Saturday. First 5 Napa County and the local chapter of Moms Demand Action hosted a card making event for gun violence survivors. There were also numerous vigils held throughout the state and Bay Area, and the more voices heard, the better.

Perhaps most importantly, we can demand our lawmakers revive the assault weapons ban, the Clinton-era federal law that markedly reduced violence. We have seen a steady rise in mass shootings and unnecessary deaths, and its long past time for us, as a nation, to take this step.

We have no bones to pick with those who choose to own firearms, either for hunting, recreation or protection, and do so responsibly. But as the ban clearly showed, there is no Second Amendment right to own weapons of war.

Given the current political state, we acknowledge this is unlikely to happen soon, but that doesnt mean were excused from continuing to agitate to make it a reality.

The editorial board researches, interviews stakeholders and discusses issues of importance to Napa County residents. Its written opinions are the institutional views of the Napa Valley Register and is not beholden to interest groups, public officials, or its own advertisers. Its larger goal is to provide clear-eyed analysis of these issues to help make our county and region a safe, equitable, peaceful, and just place to live and work.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, accompanied by ministers as well as MPs of the ruling faction, visited Yerablur Military Pantheon in Yerevan.

The parents of the fallen soldiers, however, "greeted" Pashinyan there with insulting words.

The Armenian News-NEWS.am's correspondent reports from Yerablur that the event dedicated to the Army Day, like all events at Yerablur with the participation of Nikol Pashinyan after the 44-day war in 2020, is closed to the media.

The area is guarded by a large number of police troops and special police forces.

The police have concentrated an unprecedented number of forces at Yerablur Military Pantheon since 6am, ahead of PM Pashinyans visit, and the entire area is under strict surveillance.

The parents of the fallen servicemen are also at Yerevan and are standing near the graves of their sons. They will try to prevent officials from approaching their sons' graves.
The condition of the employees of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran, who were injured as a result of a terrorist attack on the diplomatic mission, is stable, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's Spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said.

In addition, according to the chief doctor of the hospital in Tehran, where the wounded were placed, the condition of one of the victims is satisfactory.

"The second victim is now undergoing surgery on his jaw and face. The injury is severe, the operation continues successfully, although it takes a lot of time," the chief physician said.

The armed attack on the Azerbaijani embassy in Tehran on January 27, 2023, at about 0830 (GMT+4) claimed one security guard killed and two others wounded.

The gunman turned out to be a man in his 50s, who drove up to the administrative building, armed with a Kalashnikov automatic rifle.

Earlier reports from the Tehran police chief said there were two children in the car with the gunman, the security camera footage released later proved the man was alone. He entered the building after briefly waving hand to the Iranian security guard outside.

No attempts were made to detain the gunman, as he freely entered the embassy. The man managed to kill the head of the security service and wound two embassy guards. The shooter was eventually detained. The incident is currently being investigated.




Zhoghovurd newspaper of Armenia writes: As of now, 33 confirmed and identified Armenian prisoners of war [(POWs)] are being held in Azerbaijan. Hasmik Samvelyan, the press secretary of Yeghishe Kirakosyan, the representative of Armenia on international legal affairs, presents this number in a conversation with Zhoghovurd daily.

The number presented by Samvelyan was also confirmed by Siranush Sahakyan, the Armenian prisoners of wars representative at the ECtHR, human rights advocate, in a conversation with Zhoghovurd daily, noting, however, that in addition to the 33 prisoners of war who are confirmed and at the focus of the attention of the Red Cross, there are 80 unconfirmed but factually confirmed cases.

"Our fact-gathering was able to substantiate at least 80 additional cases of being captured [by Azerbaijan], and we do not rule out that there may be new cases of being captured; it's just that we were able to substantiate that much with our activities," she notes, adding, "Unfortunately, there were cases of about 40 people who, after being captured, were killed or shot to death. We have evidence to prove it. As for the above-mentioned 80 cases, the fate of the latter is unknown. They may be alive, but removed from the legal field and become forcibly disappeared or killed. But Azerbaijan neither confirms their being captured, nor returns [their] bodies not to confess the crimes committed."

Let's note that in recent times there have been no announcements about the [Armenian] detainees, and even more so about their possible return, and this is despite the fact that [Armenian] Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was announcing during the 2021 snap election campaign: "The detainees will forgive us if they stay in Baku prisons for 1-2 more months."

More than a year and a half has passed now since the announcement, but until this moment our compatriots continue to suffer and be tortured in Baku prisons. In total, it turns out [that] as of now, it is likely that about 120 [Armenian] prisoners of war may be held in Baku prisons.
Third President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan issued a message on the occasion of Army Day. The message reads as follows:

It is very important, especially on Army Day, that we, the entire nation realize and accept simple truth which is critical for our future victories:

Any nation or state is doomed to perish as long as there is no understanding that army is the guarantee of the nations and states existenceno army, no state.

Any army is doomed to perish if it is led by a coward with no scruples who believes that defeat is victory.

Foreign, even a friendly countrys army will never defend borders of any nation or any state as will do those who defend their own land, their state, and their families.

If we want a victorious army, we need to get rid of a weak and immoral leader who has plunged the nation and the state into a total disorder.

Army is undefeatable when led by a courageous one, who has honor and national dignity.

The enemy saw the victorious spirit of the Armenian Army, saw and feared the unbelievable deeds of the Armenian soldiers, when the Army had worthy commanders.

To those who disgrace the Army and are skeptical about it, I will say again and again  you havent seen the real Armenian Army. Those, who think that our Army, which brought the enemy to its knees, was a myth, disrespect on purpose the memory of the thousands of our heroes and also on purpose drive our people to despair.

The Army is abandoned just like the entire state. Only by disposing of those who degrade and brought on purpose the state to defeat we can restore the former glory of our Army and our countrys full sovereignty.

I bow to the memory of all our heroes who gave their lives for the freedom and independence of our country, to many of my brothers-in-arms, to our hero brothers and sisters, sons and daughters.

Eternal Glory to the all!
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday issued a congratulatory message on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the formation of the Armed Forces of Armenia. The message notes as follows:

Dear people,

Dear compatriots,

Servicemen of the Armenian Army, reservists, generals, officers, mandatory and contract servicemen,

Today we celebrate the 31st anniversary of the formation of our army and first of all we commemorate the memory of our martyrs who gave their lives for the Motherland.

Despite all the difficulties, they are the ones who inspire us and fill us with the understanding that our struggle for statehood, for sovereignty, independence and security cannot fail if there is dedication, if there is faith.

Today, thousands of devotees serving in the Armenian army are serving the Republic of Armenia, independence, sovereignty, and statehood, and we will do everything to change the quality of their service - change the quality of service they provide, change the quality of service provided to them.

This is the reason why the government has undertaken large-scale reforms in the army, the purpose of which is to make every soldier, every officer more capable and professional, and at the same time, more well off.

At the basis of these reforms are the reforms of military education, which are also in the stage of implementation. Currently, we are also undertaking the establishment of an officer high school, which, in our opinion, will be an educational center meeting the best modern standards and will become a forge for the formation of a new class of officers.

In the near future, we are planning to introduce a completely new institute of women's voluntary temporary military service in the Republic of Armenia, and today I have to say special words of appreciation to our sisters who perform contractual service in our army, including combat service.

The process to replace the three-month training camps with one-month or 25-day training camps is underway, because the reservist's combat ability is just as important as that of those in regular military service.

We are taking measures to equip our army with modern weapons and equipment, trying to encourage local producers as much as possible.

The defense budget for 2023 has more than doubled compared to 2018, and I also want to thank all of our taxpayers who, with their work and law-abiding behavior, make possible the implementation of reforms in security and other areas.

But the reform process is not going smoothly in the army either, because the unstable security environment brings new challenges that sometimes incite big mistakes.

The tragedy that took place on January 19 in Azat village of Gegharkunik region, which took the lives of another 15 of our children, is suffocating us. And I want to apologize to the parents and relatives of all the soldiers who fell victim to the monstrous fire. I also apologize to all those parents whose children in the army became victims of non-statutory relationships, impermissible relationships and situations that arose as a result of omissions and mistakes made by the state or government.

At the same time, I kneel before the parents and relatives of our soldiers, officers, volunteers who fell in battle while defending the Motherland. I express my gratitude to all those families who have the consciousness that for the sake of the Motherland-State, for the sake of civic duty, nothing can be spared. States are built on this perception and consciousness.

And finally, I would like to thank all those servicemen, from privates to officers and generals, who selflessly render service to the Armenian Army and the Armenian state.

I send fraternal greetings to our brothers and sisters who spend Army Day in combat positions sometimes surrounded by several meters of snow.

The sun will rise, spring will come. Happy Armenian Army Day!

Long Live Freedom,

Long live the Republic of Armenia,

Long live our children who will live in Free and Happy Armenia.
Newspaper: Army General Staff chief admits that Tegh village incident was Armenian sides omission as well

Armenia MOD: Sanitary vehicle staff not hospitalized

shamshyan.com: Armenia MOD driver, 2 medical assistants hospitalized after truck, MOD sanitary vehicle collide

Brazil's president in China called for abandoning the dollar

Artsakh's Ombudsman expresses dissatisfaction to OSCE chairman for attitude of international community

Ararat Mirzoyan will go on a working visit to Uzbekistan

Police and demonstrators clash on the 12th day of demonstrations in France

Anahit Manasyan had a phone conversation with the Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh

he 12th protest against pension reform takes place in France

Russia MOD: No ceasefire violations recorded in Karabakh during last 24 hours

Lemkin Institute issues statement on Azerbaijan noncompliance with ICJ order to unblock Lachin corridor

MFA: Shushi is Artsakhs integral part in territorial, cultural, economic, historical aspects

An earthquake of magnitude 4.3 occurred in southeastern Turkey

Charles Michel explains his activeness in Armenia-Azerbaijan relations normalization process

Armenia PM to Bujar Osmani: This visit is good opportunity to get familiarized with complicated situation

South Korea bans its citizens from traveling to Armenia-Azerbaijan border region

Karabakh President convenes working consultation, security challenges discussed

OSCE Chairman-in-Office: I am here to find out if there is possibility to build bridges between Yerevan and Baku

Armenia PM chief of staff: Azerbaijanis are already in Yerevan, we have ensured their safety

Chairman-in-Office: OSCE toolkit provides mechanisms to assist peace process between Armenians and Azerbaijanis

Osmani: We are ready for any efforts to achieve positive dynamics between Azerbaijan and Armenia

Armenia FM: Replacing army with guards on Azerbaijan border should be part of final settlement

Armenia MFA: Rumors about OSCE Minsk Group activities termination are greatly exaggerated

168.am: Who is the Azerbaijani already rendered ineffective in Armenia? What does he say in video?

Armenia village youth tell how they caught Azerbaijani

Armenia Investigative Committee issues statement on murder of security guard, 56, in Syunik Province

Azerbaijani who crossed border into Armenia is caught by locals, found in Achanan village territory

2nd Azerbaijan soldier found, detained in Armenia

Armenian health minister: Wounded soldier in critical condition due to Azerbaijan provocation has stabilized

Which Armenia company is put on US sanctions list?

Premier: Armenia ready for reopening of transport links, delimitation of borders

Pashinyan: We are ready to withdraw troops to safe distance along Armenia-Azerbaijan 1991 border

Armenia to have trade attache in Germany

Azerbaijan MFA accuses France foreign ministry of smear campaign and unfair position

Armenia PM: It failed to deploy border guards without escalation of tension

Newly elected Armenia ombudsperson announces her priority objective in this capacity

Armenia deputy PM, US Deputy Secretary of Treasury acknowledge high level of cooperation between both countries

Newspaper: Karabakh soldiers who showed necessary resistance to Azerbaijan military are rewarded

Armenia FM, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office tete-a-tete kicks off (PHOTOS)

Armenia deputy PM, USAID official discuss opportunities for deepening cooperation

Mher Grigoryan, Todd Robinson exchange views on ongoing democratic reforms in Armenia

Armenia FM to Derek Hogan: Provocation near Tegh village was another manifestation of Azerbaijan aggressive policy

shamshyan.com: Murder in Armenias Syunik Province, 6 gunshot wounds found on body of security guard, 57

US State Department on Armenias Tegh village incident: Use of force to resolve disputes is unacceptable

MFA: France deeply concerned about violence that took place near Tegh village of Armenia

Legal entity from Armenia on list of those subject to US export restrictions

Russia MOD: 4 ceasefire violations recorded in Karabakh

EU monitoring mission in Armenia not present in the area when Azerbaijan attacked

Armenia National Security Service Border Guard Troops commander dismissed

Armenia MOD: Tegh village incident that led to undesirable consequences was due to deployment adjustment

Mayor of Frances Lyon expresses unconditional support to people of Karabakh

Pashinyan: Armenian side had recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan

Criminal proceedings launched into Armenia soldiers being killed, wounded by Azerbaijan near Tegh village

Chairman-in-Office: OSCE supports continuation of Armenia-Azerbaijan direct contacts

MFA: Russia asked Armenia to explain information about participating in joint military exercises with NATO

Zakharova does not disclose details of Russian, Turkish FMs talks on Armenia-Turkey relations

Russia MFA spox: CSTO mission deployment details can be talked about when Armenia is ready

Zakharova: Russia favors complete unblocking of Lachin corridor

Russia MFA: Other players engagement will lead to Armenia-Azerbaijan relations destabilization

EU calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to intensify border delimitation talks, until then to respect 1991 line

Russia MFA spox: Yerevan, Baku accepted proposal to hold another bilateral talks

Pallone: This is another senseless provocation from Azerbaijani forces against Armenia

Zakharova: Russia Border Guard Service, army took measures to de-escalate situation near Armenias Tegh village

Armenia deputy defense minister on possible Azerbaijan provocations again: Nothing can be ruled out

Armenia MP: Azerbaijanis demanded not to do engineering work, our soldiers responded, battle started from that

Marukyan: This is continuation of attacks carried out against Armenia in May and November 2021, in September 2022

About 100 killed in airstrikes in rural Myanmar

Criminal proceedings to be launched against Armenia opposition MP Mher Sahakyan

Armenia MP: Army corps commander was there, talks were to be held but Azerbaijan resorted to provocation

Mher Grigoryan, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State discuss security issues in Armenia, region

Parliament observes minute of silence in memory of Armenia soldiers who died yesterday

Newspaper: How Europe reacts to yesterday's provocation by Azerbaijanis?

Anahit Manasyan is elected Armenia ombudsperson

Armenia MOD: No significant ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan recorded at night

MOD: 3 of wounded Armenia soldiers in satisfactory condition, other 3 in moderate, severe, critical condition

RA MOD announces names of soldiers killed by Azerbaijani Armed Forces

As of 10:15 p.m., the situation on the frontline is relatively stable. RA Ministry of Defense

The destruction of Artsakh and Syunik is a key issue for Turkey and Azerbaijan. David Babayan

Suren Papikyan interrupts his working visit and returns to Armenia

Azerbaijans provocation is another encroachment on the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia. MFA

Azerbaijan MOD publicizes data on own losses during latest Baku provocation

Russia MOD: 2 ceasefire violations recorded in Karabakh

The reason for Azerbaijan's aggression is not being sanctioned by the international community. Edmon Marukyan

Four Armenian soldiers killed, six wounded because of Azerbaijani provocation. MOD

Video shows how Azerbaijani soldiers approach and open fire at Armenian soldiers

Armenia National Assembly cancels special session

Legislature deputy speaker on Azerbaijani infiltration into Armenia: Not case where accountability is implied

Azerbaijanis opened fire in direction of Sotk

Armenia MOD: Azerbaijan army continues provocation, uses mortars

Azerbaijani shooting resumes in direction of Armenias Tegh village

Haykakan Zhamanak: Armenia Special Army Corps commander wounded in skirmish

MOD: Armenian side has casualties and wounded, according to preliminary data

Shots fired at Tegh village area, Armenia has casualty

Armenia parliament vice-speaker: Turkey border shall be open for 3rd countries citizens at summers beginning

Armenia lawmaker: Azerbaijan has violated mutual understanding on Karabakh issue

Sargis Khandanyan: Armenia does not play football on CSTO issue

Armenia Prosecutor General submits petition to parliament for consent to prosecute opposition MP

Ruling force MP: Before sending mission, CSTO must record Armenia territorys occupation

Photo traps of Armenias Khosrov Forest State Reserve capture grizzly bear again

Peskov calls information about Egypt president's covert shipment of rockets to Russia sensational lie
Secretary General of the OSCE Helga Schmid has condemned the attack at the Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran, Azernews reports.

Deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of the person killed and wishes for the recovery of those injured, she said.

As reported earlier, the head of the security guard of the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran was killed, two other employees were wounded in the armed attack on the building on January 27 at about 0830 hours (GMT+4).

The gunman turned out to be a man in his 50s, who drove up to the administrative building, armed with a Kalashnikov automatic rifle.

No attempts were made to detain the gunman, as he freely entered the embassy. The shooter was eventually detained. The incident is currently being investigated.
Japan may relax South Korea export controls

Japan will decide whether to ease the curbs on shipping high-tech materials, which it imposed in 2019. Image: Shutterstock

Japan is considering relaxing controls on exports to South Korea as President Yoon Suk-yeol seeks to improve ties amid a strained East Asian security environment, the Sankei newspaper reported on Saturday.



Japan will decide whether to ease the curbs on shipping high-tech materials, which it imposed in 2019 over a dispute about Japan's wartime forced labour of Korean workers, as the neighbours hold a series of talks aimed at solving the dispute, Sankei said, citing unidentified government sources.



Japan's foreign ministry and trade ministry officials were not immediately available for comment on the report when Reuters contacted them outside regular business hours.



Foreign ministers of the two countries met for talks in Tokyo this month. Their diplomatic officials are due to meet on Monday in the South Korean capital, Seoul, as they near a conclusion of a plan for the resolving their dispute, Jiji news reported on Friday.



The East Asian neighbours, both important US allies, share a bitter history dating to Japans colonisation of the Korean peninsula from 1910 to 1945. (Reuters)
War hero Petr Pavel elected as Czech president

With over 85 percent of the vote counted, Pavel had won 56.76 percent. Photo: AFP

Retired Nato general Petr Pavel beat billionaire former Czech prime minister Andrej Babis in a presidential election run-off Saturday, interim results showed.



Pavel, a former paratrooper, won 56.76 percent of votes, while Babis scored 43.23 percent, with over 85 percent of the vote counted, according to the Czech Statistical Office.



Turnout in the EU and Nato member country of 10.5 million people was unusually high, at 70 percent, following an acrimonious campaign marked by controversy, death threats and a brazen hoax.



The 61-year-old Pavel will replace President Milos Zeman, an outspoken politician who fostered close ties with Moscow before making a U-turn when Russia launched its military campaign in Ukraine last year.



Pavel already beat Babis in the first round two weeks ago, scoring 35.4 percent against 35 percent for the former prime minister.



Since then, Babis and his family have been targeted by death threats, while Pavel was the victim of a hoax claiming he was dead as disinformation plagued the final campaign.



While the role is largely ceremonial, the Czech president names the government, picks the central bank governor and constitutional judges, and serves as commander of the armed forces.



Pavel will be the fourth president of the Czech Republic since it emerged as an independent state after a peaceful split with Slovakia in 1993, four years after Czechoslovakia shed four-decades of totalitarian communist rule.



His predecessors were Vaclav Havel, an anti-communist dissident playwright who led the country from 1993-2003, economist Vaclav Klaus (2003-2013) and Zeman, whose final term expires in March.



A graduate of a military university, Pavel was decorated as a hero in the Serbo-Croatian war when he helped free French troops from a war zone.



He rose to chief of the Czech general staff and chair of NATO's military committee.



Like Babis, Pavel was a member of the Communist Party in the 1980s.



But, the man with a carefully trimmed beard and white hair, who has a passion for powerful motorbikes, has since become a strong advocate of EU and Nato membership.



"We have no better alternative. We should use all opportunities offered by membership and try to change that which we don't like," he said on his campaign website.



"Czechia is a sovereign state and a full member, therefore we can't just sit quietly, nod and then slam the result. We have to be more active and, at the same time, constructive." (AFP)
Azerbaijan is sending a plane to Tehran to evacuate staff of the countrys embassy, Foreign Ministry's Spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said, Azernews reports.

According to Hajizada, this plane will deliver the embassy staff, members of their families, and the body of martyr Orkhan Asgarov to Azerbaijan. He will be buried in the second Alley of Martyrs in Baku.

As reported earlier, the head of the security guard of the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran was killed, two other employees were wounded in the armed attack on the building on January 27 at about 0830 hours (GMT+4).

The gunman turned out to be a man in his 50s, who drove up to the administrative building, armed with a Kalashnikov automatic rifle.

No attempts were made to detain the gunman, as he freely entered the embassy. The shooter was eventually detained. The incident is currently being investigated.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], January 28 (ANI/PNN): Sifar Productions, known for its top-notch music videos, is excited to announce its entry into the world of OTT with a full-fledged production. The company is joining forces with Maruti Productions to bring audiences a crime drama web series titled "Kohinoor: Chapter 1." Inspired by true events, the series is set in Madhya Pradesh and is set to begin filming in February 2023. The action-packed drama features an intriguing plot with unexpected twists, and features a cast of talented actors that will be announced in the coming weeks. The series is written by renowned writer and poet Satlaj Rahat Indori, the son of the late legendary poet Rahat Indori. He is joined by screenwriter Tanzia Alam, with dialogues written by Shubham Mathurkar. The project is produced by Anuj Agarwal, Karan Singh Chauhan, and Ashar Anis Khan, and designed by Shreyas Gawandi. The original score and music is led by Ashar Anis Khan and KavyaKriti, with music supervision by Mohit A Jaitly and Dr Tariq Faiz. The music is in association with Jammtime and the Executive Producer is Amit Kumar. The makers are thrilled to bring this project to audiences and can't wait to announce the full cast ensemble in the coming weeks. This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)
Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Saturday expressed confidence that innovation would be the strongest pillar that would help build a developed India in the Amritkaal. He said that innovation had been a catalytic force for the economy and social and public good. "Innovation in today's world goes beyond achieving mere economic objectives as it also considers societal inclusion and environment sustainability," he said. Minister Piyush Goyal called for the creation of an international network of mentors, investors and entrepreneurs to strengthen the global startup ecosystem. He said that this network must support and inspire startups, act as a team to facilitate the exchange of ideas, best practices and funding mechanisms and promote collaborations in research and development. He was addressing the inaugural session of the Inception Meeting of the Startup20 Engagement Group of G20 in Hyderabad on Saturday. The Minister in a statement from the ministry of commerce and industry said that it is not just the role of individual nations to support innovation and added that it would have to be the collective responsibility of world nations to nurture a global effort to incubate startup ecosystems in all parts of the world, thus creating a global startup ecosystem that is inclusive, supportive and sustainable to address global challenges. Goyal said that India was proud to highlight the progress and potential of the global startup ecosystem as the host nation of G20. He noted that the Startup20 Group had been established under India's G20 Presidency for the first time, as part of India's special focus on innovation. The Minister observed that India had begun its startup journey with the foundation stone laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016 with the launch of the Startup India Initiative. He said that in the last seven years, it had helped in fostering entrepreneurship and promoting newer and newer ideas, helping startups grow and flourish by creating an ecosystem that is conducive for growth. He added that the capabilities of our startups in different areas -- be it energy, be it financial inclusion, where fintech played an important role, be it our fight against pandemic when remote healthcare and food delivery became very important, be in online learning which is today becoming very natural, be it our work in agri-tech, helped us face a number of challenges. Goyal noted that the world is facing a multitude of global challenges, from climate change to poverty and inequality. He expressed his firm belief that innovation can lead the way in solving these problems. The Minister said that in the Indian startup context, our entrepreneurs are using their creativity and ingenuity to tackle these challenges head-on. He cited the examples of digital public goods like Cowin, UPI and ONDC as means to tackle problems and ensure inclusive growth in India by redefining social innovation. The Minister said that growing participation from Tier 2 and 3 markets, that are swiftly embracing latest technology, has pushed envelope for local startups in India with new ideas to succeed. He said that through G20, India was trying to transfer expertise, so IndiaStack will be GlobalStack and transform the way people use technology, helping take technology to the common man. He added that developing nations must transform themselves from being destinations for low-cost, outsourced software and support services, to becoming global Tech and Innovation hubs. He also highlighted that India had climbed to 40th rank in the Global Innovation Index (GII) of WIPO taking a huge leap of 41 places in seven years. Goyal noted that India has been nurturing the innovation spirit right from the school level onwards through Atal Innovation Mission. He said that India also has an active programme for supporting startups with many nations around the world. "Some of the prime examples are the Indo-US, Indo-UK, Indo-Australia partnerships where we explore supporting deep tech startups, that contribute to circular economy, and address basic needs like health, water, agriculture, education, financial inclusion etc," he added. (ANI)
Makers of 'Lucky Hank' has signed in Darrow & Darrow star Lilah Fitzgerald to join Bob Odenkirk's TV series in a guest role. According to Variety, a US-based news outlet, the eight-episode dramedy, formerly known as "Straight Man," centres on William Henry "Hank" Devereaux Jr. (Bob Odenkirk), an unusual chairman of a severely underfunded college in the industrial heartland of Pennsylvania. Hank's wife Lily (Mirielle Enos) also makes the decision to reflect on some of her earlier decisions that contributed to her current situation as Hank's work and home life start to fall apart. The series, which is based on the Richard Russo novel, is told in the first person from Hank's perspective. The former 'Monster High' actor will play a student who is particularly interested in founding a group to "avert mediocrity." She does, however, appear to be acting with hidden agendas. Alvina August, Sara Amini, Diedrich Bader, Suzanne Cryer, Olivia Scott Welch, Arthur Keng, and Cedric Yarbrough are some of the additional cast members who have already been revealed. Fitzgerald's credits go beyond the Nickelodeon movie and include "Everything Will Be Fine," with James Franco and Rachel McAdams, and "Seventh Son," with Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, and Jeff Bridges. She has made TV appearances in "Devil in Ohio" on Netflix and "Girlfriends Guide to Divorce" on Bravo. She writes in addition to acting, and this April, DartFrog Books will publish her first young adult fantasy book, "Stars & Swashbucklers." The book is the first book in the "The Last Montmorency" series. (ANI)
Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha emphasised the need to empower girls through quality education. On the occasion of National Girl Child day on Tuesday, Governor Sinha shared a message wherein he stressed on empowering women through quality education for helping develop their leadership skills and become role models. National Girl Child Day has been celebrated every year throughout the country since 2008. The initiative focuses on addressing the challenges that girls face because of gender biases. The day also aims at changing the attitude of society towards girls and provides an opportunity to highlight the inequalities that they face. It is also intended to promote awareness among girls about their rights, education, health, and nutrition. As per the reports, the day was observed symbolically in Jammu and Kashmir till 2019 and nothing crucial was done for the women here to help overcome day-to-day obstacles. After the outbreak of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in J-K during the early nineties, girls here faced immense hardships and difficulties as the gun-toting terrorists who used to appear on the streets of Kashmir issued diktats to keep them away from educational institutions and workplaces. They also tried to enforce the rule of wearing a veil (burqa) and the ones who resisted had to face acid attacks and sometimes even bullets. After the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019, the Centre left no stone unturned to make the lives of women easier. They have been provided with multiple opportunities to build their lives and compete with men in every field. For making women stand strong among a group of men, the education schemes launched by the Centre have helped them go to educational institutions and the self-employment schemes make them self-reliant. The women here also get reservations in government jobs, thus paving way to help them equal to the men. The government has also created a system in the last three years that would empower the girls and aims at raising their capacity to contribute towards nation-building. The scheme-- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Ladli Beti-- have helped thousands of girls across the Union territory at tender age aiming to protect them from the day she takes birth. As per the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report, 2020 by the Registrar General of India (RGI) last year, the Sex Ratio at birth in Jammu and Kashmir has also significantly increased. The tuition fees for girl students upto 12th standard studying in government schools has been exempted and it has benefitted more than 5.5 lakh girls. More than 85 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya and an equal number of girls' hostels have been established in the rural areas to reduce the dropout rate of the females from the schools. The Super-75 scholarship scheme, launched as a part of the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahaotsav' also sponsored many meritorious girls from poor families seeking admission in professional disciplines like medicine, engineering, and skill acquisition in Industrial Training Institutes [ITI] and humanities. It has also helped young women reach professional colleges on the basis of merit and chase their dreams. 'Tejaswini'- a scheme under the 'Mission Youth' programme was launched to provide financial assistance of upto Rs 5 lakhs to girls in the age group of 18 to 35 years to start their own business. Besides providing the funds, the government (under this scheme) also bears 10 per cent cost of the project and pays the annual interest of the loan. So far, There are more than 56,000 Self Help Groups in Jammu and Kashmir and nearly 5.5 lakh women are associated with these groups. The government has also put in dedicated efforts to end the disparity between men and women in the Union Territory and its results are evident. Now, almost every girl under the age of 14 years is entitled to free and mandatory schooling in the Union Territory ever since its reorganisation as the Right To Education was extended to the Himalayan region giving every girl child the right to acquire elementary education (classes 1-8) in a neighbourhood school under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009. An awareness programme was also created about the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana which provides every girl child financial stability and independence. This initiative has encouraged parents and guardians to put money into their daughter's Sukanya Samriddhi account from the moment she is born, for her education and marriage. (ANI)
Several other leaders including ex-MP Jayram Pangi, ex-MLA Nabin Nanda, farmers' leader Akshay Kumar, and RTI activist Pradeep Pradhan have also joined the BRS in the presence of its President and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao.

The BRS chief welcomed them into his party by presenting party scarves to them.

"Odisha needs development, which is yet to start. Our BRS will contest in all 147 MLA and 21 MP seats in the next election," Sishir Gamang told reporters before leaving for Hyderabad.

According to sources, the BRS will focus on southern Odisha, especially Telugu-speaking border constituencies. The party will fight the next election with a focus on farmers and tribals. Chandrasekhar Rao is also expected to visit Odisha soon to launch the party's state unit.

Meanwhile, the ruling Naveen Patnaik-led BJD and BJP said that there will be no impact of the BRS in Odisha.

--IANS bbm/vd

( 194 Words)

2023-01-27-21:28:03 (IANS)
Monogamy or childbirth is not affected by removing the oxytocin receptor. The receptor for oxytocin, a hormone thought to be crucial for forming social bonds, may not play the crucial role that scientists have assigned to it for the past 30 years, according to new research from researchers at UC San Francisco and Stanford Medicine. This finding challenges a decades-old dogma. The scientists discovered that prairie voles reproduced without oxytocin receptors and had the same monogamous mating, bonding, and parenting behaviours as ordinary voles. The study will be published on January 27 in the journal Neuron. In addition, although in smaller amounts than typical female voles, females without oxytocin receptors gave birth and produced milk. The results indicate that the biology underlying pair bonding and parenting aren't purely dictated by the receptors for oxytocin, sometimes referred to as the "love hormone." "While oxytocin has been considered 'Love Potion #9,' it seems that potions 1 through 8 might be sufficient," said psychiatrist Devanand Manoli, MD, PhD, a senior author of the paper and member of the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences. "This study tells us that oxytocin is likely just one part of a much more complex genetic program." Because prairie voles are one of the few mammalian species known to form lifelong monogamous relationships, researchers study them to better understand the biology of social bonding. Studies in the 1990s using drugs that prevent oxytocin from binding to its receptor found that voles were unable to pair bond, giving rise to the idea that the hormone is essential to forming such attachments. The current project emerged from shared interests between Manoli and co-senior author and neurobiologist Nirao Shah, MD, PhD, then at UCSF and now at Stanford Medicine. Shah had been interested in the biology of oxytocin and social attachment in prairie voles since teaching about oxytocin studies decades earlier. Manoli, who wanted to investigate the neurobiology of social bonding, joined Shah's lab in 2007 as a postdoctoral scholar. For this study, 15 years in the making, the two applied new genetic technologies to confirm if oxytocin binding to its receptor was indeed the factor behind pair bonding. They used CRISPR to generate prairie voles that lack functional oxytocin receptors. Then, they tested the mutant voles to see whether they could form enduring partnerships with other voles. To the researchers' surprise, the mutant voles formed pair bonds just as readily as normal voles. "The patterns were indistinguishable," said Manoli. "The major behavioural traits that were thought to be dependent on oxytocin - sexual partners huddling together and rejecting other potential partners as well as parenting by mothers and fathers - appear to be completely intact in the absence of its receptor." Even more surprising for Manoli and Shah than the pair bonding was the fact that a significant percentage of the female voles were able to give birth and provide milk for their pups. Oxytocin is likely to have a role in both birth and lactation, but one that is more nuanced than previously thought, Manoli said. Female voles without receptors proved perfectly capable of giving birth, in the same timeframe and in the same way as regular animals, even though labour has been thought to rely on oxytocin. The results help to clear up some of the mystery surrounding the hormone's role in childbirth: Oxytocin is commonly used to induce labour but blocking its activity in mothers who experience premature labour isn't better than other approaches for halting contractions. When it came to producing milk and feeding pups, however, the researchers were taken aback. Oxytocin binding to its receptor has been considered essential for milk ejection and parental care for many decades, but half of the mutant females were able to nurse and wean their pups successfully, indicating that oxytocin signalling plays a role, but it is less vital than previously thought. "This overturns conventional wisdom about lactation and oxytocin that's existed for a much longer time than the pair bonding association," said Shah. "It's a standard in medical textbooks that the milk letdown reflex is mediated by the hormone, and here we are saying, 'Wait for a second, there's more to it than that.'" Manoli and Shah focused on understanding the neurobiology and molecular mechanisms of pair bonding because it is thought to hold the key to unlocking better treatments for psychiatric conditions, such as autism and schizophrenia, that interfere with a person's ability to form or maintain social bonds. Over the past decade, much hope was pinned on clinical trials using oxytocin to address those conditions. But those results were mixed, and none has illuminated a clear path to improvement. The researchers said their study strongly suggests that the current model - a single pathway or molecule being responsible for social attachment -is oversimplified. This conclusion makes sense from an evolutionary perspective, they said, given the importance of attachment to the perpetuation of many social species. "These behaviours are too important to survival to hinge on this single point of potential failure," said Manoli. "There are likely other pathways or another genetic wiring to allow for that behaviour. Oxytocin receptor signalling could be one part of that program, but it's not the be-all-end-all." The discovery points the researchers down new paths to improving the lives of people struggling to find social connections. "If we can find the key pathway that mediates attachment and bonding behaviour," Shah said, "We'll have an eminently druggable target for alleviating symptoms in autism, schizophrenia, and many other psychiatric disorders." (ANI)
The Delhi High Court on Friday directed the Delhi State Legal Services Authority (DSLSA) to produce a roadmap for implementing its scheme to place Para-Legal Volunteers (PLVs) in 50 police stations to aid people in instances involving missing children and crimes against children and how the Supreme Court's directions will be taken forward in the matter. A division bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Anup Jairam Bhambhani was hearing a criminal reference to streamline the functioning of the juvenile justice delivery system under the Juvenile Justice Act and the Rules framed therein. In September of last year, the Supreme Court had also issued an order directing all State Legal Services Authorities and Legal Services Authorities of Union Territories to develop schemes as soon as possible for the appointment of PLVs in police stations to work on cases. It had directed the circulation of the DSLSA's scheme to be used by the states and UTs as a model for framing the schemes. Appearing for the AAP government, advocate Nandita Rao submitted that they are looking after it actively and that they will file a reply before the next date of hearing. The court listed the matter for the next hearing on January 31. "What more is required is to implement the scheme in letter and spirit. Come up with a roadmap," Justice Mridul told DSLSA Special Secretary Sushant Chngotra. The court said that it is within the mandate of the Juvenile Justice Act and has to be done on a war footing. --IANS spr/vd ( 269 Words) 2023-01-27-22:36:05 (IANS)
Around 1,800 people residing at Delhi's posh Signature View Apartment complex in Mukherjee Nagar who are feeling hassled after the structurally damaged buildings have been ordered to be redeveloped in view of threat to their life and property have blamed the negligence of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for the current situation. Delhi Lt. Governor V.K. Saxena has ordered the DDA to redevelop Signature View Apartments, and rehabilitate them in the interim. Taking serious note of lapses that resulted in the building becoming structurally unsafe in a few years of its construction, he also ordered "immediate initiation of criminal proceedings under the relevant rules against the contractors and the agencies and a vigilance inquiry to identify all officials responsible for lapses in the construction of said buildings within 15 days and initiation of subsequent criminal action against the defaulting officials accordingly". The Signature View Apartment Complex, built during 2007-2009, was allotted to the residents in 2011-2012. Soon thereafter, the flats in the complex had started facing construction related issues, forcing the residents to complain about these to the DDA. The first possession was given in 2012. However, it took many years later for the apartments in the complex to be fully occupied. The last possession was given in 2019. It needs to be underlined that within a year of the first possession, several construction-related issues, including falling off the roof plaster among others, began appearing. Talking to IANS, Resident Welfare Association (RWA) member Bhupendra Choudhary said that the issues had appeared for the first time in 2013. The outer wall had started falling, leading to the damage to many cars. Later, the DDA tried to address the problem by applying a simple plaster on the wall in 2016, he said. However, issues such as falling of plaster, cracks in walls, pillars and roofs continued to develop. "Again, we complained to the DDA and the Delhi L-G. We had even met the engineers of the DDA. Taking cognizance of our complaint, they engaged the National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCBM) for technical testing of the materials used in society. "The NCBM committee suggested immediate repairs and extensive technical testing," he said. He claimed that for almost three years, the DDA did not take any action on the NCBM recommendation. Meanwhile, the RWA continued registering complaints on many forums. Eventually, according to Choudhary, for the first time in 2021, the DDA engaged a structural expert and IIT Professor Shashank Bishnoi as a consultant who surveyed the society. He also recommended that "there needs to be a wide and extensive technical survey of the entire society". Later, under his leadership, the DDA engaged Sri Ram Institute of Industrial Research to do the extensive technical testing. The team collected around 182 samples and submitted the report on November 11, 2022. Choudhary further said that the committee had made clear recommendations in its report that society was unsafe and people immediately should be evicted and buildings demolished. He said that the report highlighted two issues -- high content of chloride beyond the recommended level and substandard use of material. "However, the DDA did not take any action even after the recommendation and did not even share the report with the residents. Later, we filed two RTIs which also did not provide any satisfactory reply. Finally, after filing the third RTI, a report was shared on January 8... and then, we presented the Delhi L-G and the DDA vice chairman the report," Choudhary said. The RWA member further said: "We have made four demands. The first is to redevelop society and allot among residents in the current form with basement parking. Secondly, the DDA must pay rent from the day of eviction to re-allotment as per market price, thirdly, pay for interior work and lastly, arrange for our shifting. However, after Lt. Governor has intervened in the matter, the DDA has called a meeting with RWA on January 30," he said. The L-G had ordered DDA on January 24 to re-develop the structurally damaged Signature View Apartments in North Delhi. The DDA may submit the recommendation after meeting the RWA members to L-G V.K. Saxena on January 31. --IANS avr/pgh ( 713 Words) 2023-01-27-22:52:01 (IANS)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is hosting the third INTERPOL Young Global Police Leaders Programme (YGPLP), in which 59 delegates from 44 countries are taking part to create a strong police intelligence network worldwide. The programme will conclude on February 2. While addressing the participants virtually on Friday, INTERPOL Secretary General Jurgen Stock said that Delhi is home to one of the most successful INTERPOL General Assemblies. He also complimented the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for hosting the event. Recalling the words of Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he addressed the INTERPOL General Assembly last year saying "crime somewhere is crime everywhere", Stock said, "The main theme before us is maintaining trust in the criminal investigation process in a digitised world." Stock underlined that this brings together two inescapable realities of our times, first, the ongoing challenges and opportunities arising in the criminal landscape that come from the emergence of artificial intelligence, big data, and augmented reality including through disruptions like the Metaverse. Second, the ongoing globalisation of criminal activity and the fundamental necessity for a collaborative approach to effectively combat it. He said the use of new technology was always treated with more skepticism when deployed by governments, rather than by the private sector. "Think of drug use, property theft, forced labour, sitting behind many crimes that appear domestic are regional and global networks that exploit borders to engage in borderless criminal activity. Interpol is a platform to integrate global criminal intelligence into local policing. We are here to build bridges across police forces, founded on a common mission to foster global collaboration, which will span distance, and time," he said. Stock concluded by quoting Modi: "When the forces of good cooperate, the forces of bad cannot operate." CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal said that overall, this programme will give an overview of the scale and scope of policing system in India and the various innovations and best practices being adopted and help in capacity building of the future police leadership. "Continuing with the theme of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family), the Young Global Police Leaders Programme provides an inspirational platform for not only young police officers from across the world, but also for the youth in general. The rich professional capabilities, innovations and best practices developed by police in India can be a template for other countries to emulate. This initiative also seeks to contribute towards international capacity building in the policing domain, in line with the spirit of 'Vishvaguru Bharat'," Jaiswal said.. INTERPOL Young Global Police Leaders Programme (YGPLP) is a flagship INTERPOL event for promising young police officers. The event brings together young police leaders (below 37 years of age) holding vital assignments in their respective countries and help them develop an international perspective and understanding. It seeks to empower the next generation of international police leaders through mentoring by experienced officers. --IANS atk/ ( 499 Words) 2023-01-27-23:06:03 (IANS)
In two separate operations the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) have arrested four persons, including a woman, and rescued 157 protected animals and reptiles from their possession. The DRI launched 'Operation Kalki' under which the arrests and recovery were made. In the first operation, three persons, including a woman, who were allegedly trying to smuggle protected animals, were held by the DRI from Kempegowda International Airport, official said on Friday. The accused arrived at the airport on January 22 from Bangkok. "During the examination of their checked-in baggage, non-indigenous 18 animals (four primates and 14 reptiles) were recovered with the assistance of Karnataka Forest Department officials," DRI said. The import of wild animals as defined in the Wildlife (Protection) Act is prohibited and those species which are listed in CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) are subject to the provisions of CITES. The animals attempted to be so smuggled by the said passengers were seized under the provisions of the Customs Act. In the second operation the DRI with the assistance of Forest Department officials recovered 139 animals belonging to 48 different species, including 34 CITES listed species from a farmhouse in Bengaluru. "Evidences of financial transactions to source non-indigenous wildlife through the route of smuggling, buy -- sell transaction on the WhatsApp and other social media platforms have been unearthed by our team," said the official. The official added that the recovered animals, including extremely rare and threatened ones like the Yellow and Green Anaconda, Yellow headed Amazon Parrot, Nile Monitor, Red foot tortoise, Iguanas, Ball Pythons, Alligator Gar, Yaki Monkey, Veiled Chameleon, Racoon Dog, White headed piones were handed over to Bannerghatta Biological Park. Four persons involved in the smuggling into India have also been placed under arrest so far. --IANS atk/khz/ ( 312 Words) 2023-01-27-23:16:03 (IANS)
An organized criminal group led by an Iranian citizen, who arranged drug trafficking in Azerbaijan, has been detained, following operations carried out by police officers, the Press Service of Azerbaijan'a Internal Ministry reported.

According to the press service, nearly 11 kilograms of drugs and psychotropic methamphetamine substance were seized.

So, on the basis of operational information received by the Main Department for Combating Organized Crime under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, an Iranian citizen Omid Karimi, who temporarily resided in Baku, and Asif Beliyev, who was involved in the sale of drugs with him, were detained. About two kilograms of opium, marijuana, as well as electronic scales were found in these persons and at their place of residence.

Following the operational activities, other members of the gang involved in the sale of drugs Rufan Azeri, Mikayil Rzayev, Ilgar Yunusov, Nahid Abbasov, Khagani Azizli, Shamistan Teymurov, Yunus Mukhtarov and Muhammad Hasanov were detained in Baku.

A total of about nine kilograms of heroin, methamphetamine, opium, psychotropic drugs were found in these persons, in their cars and at their addresses.

In connection with the above facts, criminal cases were opened under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

With regard to the listed persons, a measure of restraint in the form of arrest was chosen. Operative measures are ongoing to detain other members of the drug network, which included these persons.




Former chief minister of Odisha, Giridhar Gamang, who quit the Bharat Janata Party (BJP) two days ago, joined the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) here on Friday. Gamang, a nine-term Lok Sabha MP, along with several other leaders from Odisha joined the party in the presence of BRS president and Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. Speaking on the occasion, Rao stated that BRS is floated with a determination to change India's future and the thought and ideology of the country. He welcomed Giridhar Gamang, his wife and former MP Hema Gamang, son Shishir Gamang and other leaders into the BRS fold. KCR, as Rao is popularly known, said that joining Giridhar Gamang and supporters gives a great strength to the BRS. The leaders who joined BRS include Odisha BJP State Yuva Morcha General Secretary Sneranjan Das, Koraput Parliamentary Constituency Youth Congress President and AICC Member, Rabindra Mohapatra, Phalguni Sabar, P. Gopal Rao, Mallya Ranjan Swain, convenor of Navnirman Kishan Sangthan Akshay Kumar, Mayur Bhanj ex-MP Ramchandra Hansada, Dhenkanal ex-MLA Nabin Nanda, six other former MLAs and leaders of various parties and organisations. The BRS chief said that Akshay Kumar is a great person and is following in the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi. Many people who took up movements for farmers are joining BRS on Friday, he said. KCR reiterated that if people elect the BRS to rule the country, 24-hour quality electricity will be supplied to the entire country in two years. "We will give free electricity to agriculture and implement Kisan Bandhu for farmers in the country and Dalit Bandhu for 20 lakh Dalit families every year," he said. He said that clean drinking water will be provided all over the country as being done in Telangana land while 83 crore acres of cultivable land in the country will be provided for irrigation facilities at the earliest. The BRS leader remarked that parties are winning elections, leaders are winning but people are the losers after every election. "India's politics is about to undergo drastic changes. People should win elections, not parties or leaders. Then only, democracy can flourish in the country," he said. KCR stated that, aiming for power, political conspirators are raising many slogans and making tall promises. "In the name of caste and religion, political parties are creating discord between people. People are being divided. Parties should come out with the aim of public service and national development. The parties that have won the election should work in that direction. But what is happening today," he asked. He claimed that Mahanadi in Odisha has more water availability than the state needs. "We are using only 25-30 per cent. Rest of the water flows into the sea. Brahmani and Vaitarani rivers also flow along with Mahanadi. But there is no water to drink. Where is all this water going? Why is this water not coming into our houses as drinking water through drains?" --IANS ms/pgh ( 499 Words) 2023-01-27-23:20:02 (IANS)
The three-day US-Africa Summit was convened in Washington during December 13-15, 2022, with delegates from 49 African countries out of a total of 54 participating along with representatives from civil society and the private sector, young leaders and African diaspora in the US participated invarious events during the period. The summit was aimed at strengthened ties with African partners through dialogue and collaboration including economic engagement, promoting democracy and protecting human rights, mitigating the impact of Covid-19 and future pandemics, promoting food security and strengthening regional and global health, responding to the climate crisis and advancing peace and security. The interest of the African countries in attending the summit was to find ways and means for post-Covid-19 economic recovery and address food and energy security being aggravated by the Russia-Ukraine war. This summit seen from a diplomatic perspective was an effort of the US to reframe its relationship with Africa in view of its rising stakes vis-a-vis increasing footprints of rival powers in the continent, particularly China and Russia. The first day of the summit featured sessions on topics ranging from trade and investment; to health and climate change; to peace, security, and governance; to space cooperation. The second day focussed on increasing two-way trade and investment at the US-Africa Business Forum. CEOs and private sector leadership from 300 American and African companies participated in the forum. The third and final day had a session titled "partnering on agenda 2063", the African Union's strategic vision for the continent, followed by discussion on food security and food system resilience. It is with regard to this long-term agenda that African countries go to big powers for funding and technological support. China, in particular, has taken asymmetric advantages from the African countries as a major fund provider. Although volume of new Chinese loans to African government's has dropped from a peak of $28.4 billion in 2016 to $1.9 billion in 2020 due to pandemic, many analysts point out that the Chinese loans have created financial instability due mainly to unsustainable debts. US sees this with concern. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned African leaders at the summit that the rising influence of China and Russia posed a risk of "destabilising" the continent. President Joe Biden tried to use personal diplomacy to win back US influence in the continent. The US considered conveying the summit after a gap of eight years. During these eight years, other global powers including the EU, China, Japan, Turkey, India and the UAE have become Africa's development partners. But the other development partners, especially, India and the EU are not seen with suspicion, contrary to Chinese image of as an exploiter of the continent's resources without ensuring commensurate gains for them. The new partnerships of the African countries have reduced its dependence on Western aid. The diversification of African countries development partnership, nevertheless, has alarmed the Western powers as it might dilute their standing in the continent geo-politically. Austin told a panel with several presidents at the start of the three-day summit that US rivals had a different approach. "The combination of those activities by those two countries (China & Russia), I think that bears watching. And certainly, I think their influence can be destabilising." Austin said China was raising its footprint in Africa "on a daily basis" through its growing economic influence. "The troubling piece there is they're not always transparent in terms of what they're doing and that creates problems that will be eventually destabilising if they're not already," he said. Realising that Trump years saw a decline in the US engagement with the African continent, the US is making efforts to enhance its engagement. The Biden administration had released the new "US Strategy Toward Sub-Saharan Africa", which emphasised the growth potential of the region, diversity in the eco-systems and their power as a group in UN voting, making them crucial in shaping the world's future. In the Africa Business Forum on the second day of the summit, President Biden said: "When Africa succeeds, the United States succeeds. Quite frankly, the whole world succeeds as well." The agenda is to win back influence in Africa in the fluid geo-political order, and specially when China is increasing its footprints to exploit the natural resources of the continent without compensating them adequately by development of infrastructure and making them more vulnerable. China is also developing its military infrastructure in the continent. The US agenda is to win back influence in Africa amid a fluid geopolitical order. The Biden administration has stressed working with the African Union, both on the security and diplomatic fronts. The US support for the African Union to gain a formal berth in the Group of 20 club of major economies, months after he threw support behind a permanent African seat on the UN Security Council are steps in that direction. African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat hailed the US support but warned that there was still far more focus on fighting extremists in the Middle East. "This double standard has had disastrous consequences for Africa and for peace and democracy in the world." Meanwhile, Biden's administration plans to unveil $55 billion for Africa over three years. In one of the first announcements, the White House said the US would invest $4 billion by 2025 fiscal year to train African health workers, a rising priority for Washington since the Covid-19 pandemic. The US engagement in Africa may raise greater hope as it appears more constructive than that of China. --IANS scor/ ( 923 Words) 2023-01-27-23:26:02 (IANS)
Former Uttar Pradesh Minister Sidharth Nath Singh launched a scathing attack on Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and challenged him to throw out SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya from the party over his remarks on Ramcharitmanas. While talking to ANI, Sidharth Nath Singh said, "Swami Prasad Maurya has been continuously targeting the Hindu religion, Hindu beliefs and Ramcharitmanas. The Samajwadi Party keeps saying that it is not associated with the statements of Maurya. I ask Akhilesh Yadav to stop running away from the statements made by Maurya and distance himself from him." "If Akhilesh Yadav has the guts and respects the Hindus, their beliefs and Ramcharitmanas then throw out Swami Prasad Maurya from the party. Only then will we believe that Akhilesh Yadav does not support the statements made by Swami Prasad Maurya." Swami Prasad Maurya is considered a prominent OBC leader (Samajwadi Party) in Uttar Pradesh and had sought a ban on the work composed by the 16th-century poet-saint Tulsidas alleging that Dalits and women have been "insulted" in Ramcharitmanas. Speaking to ANI, Maurya had said, "I don't have any issue with Ramcharitmanas but parts of it have insulting comments and sarcasm directed at particular castes and sects. Those should be removed." "The government should take effective action and show sensitivity. It should see that the sentiments of any community are not hurt," he added. The former UP minister also termed the BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Pakistan-sponsored activity supported by the Congress. He said, "Kerala Congress has shown the documentary which clearly states that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' is actually 'Bharat Todo Yatra'. Congress is trying to humiliate PM Modi and the country like Pakistan and the international media." Notably, UK's British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) aired a two-part series attacking PM Modi's tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots of 2002. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms. In a strong rebuttal to the BBC documentary on Modi, 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)
This year, NCC is celebrating the 75th year of its inception. During the event, Prime Minister will release a special Day Cover and a commemorative specially minted coin of Rs 75/- denomination, commemorating 75 successful years of NCC.

The rally will be held as a hybrid day and night event and will also include a cultural programme on the theme 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'.

In the true Indian spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, 196 officers and cadets from 19 foreign countries have been invited to participate in the celebrations.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister will visit Asind in Bhilwara district in Rajasthan for the 1111th birth anniversary of Lord Devnarayan, a folk deity of the state, it added. (ANI)
Taking note of the alleged 'serious' security breach in Kashmir during the last leg of Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday accused the Jammu and Kashmir LG Manoj Sinha saying that he is responsible behind the security lapse. While speaking to ANI, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the securities provided there in Delhi or Jammu and Kashmir are the sole responsibility of the respective LGs. "Manoj Sinha, sitting in Srinagar, will have to answer who was responsible for Rahul's march," he said. Congress Bharat Jodo Yatra on Friday, on the day of entering Kashmir, was 'called off' for the day in view of a security lapse, which triggered heavy criticism by party leaders against the centre and Jammu and Kashmir administration for failing to manage the crowd. All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary KC Venugopal alleged that security personnel from the D-area of the foot march were removed suddenly. Taking to Twitter, Venugopal said, "The sudden withdrawal of security personnel from the D-area has caused a serious security breach at the #BharatJodoYatra at Banihal, Kashmir. Who ordered this? The authorities responsible must answer for this lapse & take appropriate steps to prevent such incidents in future. "There was no security personnel with the Bharat Jodo Yatra for 15 minutes, and termed it a 'serious lapse'," Venugopal told ANI. Reacting to the episode Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury further said that if the the Bharat Jodo Yatra continues, then this will create problems for top leadership of the BJP including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. "Look, if Rahul Gandhi continues to speak openly in Srinagar and talk to the local people and tries to understand their problem of migration of civilians security, then the hollowness of tall claims of Modiji will be uncovered," Chowdhury said. The Congress leader further alleged that a similar security breach happened during the Delhi leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra and the Delhi Police were hatching a conspiracy to create a stampede in the foot march. "When Rahul Gandhi was in Delhi, I was with him on that day, the same thing happened on that day also, Delhi police were conspiring to organize a stampede in Rahul Gandhi's D-Area in a planned manner," Chowdhury said. Taking on Delhi Police and security forces he said that except for Rahul Gandhi's CRPF, the security in Delhi is provided by Delhi's LG and in Jammu and Kashmir it is provided by JK's LG. "So in both places whose orders the LGs follow, you can understand yourself," he added. (ANI)
At least six people, including a doctor couple, were killed after a massive fire broke out in the residential complex of a hospital in Jharkhand's Dhanbad on Saturday, police said. Superintendent of Dhanbad Police (SSP), Sanjiv Kumar, said the deceased included Dr Vikas Hazra, his wife Dr Prema Hazra, their househelp Tara, one nephew of the owner and one more person died due to suffocation from the fire. Besides, another person was rushed to hospital with burn injuries after the fire broke out in the Hazra Clinic and Hospital which is situated on the Telephone Exchange road in Hazra in the city in the early hours today. Chief Minister Hemant Soren condoled the deaths in the fire. "Deeply saddened by the news of the death of six people, including the famous doctor couple Dr. Vikas and Dr. Prema Hazra, in the late-night fire at Hazra Memorial Hospital in Dhanbad. May God grant peace to the departed souls and give strength to the bereaved family members to bear this difficult hour of grief," the chief minster tweeted in Hindi. According to officials, the deaths were caused due to suffocation. Upon receiving information eight fire tenders reached the spot and the flames were doused. Deputy Superintendent of Police (DCP) (Law and Order) Arvind Kumar Binha said that the fire broke out around 1 am. Inspector of Fire department, Lakshma Prasad said that blaze broke out in the corridor joining the clinic and their residential complex. "The fire caused huge smoke in the area causing suffocation which killed these five persons," the fire official said. "If we had received the information earlier we could have managed it better. The team rescued five gents, two ladies and two dogs- one of them died on the spot. All of them have been sent to the hospital for treatment," the fire department inspector said. At the time of the incident, there were 25 patients inside the clinic who were shifted to another building by the staff of the clinic and their lives was saved. However, according to locals the cause of the fire was due to a short circuit. "All of a sudden there was a loud noise and the next moment we knew that there was a fire at the hospital which caused the death of the and their relative and househelp," a local said. "We came to know that the fire was caused due to short circuit," a neighbour CP Singh said. Further details are awaited. (ANI)
The Bengaluru civic body has issued a notice prohibiting the sale of non-vegetarian dishes within 10 km of the Yelahanka Air Force Station in view of the Aero India 2023. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) issued a notice to restaurants and proprietors of meat stalls near the Yelahanka Air Force Station to stop the sale of meat and non-vegetarian dishes from January 30 to February 20. "It is intimated that, Aero India-2023 show is scheduled to be held at Air force station Yelahanka from 13.02.2023 to 17.02.2023. On account of this, it is to the notice of general public and Proprietors of meat stalls, Non-vegetarian hotels/Restaurants for closure of all meat/chicken/fish shops and prohibition on serving/sale of Non- vegetarian dishes within 10 km radius of Air Force station Yelahanka from 30th January 2023 to 20th February 2023." the notice stated. "Any violation of this will attract punishment under BBMP act 2020 and Indian Aircraft rules 1937 rule 91," the notice added. According to the BBMP officials, the decision was taken as the non-vegetarian food littered in public places attract lots of scavenger birds, especially kites, which could cause mid-air mishaps. The 14th edition of the Aero India is scheduled to be held at Air Force Station, Yelahanka from February 13 to 17. Organised by the Ministry of Defence, Department of Defence Production, Bengaluru the five-day event will combine a major trade exhibition of the aerospace and defence industries as well as an aerial display by IAF. Besides global leaders and big investors in the aerospace industry, the show will also see participation by think tanks from across the world. Aero India will provide a unique opportunity for the exchange of information, ideas and new developments in the aviation industry. In addition to giving a fillip to the domestic aviation industry, it would further the cause of Make in India. (ANI)
According to a new study from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet, men who have bad co-parenting relationships in the months following delivery are more likely to be depressed when their children are infants. 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)
The BJP in a statement also announced the candidates for 48 out of the total 60 seats for the Tripura Polls.

Twelve candidates are to be announced soon.

Notably, the meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party Central Election Committee (CEC) was held on January 27 under the chairmanship of BJP National President Jagat Prakash Nadda.

In the meeting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and other members of the CEC were present.

Accordingly, the CEC has given its approval on the names for the upcoming assembly elections in 2023 in Tripura.

In Tripura, the BJP first took office as the state's head of state in 2018, ending the CPI(M)'s 20-year reign.

Elections for the 60-member Tripura assembly are scheduled for February 16.

Nominations must be submitted by January 30. On March 2, the vote tally will be discussed. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday appealed to the youth that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given them all the opportunities to make the country number one in the world. "If you can't sacrifice your life for the country then live your life for your nation and make it the number one country in the world. PM Modi has given you all opportunities to do that," Amit Shah said after attending 'Amrit Mahotsav' event at BVB Engineering College. Amit Shah who arrived in Karnataka earlier in the day inaugurated a stadium at KLE society's BV Bhoomaraddi Engineering College and Technology University in Hubballi city the state. The home minister is likely to attend a roadshow in Karnataka today as the southern state is expected to witness Assembly elections in mid-April or the beginning of May. The Home Minister will participate in the roadshow near Brahma Devara Temple in Dharwad's Kundgol area, mentioned an official engagement plan. Earlier, Home minister Amit Shah was received by Karnataka's Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Pralhad Venkatesh Joshi, Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. The Minister will further lay the foundation stone of National Forensic Sciences University (Karnataka Campus) around noon in National Forensic Science University (NFSU) in Dharwad, a city located in the north-western part of Karnataka. Shah will also offer prayers at Shambulingeshwara Temple in Dharwad's Kundgol and visit Sri Basavanna Devara Mutt in the area on Saturday afternoon. The Home Minister's visit to Karnataka has been organised at a time when Assembly elections are scheduled here this year along with eight other states, including Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. These Assembly elections are said to be the semi-finals ahead of the Lok Sabha Elections scheduled to be held in 2024. The elections in Karnataka are likely to be held in mid-April or the beginning of May. Ahead of the assembly polls, the focus of political parties has shifted to the state. Among the other significant seats, one is the Mangalore City South assembly constituency. (ANI)
Feature: "Lucky Rabbit" kindles Chinese New Year memory of multicultural communities in Australia

Xinhua) 08:26, January 28, 2023

SYDNEY, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- While lion dances heated up the festive mood in Melbourne Chinatown, a memory-keeper of Australia's Chinese community offered a tranquil corner for visitors to explore histories, traditions, mythical stories and mouth-watering cuisines related to the Spring Festival, one of the most important dates for the Chinese people.

This year, bunnies leaped into the level one gallery of the Museum of Chinese Australian History. A "Lucky Rabbit" temporary exhibition was held here to observe the Chinese Lunar New Year, which would run until March 14.

With red lanterns raised high, yellow lion dance costumes sitting straight, and written tags hanging down from a wishing tree, visitors walked into a familiar setting of Chinese New Year celebrations after being welcomed by a rabbit print at the entrance.

For Claire Martinez, who dropped by the exhibition during her midday break, some traditions and cultural taboos that she read on the display boards were already nothing new to her.

Though Claire has never been to China, celebrating the Chinese New Year is a family tradition starting from her childhood.

"We always came as a family to (celebrate) the Chinese New Year in my whole life growing up. I'm the youngest of four. My parents would always bring us to the Chinese New Year," Claire told Xinhua.

Raised by her parents who "embrace all sorts of cultures," Claire and her siblings grew up absorbing a mixture of Chinese, Croatian, Spanish and Irish customs.

When Claire noticed the "Unlucky Things To Do" section at the exhibition, a sense of deja vu pulled at her heartstrings. "My sister always reminded me of not cleaning the house and not showering. I just was refreshing my memory," she said.

Moving through the gallery with one hand often resting on her belly, Claire was drawn to the "Lucky Rabbit" exhibition not only for her long-term interest in Chinese culture, but also for the reason that her baby will be born in the Year of the Rabbit.

"I'm 28 weeks pregnant, and I have a baby rabbit. So I really wanted to come here and put a wish in the wishing tree for the baby," said the mother-to-be.

Only days after the exhibition kicked off on Sunday, the wishing tree was already loaded with wish tags for a promising new year, mostly written in Chinese and English.

Two of those tags came from a couple in their 20s, Leanne and Derrick, who migrated to Brisbane from Malaysia.

"We celebrated the day (Chinese New Year) while we were in Malaysia. We ate 'Yee Sang,'" said Leanne, whose great-grandparents moved to Malaysia from China.

"It's made out of a lot of stuff, like ginger and some other dishes, and then we just put them in one corner, one corner in one plate. After that, we will mix it together with chopsticks again and shut out some nice words and wishes like 'Good Health,'" Leanne said.

For Leanne's partner Derrick, the Year of the Rabbit is a bit different from others. "My zodiac is the rabbit," said Derrick. "It's pretty interesting to see things especially about the race and stuff like that how the zodiac came to be."

From the past when his Chinese grandparents settled down in Malaysia to the present when his parents moved to Australia, reunion still remains a critical part of the New Year celebrations in Derrick's family. Before heading to Melbourne, Derrick just had a family gathering in Canberra.

In Derrick's eyes, despite some cultural differences and the availability of knowledge that can be passed down when it comes to the Chinese New Year, celebrations in China and Malaysia are quite similar.

"So there are some things that are missing and some things they are, but basically I would say quite close, but with a bit of modification combined with the Malaysian culture," said Derrick.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The Caucasus Muslims Office (CMO) has strongly condemned the attack on Azerbaijani Embassy in Iran in a statement, Azernews reports.

"The brutal terrorist attack on Azerbaijan's embassy is unequivocally directed against our country and runs counter to international law. We extend deep condolences to the family of Senior Lieutenant Orkhan Asqarov, who died while ensuring the embassy's security, and wish a speedy recovery to the embassy security guard who suffered during the bloody attack," the office said.

According to the statement, following international law and diplomatic law, Iran is responsible for the attack on the embassy. This infringed upon the principle of the inviolability of diplomatic missions. In accordance with the Vienna Convention of 1961, the host country is obliged to ensure the security of diplomatic missions and their employees.

"As a religious institution, we declare that the country supplying military aid to Armenia, which transformed mosques into pigsties, committed the Khojaly genocide, forced a million Azerbaijanis to leave their native lands  is a direct threat to the national interests of Azerbaijan. Unlike other Muslim countries, which didn't establish political and diplomatic relations with the aggressor-country and made statements condemning the occupation, Iran further enhanced all-inclusive cooperation with Armenia, thus ignoring the resolutions adopted within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)," the Office noted.

The forces behind the provocations against Azerbaijan should know that the Azerbaijani Muslims condemn incitement and other actions directed against our country.

The attack on the Azerbaijani embassy is an unacceptable provocation, and Azerbaijan demands that the Iranian government take the necessary measures and urgently punish perpetrators of this crime, the Office said.




The excise department and the police team, which went to raid for illegal liquor in Arrah, was attacked by the liquor mafia with bricks and stones, during which 11 policemen were injured, informed the police on Saturday. The injured are being treated at Jagdishpur sub-division hospital. Meanwhile, three police vehicles were also damaged during the stone-pelting. The incident occurred in the Mahadalit Tola of Ghagha village located in Dulheinganj of the Jagdishpur police station area. Police have also arrested four accused. The police received information about illegal liquor manufacturing late Thursday evening after which the excise department team reached for the raid. During the raid, some people were arrested while seizing the illegal liquor consignment. Following the arrests, the liquor mafia started opposing the team and attacked it. Men and women supporting the liquor mafia attacked the Excise Department team with bricks and stones. The sudden attack led to a stampede and the policemen somehow managed to escape from the area. The liquor mafia took advantage of the situation and ran away after rescuing the consignment of country liquor seized in the police raid and the people involved in this business from the custody of the police. Product Inspector Chaudhary Surya Bhushan, Under Inspector Rahul Kumar Dubey, Ajit Kumar, Pooja Kumari, ASI Madan Lal Yadav, Jitendra Kumar, Jairam Prasad, Ram Ji Chaudhary, Sipahi Manish Kumar, Rani Kumari posted in the home guard and 11 others were injured. Giving information about the incident, the injured Inspector of the Product Department, Chowdhary Surya Bhushan, said, "On the information of illegal liquor, the Excise team had gone to the Mahadalit village of Dhaga village, where the team was suddenly attacked by the liquor mafia, in which 11 people including me were injured. In this attack, the liquor confiscated by the police team and the businessmen who were caught were forcibly released by the attackers." "Three police vehicles were also damaged in the attack by the liquor mafia while four of the attackers have been arrested by the police. An FIR has been registered against the people who attacked the police team on the statement of the product inspector. The police are conducting further investigations. Notably, on January 3, the police team which went to raid the sale of illegal liquor in Bodha Tola village of Dhangai police station area of Jagdishpur block was attacked in which six policemen including ASI of Dhangai police station were injured. (ANI)
The police party was apparently returning after arresting a liquor smuggler in the Masoom Ganj area.

After seizing the illicit liquor and arresting the smuggler, the police party was attacked by three to four smugglers.

During the attack, the smugglers fired on the police.

According to the police, the three injured police personnel have been admitted to the Sadar Hospital and are undergoing treatment.

A member of the police party said, "They asked us where are we taking him and who we are. They became aggressive, and started firing and pelting stones."

"Police are currently raiding the area. The police have also arrested a smuggler. It is said that four to five liquor smugglers have attacked the police. Raids are being conducted in the area after the incident, while the injured policemen have been admitted to Sadar Hospital for treatment," informed constable Ravi Ranjan. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that many attempts were made to break India geographically, culturally, socially, and ideologically, but no force could destroy India. India is not just a piece of land but an expression of our civilization and potential, the Prime Minister said in Malaseri Dungri in Bhilwara district of Rajasthan today while addressing a ceremony to commemorate the 1,111th 'Avataran Mahotsav' of Bhagwan Shri Devnarayan Ji in Rajasthan's Bhilwara. "We the people of India are proud of our thousands of years old civilization and culture," the Prime Minister said. PM Modi said that his government was following the mantra of "preference for the underprivileged" and of empowering every section of society just like Lord Devnarayan, who shunned a life of luxury and instead chose to serve people. The PM said, "Bhagwan Devnarayan came from a well-off family but he shunned the luxurious life and chose to serve people and dedicated his life to public service." "Today the country is moving forward on this path. We are also working with the mantra of 'preference for the underprivileged'. That is why today the poor are getting free ration and free treatment. The poor used to worry about the house, toilet, and gas cylinder. We are removing that too. Bank accounts of the poor are being opened," Modi added. PM Modi also stated that attempts to break India could not succeed. He said, "We take pride in our thousands of years old history, civilisation and culture. Several civilisations of the world ended with time. Several attempts were made to break India geographically, culturally, socially and ideologically. But no power could finish India." "India is not just a tract of land but also an expression of our civilisation, culture, harmony and possibilities. That is why India is laying the foundation for its glorious future. The biggest inspiration behind this is the power of our society which belongs to crores of people of the country," the prime minister said. PM Modi said that in every period in the country, such a power emerges from within the society which has shown the direction to everyone. Lord Devnayan was also such an incarnation who protected the country from the invaders. PM Modi stated that Lord Devnarayan removed the evils spread in society and spread the spirit harmony, united the society, and worked towards establishing an ideal system. "This is the reason that there is reverence and immense faith in him in every section of society," he said. He said that due to the efforts of the government, electricity, water, health, housing and banking facilities are reaching the common people. The government's efforts are also going on to provide water for agriculture and to protect livestock. For the first time, the facility of Kisan Credit Card has also been provided to the cattle rearers. More than 15000 cr has been deposited in the bank accounts of the farmers under PM Kisan Saman Nidhi, PM Modi said. PM Modi also thanked the people of Rajasthan for inviting him on the auspicious occassion. He said, "We will work hard. We all will work together and everyone's efforts will lead to success. I am very grateful to society that it has invited me here as a devotee. The power and devotion of society inspired me and I am here today." The event was organised by the culture ministry. Malaseri is the birthplace of Bhagwan Dev Narayan, greatly revered by the Gujjars in the area. The Gujjars are about 9 per cent to 12 per cent of the population in the state and they are significant in 40 to 50 assembly seats in eastern Rajasthan. Bhagwan Shri Devnarayan ji is worshipped by the people of Rajasthan, and his followers are spread across the length and breadth of the country. He is revered especially for his work towards public service. Earlier this morning Prime Minister Modi prayers at the Malaseri Dungri temple in the district and also made offerings in the ongoing Yagya there. Notably, this is Prime Minister Modi's third visit to the poll-bound Rajasthan in the last four months. (ANI)
Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has been conferred with the 'Outstanding Achiever' honour in the Government and Politics category at the India-UK Achievers Honours in London. The award recognises individuals who demonstrate "excellence in how democracy and justice are experienced and how challenging societal problems are tackled together for the good of people and the planet". "This award isn't a recognition of an individual's achievements. Though received by an ordinary individual from an ordinary background with an ordinary skillset, this award belongs to an extraordinary party called the AAP and the extraordinary leadership of the person I have the distinguished honour of calling my mentor, Arvind Kejriwal Ji. I dedicate this award to my leader Arvind Kejriwal Ji and thousands of those faceless and nameless grassroots workers for their unflinching and unwavering dedication to serving India," Chaddha said while speaking at the event on Wednesday. Reflecting on his journey as a student "of the largest democracy" who studied in "the world's oldest democracy", he quipped that today there's more of India in Britain than Britain in India -- be it the Kohinoor or Rishi Sunak, history has come full circle. The India-UK Achievers Honours celebrate the educational and professional achievements of young Indians who have studied in the UK, marking India's 75 years of independence. AAP leader studied at the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE), after which he set up a boutique wealth management firm in London. He then returned to India and joined India Against Corruption Movement demanding anti-corruption legislation as a young activist. In 2022, aged just 33, he became the youngest Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Indian parliament, where he represents the state of Punjab. The award ceremony was organised by the National Indian Students and Alumni Union (NISAU) UK in partnership with the British Council in India, supported by the UK Government Department for International Trade and the UK Higher Education sector. This is the second international recognition for Chadha within a year. Last year, he was honoured as a Young Global Leader by the most coveted World Economic Forum. (ANI)
Amid ruckus outside the Delhi University's Arts faculty building, the Vice Chancellor of the University has formed a seven-member panel to conduct a probe into the matter. This committee have been formed to enforce discipline and maintain law and order on campus. They will specifically investigate the incident that occurred outside the Faculty of Arts on January 27. The committee, headed by DU Proctor Rajini Abbi, has been asked to submit its report to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh by 5 pm on January 30. "The other members of the committee include Professor Ajay Kumar Singh of the Department of Commerce, Professor Manoj Kumar Singh, Joint Proctor, Professor Sanjoy Roy of the Department of Social Work, Professor Rama, Principal of Hansraj College, Professor Dinesh Khattar, Principal of Kirorimal College, and Gaje Singh, Chief Security Officer. The Committee may specifically look into the incident of the 27th of January, 2023 which occurred outside the Faculty of Arts and opposite gate No. 4, University of Delhi," DU said in a notice. On Friday, some commotion erupted outside the building of Arts faculty after some students attempted to screen the controversial BBC documentary on PM Modi. Delhi Police detained around 20 people from outside the Faculty of Arts at the University of Delhi in the wake of a call by NSUI-KSU for the screening of the BBC documentary series. Provisions under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) are imposed outside the Faculty of Arts. The BBC documentary has created a fresh row in the country after the government, earlier this month, denounced it and described it as a "propaganda piece" that is designed to push a discredited narrative. The government also pulled down the BBC documentary 'India: The Modi Question' from various social media platforms including Twitter and Youtube. The row further deepened after JNUSU members allegedly faced a "deliberate" power outage, while they were screening the impugned BBC documentary at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in the national capital. The documentary leads to opposition attacking the government on freedom of speech despite the government terming it as a 'propaganda piece'. Earlier on Wednesday, 13 students were detained after some students tried to create a stir outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University over the screening of a BBC documentary.The Delhi Police said the university administration did not allow the screening of the BBC documentary on campus. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday emphasised the importance of integrating forensic sciences investigation with the criminal justice system to increase the conviction rate. "The crime rate has been increasing significantly as the criminals are several steps ahead of the police, be it hawala transaction, border intrusion, narcotics, cyber crime or the crimes against women. Crime prevention is not possible until the police remain ahead of the criminals. To attain this goal, the first condition is to increase the conviction ratio but unless the investigation is recorded scientifically, you cannot punish any criminal and hence for this, any crime that holds a punishment for six years or more should be studied by forensic science," Home Minister Amit Shah during the stone laying ceremony of the ninth campus of the National Forensic Science Centre (NFSC) at Dharwad. He further exuded confidence that in the next five years, India would become the country to have the highest number of scientific experts in the world. "I can confidently and with utmost trust say that after five years, India would be the country to have the highest number of experts in forensic science because the Forensic Science University is unique," the Home Minister said. He expressed his delight and highlighted that Karnataka is the second state in the country (after the national capital Delhi) which has mandated forensic visits for the crimes holding punishment for over six years. "I believe it would improve the crime detection and its conviction," he added. Later in the address, Shah announced that they would soon bring reforms to the Evidence Act. "We will soon change the Evidence Act. We will bring change to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Evidence Act to ensure punishments for crimes on scientific grounds so that the criminal can be punished with all the observations of forensic science," he said. "We have to increase our conviction rate by integrating the investigations of forensic science with the criminal justice system. We should also make the involvement of forensic science mandatory for certain heinous crimes," he said adding that the government has taken up several decisions in the area of forensic science besides the upgradation of CFSL in different parts of the country. Earlier in the day, he encouraged the students to work for the country and advised them to utilize opportunities provided by the Centre to make the country number one in the world. "If you can't sacrifice your life for the country then live your life for your nation and make it the number one country in the world. PM Modi has given you all opportunities to do that," Amit Shah said addressing the students at 'Amrit Mahotsav' at the BVB Engineering College in Karnataka's Hubballi. The Home Minister elaborated on patent application forms and said by 2013-14, the Centre used to receive 3,000 patent applications of which 211 used to get registration. "However, in 2021-22 we have received 1 lakh applications, of which 24,000 have been registered thus showing how our youth is moving forward smartly in the area of research," he added. Home Minister Shah also advised the students to move out of the traditional mentality and framework and encouraged them to "think new, be brave, and move forward". (ANI)
"On the occasion of "Sarvodaya Day" on Monday: 30-01-2023, the slaughtering of animals and sale of meat in shops under the jurisdiction of Bangalore Municipal Corporation is completely prohibited," the notice read.

Meanwhile, BBMP issued a notice to restaurants and proprietors of meat stalls near the Yelahanka Air Force Station to stop the sale of meat and non-vegetarian dishes from January 30 to February 20.

According to the BBMP officials, the decision was taken as the non-vegetarian food littered in public places attracts lots of scavenger birds, especially kites, which could cause mid-air mishaps. (ANI)
Samajwadi Party MLC Swami Prasad Maurya met the SP chief Akhilesh Yadav at the Party office on Saturday amid row over his remarks on Ramacharitmanas. Refusing to apologise for his remarks on the holy book of Hindus, Maurya said that the party is seeking justice for the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and the backward classes of the country. "To provide justice to the SC, ST and Backward classes of this country, the party will demand a caste-based census first of all. For this, we will write a letter to the Central Government. They (BJP) are slowly abolishing the only weapon of the tribals, Dalits and backward classes, i.e. reservation. We will not let them exploit us," Maurya said while interacting with the media. When asked about Akhilesh Yadav's stand on his statement on Ramacharitmanas, Maurya said, "Akhilesh Yadav is the national president of our party. He will make a statement at the right time." Meanwhile, slogans were raised against Akhilesh Yadav by members of the BJP and Hindu Mahasabha. Black flags were also shown by the protesters while he visited Maa Pitambara temple in Lucknow to attend the 108th Mahayaga event. Earlier this month, the SP leader sparked a major controversy after he demanded the deletion of "insulting comments and sarcasm" targeted at particular castes and sects in Ramcharitmanas, a poem based on the epic Ramayana. Speaking to ANI, the former BJP leader had said, "I don't have any issue with Ramcharitramanas but parts of it have insulting comments and sarcasm directed at particular castes and sects. Those should be removed." Maurya further claimed that in the Ramcharitmanas, which was composed by Tulsidas, there are words hurting the sentiments of the Dalit community. "The government should take effective action and show sensitivity. It should see that the sentiments of any community are not hurt," he added. While Maurya's remarks gave fresh ammunition to the BJP, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav distanced himself from the remark. An FIR was filed against the former Cabinet minister over his remark. The case against Maurya was filed at the Hazratganj police station for allegedly outraging religious feelings with his remark. (ANI)
India has third highest number of startups in the world, said Union Minister G Kishan Reddy on Saturday while addressing the first Inception Meet of Startup20 in Hyderabad. "Our youths want to become job creators instead of job holders. The success of Indian startups shows our youths' passion," G Kishan Reddy said. Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa at the inaugural session said, "Startups of today are solving problems of education, health, agricultural productivity etc for one billion people for India and also for the world" Kant further said that earlier, opening a bank account in India took 8-9 months whereas today, it's possible within a minute using biometrics. "For last 4 years, we do more fast payments compared to US, Europe and China," Kant added. The Inception Meet of Startup20 which started today in Hyderabad will end on January 29. A new Engagement Group - Startup20 - has been established as part of the G20 India Presidency. Startup20 aims to develop a global narrative for supporting startups and facilitating synergies among startups, corporations, investors, innovation agencies, and other key ecosystem stakeholders, according to an official release of Startup20 PRO. The primary objective is to harmonise the global startup ecosystem through a collaborative and forward-looking approach. As per the official statement, the purpose of this group is to provide a common platform for startups from G20 member countries to come together to develop actionable guidance in the form of the building of enabler's capacities, identification of funding gaps, enhancement of employment opportunities, achievement of SDG targets and climate resilience, and growth of an inclusive ecosystem. The Startup20 activities will span over five events. The summit event will happen in July 2023 in Gurugram with three intervening events that have been planned in different parts of India. The participating countries include the G20 countries as well as 9 observer countries from overseas. About 80 delegates are expected. Indian delegates expected are around 100, including Incubators, Startups, Investors, and Industry Partners among others, the press release added. (ANI)
Indian tunes based on Indian Classical Ragas will be the flavour of the 'Beating the Retreat' ceremony this year which will be graced by President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Droupadi Murmu at Vijay Chowk in the national capital on January 29. According to the Ministry of Defence, 29 captivating and foot-tapping Indian tunes will be played by the music bands of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the State Police and the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will also be present in the ceremony. The event will witness the country's biggest Drone Show, comprising of 3,500 indigenous drones. The drone show will light up the evening sky over the Raisina hills, weaving myriad forms of national figures/events through smooth synchronisation. It will depict the success of the startup ecosystem, technological prowess of the country's youth and pave the way for future path-breaking trends. The drone show will be organised by Botlabs Dynamics.For the first time, a 3D anamorphic projection will be organised during Beating Retreat Ceremony on the facade of the North and South Block.The ceremony will begin with the massed band's 'Agniveer' tune which will be followed by enthralling tunes like 'Almora', 'Kedar Nath, 'Sangam Dur', 'Queen of Satpura', 'Bhagirathi', 'Konkan Sundari' by Pipes and Drums band, said the Defence Ministry statement. Indian Air Force's band will play 'Aprajey Arjun', 'Charkha', 'Vayu Shakti', 'Swadeshi', while 'Ekla Cholo Re', 'Hum Taiyyar Hai', and 'Jai Bharati' will be played by the band of Indian Navy.The Indian Army's band will play 'Shankhnaad', 'Sher-e-Jawan', 'Bhupal', 'Agranee Bharat', 'Young India', 'Kadam Kadam Badhaye Ja', 'Drummers Call', and 'Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon'.The event will come to a close with the ever-popular tune of 'Sare Jahan se Acha'.The principal conductor of the ceremony will be Flight Lieutenant Leimapokpam Rupachandra Singh. While the Army Band will be led by Sub Maj Diggar Singh, the Naval and Air Force band commanders will be M Anthoni Raj and Warrant Officer Ashok Kumar. The conductor of the State Police and CAPF bands will be Asstt Sub Inspector Prem Singh, said the official statement. The Buglers will perform under the leadership of Naib Subedar Santosh Kumar Pandey, and pipes and drums band will play under the instructions of Subedar Major Baswaraj Vagge.The 'Beating the Retreat' ceremony at the Vijay Chowk on January 29 every year marks the culmination of the four-day-long Republic Day celebrations. It has emerged as an event of national pride when the Colours and Standards are paraded.The ceremony traces its origins to the early 1950s when Major Roberts of the Indian Army indigenously developed the unique ceremony of display by the massed bands. It marks a centuries-old military tradition when the troops ceased fighting, sheathed their arms and withdrew from the battlefield and returned to the camps at sunset at the sound of the Retreat. Colours and Standards are cased and flags are lowered. The ceremony creates nostalgia for the times gone by. (ANI)
The Azerbaijani Parliament has strongly condemned the terrorist act against the country's embassy in Iran committed on January 27, 2023, Azernews reports.

The Parliament noted that the responsibility for the act lies on Iran since in accordance with the Vienna Convention of 1961, the host country is obliged to ensure the security of diplomatic missions and their employees.

"Unfortunately, Iran has been conducting smear campaigns against Azerbaijan in recent days. In this regard, taking measures to prevent possible attacks on Azerbaijan's diplomatic missions should have been the focal point of Iranian law enforcement agencies. As it is, the possibility of an armed person's free penetration into the administrative building of the embassy, where a special security regime operates, raises serious questions. We consider Iran's statements about the reasons for this brutal attack to be unsatisfactory. We demand a thorough investigation of the incident, the punishment of all those responsible, including those behind this bloody criminal act, as well as the disclosure of the circumstances that resulted in the terrorist act. The customers, instigators, and perpetrators of the terrorist act against the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran should also know that under no circumstances will they be able to carry out their dirty intentions. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and relatives of the victim, as well as wish a speedy recovery to the wounded," the parliament said.
Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested the prime accused in several cases of robbery across Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, officials said. The Uttar Pradesh police made the arrest on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday after receiving a tipoff. The accused is a resident of Bhajanpura in Delhi under Yamuna Vihar Police Station. He was arrested following an encounter in which he sustained an injury in his right leg while attempting to flee. Two pistols, three magazines, four hollow cartridges and eight live cartridges were seized from the accused during checking at the Bichpuri post. A white-coloured car was also seized from the accused. The arrested is accused of being involved in the looting of a goldsmith in Lohamandi area under Agra Police Station. On preliminary interrogation, the arrested man confessed to have committed motorcycle thefts in three states of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh along with five incidents of robbery while holding the victims at gunpoint in the past two months. Investigations revealed that on January 21, the accused accompanied by two of his accomplices entered a jewellery shop in Lohamandi market and looted six gold chains at gunpoint. While fleeing, the victim raised an alarm and the miscreants were surrounded by passersby and other shopkeepers. They opened fire injuring four people in the process before fleeing. The arrested is also an accused in the robbery of a businessman in the Sarai Khwaja police station area in Faridabad in Haryana where a businessman was shot. On January 4, three miscreants riding black Apache motorcycles and wearing helmets and masks, looted a grocery merchant and shot him and robbed him of cash and escaped with his scooty. The miscreants who fled with the businessmen's scooty abandoned the vehicle and fled after reaching a certain point, police said. Police have launched a search operation to arrest the other accused in the case. (ANI)
Highlighting the work done by the State government for women's empowerment, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday said that the "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" campaign changed the attitude of people in society towards daughters. He was speaking at a program organized by BJP Pradesh Mahila Morcha at Chief Minister's Camp Office today. BJP Pradesh Mahila Morcha, various social organisations and girl students present in large numbers expressed their gratitude to Chief Minister Dhami for implementing 30 per cent horizontal reservation in government jobs for women in the state of Uttarakhand. "A state and society can develop only when our mother's power is strong. Continuous efforts were made by the state government to maintain a 30 per cent horizontal reservation in jobs for women in the state. The bill for 30 per cent horizontal reservation for the women of the state was passed by the assembly. On which approval has also been received from the Governor," said Dhami. He further said that continuous efforts are being made by the state government in the direction of women's empowerment. "Today, women are continuously ahead in various fields like education, sports, social justice and health. The contribution of women in the building of the state cannot be forgotten. The foundation of a developed society can be laid only by empowering women," he said. The Chief Minister said that work is being done to bring forward the daughters of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "Work is being done to improve the standard of living of women in the entire country. The Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign has changed the attitude of people in society towards daughters. Many schemes are being run by the central government to empower women. The people standing on the last line of the society are getting benefited from the central government's Ujjwala Yojana, Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Ayushman Bharat Yojana," said the CM. Dhami said that apart from giving 30 per cent horizontal reservation to women in government jobs, schemes like 'Mukhyamantri Nari Sashaktikaran Yojna', Mukhyamantri Mahalaxmi Yojna, Mukhyamantri Vatsalya Yojna, Mukhyamantri Aanchal Amrit Yojna and Poshan Abhiyaan are being run in the state. "The state government has also increased the number of incentives available under Teelu Rauteli Puraskar Yojna and Nanda Gaura Yojna. Today women are illuminating the name of India till water, land and sky. Last year itself, six brave women officers of the Navy had travelled the whole world by sea. It is a matter of pride for us that the captain of the women's team is the daughter of the Pauri district of Uttarakhand. The commander was Vartika Joshi," he said. The Chief Minister said that along with women empowerment in the state, the government is making every possible effort to connect the youth with employment and self-employment. Recruitment processes are being expedited. He said that strict action is being taken against those involved in irregularities in the recruitment process. A strict anti-copying law is being enacted in the state. He said that if irregularities were found in the recent Patwari recruitment, it has been cancelled and the date of re-examination has been fixed. No fee will be charged in the buses of Uttarakhand Transport Corporation from the candidates appearing in this examination on showing the admit card on the day of the examination. State President Mahila Morcha BJP Asha Nautiyal said that under the leadership of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the dignity and self-respect of women have increased in the entire state. She said that by giving reservations to women in jobs from panchayats, the work of connecting them with the mainstream is being done by the government. "Today women are doing the work of empowering their village at the panchayat level. Women played an important role in the formation of the state of Uttarakhand, in the same way, today women are contributing in the development of the state," she added. (ANI)
The National Green Tribunal has refrained from levying environmental compensation of Rs 1,000 crore on the Assam Government and Rs 1,138 crore on the Odisha government for the improper management of solid as well as liquid waste. The Tribunal headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel decided to refrain from levying Environment Compensation (EC) after noting that the Government is allocating a higher amount and will soon be credited to a separate ring-fenced account for the purposes. In view of the undertaking given by the chief secretaries of Odisha and Assam state Governments, we refrain from levying EC on the State of Odisha and Assam for time being and the ring-fenced account will be non-lapsable, said the Tribunal. In the matter of Assam, the tribunal noted that Chief Secretary Assam fairly accepts that there is a gap of about 435 MLD in sewage generation and treatment and legacy waste of 33 Lakh MT. In normal circumstances, the State would be liable to pay compensation of about Rs 1000 crore at the scale of compensation fixed in other States. However, it is stated in Assam higher amount stands allocated and Rs 1043 crore will be soon credited to a separate ring-fenced account for the purpose. In the matter of Odisha, the Tribunal noted that the Chief Secretary, Odisha fairly accepts that there is a gap of about 514 MLD in sewage generation and treatment and legacy waste of 37 Lakh MT. In normal circumstances, the State would be liable to pay compensation of about Rs 1,138 crore at the scale of compensation fixed in other States. However, it is stated in Odisha higher amount stands allocated and Rs 1,152 crore will soon be credited to a separate ring-fenced account for the purpose The tribunal also said we hope in the light of interaction with the Chief Secretaries, the said States will take further measures in the matter by an innovative approach and stringent monitoring, ensuring that gaps in solid and liquid waste generation and treatment are bridged at the earliest, shortening the proposed timelines, adopting alternative/interim measures to the extent and wherever found viable. Earlier, while awarded Environment Compensation in several states, the NGT had said that "award of compensation has become necessary under section 15 of the NGT Act to remedy the continuing damage to the environment and to comply with directions of the Supreme Court requiring this Tribunal to monitor enforcement of norms for solid and liquid waste management. Moreover, without fixing the quantified liability necessary for restoration, the mere passing of orders has not shown any tangible results in the last several years (for solid waste management) and five years (for liquid waste management), even after the expiry of statutory/laid down timelines. Continuing damage is required to be prevented in the future and past damage is to be restored, said the bench. The directions were passed by the Green court while examining the issues of solid as well as liquid waste management as per orders of the Supreme Court order dated 02.09.2014 with regard to solid waste management and order dated 22.02.2017 with regard to liquid waste management. (ANI)
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said that there is no dissidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party Karnataka unit and they are just organising the party for the state's good. "There has been no dissidence in the party anywhere. The progress of the party is important for which everyone must strive. They have only one aim for Belagavi, Dharwad, Kittur Karnataka, Hyderabad-Karnataka and South Karnataka and to achieve this, the party is being organised," Bommai told reporters ahead of Home Minister Amit Shah's programme in Hubballi. Reacting to a question where the Chief Minister was asked if Congress and president of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) DK Shivakumar were afraid of BJP, he said that the party (BJP) has become a "nightmare" for DK Shivakumar and this is the reason "he would see the saffron party in his dreams." Further, talking about the Home Minister's visit to the state, CM Bommai said that it would bring an electrifying movement in Kittur. "Shah will lay the foundation stone for the FSL, attend platinum jubilee celebrations of BVB College of Engineering, booth level Vijay Sankalp Yatra of Dharwad district, a mammoth public meeting in M.K.Hubli, and a meeting with the office-bearers above Mandal," Bommai told the mediapersons. He further said that Kittur Karnataka has been the strong fortress of the BJP and Amit Shah is visiting across the state. "He (Amit Shah) played an important role in the 2018 Assembly polls. He visited Mandya, now Kittur Karnataka and Hyderabad Karnataka in the next month. The party organisation is a continuous process and there will be the inauguration of the State and Central Government schemes and the laying of the foundation stone for various programs," Bommai added. He also said that the influence of the national leaders is bound to have on state politics and the party has been making use of it. (ANI)
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Saturday targeted Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Chief Kamal Nath for not implementing the promises made during the Congress-led government that was in power for 15 months and said, "Congress again started making false promises..." "The Congress did not fulfill even a single promise made in the promissory note. Now, I will continuously ask Kamal Nath ji about those promises," he told media persons in Ujjain. "Today, I will let you know one of those promises, Nath had named many crops, including wheat, gram, mustard, rice and said that he would give a bonus. Has Kamal Nath given the bonus to even a single person in the last one and quarter years? After all, even a lie has its limits. My process of asking questions to him will begin now," the Chief Minister added. Notably, twenty-two rebel Congress MLAs, whose resignations from the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, owing allegiance to BJP leader and former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia led to the fall of the Kamal Nath government in March 2020. Chouhan is in Ujjain to participate in a social media conclave being held at Vikram Kirti Mandir in the district. "Today is Narmada Jayanti. I extend heartfelt greetings to every citizen in Madhya Pradesh and in the country. I pray Maa Narmada to shower blessings on Madhya Pradesh. We get electricity, water for irrigation and drinking water by her grace. May her grace continue forever," he added. "Today there are many Narmada Jayanti programs in the state. Today I am happy because two years ago, on the day of Narmada Jayanti, I had taken a pledge to plant trees everyday. Two years of that resolution have been completed and the third year has started. I am happy to share that I urged people to plant at least one tree on their birthday and about 67 lakh people have planted," the Chief Minister said. "Today social media giants are gathered in the city of Mahakal Baba, a social media conclave is being organised here, I had come here to participate in that conclave," he added. BJP State President Vishnu Dutt Sharma, State Higher Education Minister Mohan Yadav, Ujjain Member of Parliament (MP) Anil Firojiya and BJP leader Muralidhar Rao were also present along with CM Chouhan on the occasion. (ANI)
Whether it's a tablet, phone, computer, or television, your young children are undoubtedly spending a lot of time staring at a screen, therefore you probably worry about it. Most likely, you're interested in learning how screen time impacts your child's development and whether there's anything you can do to lessen any adverse consequences. According to Japanese research, more screen time at age 2 is associated with poorer communication and daily living skills at age 4--however, when children also play outside, some of the negative effects of screen time are mitigated. In the study, which will be published in March in JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers followed 885 children from 18 months to 4 years of age. They looked at the relationship between three key features: the average amount of screen time per day at age 2, the amount of outdoor play at age 2 years 8 months, and neurodevelopmental outcomes--specifically, communication, daily living skills, and socialization scores according to a standardized assessment tool called Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale-II--at age 4. "Although both communication and daily living skills were worse in 4-year-old children who had had more screen time at aged 2, outdoor play time had very different effects on these two neurodevelopmental outcomes," said Kenji J. Tsuchiya, Professor at Osaka University and lead author of the study, adding, "We were surprised to find that outdoor play didn't really alter the negative effects of screen time on communication--but it did have an effect on daily living skills." Specifically, almost one-fifth of the effects of screen time on daily living skills were mediated by outdoor play, meaning that increasing outdoor play time could reduce the negative effects of screen time on daily living skills by almost 20 per cent. The researchers also found that, although it was not linked to screen time, socialization was better in 4-year-olds who had spent more time playing outside at 2 years and 8 months of age. "Taken together, our findings indicate that optimizing screen time in young children is really important for appropriate neurodevelopment," said Tomoko Nishimura, senior author of the study, adding, "We also found that screen time is not related to social outcomes and that even if screen time is relatively high, encouraging more outdoor play time might help to keep kids healthy and developing appropriately." These results are particularly important given the recent COVID-19-related lockdowns around the world, which have generally led to more screen time and less outdoor time for children. Because the use of digital devices is difficult to avoid even in very young children, further research looking at how to balance the risks and benefits of screen time in young children is eagerly awaited. (ANI)
Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday said that Pakistan is creating unwanted hurdles in the power projects Kishanganga (330 megawatts) and Ratle (850 megawatts), which will be built in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, as India is not stopping the flow of water but only using it for the power projects. The minister's statement comes following the notice issued to Pakistan for modification of the Indus Waters Treaty after Islamabad's actions adversely impinged the provisions of the treaty. Speaking to media persons here, the Union Minister said, "The India-Pakistan Indus Waters Treaty was finalized in the year 1960 and as a result of that treaty, there was an understanding between the two countries India and Pakistan. There would be sharing three of the rivers each. Whereas Jhelum, Chenab and Indus Waters went to the Pakistan's share and Ravi, Sutlej and Beas were India's share and this was a very solemn undertaking." "It was accomplished at the time when President Mohammad Ayub Khan was at the helm of affairs in Islamabad. But time and again Pakistan has sought to raise some of the other controversies. Now the latest issue is that of the two projects that are coming in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir one of them incidentally comes in my own Lok Sabha Constituency in the place called Kishtwar. Now, this is a project called Ratle Project,"he added. Singh said that the Shahpur Kandi Project on the Ravi River was withheld for 40 years by the previous UPA government and the Kishtwar was withheld for the last eight years. "It had been stalled for almost a decade by the earlier UPA government. After tremendous efforts, it was revived and now it is being undertaken as a joint venture between the Centre and the UT govt. On the other hand, Kishanganga Project, Now, Pakistan is trying to put out the case as if it is a violation of the Indus Waters Treaty which is not so because the Indus Waters Treaty gives you the right over the water share but it does not prevent the other country from any activities which are non-consumptive, that does not consume water. So merely the constructing of that project is not going to consume the water of these rivers," he said. Keeping in view the past action of Pakistan the Indian government has decided to the reorganization of Indus Waters Treaty and write to Pakistan to reorganise the Indus Waters Treaty which is a big step in this matter. He said that the Ministry of External Affairs has taken up this matter with Pakistan and will take appropriate steps. Earlier on Friday, India issued notice to Pakistan for modification of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of September 1960 after Islamabad's actions adversely impinged the provisions of the treaty, according to sources. The notice was conveyed on January 25 through respective Commissioners for Indus Waters as per Article XII (3) of the IWT. He reiterated, "I am sure the concerned departments and Ministry of External Affairs have taken it up with Pakistan and asked them to avoid racking up controversy over this. This govt led by PM Modi has always been decisive in whatever he decides, whatever initiative he takes and at the same time every decision is taken with a lot of diligence and home work. So these projects were also conceived, and planned, keeping all the conditions of the Indus Water Treaty in mind and there is no violation at all." The objective of the notice for modification, according to sources, is to provide Pakistan with an opportunity to enter into intergovernmental negotiations within 90 days to rectify the material breach of the IWT. This process would also update IWT to incorporate the lessons learned over the last 62 years. India has always been a responsible partner in implementing the IWT. Pakistan's actions, however, have encroached on the provisions of IWT and their implementation and forced India to issue an appropriate notice for modification of IWT, sources said. In 2015, Pakistan requested for the appointment of a Neutral Expert to examine its technical objections to India's Kishenganga and Ratle Hydro Electric Projects (HEPs). In 2016, Pakistan unilaterally retracted this request and proposed that a Court of Arbitration adjudicate its objections. According to sources, this action by Pakistan is a breach of the graded mechanism of dispute settlement envisaged by Article IX of IWT. India thus made a separate request for the matter to be referred to a Neutral Expert. The initiation of two simultaneous processes on the same questions and the potential of their inconsistent or contradictory outcomes creates an unprecedented and legally untenable situation, which risks endangering IWT itself. The World Bank acknowledged this itself in 2016, and took a decision to "pause" the initiation of two parallel processes and requested India and Pakistan to seek an amicable way out, sources say. Pakistan, despite repeated efforts by India to find a mutually agreeable way forward, has refused to discuss the issue during the five meetings of the Permanent Indus Commission from 2017 to 2022. The World Bank at Pakistan's continued insistence initiated actions on both the Neutral Expert and Court of Arbitration processes. Such parallel consideration of the same issues is not covered under any provision of IWT. The World Bank in October 2022, made appointments in two separate processes requested by India and Pakistan in relation to the Kishenganga and Ratle hydroelectric power plants. It appointed a chairman of the Court of Arbitration and a neutral expert "in line with its responsibilities" under the Indus Waters Treaty. A World Bank release said that the two countries disagree over whether the technical design features of the two hydroelectric plants contravene the Treaty. It said Pakistan asked the World Bank to facilitate the establishment of a Court of Arbitration to consider its concerns about the designs of the two hydroelectric power projects, while India asked for the appointment of a Neutral Expert to consider similar concerns over the two projects. Michel Lino was appointed as the Neutral Expert and Sean Murphy was appointed as Chairman of the Court of Arbitration. They will carry out their duties in their individual capacity as subject matter experts and independently of any other appointments they may currently hold, the release said. (ANI)
Under the UK Police Technology Cooperation Trade Mission to India, a team from the UK will visit the state capital Lucknow on February 1, which will be working in partnership with Indian partners to address UP's internal security challenges, informed the government on Saturday. "The improved law and order system in Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has not only become a 'model' for other states in the country but also has achieved success in gaining popularity abroad," the government said in the release. The team comprises eight leading UK security companies and training organisations. This team will meet senior police officers of UP and give information about their expertise through a presentation. Also based on inputs from UP Police officials, it will work in partnership with Indian partners to address UP's internal security challenges, the release stated. In this regard, cooperation has been sought from UP DGP Devendra Singh Chauhan on behalf of the British High Commission located in New Delhi. The team will be led by British Deputy Trade Commissioner for South Asia Anna Shotbolt. The team will also include representatives from the Department for HMG, International Trade, the Home Office, the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Organisation, the British High Commission, and the UK-India Business Council, the release added. As per the release, the delegation includes UK companies working in the areas of Police Modernization relating to Cyber Security, Forensic Sciences, Crime Investigation, Traffic Management, and Safe City, Secure Communication, Prison and Secure Facility Access Management, Drug and Narcotics Prohibition, and Police Training Issues expertise. Their representatives will give a presentation to the senior officers of the UP Police. The letter written by the British High Commission to the DGP read that during their summit meeting in May 2021, the Prime Ministers of the two countries had welcomed a "new era" in bilateral relations. As part of this, the UK is committed to greater collaboration between Indian and British government laboratories, academia, and industry to jointly develop and produce the next generation of security capabilities. The UK has committed to ensuring that this new era benefits all people and territories in both countries. To take this engagement forward, representatives from the UK Police Technology Cooperation Trade Mission in India are arriving in Lucknow. This will further strengthen the spirit of mutual cooperation between the two countries, the release stated. It is notable that before the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit (UPGIS), UK Secretary of State for International Trade, Kemi Badenoch wrote a letter to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, praising the development work done in the state, infrastructure and strengthening the business and investment environment. "At the same time, Team Yogi, which went to invite UK investors for UPGIS, got a very good response due to better law and order situation, excellent connectivity, and investor-friendly policies of the state government," the release stated. (ANI)
Delhi Police arrested five people and apprehended a juvenile in connection with a robbery case in South Rohini area. On January 23, an ERSS (Emergency Response Support System) call regarding the snatching of a bag by using pepper spray was received at South Rohini police station. According to the police, Rajbir Pal (45), a resident of Delhi's Mangolpuri was returning from his office on his motorcycle and when he reached near Tula Ram Public School, Mangolpur Kalan, he was forced to stop by a bike-borne man. Soon after, two more persons came from behind and one of them threw chilli powder in his eyes and both of them robbed his bag containing around Rs 60,000. A case was registered accordingly at South Rohini police stations. Delhi Police laid a trap in Sultanpuri and arrested one of the accused Riyaj Ahmed. He was interrogated at length, and at his instance, further raids were conducted in Gandhi Vihar, Wazirabad and Burari, and four more accused persons namely Kamal, Ajit Kumar, Arun Kumar and Sandeep, and one Juvenile were apprehended. Police said accused Sandeep was a former employee of a pharmaceutical company situated at Suraj Park, Badli where victim Rajbir Pal works as a manager. Sandeep was aware of the timings of the cash movement, so to make easy money, he gave tip to Arjun who became his friend while working in a popular food delivery service. Arjun shared the information with his friends Riyaj, Kamal, Ajeet and one juvenile. They conducted a recce and, on January 23, they all (except Sandeep) came on three bikes and intercepted the victim, said police. Riyaj threw red chilli powder in the eyes of the complainant and all of them robbed the complainant's bag. After that, they reached Nirankari Ground and distributed the robbed money among themselves. Delhi Police recovered three motorcycles used in the crime, six mobile phones of accused persons used in the crime, the robbed bag and Rs 37,000 cash. (ANI)
Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary on Saturday asked Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav to clear his party's stand on whether they support the statements of SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya wherein he has allegedly compared Hindu seers with terrorists. "Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya is continuously trying to spoil the social harmony of Uttar Pradesh which is marching on the path of development by insulting the faith of crores of Hindus by making baseless comments on Sanatan Dharma," Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary said in a series of tweets in Hindi. "He has made yet another controversial statement by comparing the Hindu saints and their religious leaders with terrorists, superstitions and executioners. Akhilesh Yadav should clarify his and his party's stand on this matter before the public or should we consider his silence as his support to Swami Prasad Maurya's statement?" his other tweet read. The remark has come against the backdrop of SP leader Swami Prasad Maurya where he called Hindu seers 'terrorists' and 'devils' after Ayodhya seer Jagadguru Paramhans on Friday demanded immediate action against him over his remark on Ramcharitmanas, an epic Hindu religious book which is based on Ramayana. On Sunday, Maurya, considered a prominent OBC leader in Uttar Pradesh, had sought a ban on the work composed by the 16th-century poet-saint Tulsidas alleging that Dalits and women have been "insulted" in Ramcharitmanas. The SP leader said, "I don't have any issue with Ramcharitramanas but parts of it have insulting comments and sarcasm directed at particular castes and sects. Those should be removed." Speaking on the issue with ANI on Friday, Maurya said, "Those who threatened to slit my neck and tongue were seers or were from a particular caste. Had the same threat been made by a person belonging to some other religion, he would have been called a terrorist. Are the seers threatening to slit my tongue and neck not terrorists devils, and executioners? If they had, indeed, believed in the religion that they claim to espouse, they couldn't have said such things." Earlier in the day, Former Uttar Pradesh Minister Sidharth Nath Singh launched a scathing attack on Akhilesh Yadav and challenged him to throw out Maurya from the party over his remarks on Ramcharitmanas. While talking to ANI, Sidharth Nath Singh said, "Swami Prasad Maurya has been continuously targeting the Hindu religion, Hindu beliefs and Ramcharitmanas. The Samajwadi Party keeps saying that it is not associated with the statements of Maurya. I ask Akhilesh Yadav to stop running away from the statements made by Maurya and distance himself from him." "If Akhilesh Yadav has the guts and respects the Hindus, their beliefs and Ramcharitmanas then throw out Swami Prasad Maurya from the party. Only then will we believe that Akhilesh Yadav does not support the statements made by Swami Prasad Maurya," Sidharth Nath Singh added. Earlier this month, the SP leader sparked a major controversy after he demanded the deletion of "insulting comments and sarcasm" targeted at particular castes and sects in Ramcharitmanas, a poem based on the epic Ramayana. (ANI)
Combat training exercises are being conducted with engineering units of Azerbaijan in accordance with the plan approved by Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov, Azernews reports per Defense Ministry.

According to the plan, the engineering units carry out the tasks of engineering support for combat operations in difficult operational conditions.

At the exercises involving specialists from other government agencies, the main attention has been paid to the further improvement of the professional level and combat training skills of military personnel performing engineering support, as well as the skills for the effective use of modern engineering equipment and equipment adopted for service.

The personnel involved in the exercises are performing practical tasks to detect and clearance of mines and unexploded ordnances, overcoming water barriers by building pontoon bridge crossings, opening passages in various ways in minefields, overcoming obstacles and other tasks.

The exercises conducted to increase the combat readiness of the personnel of the engineering units of the Azerbaijani army continue.




Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai on Saturday issued a second advisory for the Students' Union after reports surfaced that a group of students were again planning to screen the controversial documentary. "It is with utmost seriousness, we note that some students, through a group, are engaged in activities contravening the advisory issued on 27th January regarding the screening of a BBC documentary forbidden by the government and attempting to mobilise and trigger students to do the same," states the second advisory. "We caution the students to understand that any such acts by any student or groups violating the instructions issued on 27th January 2023 and engaging in any activities leading to disturbance of peace and harmony will be held responsible for the same and will be dealt with duly under relevant institutional rules on the matter," the advisory adds. In the earlier notice issued, the institute said that they had not permitted any such screening and gatherings that may disturb the academic environment and jeopardize the campus's peace and harmony. "It has come to our notice that some groups of students are planning to screen the BBC documentary that has disrupted some parts of the country. Some plan to organise gatherings to protest against related developments in a few universities," the advisory from the TISS read. However, the TISS Student union leader Pratik Permey said that the association has not planned any screening of the said documentary. "The TISS Student association has also received the advisory from the registrar and director of the TISS but the association has not planned any screening of the said documentary. We have heard that one Progressive Students Forum (PSF) has organised this screening. We are not part of it," said Permey. The BBC documentary has created a fresh row in the country after the government, earlier this month, denounced it and described it as a "propaganda piece" that is designed to push a discredited narrative. The government also pulled down the BBC documentary 'India: The Modi Question' from various social media platforms including Twitter and Youtube. The row further deepened after JNUSU members allegedly faced a "deliberate" power outage, while they were screening the impugned BBC documentary at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in the national capital. The documentary leads to opposition attacking the government on freedom of speech despite the government terming it as a 'propaganda piece'. The Delhi Police said the university administration did not allow the screening of the BBC documentary on the campus. (ANI)
Amid a row over banned BBC documentary on the Prime Minister, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Saturday lashed out at the people who give more credence to the views of a Documentary maker than the country's judiciary. Speaking to reporters, Khan asked, "Why did they not make a documentary on British atrocities? India is doing so well across the world that these people are feeling disappointed," Governor Khan said. "I feel sorry for people who give more credence to the documentary maker than the country's judiciary," Khan added. "I feel sorry for some of our own people because they trust a documentary over the verdicts by the judiciary," Governor added. "The people who were predicting that India would break away and fight with each other have been disappointed," Khan added. Khan, in a scathing attack, questioned why no documentary was made when artists' hands were cut when the British were ruling India. "Heavy taxes were imposed by the British on the export of textiles. They imposed prohibiting duties on imports". The BBC documentary has created a fresh row in the country after the government, earlier this month, denounced it and described it as a "propaganda piece" that is designed to push a discredited narrative. The government also pulled down the BBC documentary 'India: The Modi Question' from various social media platforms including Twitter and Youtube. The row further deepened after JNUSU members allegedly faced a "deliberate" power outage, while they were screening the impugned BBC documentary at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in the national capital. The documentary leads to opposition attacking the government on freedom of speech despite the government terming it as a 'propaganda piece'. Earlier on Wednesday, 13 students were detained after some students tried to create a ruckus outside the Jamia Millia Islamia University over the screening of a BBC documentary. (ANI)
"The Governor, Himachal Pradesh is pleased to order the transfer and posting of Shiv Kumar, HPPS (2007), Commandant, Home Guards, Solan, as Superintendent of Police, Chief Minister's Security, Himachal Pradesh vice Shri Brijesh Sood, HPPS (2008), Additional Superintendent of Police, with immediate effect, in the public interest," the order stated.

The order stated that Shiv Kumar, shall also hold the additional charge of the post of Commandant, Home Guards, Solan, till further orders.

Brijesh Sood who was additional SP CM security has now been ordered to report to the police headquarters till further order.

"Brijesh Sood, HPPS (2008), Additional Superintendent of Police is directed to report at Police Headquarters, Shimla. His posting orders will be issued separately," the order stated.

Other than them, Sher Singh-II (HPPS 2020), the Sub-Divisional Police Officer in Sri Naina Devi has been appointed as the DSP, of 5th Indian Reserve Battalion in Bassi.

He has been replaced by Vikrant Bonsra HPPS (2022), DSP awaiting posting, as he has been appointed as the Sub-Divisional Police in Sri Naina Devi. (ANI)
Former Lakshadweep MP and Nationalist Congress leader (NCP) leader PP Mohammed Faizal on Friday welcomed the recent Kerala High High Court order suspending his conviction and sentencing of him and three others in a case of attempt to murder case. "This was very much anticipated. I had full faith in the Kerala High Court. I was expecting a favourable order from the Court," Faizal said after the verdict. Faizal alleged that this case was nothing but a political issue. "It was a conspiracy. I was sent to jail on the part of the administration and Central Government," Faizal alleged. "Following my conviction, I was disqualified on January 13. By-elections were declared on January 14 in Lakshadweep. This was unprecedented. Never happened in Indian history," Faizal said. "Someone is interested in ousting me. Someone wanted to have an election conducted as soon as earlier so that he will not face any hindrance for his projects which is not suitable for the island, "Faizal alleged. The Election Commission of India on Friday apprised the Supreme Court that the poll panel would take cognisance of the Kerala High Court order suspending the sentence of Mohammed Faizal and said that there would be no bye-election in Lakshadweep. After hearing the submission made by EC, a bench of justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna disposed of the petition filed by Mohammed Faizal challenging the ECI's press release announcing bye-elections for the Lakshadweep constituency. Meanwhile, the Election Commission apprised the court that it would abide by the order passed by the court. But the EC raised an objection to the petition and allegations levelled by Mohammed Faizal. The Supreme Court was hearing a plea filed by Mohammed Faizal, challenging the ECI's press release announcing bye-elections for the constituency, after he was disqualified as a Member of Parliament from Lakshadweep, following his conviction in an attempt to murder case. Recently 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 an attempt to murder. Kerala HC passed the order on a plea of Faizal and others challenging the trial court's order at Lakshadweep in an attempt to murder case. Faizal filed the application seeking to suspend the 10-year imprisonment. Earlier, the Kavaratti Sessions Court had convicted four persons, including Faizal for committing offences punishable under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 143, 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. (ANI)
BJP and Congress announced their candidates for the Tripura assembly polls on Saturday with the state set for a multi-cornered contest in the February 16 election for 60 seats in the state assembly. While the Bharatiya Janata Party released two lists of 48 and six candidates, Congress declared 17 candidates. BJP and IPFT also announced that their alliance will continue. IPFT will contest five seats. The BJP has fielded Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik from Dhanpur. Six of the party's sitting MLAs have not been given tickets for the upcoming polls. Vimmi Majumdar, Subhash Chandra Das, Arun Chandra Bhowmik, Virendra Kishore Dev Burman, Parimal Debbarma, Viplav Kumar are MLAs who have been denied tickets. Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha will contest the upcoming state assembly polls from Town Bordowali constituency. The BJP came to power in Tripura - which was considered a Left parties bastion - for the first time in 2018. BJP Anil Baluni and Sambit Patra on Saturday announced the BJP's candidates for the Tripura assembly polls at a press conference in the party headquarters here. The list included 11 women candidates. Md Moboshar Ali, who joined the party after leaving the CPI-M on Friday, will contest from Kailashahar. State BJP chief Rajib Bhattacharjee will contest the polls from Banamalipur. "The central government has worked for the development of the North East, whether it is cleanliness campaign, water supply, home arrangements and other facilities have been made available to the public through many schemes," Patra said. Tripura BJP state president Rajiv Bhattacharjee will contest from Biplab Dev's seat in Banmalipur this time. Meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Party Central Election Committee (CEC) was held on January 27. , Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah and party chief JP Nadda were among those present in the meeting. The last date of nominations is January 30. Votes will be counted on March 2. Later in the day, the BJP released its second list of six candidates for Tripura elections. Congress also announced 17 candidates for the upcoming Tripura Assembly polls. Lone MLA of the party, Sudip Roy Barman, will contest from Agartala seat. The Congress is contesting the Tripura Assembly elections in alliance with CPI-M. The Left Front had earlier declared that it will contest 47 seats and had left 13 seats for Congress. Of these 47, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) will contest 43 seats and CPI, RSP, Forward Bloc will field one candidate each. Congress declaring 17 seats means there will be "friendly contest" between alliance partners on four seats. The Congress also released the list of star campaigners for Tripura elections. The star campaigners include Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, party MPs Rahul Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, chief ministers of Congress ruled states - Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The list also includes former Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot and party leaders Kanhaiya Kumar, BV Srinivas, Jignesh Mevani, and Alka Lamba TIPRA (Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance) Motha has ruled out seat tie-up with BJP and is likely to fight alone. The Trinamool Congress is also likely to fight the polls alone. (ANI)
Noting that the youth of the country are benefiting from India's defence sector reforms, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the whole world is looking towards India and the biggest reason for this is the youth of India. Addressing the annual NCC PM rally at the Cariappa Parade Ground in Delhi today, the Prime Minister said the youth represent 'Amrit Generation' that will create a developed and self-reliant India. The Prime Minister strongly cautioned against the efforts to sow differences and create chasm amongst the people. "Despite such efforts there will never be differences among the people of India" he said. "Maa ke doodh main kabhi darar nahi ho sakti. For this mantra of Unity is the ultimate antidote. The Mantra of Unity is a pledge as well as India's strength. This is the only way India will achieve grandeur" the Prime Minister emphasised. This year, NCC is celebrating 75th year of its inception. During the event, the Prime Minister released a special Day Cover and a commemorative specially Minted Coin of Rs 75/- denomination, commemorating 75 successful years of NCC. Unity Flame - Kanyakumari to Delhi was handed over to the Prime Minister and was lit at the Cariappa Ground. The rally was held as a hybrid day and night event and will also include a cultural programme on the theme 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'. Reflecting India's spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, 196 officers and cadets from 19 foreign countries were invited to be a part of the celebrations. The Prime Minister noted that India and NCC are both celebrating their 75th anniversaries this year and praised the efforts of those who have contributed towards nation building by leading the NCC and by being a part of it. PM Modi complimented the cadets for Unity flame where they completed the run from Kanyakumari to Delhi by covering 50 kilometre daily for 60 days and said that the flame and the culture extravaganza of the evening has strengthened the spirit of 'EK Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'. Noting that the NCC Cadets took part in the Republic Day Parade, the Prime Minister highlighted the speciality of the parade taking place on Kartavya Path for the first time. The Prime Minister emphasised the centrality of youth as the key energy that runs a nation. "When dreams turn into resolution and a life is dedicated to it then success is assured. This is the time of new opportunities for the youth of India. Everywhere it is evident that India's time has arrived. Entire world is looking towards India and it is all due to the youth of India. 'Yuva Shakti' is the driving force of India's development journey," he said. He expressed pride in the youth's enthusiasm for upcoming G-20 Presidency "When the country is brimming with the energy and enthusiasm of the youth, the priorities of that country will always be its young people", the Prime Minister said as he mentioned the efforts of the government to provide a platform for the youth that will help them in achieving their dreams. Noting that various sectors are being opened up for the youth of the nation, be it digital revolution, start-up revolution or innovation revolution, the Prime Minister underlined that the youth of India are its biggest beneficiaries. Pointing out that even assault rifles and bullet proof jackets were imported in India, the Prime Minister highlighted the reforms in the defence sector and informed that today India is manufacturing hundreds of defence equipment. He also touched upon the fast-paced border infrastructural work that is taking place and underlined that it will open a new world of opportunities and possibilities for the youth of India. The Prime Minister said strides in India's space sector as an example of the positive results of trusting in the capabilities of the youth. As the doors of the space sector were thrown open for the youth talent, great results like the launch of the first private satellite happened. The Prime Minister said this a time of great possibilities especially for the daughters of the country. Police and paramilitary forces have witnessed doubling of the number of women in the last 8 years. Path of women on the frontiers of all three armed forces has been paved. He mentioned maiden recruitment of women as sailors in the Navy. Women have started entering combat roles in the armed forces. First batch of women cadets has started training at NDA, Pune, the Prime Minister said. He mentioned 1500 girls who have been admitted in Sainik Schools as these schools were thrown open for the girls students for the first time. NCC has also seen a consistent rise in women participation in the last decade. Highlighting the power of Yuva Shakti, the Prime Minister informed that more than one lakh cadets have been enrolled from the border and coastal regions of the country and expressed belief that if such large numbers of youth come together for nation development, no objective will remain unconquered. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the cadets personally and as an institution will expand their role in the development of the nation. He observed that during the time of freedom struggle, many bravehearts had taken up the path of sacrificing their lives for the nation but today it is the will to live for the country that will take the nation to new heights. Te Prime Minister remarked that it is not just India's Amrit Kaal but the Amrit Kaal of the youth of India and when the nation will be celebrating 100 years of its independence, it will be the youth who will be at the summit of successes. "We must not lose any opportunity and continue moving forward with the resolve to take India to new heights," Modi concluded. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was also present. (ANI)
A group of students known as the Progressive Students' Forum (PSF) organised the screening of the controversial BBC documentary, 'India: The Modi Question" inside the campus of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) despite warnings of 'strict action' issued by the administration. The second advisory was issued by the institute on Saturday afternoon after reports surfaced that a group of students were planning to screen the controversial documentary. Soon after the screening of the Documentary, the BJP-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the party's youth wing, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), staged a protest outside the campus saying "this is a conspiracy against the country, and people of leftist ideology are involved in this conspiracy, also some or the other big forces are supporting them." BJP Yuva Morcha (BJYM) president Tajinder Singh Tiwana said that this documentary is showing a false story and it is a conspiracy to 'trigger' the students. BJP Yuva Morcha has also met the TISS management to discuss the matter. According to sources, after the discussion, TISS Management has finally said that the documentary will not be shown on the premises. Tajinder Singh Tiwana said, "Police (DCP) has assured that the documentary will not be been shown on the college premises and we have full trust in the police. Till 7 PM our few members will be sitting here to ensure that the documentary is not being shown and if it will be shown I will personally come here and enter the college to stop it." Earlier, in the day the second advisory was issued by the institute stating "It is with utmost seriousness, we note that some students, through a group, are engaged in activities contravening the advisory issued on 27th January regarding the screening of a BBC documentary forbidden by the government and attempting to mobilise and trigger students to do the same." "We caution the students to understand that any such acts by any student or groups violating the instructions issued on 27th January 2023 and engaging in any activities leading to disturbance of peace and harmony will be held responsible for the same and will be dealt with duly under relevant institutional rules on the matter," the advisory adds. The BBC documentary has created a fresh row in the country after the government, earlier this month, denounced it and described it as a "propaganda piece" that is designed to push a discredited narrative. The government also pulled down the BBC documentary 'India: The Modi Question' from various social media platforms including Twitter and Youtube. The row further deepened after JNUSU members allegedly faced a "deliberate" power outage, while they were screening the impugned BBC documentary at the Jawaharlal Nehru University campus in the national capital. The documentary leads to opposition attacking the government on freedom of speech despite the government terming it as a 'propaganda piece'. The Delhi Police said the university administration did not allow the screening of the BBC documentary on the campus. (ANI)
Additional Director General V Murugesan on Saturday stated that the accused Pulkit Arya would be presented for a polygraph test in Delhi on February 1 in the Ankita Bhandari murder case. ADG Murugesan said, "The court had ordered a polygraph test and a narcotics test of the accused. Regarding the same, we filed an application in the Forensic Science Laboratory in Rohini, Delhi." "Forensic Science Laboratory allotted us the dates from February 1 to 3. Therefore, we will present the accused in the laboratory in Delhi," added the ADG. Murugesan confirmed that during the polygraph test, the police will the accused around 30 questions. He said, "We will have around 30 questions for the accused to be asked during the test. The narcotics test would be conducted after that." On January 11, the First Class Judicial Magistrate Court Kotdwar, in Uttarakhand approved the narco and polygraph tests of expelled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader's son Pulkit Arya, the main accused in Ankita Bhandari murder case. In the case, consent was taken from Pulkit Arya on behalf of the Judicial Magistrate through video conferencing, after which the verdict was pronounced. The case pertains to 19-year-old Ankita, whose body was recovered from the Chilla canal in Rishikesh on September 24. She was reported missing for at least six days before the officials found her body. She worked as a receptionist at a resort run by Pulkit Arya, the son of expelled BJP leader Vinod Arya. Pulkit Arya was arrested for allegedly pushing her into the canal following an altercation. Two more people - Ankit Gupta and Saurabh Bhaskar, have also been arrested in the case. On December 4, the Uttarakhand Police said that the investigation into the Ankita Bhandari murder case is almost complete. The only procedure that remains is the narco tests of the accused, for which they had sought permission from the Kotdwar court to conduct narco and polygraph tests of all three accused. Earlier, the three accused, including expelled BJP leader's son Pulkit Arya refused to undergo narco and polygraph tests, citing that the SIT did not explain why it wanted to conduct narco and polygraph tests after filing the charge sheet. (ANI)
One person died and 14 others sustained injuries after a mini truck in which they were travelling overturned from a culvert in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district, a police official said. The incident occurred at Bheru Ghat under Simrol police station limits in the district on Friday evening. According to reports, the passengers, including women and children travelling in the vehicle, were going to Omkareshwar from Mhow. As soon as the district administration received the information about the incident, a team of health department and ambulance rushed to the spot and started the rescue operation. The injured passengers were admitted to the government Maharaja Yashwantrao (MY) Hospital in Indore. Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Ajay Dev Sharma said, "A mini truck got uncontrolled and overturned at Bheru Ghat in the district in which 15 passengers received injuries. They were brought to MY Hospital out of which one passenger died while 14 others are undergoing treatment." "Indore Collector Ilaiah Raja T also reached here and took information from the doctors about the health conditions of the injured passengers. He also gave instructions to the doctors for better treatment. Besides, as there were continuous accidents reported in that area, the collector formed an inquiry committee in this matter and instructed the RTO and concerned SDM to investigate the reasons for the accident," ADM Sharma added. Further details awaited (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday said that the decision to implement 30 per cent reservation in jobs for women in the state was very "a difficult one" and achieved after a long legal struggle in the Supreme Court. "I had always maintained that we will fight for women's empowerment," Pushkar Singh Dhami said at a "Thanksgiving Ceremony" at Mukhya Sevak Sadan in the state. CM Dhami further said that the Supreme court has its own rules and regulations. Arguements and discussions took place on different matters in the court. "Then a decision is announced". Earlier in the month, Dhami congratulated the women of the state and appreciated them for their hard work and sacrifice. "When High Court put a stay on the bill, we decided to fight against the order and took the matter to the Supreme Court. This is a victory for every woman. I congratulate every mother and sister for this victory and appreciate them for their contribution, sacrifice and hard work," Dhami told ANI earlier in the month. Earlier in November, the Supreme Court, in an interim order, stayed the Uttarakhand High Court order which had put on hold the government's decision to provide 30 per cent reservation to women domiciled in Uttarakhand in State civil services. A bench of Justices S Abdul Nazeer and V Ramasubramanian also issued notice on the Uttarakhand government's plea which challenged the August 24 order of the High Court. The Raj Bhavan later approved the bill, which has now been shaped into a law. In the last assembly session, CM Dhami took an initiative to enact a law for reservation in jobs for women which was later approved by the House. (ANI)
Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Cahit Bagci has taken part in a mourning ceremony in connection with the death of Head of Security Service of Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran Orkhan Asgarov as a result of a terrorist attack on the embassy, Azernews reports via the tweet of Bagci.

"Together with our military attaches, advisers and diplomats, we expressed condolences to Orkhan Asgarov's father - Rizvan Asgarov, his uncle and other relatives. Turkiye is always close to Azerbaijan," the tweet said.

As reported earlier, the head of the security guard of the Azerbaijani embassy in Iran was killed, two other employees were wounded in the armed attack on the building on January 27 at about 0830 hours (GMT+4).

The gunman turned out to be a man in his 50s, who drove up to the administrative building, armed with a Kalashnikov automatic rifle.

No attempts were made to detain the gunman, as he freely entered the embassy. The shooter was eventually detained. The incident is currently being investigated.
West Bengal Leader of Oppostion Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for giving compensation to the kin of the victims of Bogtui carnage in Birbhum district from the mid-day meal funds. In a series of tweets, he called it as a "financial crime" and he accused the West Bengal CM of misusing Central Government funds. "CM @MamataOfficial paid compensation to the victims' kin; burnt alive in the Bogtui carnage at Birbhum District, from the Mid Day Meal funds. Doing charity for photo op, that too by misusing Central Govt funds meant for food and nutrition of schoolchildren ! It's a financial crime," tweeted Suvendu. "It seems that the WB Govt is so bankrupt that there's no money left in The WB State Emergency Relief Fund & The CM's Relief Fund. But @MamataOfficial needs to give compensation on camera & distribute blankets on stage. But where'd the money come from? Simple. Mid Day Meal funds," he added. "She's swindling MDM funds & has cast her evil eyes on the nourishment of poor students. I will inform Hon'ble Union Education Minister; Shri @dpradhanbjp Ji about the financial transgression & request him to initiate legal action against the CM, Chief Secretary & Birbhum DM," he added in his tweet. On March 21 last year, eight persons were burnt alive after huts were set ablaze at Bogtui village. One more succumbed to her burns later in a hospital. The alleged revenge violence took place after the murder of Bhadu Sheikh, a local Trinamool functionary. The Calcutta High Court on March 25 ordered the investigation to be handed over to the CBI. Lalan Sheikh, the prime accused in this case was absconding since then till he was apprehended by the CBI from Jharkhand. Sheikh, however, was found hanging inside a toilet on December 12 while in CBI custody. (ANI)
Senior Congress MLA and Leader of the Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Govind Singh said on Saturday that he has received a notice from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Congress leader was asked for a physical appearance at ED's headquarters in New Delhi on January 27, however, instead of appearing, Singh has sought reason for notice. During a Press conference on Saturday, Singh said the ED has issued a notice to him, but the Central agency has not mentioned any reason for calling him for questioning. Singh said after consulting with advocate and party colleague - Vivek Tankha (Rajya Sabha MP), he has asked the ED to clarify that - why he has been issued notice? Singh also said if the ED failed to reply to his query, he will take issue before the Supreme Court. Singh said he had received ED's notice on January 24, according to which he was asked to appear at the agency's headquarters in New Delhi on January 27. "I went to Delhi, but when I consulted with two senior advocates - Vivek Tankha and Kapil Sibbal, they were too amazed to see the notice. In that notice, I was asked to appear for questioning, but no reason was mentioned in it. Through my advocates, I have asked the ED to clarify as to why I was summoned. I have given them four week times, if it fails to reply, I will approach the Supreme Court," Singh added. Meanwhile, Singh, who is an MLA from Lahar Assembly constituency in Bhind district of Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior-Chambal, accused the ruling BJP of misusing the Central agencies for harassing and tarnishing the image of non-BJP politicians. "I have always furnished detailed information about my properties in my election affidavits. This is the first time I was issued such notice and without any reason. This notice against me was issued at the behest of ruling BJP, because they want to create a panic situation among the Congress leaders when the elections are coming in Madhya Pradesh," Singh added. The notice issued by Assistant Director of Enforcement Directorate, Deepak Kumar Chunbouk, noted that Singh was asked to appear before the Central agency under "Prevention of Money Laundering Act - 2002." --IANS pd/uk/ ( 383 Words) 2023-01-28-20:24:02 (IANS)
In view of the forthcoming polls to the three-tier panchayat system in West Bengal scheduled this year, the state unit of BJP has decided to set up a special district-level committee in each of the 23 districts of the state. Apprehending that widespread violence might be unleashed by the ruling Trinamool Congress both on the polling day as well as before the polls, the BJP leadership is trying to include one retired police officer and a couple of criminal lawyers in each such district level committee. In fact, retired IPS officer Bharati Ghosh has been made the in-charge for coordinating on behalf of the party with the administration and the State Election Commission. When contacted, Ghosh told IANS that the typical feature in the rural civic body polls is that more than the polling day, violence is unleashed by the ruling party before the elections. "Either the opposition candidates are not allowed to file nominations, or those who have filed nominations are terrorised by the ruling party to withdraw the same. So, we, on behalf of BJP, are working out various strategies to counter this menace this time. The final strategy is yet to be chalked out. Once it is done, I will be able to share more information with you," she said. Meanwhile, a state committee leader of the BJP said that the party leadership is keeping ready a list of at least 10 lawyers in each of the 23 districts who are experts in criminal law. "As soon as there is a complaint of pre-poll violence, this team will be ready to file a suit in the matter. The special district-level committees will be ready with the contact numbers and emails of the top administrative officials as well as the officials of the State Election Commission so that each and every complaint of poll- related violence is recorded immediately," he said. --IANS src/arm ( 330 Words) 2023-01-28-20:24:03 (IANS)
Union minister Jitendra Singh on Saturday called for a change of mindset in the youth to avail startup opportunities knocking at their door, said a press release by the Ministry of Science & Technology. Speaking after inaugurating the "Young Start-Up Conclave" at Kathua in Jammu & Kashmir organised by CSIR, Ministry of Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh said, the government job mindset is proving an impediment to Start-Up culture, mainly in north India, added the press release. Referring to Four Success Stories of Youths, who narrated their experiences, including two B-Techs and one Mechanical Engineer, who quit their jobs for Start-Up Ventures, Jitendra Singh pointed out that the "Purple Revolution" spearheaded by him through CSIR became part of the Republic Day Parade Tableaux, thus earned countrywide recognition and popularity, as per the statement. Singh pointed out that the 'Purple Revolution' originating from Jammu & Kashmir offers attractive Start-Up avenues and those who have entered the lavender sector are making a fortune out of it. He said, it is important to take note of some of the exemplary instances of many young entrepreneurs who are seen quitting their lucrative jobs in the MNCs to establish their own Start-Ups, as these young entrepreneurs are now beginning to realise the possibility of greater fortunes in this. The Minister also underlined that J&K has huge unexplored potential for Agri-tech startups as the geography and climatic conditions here favour the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants. Singh informed that the Biotech KISAN Hub has rejuvenated over 40 orchards to date in Jammu and Kashmir under the rejuvenation of apple orchards, where a very innovative methodology has been used to transform the old orchards. The Minister promised full help by DBT and CSIR for setting up Agritech Start-ups. The Minister exhorted the Youth of Jammu and Kashmir not to miss the Start-Up Bus, which is playing a crucial role in India's Technological & Economic Journey to emerge as a Frontline Nation in the World. Singh said that the Start-Up ecosystem in India has gathered momentum since Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the slogan of Start-Up India and Stand-Up India from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, 2015. He said, from 350-odd start-ups in 2014, the number swelled to 75,000 in August 2022 and now stands at over 88,000 Start-Ups spread across 653 districts and generated more than Nine Lakh job opportunities in the country. The Minister said, India is also home to 107 Unicorns and 23 of them emerged in 2022 itself, a sign of India's rapid upward ride on STI (Science, Technology & Innovation) ladder. The Minister pointed out that a new wave of Agri-tech Start-Ups has emerged in the country in the last few years and these Start-Ups are solving problems related to supply chain management, cooling and refrigeration, seed management and distribution, besides helping farmers to access a wider range of markets. In the next 25 years of Amrti-Kal, said Jitendra Singh, Jammu & Kashmir and several hill territories as well as the Himalayan States are going to make a significant value edition to build India's future economy because these are the territories whose resources have to remain under-utilised in the past. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving focused attention to these areas, they are going to play a pivotal role in placing India on the world pedestal by 2047, he said. Earlier, Singh also took a round of the StartUp kiosks set up by the entrepreneurs of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and other parts of the country besides the model setup by the students from different educational institutions of Kathua. The conclave witnessed the presence of renowned entrepreneurs, industry leaders, academicians, representatives of leading venture capital firms, incubators and accelerators. During the conclave, the local progressive farmers also shared their success stories and experience and expressed gratitude to CSIR for making it possible through proper hand-holding and considerable support in their endeavours. (ANI)
Two fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) -- Mirage 2000 and Sukhoi Su-30, reportedly collided in the sky near Morena in Madhya Pradesh while carrying out an air bombing exercise, leading to the crash of both the aircraft. While two pilots of Sukhoi Su-30 managed to eject, the pilot flying Mirage 2000 lost his life after sustaining serious injuries. The deceased pilot has been identified as Wing Commander Hanumanth Rao Sarathi (flying the Mirage 2000). Two other pilots (flying Sukhoi Su-30) were later flown by an IAF helicopter for medical treatment in Gwalior. In its statement, the IAF said that it has set up a "Court of Inquiry which will establish whether there was a mid-air collision or not" between the two fighter jets. The officials also confirmed that while the two IAF fighter aircraft crashed in Manpur village of Pahargarh forest area in Morena district of Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior-Chambal region, the major portion of the Sukhoi aircraft was strewn in the neighbouring Pingora area at Bharatpur district in Rajasthan. According to Morena district collector Ankit Asthana, both jets reportedly collided in Morena district's territory but since the ejection of the pilots happened from the Sukhoi aircraft at very high altitude, both the pilots landed safely in Morena district, while the aircraft glided into the jungles of Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. The IAF in an official communication later said an inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident of the two jets, which had taken off on Saturday morning from the IAF's Maharajpura airbase in Gwalior district of Madhya Pradesh on a routine operational flying training mission. "Two fighter aircraft of the IAF were involved in an accident near Gwalior. The aircraft were on routine operational flying training missions. One of the three pilots involved sustained fatal injuries. An inquiry has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident. Both Su-30MKI pilots are safe," IAF said in an official statement. Sources in Morena district administration told IANS that a team of forensic experts from the IAF had arrived at the spot, which is around 90 km from Morena district headquarters, and started a probe on the site. Shocked over the death of the IAF pilot, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted: "Deeply anguished by the loss of brave air warrior, Wg Cdr Hanumanth Rao Sarathi, who suffered fatal injuries during an accident near Gwalior. My deepest condolences to his bereaved family. We stand by his family in this difficult hour." The Morena police received phone calls from villagers in the Kailaras area at around 10.15 am, about the rear portion of an aircraft catching fire following a loud noise in the air, after which the police in the entire area were alerted about the possibility of a crash. Shailendra Shakya, sarpanch of the village where the incident occurred, told IANS: "People were shocked to hear loud noise and smoke emanating from something that fell on the ground which later turned out to be the rear portion of one of the aircraft. While one of the planes which had caught fire in the rear portion was seen plunging into the Pahargarh forests, the other aircraft was seen gliding towards the forest area of adjoining Rajasthan. Seeing the flashes of fire in the aircraft which was plunging down into Pahargarh forests, many villagers started running in that direction. We also saw two pilots coming down in parachutes. We spotted them on the ground in a safe condition 15-20 minutes later." --IANS pd/pgh ( 600 Words) 2023-01-28-21:20:04 (IANS)
According to the Tamil Nadu Jail department, 11 prisoners from Puzhal central prison, 12 prisoners from Cuddalore and 12 prisoners from Coimbatore central prisons, 9 prisoners each from Vellore and Tiruchi central prisons, one prisoner from Madurai central prison, while four prisoners from Palaymokottai central prison were released.

A woman prisoner was released from Special Central prison, Puzhal, while another woman prisoner was released from Coimbatore Central prison.

Tamil Nadu Jail DG (Prisons) Amaraesh Pujari while speaking to media persons said that those released were not involved in heinous crimes.

They have already served 66 per cent of their prison term. The state government issued an order releasing these prisoners after studying the recommendations from the respective prison superintendents.

The jail officials told IANS that the released prisoners would be assisted to find jobs with the support of certain NGOs.

The released prisoners were provided sweets and groceries as a goodwill gesture.

Jail department officials said another batch of prisoners would be released on August 15 under the 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' scheme.

--IANS aal/prw/pgh

( 204 Words)

2023-01-28-21:28:03 (IANS)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly cautioned against efforts to sow differences and create chasms among the people of the country, said a press release by the Prime Minister's Office on Saturday. Addressing a rally of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) at the Cariappa Ground in Delhi Cantonment, Modi said the mantra of unity was the only way for India to achieve grandeur, added the press release. "Despite such efforts, there will never be differences among the people of India," he said 'Maa ke doodh main kabhi darar nahi ho sakti'. "For this mantra of Unity is the ultimate antidote. The Mantra of Unity is a pledge as well as India's strength. This is the only way India will achieve grandeur" the Prime Minister emphasised. The Prime Minister remarked that it is not just India's Amrit Kaal but the Amrit Kaal of the youth of India and when the nation will be celebrating 100 years of its independence, it will be the youth who will be at the summit of success. "We must not lose any opportunity and continue moving forward with the resolve to take India to new heights", Modi concluded. The Prime Minister noted that India and NCC are both celebrating their 75th anniversaries this year and praised the efforts of those who have contributed towards nation-building by leading the NCC and by being a part of it. The Prime Minister told the cadets that both as NCC cadets and as the youth of the nation they represent the 'Amrit Generation' of the country which will take the nation to new heights in the coming 25 years and will create a 'Viksit' and 'Aatmnirbhar Bharat'. The Prime Minister complimented the cadets for the Unity flame where they completed the run from Kanyakumari to Delhi by covering 50 kilometres daily for 60 days and said that the flame and the cultural extravaganza of the evening has strengthened the spirit of 'EK Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'. Noting that the NCC Cadets took part in the Republic Day Parade, the Prime Minister highlighted the speciality of the parade taking place on Kartavya Path for the first time. He also suggested the NCC Cadets to visit places like National War Memorial, Police Memorial, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Museum in Red Fort, Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalay, Sardar Patel Museum and B R Ambedkar Museum so that they can find inspiration and encouragement to move forward in life. The Prime Minister emphasised the centrality of youth as the key energy that runs a nation. "When dreams turn into resolution and life is dedicated to it then success is assured. This is a time of new opportunities for the youth of India. Everywhere it is evident that India's time has arrived. The entire world is looking towards India and it is all due to the youth of India", the Prime Minister stressed. The Prime Minister expressed pride in the youth's enthusiasm for the upcoming G-20 Presidency "When the country is brimming with the energy and enthusiasm of the youth, the priorities of that country will always be its young people", the Prime Minister said as he mentioned the efforts of the government to provide a platform for the youth that will help them in achieving their dreams. Noting that various sectors are being opened up for the youth of the nation, be it the digital revolution, start-up revolution or innovation revolution, the Prime Minister underlined that the youth of India are its biggest beneficiaries. Pointing out that even assault rifles and bulletproof jackets were imported into India, the Prime Minister highlighted the reforms in the defence sector and informed that today India is manufacturing hundreds of defence products. He also touched upon the fast-paced border infrastructural work that is taking place and underlined that it will open a new world of opportunities and possibilities for the youth of India. (ANI)
Inspector R.G. Barot told the media that Vadher has been under under the IPC sections related to assault or criminal force on women, criminal intimidation and various sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act.

School principal Jagruti Patadia told the media that it was an unfortunate incident, and the moment the student's parents complained over phone, she checked the CCTV footage of the classroom, and on finding that Vadher had assaulted the girl, she immediately informed the police.

Vadher had joined the school just one-and-a-half months ago. The school's timing is 12 noon to 6 p.m., and mostly the staff stayed back after school hours. But on Friday, Vadher had left the school early.

"The student described her ordeal to her parents on returning home. Had she told us, we would have acted faster," Patadia said.

The victim's mother alleged that after returning from school, her daughter looked tense. On inquiry, she said that her teacher had touched her inappropriately.

--IANS har/arm

( 203 Words)

2023-01-28-22:10:04 (IANS)
Students of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes have been ordered to be expelled from a hostel due to their protest against the poor quality of food being served in the hostel in Ballari in Karnataka. JDS Legislative party leader and former CM HD Kumaraswamy said in a statement, "Providing quality food is the responsibility of the Social Welfare Department and District Administration." "Without listening to the cries of the students, the district commissioner who ordered this despicable work, and the district department officials who punished the students should be immediately suspended. The necessary investigation should be done in this regard," he added. The way the students of the SC and ST communities are being treated under the administration of this government, which sheds crocodile tears for Dalits, is disgusting, he further said. "Bellary district in-charge minister Sriramulu how right is it that he has supported the action against the students instead of standing for them? Your mask is off," said Siddaramaiah slamming the minister and the administration. "It is reprehensible that the administration, which is supposed to protect the interests of the students, behaves in such an undemocratic manner. Solve the problem, please the students. Besides, such a bad decision is not right. What is the need for big evidence of how much the administration has fallen like why a mirror is for a palm ulcer?" Kumaraswamy continued attacking the government. (ANI)
The deadly spell of cold wave continues in Afghanistan as over 200,000 livestock have died in the country apart from loss of human lives in the last two weeks, Afghan news agency TOLOnews reported. Many of the animals that died were in the northern provinces of Balkh, Jawzjan, and Panjshir, according to the Taliban-led Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Livestock. "260,000 livestock have been wasted in 20 provinces of Afghanistan. 129,000 livestock are goats and sheep," TOLOnews quoted Mubahuddin Mustaeen, a spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock as saying. This comes after some farmers claimed that the cold weather and lack of grass killed their livestock. They requested assistance from the Taliban in this regard. "We had 60 sheep and we lost 30 of them due to cold and lack of grass," said Mohammad Naeem, a farmer. "We lost 60 livestock due to cold weather in winter because we didn't have food materials and proper conditions," said Mohammad Sharif, another farmer. Amid poor living conditions, locals in Kabul have also expressed their frustration over prolonged power cuts amid the freezing cold. The outages have resulted in leaving people with numerous challenges a result of which they urge the authorities to address the matter. According to the residents, electricity is supplied for four to five hours daily, which is not enough for them. Numerous people have also lost their lives in Afghanistan in just over a week amid extreme cold conditions that have compounded the country's humanitarian crisis. (ANI)
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
During her visit to India, Nuland will lead the US-India annual Foreign Office Consultations which cover the full range of bilateral, regional, and global issues and will also meet with young tech leaders, the US Department of State said in an official statement.

In Nepal, the top US official will engage with the new government on the broad agenda of the US partnership with Kathmandu.

The Under Secretary, on reaching Sri Lanka will mark the 75th anniversary of US-Sri Lanka relations and offer continued US support for Sri Lanka's efforts to stabilize the economy, protect human rights, and promote reconciliation, the official release added.

Finally, the Under Secretary will discuss global issues in Qatar as part of the US-Qatar Strategic Dialogue.

"She will also meet with counterparts to discuss Qatar's critical support for the relocation of Afghans with ties to the US, as well as our bilateral agreement to protect US interests in Afghanistan," the US State Department press release added. (ANI)
Protests could erupt in cities across the United States after horrifying video footage was released on Friday of US police beating Tyre Nichols in Memphis earlier this month, leading to injuries from which he later died. The city of Memphis on Friday (local time) released four videos that show police officers kicking and beating Nichols, a 29-year-old, Black man, The New York Times reported. Memphis civic leaders and the family of Nichols have asked people to protest peacefully, as per The New York Times report. US President Joe Biden joined their call in a statement on Thursday afternoon. The police department in New York City in a statement said that officials were preparing for the possibility of protests. Calling for "justice" for her son, RowVaughn Wells, Mr. Nichols's mother, said Friday that the five officers had "disgraced" their families, but that she would also pray for them, the New York Times reported. Nichols, who was pulled out of his car by officers, can be heard saying, "I'm just trying to go home," and at one point he repeatedly screams, "Mom, Mom, Mom." Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was hospitalized after the arrest on January 7 and died three days due to injuries, according to police. Five officers have been charged with murder in the death of Tyre Nichols, according to The New York Times. Video taken from a remotely controlled camera mounted on a utility pole in the area shows Memphis police officers hitting Nichols at least nine times without visible provocation, as per CNN. An officer is shown shoving Nichols hard to the pavement with a knee or leg when the camera turns towards the incident site. According to CNN, Nichols is pulled by his shoulders and then kicked in the face. He was then pulled into a sitting position. The video shows Nichols being hit in the back with what seems to be a baton. After being pulled to his knees, Nichols was again beaten. After being pulled to his feet, the officers hit Nichols in the face multiple times while his hands were kept behind his body after which he falls to his knees, according to CNN. In the video, an officer then appears to kick Nichols. More than three minutes after the encounter is seen on camera, officers let go of Nichols, and he rolls onto his back. After one minute, Nichols was dragged along the pavement and propped up in a sitting position against the side of a car. After ten minutes, a person who seems to be a paramedic finally attends to Nichols. According to the video released by the city of Memphis, Tyre Nichols during his initial confrontation with police was heard telling officers that he is "just trying to go home," as per the news report. The video released by Shelby County District Attorney's office showed the medical response to Tyre Nichols moments after he was beaten. About two minutes after paramedics started attending to Nichols, he is seen falling over to the side and seeming to hit his head against a piece of equipment. As per the CNN report, no one appears to help Nichols as he tries to sit up. After a minute, officers were seen crowding around Nichols. The pole camera showed that 23 minutes pass from the time Nichols appears to be subdued and on his back on the ground before a stretcher arrived at the site, as per the news report. After two minutes, an ambulance arrived at the site of the incident. (ANI)
China is waging a campaign of intimidation against people participating in demonstrations, which started days after Beijing abruptly abandoned its zero-COVID restrictions. The country is discrediting protesters by portraying them as tools of malevolent foreign powers, The New York Times reported. Since China abandoned its zero-COVID policy, its domestic challenges have increased, youth unemployment is high, the economy is slowing down, and COVID infections and deaths have accelerated. According to The New York Times, Beijing has long dismissed dissent at home, from calls for women's rights to pro-democracy activism to ethnic unrest, as the result of Western-backed subversion. Recently, China arrested four women in association with the protests. People close to the four women told The New York Times that the police have asked the women about their use of overseas messaging platforms or involvement in feminist activities, such as reading groups. Chinese propaganda has decried feminism as another tool of foreign influence. The women have told the police that they were driven by their own convictions and a belief that they have the right to voice their views. One of the women, Cao Zhixin, before being detained in December, recorded a video that she entrusted to friends to share if she went missing. "We care about this society," said Cao, 26, in the video, in which she said that the other three women, Li Yuanjing, an accountant; Li Siqi, 27, a freelance writer; and Zhai Dengrui, a former literature student, had already been taken away, The New York Times reported. "At the scene, we respected public order, we didn't provoke any conflicts with the police. So why do you still have to secretly take us away," Cao asked. GeoPolitica.info recently reported that China is facing a significant challenge in the form of COVID, due to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) "flawed and regressive containment policies and ineffective domestically produced vaccines." Many reports from China have suggested that hospitals in highly-populated cities, including Shanghai and Beijing are overflowing with patients despite officials claiming that the outbreak had peaked last month, as per the news report. Without any plan, the Chinese government ended its "zero-COVID policy" which in its initial phases imposed stringent measures, according to GeoPolitica.info report. In order to contain the spread of the virus, China imposed "draconian lockdowns, stringent contact tracing as well as inhumane behaviour by party officials." Although China's economy witnessed a significant downfall, caused by the restrictions imposed by the CCP, the measures announced by the Chinese government might have prevented deaths. However, they also left a huge percentage of its population without natural immunity from COVID, more so, as China's home-grown vaccines were ineffective as a deterrent against the virus and they even failed to protect the people, according to GeoPolitica.info report. (ANI)
US President Joe Biden said that he was "outraged and deeply pained" to see the video of the fatal police beating of the 29-year-old Black man Tyre Nichols. In a statement, Biden termed it "yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma" that Black and Brown Americans face every day. In his statement, Biden said that the video that has been released will leave people "justifiably outraged." However, he called on the people to not resort to violence or destruction and stressed, "violence is never acceptable." Biden's statement followed the release of events related to the beating of Nichols. "Like so many, I was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols' death. It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day," Biden said in a statement. Biden offered condolences to Nichols' family and people in the US grieving the painful loss. US President Joe Biden said that he spoke with Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells and stepfather Rodney Wells. He emphasised that there are no words to describe the grief of losing a beloved child and young father. Biden said that Tyre Nichols' family deserve a "swift, full and transparent investigation." "My heart goes out to Tyre Nichols' family and to Americans in Memphis and across the country who are grieving this tremendously painful loss. The footage that was released this evening will leave people justifiably outraged. Those who seek justice should not to resort to violence or destruction. Violence is never acceptable; it is illegal and destructive. I join Mr. Nichols' family in calling for peaceful protest," Biden said in a statement. He further added, "I spoke with RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, Mr. Nichols' mother and stepfather, this afternoon. There are no words to describe the heartbreak and grief of losing a beloved child and young father. Nothing can bring Mr. Nichols back to his family and the Memphis community. But Mr. and Mrs. Wells, Mr. Nichols' son, and his whole family deserve a swift, full, and transparent investigation." The US President said that they must do everything to ensure that the criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice. He emphasised that real and lasting change will come only if action is taken to prevent tragedies like this from happening again. US Vice President Kamala Harris also issued a statement saying, "Tyre Nichols should have made it home to his family. Yet, once again, America mourns the life of a son and father brutally cut short at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve. The footage and images released tonight will forever be seared in our memories, and they open wounds that will never fully heal." Harris said that persistent issues of police misconduct must end in the United States. She further said, "I join President Biden in his call for accountability and transparency. We must build trust-not fear-within our communities." Numerous protests have erupted across the US after video footage showing police being Tyre Nichols was released on Friday. The five officers involved in the arrest have been fired and are facing criminal charges, including second-degree murder. Protesters shut down the Interstate 55 bridge in Memphis, CNN reported citing Memphis Police Department police spokesperson Louis Brownlee. Brownlee said that there are less than 100 protesters and they appear to be starting to disperse. Three demonstrators were arrested in Times Square on Friday night. One of the demonstrators was seen jumping on the hood of a police vehicle and breaking the windshield, CNN reported citing a spokesperson for the New York Police Department. The person who allegedly broke the police vehicle's windshield was charged with criminal mischief. According to CNN, protests in New York City were largely peaceful despite the three arrests and some minor clashes between police and protesters in the city. The city of Memphis on Friday (local time) released videos that show police officers kicking and beating Nichols, a 29-year-old, Black man. Nichols was hospitalized after the arrest on January 7 and died three days later due to injuries, CNN reported citing police. Video captured from a remotely controlled camera mounted on a utility pole in the area shows Memphis police officers hitting Nichols at least nine times without visible provocation, as per CNN. An officer is shown shoving Nichols hard to the pavement with a knee or leg when the camera turns towards the incident site. According to CNN, Nichols is pulled by his shoulders and then kicked in the face. He was then pulled into a sitting position. The video shows Nichols being hit in the back with what seems to be a baton. After being pulled to his knees, Nichols was again beaten. After being pulled to his feet, the officers hit Nichols in the face multiple times while his hands were kept behind his body after which he falls to his knees, according to CNN. In the video, an officer then appears to kick Nichols. More than three minutes after the encounter is seen on camera, officers let go of Nichols, and he rolls onto his back. After one minute, Nichols was dragged along the pavement and propped up in a sitting position against the side of a car, as per the CNN report. After ten minutes, a person who seems to be a paramedic finally attends to Nichols. According to the video released by the city of Memphis, Nichols during his initial confrontation with police was heard telling officers that he is "just trying to go home," as per the news report. The video released by Shelby County District Attorney's office showed the medical response to Nichols moments after he was beaten. About two minutes after paramedics started attending to Nichols, he is seen falling over to the side and seeming to hit his head against a piece of equipment. As per the CNN report, no one appears to help Nichols as he tries to sit up. After a minute, officers were seen crowding around Nichols. The pole camera showed that 23 minutes pass from the time Nichols appears to be subdued and on his back on the ground before a stretcher arrived at the site, as per the news report. After two minutes, an ambulance arrived at the site of the incident. (ANI)
Former Pakistan prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Friday accused former president and Pakistan People's Party (PPP) co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari of hatching a conspiracy to assassinate him by giving a contract to a terrorist outfit, Express Tribune newspaper reported. Khan while holding a news conference from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore via a video link, termed the alleged conspiracy 'Plan-C' for which he accused Zardari of paying money to a terrorist outfit to carry out the assassination attempt, the Pakistan-based newspaper reported. "Now they have made a Plan C, and Asif Zardari is behind this. He has loads of corruption money, which he loots from the Sindh government and spends on winning elections. He [Zardari] has given money to a terrorist outfit and people from powerful agencies are facilitating him," Imran said, according to The Express Tribune Newspaper. "This has been decided on three fronts and they will act soon," he added. "I am telling you this because if something happens to me the nation should know the people who were behind this so that the nation never forgives them," Khan said. Khan, while referring to the gun attack on him in Wazirabad in November last year, said that there was a plot to kill him under 'Plan-B' in the name of religious extremism. "They almost succeeded in their plan to kill me but now they are moving towards Plan-C," he said. According to Khan, earlier, there were four people, who conspired to kill him in a closed room. "When I came to know about the plot, I made a video and sent it abroad and announced in a public meeting that if anything happens, the video will be released," Khan said. "Now they are going to commit the next attack on me, about which I am informing the nation today. Life and death are in the hands of Allah and I fear no one. I will go on the campaign trail anyway," Imran said, referring to the upcoming provincial assembly elections in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, The Express Tribune newspaper reported. Khan was attacked in Wazirabad on November 23 while he was leading the "Azadi March" against the PML-N demanding snap polls. The law enforcement agencies arrested suspect Naveed Meher from the site of the attack. The suspect also admitted to opening fire on the PTI leadership. The first information report of the incident was lodged on November 7 under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. The probe into the assassination attempt on Imran Khan had been handed over to an anti-corruption officer, as per the sources within the JIT. According to The News International report, Ghulam Mahmood Dogar had been given the responsibility of interrogating the suspect by anti-corruption officer Anwar Shah and no other member was given access to the attacker. (ANI)
Flight operations that were halted at Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport following problems with the immigration server on Saturday have resumed now. "Although the site problem prevails, the flights have started after processing passports and visas through the manual method," said Teknath Sitaula, the TIA spokesperson. As per National Data Center, it was due to the high traffic that originated from outside Nepal. An investigation is underway. Earlier in the day, all flights have been halted at Nepal's Tribhuvan International Airport following problems with the immigration server, airport officials said. Chief of Tribhuvan International Airport, Prem Nath Thakur said: "It has been about an hour that we're attempting to resume the flights. The international service is halted as the immigration server is not working." International flights at Tribhuvan International Airport had been suspended from 1:30 pm to 3:30 pm due to problems in the entire system, reported Khabar Hub. As all government websites were down, the tasks like examining the visa and passports online were adversely affected. The issues with the immigration website resulted in the stalling of the flights from the TIA. One could see the long queues of passengers there. Earlier this month, Nepal witnessed one of its worst air crashes when a domestic Yeti Airlines flight crashed in Pokhara. At least 72 people were killed in the accident. The twin-engine ATR 72-500 aircraft plummeted into a gorge as it was approaching Pokhara International Airport in the Himalayan foothills. The crash site is about 1.6 km from the runway at an elevation of about 820 meters (2,700 feet). While it's still unclear what caused the crash, some aviation experts say video taken from the ground of the plane's last moments indicated it went into a stall, although it's unclear why. Meanwhile, the EU mission in Nepal and the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) earlier postponed a planned on-site assessment visit to the Pokhara plane crash site, as mandated by the EU Air Safety Committee. "Given the current context related to the terrible accident and in mutual agreement, the EU and CAAN, have reached the conclusion that it would be in our best mutual interest to postpone a planned on-site assessment visit mandated by the EU Air Safety Committee, for the time being," EU Delegation to Nepal and CAAN said in a statement. "The primary focus for CAAN, at this time, is on dealing with the aftermath of the accident," the statement added. They said their services will continue to work closely in order to organise the visit. "In the meantime, the European Union will continue to assist CAAN in its efforts to improve the aviation safety situation in Nepal," the statement. (ANI)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Saturday reprimanded foreign newspapers for reserving adjectives like "Hindu nationalist" for the Indian government. "If you read foreign newspapers, they use words like Hindu Nationalist Government. In America or Europe, they won't say Christian Nationalist... these adjectives are reserved for us. They don't understand that this country is ready to do more with the world and not less with the world," said Jaishankar. Jaishankar was in Pune for the release of his English book "The India Way: Strategies for an Uncertain World," which has been translated into Marathi as 'Bharat Marg'.The Marathi version of Jaishankar's book was released by Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis. Jaishankar said he is proud of it and doesn't think there is anything to be apologetic. "If you look at the last 9 years, there is no doubt that government and politics of the day are more nationalistic...I don't think there is anything to be apologetic about it. The same nationalist people have helped countries abroad and moved forward in disaster situations in other countries," he said. Notably, there is a row over the controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 'The Modi Question.' India on Thursday denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and described it as a "propaganda piece" designed to push a discredited narrative. Addressing a weekly media briefing, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi said this documentary show, based on some internal UK reports, shows the colonial mindset. "We think this is a propaganda piece designed to push a particular discredited narrative. The bias and the lack of objectivity and frankly continuing colonial mindset are belatedly visible," Bagchi said in response to the question on the PM documentary series. UK's National broadcaster BBC aired a two-part series on PM Narendra Modi's tenure as Gujarat's Chief Minister. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms. "So if you read next time in a foreign newspaper because they always, foreign newspapers, they like using words like Hindu nationalist comment, okay?" Jaishankar said. "So next time you read it, ask yourself, how wrongly are they reading me that they actually do not understand that this country is getting ready to do more with the world, not less with the world," he advised. The EAM said that everyone in the country is connected with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during India's G20 Presidency. "We want to show the world this G20 will have 200 meetings. Through these 200 meetings, we want to show the world, please, world, come to see India. See the changes in India, see how much enthusiasm and positive sentiment there is for the world in India," said Jaishankar. He also took a dig at Congress leader, Rahul Gandhi while referring to China. "Why doesn't opposition talk about areas occupied by China in 1962....They never talk about that?" adding, "I won't go to the Chinese ambassador to get inputs, but my military leadership." (ANI)
This is the first time in the Maldives' history that a sitting president has run in a re-election primary.

President Solih faced off against the party's President and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, and has received 19,096 votes so far, compared to Nasheed's 12,005 votes. President Solih received 61 per cent of the votes cast, according to avas.mv.

During his campaign, President Solih stated that the MDP would have a future in Maldives politics by collaborating with other parties.

He has repeatedly stated that he will form a coalition with other parties, which he refers to as the "winning formula," in order to continue the MDP's rule.

Despite several challenges, President Solih's clear victory in Saturday's election secures him the presidential ticket of the Maldives' largest political party.

Solih, 60, who assumed the presidency in 2018 for a five-year term, is the 7th President of the Republic of Maldives. He will run for the post of President in the September election. (ANI)
The author in Scotland. Coren Feldman

As an American visiting Scotland for the first time, I encountered surprising language differences.

While grocery shopping, I learned that "mince" means ground beef and "rocket" is arugula.

I wasn't sure how much a "dram" of whisky was, but it turns out it's not an exact measurement.

On my trip to Scotland, I stayed in a friend's apartment, which they called a "flat."

The keys to my friend's "flat." Talia Lakritz/Insider

For my vacation, I swapped homes with a friend who lives in Scotland. They stayed in my New York City "apartment," and I stayed in their Edinburgh "flat."

The term "flat" comes from the Old English word "flett," meaning on one level, from the 1300s, according to Apartment Therapy. Most apartments are one floor, so they became known as "flats."

I had to adapt to spelling words  including my last name, Lakritz  with the letter "Z" by saying "zed," not "zee."

A bookstore in Edinburgh, Scotland. Talia Lakritz/Insider

My last name caused some confusion when I tried to spell it with the American pronunciation of the letter "Z."

When I went to a pharmacy to buy medicine for motion sickness, the pharmacist asked, "Do you mean travel sickness?"

Travel sickness tablets. Talia Lakritz/Insider

In anticipation of a bus tour of the Isle of Skye on winding mountain roads, I stocked up on a generic Scottish version of Dramamine. I was surprised to find that "motion sickness" was referred to as "travel sickness."

Thankfully, it worked wonders regardless of the language difference.

I learned that restaurant workers in Scotland will ask if you have a "booking," not a "reservation."

A dining deck on the Royal Yacht Britannia. Talia Lakritz/Insider

The first time someone asked me if I had a booking, it took me an extra second to realize what they meant.

At the end of a meal, diners in Scotland ask for the "bill," not the "check."

Brunch in Scotland. Talia Lakritz/Insider

None of the waiters I encountered had trouble understanding what I meant by the "check," but I felt like it made me stick out as a foreigner even more than my American accent already did.

I found that both real and vegetarian versions of ground beef are called "mince."

Vegetarian ground beef, or mince, at Sainsbury's. Talia Lakritz/Insider

When I saw what looked like imitation ground beef labeled as "mince," I had to double check to make sure that's what it actually was.

Story continues

In Scotland, arugula is called "rocket," which also threw me off while grocery shopping.

The fruit and vegetable section at Sainsbury's. Talia Lakritz/Insider

The name "rocket" originates from "ruchetta," the northern Italian name for the leaf, according to Bon Appetit. "Ruchetta" became "roquette" in French and eventually "rocket" in the UK.

Ordering food or drinks to go in Scotland meant asking for "takeaway."

A latte from Marks and Spencer. Talia Lakritz/Insider

I also heard "takeaway" being used as a noun (as in, "Let's order some takeaway for dinner")  what I would call "takeout" in the US.

I loved hearing people describe small things as "wee."

A visit with a wee Highland Cow. Coren Feldman

I heard the word "wee" used in reference to small children and animals, as well as a small bite to eat. To my American ears, it sounded like such a quaint way to describe something.

When offered a "dram" of whisky, I wasn't exactly sure how much that meant.

A pub in Inverness, Scotland. Coren Feldman

According to The Scotsman, a "dram" used to mean an eighth of an ounce when used in the context of apothecary weights, but it isn't an exact measurement today. Whisky is best measured with the heart, anyway.

Read the original article on Business Insider
In this article, we will discuss the 21 largest Italian companies by market cap. If you want to explore similar companies, you can also take a look at 5 Largest Italian Companies by Market Cap.

The Economy of Italy

The Italian economy is the third largest in the Eurozone and the eighth largest in the world, having a GDP of $2.11 trillion according to estimates from the World Bank It's a major European economic power and is home to some of the largest companies in Europe.

The Italian economy is driven by the manufacturing of high-quality consumer goods, such as clothing, furniture, and automobiles, as well as by a large agricultural sector and a thriving tourism industry. Italy is also a major player in the global financial markets, and its banking system is one of the most important in the Eurozone.

In the past decade, Italy has experienced an economic boom, driven largely by strong exports and the growth of its service sector. In 2021, the exports of goods and services from Italy accounted for 32.7% of the nation's GDP. The country has seen a significant rise in GDP growth and the unemployment rate has fallen from 12.1% in 2013 to 9.8% in 2021, according to data from the World Bank.

Italy is home to several large and leading companies, often referred to as blue chips. These companies are typically seen as the most attractive investments because they are the most established and have the most reliable performance records. Some of the largest Italian companies include Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E), Ferrari N.V. (NYSE:RACE), and Enel SpA (OTC:ENLAY). These companies, among others, are discussed in detail below.

21 Largest Italian Companies by Market Cap

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Our Methodology

For this article, we focused on Italian companies that are listed on the Italian stock exchange, U.S. exchanges, or are traded as over-the-counter (OTC) securities. We filtered companies by their market capitalization, and only included those that had the largest market caps, as of January 26. For companies that were listed on the Italian stock exchange, we converted their market cap from EUR to USD. We sourced the market cap of each company from Yahoo Finance and have ranked our picks in ascending order of their market cap.

Story continues

Largest Italian Companies by Market Cap

21. DiaSorin S.p.A. (OTC:DSRLF)

Market Cap: $7.30 Billion

DiaSorin S.p.A. (OTC:DSRLF) is a manufacturer and distributor of immunodiagnostic and molecular diagnostics testing kits. Its platforms, such as LIAISON XS, LIAISON XL, and LIAISON XL LAS are used throughout Europe, Africa, North America, Central and South America, the Asia Pacific, and China. DiaSorin S.p.A. (OTC:DSRLF) was established in 1968 and is based in Saluggia, Italy. The company is worth an estimated $7.30 billion on the open market and is one of the largest Italian companies by market cap.

Some of the largest companies in Italy include Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E), Ferrari N.V. (NYSE:RACE), and Enel SpA (OTC:ENLAY).

20. UnipolSai Assicurazioni S.p.A. (BIT:US)

Market Cap: $7.55 Billion

UnipolSai Assicurazioni S.p.A. (US.MI) is an Italian insurance firm that does business through four segments: Non-Life Insurance, Life Insurance, Real Estate and Others. Additionally, the company engages in reinsurance, real estate, hotel, agricultural, and healthcare businesses. UnipolSai Assicurazioni S.p.A. (US.MI) was founded in 2014 and has grown to become a company worth $7.55 billion, as of January 26.

19. Edison S.p.A. (BIT:EDNR)

Market Cap: $8.01 Billion

Edison S.p.A. (ENDR.MI) is an Italian energy company based in Milan. Established in 1884, the company currently has over 5,000 employees across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Edison S.p.A. (ENDR.MI) primarily produces and distributes electricity and natural gas and is one of the largest power providers in Italy, with a market cap of $8.01 billion, as of January 26.

18. Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario S.p.A. (OTC:MDIBY)

Market Cap: $8.98 Billion

Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario S.p.A. (OTC:MDIBY) is an Italian company that provides banking products and services both in Italy and internationally. The company operates through five segments: Wealth Management, Consumer Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, Principal Investing, and Holding Functions. Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario S.p.A. (OTC:MDIBY) offers asset management, consumer credit products, corporate lending, capital market services, and specialty finance services. The company was established in 1946 and is based in Milan.

17. Recordati Industria Chimica e Farmaceutica S.p.A. (OTC:RCDTF)

Market Cap: $9.17 Billion

Recordati Industria Chimica e Farmaceutica S.p.A. (OTC:RCDTF) is an Italian pharmaceutical company, established in 1926 and headquartered in Milan. The company develops, produces, markets and sells pharmaceuticals worldwide, in numerous therapeutic areas, such as cardiovascular, dermatology, OTC/non-prescription, urology, and anti-infectives among others. As of January 26, 17. Recordati Industria Chimica e Farmaceutica S.p.A. (OTC:RCDTF) has a market cap of $9.17 billion.

16. Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane S.p.A. (OTC:IFSUF)

Market Cap: $10.56 Billion

Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane S.p.A. (OTC:IFSUF) is an Italian company that provides infrastructure hosting equipment for radio, telecoms, and TV. The company also provides broadcasting services. Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane S.p.A. (OTC:IFSUF) is one of the largest Italian companies and is worth $10.56 billion on the open market, as of January 26.

15. FinecoBank Banca Fineco S.p.A. (OTC:FNBKY)

Market Cap: $10.65 Billion

FinecoBank Banca Fineco S.p.A. (OTC:FNBKY) is an Italian bank that provides banking, brokerage, and investing services. The company was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Reggio Emilia, Italy. As of January 26, FinecoBank Banca Fineco S.p.A. (OTC:FNBKY) is worth $10.65 billion.

14. Prysmian S.p.A. (OTC:PRYMY)

Market Cap: $10.72 Billion

Prysmian S.p.A. (OTC:PRYMY) is a global company that produces, distributes, and sells cables and systems, and related accessories for the energy and telecommunications industries. The company does business through three segments: Projects, Energy, and Telecom. Through the Projects segment, the company provides power and data transmission cables, umbilicals, and components for oil well management. The company's Energy segment provides trade and installation services, power distribution, overhead transmission lines, industrial and network components, and asset monitoring solutions. Finally, the company's Telecom segment manufactures optical fiber and cables, connectivity components and accessories, and copper cables for use in telecommunication networks. Prysmian S.p.A. (OTC:PRYMY) was founded in 1879 and is based in Milan, Italy.

13. Nexi S.p.A. (OTC:NEXXY)

Market Cap: $12.03 Billion

Nexi S.p.A. (OTC:NEXXY), founded in 1939 and based in Milan, provides electronic money and payment services to banks, financial and insurance institutions, merchants, businesses, and public administration in Italy. The company's services include acquiring, POS terminal configuration, fraud prevention, dispute management, and customer support. Moreover, the company also provides services for issuing payment cards, ATM management, clearing, digital banking, and software applications for invoice management. Nexi S.p.A. (OTC:NEXXY) is one of the largest Italian companies by market cap and is worth $12 billion, as of January 26.

12. Davide Campari-Milano N.V. (OTC:DVCMY)

Market Cap: $12.14 Billion

Davide Campari-Milano N.V. (OTC:DVCMY) is a leading global distributor of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The company has an extensive selection of spirits, including vodka, liqueurs, whisky, tequila, rum, gin, cognac, and champagne. Davide Campari-Milano N.V. (OTC:DVCMY) was founded in 1860 and is based in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy.

11. Poste Italiane S.p.A. (BIT:PST)

Market Cap: $13.73 Billion

Poste Italiane S.p.A. (PST.MI) is an Italian company that provides postal, logistics, financial and insurance products and services. The company does business through four segments: Mail, Parcels & Distribution; Payments & Mobile; Financial Services; and Insurance Services. As of January 26, Poste Italiane S.p.A. (PST.MI) has a market cap of $13.73 billion and is one of the largest Italian companies by market cap.

10. Prada S.p.A. (OTC:PRDSY)

Market Cap: $15.43 Billion

Prada S.p.A. (OTC:PRDSY) designs, produces and distributes leather goods, handbags, footwear, apparel, accessories, eyewear, and fragrances. The company is a global fashion giant and is also involved in event management and real estate businesses. Prada S.p.A. (OTC:PRDSY) was founded in 1913 and is based in Milan, Italy.

9. Terna - Rete Elettrica Nazionale Societa per Azioni (OTC:TEZNY)

Market Cap: $16.08 Billion

Terna - Rete Elettrica Nazionale Societa per Azioni (OTC:TEZNY) transmits and dispatches electricity in Italy, Euro-area countries, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Regulated, Non-Regulated, and International. The company also provides telecommunications systems and equipment, connectivity services, energy solutions, and operation and maintenance services. Terna - Rete Elettrica Nazionale Societa per Azioni (OTC:TEZNY) was established in 1999 and is based in Rome, Italy.

8. Moncler S.p.A. (OTC:MONRY)

Market Cap: $16.93 Billion

Moncler S.p.A. (OTC:MONRY) designs, produces, and sells clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. Some of the company's products include footwear, leather goods, sunglasses, eyeglasses, frames, ski goggles, and perfume. Moncler S.p.A. (OTC:MONRY) primarily operates in Italy, Europe, Japan, Asia, and the Americas. The company was founded in 1952 and is located in Milan, Italy.

7. Snam S.p.A. (OTC:SNMRY)

Market Cap: $17.22 Billion

Snam S.p.A. (OTC:SNMRY) is involved in the transportation and storage of natural gas. The company provides transportation and dispatching services and owns and manages LNG regasification plants. Snam S.p.A. (OTC:SNMRY) also provides integrated services for natural gas mobility, energy efficiency, biogas and biomethane plants, engineering and project management, and infrastructure planning. Snam S.p.A. (OTC:SNMRY) is worth $17.22 billion on the open market, as of January 26, and is one of the largest Italian companies by market cap.

6. Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (OTC:ARZGY)

Market Cap: $30.51 Billion

Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (OTC:ARZGY) is an Italian insurance company established in 1831. The company provides individuals and families with saving and protection insurance products and offers motor, casualty, accident, health and commercial and industrial risks insurance. Additionally, Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (OTC:ARZGY) also provides equity and fixed-income funds, investment advisory services and asset management. The company operates in numerous countries across Europe, the Americas and Asia.

In addition to Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (OTC:ARZGY), other major Italian companies include Eni S.p.A. (NYSE:E), Ferrari N.V. (NYSE:RACE), and Enel SpA (OTC:ENLAY).

Click to continue reading and see 5 Largest Italian Companies by Market Cap.

Suggested articles:

Disclosure: None. 21 Largest Italian Companies by Market Cap is originally published on Insider Monkey.
UAE-based Azizi Developments has announced that 58% of the work has been completed on its premium off-plan project Park Avenue I located within the MBR City in Dubai.

The project comprises 372 residential and 29 retail units across three buildings, each of which comes with a fully equipped gym and swimming pool.

Work is rapidly progressing, with the structure of Park Avenue I now being 98.30% complete, construction at 58%, blockwork at 99%, and internal plaster works at 84.60%. The total workforce was also amplified to 660 to accelerate construction further.

On the ongoing project, CEO Farhad Azizi said: "We have made significant progress with our Park Avenue project. By enhancing our procurement procedures and appointing only the most reliable contractors, we have achieved faster construction results, and have further raised the bar in our quality standards, exceeding the expectations of our valued investors and end-users."

"Strategically located, our Park Avenue developments offer excellent amenities and a distinguished, comfortable, and modern lifestyle that attracts both local and international investors," he stated.

According to Azizi, the project is built around the concept of connected serenity, and is the epitome of a strategic, easily accessible and convenient location that is its own little getaway within the city.

Surrounded by greenery and within proximity to Azizis French Mediterranean-inspired master-planned community, Riviera, the upcoming Meydan One Mall, the Meydan Grandstand, The Track, and only a 10-minute-drive to Dubai Mall and Downtown Dubai, these contemporary homes are ideally located for those seeking access to some of the citys most vibrant points of interest while also basking in the tranquillity of their own community with panoramic views of Dubais skyline, it added.-TradeArabia News Service
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.
Co-owner Troy Moore weighs marijuana at the Oregon's Finest medical marijuana dispensary in Portland, Oregon. REUTERS/Steve Dipaola

Cannabis has been recreationally legal in Oregon since 2015.

For the 21+ in Portland, there are various dispensaries that sell cannabis products and accessories.

Here's where to go, according to a Portland local.

In Oregon, marijuana has been recreationally legal since July 2015.

Recreational marijuana use was legalized in Oregon in 2015. Getty Images

The state legalized recreational cannabis in July 2015, and before that, it had been available for medicinal use since 1998.

Now, those over the age of 21 are able to purchase and use cannabis flower, as well as cannabis-derived products like edibles, concentrates, topicals, tinctures, and extracts.

I grew up in Oregon and watched the cannabis industry grow after legalization.

Author Jules Rogers. Jules Rogers

I hear all about the changes from working in the news industry myself, and also from my husband, who worked in the cannabis industry while it expanded over the past seven years until recently.

Since 2015, I've seen a lot change. There are now more than 800 dispensaries around the state, according to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, open to those over the age of 21, selling flower buds, edibles, glass accessories, and more.

Portland follows Oregon state law when it comes to marijuana sales and restrictions.

Portland, Oregon from the Willamette River. Shutterstock/Sean Pavone

Those over the age of 21 are allowed to purchase marijuana for recreational use.

However, you can't smoke in public (doing so could get you a citation), and you can't drive while under the influence. You also cannot take any marijuana products purchased in Oregon across state lines, including plant seeds, as these items are still federally illegal.

At dispensaries in Portland and throughout the state, employees with ask to see an ID to verify you're over 21, or over 18 with a registered medical marijuana card.

For those visiting Portland who may be curious, I think one of the best ways to learn about the city's cannabis culture is by visiting local dispensaries. Here's where you can find some of my favorite small businesses in Portland that sell recreational cannabis products and accessories, plus where to book a quirky cannabis-themed bus tour.

Story continues

For the budget-conscious, Nectar and Parlour Cannabis Shop dispensaries have daily discounts and specials.

Inside Nectar, a cannabis dispensary in southwest Portland. Jules Rogers

Parlour Cannabis Shop is located in southwest Portland's Raleigh Hills. The store is designed to look like an antique barbershop, and has soft lighting that I think creates a calm and welcoming atmosphere. I've always found the staff to be polite and proactive in serving customers.

The menu has a premium flower selection, concentrates, edibles, and pre-rolls, among other items, and the shop has a sale or deal every day of the week. I also appreciate that Parlour lists the daily specials on their website, which I haven't seen from many other local dispensaries. The discounts typically are 15% off various products like edibles, topicals, tinctures, extracts, or flower.

Another shop for the budget-conscious is Nectar, a local dispensary chain that has several locations throughout the city and state. The shop sells flower, concentrates, edibles, topicals, smoke accessories, and logo souvenirs like sweatshirts and caps.

I think Nectar is a convenient option for finding a good deal as the various locations regularly have rotating, week-long specials on numerous products. And in my experience, the chain has a consistently friendly approach with shoppers.

Green Front can be a pricey dispensary, but I've found it often has the highest quality products.

Cannabis buds and other products are sold only to those over 21 years old in Oregon. REUTERS/Hannah Beier

Green Front is a dispensary with two locations in the northern end of Portland. Prices here are higher than at Parlour Cannabis Shop or Nectar, but, in my opinion, the products are worth it if you're willing to splurge. Here, the buds are large, fresh, and dense with trichomes, which are tiny growths on cannabis flower that make for a more flavorful smoking experience.

I also appreciate that the store stays up to date with new releases in the cannabis industry, like new strains of flower and popular tinctures. Green Front also keeps a substantial stock of products from popular high-end brands.

For an excursion, take a tour to visit different dispensaries on a bus with a designated driver.

The Electric Lettuce dispensary is a stop on the Potlandia experience bus tour. Jules Rogers

Potlandia Experience is a tour company that runs a rock n' roll-themed trip around Portland on a 12-seater, green and purple tour bus. I think this is a convenient and safe way to partake freely, as the bus includes a designated driver, so attendees don't have to worry about smoking and driving, and instead can enjoy privacy inside the bus and enjoy views of driving around Portland.

The business has tours every Friday through Sunday, and has two different tours: The Potlandia Experience, and the Weed and Waterfalls tour.

On the Potlandia Experience, attendees are driven to visit several dispensaries around the city, and also stop by local microbreweries and food cart pods. The Weed and Waterfalls tour takes riders on a trip outside of Portland to the Columbia River Gorge for nature sightseeing and leisurely hikes, and attendees can consume marijuana on the bus ride.

Each tour costs $79 per person, and lasts for four hours. I think the Weed and Waterfalls tour is a fun option for visitors who want to see the state's nature outside of Portland, while the Potlandia Experience I'd recommend to those who prefer discovering new food scenes.

I think one of the best stops on the Potlandia experience tour is Electric Lettuce in the Lloyd District, one of four of the chain's locations around town. I always recognize an Electric Lettuce shop from its rainbow branding, which is usually painted on the building's steps or as a mural.

For cannabis-infused edibles and tinctures, visit the walkable Slabtown District for a handful of curated shops.

The MindRite dispensary has a sidewalk window counter for speedy shopping. Jules Rogers

MindRite is in the Slabtown district near the upscale Pearl District, which is a very walkable area. I never miss this dispensary thanks to its bright yellow walls and tree of medicine mural on the door. The business also has a sidewalk window counter, so you can walk right up to the open window and order your products, without having to go inside.

I'd recommend MindRite particularly for its edibles and tinctures, as the shop has a nicely curated supply of these items at reasonable prices, in my opinion. When I've visited, the shop has always had the latest edibles on the market, from cookies and gummies to tinctures meant for sublingual consumption.

Sublingual consumption means putting the tincture under your tongue to absorb, a method that has a faster onset time compared to edibles that are chewed and digested, according to Fluent Cannabis. For this reason, MindRite would be my pick for visitors looking for a good-quality product that acts fast.

Also in Slabtown, Power Plant on Thurman has quality concentrates and a taqueria next door.

Power Plant is near Uptown, a buzzy street for shopping. Jules Rogers

Power Plant on Thurman is a spot I like to stop into when I'm shopping in Uptown, which is what Portland locals like me call Northwest 23rd Avenue, a trendy street filled with boutiques that's not far from the Slabtown area.

The dispensary is in a two-story historic building with a pharmacy-style storefront. There's a generous selection of dabs and quality concentrates like rosin, live and cured resin, and other extracts.

Another perk of Power Plant is that it's located next to Cha! Cha! Cha!, a locally-owned taqueria with incredible house-made tortillas. The restaurant is a great stop, in my opinion, to satiate munchies with an order of tacos, burritos, or enchiladas.

Downtown, Serra has a luxurious shopping experience and high-end products.

Serra is a curated dispensary in downtown. Jonathan House for Insider

Serra is a thoughtfully curated dispensary in the heart of downtown Portland. I think this store has a more luxurious shopping experience compared to other dispensaries in town. Coming here reminds me of being in a high-end, designer store, and makes me feel like I'm shopping for quality items.

It's a clean shop with an upscale ambience, and products are displayed neatly on wood shelves and in delicate glass cases. There are both affordable and high-end products sold at Serra, including flower, edibles, concentrates, and sleek glass accessories.

Several dispensaries in town also sell unique glass smoking products and accessories.

A selection of goods at Oregons Finest dispensary. Jules Rogers

If you're looking for a glass pipe or piece, there are several stores I recommend.

In Southeast Portland, Green Oasis is a dispensary that I think is the best mom and pop-style joint in the area. It's family-owned and located in the historical Sellwood neighborhood, and a fun place to pick up glass pieces, in my experience. The store has a vibrant, ever-changing display with fun and unique designs at good prices, and sometimes a discounted $5 dish of colorful, small pieces to choose from, too.

Besides glass accessories, Green Oasis also has a full menu of cannabis products and a pre-roll joint selection. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and just what I'd expect from a neighborhood dispensary.

Another dispensary, Oregon's Finest, is grower-owned and operated and focuses on "top-shelf" items. In my experience, the flower sold here is always of a high quality. The store has a variety of uniquely designed glass accessories  I once saw a double bowl glass that was shaped like a cherry, and another unique art piece that doubled as a smokable pipe.

I especially appreciate how the dispensary showcases new, popular strains in beautiful glass jars that always catch my eye. With popular brands and aesthetically-pleasing displays, this is one of my favorite shops to show friends when they're in town.

Overall, Portland is a welcoming place for visitors looking to explore cannabis culture.

My husband Marshall at a Dr. Jolly's Tumalo Industries warehouse in Oregon. Jules Rogers

In my experience, dispensaries around town are accommodating and inviting, and employees are more than happy to share their knowledge about cannabis products for sale.

If you do visit Portland in search of cannabis, remember to follow local laws, and don't smoke in public.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Scottish actor Alan Cumming has returned a special British honor granted by the late Queen Elizabeth II because of his misgivings about the toxicity of the British Empire, he announced Friday on social media.

The film, TV and Broadway star whos currently hosting the Peacock series Traitors was granted the title Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire at an investiture ceremony in 2009.

It honored both his acting career and his activism for equal rights for the gay and lesbian community, USA, he noted in an Instagram post Friday, which was his 58th birthday.

But he announced in the same post: I returned my OBE.

The Queens death and the ensuing conversations about the role of monarchy and especially the way the British Empire profited at the expense (and death) of indigenous peoples across the world really opened my eyes, Cumming wrote.

He said the great good the OBE award brought to the LGBTQ+ cause back in 2009 before same-sex marriage was legal in the U.S. is now less potent than the misgivings I have being associated with the toxicity of [the British] empire.

Im now back to being plain old Alan Cumming again. Happy birthday to me! he wrote.

A number of artists and others have returned the same award or similar honors to protest historical actions of the British Empire and its monarchy, as well as policies and activities of the British government.

All four of The Beatles were made Members of the British Empire in 1965. But John Lennon returned his honor four years later.

Your Majesty, he wrote, I am returning this MBE in protest against Britains involvement in the Nigeria-Biafra thing, against our support of America in Vietnam and against [Lennons song] Cold Turkey slipping down the charts.

It was signed: With love, John Lennon.

Related...
KABUL (Reuters) - The Taliban-run Ministry of Higher Education ordered private universities in Afghanistan not to allow female students to sit university entrance exams next month, underscoring its policy to restrict women from tertiary education.

A letter from the ministry was addressed to institutions in Afghanistan's northern provinces, including Kabul, where exams are due to take place from the end of February. The letter said those institutions that did not observe the rules would face legal action.

The Higher Education Ministry in December told universities not to allow female students "until further notice". Days later, the administration stopped most female NGO workers from working. Most girls' highschools have also been closed by authorities.

The restrictions on women's work and education have drawn condemnation internationally. Western diplomats have signalled the Taliban would need to change course on its policies towards women to have a chance of formal international recognition and an easing of its economic isolation.

The country is in the midst of an economic crisis, partly due to sanctions affecting its banking sector and a cut in development funding, with aid agencies warning tens of millions are in need of urgent aid.

However, a World Bank report this week also said the Taliban administration, which has said it is focussed on more economic self-sufficiency, had kept revenue collection strong last year and exports had lifted.

(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar; Writing by Charlotte Greenfield, Editing by Angus MacSwan)
HOUSTON (AP)  In the months he was held in detention in Texas during his legal fight to remain in the U.S., Afghan soldier Abdul Wasi Safi thought he would eventually be returned to his home country and meet a likely death at the hands of the Taliban because of his work with the U.S. military.

But on Friday, he stood a free man, filled with hope that the help he provided the U.S. military will ultimately help him secure asylum in the U.S.

Amid hugs from his brother and lawyers, Wasi Safi proudly smiled as he received an award from one of his supporters  Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Houston  that honored his military service to the U.S. He said he hoped that would be a harbinger of things to come for him in his new life in the United States.

I am hopeful about the next step in this process and one day being able to live the American dream, Wasi Safi said at a news conference in Houston.

For the past few months, Wasi Safi, 27, had been jailed by federal authorities after being arrested while crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in September near Eagle Pass, Texas.

An intelligence officer for the Afghan National Security Forces, he had fled Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. forces in August 2021, fearing reprisals from the Taliban. After making his way last year to Brazil, he started a months-long journey to the U.S. in summer 2022, crossing 10 countries on his treacherous trek.

Wasi Safi had been facing a federal immigrant charge. But a judge on Monday dropped the count at the request of prosecutors. He was freed from a detention center in Eden, Texas, on Wednesday and was reunited with his brother, Sami-ullah Safi, 29, who goes by Sami and lives in Houston.

Today a wrong has been made right, and I would like to thank those who have worked tirelessly to secure justice for my brother, said Sami Safi, who had been employed in Afghanistan by the U.S. military as a translator before he moved to the U.S.

Story continues

The lawyers, bipartisan lawmakers and military organizations that have been working to free Wasi Safi say his case highlights how Americas chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan continues to harm Afghan citizens who helped the U.S. but were left behind.

Jackson Lee said being able to free Wasi Safi from detention and provide him help and resources as he applies for asylum is part of the promise the U.S. has long made to those such as Afghan soldiers who have helped the countrys military in its efforts to preserve democracy.

America made a promise. Today we emphasize America kept her promise, Jackson Lee said.

Wasi Safi, whose case was first reported by The Texas Tribune, had suffered serious injuries from beatings during his journey to the U.S., including damaged front teeth and hearing loss in his right ear. Sami Safi said as his brothers asylum claim is reviewed, he will be helping him heal his body and mind and get him acclimated to living in the U.S.

Wasi Safi said part of what he hopes his American dream includes is being able to work and support those members of his family who remain in Afghanistan, including his parents, six sisters and two other brothers. He hopes that one day, they can all be reunited.

Nearly 76,000 Afghans who worked with American soldiers since 2001 as translators, interpreters and partners arrived in the U.S. on military planes after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. But their immigration status remains unclear after Congress failed to pass a proposed law, the Afghan Adjustment Act, that would have solidified their legal residency status.

Please do not forget that there are people who are still left behind. This is not the last person. This is the first page of the book. Please raise your voice. There are hundreds of people. There are thousands of people that are every day being targeted, said Nisar Momand, a former interpreter for the U.S government who left Afghanistan and now lives in Houston.

___

Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: twitter.com/juanlozano70
An Emirates jet flew almost halfway to New Zealand from Dubai before being forced to turn back. SOPA Images/Getty Images

An Emirates flight from Dubai to Auckland had to turn back halfway through its 8,824-mile journey.

Passengers spent around 13 hours in the air, only to end up right where they'd started.

The aircraft couldn't land at Auckland International Airport due to major flooding and heavy rain.

Passengers spent more than 13 hours flying onboard an Emirates flight only to land right back where they'd started.

Flight EK448 departed from Dubai International Airport at around 10:30 a.m. on Friday but was forced to turn back almost halfway through its 8,824-mile journey because of major flooding at its destination in Auckland, New Zealand. It landed again in Dubai shortly after midnight, data from Cirium and FlightAware showed.

Auckland International Airport shut its domestic and international terminals on Friday after heavy rain caused widespread chaos and triggered a local state of emergency. According to the airport's website, no international flights would be permitted to arrive until at least 7 a.m. local time on Sunday. Domestic arrivals and departures would be permitted from 12 p.m. local time on Saturday, it said.

Emirates flight EK448 is scheduled to attempt its journey to Auckland again on Sunday.

A spokesperson for Emirates told Insider: "We regret the inconvenience caused to customers. Emirates will continue to monitor the situation in Auckland and issue updates where required."

Passengers on board an American Airlines flight had a similar experience after their 10-hour journey from Dallas Fort Worth airport to Auckland had to head back to the US partway through its journey on Friday, Paddle Your Own Kanoo reported.

Air New Zealand diverted its long-haul international flights to Christchurch, per Paddle Your Own Kanoo.

A spokesperson for American Airlines said: "We plan to resume our operation on Saturday, January 28. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and make any additional changes to our operation as necessary. American issued a travel alert for customers traveling to and from Auckland, allowing customers to rebook without change fees."

Story continues

The weather also seriously impeded local travel in Auckland. More than 2,000 people stayed overnight within the terminals due to the flooding, Auckland Airport said.

In a statement, Auckland airport chief executive Carrie Hurihanganui said: "This has been a significant event that has put our city into a state of emergency, and certainly the airport has never been tested in this way before. But the delay to reopening is necessary to ensure travelers' safety."

Auckland Airport did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls on partners to provide Ukraine with long-range missiles to protect it from such attacks as those on Saturday in Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast.

Source: Zelenskyys evening address

Details: Zelensky said that the Russians used S-300 missiles to attack Kostiantynivka in Donetsk Oblast on Saturday morning, killing three people and injuring 14.

Quote from Zelenskyy: "These Russian missiles hit Kostiantynivka, in particular four residential buildings. And such attacks, unfortunately, are a daily routine in our territories, which the Russian army reaches with such missiles. Donbas, Kharkiv Oblast, and the south of the state

It would be possible to stop this Russian terror if we could provide our military personnel with appropriate missile forces. So that the terrorists do not have a sense of impunity.

Ukraine needs long-range missiles, in particular, to remove the possibility of the occupier installing his missile launchers somewhere far from the contact line and destroying Ukrainian cities with them."

Details: The president stressed that Ukraine will do everything possible "to ensure that partners open this vital supply, in particular of ATACMS and other similar weapons".

Background:

The new US aid package does not include the longer-range missiles known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), for which Ukraine has long been asking, nor the Abrams tanks.

Back in the autumn, CNN reported that Ukraine had asked the United States to transfer ATACMS long-range missile systems on the condition that the targets be agreed upon.

Maria Zakharova, Spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Russia would consider the supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine as the United States' entry into the war.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!








62-year-old Dilip Ram is a Dalit Professor who began his career as a primary school teacher and now heads the department of Hindi at Patna University.

Sami Ahmad | TwoCircles.net

PATNA (BIHAR)  Professor Dilip Ram recently became the first Dalit head of the department of Hindi at Patna University after its inception in 1937.

Prof. Ram will serve as head of the department (HoD) for the next two years. In its 86 years of history, the Hindi department at Patna University has had 26 heads of department, including three women and one Muslim.

Born in 1961, Prof. Ram has authored and edited more than half a dozen books of Hindi literature and critique including a collection of poems on Dalit discourse.

A native of the Saran district in Bihar, Prof. Ram has a special knack for teaching. He started his career as a primary school teacher, then moved to high school before finally settling at Patna University in 2003 as a lecturer. He also worked in Buniyady Vidyalaya, which was built by Mahatma Gandhi.

His mother Mateshwari Devi was a housewife who never went to school. His father Mahadev Ram worked a government job and had elementary education. His wife Mina Devi is a housewife.

In a brief interview with TwoCirlces.net, Prof. Ram expressed his happiness that in accordance with seniority he got the chance to serve as HoD but lamented that due to educational feudalism, it took 86 years for a Dalit to become the head of Hindi department at Patna University. This is not my success, it is my communitys success. The marginalized community was deprived of higher education. At maximum, they got basic education and were forced to earn a livelihood. Unfortunately, it was more in the Hindi field than in other fields, he said.

He said Dalits did not get many opportunities for higher education. Even if someone got that chance to make inroads in higher education he or she was forced to struggle. The social condition was not favourable to them. They could not survive, he said.

Prof. Ram believes that some Dalits have done well purely due to the legal provisions like scholarship and reservation in the constitution framed by Dr Ambedkar. Our society did not contribute to the upliftment of the Dalits, he said.

Thankfully he did not face many social problems as his uncle was in a better social position, Prof Ram said there still is an intellectual and ideological fight that Dalits have to face.

I come from Ambedkar ideology and follow the ideology of Kabir, he said.

He said Dalit discourse was mainly centred in Maharashtra. I dont think there was any Dalit movement in Bihar in the form of Hindi literature but lately the young generation has started Dalit discourse in Hindi literature. In Hindi literature, there was no independent ism of Dalit. It was Dalit writers who established an independent tradition of Dalit discourse which has its own ideology and poetic values, he said.

He said that Dalit discourse and Dalit literary discourse are two important things. He said that in post-80s writings Dalit literature got momentum and its impact was felt. In secondary and higher education education, Kabir, Raidas and Sant Tuka Ram were already being taught but these days, many forms of Dalit literature have come to the fore like poetry, autobiography, novel, story and memoirs etc., the professor said.

He talks about identity discourse papers, including Dalit discourse, Adivasi discourse, minority discourse and transgender discourse, being taught in Hindi literature for the first time at Patna University. Through these forms of literature, the life, values and the struggles of the minority community, the Adivasis and other marginalized people are in spotlight.

Discussing the challenges in identity discourse, Prof. Ram said, The prevailing situation, the environment being manufactured by the politicians and the attempt to spread religious intolerance in the name of Ram are not good signs. These are diversionary works.

He emphasised that the narrative of Dalit literature needs to be spread to counter such situations.

Referring to the term Dalit Brahmin, Prof Ram accepts that even Dalits are being impacted by the fanatical elements.

Since some Dalits are becoming Brahmins, by their infused feudal mentality, such a situation is bound to arise, though they cannot be accepted as Brahmins as they have the stamp of caste on their back. This is a big challenge, he said.

Talking about the solidarity between Dalits and other minority communities in the country, Prof. Ram said, Dalits and minority communities are deprived economically and socially. Definitely, they have a bonding between them.

Admitting that there is no provision to promote Dalits at the university level, he emphasises self-development. Dalits and other deprived communities need to try harder to grab opportunities, otherwise they will be left behind, he said, while recalling how a social welfare department scholarship helped him in his career as there were not any other resources available.

Sami Ahmad is a journalist based in Patna, Bihar. He tweets at @samipkb
A man was arrested after he stole a patrol car and fled from Atlanta police, law officials told Channel 2 Action News.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Police said on Saturday around 2:10 a.m. an officer was conducting a traffic stop near 2841 Greenbriar Parkway SW when the suspect, 29-year-old Mickal Parker got into the officers car and drove away from the scene.

Other Atlanta police officers, Georgia State Patrol officers, and the Atlanta police Aviation Unit responded to the area and located the car and suspect near McDonough Boulevard SE.

According to officers, while still attempting to flee, Parker crashed and flipped the patrol car onto the train tracks while the train was coming.

TRENDING STORIES:

An officer was able to get Parker out of the vehicle before the train hit the patrol car.

Parker suffered minor injuries and was taken into custody and charged with theft by taking, fleeing and eluding, reckless driving, obstruction and damage to city property.

[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]

IN OTHER NEWS:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has congratulated the newly elected President of Czechia, Petr Pavel, on his convincing victory in these elections.

Source: European Pravda; Zelenskyy on Twitter

Uprimne blahopreji @general_pavel k presvedcivemu vitezstvi ve volbach prezidenta Ceske republiky. Ocenuji Vasi podporu Ukrajine a nasemu boji proti ruske agresi. Tesim se na nasi uzkou osobni spolupraci ve prospech narodu Ukrajiny a Ceske republiky a v zajmu sjednocene Evropy.  (@ZelenskyyUa) January 28, 2023

Quote from Zelenskyy: "I appreciate your support for Ukraine and our fight against Russian aggression. I look forward to close cooperation for the benefit of the people of Ukraine and the Czech Republic and for the benefit of a united Europe."

Details: After having counted 100% of the votes, retired General Petr Pavel has won the Czech presidential elections by collecting 58.3% of the votes.

General Pavel is known for holding the office of head of the NATO Military Committee, the second highest position in the Alliance after the Secretary General. No one from the Czech Republic has ever held such a high position in the Alliance before.

After this, Pavel resigned from his position in 2018 and started preparing for political activity.

It is important that he fully supports aid for Ukraine, and if he wins, then the president and the government will be like-minded bodies.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






An Atlanta promoter and entrepreneur has been indicted for receiving a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan worth nearly $1 million for his businesses.

In June 2020, 41-year-old Travis Harris signed a PPP loan application for his business, Atlanta Luxury Cars & Trucks LLC, worth $968,405. Harris application was based on fraudulent information about his business number of employees, payroll, and revenue, according to officials.

Officials say Harris then deposited the $968,405 into one of his bank accounts for Atlanta Luxury Cars & Trucks LLC.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

Congress established the Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses, not to be easy money for anyone willing to lie on a loan application, said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. We will continue to investigate and prosecute anyone who defrauded taxpayers out of the funds meant to sustain the economy during the COVID-19 crisis.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across the government to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.

TRENDING STORIES:

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justices National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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IN OTHER NEWS:
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Bayer investor Deka has called for CEO Werner Baumann to be replaced ahead of his scheduled departure, adding to mounting pressure on the German drugmaker.

"Bayer needs a new strategic positioning, which cannot be credibly accomplished under Werner Baumann," Ingo Speich, head of sustainability and corporate governance at Deka, told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS) newspaper in remarks published on Saturday.

The mutual funds firm is among Bayer's 20 largest shareholders.

"There is a window of opportunity for Chairman Norbert Winkeljohann to act before the annual general meeting at the end of April. He has to seize that opportunity, otherwise the pressure on him will increase as well," Speich added.

He said a successor would have to come from outside the company.

"Generally speaking we are always open to a constructive dialogue with our stakeholders," a Bayer spokesperson said, declining to comment specifically on the interview.

Despite recent improvements in the company's agriculture business and drug development prospects, Bayer shares have been weighed down by litigation over glyphosate-based herbicide Roundup and over environmental pollution related to chemicals known as PCBs.

The legal claims are legacy issues from its takeover of Monsanto for more than $60 billion in 2018.

Baumann, who engineered the troubled Monsanto deal, was given a new contract in 2020 that runs until 2024 and said at the time he would leave the company when that term expires.

A week ago mutual funds group Union Investment criticised Bayer's chair for a lack of engagement, such as exploring a spin-off of the company's consumer health division.

Bayer is also facing demands from activist investor Bluebell Capital Partners to break up the company, including selling off its consumer health unit and later a separation of its pharmaceuticals and agricultural businesses.

Another activist investment fund, hedge fund veteran Jeffrey Ubben's Inclusive Capital Partners, said this month it had also acquired a stake in Bayer.

(Reporting by Ludwig Burger; editing by Jason Neely)
President Biden said he was outraged by video released Friday night showing police officers beating Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, and he called for those upset by the footage to protest peacefully.

Like so many, I was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols death, Biden said in a statement released shortly after the video was made public. It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.

Biden earlier Friday spoke with RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, Nichols mother and stepfather, to express his condolences and offer admiration for their courage.

Nichols died a few days after he was beaten by police after a traffic stop on Jan. 10.

Over the course of the video, officers pepper-spray, deploy a stun gun and beat Nichols.

Video of the arrest was taken from polecam, SkyCop and police body camera footage.

The five police officers were fired from the department last week. On Thursday, they were charged with second-degree murder and other offenses.

My heart goes out to Tyre Nichols family and to Americans in Memphis and across the country who are grieving this tremendously painful loss, Biden said. The footage that was released this evening will leave people justifiably outraged. Those who seek justice should not to resort to violence or destruction. Violence is never acceptable; it is illegal and destructive. I join Mr. Nichols family in calling for peaceful protest.

Biden said Nichols family deserves a swift, full, and transparent investigation, and he reiterated his calls for Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would enact reforms to try and curb racial profiling and tie federal aid to officer conduct.

White House officials held a call earlier Friday with mayors from 16 major cities to discuss preparations for possible protests after the footage was released and outline how the federal government could assist.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
President Joe Biden on Friday night said he was "outraged and deeply pained" after watching videos of the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols by Memphis police.

In a statement shortly after the videos were released, Biden called the images "horrific."

"It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day," he said.

"The footage that was released this evening will leave people justifiably outraged," Biden added, while urging those who seek justice "not to resort to violence or destruction."

Earlier on Friday, Biden spoke by phone with Nichols' mother and stepfather, RowVaughn Wells and Rodney Wells, who were allowed a private viewing of the video on Monday.

During his conversation with them, Biden expressed his condolences for the 29-year-olds death and commended the familys courage and strength, the White House said.

This is devastating, Biden said, addressing Rodney Wells, according to a Washington Post video of family members talking to Biden.

Yes, sir, Wells responded.

I know people will say, will say that to you. But I do know," Biden continued, remarking on his own loss of family members in tragic circumstances.

Biden talked about how he lost family members in an accident when a tractor trailer broadsided" their car, killing his first wife Neilia Hunter Biden and their 13-month-old daughter Naomi in 1972, just after Biden was elected to the Senate. In 2015, Biden lost his son Beau to brain cancer.

Speaking to reporters before boarding Marine One to spend the weekend at Camp David, Biden said he was "very concerned" about the potential for violence after the release of the police video.

He said that in addition to "innocent people's lives" being at stake, It has a lot to say and do with the image of America. It has a lot to do with whether or not we are the country we say we are."

Story continues

"We're a country of law and order" where peaceful protest can occur and "courts make the judgment," Biden added.

In a statement Thursday, Biden expressed his condolences to Nichols' family and the Memphis community. "Tyres family deserves a swift, full, and transparent investigation into his death," he said.

Biden also noted that deadly encounters with law enforcement have "disparately impacted Black and Brown people."

"To deliver real change, we must have accountability when law enforcement officers violate their oaths, and we need to build lasting trust between law enforcement, the vast majority of whom wear the badge honorably, and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect," Biden said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Notebooks that President Joe Biden wrote in during his time as vice president are among the items the FBI took from one of his Delaware homes during a search there last week, according to a person familiar with the investigation.

The notebooks were seized because Bidens notes on some of the pages relate to his official business as vice president, including details of his diplomatic engagements during the Obama administration, and may refer to classified information, this same person said, adding that the notebooks do not have classified markings on them, but some of the handwritten notes inside them could be considered as such given their sensitive content.

Other pages in the notebooks, while they may not contain potentially classified information, could still be considered government property under the Presidential Records Act because they pertain to official business Biden conducted as vice president, according to the person familiar with the investigation.

The notebooks include a mix of handwritten notes from Biden on various topics, both personal and official, according to the person familiar with the seizure. On some pages Biden wrote down things about his family or his life unrelated to public office, said this same person. On other pages, he memorialized in writing some of his experiences or thoughts as vice president at the time, according to this same source.

The number of notebooks Biden kept is large, according to the person familiar with the details, but they did not know the precise number.

When asked about the notebooks, a spokesperson for Bidens personal lawyer, Bob Bauer, reiterated the position the presidents legal team has taken in previous statements about the Justice Departments investigation into Bidens possession of classified material from the Obama administration that was found in his Wilmington, Delaware, residence and an office in Washington, D.C., that he used after leaving the vice presidency.

Story continues

As noted in the statement released on January 14, consistent with our view of the requirements of our cooperation with DOJ in this matter, we will not comment on the accuracy of reports of this nature, the spokesperson said.

The Justice Department declined to comment. The FBI declined to comment.

Bauers spokesperson on Friday declined to comment when asked whether Biden knew the notebooks were packed in boxes that left with him at the end of the Obama administration, if hes accessed them since leaving the vice presidency and whether he thought the notebooks were his personal property.

In a letter this week to former presidents and vice presidents, the National Archives requested their offices search for any materials in their possession that might relate to their tenures in office, including to determine whether bodies of materials previously assumed to be personal in nature might inadvertently contain presidential or vice presidential records subject to the [Presidential Records Act], whether classified or unclassified.

The request followed a battle between former President Donald Trump and the Archives over his possession of classified documents after leaving office, which led to the FBI obtaining a search warrant in August to retrieve them from his Mar-a-Lago estate; Biden aides' discovery in November of classified documents from his time as vice president at his private office, as well as subsequent discoveries; and former Vice President Mike Pences disclosure that his aides had found classified documents at his Indiana home this month.

Trump and Bidens possession of classified documents is the subject of separate special counsel investigations. Attorney General Merrick Garland has so far not named a special counsel to investigate Pences handling of classified documents.

Bidens possession of notebooks from his time as vice president that include notes about official business he conducted in that role raises questions about whether he appropriately followed procedures for preserving presidential records. It also raises questions about whether the notebooks are considered personal or official, and how other vice presidents and presidents who kept similar notebooks while in office have handled theirs.

Federal law allows presidents and vice presidents to write and, upon leaving office, keep diaries and notes of a personal nature, so long as they hadnt shared the material with anyone in the time they held office. (Former President Ronald Reagan kept a hand-written diary during his eight years in the White House, storing them in a dresser drawer and only his wife, Nancy, knew they were there, according to Douglas Brinkley, the presidential historian who later edited and published the diaries.)

Jason R. Baron, a former director of litigation at the National Archives, said when it comes to notebooks containing handwritten notes about personal matters, intermixed with notes about government business, they would likely be considered personal property if Biden never shared them with any government staff members during the vice presidency.

Baron said that holds true whether Biden jotted a note to himself about buying a birthday president for his wife or wrote about a meeting with a foreign leader.

But if Biden did share the contents of the notebooks with staff while serving as vice president, the material would be deemed official records belonging to the government, Baron said.

Handwritten personal notes of a former president or vice president are only considered presidential records if they were shared or communicated with other White House or federal agency personnel for use in transacting government business, Baron said. A former president or vice president has the right to take out of the White House personal notes  they are not official records that come into the legal custody of the National Archives at the end of an administration.

On Jan. 20, the FBI spent more than 12 hours searching Bidens Wilmington home for any possible records from his eight years as vice president, including potentially classified materials.

The following day, Bauer, the presidents personal lawyer, said in a statement that federal investigators had taken with them more than just documents with classified markings after accessing Bidens personally handwritten notes, files, papers, binders, memorabilia, to-do lists, schedules, and reminders going back decades.

The Justice Department took possession of materials it deemed within the scope of its inquiry, including six items consisting of documents with classification markings and surrounding materials, Bauer said in the statement. DOJ also took for further review personally handwritten notes from the vice-presidential years.

The revelations of that Trump, Biden and Pence all possessed classified materials after they had left office has elicited calls for changes in the process for when presidents and vice presidents depart.

Norman Eisen, who worked as a special counsel for ethics in former President Barack Obamas White House, said he is advocating for a closer review of a president and vice presidents papers before they leave office so that government documents arent packed away with their other belongings.

Eisen outlined a hypothetical scenario where an outgoing president or an aide wanted to pack up a medical bill that needed to be paid and was required to call the National Archives to have an employee determine whether its a personal or government record.

On Friday, Pence apologized for having classified documents in his possession and said he takes full responsibility for it.

Biden has said he was surprised to learn classified documents were found at his former office in November and has said theres no there there in terms of the federal investigation. The White House counsels office has said the documents were inadvertently packed in boxes and taken after Biden left the vice presidency.

One person close to Biden said its impossible to imagine that he packed up boxes himself upon leaving the vice presidency. That would have been his staffs job, this person said, speaking on condition of anonymity to talk more freely.

Hes not putting anything in boxes, this person said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Black women are putting their mental health and wellness first more than ever before. Throughout history, Black women have been seen as strong and tough. Now, many are choosing to live the soft life.

Soft living focuses on prioritizing mental wellness, self-care, and setting personal boundaries. Black women have been living their best soft lives, and we love to see it.

Delilah Antionette is a community leader who is rewriting the narrative between Black women and wellness. She started the Black Girls Healing House Facebook Group in 2018. Since then, Antionette has cultivated a community of over 62,000 Black women looking to welcome more softness into their lives while prioritizing their self-care and mental health.

Courtesy of Delilah Antoinette

We had a chance to chat with Antionette about the Black Girls Healing House Facebook Group, how travel impacted her journey with wellness, and how other Black women can join the Black Girls Healing House movement.

Related: Fearless Fund Founder Arian Simone Opens Leadership Academy & Crowned Queen Wa In Ivory Coast

Where are you from, and how did your city influence your path to Black Girls Healing House?

Im from Mobile, Alabama  the birthplace of Mardi Gras, which most people often dont know because when we think about Mardi Gras, we think about New Orleans.

My city is rich in culture and history. Its also rich with beautiful Black women who need healing due to lack of access to care, combined with the stigma behind mental health. Growing up, I saw a lot of Black women in my community dealing with mental illness and trauma due to lack of access to care. Living a soft life seemed impossible. And for me, I wanted to know what it meant to truly live a life of ease and flow. I wanted that so much for the women in my community.

I created the Black Girls Healing House Facebook Group to help Black girls that look like me find a safe space where they can feel like they matter in a world that typically overlooks us. My intention is by connecting Black women together, we can heal generations of trauma and inspire a new generation of Black women who can truly live softly.

Story continues

You started Black Girls Healing House in 2018; what was the inspiration behind starting this movement?

The inspiration behind starting Black Girls Healing House came from my own personal experience with mental health and wellness. When I got out of college, I was on a healing journey. I would look up healing and wellness centers and go. I would be inspired by the classes, books, crystals, herbs, and teas and how peaceful these environments were. However, as peaceful as they were, I noticed they were not created with a girl like me in mind. In fact, I got the vibe that girls like me werent welcomed there.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Black Wellness Activist + Black Girl Healing (@the_lush_eclectic)

Then the idea suddenly came to me to create Black Girls Healing House to have a safe space for Black women who were also on that journey. I wanted to build a network of holistic wellness practitioners.

What does Black wellness mean to you?

For me, Black wellness is a part of breaking generational cycles. In my family, we carry cancer, diabetes, mental illness, and heart disease, and we die extremely young. That was mostly because we didnt value wellness. Wellness looked like attending church instead of therapy, normalizing stress and toxic relationships, and overindulging in fried foods.

For me, Black wellness looks like Nah. Lets try something different.

I go to therapy, eat salads, and go to the gym, and I learned to let go. I inspire the members of our group to do the same. We share our latest gym routines, give updates on our therapy journeys, post healthy recipes, and uplift each other in sisterhood. We are doing what has never been done before in our community by normalizing conversations about our holistic health.

What are your top 3 destinations for aligning yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally?

Our members absolutely love Costa Rica, and some of our members own wellness retreats there on everything from spirituality, yoga, self-care, and sexuality.

For those who do not have a passport yet, our members love to visit Puerto Rico for food and culture and to connect with spirituality and ancestral roots.

And one of our favorite places to go to feel cleansed and connected to the beach and nature is Hawaii.

How has travel impacted your journey with wellness?

Courtesy of Delilah Antionette

Travel is self-care for me, and many people dont know that traveling helps with spiritual growth. Theres something about changing your environment and opening yourself to new foods and cultures that unlocks your intuition and creativity. In Black Girls Healing House, we sometimes host group trips. Traveling helps us create new experiences and learn new perspectives that we can use for our own spiritual growth, and it helps build community.

How can other Black women join the Black Girls Healing House movement?

You can join the Black Girls Healing House Movement by joining our Facebook Group here.

Follow Delilah Antoinette on Instagram here.

Related: Meet The Story Of This Unique Black-Owned Wellness Retreat In South America


The court ordered the registration of a case against 12 police personnel based on the complaint of the victims wife.

TCN Special Correspondent

Support TwoCircles



NEW DELHI  Twelve policemen were booked under various sections of IPC (Indian Penal Code) including murder charges following an order from a court directing the police to lodge a first information report (FIR) in a case related to the encounter killing of a 45-year-old Muslim man over cow slaughter allegations.

In September 2021, Zeeshan Haider, a farmer from Thitki village, died at the district hospital after being shot by the local police over accusations of cow slaughter. However, his family denied the charges and maintained that he was not involved in any crime and moved the Allahabad High Court against the killing.

The High Court directed the Saharanpur court to dispose of his petition. On January 19 this year, the CJM court in Saharanpur ordered for registration of an FIR against the erring policemen within 24 hours observing at the prima facie, a non-cognizable offence appears to be made.

In the affidavit filed by the Saharanpur district officer, there is no mention of any action about other allegations levelled by Mrs Afroz (wife of Zeeshan). However, there is only mention of the probe conducted by the Saharanpur SP city. On the basis of the statements and facts mentioned in the pleas filed by the petitioner with regard to this police station, a non-cognizable offence appears to be made in the prima facie. In this situation, actual truth can not come to the court unless there is an unbiased probe about the allegations made by the petitioner after filing an FIR as per the established process. This is necessary for the purpose of justice, noted Judge Anil Kumar.

Syed Isa Raza, Zeeshans cousin brother and Samajwadi Party (SP) leader, informed TwoCircles.net that the police have registered an FIR against 12 policemen on January 22.

When TwoCircles.net approached Deoband police station to seek details related to the FIR, Hriday Narain Singh, in charge of the police station, said that he will not share the details related to any person. It will violate the secrecy of the case, he said.

However, Saharanpur SSP Vipin Tada told the media about the FIR filed against the policemen in the case.

Following the courts directive, a case has been registered against 12 policemen, including three sub-inspectors and nine constables. We are collecting details of all the accused policemen, including their present postings. We have also initiated a fresh investigation, said Tada.

The accused are sub-Inspectors Yashpal Singh, Asgar Ali and Omveer Singh, head constable Sukhpal Singh, and constables Bharat Singh, Vipin Kumar, Pramod Kumar, Rajveer Singh (now retired), Neetu Yadav, Devendra Kumar (retired), Brijesh (retired) and Ankit Kumar.

They were booked under sections 147 (for rioting), 148 (for rioting armed with deadly weapons), 149 (for offence committed in prosecution of common object), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving information to screen offender), 307 (for attempt to murder), 302 (for murder), 342 (for wrongful confinement) and 120B (for criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

However, Raza told TwoCircles.net that the investigation in the case can not be fair if these erring policemen continue to serve on duty. Till the time these policemen are in uniform, the investigation will not be fair. They should be suspended. Only then can appropriate action be taken, he said.

Following the court order, Raza said that he had complete faith in the judiciary. He called the court order a victory for justice.

Narrating the circumstances surrounding his death, Afroz told the court that her husband was of criminal nature. He had no case lodged against him. However, he had an adverse relationship with the informers of the police. On the intervening night of 4-5 September 2021, Zeeshan told her that a police official had called him for some inquiry. Later, he couldnt be reached as his phone was switched off. In the morning, she came to know that her husband was shot in the leg and he is admitted to the district hospital.

Raza, along with some relatives went to the district hospital, where they found Zeeshans body.

On the other hand, the police claimed that they had received a tip-off about the cow slaughter in a forest near the village.

Zeeshan, who was carrying a country-made pistol, was present there. He had shot himself in the leg, the police had claimed.

The police also claimed to recover the cow carcasses along with tools for slaughtering.

The police also showed the cases filed against Zeeshan but the court observed that all these FIRs were filed on the day when he died.

Zeeshan used to help the poor. He did not allow the police to harass the poor. The police used to be upset with him. We were not told why he was killed and that he was involved in the cow slaughter, Raza said.
Black History Month originally started off as a week-long celebration in 1926.

It grew out of frustration by a lack of awareness of Black Americans' accomplishments throughout history.

Black History Month was nationally recognized in 1976, and has since been acknowledged by other countries.

The origins of Black History Month date back to 1926.

American historian, author, and journalist Carter Godwin Woodson, whose work led to the celebration of Negro History Week. Science Source/Photo Researchers History/Getty Images

The precursor to Black History Month was created in 1926, when the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History declared the second week of February as "Negro History Week" to recognize the contributions of Black Americans to US history.

Frustrated by the lack of awareness of the Black community's accomplishments, historian Carter G. Woodson  known as the "Father of Black History" and the son of former slaves  along with other activists and civic leaders founded the Association. The organization, now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, created research and publication outlets for Black scholars, including the Journal of Negro History and the Negro History Bulletin.

"If a race has no history, it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated," Woodson wrote in the Journal of Negro History in 1926.

Why is Black History Month in February?

Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln are widely seen as symbols of freedom of Black Americans. Library Of Congress/Getty Images; Hulton/Archive/Getty Images

Woodson chose February to celebrate Negro History Week because it coincided with the birthdays of two men who represented freedom for Black Americans: Frederick Douglass, who spearheaded the movement for abolition in the country, and Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation that declared the end of slavery.

Black communities had celebrated both Douglass and Lincoln for centuries since the late 19th century.

When did Black History Month become a national observance?

President Ronald Reagan delivers remarks at a White House Ceremony marking the observance of National Black History Month in 1984. Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images

In the late 1960s, college students and educators, fueled by growing awareness of the Black past, pushed to expand Negro History Week into a month-long celebration. Schools and cultural and community centers across the country began adopting Black History Month.

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In 1976, President Gerald Ford recognized Black History Month to "honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history."

Other countries have since joined in recognizing Black History Month, including Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Why are there themes for each Black History Month?

Martin Luther King delivering a speech on September 10, 1963. Santi Visalli/Getty images

Woodson believed it was important to provide a theme to focus the public's attention every year, emphasizing important developments throughout Black history.

Examples of past themes included "The Negro in Democracy" in 1942, "Black Women" in 1996, and "Black Health and Wellness" in 2022.

The theme of this year's Black History Month is "Black Resistance," which draws attention to how Black Americans have resisted oppression and discrimination for centuries. It also celebrates those who have fought for Black freedom, including Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and educator and civil rights activist Septima Clark.

What do the Black History Month colors stand for?

Black History Month flags. Kevin Sullivan/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images

The official colors of Black History Month are black, red, yellow, and green, which symbolize unity and pride. The colors are derived from the Ethiopian flag and the Pan-African flag, which was created in 1920 to represent the unity of the African diaspora and Black liberation in the US.

"Red is the color of the blood which men must shed for their redemption and liberty; black is the color of the noble and distinguished race to which we belong; green is the color of the luxuriant vegetation of our Motherland," according to the Universal Negro Improvement Association.

The color yellow, from the Ethiopian flag, symbolizes justice, optimism, and equality.

Read the original article on Insider
Body-camera footage of the police beating of an African-American man in Memphis, which resulted in the mans hospitalization and subsequent death, was released Friday.

On Thursday, five cops were indicted in the killing of Tyre Nichols, who was allegedly stopped for reckless driving and subsequently beaten by the officers on January 7. He died three days later.

The Memphis Police Department fired the officers involved, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith. Police Chief C. J. Davis cited their alleged violation of department policies during the confrontation with Nichols as the reason for their termination.

The footage revealed a protracted struggle with police to get Nicholss hands behind his back to handcuff him. One of the body cameras depicted a police officer running out of his car to join a couple other officers, who had pinned Nichols to the ground. The cops appeared to hit Nichols while he was being held by others. He yelled Mom repeatedly. One officer pepper-sprayed Nichols in the face while he lay on the concrete.

Give me your hands!!, one officer yelled repeatedly. Turn around! Lay flat, godd*mnit!

One cop walked away briefly before walking back to the scene with sudden aggression. Give us your hands! he bellowed, wielding a baton of some kind. The other officers attempted to hoist Nichols up on his feet, striking his face many times. Police reinforcements then arrived, with officers hovering over Nichols, who was on the ground again.

Each of the five former officers faces a charge of second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of official oppression, and one count of aggravated assault. As of Friday morning, all the officers but Haley, who still is in custody, were released from jail on bond.

After reviewing the video of the incident, before it dropped for public viewing, Davis said she was horrified and disgusted during an appearance on ABC News Good Morning America, noting that there was an unusual amount of aggression on the part of the alleged perpetrators. FBI director Christopher Wray said he was appalled.

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We wanted to make sure that it wasnt released too prematurely because we wanted to ensure that the DAs office, the TBI [Tennessee Bureau of Investigation] and also the FBI had an opportunity to cross some of the hurdles that they had to in their investigation, Davis said of the video. And were sort of at a point now that the DA has made his statements in reference to charges of these officers, that this is a safe time for us to release the video.

Shelby County district attorney Steve Mulroy told reporters that the actions of the officers are directly to blame for Nicholss death.

Nicholss family lawyer, Antonio Romanucci, said Friday that the kidnapping charge against the officers means they engaged in terrorism.

When you think of 9/11, whats the word that comes to mind? Terrorism. When you think of other heinous acts that have happened in churches across this country, any act of terrorism, what does that instill in you? That, ladies and gentlemen, is the definition that we are dealing with here on this kidnapping charge, he said at a press briefing Friday.

The White House decried the officers conduct, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre demanding action against law-enforcement officers who violate their oaths.

We must do more to ensure that our criminal-justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, she said.

More from National Review
Brazilian flag

According to the article, the decision was made at a meeting with the head of the Brazilian Armed Forces Raul Botelho and Brazilian Defense Minister Jose Musio, on Jan. 20.

This was on the eve of the resignation of the army commander, Julio Cesar de Arruda.

Military servicemen and politicians familiar with the matter claim that Arruda said that Brazil would receive around $4.9 million for the tank rounds.

Read also: Brazilian volunteer fighter killed in Ukraine

Lula refused the transfer, arguing that the Russia shouldnt be provoked. Brazil maintains a position of neutrality for economic reasons, refusing to participate in sanctions against Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, despite condemning the full-scale invasion of Ukraine at the UN.

Berlin promises to transfer Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine by the end of March.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Daniel Harris (not pictured) made far-right videos from his grandfather's home. Getty Images

Far-right videos made by a British teen were viewed by two men who went on to commit mass shootings.

Daniel Harris, 19, has been sentenced to 11 and a half years over the videos.

A judge said the videos were "well-made and slickly produced" and might have influenced the killers.

A British teenager has been sentenced over far-right videos that might have helped inspire two US mass shooters.

Daniel Harris, 19, has been sentenced to 11 and a half years in a young offender institution after he published a "stream of rightwing terrorist bile" from a bedroom at his grandfather's house in Derbyshire, the judge said during his sentencing Friday, per The Guardian.

These videos called for the "total extermination of subhumans," Manchester crown court heard, the BBC reported and glorified various far-right killers, including Anders Breivik. Some of the videos also provided instructions on how to commit similar atrocities.

The court previously heard that his videos had been viewed by two men who went on to commit mass murders in the US last year.

Payton Gendron, the then-18-year-old mass shooter who killed 10 Black people in Buffalo, New York, last May, was known to have watched Harris' videos.

The Buffalo shooter commented on a video made by Harris about the perpetrator behind the 2019 mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, The Guardian reported.

An unknown user commented: "This video has moved me. I was on the fence, now I am committed to my race."

The Buffalo shooter responded: "You are not alone my friend."

During Harris' trial, his videos were also linked to Anderson Lee Aldrich, 22, accused of killing five people at a mass shooting in an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado last November.

"What they did was truly appalling, but what they did was no more than what you intended others to do by publishing this material online," Judge Field KC said during his sentencing on Friday.

Field added that Harris's videos were "sophisticated, well-made and slickly produced and were not obviously the product of a 17- or 18-year-old".

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The judge referenced the Buffalo shooter, commenting that there was "evidence that others have acted on or been assisted by your encouragement to carry out racist attacks. I have in mind the encouragement related to Payton Gendron before he carried out his shooting in Buffalo state, New York."

"This indicates that the videos you produced had had some influence on a young man, who I note was a similar age to you, who went out and shot ten Black people dead in Buffalo."

Harris was found guilty of five counts of encouraging terrorism and another count of his trying to build a semi-automatic gun using a 3D printer, per The Guardian.

Detective Inspector Chris Brett from Counter-Terrorism Policing in the East Midlands said Harris was behind "a concerted effort to generate a following and influence people," the BBC reported.

"Harris was ultimately deemed not to have been groomed, rather, his provocative words and inflammatory films were potentially radicalizing others."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Cabarrus County has been given $1 million in state grants in efforts to fight human trafficking and child exploitation on a local scale.

According to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina ranks ninth in the U.S. for the volume of human trafficking cases.

ALSO READ: Celebration of life to be held Saturday for former Charlotte Hornets head coach Paul Silas

Cabarrus County Sheriff Van Shaw says he believes that the countys proximity to Charlotte puts it at a higher risk of these situations happening. January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and Shaw said he is hoping the state funds will help lower the case numbers countywide.

ALSO READ: Grover man pleads guilty to Capitol Hill bomb threat

Money from the grant will be used to create and fill two full-time positions that will be filled by experienced investigators familiar with human trafficking and child exploitation cases.

Shaw said he and his department want to have an impact on both human trafficking and child exploitation cases by learning the elements of each crime and preventing exploitation from becoming trafficking.

We want to have an impact on child exploitation and make sure it doesnt bleed over into human trafficking, said Shaw. Well also be looking over the other elements of human trafficking as they get reported and investigated.

The sheriff also noted that real-life human trafficking is nothing like what we see on screen.

We see more of a grooming process... where the utilization of money, flattery, and other things compromise the victim and make them do something they wouldnt normally do, Shaw said.

ALSO READ: Local leaders to hold Day of Unity after release of Tyre Nichols video

Child exploitation is also a growing concern for county law enforcement since it covers such a large range of crimes, including child pornography and sexual exploitation of a child.

A single case involving a teenage girl sparked the beginning of the grant. Once details of the crime were made public, a county resident reached out to N.C. Senator Paul Newton and asked for resources to fight the problem.

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Sheriff Shaw then met with Newton to begin drafting the proposal and create two full-time detective positions dedicated to these specific crimes.

It was really a great example of citizens getting involved and shows what can happen when elected officials work together to benefit the community, said Shaw.

Newton was able to secure the legislative funding to create two full-time positions that will last for the next five years. The funding will also cover the cost of equipment, vehicles, and training.

ALSO READ: Police brutality and mental health: Expert advice on coping with trauma

The sheriffs office works with other resources to fight human trafficking, like the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security Investigations.

The department also works with a local nonprofit called Present Age Ministries, an organization that combats the trafficking and sexual exploitation of teenage girls.

(WATCH BELOW: SC abortion ban gets hearing for first time this session)




TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  Tunisia was once the Arab worlds hope for a new era of democracy. Now its in the midst of an election thats more of an embarrassment than a model.

Barely 11% of voters turned out in the first round of parliamentary elections last month, boycotted by opposition Islamists and ignored by many Tunisians disillusioned with their leaders.

Ten candidates secured seats in the North African country's legislature even though not a single voter cast a ballot for them, simply because they ran unopposed. In seven constituencies, no candidate bothered to run.

President Kais Saied is pinning his hopes on Sundays second round of voting, which will wrap up his sweeping redesign of Tunisian politics that began when he suspended the previous Parliament in 2021.

The new body will have fewer powers than its predecessor and risks being little more than a rubber stamp for Saied. The president and many Tunisians blamed the previous parliament, led by the Islamist party Ennahdha, for political deadlock seen as worsening the countrys protracted economic and social crises.

Some Ennahdha officials have been jailed, and the party is refusing to take part in the parliamentary elections and has held repeated protests.

In last months first-round voting, 23 candidates secured seats outright in the 161-seat parliament: 10 of them because they ran unopposed and 13 because they won more than 50% of the vote, according to election officials.

In Sundays second round, voters are choosing among 262 candidates seeking to fill the 131 remaining seats. In the seven constituencies with no candidate, special elections will be held later to fill the seats, likely in March.

Since Saied was elected president in 2019 with 72% of the vote, his support among Tunisians has dulled.

The lack of enthusiasm was evident in a low-profile visit he paid this month to a cafe in Tunis captured on a video that was widely shared online.

As he stood speaking to a group of young people, the president said, God willing, we will provide you with everything you need ... as long as you have hope."

Story continues

A young man retorted, We don't have hope."

Analysts note a growing crisis of confidence between citizens and the political class since Tunisia's 2011 revolution unleashed Arab Spring uprisings across the region, and led Tunisians to create a new democratic political system celebrated with a Nobel Peace Prize in 2015.

Daily life for Tunisians seems to keep getting worse. At a Tunis food market, vendors struggled to sell strings of dates, fish heaped on ice, piles of eggplants and herbs as shoppers lamented rising prices. Few seemed to think Sunday's vote would solve their problems.

Successive elections have brought me nothing, sighed Mohamed Ben Moussa, an employee of a private company.

Meanwhile, the economy is teetering.

According to the latest figures from the National Institute of Statistics, unemployment has reached more than 18% and exceeds 25% in the poor regions of the interior of the country, while inflation rate is 10.1%.

Tunisia has suffered for several years from record budget deficits that affect its ability to pay its suppliers of medicines, food and fuel, causing shortages of milk, sugar, vegetable oil and other staples.

Polls open at 8 a.m. Sunday except in restive regions near the Algerian and Libyan borders where authorities are limiting voting hours for security reasons. The turnout rate is expected to be announced Sunday evening, and the election results in the ensuing days.

___

Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.
An updated version of OpenAI's chatbot, ChatGPT, launched on November 30. CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

An updated version of OpenAI's chatbot, ChatGPT, launched on November 30.

Chatter about the new tech has extended beyond the business world, impressing and irritating users.

While the tech's long-term influence remains to be seen, people are finding creative ways to use it.

It's safe to say ChatGPT is causing chaos.

The AI chatbot from OpenAI has only been around for two months and has already amassed more than one million users.

Launched on November 30, the chatbot has impressed  and riled  many different people. Chatter about the new tech has stretched far beyond the business world and even managed to provoke the disdain of award-winning songwriter Nick Cave.

ChatGPT has already been compared with the launch of the iPhone and the crypto boom but while the tech's long-term influence remains to be seen, people are already finding creative ways to use it.

From job-seekers, to rival tech companies, and academics, here are some of the people feeling the heat of ChatGPT.

'Code-red' for search engines

Heralded by some as a major threat to traditional search engines, OpenAI's chatbot and Microsoft's reported plans to invest $10 billion into it, following a $1 billion prior investment, appear to have unnerved Google.

In December, Google's management issued a "code red" amid the launch of ChatGPT, per The New York Times. The outlet reported that the conversational chatbot sparked concerns over the future of Google's search engine.

Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch a Bing feature that incorporates the tech behind ChatGPT. The feature, which aims to provide users with answers to some searches rather than just displaying relevant links, could surface by the end of March, The Information reported.

AI experts, search experts, and current and former Google employees told Insider's Tom Dotan that ChatGPT was unlikely to be a replacement for Google search at present because of concerns about its inaccurate responses.

Academic anxiety

ChatGPT can also write pretty good essays and pass some exams, capabilities that have set some academics on edge.

Story continues

While some teachers are more positive about the development, viewing the tech as a tool to save time or an extension of more mainstream AI programs such as Grammarly, others are not so keen.

Two philosophy professors told Insider they've already caught students trying to pass off AI-generated content as their own. They say they're worried the bot's output will get harder to catch and that AI plagiarism is hard to prove within current academic rules.

A job-seeker's best friend

Cover letters are almost universally hated by job-seekers. ChatGPT just might provide a way around the laborious task.

I asked ChatGPT to write my cover letters and sent them to hiring managers to see what they thought. I fed the bot some real job descriptions and a few brief sentences about my made-up experience to generate the letters.

The hiring managers were largely impressed and both said they'd most likely follow up with a screening call for at least one of the letters. They did say the letters lacked personality and suggested job-seekers use the chatbot as more of a jumping-off point.

Uninspired creatives

Award-winning songwriter and musician Nick Cave was unimpressed with ChatGPT. He called a ChatGPT song written in his style "a grotesque mockery of what it is to be human" and dismissed it as "bullshit" in his newsletter.

Cave said he lacked enthusiasm for the new tech, calling the AI-generated song "a grotesque mockery of what it is to be human."

The musician is not the only creative to take issue with the new tech. Ammaar Reshi, a design manager at a fintech company, found himself in the middle of a heated debate about AI and the creative industries after he used ChatGPT, along with the AI art program Midjourney, to write and illustrate a children's book.

Artists took to Twitter to accuse him of stealing their work while readers took aim at the quality of the story. "The writing is stiff and has no voice whatsoever," one Amazon reviewer wrote.

Read the original article on Business Insider
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)  Caitlin Clark had 33 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 10 Iowa held off Nebraska for an 80-76 win on Saturday.

It was the 10th double-double of the season for Clark, who came into the game second in the nation in scoring at 26.8 points per game. She just missed a triple-double, finishing with nine assists.

Clark recorded her fifth 30-point game of the season and 27th of her career. She was 9 of 26 from the field, including a 5-for-12 performance from 3-point range.

Monika Czinano had 17 points for Iowa, and reserve Hannah Stuelke added 12 points.

The Hawkeyes (17-4, 9-1 Big Ten), coming off an 83-72 win over No. 2 Ohio State on Monday, extended their win streak to six games. But they had to hold off the Huskers in the final minutes after making 2 of 14 shots in the fourth quarter.

It was a win, but not a pretty win, Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. It's not like we played poorly. We just didn't play to our capabilities.

The Hawkeyes also moved into a first-place tie in the Big Ten with No. 6 Indiana. The Hoosiers host Rutgers on Sunday.

Iowa led by as much as 18 points in the second half, but Nebraska (12-9, 4-6) closed to 77-73 with 18.6 seconds left after a 3-pointer by Sam Haiby. But Clark made three free throws in the final seconds to complete the win.

I thought there was a point when we were down 17 or 18 where it could have gone one way, but our kids dug deep and got some defensive stops, Nebraska coach Amy Williams said.

The Hawkeyes had a slow start to go with the sluggish finish. Iowa opened the game by missing its first seven shots and committing four turnovers in the first five minutes.

We did a good job of staying calm, Clark said. Nobody ever thought we were going to lose the lead by any means. And nobody ever panicked in the first half, when we were down 10 points, that we weren't going to come back, because we know we have the offensive firepower to do it. But these aren't the situations we want to be in."

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The Hawkeyes trailed 21-11 with 1:28 left in the first quarter, then closed the half with a 30-9 run, with 10 points coming from Clark.

A switch to a zone defense bothered the Huskers, who made just 3 of 13 shots in the second quarter. Iowa was 10 of 16 from the field in the quarter.

The second quarter was great, offensively and defensively," Bluder said. We went to a zone defense, and I thought it was really effective.

We knew they were going to play zone, Williams said. But when they did, I thought we settled a little too much. We forgot to get those paint touches, and that was a huge emphasis for us at the start of the game.

Haiby led Nebraska with 16 points. Isabelle Bourne had 14 points, and Maddie Krull finished with 13. Alexis Markowski had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Jaz Shelley added 10 points and 11 assists.

CLARK'S STREAKS

Clark recorded her 73rd consecutive double-digit scoring game, the longest active streak in NCAA Division I play. She also has hit at least one 3-pointer in 40 consecutive games.

BIG PICTURE

Nebraska: The Huskers got some inside shots early in transition, but once Iowa started making shots, had no answers offensively until their late rally. They finished a four-game stretch that included three against nationally ranked teams, losing to Ohio State, Maryland and the Hawkeyes.

Iowa: The Hawkeyes got off to a slow start coming off the win over Ohio State on Monday, but took control of the game and kept their momentum heading into Thursdays home game with Maryland. We keep getting better through difficult situations, and that's going to help us at the end of the year, Bluder said.

UP NEXT

Nebraska: Hosts Michigan State on Thursday.

Iowa: Hosts No. 10 Maryland on Thursday.

___

AP womens college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
Isla Bryson at the High Court in Glasgow during her trial for raping two women - Mike Gibbons

Young college students enrolled in a beauty course stripped off in front of Isla Bryson, unaware the transgender rapist had been charged with two sex attacks, it has emerged.

Bryson signed up for a beauty skills course at Ayrshire Colleges Kilwinning Campus in 2021, while awaiting trial, and used the name Annie with fellow students, who were mostly young women.

Bryson's former classmates disclosed how they took off their clothes in front of the 31-year-old for spray tan sessions, unaware of the rapist's real identity or the rape charges.

The students described Bryson as "overpowering" and "disruptive", saying the rapist accused classmates of being homophobic before being asked to leave the course.

They have demanded answers from college chiefs, who denied any knowledge of the charges Bryson was facing.

Bryson was charged under the rapist's original name of Adam Graham and first appeared in court more than three years ago for sex crimes committed in Clydesdale and Glasgow in 2016 and 2019.

The disclosure came the day after prison chiefs removed Bryson from Cornton Vale's women's prison in Stirling, where the 31-year-old was moved against the wishes of court chiefs after being convicted this week of two rapes.

Nicola Sturgeon announced the about-turn following a huge public backlash but repeatedly refused to say whether she considered Bryson to be a man or a woman.

The First Minister is locked in a battle with the UK Government over her Bill allowing people to self-identify their legal gender.

Rachel Ferguson, 21, a nail technician from Dundonald, in Ayrshire, and a former classmate of Bryson on the beauty course, told the Daily Record: "It really scares me to look back and realise she was watching me with no clothes on after being charged with this.

"It makes me feel physically sick and violated. We should have known about these charges. Its not right that we didnt know."

She said her experience of removing her clothes in front of Bryson had left her sickened.

Story continues

She said: Being a beauty course, you need to take your clothes off for some of it. We were doing spray tanning at one point and I was a model. You need to stand practically naked.

"Looking back, with what we know now, its so scary to think she was watching me with no clothes on. Someone should have told a class full of young women what was going on. Anything could have happened.

Ms Ferguson said Bryson had started the course, which was "full of young girls", when starting a transition to becoming female and refused to "do practical stuff at first because she said she didn't feel comfortable".

Ms Ferguson added: We had all kinds of accusations thrown at us in the middle of the classroom. I was being verbally attacked. She went to the head of the department and said we were all discriminating against her and were homophobic.

"I was really offended and hurt by that and didnt go to college for three weeks because I was scared of the way she was coming at me.

"I didnt even look at her because if I did, it gave her ammunition to say things to me. The way she spoke to the lecturers was disgusting. She made two of them cry. I found her very forceful and intimidating. Her true self came out during that time.

Rachel Ferguson claims Ayrshire College students were asked to strip in front of transgender rapist Isla Bryson in 2021 - Victoria Stewart/Daily Record

She said Bryson was later asked to leave the course, a decision she understood to be linked to the allegations the rapist made about other students.

Abi Nixon, 18, from Ardrossan, told of her shock at learning of Brysons conviction this week after also taking part in the course alongside the rapist.

She said: We all did the one-day spray tanning course. We had next to nothing on and this was before Annie had been removed from the course.

"She hadnt fully transitioned yet but we all accepted her for who she wanted to be. It was a complete and utter shock to the system to see what she had been convicted of."

An Ayrshire College spokesman said: "We can confirm the individual was enrolled as a student at Ayrshire College for a three-month period in 2021 and is no longer a student with the college.

Ayrshire College had no prior knowledge of this individual being charged with any offences. We will not be making any further comment on this matter.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Officers have engaged with Ayrshire College following concerns which were raised regarding a former student. Following these enquiries, no criminality has been reported to police.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP)  Hundreds of climate activists blocked one of the main roads into The Hague on Saturday, defying attempts to prevent their protest that have sparked concerns about restrictions on the right to demonstrate in the Netherlands.

The protesters, many waving colored flags with the symbol of environmental group Extinction Rebellion and one holding a sign saying, in Dutch, This is a dead end road, gathered on the A12 road near the temporary home of the Dutch parliament. Police and hundreds more demonstrators looked on.

About an hour after the blockade began, officers began arresting demonstrators who refused to leave the road.

Earlier this week, six Extinction Rebellion activists were detained by authorities on suspicion of sedition linked to calls to stage the protest. A judge on Friday upheld an order banning another activist from the area for 90 days.

The arrests and exclusion order sparked unrest among activists who argue it infringes their right to peaceful protest.

Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Anne Kervers said the large number of participants shows what society thinks of fossil fuel subsidies and of the intimidation and criminalization of nonviolent climate activism."

Prosecutors defended their action, saying the suspects were calling for supporters to take part in the dangerous and disruptive blockade of the road.

"Calling for a criminal offense  such as blocking a public road  amounts to sedition, prosecutors said in a statement.

They said that the blockade of the busy road leading into The Hague was a danger to motorists and protesters.

Demonstrating is a fundamental right and is facilitated by the municipality of The Hague, prosecutors said. There are hundreds of demonstrations in The Hague every year that go off without a hitch. But a demonstration is not a license to commit criminal offenses.

Extinction Rebellion activists, however, vowed to continue with their protests, in which they demand an end to government tax breaks for companies linked to fossil fuels.

Story continues

It is essential that citizens can demonstrate against this in a place that matters. For Extinction Rebellion, this includes the A12, between the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate, the group said in a statement. Any nuisance for traffic, for example, will have to be tolerated.

Other activists joined the protest out of solidarity.

We are very concerned that the right to protest is being increasingly restricted in the Netherlands. We stand firmly behind peaceful activists who exercise their right to protest," Andy Palmen of the Dutch arm of Greenpeace said in a statement ahead of the demonstration.
Another storm was already slicing across Southern California, but AccuWeather meteorologists say it is set to play out much differently than others so far this winter. While the upcoming storm is expected to have limited moisture, it can pack enough snow at the lower elevations, as well as locally gusty showers and thunderstorms, to cause travel disruptions.

Following multiple atmospheric river events from late 2022 into the start of 2023 that hacked away at the state's long-term drought at the cost of deadly flooding and mudslides, Pacific storms during much of the latter half of January have generally tracked inland across the West but have missed California. These storms are known in the meteorological community as "inside sliders."

AccuWeather meteorologists say the latest inside slider will track farther to the south and west than its predecessors, which will bring more impact to California. The storm only brought 0.02 of an inch of rain to San Francisco and 0.11 of an inch to Sacramento. However, rainfall ramped up farther south. Chilly gusty winds will be the main impact of the storm in the northern two-thirds of the state into Monday night.

By midday on Monday, Downtown Los Angeles had picked up close to three-quarters of an inch of rain, which was among the greatest in the state, outside of remote mountain locations in Southern California.

Showers of rain and snow, along with gusty winds, will continue over Southern California and other parts of the Southwest into Tuesday.

"This storm will not tally up massive amounts of rain and mountain snow like the events that occurred earlier in the month, but that does not mean it will not have its own set of hazardous conditions," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said.

GET THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP

AccuWeather experts say snow in Southern California could be particularly troublesome with this event, especially compared to prior storms this winter that have failed to bring much snow to the intermediate elevations in this part of the state.

Story continues

"Very chilly air associated with this storm is expected to drop snow levels below 3,000 feet in some places, which can lead to a couple of slushy inches across places like the Grapevine in Southern California. Higher up in elevation, snowfall totals can exceed a half of a foot above 5,000 feet," Buckingham said.

Snow levels this low are below the passes along Interstates 5, 8 and 15, which can result in treacherous travel from later Sunday night through Monday night. Accidents and road closures will be possible.

"Some of the hills surrounding Los Angeles and San Diego could experience some snowflakes," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said.

The vigorous nature of this storm can also trigger locally gusty to severe thunderstorms, forecasters say.

"This is the type of setup that can trigger locally severe thunderstorms, packing strong wind gusts, brief intense downpours and hail in the Los Angeles, San Diego and Palm Springs, California, areas," Sosnowski said.

Limited moisture will reach the Four Corners region with this storm, but there can be a few snow showers in the high terrain and stray rain showers at the lower elevations.

In terms of temperatures, the mercury can plunge 10-20 degrees Fahrenheit below normal across Southern California and the Desert Southwest early this week. Typical highs around the end of January and the start of February range from the upper 50s in Redding, San Francisco and Sacramento to the upper 60s in Los Angeles and San Diego and the lower 70s in Palm Springs.

"Following the storm, another round of sub-freezing temperatures are expected across a majority of the San Joaquin Valley early this week. Farmers will once again have to monitor temperature trends carefully to see if the potential exists for any crop damage," Buckingham said.

The next storm to impact California may not arrive until the end of the week at the earliest.

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.
BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Congolese event organiser Deo Malela was born to Roman Catholic parents and identifies as such.

But like more and more Catholics in the central African nation, 28-year-old Malele also regularly attends an evangelical church where he says he finds solutions to everyday problems.

"There are illnesses where you can go to hospitals (and) you don't find solutions, but here you have a divine and miraculous healing that you can't explain," he said after attending an evangelical church service in the eastern city of Beni.

"It does me good to have the base of the Catholic church and add these miracle solutions of the revival church," he told Reuters.

Pope Francis is expected to visit Congo from Jan. 31 to Feb. 3, the first visit of a pope since 1985.

Congo is home to the largest Roman Catholic community in Africa, representing round 40% of the vast country's 96 million inhabitants, according to the church.

Many of these followers also adhere to an evangelical movement that gained clout during the 1980s under former President Mobutu Sese Seko to counter Catholic voices critical of his regime.

Today there are over 30,000 revivalist churches in Congo, where they also known as "churches of awakening", according to the association representing them.

"People like it because they find truth, healing and faith. The Holy Spirit speaks to them in one form or another," said Evangelist Pastor Davis Alimasi after leading a service in his corrugated-iron church.

Malela confides in both Pastor Alimasi and Catholic priest Isidore Kambale Masingo on a regular basis. The Catholic church still gives him a stronger sense of community and "political protection", he explained.

"We do not mock churches of awakening," Masingo said. But Catholicism remains the "mother church", he added, noting that Evangelism served a different type of faith.

(Reporting by Erikas Mwisi Kambale and Sonia Rolley; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Grant McCool)
Connecticut police and officials across all branches of government are condemning the acts of the now ex-Memphis officers who brutally beat Tyre Nichols in a fatal case the president said is a painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.

Memphis authorities Friday released more than an hour of footage of the violent beating of Nichols in which officers held the Black motorist down and struck him repeatedly as he screamed for his mother.

The video was released one day after the officers were charged with murder in Nichols death.

The release of the video drew immediate and powerful reactions from officials across the nation and in Connecticut.

President Joe Biden said he was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols death.

It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day., Biden said in a statement from the White House. My heart goes out to Tyre Nichols family and to Americans in Memphis and across the country who are grieving this tremendously painful loss. The footage that was released this evening will leave people justifiably outraged. Those who seek justice should not to resort to violence or destruction. Violence is never acceptable; it is illegal and destructive. I join Mr. Nichols family in calling for peaceful protest.

The footage shows police savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes. The Nichols family legal team has likened the assault to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.

The five officers are charged with murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. One of the officers was a Bloomfield High School graduate.

Protests were planned in Connecticut and elsewhere, as occurred following the killing of George Floyd. Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after a white police officer pinned the Black man to the ground with his knee on his neck for 9 1/2 minutes. Floyds death touched off protests around the world and forced a painful national reckoning with police brutality and racism.

Story continues

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy said in a statement that the severity of the charges brought against the officers and their swift dismissal from the police force is a step toward accountability but cautioned that more work must be done.

Under no circumstances should the outcome of a routine traffic stop be the death of an innocent Black man, Murphy said. 32 years after the nation was transfixed by eerily similar footage of the beating of Rodney King, its time to ask: have we made any progress at all? Last year, killings by the police in the United States reached an all-time high. Congress must recognize that without systemic reform that addresses the root causes of this violence, Tyres death will just be one of over a thousand fatal police interactions in 2023.

The condemnation of what occurred and the action of those police officers drew statement Hartfords police chief and policing officials across Connecticut.

Here are portions of those statements:

Hartford Police Chief Jason Thody

As someone who has dedicated most of my life to this profession, I will say that what occurred on January 7th in Memphis Tennessee is an absolute outrage, and I am angry beyond words. We have worked tirelessly with our community over the past few years to be better, to show that we are better, and to build and strengthen a relationship that is based on trust. The actions of the five police officers in Memphis were sickening not only to myself, but also to the men and women of the Hartford Police Department.

What those officers in Memphis did was deplorable and a fundamental violation of the oath they swore to uphold. In this case, those sworn to protect and maintain public safety became violent criminals while wearing a badge of public trust.

Joint statement by Connecticut State Police Col. Stavros Mellekas and Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection Commissioner James Rovella

The officials offered apologies and prayers to the Nichols family.

Those five officers broke their solemn oath to protect and serve. They betrayed the entire profession for all of us who put on a badge every day to proudly protect and serve. They should be held accountable and anyone else like them, Mellekas and Rovella said.

Connecticut Police Chiefs Association

The organization called the brutality incomprehensible.

The actions of the officers, and equally as disturbing, the inaction of others, is inexcusable and an insult to the work of hundreds of thousands of police officers who do their jobs to the best of their abilities in service to their communities each and every day, the association said in a statement Friday. Professional police officers know that treating every person with dignity, respect, and compassion regardless of their creed, color, gender, ethnicity, or any of the countless ways that people self-identify is fundamental to our role in society.

Joint statement by New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker and New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson

The officials condemned the abhorrent acts of police brutality and violence and said they are glad the involved officers will be held accountable.

The heinous beating, treatment and (alleged) murder of Tyre Nichols by officers of the Memphis Police Department is both sickening and enraging  and, like others, we watched the videos that were released last night with horror and disgust, Elicker and Jacobson said.

Police officers swear an oath to protect and serve their fellow residents and the community, and we must do everything in our power  whether in Memphis, New Haven or elsewhere  to ensure that our police departments and criminal justice system live up to that solemn promise and treat everyone with dignity and respect, regardless of their race or background, they added. In New Haven, we remain committed to that goal and we are resolved  in our policing, policies, and practices  to provide fair and impartial treatment of all residents and to ensure equal justice under the law.

Stamford Police Chief Timothy Shaw

We at the Stamford Police Department are angry, as is our community, from the senseless death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five disgraced police officers from Memphis. There are no words to describe what we all have seen in the recent release of the video of the officers beating Tyre.

I can tell you that the Stamford Police Department stands with our community in condemning the officers disgusting, brutal behavior and we will pray for the Nichols family. As a Police Chief, and a parent, no family should ever go through something like what we saw.

East Lyme Police Chief Michael Finkelstein

Finkelstein said the criminal act shown in the video of Tyre Nichols deadly assault was not policing and not representative of law enforcement.

This was not policing and this is far from what we train and expect from Officers in our society. Watching it evoked feelings of anger, disgust and disappointment, Finkelstein said.

Incidents like this undermine the trust that Police Departments work hard to build each day with the communities they serve and violates the oath we all take when entering the profession. he added. The men and women of the East Lyme Police Department join in the condemnation of this incident by law enforcement around the world and will continue our work to maintain the strong mutual trust and respect we share with the East Lyme Community. We will continue to select the highest quality Officers and train our officers to the highest possible standards to ensure that we are always providing the policing that our community deserves.

Torrington Police Chief Bill Baldwin

The actions of these officers was deplorable, sickening and inhumane. The Torrington Police Dept. stands with our community and all of our state and nation in condemning these officers brutal, disgusting and criminal actions.

As with the tragic events surrounding George Floyd, these officers have once again shaken the trust and legitimacy of the majority of officers throughout our state and nation and especially here in Torrington, who work so hard every day to ensure that the best service in public safety is provided and that people are treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Nichols family.
Vincent Horsfall, 30, and his girlfriend Fiona Crooks, 29, have been jailed. (Merseyside Police)

A couple have been jailed after selling a gun to a gangster in a firearms and ammunition supply operation.

Vincent Horsfall, 30, of Waterloo, Liverpool, was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison after he admitted supplying a firearm and possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition.

His girlfriend Fiona Crooks, 29, of Netherley, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender and was sentenced to two years in prison.

Both were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday.

A .41 Colt revolver was recovered. (Merseyside Police)

A loaded Colt revolver and six rounds of ammunition were found and seized. (Merseyside Police)

During the investigation, a .41 Colt revolver was recovered, which was evidence as having being supplied by Horsfall.

Following a warrant at a home in Wheatfield Close, Netherley, a loaded Colt revolver and six rounds of ammunition were found and seized.

A further warrant at an address in The Causeway, Southport, resulted in casings, bullet heads and other paraphernalia being found.

Speaking after the sentencing, detective inspector Emma Kerrigan said: "It is pleasing to see Horsfall dealt with at court, following a long and complex investigation.

The supply and storage of firearms and ammunition equips serious and organised criminals with the capability to intimidate, injure and kill people.

We have tragically seen the devastation that the use of guns can cause in our communities, and this investigation removes not only a number of viable weapons, but also a man who was prepared to supply and store them.

Horsfall was not concerned with the potential harm that his activities might cause, only the financial gain.

"That his girlfriend Crooks also finds herself being convicted of assisting him in these activities should also send a strong message to those who, through misguided loyalty or other reasons, assist others in such serious criminality.

"Crooks is a woman of previously good character with a child and her immediate custodial sentence further shows the gravity of such offences.
More than 80 people marched in uptown Charlotte on Saturday afternoon to protest the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by police officers in the city of Memphis.

How many more are going to die? Tim Emry asked fellow demonstrators whod gathered outside the Mecklenburg County Courthouse before marching with placards to CMPD headquarters.

Do we stand up when Black kills Black? asked Melissa Funderburk, a longtime community organizer in Charlotte. It doesnt matter that it was Black skin in the blue. The point is a mother is crying. Its not OK for them to be killing Black men and women.

Just before 1 p.m., the crowd of people, both Black and white, started to gather at the courthouse entrance.

Melissa Funderburk protests outside the Mecklenburg County Courthouse in uptown Charlotte on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2022. A crowd of 50 gathered to protest the fatal beating by police of Tyre Nichols in Memphis.

CMPD Chief Johnny Jennings stood quietly on the periphery of the gathering, along with several other officers.

Demonstrator Tiawana Brown also addressed the crowd: What are we going to do to change this? There are a lot of good officers. But the bad officers are really bad.

Charlotte activist Kass Ottley said she found it hard to watch the video that shows police brutally beating Nichols. Im tired of the victimization of our people, she told her fellow demonstrators. ...We dont have any more cheeks to turn.

Charlotte NAACP leader Corine Mack told the protesters: White supremacists taught Black people very well. Now were doing it to our own.

Stop Murdering Black People

As the group prepared to march from the courthouse to police headquarters, Mack cautioned them:

Were not going to be breaking any windows, she said. Not on my watch.

Marching peacefully down the middle of Fourth Street, protesters broke out in chants.

Send those killer cops to jail, they said. The whole damn system is guilty as hell.

We want freedom, freedom. All those killer cops, we dont need em, need em.

About a dozen Charlotte police officers quietly accompanied the protesters.

Several in the crowd held enlarged photos of Nichols, the 29-year-old Black man who died several days after he was beaten by Memphis police during a Jan. 7 traffic stop.

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Many of the marchers held placards. Stop Murdering Black People, read one. Hold Cops Accountable, read another.

Man describes beating by police

The crowd later marched to Marshall Park, where Charlotte resident Rory Pegram told demonstrators that he learned firsthand what its like to be beaten by police.

Pegram said he was walking to his home in Reading, Pennsylvania, late one night in 1988 when police mistook him for a suspect they were searching for.

The officers threw him to the ground, he said, and a fight ensued. He later woke up in a jail cell with fractured ribs and a dislocated shoulder, he said.

Im not giving up on the police, he said. We need them. Its the system. Anyone could be susceptible to what happened to Mr. Nichols.

March organizers encouraged the crowd to return for another demonstration at Marshall Park at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Police release video

On Friday, the city of Memphis released video from body cameras that shows several officers kicking, punching and using a baton on Nichols, who later died. At one point, an officer punched him at least five times in the head while another officer held his hands behind his back. The videos give no indication that Nichols fought back.

The five officers involved in the beating, who were all Black, were charged on Thursday with murder. The Memphis Police Department fired them all last week.

The officers  Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith  were released from jail Friday after posting bail.

The Nichols family has called on the Memphis Police Department to disband the special street crimes unit that the officers belonged to, according to a lawyer representing the family.

During a Jan. 7 traffic stop, police shouted expletives at Nichols, pulled him from his car and attempted to pin him to the ground, the video shows. OK! I am on the ground, Nichols told officers. Soon afterward, an officer appeared to use a stun gun on him. He broke free and ran, with officers in pursuit.

Another video, taken minutes later after officers caught him, shows an officer kicking Nichols in the head after officers pushed him to the ground. Then another officer struck him with a baton. After Nichols stood up, an officer punched him in the head at least five times before he fell to the ground.

Police initially said Nichols had been stopped because hed been suspected of reckless driving. But the police chief later told CNN there was no proof the FedEx worker had been driving recklessly.

The familys legal team likened the assault to the 1991 Los Angeles Police beating of Rodney King, according to the Associated Press.

But the Nichols family called on protesters to remain peaceful

Remembering Keith Lamont Scott

In a statement, Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said: Our community has not been immune to these issues that this terrible incident once again brings to the forefront.

On Sept. 20, 2016, Keith Lamont Scott was shot and killed by police in the parking lot of an apartment complex near UNC Charlotte. The shooting sparked marches, demonstrations and violence.

In 2020, Charlotte activists and community members joined nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

Also Saturday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Twitter called Nichols beating senseless and inhumane, infuriating and a blatant abuse of authority.

In Raleigh, more than 100 demonstrators marched by the Capitol, the Governors Mansion and the Raleigh Police Department, The News & Observer reported.
PIERRE, S.D. (AP)  South Dakota's Senate Republican leader said Friday that a committee will investigate a suspended senator for allegedly harassing a legislative aide during an exchange over childhood vaccines and breastfeeding.

Sen. Casey Crabtree, the Senate GOP leader, had declined to provide details of the allegations against fellow Republican Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller on Thursday when the Senate voted to suspend her legislative powers. Crabtree said in a statement on Friday afternoon that Senate Republicans this week had received a detailed report from a staff member of the Legislative Research Council accusing Frye-Mueller of inappropriate behavior and harassment related to private maternal matters, including childhood vaccines and breastfeeding.

Republican legislative leaders had previously refused to release any details on the allegations. Frye-Mueller had told reporters Thursday that she had shared her views on vaccinations with the aide, but Crabtree said her public statements did not match with what she told Senate Republican leaders in a private discussion or what the legislative aide reported.

A Select Committee on Discipline and Expulsion will be formed to investigate the allegations and is expected to complete its work next week, Crabtree said. The committee, which will be chaired by Republican Sen. David Wheeler, is expected to deliver a recommendation to the Senate.

During Thursday's Senate hearing that led to her suspension, Frye-Mueller said the action deprived her of due process. Lt. Gov. Larry Rhoden, who presides over the Senate, also cautioned against punishing a senator without first conducting an investigation.

Crabtree, in his statement, pushed back on those objections: Our goal is to create a safe work environment for staff and legislators, and an environment where employees feel safe bringing concerns forward. All allegations of harassment must be taken seriously. There will be due process afforded to all parties as this matter moves forward, he said.

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Crabtree said the investigative committee's meetings would be open to the public, except when they delve into issues that are private by state law, and that the committee's final report would be a public record.

The committee will be made up of seven Republicans and two Democrats.

Frye-Mueller is a part of a right-wing group of lawmakers and has proposed legislation removing school requirements for childhood vaccines.

Vaccines have been championed as public health success stories, but rates among kindergarteners have dropped nationwide in recent years. Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that's due to decreased confidence in vaccines and disruptions to routine health care during the pandemic are the.

Falling vaccination rates open the door to outbreaks of diseases once thought to be in the rearview mirror, experts say.
Jan. 28ALBANY  For the second year, the local chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.'s Physical and Mental Health Awareness Committee held a drive-by book donation event to collect books for the babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

In support of the families who spend many hours at the hospital with their precious babies, a book donation program was created by the March of Dimes. The program's goal is to provide a variety of storybooks to hospitals for the parents to read to their babies and even for siblings to read while visiting the hospital. Due to COVID-19 guidelines and subsequent restrictions on gatherings, the waiting room was not the best choice for placing the books donated last year. So they were distributed to families of NICU patients for Christmas.

This year's book donations were delivered on Jan. 22. A total of 108 new storybooks were delivered to the NICU at Phoebe's main campus by representatives of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority President Chiquita Greene, Co-Chair of Physical & Mental Health Committee Paulette Webb, NICU Social Worker and sorority member Deatrice Harvey, and committee member Angelina Thomas.

The sorority sisters gathered outside the NICU to present the books to the unit's staff. Because COVID guidelines are still followed, the books will again be donated to the families. For convenience and easy distribution, books were packaged in a total of 51 gift bags.
Gov. Ron DeSantis is behaving more and more like an early-stage presidential candidate, and on Thursday hinted he will be a tough-on-crime crusader, red meat for his troops.

The affirmation came as the governor unveiled a major crime-fighting measure he will ask lawmakers to consider this legislative session, which begins in March.

Of course, in the process, DeSantis chummed the waters again. We predict plenty of hot-button issues will be pushed as he fights for the safety of Floridians  and many will be hurt in the process.

Topics like the death penalty, incarceration of the poor and disadvantaged and whether a jurys supermajority vote should be sufficient to impose the death penalty, even though the law was changed in 2013, will pepper the session.

DeSantis is also pushing measures that are difficult to push back against, like making the sexual assaults of children eligible for the death penalty; or throwing the book at those who peddle fentanyl in candy-looking form.

In short, the governor is saying criminals will find no mercy in the free state of Florida, hoping it resonates across the country.

But the sad truth is that we know all these measures will fall crushingly hard on minorities, the undocumented, the mentally ill and the drug-addicted, which is just fine with DeSantis and many of his followers.

DeSantis crime-fighting had an immediate impact in Miami-Dade, where judges and law enforcement officials were preparing to unveil a no cash bail system for the poor that would allow some low-level offenders in Miami-Dade to be freed from jail without posting a bond or seeing a judge, something more flush offenders can afford to do.

DeSantis labeled rogue those judges pursuing bail reform, a simplistic knee-jerk reaction. In Miami-Dade, justice system leaders announced they would delay new rules to be rolled out this year, which would make it easier for people with low incomes to leave jail while they await trial, said Chief Judge Nushin Sayfie.

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Our pretrial justice improvement project focuses on public safety, and a key element of the project is that judges should be the determinants of whether or not an individual remains in jail on serious charges, Sayfie said in the statement.

Thats not rogue. Though the proposal has supporters and critics, Sayfies comments, at least, reflect the observations and experiences of those laboring in the trenches of the justice system.

DeSantis proposed laws would tighten the state rules for when judges could release someone from jail as they await trial.

Politicians like DeSantis, looking to bolster their reputations as being tough on crime, have been critical of this no-bail system, as has Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, whos also been trying to present himself as presidential material.

At the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter summit on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., Suarez said it was time to discontinue the no-cash-bail experiment, the Miami Herald reported.

After DeSantis castigation, the Miami-Dade plan, crafted by the state attorneys Office, the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust and Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation, has been put on hold, awaiting lawmakers response.

We suspect the Republican-led Legislature will roll over, yet again, for the governor and say No to no cash bail. End of discussion.
Federal prosecutors wrote a letter to U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan on Friday, requesting that he modify the conditions of Sam Bankman-Frieds bail to include a ban on private communications with current and former employees of FTX and Alameda Research.

The Department of Justices (DOJ) request comes after Bankman-Fried reached out to at least one FTX employee  identified as Ryne Miller, the current general counsel for FTX US  to allegedly attempt to influence his future witness testimony.

I would really love to reconnect and see if theres a way for us to have a constructive relationship, use each other as resources when possible, or at least vet things with each other, the DOJs letter quotes Bankman-Fried as saying to Miller.

Prosecutors also requested that Judge Kaplan prevent Bankman-Fried from using any encrypted or ephemeral call or messaging application, including but not limited to Signal.

In their letter to the court, prosecutors said Bankman-Fried used the Signal app to reach out to Miller, as well as other current and former FTX employees  which prosecutors described as the very people who until recently were the defendants underlings whom he supervised and financially compensated, and who are therefore most vulnerable to intimidation  asking to talk.

Prosecutors said Bankman-Frieds message was a thinly veiled attempt to influence [Millers] potential testimony, which they described as particularly concerning given Millers first-hand knowledge of Bankman-Frieds conduct around the time of FTXs collapse.

[Miller] participated in Signal and Slack communications with the defendant and a small group of company insiders during the relevant events of November 2022, prosecutors said. In those messages, among other things, [Bankman-Fried] gave instructions for liquidating Alamedas investments to satisfy FTX customer withdrawals, and indicated that he transferred approximately $45 million of Alameda's funds to FTX US to fill an apparent hole in FTX US balance sheet.

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The prosecutors claim, if true, would refute Bankman-Frieds continued declarations on social media and elsewhere that FTX US was solvent at the time the rest of his empire collapsed.

Prosecutors also told Judge Kaplan that testimony from former Alameda Research CEO Caroline Ellison revealed that Bankman-Fried purposely used auto-deleting Slack and Signal messages for work communications because he knew that many legal cases turn on documentation and it is more difficult to build a legal case if information is not written down or preserved.

In fact, the autodeletion of FTX and Alamedas Slack and Signal communications has impeded the Governments investigation; potential witnesses have described relevant and incriminating conversations with the defendant that took place on Slack and Signal that have already been autodeleted because of settings implemented at the defendants direction, prosecutors said.
Dozens of protesters gathered Saturday afternoon in Downtown Columbus, calling for justice for Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old man beaten to death by police in Memphis, Tennessee.

They joined other protesters across the country who gathered over the weekend after Memphis officials released video footage Friday of the brutal beating that occurred during a Jan. 7 traffic stop.

In statements Friday night, Columbus officials expressed outrage over Nichols' death and urged peaceful demonstrations following the video's release.

Outside the Ohio Statehouse Saturday, a group of about 80 people held signs and called for change and accountability after the death of another Black man at the hands of police.

Yelling no justice, no peace and other chants, the protesters marched several blocks up High Street before stopping in front of the Columbus Division of Police headquarters, briefly blocking traffic at Marconi Boulevard and Long Street.

The protest remained peaceful and dissipated shortly after 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus protesters gather over Memphis police killing of Tyre Nichols
Xiplomacy: China, LAC countries embrace new era of win-win cooperation

Xinhua) 08:29, January 28, 2023

MEXICO CITY, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- For decades, Argentines have dreamt of having a hydroelectric power plant on the Santa Cruz River, one of the last large free-flowing rivers in the region of Patagonia encompassing the southern end of South America, so that they could be less dependent on energy imports.

But the plan to build one was on ice at one point because of the engineering challenges of adverse weather conditions like freezing temperatures and perennial gusts, as well as environmental impacts given the river's proximity to an iconic glacier.

Now, thanks to Argentina's determination and Chinese expertise, Argentines are about to witness their dream coming true.

BREEZE OF THE BELT AND ROAD

On the first day of the Year of the Rabbit, when most of the Chinese people across the world were still enjoying their Spring Festival vacation, Chinese engineer Xiong Yongfeng went to work on the construction site of the Nestor Kirchner-Jorge Cepernic Hydroelectric Power Plant on Santa Cruz. Upon arrival, Xiong took out some construction blueprints, and started a heated discussion with Argentine engineers on site. Surrounding him and his Argentine colleagues were running machines and moving construction vehicles.

Xiong was one of the 50 Chinese staff remaining on duty during the festival break. Together with Argentine staff, they ensured that the construction is progressing smoothly, so that ordinary Argentines could be a step closer to their "energy dream."

Besides increasing energy sufficiency in Argentina, the project has improved the living conditions of many, generating jobs and building roads for the local communities. Braving numerous challenges, Chinese and Argentine engineers have also guaranteed the environmental sustainability of the project, as the plant has been designed with fish passes and ecological bottom wells.

Argentina is not the only Latin American country working with China on infrastructure construction under the framework of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. The reconstruction of the Eloy Alfaro International Airport in the Ecuadorian city of Manta, which was hit hard by a powerful earthquake in 2016, has enhanced the country's trade, tourism and business ties with the rest of the world; a UHV power transmission lane stretching from north to south in Brazil, a country abundant in energy but limited by unequal distribution, has brought benefits to 22 million Brazilians, or 10 percent of the country's population.

Eduardo Regalado, a researcher at the International Policy Research Center of Cuba, said the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has given a strong boost to the development of relations between China and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) countries.

China has played a key role in promoting infrastructure construction in Latin America, while economic and social development in the region has injected new impetus into China-LAC relations, Regalado said.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a video address delivered at the seventh Summit of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held Tuesday in Buenos Aires, 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.

BILATERAL TRADE IN BLOOM

Dalian Port in northeast China has opened a direct shipping route to import cherries from Chile.

Earlier in the month, the ship GSL Tinos, loaded with 616 twenty-foot equivalent units of Chilean cherries, docked at the container terminal in Dalian after a 22-day trip.

Of the total, 592 TEUs of cherries would be delivered directly to the wholesale markets in China. The others would be transferred to the Republic of Korea via Dalian Port.

Chilean cherries are increasingly favored by Chinese consumers, and the market demand continues to rise. "China has become our main market and strategic partner," said Victor Maroto, a representative of Chilean shippers.

In addition to Chilean cherries, blueberries from Peru and beef from Uruguay are also among the best-selling products in China, especially during the Spring Festival. In Guangzhou in southern China, Ecuadorian roses and Colombian hydrangeas have become good choices for local people to decorate their houses.

During the fifth China International Import Expo held in November 2022 in Shanghai, Latin American companies showcased such quality products as Argentine wine and Colombian chocolate, hoping to take a bigger share in the Chinese market.

Meanwhile, Latin American countries have become important markets for Chinese companies. In Ecuador, Chinese vehicles lead the automobile market as consumers are increasingly drawn to their design, sticker price and innovative features. Automobiles, vans, SUVs and trucks of more than 40 Chinese brands are estimated to be sold in Ecuador.

Even during the pandemic, bilateral trade has showed strong vitality. Data from China's General Administration of Customs showed that in 2022, the total trade value between China and Latin America and the Caribbean exceeded 450 billion U.S. dollars for the second consecutive year.

TOGETHER TOWARD A BETTER FUTURE

In Mexico, the "home of corn," China's technical cooperation with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) is making steady progress.

Bram Govaerts, director general of CIMMYT, said the collaboration with China can be regarded as one of the mutually beneficial examples of working together to safeguard the world's food security.

"CIMMYT and China together can be partners," said Govaerts. "CIMMYT can work with China for new wheat varieties that can fight climate change, for new maize varieties that can sustain new diseases."

China and Latin America have set a good example of South-South cooperation, and they are expected to carry out more exchanges and cooperation through such multilateral platforms as the China-CELAC Forum in the future, so as to jointly benefit the world, Argentine sociologist Marcelo Rodriguez said.

In Tuesday's video address, Xi said: "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."

In fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine cooperation between China and multiple Latin American countries has helped protect people's lives and health. China-LAC cooperation in science and technology innovation has also yielded fruitful results, including China-Brazil Earth resources satellite cooperation and an astronomy research center jointly launched by China and Chile.

As Xi said in the video address, China is ready to join forces 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.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP)  Republican lawmakers who have spread election conspiracy theories and falsely claimed that the 2020 presidential outcome was rigged are overseeing legislative committees charged with setting election policy in two major political battleground states.

Divided government in Pennsylvania and Arizona means that any voting restrictions those GOP legislators propose is likely to fail. Even so, the high-profile appointments give the lawmakers a platform to cast further doubt on the integrity of elections in states that will be pivotal in selecting the next president in 2024.

Awarding such plum positions to lawmakers who have repeated conspiracies and spread misinformation cuts against more than two years of evidence showing there were no widespread problems or fraud in the last presidential election. It also would appear to run counter to the message delivered in the November midterm elections, when voters rejected election-denying candidates running for top offices in presidential battleground states.

At the same time, many mainstream Republicans are trying to move past the lies told by former President Donald Trump and his allies about his loss to President Joe Biden.

It is an issue that many Americans and many Pennsylvanians are tired of seeing litigated and relitigated over and over," said Pennsylvania state Sen. Amanda Cappalletti, the ranking Democrat on the Senate committee that handles election legislation. "I think were all ready to move on, and we see from audit after audit that our elections are secure, they are fair and that peoples votes are being counted.

Multiple reviews and audits in the six battleground states where Trump disputed his loss, as well as dozens of court rejections and repeated admonishments from officials in his own administration, have underscored that the 2020 presidential results were accurate. There was no widespread fraud or manipulation of voting machines that would have altered the result.

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The legislative appointments in Pennsylvania and Arizona highlight the divide between the two major parties over election law. Already this year, Democratic-controlled legislatures are moving to expand access to voting and heighten penalties for intimidating voters and election workers, while many Republican-led states are aiming to pass further restrictions, a trend that accelerated after Trump's false claims about the 2020 election.

Democratic governors and legislative victories last fall will blunt the influence of Republicans who took steps or pushed rhetoric seeking to overturn the 2020 election.

But in Arizona and Pennsylvania, two lawmakers who dismiss the validity of that election  not to mention other elections since then  will have key positions of influence as the majority chairs of legislative committees that oversee election legislation.

In Arizona, Republican Sen. Wendy Rogers takes over the Senate Elections Committee after being appointed by an ally, Senate President Warren Petersen. He was one of two lawmakers who signed subpoenas that led to Senate Republicans widely derided audit of the 2020 election.

Rogers, who has gained a national following for spreading conspiracy theories and questioning elections, has faced repeated ethics charges for her inflammatory rhetoric, support for white supremacists and conspiracy-filled social media posts.

She now will be a main gatekeeper for election and voting bills in Arizona, where election changes are a top priority for some Republican lawmakers. Some want to eliminate voting by mail and early voting options that are used by more than 80% of the states voters.

She has scheduled a committee meeting for Monday to consider bills that would ban unmonitored drop boxes, prohibit drive-through voting or ballot pickup and impose what voting-rights advocates say are additional burdens on early voting.

In Pennsylvania, Republican Sen. Cris Dush takes over as chair of the Senate State Government Committee after pushing to block the state's electoral votes from going to Biden in 2020. Dush also mounted an election investigation that he hoped would use the Arizona-style audit as a model.

He was appointed by the Senate's ranking Republican, President Pro Tem Kim Ward, whose office explained Dush's appointment only by saying that seniority plays a role and that members have priority requests.

In the first weeks of this year's session, Dush has moved along measures to expand voter identification requirements and add a layer of post-election audits. Both are proposed constitutional amendments designed to bypass a governor's veto by going to voters for approval.

Dush said he also plans to develop legislation to require more security measures for drop boxes and ballots.

Im going to make a promise to the people of Pennsylvania: The things that Im doing here as chair of State Government, its going to be things that will be conducted in a fair, impartial manner, Dush said in an interview. You know, weve just got to make sure that we can ensure the integrity of the vote and people arent disenfranchised.

Arizona and Pennsylvania have newly elected Democratic governors who presumably would veto hard-line GOP bills opposed by Democrats.

Still, Democrats, county election officials and voting-rights advocates in both states want changes to election laws that, with Dush and Rogers in place, may never see the light of day.

Alex Gulotta, the Arizona director for the voting rights group All Voting is Local, said he anticipates the Legislature there will pass a lot of bad elections bills. He said moderate Republican lawmakers who might have voted down problematic measures under a Republican governor now might let them pass because they know Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs will likely veto them.

This is performative, Gulotta said. This isnt substantive.

The question, he said, is whether Rogers and other Arizona lawmakers can cooperate on small fixes where there is consensus. That, he said, will take real statesmanship.

Liz Avore, a senior adviser to the nonpartisan Voting Rights Lab, said the organization expects another busy period of lawmaking related to voting and elections ahead of the 2024 presidential vote, even as candidates who repeated Trump's lies about a stolen 2020 election lost bids for governor, secretary of state and attorney general in key battleground states.

Democratic and Republican-led states are often moving in opposite directions, but some bipartisan consensus has emerged around certain aspects of election law, such as restoring voting rights to felons and expanding early in-person voting, Avore said.

Republican proposals, such as expanding voter identification requirements, are popular and have majority support, as do some Democratic proposals to broaden access, said Christopher Borick, a political science professor and pollster at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

But to be successful with voters, Republicans need to mind the lessons from 2022. Denying the outcomes of fair elections, he said, is a loser for the Republican Party. Straight up.

___

Cooper reported from Phoenix.

___

Follow Marc Levy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/timelywriter
Just because a business does not make any money, does not mean that the stock will go down. For example, although software-as-a-service business Salesforce.com lost money for years while it grew recurring revenue, if you held shares since 2005, you'd have done very well indeed. But while history lauds those rare successes, those that fail are often forgotten; who remembers Pets.com?

So, the natural question for Elevate Uranium (ASX:EL8) shareholders is whether they should be concerned by its rate of cash burn. In this article, we define cash burn as its annual (negative) free cash flow, which is the amount of money a company spends each year to fund its growth. First, we'll determine its cash runway by comparing its cash burn with its cash reserves.

See our latest analysis for Elevate Uranium

When Might Elevate Uranium Run Out Of Money?

You can calculate a company's cash runway by dividing the amount of cash it has by the rate at which it is spending that cash. When Elevate Uranium last reported its balance sheet in June 2022, it had zero debt and cash worth AU$16m. Importantly, its cash burn was AU$4.5m over the trailing twelve months. So it had a cash runway of about 3.5 years from June 2022. A runway of this length affords the company the time and space it needs to develop the business. Depicted below, you can see how its cash holdings have changed over time.

How Is Elevate Uranium's Cash Burn Changing Over Time?

Elevate Uranium didn't record any revenue over the last year, indicating that it's an early stage company still developing its business. So while we can't look to sales to understand growth, we can look at how the cash burn is changing to understand how expenditure is trending over time. During the last twelve months, its cash burn actually ramped up 87%. Oftentimes, increased cash burn simply means a company is accelerating its business development, but one should always be mindful that this causes the cash runway to shrink. Admittedly, we're a bit cautious of Elevate Uranium due to its lack of significant operating revenues. So we'd generally prefer stocks from this list of stocks that have analysts forecasting growth.

Can Elevate Uranium Raise More Cash Easily?

Given its cash burn trajectory, Elevate Uranium shareholders may wish to consider how easily it could raise more cash, despite its solid cash runway. Companies can raise capital through either debt or equity. Commonly, a business will sell new shares in itself to raise cash and drive growth. By looking at a company's cash burn relative to its market capitalisation, we gain insight on how much shareholders would be diluted if the company needed to raise enough cash to cover another year's cash burn.

Elevate Uranium has a market capitalisation of AU$113m and burnt through AU$4.5m last year, which is 4.0% of the company's market value. That's a low proportion, so we figure the company would be able to raise more cash to fund growth, with a little dilution, or even to simply borrow some money.

So, Should We Worry About Elevate Uranium's Cash Burn?

As you can probably tell by now, we're not too worried about Elevate Uranium's cash burn. In particular, we think its cash runway stands out as evidence that the company is well on top of its spending. While we must concede that its increasing cash burn is a bit worrying, the other factors mentioned in this article provide great comfort when it comes to the cash burn. Looking at all the measures in this article, together, we're not worried about its rate of cash burn; the company seems well on top of its medium-term spending needs. On another note, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the company, and identified 4 warning signs for Elevate Uranium (2 can't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

If you would prefer to check out another company with better fundamentals, then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt or this list of stocks which are all forecast to grow.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



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The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating Tesla CEO Elon Musks role in shaping the companys claims on self-driving cars, Bloomberg reported Friday.

Sources told Bloomberg that the review is part of an investigation into Teslas statements about its Autopilot driver assistance system. The veracity of Musks messaging on the issue is particularly important under the SECs rules, Bloomberg noted.

SEC officials are considering whether Musk may have inappropriately made forward-looking statements about self-driving cars, a source told Bloomberg. Its unclear what action the SEC could take if it reached that conclusion.

Though the Tesla website cautions that drivers must first agree to keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times before enabling Autopilot, a video on the Tesla Autopilot website shows a driver tooling around town with his hands in his lap.

A message notes that the person in the drivers seat is only there for legal reasons. He is not doing anything. The car is driving itself.

Bloomberg reported last week that Musk played an important role in creating another 2016 video that may have exaggerated the technologys capabilities.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration launched an investigation into the Tesla Autopilot system in 2021, examining crashes in which the system was engaged. The probe is ongoing.

Related...
Scientists have confirmed the presence of an elusive and distinctly grumpy-looking wildcat in Mount Everest.

The Pallass cat, also known as the manul, is a stocky gray wildcat about the size of a domestic housecat. The wildcats make their homes on the high steppes and grasslands of Central Asia. Their solitary nature and remote habitat means theyre rarely spotted in the wild by humans.

Scientists have confirmed the presence of an elusive and distinctly grumpy-looking wildcat in Mount Everest.

Scientists have confirmed the presence of an elusive and distinctly grumpy-looking wildcat in Mount Everest.

It is phenomenal to discover proof of this rare and remarkable species at the top of the world, Dr. Tracie Seimon of the Wildlife Conservation Societys Zoological Health Program said in a news release from the nonprofit.

Seimon was a co-leader of the research team that collected environmental samples (read: feces) from Everests slopes. Using DNA testing, they determined that scat at two different locations  at 16,765 feet and 17,027 feet above sea level  came from Pallass cats.

Researchers took the samples in 2019, and a paper on their findings was published in the winter 2022 issue of the International Union for Conservation of Natures newsletter Cat News.

It is phenomenal to discover proof of this rare and remarkable species at the top of the world, said Dr. Tracie Seimon.

It is phenomenal to discover proof of this rare and remarkable species at the top of the world, said Dr. Tracie Seimon.

The discovery of Pallass cat on Everest illuminates the rich biodiversity of this remote high-alpine ecosystem and extends the known range of this species to eastern Nepal, Seimon said.

While Pallass cats arent as widely known as some feline species  like their relative, the snow leopard  theyve carved out an internet niche due to their unique appearance and somewhat crotchety-seeming demeanor.

Conservation biology researcher and Pallass cat enthusiast Paige Byerly celebrated the news on Twitter with an apt comment.

The idea of a Pallass cat sneering at elite climbers from behind a rock is truly warming my heart, she wrote.

BREAKING: world's greatest animal found on world's highest mountain via non-invasive genetics! The idea of a Pallas's cat sneering at elite climbers from behind a rock is truly warming my heart https://t.co/nv0SyBr9hD  Paige Byerly, PhD (@paigebyerly) January 26, 2023

Related...
Jason Roy, left, found some form in Bloemfontein (Themba Hadebe/AP/PA) (AP)

Jason Roy was a bit overcome with a few emotions in the hours after a spectacular return to form for England in a losing cause against South Africa on Friday.

Roy has for years been Englands tone-setting trailblazer in the white-ball formats but an alarming and prolonged lean run led to him being dropped ahead of their T20 World Cup-winning campaign.

With those on the fringes such as Will Jacks and Phil Salt pushing for opportunities, Roys ODI place was becoming increasingly unstable but he rewarded Englands faith with a buccaneering 79-ball century.

Feeling the love, I appreciate you all   Jason Roy (@JasonRoy20) January 28, 2023

He was dismissed for 113 off 91 deliveries before England badly lost their way, collapsing from 146 without loss in the 20th over to 271 all out with 34 balls unused to lose by 27 runs in Bloemfontein.

But, while they have fallen 1-0 down in the three-match series, Roy, who celebrated his hundred with a huge swing of the bat and a roar, admitted he was happy to draw a line under a forgettable few months.

Im feeling very good, I actually didnt sleep that well  I had about five hours sleep, I was a bit overcome with a few emotions and stuff like that, its been a turbulent few months, he said.

I woke up really well, though, it was the best five hours sleep Ive had.

Its been a horrible year. (The celebration) was a little bit of anger around it all just because I set everything to the back of my mind and locked a few things away in a cupboard and went out and played the way I have played throughout my career.

Once a champion...



Always a champion!@JasonRoy20     England Cricket (@englandcricket) January 27, 2023

I was frustrated I hadnt got to that mindset earlier but it was a very nice feeling.

Story continues

Roy pushed his career average in ODIs back above 40 with his 11th hundred in the format  and only Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Marcus Trescothick have made more among England batters.

But this was his first 50-plus score in 15 international innings, while he averaged 12.5 in eight knocks in the SA20 this month, so Roy is not getting too carried away.

Absolutely not, I dont see it that way, he said. Ive played a lot of games in my career, been around for a while now and even after a bad year you can get forgotten quite quickly.

Its a case of keeping pushing, keeping this environment going in this culture we have in the team because its a huge year ahead for us in 50-over cricket.

England defend their World Cup crown later this year and Roy, as one of the most senior players under Jos Buttler, wants to help them go into India in the autumn raring to go.

Ive got to keep scoring runs and just building this team to the place where we were at back in 2019, he added.

England are likely to make changes for Sundays second ODI at the same ground, with Jofra Archer and David Willey poised to give way to Chris Woakes and Reece Topley.
EU flag

The article states that the plan would include prosecutors from Ukraine and other countries, and has received broad support from EU member states.

According to Bloomberg, the European Commission, along with the European Agency for Justice Cooperation in criminal matters, is discussing the details of the way the proposed international structure would work, and other related issues.

Read also: PACE resolution calls for international tribunal to investigate Belarus role in Ukraine war

At the same time, the agency notes that negotiations on a special international tribunal for Ukraine continue to be bogged down in legal disputes.

On Jan. 27, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said that an international tribunal, or its equivalent, to hold Russia accountable for war crimes committed in Ukraine could begin its work in summer 2023. The United States is working on this issue together with other G7 countries and Ukraine.

On Jan. 26, a meeting of the Core Group on establishment of the Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of aggression against Ukraine was held in Prague, Czech Republic, attended by representatives of 20 countries.

Read also: Australia joins Russia tribunal initiative

On Jan. 19, the European Parliament adopted a resolution in support of the establishment of an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that a special tribunal is the only meaningful way to bring Russia's top political and military leadership to justice for aggression against a sovereign state.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The European Space Agency's JUICE spacecraft entering thermal testing.

Europe's mission to explore three icy moons of Jupiter is all set to begin its voyage to the outer solar system.

The Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer spacecraft, also known as JUICE , will study Europa, Ganymede and Callisto to provide insights into their nature, evolution, possible subsurface oceans and the potential to harbor life. JUICE has been undergoing final testing at Airbus facilities in Toulouse, France, and will shortly begin its journey to ESA's Guiana Space Center spaceport in French Guiana on South America's Atlantic coast. From there, the 13,670-pound (6,200 kilograms) spacecraft will launch on one of the last two Ariane 5 rockets.

"The launch is currently targeted for the 14th of April," the European Space Agency's (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher said Tuesday (Jan. 24) during a news conference held in Paris.

Related: NASA spacecraft snaps gorgeous new photo of Jupiter's moons Io and Europa

JUICE is scheduled to reach Jupiter in 2031 and will then make a series of flybys of the icy Galilean moons Europa , Ganymede and Callisto . It will finally enter orbit around Ganymede in 2034 to begin a more detailed, nine-month-long study of the moon, which will also be the first time a spacecraft orbits a moon other than our own.

JUICE will use its package of 10 cutting-edge science payloads to further our understanding of the moons. One major focus will be the internal subsurface oceans underneath the moons' crusts, which JUICE will target by studying the moons' magnetic fields and looking at their tidal interactions with other worlds in the Jupiter system.

"We are not monitoring fish or big fish or creatures in these lakes, but we are seeing how these moons are composed and whether they could be habitable or not," Aschbacher said. "This will be extremely important information that might possibly lead to other future missions to the icy moons, which are extremely interesting from a science point of view."

JUICE carries huge solar arrays with a total area of 915 square feet (85 square meters) to provide power for the spacecraft, which will be orbiting Jupiter at an average 484 million miles (778 million kilometers) away from the sun .

Story continues

Related stories:

 Juno spacecraft snaps gorgeous photo of Jupiter's atmosphere, 2 big moons

 Jupiter's Ganymede, the largest moon in the solar system, looks amazing in these 1st photos from NASA's epic Juno flyby

 Behold! Our closest view of Jupiter's ocean moon Europa in 22 years

The mission will end when JUICE runs out of the fuel needed to maintain its orbit and impacts the surface of Ganymede.

JUICE was selected by ESA in 2012 and prime contractor Airbus worked with more than 80 companies across Europe to get the spacecraft ready.

Meanwhile, NASA is working to ready its Europa Clipper mission for launch in 2024. Europa is perhaps the most intriguing of the three JUICE moons for astrobiologists, and whereas the ESA mission will fly past Europa only twice, Clipper will execute dozens of flybys beginning around 2030.
Tyre Nichols' stepfather Rodney Wells, centre, stands next to a photo of Nichols in the hospital after his arrest, during a protest in Memphis, Tennessee (AP)

A 29-year-old father died in hospital several days after he was taken into custody by police during a traffic stop.

Now five officers at the Memphis Police Department have been removed from their posts and jailed on second-degree murder charges.

Reverend Al Sharpton is set to give the eulogy at the funeral of Tyre Nichols on 1 February at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church. The civil rights activist said in a statement firing these officers for misconduct is not enough.

Justice will only be served when all five are charged with killing Tyre Nichols for the simple act of driving while Black, he added.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis urged calm as the bodycam footage is set to be released.

I expect you to feel what the Nichols family feels, she said in a video statement on 25 January. I expect you to feel outrage in the disregard of basic human rights, as our police officers have taken an oath to do the opposite of what transpired on the video.

Ms Davis asked the public not to react to the footage with violence and destruction.

I expect our citizens to exercise their First Amendment right to protest, to demand action and results, she said. But, we need to ensure our community is safe in this process.

This is everything we know so far about the death of Tyre Nichols.

Excessive use of force by officers

The police said in a statement on 20 January that the officers involved in the arrest of Mr Nichols were guilty of an excessive use of force.

Police added that officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr, and Justin Smith had all been fired after they failed to follow multiple department policies.

A previous statement shared by police stated that they attempted to pull over Mr Nichols for reckless driving on 7 January, at about 8.30pm local time, according to Newsweek.

From left are officers Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills, Jr., Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Tadarrius Bean (via REUTERS)

As officers approached the driver of the vehicle, a confrontation occurred, and the suspect fled the scene on foot, police said at the time. Officers pursued the suspect and again attempted to take the suspect into custody. While attempting to take the suspect into custody, another confrontation occurred; however, the suspect was ultimately apprehended.

Story continues

Complained of having a shortness of breath

Kenyana Dixon is comforted during a rally for her brother Tyre Nichols at the National Civil Rights Museum on 16 January (AP)

Afterwards, the suspect complained of having a shortness of breath, at which time an ambulance was called to the scene, the statement said. The suspect was transported to St Francis Hospital in critical condition.

The young father succumbed to his injuries on 10 January, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has said.

The agency is looking into whether the officers crossed the boundaries of the law, and a separate civil rights investigation has been started by the Department of Justice and the FBI.

Officers failed to render aid

The police department announced the firing of the officers on 20 January.

After a thorough review of the circumstances surrounding this incident, we have determined that five MPD officers violated multiple department policies, including excessive use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid. Earlier today, each officer charged was terminated from the Memphis Police Department, the agency said.

Lawyer encouraged by police response to death

Nichols family attorney Ben Crump, who also represented the family of George Floyd, told Action News 5 that when police kill a person unjustly, especially a Black person ... normally they delay, delay, delay. But I am encouraged because Chief Davis and city officials communicated with me yesterday.

Body camera footage to be released

The body camera footage from the incident is expected to be made public this week or next, Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy said on 23 January, according to NBC News.

Transparency remains a priority in this incident, and a premature release could adversely impact the criminal investigation and the judicial process, Chief Davis said in a statement.

Family shown footage ahead of public release

Rodney Wells speaks during a memorial service for his son on 17 January (AP)

The family has now been shown the footage from the traffic stop in the lead-up to Mr Nichols being taken to hospital before his death.

Officials from the police department and the city of Memphis said on 23 January that they met with the Nichols family that morning to watch the footage.

In a joint statement, Mr Crump and fellow attorney Antonio Romanucci said that the footage would deliver clarity into what led to the loss of this young man, father, and son.

We will continue to demand transparency and accountability in this case, and will not stop until we achieve full justice for Tyre and his family, they added.

Memphis Police Association President Lt Essica Cage-Rosario told NBC News that 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, but declined to comment on the officers removal, noting that the investigation is ongoing.

Lawyer invokes 1992 Los Angeles riots

During a press conference on 23 January, Mr Crump said regrettably it reminded us of the Rodney King video.

Mr King was beaten by Los Angeles police in March 1991. The acquittal of the four officers involved the following year led to the LA riots.

Mr Crump said Chief Davis shared her condolences with the family not as a police chief but as a Black mother.

Nichols was a defenceless ... human pinata, attorney says

Mr Romanucci added that police used an unmarked car from the departments organized crime unit during the traffic stop, adding that they were anticipating violence, WREG reported.

Attorney Antonio Romanucci: the traffic stop was conducted by officers in an unmarked car from @MEM_PoliceDepts organized crime unit. He says they were anticipating violence when they pulled over #TyreNichols. pic.twitter.com/sGFOCE0u05  Stacy Jacobson (@StacyJacobsonTV) January 23, 2023

The attorney said that Mr Nichols was defenceless and a human pinata, questioning why officers in an unmarked vehicle were conducting a traffic stop.

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, he said, according to CNN.

Mr Nicholss mother, RaVaughn Wells, said the last time she saw her son, he was leaving to go watch the sunset at Shelby Farms Park, which he did on most weekends.

Noting that he was passionate about skateboarding, she said he was only two minutes away from her house when they murdered him, according to WREG.

Skateboarder Kam Blakely skates in front of city hall in remembrance of Tyre Nichols (AP)

No father, mother should have to witness what I saw

Mr Nicholss stepfather, Rodney Wells, said during the press conference on 23 January that what I saw on the video today was horrific.

No father, mother should have to witness what I saw today, he added.

Yet again, were seeing evidence of what happens to Black and brown people from simple traffic stops, Mr Crump said. Simple traffic stops. You should not be killed because of a simple traffic stop.

It is appalling. It is deplorable. It is heinous, he added, regarding the footage. It is violent. It is troublesome on every level.

The civil rights attorney said Ms Wells couldnt get through the viewing after Mr Nichols said what did I do?

The lawyer added that Mr Nichols was heard calling for his mother three times at the end of the footage.

Nobodys perfect, okay, nobody, Ms Wells told the media. But he was damn near.

Our son ran because he was scared for his life, Mr Wells said. 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.

Officials working to expedite investigation

Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy told CNN on 24 January that the authorities were working on expediting the investigation to allow the footage to be released and for a decision to be made if the officers will be charged.

I know that people are very, very concerned about this. I think the incident has the potential to undermine confidence in the fairness of our police force and the criminal justice system, he said.

The director of communications at the office of the Shelby County District Attorney, Erica Williams, told CNN on Monday that the footage should be made public, its just a matter of when.

Mr Mulroy said that the officers involved could have been affected by subpar training by the department as well as the actions of other officers.

I think all of those things may be a factor, he told CNN. And its my hope that this incident, as tragic as it is, might lead to a broader conversation about reform of our police department, including de-escalation training and things of that nature.

Officers charged with second-degree murder

On 26 January, The Washington Post reported that the officers had been charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression, according to records from the Shelby County Jail.

Memphis police chief slams officers failing of basic humanity

Memphis police chief Cerelyn Davis released a video statement on 25 January.

This is a failing of basic humanity toward another individual  and in the vein of transparency when the video is released in the coming days, you will see this for yourselves, she said.

She added that the officers were directly responsible for the physical abuse of Mr Nichols, calling the officers actions heinous, reckless, and inhumane.

I expect you to feel what the Nichols family feels, she added. I expect you to feel outrage in the disregard of basic human rights, as our police officers have taken an oath to do the opposite of what transpired on the video.

Ms Davis asked the public not to react to the footage with violence and destruction.

I expect our citizens to exercise their First Amendment right to protest, to demand action and results, she said. But, we need to ensure our community is safe in this process.

She added that none of this is a calling card for inciting violence or destruction on our community or against our citizens.

In our hurt and our outrage and our frustration, there is still work that needs to be done to build each other up to continue the momentum in improving our police and community relationships and partnerships, she said.

Ms Davis noted she had met with Ms Wells and that she has ordered internal reviews and training for the department.

Federal investigation may take some time

The US attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, Kevin Ritz, said on 25 January that as I told Mr Nichols family, our federal investigation may take some time. These things often do.

But we will be diligent, and we will make decisions based on the facts and the law, he added during the press briefing, without taking questions from reporters.

City of Memphis releases police bodycam video footage

Officials in Memphis released the full video footage of the deadly interaction between five MPD officers and Tyre Nichols at 7pm ET on Friday 27 January.

The video showed officers dragging Nichols from his car and firing a taser weapon at him before he fled the scene on foot.
First Financial Bancorp (NASDAQ:FFBC) Full Year 2022 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: US$673.2m (up 7.0% from FY 2021).

Net income: US$217.6m (up 6.1% from FY 2021).

Profit margin: 32% (in line with FY 2021).

EPS: US$2.33 (up from US$2.16 in FY 2021).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

First Financial Bancorp Revenues and Earnings Beat Expectations

Revenue exceeded analyst estimates by 1.5%. Earnings per share (EPS) also surpassed analyst estimates by 1.8%.

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 8.0% p.a. on average during the next 2 years, compared to a 6.5% growth forecast for the Banks industry in the US.

Performance of the American Banks industry.

The company's shares are up 3.0% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

Don't forget that there may still be risks. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for First Financial Bancorp that you should be aware of.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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A MILITARY BASE IN SOUTHEASTERN POLAND (AP)  On the front lines in Ukraine, a soldier was having trouble firing his 155 mm howitzer gun. So, he turned to a team of Americans on the other end of his phone line for help.

What do I do? he asked the U.S. military team member, far away at a base in southeastern Poland. What are my options?

Using phones and tablets to communicate in encrypted chatrooms, a rapidly growing group of U.S. and allied troops and contractors is providing real-time maintenance advice  usually speaking through interpreters  to Ukrainian troops on the battlefield.

In a quick response, the U.S. team member told the Ukrainian to remove the guns breech at the rear of the howitzer and manually prime the firing pin so the gun could fire. He did it and it worked.

The exchange is part of an expanding U.S. military help line aimed at providing repair advice to Ukrainian forces in the heat of battle. As the U.S. and other allies send more and increasingly complex and high-tech weapons to Ukraine, demands are spiking. And since no U.S. or other NATO nations will send troops into the country to provide hands-on assistance  due to worries about being drawn into a direct conflict with Russia  they've turned to virtual chatrooms.

The U.S. soldier and other team members and leaders stationed at a base in Poland spoke last week to two reporters who were traveling with Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, when he visited the facility. Because of the sensitivity of the operation, the troops there spoke on condition of anonymity under guidelines set by the U.S. military. Reporters also agreed not to reveal the name or location of the base or take photos.

Fixing a howitzer, the repair team said, has been a frequent request from Ukrainian troops on the front lines. The need for help with weapons as been growing. Just a few months ago, there were just a bit more than 50 members of what they call the remote maintenance team. That will surge to 150 in the coming weeks, and the number of encrypted chat lines has more than tripled  from about 11 last fall to 38 now.

Story continues

The team includes about 20 soldiers now, supplemented by civilians and contractors, but the military number may dip a bit, as more civilians come on board. And they expect it will continue to evolve as new sophisticated weapons are delivered to the Ukrainians, and new chatrooms set up to handle them.

A lot of the times well get calls from right there on the firing line, so therell be outgoing or incoming fire at the same time youre trying to help the forward maintainers troubleshoot the best they can, said a U.S. soldier who is part of the maintenance team. Sometimes, he said, the chat has to wait a bit until troops can get to a safer location.

A key problem, said one officer, is that Ukrainian troops are pushing the weapons to their limits  firing them at unprecedented rates and using them long after a U.S. service member would turn them in to be repaired or retired.

Holding up his tablet, the U.S. soldier showed photos of the barrel of a howitzer, its interior ridges nearly worn completely away.

Theyre using these systems in ways that we didnt necessarily anticipate, said the officer, pointing to the tablet. Were actually learning from them by seeing how much abuse these weapon systems can take, and where's the breaking point.

The Ukrainian troops are often reluctant to send the weapons back out of the country for repairs. They'd rather do it themselves, and in nearly all cases  U.S. officials estimated 99% of the time  the Ukrainians do the repair and continue on.

Many of the chats are regularly scheduled with depot workers in Ukraine  like the one they call Coffee Cup Guy," because his chat has a coffee cup emoji. Other times they involve troops on the battlefield whose gun just blew apart, or whose vehicle stalled.

Sometimes video chats aren't possible.

A lot of times if theyre on the front line, they wont do a video because sometimes (cell service) is a little spotty, said a U.S. maintainer. Theyll take pictures and send it to us through the chats and we sit there and diagnose it.

There were times, he said, when they'll get a picture of a broken howitzer, and the Ukrainian will say, This Triple 7 just blew up  what do we do?

And, in what he said was a remarkable new skill, the Ukrainians can now put the split weapon back together. They couldnt do titanium welding before, they can do it now, said the U.S. soldier, adding that something that was two days ago blown up is now back in play.

Doling out advice over the chats means the U.S. experts have to diagnose the problem when something goes wrong, figure out how to fix it, then translate the steps into Ukrainian.

As they look to the future, they are planning to get some commercial, off-the-shelf translation goggles. That way, when they talk to each other they can skip the interpreters and just see the translation as they speak, making conversations easier and faster.

They also are hoping to build their diagnostic capabilities as the weapons systems get more complex, and expand the types and amount of spare parts they keep on hand. For example, they said the Patriot missile system the U.S. is sending to Ukraine will be a challenge, requiring more expertise in diagnosing and repairing problems.

The expanse of weapons and equipment theyre handling and questions theyre fielding were even too complicated for a digital spreadsheet  forcing the team to go low-tech. One wall in their maintenance office is lined with an array of old-fashioned, color-coded Post-it notes, to help them track the weapons and maintenance needs.

The team in Poland is part of an ever expanding logistical network that stretches across Europe. As more nations send their own versions of weapon systems, they are setting up teams to provide repair support in a variety of locations.

The nations and the manufacturing companies quickly put together manuals and technical data that can be translated and sent to the Ukrainians. They then set up stocks of spare parts and get them to locations near Ukraine's borders, where they can be sent to the battlefield.

Just days before Milley visited the base, Ukrainians traveled to the Poland facility for parts. The visit gave U.S. soldiers a chance to meet someone from their chatrooms face-to-face and swap military patches.

In the next video chat we had he was wearing our patches in his video, the U.S. soldier said.

The hub for the growing logistical effort is at Lucius D. Clay Kaserne, the U.S. Army base in Wiesbaden, Germany.

There, in cubicles filling an expansive room, the international coalition coordinates the campaign to locate and identify far-flung equipment, weapons and spare parts in other countries that are needed in Ukraine. They then plan out deliveries  by sea, air and ground routes  to border locations where everything is loaded onto trucks or trains and moved to the war zone.

At least 17 nations have representatives in what's called the International Donor Coordination Center. And as the amount and types of equipment grow, the center is working to better meld the donations from the U.S. and other nations.

As we send more additional advanced equipment, like Strykers, like Bradleys, like tanks, of course that sustainment activity will have to increase," said Douglas Bush, assistant Army secretary for acquisition. I think the challenge is recognized. I think the Army knows how to do it."

____

Associated Press writer Tara Copp in Washington contributed to this report.
Igor Girkin (Strelkov), the former leader of Donetsk militants, has refused to take part in the war against Ukraine as part of the Wagner Group private military company (PMC).

Source: Girkin on Telegram

Details: The terrorist noted that he discussed a possible meeting at which they could agree on his participation in the war as part of the Wagner Group PMC on Friday and even promised to "come to Luhansk for a personal conversation" within two days.

"However, Mr Prigozhin's last public speech [Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group PMC - ed.], in which a stream of the most blatant lies was uttered against me, completely rules out my participation in this PMC. I will not be able to serve under the leadership of a person who directly accused me of treason against Russia. Not to mention the dirty insults that accompanied these accusations. That's it," Girkin said.

In an address to Girkin that was published on the Internet, Prigozhin accuses the ex-leader of the militants of "surrendering Sloviansk", "taking money from Akhmetov"[Rinat Akhmetov is Ukraine's richest businessman - ed.] and "abandoning boys," and repeatedly insults him and threatens to throw him into the hottest hell, where he will have to prove his reliability, and also threatens to "pee on his face" if he tries to flee the battlefield.

Background: On 26 January, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group PMC, invited Igor Girkin (Strelkov) to join his troops in Ukraine [DPR is the self-styled "Donetsk People's Republic"  ed.]. In response, Strelkov offered to discuss the proposal.

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SAMP/T antimissile systems

According to the publication, the deal was struck during Lecornus visit to Rome on Jan. 27.

Read also: Italy to transfer SAMP/T air defense battery to Ukraine

This batch of Aster 30 missiles will cost about EUR 2 billion ($2.17 billion). However, it is not known exactly how many missiles will be transferred to the Ukrainian military.

Lecornu confirmed on Twitter that Ukraine was on the agenda of the meeting with his Italian counterpart.

We shared a common commitment to continue supporting Ukraine, safeguard the Mediterranean Sea from new threats, and increase our joint production capabilities, in particular in the field of air defense, the French minister said.

Read also: France first to supply Ukraine with modern armored vehicles

At the end of December, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Then it officially became known that Rome was considering the transfer of air defense systems to Ukraine.

Italys Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in an interview with Corriere della Sera on Jan. 21 that Rome and Paris were finalizing preparations for sending SAMP/T systems to Ukraine. He said Italy and France were planning other actions of support that were being worked on confidentially.



Read also: France starts work on special tribunal on Russian crimes of aggression

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lawyers for Sam Bankman-Fried on Saturday urged a U.S. judge not to ban the indicted FTX cryptocurrency executive from communicating with former colleagues as part of his bail, saying prosecutors "sandbagged" the process to put their client in the "worst possible light."

The lawyers were responding to a Friday night request by federal prosecutors that Bankman-Fried not be allowed to talk with most employees of FTX or his Alameda Research hedge fund without lawyers present, or use the encrypted messaging apps Signal or Slack and potentially delete messages automatically.

Bankman-Fried, 30, has been free on $250 million bond since pleading not guilty to charges of fraud in the looting of billions of dollars from the now-bankrupt FTX.

Prosecutors said their request was in response to Bankman-Fried's recent effort to contact a potential witness against him, the general counsel of an FTX affiliate, and was needed to prevent witness tampering and other obstruction of justice.

But in a letter to U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan, Bankman-Fried's lawyers said prosecutors sprung the "overbroad" bail conditions without revealing that both sides had been discussing bail over the last week.

"Rather than wait for any response from the defense, the government sandbagged the process, filing this letter at 6:00 p.m. on Friday evening," Bankman-Fried's lawyers wrote. "The government apparently believes that a one-sided presentation - spun to put our client in the worst possible light - is the best way to get the outcome it seeks."

Bankman-Fried's lawyers also said their client's efforts to contact the general counsel and John Ray, installed as FTX's chief executive during the bankruptcy, were attempts to offer "assistance" and not to interfere.

A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Damian Williams in Manhattan declined to comment.

Story continues

Bankman-Fried's lawyers proposed that their client have access to some colleagues, including his therapist, but not be allowed to talk with Caroline Ellison and Zixiao "Gary" Wang, who have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with prosecutors.

They said a Signal ban isn't necessary because Bankman-Fried is not using the auto-delete feature, and concern he might is "unfounded."

The lawyers also asked to remove a bail condition preventing Bankman-Fried from accessing FTX, Alameda or cryptocurrency assets, saying there was "no evidence" he was responsible for earlier alleged unauthorized transactions.

In an order on Saturday, Kaplan gave prosecutors until Monday to address Bankman-Fried's concerns.

"The court expects all counsel to abstain from pejorative characterizations of the actions and motives of their adversaries," the judge added.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
A funeral service will be held Saturday morning for U.S. Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger, Action News Jaxs Orlando sister station WFTV reports.

Saturdays celebration of life service will be held at 11 a.m. at First Orlando -- previously known as First Baptist Orlando -- located at 3000 South John Young Parkway.

Kittinger, who died Dec. 9 at age 94, was an internationally renowned pilot and balloonist who set the record for the highest parachute jump and freefall Aug. 16, 1960, as part of Project Excelsior.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered all of the State of Florida flags to be flown at half-staff at the Seminole County Courthouse in Sanford, Florida, the City Hall of Altamonte Springs, Florida, and at the State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, from sunrise to sunset on Saturday to honor Kittinger, who was born and raised in Florida.

He jumped from a high-altitude balloon at 102,800 feet and fell for 4 minutes and 36 seconds -- a record that was not broken until 53 years later.

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Orlando is the home to Colonel Joe Kittinger Park at South Crystal Lake Drive and East South Street. The park was first dedicated in 1992 and refurbished in 2011.

In 2014, a F-4 Phantom was installed as a monument to honor and recognize the Central Florida veterans who served the United States during the Vietnam War.

Click here to read more about his life.

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Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
The General Staff of Ukraines Armed Forces reported on Jan. 28 that Russia had lost 125,510 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24. An estimated 800 Russian troops were lost over the last 24 hours on Jan. 27.

According to the report, Russia has also lost 3,189 tanks, 6,344 armored fighting vehicles, 5,027 vehicles and fuel tanks, 2,188 artillery systems, 453 multiple launch rocket systems, 221 air defense systems, 293 airplanes, 284 helicopters, 1,947 drones, and 18 boats.
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

As financial questions continue to swirl around George Santos, his campaign might face a new criminal investigation.

The Federal Election Commission notified the treasurer for the Santos campaign and his other political committees that they may have failed to include the true, correct, or complete treasurer information when they erroneously named a new treasurer earlier this week, according to filings posted on Friday.

That new treasurerprofessional GOP political accountant Thomas Datwylerreplied in emailed letters on Friday, informing the FEC through his lawyer that he is not the treasurer for this committee, did not file or authorize the filing of [the form], and did not authorize [the form] to be signed on his behalf.

The letters, which The Daily Beast has reviewed but have not been posted to the FEC website, also asked the FEC to withdraw the filings and to refer the matter to law enforcement for criminal investigation. We are posting a copy here, with the permission of Datwylers attorney, Derek Ross.

Datwyler letter to the FEC Letter to FEC from Thomas Datwyler's attorney Derek Ross

Federal law prohibits individuals from filing knowingly false information with the government. The law also bars political committees from raising or spending money if they do not have a treasurer, who is legally responsible for filing true and accurate financial reports. (Santos next reports are due on Jan. 31.)

Inside the George Santos Campaign Report Blame Game

As with so many other cases with Santos, its not yet clear where the blame for the mixup liesbut signs point to Santos, who is ultimately in charge of his own hiring decisions.

Datwylers disavowal would appear to return the treasurer duties by default to Santos previous treasurer, Long Island accountant Nancy Marks, according to a person familiar with the FECs process. Another person with direct knowledge told The Daily Beast that Marks had personally filed the erroneous change in treasurers.

That would appear to mean that either Marks knowingly filed the incorrect information or that she, for whatever reason, did not get the memo from the Santos team that Datwyler was a no.

Story continues

The Daily Beast reported on Thursday that Santos had approached Datwyler to help clean up his campaign finance reports, but Datwyler declined on Monday after reviewing the filings. His attorney, Ross, told The Daily Beast that it appears theres a disconnect between that conversation and the filings today, which we did not authorize.

Santos campaign finances drew new scrutiny this week after Marks filed amended reports saying that $705,000 in candidate loans were no longer attributed to his personal funds, The Daily Beast first reported.

Asked about the change on Wednesday, Santos appeared to deflect to Marks.

Sirlets make it very clear: I dont amend anything, I dont touch any of my FEC stuff, right? Santos told CNN reporter Manu Raju. So dont be disingenuous and report that I did because you know that every campaign hires fiduciaries.

The Daily Beast has been unable to reach Marks. A representative declined to answer questions for this article.

Campaign finance expert Paul S. Ryan previously told The Daily Beast that the treasurer bears ultimate liability for ensuring the campaigns reports are accurate.

If Im the treasurer and I dont know where the money came from, then Im on the hook, and Im gonna uncheck that box, Ryan said.

Marks, who is listed as treasurer for more than 50 federal committees, has receiveddirectly or through her companiesabout $1.5 million from federal political committees over the years, with $200,000 of that from the Santos operation during his 2020 and 2022 runs, according to FEC records. About $50,000 from Santos was marked for fundraising services, records show.

Is George Santos Now Trying to Hide His Spotify?

Marks is also tied to a private company connected to Santos. Her company, R.I.A. Concepts Holding LTD, appears on Florida incorporation documents for a now-dissolved consulting business called Red Strategies.

The Daily Beast reported last April that the members of Red Strategies were also tied to another troubled firm, Harbor City Capital, where Santos worked as a regional manager.

In April 2021, the SECwithout naming Santosalleged that Harbor City was a Ponzi scheme, bilking investors out of $6 million. Santos and his colleagues (who also werent named in the SEC complaint) started Red Strategies the next month.

Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that the Santos political operation had solicited large donations through an entity that was never registered with the FEC. The entity appears to share a nameRedStone Strategieswith another private company The Daily Beast previously reported was tied to Santos.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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George Santos is officially a congressman

Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images Rep. George Santos outside his office on Capitol Hill

George Santos' ex-boyfriend is speaking out about the controversial freshman congressman.

In an exclusive interview with CNN, Pedro Vilarva claimed he dated Santos, 34  who went by Anthony Devolder during their relationship  for about a year before they went their separate ways. Vilarva told CNN's Erin Burnett that he wasn't surprised by Santos' decision to run for Congress, even if it did come out of the blue.

"What he always looked for was fame and power," he said. "That's all he cared about, and he got it. He got the fame of the lies and he got the power that he's in Congress now. But  he shouldn't be there."

RELATED: Fact-Checking the George Santos Claims: From Goldman Sachs Employee to College 'Volleyball Star'

When Burnett asked Vilarva if he thinks Santos will resign, he replied: "I don't think so. His ego is too big and too high, he's not gonna resign. If they don't find something to get him [out], he's not going to do it. That's for sure."

Vilarva also noted that Santos had seemed like a "different person" when they first started dating, describing him as "sweet" and "caring." Vilarva said he ultimately decided to end the relationship after he discovered Santos had been dishonest with him.

RELATED: New York Republicans Call on George Santos to Resign: 'He Deceived Voters'

Baldwin, N.Y.: Congressman-elect George Devolder Santos joined the newly elected GOP members of the Senate and Congress during a press conference on November. 9, 2022 in Baldwin, New York.

Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty George Santos

Vilarva also shared a photo of him with Santos' mother and told CNN that the family had not mentioned anything about 9/11 (Santos previously claimed that his mother was in the Twin Towers on 9/11 and died as a result of the attack, which has since been debunked). Vilarva also said that he had not witnessed Santos nor his mother going to work at Citigroup (more claims by Santos that could not be substantiated), saying he assumed those claims were lies "because I never saw him working."

Vilarva said he did learn a lot about his ex-boyfriend from all the press coverage, though. "There were so many things I found out afterward ... I still believed that he went to Baruch College like he used to say."

Story continues

RELATED: Rep. George Santos Appears to Have Ripped Off His Former Boss's Resume in Crafting His Backstory

Santos  who was elected as a representative for New York's 3rd congressional district in 2022  has recently come under fire for multiple alleged lies tied to being Jewish, working at Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, attending Baruch College and about his mom dying as a result of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Santos apologized last month to The New York Post about "embellishing my resume" following a New York Times report that revealed that a large portion of his biography could not be verified.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't graduate from any institution of higher learning. I'm embarrassed and sorry for having embellished my resume. I own up to that ... we do stupid things in life."

"I never claimed to be Jewish," Santos also told the Post. "I am Catholic. Because I learned my maternal family had a Jewish background I said I was 'Jew-ish.'"

Immigration records obtained by researcher Alex Calzareth and made public by The Washington Post, also showed Santos' mom Fatima Devolder was living in Rio de Janeiro at the time of the 9/11 attacks.

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.

A growing chorus of lawmakers have called on the Republican to resign. Santos' fellow New York Reps. Daniel Goldman and Ritchie Torres  both Democrats  filed an official complaint with the House Committee on Ethics, calling for them to launch an investigation into Santos.

"George Santos, by his own admission, is an outright fraud. The House has an obligation to police itself and maintain the integrity of the institution," Goldman said in a tweet announcing the complaint.

However, others  like House Speaker Kevin McCarthy  have noted that he was legally elected, and therefore should continue to serve unless he is found to have broken the law. Currently, Santos is being criminally investigated by both local and federal officials.
Georgia officials have signed off on a plan to raise Savannahs towering suspension bridge to make room for larger cargo ships to reach the citys busy seaport.

The state Department of Transportations board at its January meeting approved hiring a contractor later this year to consult on the project while its still in the design phase.

The Eugene Talmadge Memorial Bridge opened in 1991 and spans the Savannah River at the Georgia-South Carolina line. Cargo ships passing Savannahs downtown riverfront must sail under the bridge to reach the Port of Savannah.

The plan is to raise the bridge while also replacing its decades-old suspension cables in the same project, Andrew Hoenig, a DOT construction program manager, told the agencys board Thursday. He estimated construction costs would be between $150 million and $175 million.

Obviously its a lot more efficient than a total replacement of the bridge, Hoenig said.

TRENDING STORIES:

Federal officials last year finished a $973 million expansion of the Savannah River shipping channel so that larger ships carrying more cargo can transit to and from the port without waiting for higher tides.

Griff Lynch, executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority, said years ago that something would need to be done about the bridge. He predicted that within 15 years newer classes of ships would be too massive to squeeze beneath it.

We have a bridge that cannot handle these ships, Lynch said in a 2018 speech. We need to start planning the relief of the Talmadge Bridge. And when I say relief, I mean replacement.

Though DOT officials said they plan to raise the bridge rather than replace it, details are scant. Asked Tuesday how much space the agency plans to add to the bridges current 185 feet (56 meters) of clearance, DOT spokesman Kyle Collins said it was too early to say.

Story continues

Its unknown whether the project might renew calls to rename the bridge for someone other than Talmadge, a segregationist who served three terms as Georgias governor between 1933 and 1942. Over the past decade, Savannahs city council, the Girl Scouts of America and others have unsuccessfully called on state lawmakers to strip Talmadges name from the bridge.

IN OTHER NEWS:




By Sarah Marsh and Nicolas Misculin

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) -German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday urged a swift conclusion to talks on a free trade deal between the European Union and the Mercosur South American trade bloc, on the first stop in Buenos Aires of his inaugural tour of the region.

Seeking to reduce Germany's economic reliance on China, diversify its trade and strengthen relations with democracies worldwide, Scholz is visiting Argentina, Chile and Brazil, all led by fellow leftists who came to power in the region's new "pink tide."

Berlin wants to lower its dependence on China for minerals key to the energy transition, making resource-rich Latin America an important partner. The region's potential for renewable energy output is another attraction.

"There is great potential to further deepen our trade relations, and the possibilities that could come from the EU-Mercosur deal are obviously particularly significant," Scholz told a news conference alongside Argentine President Alberto Fernandez.

Fernandez has blamed European protectionism for holding up the deal, agreed to in principle in 2019 but not ratified by national parliaments. EU ambassadors have said Brazil must take concrete steps to stop soaring destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

Berlin hopes that concern can be put aside with the election in Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has promised to overhaul the country's climate policy. Scholz is to meet him on Monday at the end of his three-day tour.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which sparked an energy crisis in Germany due to its heavy reliance on Russian gas, increased awareness of the need to reduce economic reliance on authoritarian states.

For Germany to reduce its reliance on China for minerals it will need to embrace sectors it has shied away from, a German government official said on Friday.

"For example lithium mining - that's a challenging task, especially regarding the environment and social standards," the official, traveling with Scholz, told reporters.

Story continues

Argentina and Chile sit atop South America's "lithium triangle" which holds the world's largest trove of the ultra-light battery metal.

About a dozen business executives - including the heads of Aurubis AG (NAFG.DE), Europe's largest copper producer, and energy company Wintershall Dea AG Dea - are accompanying the chancellor.

Fernandez said he and Scholz discussed the possibility of attracting German investment to the country's vast shale gas reserve, lithium deposits and green hydrogen production.

Wintershall Dea, for example, is part of a consortium that in September announced it was investing around $700 million to develop a gas project off the coast of Argentina's southernmost tip, Tierra del Fuego.

"Argentina has the potential to supply Europe with energy in the long term," chief executive Mario Mehren said in a statement.

(Reporting by Sarah Marsh, Nicolas Misculin and Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Diane Craft and William Mallard)
Jan. 27ST. PAUL  Governor Tim Walz is proposing to tap the state's record $17 billion surplus and raise fishing licenses and other fees to provide an additional $287.4 million for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in the next two years.

The governor called the one-time spending boost a "generational investment" for the outdoors when he announced the first portion of it to stakeholders attending an annual DNR sponsored Round-table one week ago Friday in Bloomington. He emphasized that the investment in the outdoors was important both to the state's economy as well as the well being of its citizens, especially children.

"If they cannot enjoy a healthy access to outdoors and outdoors activities it is going to have a lasting impact on their mental health," said the Governor when speaking of the importance of the outdoors to children at the Round-table.

On the economic side, the outdoors contribute over $9.9 billion to our economy each year and supports more than 91,000 jobs, according to the DNR.

DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen also emphasized the importance of the investment in the outdoors to the environment and economy as she outlined the proposal to reporters on a video conference held on Tuesday of this week. "A once in a generation opportunity, one time dollars to modernize," is how the commissioner described the funding.

The funds would complete infrastructure projects that have been on the DNR's project list for years, but failed to win funding from the legislature. Improvements to the state's fish hatcheries  which support the state's $4.4 billion a year fishing industry  and to infrastructure in state parks and public water accesses were cited as among the most pressing needs.

The New London fish hatchery is among those on the list for improvements. The funding would be used to improve bio-security at the facility as well as the rearing ponds.

Area state parks are also on the list for deficient buildings and structures.

Story continues

Strommen told reporters that there are 100 public water accesses that the DNR has identified to modernize.

The overall spending proposal includes surplus monies from the general fund, new revenues from fee and license increases, and bond funds if a capital investment bill is approved.

The proposal would increase the cost of an annual, resident fishing license by 20% from $25 to $30. A nonresident license would increase 35% from $46 to $62.

Fees for a day pass to state parks would increase by 42% from $7 to $10. The annual permit would increase 29 percent from $35 to $45.

Stommen said fishing licenses and state park admission fees have not been increased since 2017.

The proposal would also increase fees for registering boats, based on their size, and increase the aquatic invasive species surcharge by nearly 89% from $10.60 to $20.

The fees for water permits and working in public waters would also be increased.

The one-time spending would be in addition to the DNR's base budget, which is $1.3 billion in the current biennium, according to Bob Meier, assistant commissioner.

The total includes two packages: A $118 million "Get Out More" proposal and $142.6 million for "Connecting People to the Outdoors."

The Governor's budget is now headed to the Legislature, where the DFL holds the majority in both chambers. At the Round-table, the Governor urged stakeholders to support the investments. He pointed out that in terms of supporting investments in the outdoors, he was preaching to the choir while addressing stakeholders at the event. But he added: "We need more choir members and we need them to sing louder."

See the

One Minnesota

proposal.
Gwyneth Paltrow shares a selfie with daughter Apple, who is currently attending college on the east coast. (Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Gwyneth Paltrow is feeling the distance between her and daughter Apple Martin.

Last year, the West Coast-based Goop founder sent her eldest child with ex-husband Chris Martin off to college in New York City. In a Friday post on her Instagram Story, Paltrow shared a selfie of her and her daughter and wrote that shes still trying to get used to it.

This isnt the first time Paltrow has gotten emotional about her daughter growing up. In an interview with CBS Sunday Morning in September 2022, she said Apple heading off to school feels almost as profound as giving birth."

Fortunately, Paltrow shared she was able to make some time to see Apple during her freshman year at school. She told People in October 2022 that she was able to see her teen  who recently walked as a model in the Chanel show during Paris fashion week  in NYC for a parents weekend, and that Apple also came home for a visit.

Gwyneth Paltrow shares a selfie with her college student daughter, Apple. (Photo: Gwyneth Paltrow/Instagram)

"She came home for October break just last weekend, so that was amazing," Paltrow said at the time. "I see her, but not as much as I'd like. I'd like to see her every day, but I'm so happy for her. She's doing great."

The Se7en star, who also shares 16-year-old son Moses with Martin, previously spoke to Hailey Bieber on her YouTube series Whos In My Bathroom about how having Apple changed the course of her life. That included making the decision to step back from acting to pursue other interests, such as her successful lifestyle brand.

I really loved the acting part of acting, but the life was a little hard and lonely for me, the Glee alum explained. And then when I had my daughter, it was a real inflection point in my life where I really reassessed everything and I just thought, I'm not sure that I want to do this full time. And so I kind of stopped for a while and then I really liked how it felt. Just kind of being home and being out of the public eye.

While Paltrow may have big feelings about Apple living out of the nest, she made sure to spend quality time with her daughter while they were in the same place. In December, Paltrow posted a series of pics of her and her family on Instagram, which included photos of the Oscar winner and her daughter.

Story continues

Wrapped up 2022 with a lot of [love] and a little bit of [ocean], Paltrow captioned the post.

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Haitian authorities vowed Friday to continue the fight against criminal armed gangs who this week plunged the volatile Caribbean nation into a new crisis after their targeted armed attacks left 14 cops dead in less than two weeks.

Urging officers not to be manipulated by those seeking to fuel further instability, Haiti National Police Chief Frantz Elbe called for calm and serenity. He also announced a series of measures to reinforce police substations throughout the country and better equip officers, many of whom expressed anger over the deaths by taking to the streets Thursday in violent protests.

Since July 2021, when Prime Minister Ariel Henry took charge of the country, some 78 police officers have been murdered, an average of five officers a month, Haitis National Human Rights Defense Network said.

We will not give up. We will not back down from the bandits, Elbe said during a press conference from police headquarters in Port-au-Prince. He said the solution is coming together, hand in hand and unity among the different sectors of the country  and unity in the larger police family.

In a separate address to the nation hours later, Henry gave his condolences to the families of the officers and said we will not let gangs...divide us.

The government understands your pain, he said, adding that hes asked the police chief and top brass to meet with police groups and submit a report to him within 24 hours with recommendations.

Henry acknowledged that police deserve protection and his embattled government has its work cut out, starting with meeting disgruntled police officers demands for the equipment to do their jobs. He promised to take measures so that these acts are not repeated again.

What is happening is unacceptable, Henry said. The offsprings of the country who choose to defend the country while others are fleeing abroad deserve another kind of treatment.

Henry and Elbes comments came on a day in which most of the streets of the normally crowded Haitian capital were empty. They were devoid of most cars  and police presence  as officers went on a de facto strike to protest the recent killings and ineffectual government response.

Story continues

Despite the strike, specialized units of the police launched an early morning operation against one of the countrys most powerful gang leaders, Vitelhomme Innocent, whose increasingly expanding territory includes the area not far from the U.S. Embassy and the Police Academy. Innocents gang, which has been singled out by the FBI for kidnappings, has been linked to several recent cop killings, including the head of the Police Academy.

Protesters target prime minister

Elbe spoke briefly about the anti-gang operation Friday as he joined U.S. Charge daffaires Eric Stromayer and Todd Robinson, assistant secretary for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, on a visit to the training grounds of the countrys new SWAT, which the United States is helping to train. Robinson flew to Haiti on Thursday, and was at the airport meeting with Henry when protests broke out shortly after their flight landed.

Robinson, who was in Haiti overnight, came to provide support to the Haiti National Police and to deliver security equipment. Like others in the international community, Robinson expressed concerns about both the killings and the violent reaction.

On Thursday, crowds took to the streets in three regional departments of the country: the North, the Artibonite Valley and the West, where the capital and the Toussaint Louverture International Airport are located.

Police in the Artibonite took to the streets in search of the corpses of fallen comrades, who had been taken away by the gang. In metropolitan Port-au-Prince, however, events turned violent as the keys to vehicles were seized, official buildings ransacked and police stations abandoned.

Disgruntled rank and file members of the beleaguered force took to the streets along with armed individuals claiming to be cops but dressed in plain clothes and ski masks. Timing their demonstrations to the arrival of Henry back into Haiti, they scoured several locations around the capital in search of him, hoping to block his re-entry as he returned from an international conference in Argentina.

As Henry and Robinson met inside the airport away from the chaos, armed men ransacked the departure area, triggering panic inside, and pushed their way through the gates of the VIP Lounge, trying to get inside.

Meanwhile, a second group of protesters made their way to the police headquarters where they fought their way inside, hoping to catch the prime minister there. A third group also targeted the prime ministers offices and the private residence where Henry has been staying since taking the helm of the country after a three-way power struggle following the July 7, 2021, assassination of President Jovenel Moise.

This attack was by far the most violent, and the most worrying. Protesters fired a Molotov cocktail at the residence, and shot up the home while also breaking the windows.

The latest crisis comes as a three-month request by Haitis interim government for a specialized international force to help the national police take on armed gangs remains unfulfilled. Last week, the head of the United Nations political office in Haiti, Helen La Lime, reiterated the request for the deployment of an outside force, noting that with just 9,000 on-duty officers, the Haitian national police was struggling to confront the unprecedented levels of gang violence in the country.

The police are using the armored vehicles that they purchased, and that continue to arrive in Haiti, to launch operations against gangs, some of which are more successful than others, she said. But the challenge remains maintaining and consolidating the gains made after operations.

At the root of the anger are two recent attacks on police that occurred over a six-day span, and unmet demands by officers for better equipment and support.

Todd Robinson, assistant secretary for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, (far right) visits the training grounds of Haitis new SWAT on Thursday, January 27, 2023 where he reviewed some of the police equipment the United States is providing including new uniforms for the specialized force and night goggles.

The first attack occurred in the Pernier neighborhood of Petionville and came during what a government official told the Miami Herald was an authorized mission to avenge the death of a fallen gang leader. But some officers blamed the deaths on the failure of reinforcements that didnt arrive in time.

Five days later, more officers would die, this time in the Artibonite Valley. A police substation in Liancourt suffered three successive gang attacks Wednesday over a span of about four hours. Four of the six officers who died were killed while getting treated for their injuries, the areas police director said.

The bandits will pay for this, Elbe said.

During the press conference, the Haiti National Police director listed the recent attacks that have occurred since the year started, including two officers who were killed in the capitals Carrefour Feuilles neighborhood during a routine traffic check on January 10. Everyone has been wounded by what has occurred, and plunged into a great sadness, he said speaking directly to officers. He acknowledged police demands for better working conditions and protection, saying they are fair.

International concern

In the aftermath of the protests and the cascade of armed attacks against the police, foreign governments and the United Nations have expressed their deep condolences  and privately, their worries.

The embassies of Mexico and Spain in Port-au-Prince announced their closure for Friday due to the demonstrations, while The Bahamas ordered the immediate departure of all of its diplomatic personnel. The only Caribbean nation with an embassy in Haiti, The Bahamas, through its foreign ministry, said its charge daffaires, reported being stopped by police and relieved of their vehicles and weapons during Thursdays protest.

The security situation appears less stable over the past three days in the country, and were taking steps out of an abundance of caution, the communique said.

France, expressing deep concern about the worsening security environment, said that in light of the recent violence, an agreement among Haitis various political factions seemed more necessary than ever.

France encourages people of all political tendencies to engage in dialogue with a view to reaching a crisis-resolution agreement, which seem more necessary than ever, the embassy said in a statement.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres offered his condolences to the families of the condemned while calling on the authorities to do everything possible to identify the perpetrators of these heinous crimes and to prosecute them.

The U.N. team in Haiti has strongly condemned the targeted and deliberate attacks by members of armed gangs who have resulted in the deaths of several police officers on duty, Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
A former administrative assistant at Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy has been identified by a city source as the person under fire for alleged mismanagement of a student activity fund and her boss, principal Julie Goldstein as the one on the hot seat for allegedly not adequately overseeing the fund.

The source said the administrative assistant who ran the fund daily resigned in early January under pressure from school officials as a result of an audit.

Goldstein, who was supposed to be overseeing the funds management is on family leave, also under pressure from school officials, the source said. The source within the city said Goldstein was told by officials to take the voluntary leave.

Hartford Public Schools spokesman Jesse Sugarman confirmed last week the individuals who ran the fund are, no longer active employees with Hartford Public Schools, but he declined to give names or other details. Sugarman said Friday that Richard Quinn is now the acting principal at Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy. Goldstein remains on the schools website as the named principal.

This week, when told the Courant had obtained the names of the employees, the Hartford Public Schools released an updated statement through Sugarman that for the first time addressed the depth of their concern.

While we continue to respect the privacy and confidentiality of individuals involved in the SAF (Student Activity Fund) matter, please know that HPS takes these matters very seriously, the statement said.

The statement went on to say, The district acted swiftly in response to this incident and after an exhaustive and comprehensive review of the situation concluded that action was required to both control the funds intended for student activities and to ensure accountability where appropriate and consistent with due process.

For Goldsteins part, the audit concluded that the schools principal has not provided adequate attention to the schools financial processes to establish and implement effective financial controls, and that substantial financial risks currently exist at HMTCA in the absence of an effective management oversight.

Story continues

Neither woman could be reached for comment.

The police department doesnt have an open investigation into the case.

The audit by school officials into the alleged mismanaged funds at the school was done in 2022 by the Hartford Public Schools finance department.

The audit cites possible funds missing, poor bookkeeping and concludes the schools fund allegedly was mismanaged overall, including by using money from the fund to pay for a teachers retirement party.

The audit doesnt name the person who allegedly mismanaging the money intended to pay for extracurricular and other student enrichment activities or the supervisor who should have been overseeing the fund by Board of Education rules.

The fund is comprised of money raised and collected by students through fundraising activities, donations, class dues, athletics, yearbooks, field trips and activity clubs, the audit states.

The audit was done in response to alleged irregularities found in a cursory review of the finances, a source said.

The audit has been referred to the citys Internal Audit Commission, an autonomous body set up by a city charter. A spokesperson for the commission could not be reached for comment, but the source said that body is slated to address the audit at an upcoming meeting and could recommend a further investigation. Members of the Internal Audit Commission were involved in the audit as they conducted interviews.

Among the audit findings were that the student activity fund administrator allegedly used the fund to pay for at least part of a retirement party for three teachers at a local cafe and on at least eight occasions allegedly signed the signature of the principal and assistant principal on checks that required the administrators to sign.

The student activity fund administrators conduct allegedly, rises to the level of gross negligence of (their) responsibilities, the audits conclusion states.

In addition to interviews, the financial team analyzed bank statements, receipts, signatures, approvals, invoices and more.

Among the findings of the audit were:

The fund had a $42,000 deficit, according to bank statements.

There was no confirmation of where large sums of money deposited in 2023 from the 2021-2022 fiscal year were held during that gap.

During a visit by the financial staff, the student activity fund safe was inspected and checks and cash totaling $1,500 was discovered that had not been deposited at the bank or recorded in the books.

Various transactions recorded were deleted.

There were missing receipts for cash collected.

Deposited transactions were removed from the register.

The final fiscal year statement from Bank of America showed an account balance of about $31,000, meaning the value of the account declined over the course of the year.

A test of the cash disbursement process allegedly showed the fund money was being misused for various activities such as for staff appreciation incentives and a retirement party against the student activity fund policy.

Checks written for teacher events were allegedly disguised as student events in record-keeping, the audit says. Transactions for the retirement party costing $4,260 were allegedly labeled: Senior outing class of 2022.

The signatures on the checks to a cafe where the retirement party was held were alleged to be those of the schools principal and assistant principal, but when shown the checks as part of the audit, neither recognized their signatures, the document says.
Meta is letting former President Trump back on its platforms, but the 2024 candidate will have to change the style of his social media posts if he doesnt want to get booted again.

Meanwhile, Twitter and Tesla CEO Elon Musk was in town this week, meeting with House leaders Thursday and White House officials on Friday.

This is Hillicon Valley, detailing all you need to know about tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Send tips to The Hills Rebecca Klar and Ines Kagubare. Subscribe here.

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How Trump has to change Facebook posts to stay on

Former President Trump will need to adjust his social media style if he wants to keep his newly restored Facebook and Instagram accounts.

A number of the 2024 presidential candidates posts on his Truth Social platform would run afoul of Meta, which has stricter content enforcement and set guardrails for his reinstatement.



One opponent of the reinstatement described this situation as a landmine for Meta.

Trump was suspended from Twitter and Facebook roughly two years ago in the wake of posts about the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol that officials said incited violence.

Since then, Trump has been posting a mix of his own commentary and sharing content from supportive accounts on Truth Social, a platform he helped create.

But a quick scan of his Truth Social account shows he often dabbles in the kind of content that got him in trouble on other platforms.

Read more here.





Musks meetings in Washington

Twitter CEO Elon Musk met with Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in the Capitol on Thursday, a meeting that focused on the explosive topic of ensuring that Twitter is even-handed in its approach to both the Democratic and Republican Parties, according to Musks account of the conversation.

Story continues

Musk also met briefly with the top House Democrat, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), who was meeting with McCarthy around the time that Musk arrived, according to a source familiar with the encounter.



Just met with @SpeakerMcCarthy & @RepJeffries to discuss ensuring that this platform is fair to both parties, Musk wrote on Twitter Thursday afternoon.

McCarthy, who turned 58 on Thursday, declined to discuss the conversation, quipping that Musk was visiting the Capitol merely to commemorate his special day.

Read more about Musks meetings at the House here.





EV TALKS AT WHITE HOUSE

Musk, who also serves as CEO of Tesla, met Friday with White House officials to discuss electrification and electric vehicles (EVs).

Musk sat down with Mitch Landrieu and John Podesta, who are in charge of the implementation of the bipartisan infrastructure law and Democrats 2022 climate, tax and health care law, respectively.

They met to discuss electrification and how the bipartisan infrastructure law and Inflation Reduction Act can advance [electric vehicles], White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.

Read more about his meeting with White House officials here.



JUDGE BLOCKS CALIFORNIAS HEALTH MISINFORMATION LAW

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a California law intended to prevent doctors from spreading COVID-19 misinformation or disinformation to patients, finding that it is unconstitutionally vague.

A group of five doctors and two nonprofit advocacy groups sued in November after California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed Assembly Bill 2098 into law the month before.

The law states that disseminating misinformation or disinformation to patients related to COVID-19  including information about the risks of the virus, prevention and treatment methods and vaccines  should be considered unprofessional conduct.

But U.S. District Judge William Shubb ruled Wednesday that the laws definition of misinformation violates the Due process Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution due to vagueness.

Read more here.





AP DELETES VIRAL THE FRENCH TWEET

The Associated Press has deleted a tweet giving guidance on AP style that went viral over its inclusion of the French as a phrase to be avoided.

The AP Stylebooks Twitter account on Thursday posted recommendations to avoid the use of the before certain descriptors such as the poor, the mentally ill, the French, the disabled, [and] the college-educated because that phrasing can be dehumanizing.



The post went viral with many Twitter users responding and making jokes about the inclusion of the French.

The French Embassy in the United States was one of the accounts that responded to the post, posting a screenshot of it changing its name from French Embassy U.S. to Embassy of Frenchness in the U.S.

I guess this is us now it quipped.

Read more here.





BITS & PIECES

An op-ed to chew on: With China at the wheel, Americas EV journey may be a bumpy ride

Notable links from around the web:

Amazon Fresh is more than quadrupling how much youll need to pay to get free grocery delivery (The Verge / Jay Peters)

Managers Are Already Trying to Bust eBays First Union, Organizers Say (Motherboard / Jules Roscoe)

Pelosi Attack Footage Unlikely To Hammer Conspiracy Theories, Experts Say (The San Fransisco Standard / Matthew Kupfer)





One more thing: Examining DirecTVs Newsmax drop

DirecTVs decision this week to drop Newsmax is the latest blow to a handful of conservative media outlets that have sought to carve out a space for themselves in the wake of former President Trumps election loss in 2020.

While the far-right ecosystem has exploded over the decision, with figures including Trump accusing DirecTV of political bias, media experts say Newsmax is simply seeking to bolster its bargaining power as it struggles with low ratings.

This is no different than the contract disputes that arise every few years between sports channels and DirecTV, Comcast, etc., said Dave Karpf, an associate professor at George Washington Universitys School of Media and Public Affairs.

Theyre fighting over fee structures. Negotiations broke down. Newsmax is trying to expand the conflict, in the hopes that viewer outrage and a few letters on congressional stationery will strengthen their negotiating position.

Read more here.





Thats it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hills Technology and Cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. Well see you next week.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The capital region is defying the California exodus.

A net of more than 41,000 Californians searching for a home on Redfin over the last three months of 2022 looked to leave the state, the company reported this week, by far the highest number of any state in the nation. Among metropolitan areas, San Francisco and Los Angles were ranked first and second, respectively, in the number of Redfin users looking to relocate.

However, the Sacramento region remained the top destination on the site for people looking to buy a home in a new city, just as it was for much of 2022. About 5,700 more people looked to move here than leave between October and December, according to Redfin, placing the region ahead of other fast-growing areas such as Las Vegas, Miami and Phoenix.

The top origin for people interested in moving here was San Francisco. Nationwide, nearly 25% of Redfin users looked to move cities, a record for the site.

The people who are buying homes are relocating at an unprecedented rate because elevated mortgage rates, still-high home prices and economic uncertainty are driving many of them  especially remote workers  to more affordable areas, the company wrote in a blog post.

Sacramentos median home price has dropped significantly since peaking in May 2022. The median price dropped more than 15% between May and December and now stands at $530,000, according to data from local appraiser and real estate market analyst Ryan Lundquist.

It appears much of the interest in the Sacramento region is focused on the Placer County suburbs.

Moving company U-Haul reported this week that Roseville ranked second in the nation for one-way rentals of its trucks in 2022. Roseville ranked eighth on that list the previous year.

More than 1 million people had moved out of California for other states between the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and last year, according to a Sacramento Bee analysis of census data. Texas and Arizona were the top landing spots for those who left.
A map of southeast Los Angeles shows where a man was shot and killed by police in Huntington Park

Huntington Park police officers shot and killed a man wielding a butcher knife Thursday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

About 3:40 p.m. Thursday, officers responded to a report of a stabbing on the 2400 block of Slauson Avenue in Huntington Park. The victim said he was stabbed by a man in a wheelchair and told officers which way he fled, the Sheriffs Department said in a statement.

Huntington Park police officers found the suspect on the 1900 block of Slauson Avenue and attempted to detain him. The man drew a foot-long butcher knife, the Sheriffs Department said, and tried to throw it at the officers. They responded by using a Taser on him at least twice.

The man again tried to throw the knife at the officers, at which time an officer-involved shooting occurred, according to the statement. The man was shot in the upper torso and pronounced dead at the scene.

A spokesperson for the Sheriffs Department declined to provide additional information Friday evening, directing all inquiries to the Homicide Bureau, which did not immediately return a call requesting comment.

The spokesperson declined to provide any additional information about the victim of the stabbing, the man who was shot by police, the identity of the officer or officers who opened fire, or the number of times the man was shot. It remains unclear whether there is any video of the incident.

The Sheriff's Department asked anyone with information to contact the Homicide Bureau at (323) 890-5500. Information can be provided anonymously by calling Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8477).

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A man who pepper-sprayed police officer Brian Sicknick during the January 6 Capitol riot was sentenced Friday to almost seven years in prison.

I dont know what got into you, federal judge Thomas Hogan said as he handed down the punishment of 80 months imprisonment to protester Julian Khater. Somehow you got determined to push your way through the crowd. The judge also fined Khater $10,000.

Khater pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting law enforcement with a dangerous weapon. He admitted to spraying Sicknick, who died later of natural causes, as well as U.S. Capitol Police officer Caroline Edwards, with pepper spray. Sicknick endured strokes after standing patrol during the January 6 riot. A medical examiner concluded that Sicknick experienced acute brainstem and cerebellar infarcts due to acute basilar artery thrombosis. Ultimately, the pepper-spraying was not determined to be the direct cause of Sicknicks death.

Khater attended former president Donald Trumps rally near the White House before he and co-defendant George Tanios headed to the Capitol, according to court documents and his plea agreement, CBS News reported. The defense argued that Khater and his friend did not intend to storm the Capitol when they arrived at the event. Khater did not enter the Capitol building as the chaos unfolded.

Surveillance video shows Khater reaching inside Tanios backpack and retrieving one of the canisters of chemical spray they had brought to Washington, a government pre-sentencing memo obtained by CBS read. Khaters attack, in conjunction with attacks from hundreds of other rioters, resulted in the collapse of the police line. Khaters first victim was United States Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.

The government accused Khater of erupting into an irrational, rage-fueled charge and asked the judge to sentence him to 90 months in prison.

In his defense, Khaters lawyers cited his mental-health problems, namely anxiety, and unfavorable treatment in jail, where he has spent almost two years since his arrest in March 2021.

Story continues

Its not in my nature. Its not who I am, Khater told Hogan before he received his sentence. Asking the judge for a more lenient penalty, Khater said he feels genuine remorse for his conduct.

More from National Review
Grindr App Thomas Trutschel/Getty Images

Chance Seneca of Louisiana was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison on Wednesday, DOJ said.

In June 2020, Seneca used Grindr, a gay dating app, to lure and kidnap an 18-year-old.

Seneca mirrored the acts of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer and had plans to eat his victims, DOJ said.

A Louisiana man was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison for kidnapping and attempting to murder an 18-year-old gay teen he lured using Grindr, an LGBTQ dating app, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.

According to the DOJ, Chance Seneca, who was 19 when he carried out the attack, was inspired by the acts committed by serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, whose violent exploits were recently depicted in a Netflix show.

"Seneca intentionally targeted gay men, as Dahmer had done. Seneca had also intended to eat and preserve the bodies of his victims, as Dahmer had done," the Justice Department wrote.

Around May 2020, Seneca began to talk with then-18-year-old Holden White through Grindr. Seneca told authorities in an interview that he saw the dating application as a "hunting ground," according to a complaint. The two also communicated through Snapchat.

During the course of their contact, Seneca "pretended that he was interested in meeting (Holden White) for recreational or romantic purposes," the complaint stated. "But Sencea's true purpose was to seize, inveigle, kidnap, abduct, and hold (White) for the unlawful purpose of killing and dismembering him for his own gratification."

On June 20, 2020, Seneca picked up White and drove to his father's isolated home in Lafayette, Louisiana.

It was there when Seneca "proposed a sexual encounter" and convinced White to put on handcuffs as a "dark joke," according to the complaint.

Seneca then strangled White from behind with a belt until he was unconscious. Afterward, he pulled White "into a bathtub, stripped him of his clothing, and prepared to begin the dismemberment process."

"To make sure that H.W. was dead, Seneca hit H.W. in the back of the head with a hammer and stabbed him in the neck with an ice pick," the court documents stated."Seneca also used a Bowie knife to slit H.W.'s wrist."

Story continues

Seneca later told authorities that his plan was to preserve White's hands but that he couldn't pull through with the act after seeing the exposed bones of White's wrists.

Seneca called 911 to the Lafayette home "in a self-described effort to be put in a mental institution," the complaint stated.

White survived the attack but sustained injuries that put him in a coma for three days, according to NBC News.

In its announcement of Seneca's sentence, the Justice Department said Sencea acknowledged he had a "compulsive murder-fantasy."

"Seneca had become fixated with the idea of killing gay men, and this fascination led him to spend months designing a murder-kidnapping scheme that mirrored the murders of gay men committed by the notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer," the release stated.

Seneca was indicted in March 2021 on three charges: hate crime with an attempt to murder, kidnapping, and possession of a firearm. He reached a plea agreement on September 2022, which dropped the hate crime charge, by pleading guilty to kidnapping.

"No one should ever be subjected to the type of horrendous actions that this defendant inflicted upon the victim in this case," US Attorney Brandon B. Brown for the Western District of Louisiana said in the Justice Department's press release.

In an interview with The New York Times, White said that he hoped for a harsher sentence.

"It's not what I asked for," White told The Times. "Life is what I asked for."

A spokesperson for Grindr did not return a request for comment from Insider.

Read the original article on Business Insider
JetBlue Airways (NASDAQ:JBLU) Full Year 2022 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: US$9.16b (up 52% from FY 2021).

Net loss: US$362.0m (loss widened by 99% from FY 2021).

US$1.12 loss per share (further deteriorated from US$0.57 loss in FY 2021).

JBLU Operational Performance

Available seat kilometres (ASK): 103.76b (up 19% from FY 2021).

Passenger load factor: 81.5% (up from 76.0% in FY 2021).

Operating revenue per available seat kilometre (Oper. RASK): US$0.088 (up from US$0.069 in FY 2021).

Total aircraft: 290 (up by 8 from FY 2021).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

JetBlue Airways EPS Misses Expectations

Revenue was in line with analyst estimates. Earnings per share (EPS) missed analyst estimates by 22%.

Looking ahead, revenue is forecast to grow 7.4% p.a. on average during the next 3 years, compared to a 8.4% growth forecast for the Airlines industry in the US.

Performance of the American Airlines industry.

The company's shares are down 7.1% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

We should say that we've discovered 1 warning sign for JetBlue Airways that you should be aware of before investing 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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President Joe Biden said Friday he was outraged and deeply pained by the footage released Friday evening showing five Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols during a traffic stop earlier this month.

Like so many, I was outraged and deeply pained to see the horrific video of the beating that resulted in Tyre Nichols death, Biden said in a statement. It is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.

Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, died three days after his arrest. Protests were anticipated across the country after police released the videos, which show officers kicking and punching Nichols while he is on the ground after a traffic stop on Jan. 7.

I am just trying to go home, Nichols can be heard telling police in the footage.

The footage that was released this evening will leave people justifiably outraged, Biden said in his statement. Those who seek justice should not resort to violence or destruction. Violence is never acceptable; it is illegal and destructive. I join Mr. Nichols family in calling for peaceful protest.

The president added that he had spoken with Nichols mother and stepfather on Friday.

There are no words to describe the heartbreak and grief of losing a beloved child and young father, said Biden, whose son Beau died in 2015.

Biden also called for a swift, full, and transparent investigation into Nichols arrest and death.

The five officers involved in Nichols beating and death, who have all been fired from the Memphis Police Department, were charged with second-degree murder on Thursday.

Nichols, a father to a 4-year-old boy, worked for FedEx in the Memphis region. His hobbies included skateboarding and photography.

Related...
The first trial in the November 2021 murder of Fairfield Spanish teacher Nohema Graber will begin as scheduled in March.

Attorneys for 17-year-old Willard Miller, who is facing charges of murder and conspiracy in adult court, had asked to push the trial back from it's scheduled March 20 start date, suggesting instead that the trial be reset for October. Prosecutors asked Judge Shawn Showers to deny the request.

Miller and codefendant Jeremy Goodale were students in Graber's Spanish class, and prosecutors have indicated the killing was motivated by a dispute over grades.

Graber was last seen walking in a Fairfield park, as she often did, and her body was found there the next day, hidden under a tarp and railroad ties. Investigators said she appeared to have been struck in the head.

Previously:'Overwhelmed by grief,' hundreds gather outside Fairfield High School to honor slain teacher at candlelight vigil

Miller's trial was scheduled to begin first, while Goodale's trial is scheduled for May.

Defense: 'We have more work to do'

During a hearing Friday, Miller defense attorney Christina Branstad said a mix of factors, including an unexpected trial in another case and discovery of other necessary avenues of investigation, would make it difficult to fully prepare Miller's defense before the March trial date.

"We have a recognition that we have more work to do, and we didnt want to wait until we got right up to the date of trial before we started looking realistically at our timelines," she told Showers.

District court judge Shawn Showers listens to a witness during a hearing for Willard Miller at the Jefferson County courthouse in Fairfield, Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022.

Jefferson County Attorney Chauncy Moulding asked Showers to stick to the current date, which was set in August after a previous postponement requested by the defense. The only date later in the year available for the prosecutors is in August, he said, and even that would be hugely disruptive for the attorneys, the state's many witnesses, and the Pottawattamie County courthouse, where the trial will be held because of overwhelming publicity in Fairfield.

Story continues

"At some point (this case) needs to be a priority for all involved," Moulding said.

READ:In criminal complaints, police say social media exchanges revealed suspects motive to kill Iowa teacher, attempts to conceal crime

Showers issued a written decision Friday afternoon siding with prosecutors. Defense attorneys have had nearly five months since the trial date was set and have two months more before it is scheduled to begin.

"It would be an astoundingly mythical legal stretch to classify starting this jury trial in approximately twomonths, which has been scheduled for five months, as an 'injustice,'" Showers wrote.

Judge rejects motions to suppress evidence

Friday's hearing also comes days after the judge rejected efforts by the defense to throw out large amounts of evidence in the case.

Miller's attorneys argued in court filings that investigators broke state law by interviewing Miller without the presence or permission of his parents, and that officers made factual misstatements on key search warrant applications that led to the teens' social media records and other evidence.

Nohema Graber

In a written decision Monday, Showers wrote the state laws limiting interviews of juvenile suspects do not apply to teens age 16 or older, as Miller was at the time, who are accused of forcible felonies. Investigators also did not unduly pressure Miller to sign a form waiving his Miranda rights, Showers wrote.

"Nor did the defendant appear uncomfortable or under pressure when he signed the waiver," he wrote. "Thedefendants demeanor was casual, he was provided with ample donuts and water, and he seemed more concerned with a lack of deodorant available to him than the interview subject matter."

Previously:Fairfield teen's mother testifies police misled before her son's arrest for teacher's murder

The search warrant dispute involved two other students who showed investigators Snapchat messages by Goodale implicating him in the crime.

Although Showers agreed with Miller's attorneys that the photographed messages submitted for the search warrant did not identify Miller directly, the judge wrote that investigators had also interviewed the two students, who told them Miller had been identified in another message they weren't able to photograph.

"The affidavit submitted to the magistrate is technically incorrect as it identifies information that came from the interview of the juveniles as stemming from the photographs of the Snapchat messages," Showers wrote. "However, the court does not think this inaccuracy rises to the level of a deliberate falsehood or reckless disregard for the truth."

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Fairfield Spanish teacher murder trial won't be postponed, judge rules
If you're laid off while on parental leave, you may have some legal protections to leverage.

If you're laid off while on parental leave, you may have some legal protections to leverage.

Losing a job is already one of lifes most difficult events, but losing it while on parental leave creates an added level of stress for new and expecting parents during what is meant to be a joyous transition.

Firing someone while they are on parental leave is both risky for business and morally loathsome, said Amy Beacom, the founder and CEO of the Center for Parental Leave Leadership. A simple gut check lets most anyone know its just not right. Any arguments to rationalize it are just that  rationalizations.

Beacom said laying off employees on parental leave puts a damper on morale and creates lasting brand damage, citing cuts at Twitter as one recent example.

The time frame after the birth of a baby is one of the most vulnerable times of an employees life, said Daphne Delvaux , a California-based workplace rights attorney. They also need, like truly need, money and health care. Being postpartum without money and health care is actually quite dangerous.

Beyond that, laying off employees on parental leave is emotional robbery of a beautiful bonding experience, Delvaux added.

The employee now has to spend their time job searching and begging family for money, instead of bonding and healing. I had a client who went to a job interview four days postpartum, still bleeding from birth, she said.

And yet so many employers are continuing to lay off people on parental leave, as the latestrounds of mass layoffs have shown this month.

Right now theres certainly a really big wave, Delvaux said. All day I have emails coming in from mainly women who were laid off on parental leave.

But there are ways to fight back. If you are a new or expecting parent and you were informed a layoff is happening or suspect one is imminent, heres what parental leave experts want you to know.



It matters whether you were replaced or your job was eliminated.

Advocating for yourself begins with understanding the existing protections in support ofemployees. People commonly make the mistake of believing it is illegal to lay someone off while on parental leave, because there are federal laws that ban discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions.

Story continues

Its unlawful to dismiss people because they are on leave, but it is not unlawful to dismiss people because their functions are not needed or because there are too many jobs and we have to make budget cuts, Delvaux said. It is only illegal to intentionally select them for a layoff because they are on parental leave.

The Family and Medical Leave Act entitles eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave following the birth of a child. Note that this only protects their specific role, not their general employment at the company.

You can be laid off while on parental leave, even if you qualify for Family and Medical Leave, said Florida-based employment attorney Donna Ballman. But your employer cant choose you for layoff because of your pregnancy or FMLA leave.

If you take FMLA, your employer has an obligation to make sure you return with the same position or an equivalent role to the one you held prior to going on leave  as long as the job still exists. Thats one key question to ask yourself when determining if you got unfairly singled out, Delvaux said: Did your job get eliminated or did you get replaced?

If your role was eliminated, you likely have little legal recourse. But if you were replaced, there are ways to fight back.

Being replaced does not mean your team spreads out your duties after you lose your job; it means that your exact job is performed by someone else. It could be that the person who is intended to be a temporary leave replacement takes over your job while you get pushed out, Delvaux said, or maybe you see someone with your old job title on LinkedIn a week after you got laid off.

Unfortunately, it can be hard to prove you were terminated for taking leave.



To determine if you were specifically targeted because of your leave, Ballman recommended asking yourself: Did your boss make comments about your pregnancy or family responsibilities? Were you pressured to return early? Does your job description require a B.A. that you have, but the person retained does not? These could all be indications of discrimination or FMLA violations, she said.

Delvaux said the only way to determine if the layoff was illegal is to compare how your employer treated you with how it treated your colleagues who are not on leave.

As an attorney, the questions I ask here are: How many people were laid off?How many people in your department were laid off? How many people who were laid off were on leave? Who is performing your job duties right now? Are they also laid off? ... Do any of your peers remain employed? Are you a better performer than them? Have you been there longer than them? she said.

If the answers to these questions lead you to believe that you have been targeted, you can take your evidence to a lawyer. Lawyer fees may seem daunting, but the first session is often a free consultation, and you can also find a lawyer who will take your case on a contingency basis, meaning they are paid a portion of the awarded damages if you win against your employer in court.

However, Delvaux cautioned that the burden is on employees to prove that they were targeted only because they went on parental leave, and thats hard to do.

The reason why its hard is because unlike individual terminations, layoffs are usually decided by a group. Theyre usually vetted by lawyers, usually approved by the board, she said. As an employee, you had to prove that all of those people, that entire organization, had a specific bias against you. The employer is able to say, Well, we laid off people who were not on leave.

Due to this high burden of proof, Delvaux said these cases are stronger if there was already discriminatory behavior happening before the employee went on parental leave.

Winning a lawsuit is tough, but you can still leverage the threat of legal action.

Beyond actually winning a lawsuit, its possible to use what you know to get a better severance payout.

You can hire a lawyer to do this for you, but there will be fees. I do charge a flat fee for reviewing the agreement with them and discussing in detail what leverage they have and what changes I suggest, Ballman said of her clients.

The advantage of hiring a lawyer is that they can help maximize your severance package.

When I negotiate a severance agreement on behalf of an employee on parental leave, I do three things, Delvaux said. First, I secure the benefits so the employee does not fall without income. Second, I demand more money. If they want them to release their rights, the price is high. Third, I insist on a mutual NDA [nondisclosure agreement] or a neutral evaluation clause. This will protect the reputation of my client. It essentially means that, if the company gets called for a reference, the employer is not allowed to disparage my client.

You can also represent yourself and negotiate your own severance. But you should know that saying I just had a baby is unlikely to move the company to pay you more.

What employers are scared of is being sued and being open to liability, Delvaux said. And they get sued when someone starts to really investigate what their rights are and what the evidence is in support of a violation.

A severance agreement will typically have confidentiality and nondisparagement clauses. The company will want you to sign it, and you should make it clear that they will have to pay you a lot more for you to go away quietly.

Talk like a lawyer and say that you believe your layoff was discriminatory, mentioning that you plan to post publicly on social media about being fired while on parental leave, Delvaux suggested. You might say something like this is not enough severance because I was selected intentionally because I was on leave, so I believe this to be unlawful discrimination, she advised.

Obviously, thats more aggressive than asking nicely for more severance money, but it will likely get your request escalated more quickly.

Using strategically legal language, they cannot ignore that, Delvaux said. They have to do a little bit of an investigation, and that in and of itself is a headache. Its time-consuming. ... So often what will happen is: OK, just increase the severance. Double the severance. Thats what will happen on the other side.

Before going on leave, you can save important files and state your plans to return in writing.

Back up documents from your work computer onto your personal computer, because if you are laid off, you could immediately lose access. (But dont take any information thats confidential or proprietary.)If you have limited time, career experts recommend at least saving performance reviews, client testimonials and anything that could help your job search in the future.

Try to get ahead of potential disruptions in benefits if you can. Familiarize yourself with your states unemployment insurance and any disability benefits you might qualify for after losing a job.

Are they cutting off your insurance that day, at the end of the month, or later? If you have an upcoming doctors appointment, delivery date or surgery, you need to know ahead of time whether or not youll be listed as covered, Ballman said.

Typically, company health insurance coverage expires on the final day of the month in which you last worked, but you may be able to look this up in your specific benefits package.

And before you go on leave, make clear to your manager that you plan to return. Delvaux recommended expressing in writing that your job is important to you and that you are excited to return.

The managers may be assuming that because you are already gone, its just easier for you to be let go, Delvaux said. They may even assume that you want to be let go so you could stay home with your baby. That would be unlawful discrimination, so you want to be able to prove that you never intended to be a stay-at-home parent.

Even if you think you have a great working relationship with your manager, lawyers strongly urge employees to document conversations and online correspondence relating to your leave.

If you end up not needing that, thats great, Delvaux said. Its better safe than sorry. Not documenting only protects the company.

Related...
Ukrainian soldiers near the front line near Soledar, Donetsk Oblast, January 23, 2023

Kremlin insiders reportedly told Bloomberg that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin plans to renew his offensive campaign against Ukraine as soon as in February or March 2023, to regain the initiative after a string of losses.

Read also: Russian forces likely preparing for offensive in spring-early summer of 2023, says ISW

The ISW clarified that decisive strategic action could mean both a new offensive and a defensive operation in response to a Ukrainian counteroffensive, while recent limited Russian ground attacks in Zaporizhzhya Oblast may be intended to disperse Ukrainian troops to set conditions for offensive actions in the Luhansk direction. Russia is currently redeploying elements of the 2nd Motorized Rifle Division from Belarus to Luhansk Oblast.

This recent development suggests that the planned Russian offensive referenced in the Bloomberg report is most likely aimed at Luhansk Oblast, though it could also occur in the Vuhledar area in western Donetsk, the ISW wrote.

Meanwhile, an assault in the north of Ukraine from Belarus is extremely unlikely, the ISW has reckoned. There are no signs of the strike groups necessary for such an operation forming in Belarus, while the military training facilities there are used by the Russians mostly for rotation.

Read also: What are Kremlin's plans for 2023? ISW analyzes possible war scenarios

The Instituted noted that even Russian military bloggers are increasingly writing off the notion of a second attack against Kyiv as an information operation, while the eastern part of Ukraine or neighboring Kharkiv Oblast is considered the most likely target.

At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) may be conducting its own line of effort to silence the milbloggers independent of Putin, though it is unclear whether Putin himself supports these efforts, ISW experts write.

The Russian MoDs effort to restrict embedded milbloggers in conventional units will not silence all milblogger criticism online, however, the ISW said.

Story continues

A Russian milblogger observed that restrictive measures such as government-distributed press vests will further solidify Wagner Group as the dominant source of independent frontline information, since Wagner will not abide by such restrictions.

Other key takeaways:

The Kremlin confirmed that Putin is issuing preemptive pardons for convicts who serve in Russian operations in Ukraine.

A Russian opposition outlets investigation confirmed that Russian authorities are deporting children from occupied Kherson Oblast to occupied Crimea.

Russian officials denied reported explosions near the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) on Jan. 26.

Ukrainian forces continued counteroffensive operations near Kreminna on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27.

Invaders continued ground attacks around Bakhmut, on the western outskirts of the city of Donetsk, and in western Donetsk Oblast.

Russian sources did not report that Russian forces continued localized offensive operations in Zaporizhzhya Oblast on Jan. 27.

Russian officials claimed that the conscription age will not change in the upcoming 2023 spring conscription cycle.

Russian occupation authorities are continuing to intensify efforts to integrate occupied territories into the Russian legal and administrative structures.

Read also: Russians abducted over 13,000 Ukrainian children from occupied territories, reveals Reznikov

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Editors Note: This story has been updated to clarify that Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) is a member of the House.

Lawmakers condemned the brutal and violent killing of Tyre Nichols on Friday night, after Memphis authorities released graphic footage of the traffic stop that resulted in Nicholss death earlier this month.

The brutal and violent killing of Tyre Nichols by officers sworn to protect the community is unconscionable, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in a tweet. Justice for Tyre Nichols must be swift and complete.

The video of Nicholss arrest on Jan. 10 showed the responding officers deploying pepper-spray and a stun gun against and repeatedly kicking and punching the 29-year-old Black man. Nichols can be heard yelling for his mother throughout the beating.

Five officers involved in Nicholss death, all of whom are Black, were fired from the Memphis police department last week and charged on Thursday with second-degree murder and other crimes.

A dangerous culture of violence has permeated far too many police departments in this country. Time and time again, it is lethal, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) wrote on Twitter in response to the footage. Tyre Nichols should still be here today. We must change the culture that perpetuates these tragedies and bring those accountable to justice.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), the head of the caucuss Policing, Constitution and Equality Task Force, said the vicious murder of Nichols has left them shaken to the core.

The utter lack of humanity on display in the video defies even the worst expectations, they said in a statement. As mothers, seeing Tyre call out for his mother is deeply painful.

People are rightfully furious by what weve seen, Jayapal and Coleman added. That anger is justified, and must be directed toward demanding accountability and reform of law enforcement and the criminal legal system, including an end to the police culture of use of force.

Story continues

Many other lawmakers similarly responded to the footage with horror and a version of the refrain Tyre Nichols should be alive today.

Tyre Nichols should be alive today, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said in a statement. My heart aches for his family, friends, and loved ones, who are dealing with an unimaginable loss. His death is a grave injustice. Those responsible must be held accountable, and we cant stop there.

You do not need to see the video to know that Tyre Nichols should be alive today, Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) said in a tweet. I applaud the swift actions taken to hold those responsible for his killing to justice. However, police accountability must be the rule, not the exception.

Many Democrats, including President Biden, called for the passage of police reform, particularly the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, in the wake of videos release.

While there has been a swift response to Nichols death with the indictments of the five officers, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) noted on Friday that this cannot bring Tyre back.

Yes, the police officers who brutally murdered him must be held accountable, Sanders said in a tweet. But even their conviction on the strongest possible charges cannot bring Tyre back. We must do everything in our power to end police violence against people of color.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), one of few Republicans to comment on the footage on Friday, also called for swift, decisive action.

We have been here too many times before. We cannot continue down this path. America cannot stand silent, Scott said in a statement. This was a man beaten by the power of the state. We must unite against this blatant disregard for human life especially from those we trust with immense power and responsibility.

 Updated 11:25 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A shooting at a gathering in the Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles early Saturday killed at least three people and injured four, police said.

Beverly Crest is about 2 miles north of Beverly Hills.

Calls about a multi-victim shooting in the 2700 block of Ellison Drive came in around 2:30 a.m., Los Angeles police said in a statement. The home was a short-term rental property.

Officers found five victims with gunshot wounds. Three were announced dead at the scene.

The three dead victims were in a vehicle parked in front of the home where the gathering was, police said. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiners office identified the victims as Destiny Sims, 26, Nenah Davis, 29, and Iyana Hutton, 33.

Law enforcement work an investigation of an early morning shooting in Beverly Crest, Los Angeles. (Robyn Beck / AFP via Getty Images)

Police previously said the deceased victims were two men and a woman.

The four other victims were taken to local hospitals. Two were in critical condition, and two were stable.

The identities of the victims have not been released.

It was not an active shooter situation, Sgt. Bruce Borihanh said at a news conference Saturday afternoon.

No information was given about the shooter. Borihanh said police are working on identifying the "suspects."

Police ask anyone with information about the shooting to come forward.

It is the fourth mass shooting in California this month.

On Jan. 21, 11 people were fatally shot at a Lunar New Year event in Monterey Park, a predominantly Asian suburb of Los Angeles. Two days later, seven people were killed by a shooter in Half Moon Bay, and one person was killed and several others were injured in a shooting at an Oakland gas station.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
MUNCIE, Ind.  The Indiana General Assembly session is just a few weeks old but the effort to pass a biennial budget is well underway with lots of talking before action.

State Rep. Sue Errington, D--Muncie (right) listens to State Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City, discuss early action in the Indiana General Assembly Friday during a Legislative Update sponsored by the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce. The event was conducted at the Ivy Tech Fisher Building downtown.

State Rep. Elizabeth Rowray, R-Yorktown; State Rep. Sue Errington, D-Muncie; State Rep. J.D. Prescott, R-Union City and State Sen. Scott Alexander, R-Muncie, discussed their work so far in the General Assembly Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce Legislation Update gathering on Friday morning.

Rowray sits on the House Ways and Mean Committee, which hears budget requests and gets the legislative process for a state budget going. She noted the days seemed longer than the previous budget year in 2021. Then she recalled that COVID-19 had limited meetings, testimony and personal contact at the Statehouse. Those days are gone but says she wouldn't want a return.

The long days listening to people are important.

"We're back to listening to all the testimony from all the parties," she said.

Yet the committee members know the requests are already hundreds of millions of dollars beyond the money Indiana will have to spend.

Prescott also serves on the Ways and Means Committee. He said there is an effort this year to allow more time to listen.

"It will be interesting to see what is prioritized," he said.

By week three of the session, about 500 bills had been filed in the State Senate and another 650 in House, Rowray said.

Many of those will die in committee, but legislation that would add a magistrate position to Delaware County Courts has already passed the House and is now in the Senate, she said.

In the Senate, Alexander is an author and is helping to steer the legislation, said Prescott.

The entire Delaware County delegation supported the effort. Individual bills for the magistrate position were combined with other magistrate requests from elsewhere in the state to create one bill, he said.

The legislators worked with Delaware County Council to assure local backing for the bill. It would provide a magistrate to work under the circuit court judges and assist them in handling the workload across the local courts, Prescott said.

Story continues

More:Commissioners considering multi-county juvenile detention center

Prescott is also offering legislation that would take the Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction out of the line of succession to become Indiana governor. The superintendent spot is seventh in line, but the office is no longer elected; it's appointed.

Errington has authored bills that would strengthen renter's rights in the wake of multiple complaints in Muncie last year that included landlords barging into homes without notice. The Muncie City Council had asked Errington and the General Assembly to help tenants.

She also has authored legislation that would tag houses where meth labs have been, so buyers would know a lab had been in the dwelling, that is has been cleaned of hazardous materials and is safe to live in before it can be sold as a dwelling.

One amendment to legislation in the House Errington authored has gone down to defeat on a party line vote. Thursday House Republicans blocked an amendment to House Bill 1007, which would have established community solar facilities.

Community solar facilities are small solar fields owned by entrepreneurs who sell subscriptions to people for whom rooftop solar is not an option. The subscribers receive credits on their utility bills for their share of the power the facility produces. This amendment would have required at least 50% of the subscribers to be low or moderately-low income.

Errington told The Star Press that the amendment likely failed because it was opposed by electric utilities.

"They like big things," she said of the utilities. "This is smaller."

The solar facilities envisioned in the legislation would have been small compared to solar fields that have caused controversy in the county. But it would have helped people who want solar for their home but can't afford to buy panels for their roofs.

More:Marta Moody, longtime local planner and public servant, dies

Alexander said he is working on legislation that would give local governments more control over their expenditures. He is a freshman in the Senate. Most of last year Alexander served as president of the Delaware County Council.

A number of other issues were discussed, including a state public health initiative to provide more funding to county health departments in exchange for an increase in additional public health services.

Also introduced during the session is House Bill 1004, which seeks to lower hospital pricing among nonprofit hospitals in Indiana. Changes proposed in the legislation include prohibiting "certain nonprofit hospitals from entering into physician noncompete agreements."

The bill also specifies provisions that may not be included in a health provider contract.

The legislation, beginning in 2025, requires a nonprofit hospital operating in Indiana to annually submit to the department of insurance a certified statement of, and supporting documentation to demonstrate the average price charged by the hospital for each health care service provided to patients; and the hospital's total patient service revenue generated from all health care services provided by the hospital along with the federal Medicare reimbursement rate for the health care service; in the preceding calendar year.

The bill summary on the General Assembly website says the legislation provides that, if a nonprofit hospital charged amounts for health care services that exceeded 260% of the federal Medicare reimbursement rate, the department shall assess a penalty against the hospital.

Errington said the legislation was in reaction to Indiana nonprofit hospitals charging significantly higher prices than other hospitals across the country. Leadership in the General Assembly sent a warning to hospitals last year telling them that "if they don't get their act together, we will do it for you."

More:Indiana hospitals sharing plan with state leaders to fix sky high profit practices April 1

She also noted that IU Health, which operates hospitals Muncie, Hartford City and Portland, had responded with a plan to lower its prices.

It was reported last year that a study in 2020 by the RAND Corp. showed that IU Health was the most expensive hospital system in Central Indiana, charging private insurers 333% of what it charges the federal government through Medicare. Statewide, it was second only to Parkview Health System in Fort Wayne, which was charging 388% of the Medicare amount.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Legislators report a busy start to the General Assembly session
Crimea

Ukraine is fighting to regain control over its territory, he said.

Thats what its about, and Ukraine is (withing its) rights."

During an interview, Kuhnert noted that Crimea, like other annexed territories in the south and east of the country, belongs to the state of Ukraine. And the statements of the Ukrainian authorities that these are their territories of which they must regain control over, are completely legitimate.

Read also: Ukraine must regain Crimea. How can this happen?

Ukraine itself defines its war goals, along with when the moment for negotiations will come, SPD chairman added.

He has repeatedly stressed that SPD will support Ukraine for as long as it takes. With that in mind, he defended his party's changed attitude towards the supply of tanks.

(Russian) President Vladimir Putin should not be allowed to interpret the war. We must not allow him to classify individual arms deliveries as entering the war and let that embarrass us, Kuhnert concluded.

Read also: Ukrainian army may enter Crimea before liberating newly occupied parts of Ukraine, says military historian

If Western countries provide necessary support, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be able to liberate Crimea by the end of summer 2023, former commander of U.S. Army in Europe, Gen. Ben Hodges, said in an interview with NV.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Aside from designing celebrated structures around the world, Frank Lloyd Wright was also commissioned to create everything from light fixtures to furnishings. In fact, SC Johnson even called upon the visionary architect to construct its corporate headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin. Now, you can outfit your own WFH setup with pieces inspired by the buildings original office.

Michigan-based Steelcase has recently teamed up with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to release a line of innovative workplace furniture that pulls directly from the companys archive. When Wright was working on the SC Johnson project back in 1939, he consulted with Steelcase to manufacture the desks and chairs that would be housed inside. This new collection aims to reintroduce those pieces but with modern updates that make them suitable for todays home office.

More from Robb Report

Steelcase and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation have collaborated on a new home office furniture collection.

From its beginnings over 80 years ago, Steelcases relationship with Frank Lloyd Wright has helped to revolutionize design for work, Meghan Dean, a Steelcase general manager, says in a press release. Now, we continue that mission into the home, as theres never been a better time to revisit design principles that have always been ahead of their time.

Dubbed the Frank Lloyd Wright Racine Collection, the line includes desks, matching chairs and utility tables that have all been produced in the same style and finishes as the originalsthough with broader dimensions, proportions and materials choices. The Signature Desk, which retails for a whopping $9,750, includes 21st-century perks such as curved storage cabinets, an integrated waste basket and a top shelf with a paper flow organizer. Plus, it comes in two colorways, your choice of maple or walnut. The chairs, compared to the initial design, now feature a wider seat and can be ordered with or without armrests in a range of upholstery, color and wood finishes. Those range from $1,808 to $2,084.

Story continues

The designs are a re-imagination of the furnishings Wright and Steelcase produced for the SC Johnson office.

Frank Lloyd Wright used design as a means of deepening the relationships between people, nature and place, adds Stuart Graff, president and CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. With the Frank Lloyd Wright Racine Collection and our collaboration with Steelcase, were excited to expand his vision of an architecture for better living.

Best of Robb Report

Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
A 2011 brown and gold Dodge Ram 2500 that was stolen from Queen City Motors' lot early Jan. 20.

Pictures of customers happily posing with newly purchased cars and trucks long have packed the Facebook page of a Loveland dealership.

But a picture of another sort recently struck a sour note on Queen City Motors page.

It shows a 2011 brown and gold Dodge Ram 2500 that was stolen from the dealership's lot early Jan. 20.

No one is smiling.

Attention loveland ohio, Queen City Motors co-owner Chris Creighton said in a Facebook post later that day, when he offered a $2,000 reward for information about the whereabouts of the truck.

The truck was stolen from the family's used-vehicles business at 421 Loveland Madeira Road between 3 a.m. and 3:30 a.m., the post states. And the person a security camera caught spending 10 minutes to start the truck without a key was no customer.

So sorry to hear this, a South Lebanon woman responded on the Facebook page. People got a nerve.

Loveland police have yet to respond to messages from The Enquirer seeking comment.

However, police told Enquirer media partner Fox19 vehicle thefts have been on the rise in the region and that brazen juveniles are increasingly involved.

Lt. Kevin Corbett said officers are responding with increased patrols and have provided measures to increase security for Queen City Motors and other dealerships, including cables around the businesses and strategic parking in the dealerships' vicinities, the station reported.

Rod Creighton, co-owner of Queen City Motors, said he doesn't believe the thieves are juveniles, adding that surveillance footage from the dealership caught the suspects walking into a neighboring bar.

"These guys are professionals," Creighton said.

He said four trucks have been stolen from the family dealership's lot in the last 2 years, adding that the business has lost roughly $75,000 as a result of the thefts. Creighton said the dealership was able to claim insurance on the first two trucks, but it was unable to make a claim on the most recent thefts as the insurance company threatened to cancel their policy.

Story continues

The dealership is now implementing anti-theft measures in addition to security cameras including motion detectors, wheel locks and GPS, Creighton said.

Creighton said he's been in the car businesses for over 50 years. "I've never seen anything like this," he added.

He said the dealership is now offering a $5,000 reward: $2,500 for information leading to the truck's return and another $2,500 for a successful conviction. The dealership is also considering setting up a Facebook page to collect donations that will be put toward additional reward money.

"We just want our truck back," Creighton said.

Loveland police said on their Facebook page that a white van may have been involved in the theft of the Dodge Ram from Queen City Motors and anyone with information is asked to call them at 513-583-3000.

Queen City Motors website says the dealership has served the community for more than 30 years.

Its Facebook page says it is excited to announce a development the business likely would far prefer to have made the news: Queen City Motors is expanding to the West Side. It is opening a second location soon at 10264 Harrison Ave. in Harrison.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Loveland family dealership hit with multiple truck thefts offers reward
A Michigan hunter is serving two months in jail after pleading guilty to sabotaging another hunters tree stand, causing the victim to fall more than 15 feet.

Thomas Steele III, 23, of Chelsea, pleaded guilty in Marquette County Court to misdemeanors of aggravated assault and hunter harassment.

Steele was ordered to reimburse the victims medical expenses for injuries sustained in the fall, and his hunting privileges were revoked indefinitely throughout most of the U.S.

According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the harassment began in October 2020 when the hunter arrived at an Upper Peninsula tree stand he had set up and discovered a note on his trail camera.

Close-up view shows a cut strap from the tree stand in Marquette County. Photo: Michigan Department of Natural Resources

The note stated that the spot belonged to Steele.

Steele included his phone number, requesting a call. The hunter called Steele and was warned to stay off the land.

ALSO: Yellowstone wolves faring much better this hunting season

Hunters in Michigan cannot claim rights to public hunting land. Nor can they prevent other hunters for using abandoned tree stands and blinds.

The hunter stayed away for a few weeks, then returned to his tree stand, grabbed the memory card from his trail camera, and began to ascend the tree via climbing sticks.

Footage from a trail camera shows Thomas Steele III, 23, of Chelsea, cutting the straps on a hunters tree stand. Photo: Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Nothing seemed amiss, but when he stepped onto the platform it gave way and the hunter plummeted 15-plus feet, injuring his back and ankle.

Concerned that Steele was watching him on a camera, the hunter quickly limped out of the woods, the Michigan DNR stated in a news release issued Friday. Once at home, he called 911 and checked his memory card, which had been wiped clean of images.

An investigation was launched by DNR Conservation Officer Josh Boudreaux.

Story continues

Several weeks passed before the hunter again returned to the spot, bringing new straps for his tree stand.

Steel was spying on the hunter with his trail camera, the Michigan DNR explained, and the next day Steele sent threatening text messages.

Boudreaux and Officer John Kamps, meanwhile, kept an eye on the stand. They acquired photographic evidence showing Steele sabotaging the hunters tree-stand straps.

The straps were cut in such a way that they would support the weight of the tree stand but would break as soon as additional weight was applied to them, having a trap door effect, Boudreaux explained. The victim would have fallen 15 to 20 feet to the ground.

Afterward, Boudreaux obtained a search warrant for Steeles trail camera and arranged a meeting with Steele, whereupon Steele confessed to sabotaging the tree stand and other charges.

Steele was charged in 2021.

Said Dave Shaw, chief of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division: Hunter harassment is real and taken very seriously. The DNR hopes that by sharing the details of this case, we can bring awareness to the consequences of this persons unethical and dangerous behavior and know that it will not be tolerated.

List

The 50 best movies streaming on Netflix (January 2023)

Story originally appeared on For The Win
An Indiana man has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for the murder of a 15-year-old girl in southern Illinois from 2014.

Brody Murbarger, 27, of Evansville, was sentenced last week in Wayne County Circuit Court, Attorney General Kwame Raoul announced in a news release on Friday.

A jury found Murbarger guilty in October of first-degree murder in 15-year-old Megan Nichols death.

Wayne County States Attorney Kevin Kakacs office had referred the case to the Attorney General for prosecution.

According to the Attorney Generals office, Murbarger and Nichols were dating during the summer of 2014 when they ran away together. Murbarger was 18 years old at the time. He returned home alone the morning after running away.

Nichols remains were found in 2017 in a shallow grave in Boyleston, not far from where she lived in Fairfield. Her cause of death was determined to be probable asphyxiation, Raouls news release stated.

When Megan Nichols disappeared in 2014, the lives of her family and friends changed forever, Raoul said in the release. Throughout this case, my office has been committed to obtaining justice for Megan and for her loved ones. While nothing will make up for the tremendous loss they have experienced, I hope that this sentence will aid in their healing.

Assistant Attorneys General Michael Falagario and Myra Yelle-Clark handled the case for Raouls office.
The Memphis Police Association late Friday released its first statement on the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died after being beaten and tased by Memphis police.

While the statement did not condemn the actions that led to Nichols' death, the association extended "condolences" to the family of Nichols and said they are praying "for justice, healing and eventual closure for all involved."

"The Memphis Police Association is committed to the administration of justice and NEVER condones the mistreatment of ANY citizen nor ANY abuse of power," the statement read.

The association represents more than 2,000 commissioned police officers and retirees, according to its website.

The statement came several hours after video was released showing officers tasing, pepper spraying and brutally beating Nichols.

The death of Nichols, who died Jan. 10, is under investigation and has led to the firing, arrests and indictments of five Memphis police officers.

Former officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills, Jr. are all charged with one count of second-degree murder, aggravated assault-acting in concert, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of official misconduct and one count of official oppression, court records show.

"We have faith in the Criminal Justice System," the police association wrote. "That faith is what we will lean on in the coming days, weeks, and months to ensure the totality of circumstances is revealed."

Katherine Burgess covers county government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Police Association addresses Tyre Nichols, says it is 'committed to justice'
The image from video released on Jan. 27, 2023, by the City of Memphis, shows police officers talking after a brutal attack on Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers on Jan. 7, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. Nichols died on Jan. 10. The five officers have since been fired and charged with second-degree murder and other offenses. City of Memphis via AP

On January 8, Memphis Police released a statement about a "confrontation" with a reckless driver.

Tyre Nichols died of injuries from a "use-of-force incident" that occurred during the traffic stop.

New bodycam video shows officers beating Nichols, which is omitted in the police version of events.

On January 8, the Memphis Police Department released a statement describing a "confrontation" with an alleged reckless driver, later identified as Tyre Nichols. But bodycam footage of the incident, released Friday, revealed a different story of the brutal beating that left the 29-year-old dead.

"On January 7, 2023, at approximately 8:30pm, officers in the area of Raines Road and Ross Road attempted to make a traffic stop for reckless driving," The original Memphis Police Department statement read. "As officers approached the driver of the vehicle, a confrontation occurred, and the suspect fled the scene on foot."

Memphis Police Dept (@MEM_PoliceDept) January 8, 2023

The statement continued: "Officers pursued the suspect and again attempted to take the suspect into custody. While attempting to take the suspect into custody, another confrontation occurred; however, the suspect was ultimately apprehended. Afterward, the suspect complained of shortness of breath, at which time an ambulance was called to the scene. The suspect was transported to St. Francis Hospital in critical condition."

Memphis Chief of Police Cerelyn Davis said on Thursday that the officers had no proof to pull Nichols over, and has called the video "heinous, reckless, and inhumane."

"We've looked at cameras, we've looked at body-worn cameras, and even if something occurred prior to the stop, we've been unable to substantiate that at this time," Davis told CNN. "We have not been able to substantiate the reckless driving."

Bodycam footage released by the City of Memphis on Friday revealed that the "confrontation" was actually a 5-against-1 takedown of Nichols that his lawyers described as officers beating the man like a "human pinata" while he cried out for his mother. Nichols died three days after the stop.

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Less than three weeks after the initial incident, five of the officers involved in the incident were charged with second-degree murder. Two Shelby County sheriff's deputies have also been placed on leave pending an investigation into their conduct, according to a statement from the Sheriff's Department released Friday.

The Shelby Sheriff's Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. The Memphis Police Department and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the investigation into the incident, did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Prior to the video's release, the Memphis police chief described the stop as "heinous" and "inhumane."

The videos, released in four parts showing perspectives from different officers' bodycams, do not show any reckless driving on Nichols' part and begin with a tense scene of officers ordering him from the car.

In one video, an officer can be heard ordering Nichols to "get the fuck out of the fucking car." After Nichols responds that he "didn't do anything," the officer pulls him out of the car and throws him to the ground.

"I'm gonna tase your ass," the officer can be heard saying.

Nichols stands up and struggles with the officer before the officer deploys his Taser and misses Nichols. He then runs away.

Another officer can be heard saying, "I hope they stomp his ass."

In another bodycam video, Nichols can be seen repeatedly being stomped on and punched by officers as he cries out for his mother. Later in the footage, Nichols' cries become less coherent, his speech slurs, and he struggles to stand up.

The Memphis Police Department's original statement makes no mention of the officer conduct that caused Nichols to be transported to the hospital, though a January 10 Tennessee Bureau of Investigation statement said he "succumbed to his injuries."

Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (@TBInvestigation) January 10, 2023

Legal experts told Insider the footage reveals a "breakdown" in police protocol and described the incident as "excessive."

"There's no reason why five officers need to reduce themselves to closed-fist punching in order to subdue a suspect who does not appear to be violent in return, but at the very worst can be said to not be compliant with their orders," Joshua Ritter, a Los Angeles criminal defense attorney, former prosecutor, and partner with El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers, told Insider of the footage.

Nationwide, anti-police-brutality protests have gathered steam as people react to the bodycam footage, prompting comparisons to the 2020 video of George Floyd's death, when officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for several minutes as Floyd cried that he couldn't breathe. Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison for Floyd's murder.

Instead of circulating the bodycam footage of Nichols' death, which experts say can do more harm than good, many activists are spreading videos of him skateboarding to remember him as someone who "lived in joy."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Police in Memphis, Tennessee, on Friday released body camera footage from the Jan. 7 arrest of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who died three days after officers beat and pepper-sprayed him.

The footage (warning: it contains disturbing content) gives a graphic depiction of officers demanding that Nichols get out a car following a questionable traffic stop of the unarmed man.

Nichols is heard shouting I didnt do anything as officers approach him with guns pointed at him.

Officers can be heard shouting multiple obscenities at Nichols during the arrest.

An officer threatens to use a Taser on Nichols, who replies to them to stop while hes on the ground surrounded by officers.

Bitch, put your hands behind your back before I break you, one officer is heard saying.

Another officer then says he is going to knock Nichols the fuck out, threatening more force as the young man is lying on the ground.

You guys are really doing a lot right now. Im just trying to go home, Nichols told police.

Officers can then be seen pepper-spraying Nichols and tasing him as he shouts again, Im not doing anything.

Nichols then attempts to flee as officers are using the Taser on him and his shirt is falling off.

Police eventually catch up to Nichols, surround him and beat him while he is the on ground. He is passed around among officers who take turns punching him and pressing his body to the pavement.

The violent incident takes place in a residential neighborhood. The footage shows more cop cars eventually arriving as Nichols lies on the ground.

Nichols, a FedEx worker who was known for his love of skateboarding, was arrested after he was pulled over for alleged reckless driving. Officers have said he fled the scene on foot and was captured. Nichols told officers he was experiencing shortness of breath, and was hospitalized with serious injuries. He died on Jan. 10.

Officials have not disclosed a cause of death, but Nichols family said he suffered from cardiac arrest and kidney failure. His family alleges the arresting officers beat and pepper-sprayed him and shocked him with a stun gun.

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On Monday, Nichols family, accompanied by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, viewed the bodycam footage of his arrest.

The traffic stop happened two minutes from Nichols home, his mother said, and he was beaten by police within 80 yards of where he lived.

Crump described the videos as deplorable and heinous during a Monday press conference.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn C.J. Davis called the footage and beating of Nichols incomprehensible and said the videos are about the same if not worse than the images of the 1991 assault of Rodney King by police in Los Angeles.

The Memphis Fire Department confirmed to HuffPost that two employees involved in the initial patient care of Nichols were relieved of duty pending an ongoing investigation. The department did not provide further comment.

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. also said two of his departments deputies were shown at the scene and that they had been relieved of duty pending investigation of their actions.

Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Emmitt Martin III were identified as the officers involved in Nichols deadly arrest.

The officers were a part of the Memphis Police Departments SCORPION squad, whose name stands for Street Crimes Operation To Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods.

The police squad, introduced by Davis in 2021, is tasked with handling violent crimes in the area.

The Memphis Police Department announced Friday that following an internal investigation, all five officers involved in Nichols arrest have been fired for violating department policy and practices, including those pertaining to excessive force. All five officers were charged with second-degree murder by a grand jury.

Shelby County records say the officers were additionally charged with two counts of official misconduct, one count of official oppression, one count of aggravated assault and two counts of aggravated kidnapping.

The officers were all released on bond.

Activists and supporters gathered for a vigil for Nichols on Thursday night in Memphis. An independent autopsy review by Crump and attorney Antonio Romanucci indicated that Nichols suffered extensive bleeding caused by a severe beating.

On Friday, Crump and Romanucci demanded that the Memphis Police Department dismantle the SCORPION unit.

A photograph of Nichols in a hospital bed showed him with a swollen eye and other parts of his face disfigured. His family said his face was unrecognizable. Activists displayed the photo during protests in Memphis, urging officials to release footage of the Jan. 7 arrest.

The case was handed over to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.

Last week, the Department of Justice and the FBI announced a civil rights investigation into Nichols death.

Related...
MEMPHIS, Tenn.  As their son lay bleeding from mortal injuries, the family of Tyre Nichols said Friday not only did police fail to render aid  at least one officer smoked a cigarette in the moments following the fatal beatdown.

The familys comments came hours before police were set to release body camera footage of the Jan. 7 arrest, described as heinous, reckless and inhumane, by Memphis Police Chief C.J. Davis.

A grand jury on Friday indicted five former Memphis police officers, charging them with second-degree murder, in connection to Nichols' death.

Family attorney Ben Crump and the victim's stepfather, Rodney Wells, viewed police video of the confrontation, ahead of Friday night's public disclosure.

Crump and Wells said they were stunned by the nonchalant actions of police following the beating.

"That was almost the worst part of it," Wells told NBC News. "Not only were they hanging out smoking cigarettes, but no one was attending to my (injured) son."

After Nichols was beaten near Castlegate Lane, videos of the encounter released by the Memphis Police Department on Friday night showed an officer wearing a "police" hoodie who could be seen stepping away from colleagues and lighting up a cigarette.

RowVaughn Wells, center, arrives at a news conference with civil rights Attorney Ben Crump (Gerald Herbert / AP)

Nichols, 29, was hospitalized in critical condition after the encounter and died three days later.

Its almost as if the failure to render aid was just as offensive as the brutality itself, Crump said.

The attorney accused police of treating the violence, shown on footage, as a disturbingly routine part of their jobs.

Theyre talking about it as if this is business as usual," the attorney said. " 'Man I was hitting him with straight haymakers, thats what he said."

The police footage showed Nichols repeatedly calling out for his mother and moaning in agony following the beating.

But Nichols' cries were probably more literal and less a dying man's wish to see mom, loved ones said, as the beating took place a short distance away from his parents' home.

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"He was hoping that we heard him so we could come out to help him," Wells said.

Police initially said Nichols ran after being stopped for reckless driving, but Davis told MSNBC on Friday that a review of camera footage could not substantiate the reckless driving claim.

Nichols death has sparked widespread outrage, with law enforcement agencies across the nation bracing for protests after the police bodycam video is released.

A portrait of Tyre Nichols is displayed at a memorial service for him on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023 in Memphis, Tenn. Nichols was killed during a traffic stop with Memphis Police on Jan. 7. (AP Photo/Adrian Sainz) (Adrian Sainz / AP)

The five officers  Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith  were charged Thursday, with Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy saying their actions resulted in Nichols death.

They were booked in the Shelby County Jail on charges of second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of official oppression and one count of aggravated assault, prosecutors announced Thursday.

All five were out on bond as of Friday morning, jail records show.

Preliminary findings of an autopsy conducted by a forensic pathologist for Nichols family show he was severely beaten before he died, the familys attorneys have said. The Shelby County medical examiners office hasnt released an official cause of death.

Nichols case is being investigated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Justice Department, which launched a civil rights inquiry into the traffic stop.

The victim's mother, RowVaughn Wells, said she was moved by a third-grade classmate of her son's who reached out to her after Nichols' death. The man recounted how he was often bullied and teased in school, but that Nichols always stood up for him.

That was my son. He was just a light," Wells said. "He was a beautiful soul. He touched everyone who was around.

Wells said she's wishes to have had one more moment with her son while he was conscious.

"That I love him very much and that mommys going to miss him," she said. "Thats all I would have said.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)  The Memphis police chief disbanded the city's so-called Scorpion unit on Saturday, citing a cloud of dishonor from newly released video that showed some of its officers beating Tyre Nichols to death after stopping the Black motorist.

Police Director Cerelyn CJ Davis acted a day after the harrowing video emerged, saying she listened to Nichols' relatives, community leaders and uninvolved officers in making the decision. Her announcement came as the nation and the city struggled to come to grips with the violence of the officers, who are also Black. The video renewed doubts about why fatal encounters with law enforcement keep happening despite repeated calls for change.

Protestors marching though downtown Memphis cheered when they heard the unit had been dissolved. One protestor said over a bullhorn that the unit that killed Tyre has been permanently disbanded.

Referring to the heinous actions of a few that dishonored the unit, Davis contradicted an earlier statement that she would keep the unit. She said it was imperative that the department take proactive steps in the healing process.

It is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the Scorpion unit, she said in a statement. She said the officers currently assigned to it agreed unreservedly.

The unit is composed of three teams of about 30 officers whose stated aim is to target violent offenders in areas beset by high crime. It had been inactive since Nichols' Jan. 7 arrest.

Scorpion stands for Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods.

In an interview Friday with The Associated Press, Davis had said she would not shut down a unit if a few officers commit some egregious act and because she needed it to continue to work.

The whole idea that the Scorpion unit is a bad unit, I just have a problem with that, Davis said then.

Davis became the first Black female chief in Memphis one year after George Floyd was killed at the hands of Minneapolis police. At the time, she was chief in Durham, North Carolina, and had called for sweeping police reform.

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Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, lawyers for the Nichols family, said the move was a decent and just decision.

We must keep in mind that this is just the next step on this journey for justice and accountability, as clearly this misconduct is not restricted to these specialty units. It extends so much further, they said.

The five disgraced officers  Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith  have been fired and charged with murder and other crimes in Nichols death, which came three days after the arrest. They face up to 60 years in prison if convicted of second-degree murder.

The video images released Friday show police savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes while screaming profanities at him in an assault that the Nichols family legal team has likened to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King. Nichols calls out for his mother before his limp body is propped against a squad car and the officers exchange fist-bumps.

The video also left many unanswered questions about the traffic stop and about other law enforcement officers who stood by as Nichols lay motionless on the pavement.

Nobody tried to stop anything. They have a duty to intervene, a duty to render care, Brenda Goss Andrews, president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, said in an interview after viewing the video.

She also was struck by the immediate aggression from officers as soon as they got out of the car: It just went to 100. ... This was never a matter of de-escalation, Goss Andrews said, adding, The young man never had a chance from the moment that he was stopped.

Davis has said other officers are under investigation, and Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said two deputies were relieved of duty without pay while their conduct is investigated.

Rodney Wells, Nichols stepfather, said the family would continue to seek justice and those who failed to render aid are just as culpable as the officers who threw the blows.

A Memphis police spokeswoman declined to comment on the other officers' conduct.

Cities nationwide had braced for demonstrations after the video emerged, but protests were scattered and nonviolent. Several dozen demonstrators in Memphis blocked the Interstate 55 bridge that carries traffic over the Mississippi River toward Arkansas. Protesters also blocked traffic in New York City, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon.

Blake Ballin, the lawyer for Mills, told AP in a statement Saturday that the videos produced as many questions as they have answers.

Some of those will focus on what Mills knew and what he was able to see and whether his actions crossed the lines that were crossed by other officers during this incident, Ballin said.

Davis acknowledged that the police department has a supervisor shortage and said the lack of a supervisor in the arrest was a major problem. City officials have pledged to provide more of them.

It's not clear why the traffic stop happened in the first place. One officer can be heard on video saying that Nichols wouldnt stop and then swerved as though he intended to hit the officers car. The officer says that when Nichols pulled up to a red light, the officers jumped out.

But Davis said the department cannot substantiate the reason for the stop.

We dont know what happened, she said, adding, All we know is the amount of force that was applied in this situation was over the top.

After the first officer roughly pulls Nichols out of the car, Nichols can be heard saying, I didn't do anything, as a group of officers begin to wrestle him to the ground.

One is heard yelling, Tase him! Tase him!

Nichols calmly says, OK, Im on the ground," and that he was just trying to go home. Moments later, he yells at them to stop."

Nichols is then seen running as an officer fires a Taser. The officers start chasing Nichols.

Others are called, and a search ensues before Nichols is caught at another intersection. His mothers home, where he lived, was only a few houses away, and his family said he was trying to get there.

The officers beat him with a baton, and kick and punch him. The attack continues even after he collapses.

It takes more than 20 minutes afterward before any sort of medical attention is provided.

During the wait for an ambulance, officers joke and air grievances. They complain that a handheld radio was ruined, that someone lost a flashlight, that multiple officers were caught in the pepper spray used against Nichols.

Throughout the videos, they make claims about Nichols behavior that are not supported by the footage or that the district attorney and other officials say did not happen. In one, an officer claims that during the initial traffic stop Nichols reached for the officer's gun and almost had his hand on the handle, something not shown in the video.

After Nichols is in handcuffs and leaning against a police car, several officers say he must have been high. Later one says no drugs were found in Nichols' car, and another immediately counters that he must have ditched something while running away.

During a speech Saturday in Harlem, the Rev. Al Sharpton said the beating was particularly egregious because the officers were Black, too.

Your Blackness will not stop us from fighting you. These five cops not only disgraced their names, they disgraced our race, Sharpton said.

___

Associated Press reporters Aaron Morrison in New York, Travis Loller in Nashville, Tennessee, Rebecca Reynolds in Lexington, Kentucky, and Gary Fields in Washington contributed to this report.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico City prosecutors said Friday that severed cables and a speeding driver were responsible for a Jan. 7 subway crash that killed one person and injured dozens.

One subway train slammed into another between stations, leading city officials to suspect sabotage, though many city residents see the problem as a lack of maintenance.

Prosecution spokesman Ulises Lara said a cable serving the subways control system was found damaged by intentional burning and cutting. He said an investigation into possible sabotage would be opened.

But Lara also said the driver of the train that rear-ended another would be charged with homicide and causing injuries. Lara said the driver may have broken a 22 mile per hour (35 kph) speed limit.

Problems with the signaling system were known before the crash, and drivers were also supposed to wait for orders to proceed, even if they had a green light. The driver in this case may not have obeyed those instructions.

Lara also said a Jan. 15 incident in which two subway cars came uncoupled was due to manipulations with the intent to cause a serious incident.

Accidents on the subway have been a recurrent embarrassment for Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, who is considered the most likely candidate of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obradors Morena party to succeed him in the 2024 elections.

In May 2021, an elevated section of the subway system collapsed, killing 26 people and injuring nearly 100. An investigation blamed deficiencies in the line's construction, and 10 former officials have been charged with homicide, injury and damage to property, though none have been jailed.

Like the president, Sheinbaum often ascribes setbacks to a conservative conspiracy against her.

Soon after the Jan. 7 subway crash, Lopez Obrador ordered 6,000 National Guard agents to patrol subway platforms.

The Mexico City subway system has 226.5 kilometers (141 miles) of track and 195 stations. It serves an average of 4.6 million passengers every day and is one of the cheapest subway systems in the world, with a ticket for a ride to anywhere in the system costing about 25 cents.
A millennial boss has been praised for the way she responded to an employee who accused her of undermining her.

In a video posted to TikTok earlier this month, Kristen, who goes by the username @drowningabovewater94, spoke candidly about working with bosses born in different generations. I have worked for a narcissistic, psychotic boomer, she claimed. And I have also worked for a narcissistic, psychotic Gen X.

She then began sharing the story of how shes benefited from working for a boss who is a millennial, which refers to the generation born from 1981 to 1996. Kristen specified that shes turning 29 this year, while her boss is turning 35 or 36.

Kristen, whos a realtor, went on to recall the very professional email that she sent to her senior about an issue at work.

Im just stating: Hey, while I do appreciate you commenting these things to the clientsI do feel that you were undermining me and it could damage my relationship with these clients, she said, as she recited the email.

The realtor then shared her boss response to the email, which she said she opened while shaking with nerves due to her past experiences with previous employers.

However, according to Kristen, her boss acknowledged her employees point and apologised for her behaviour.

I apologise for the way I approached that, Kristen continued, reciting the response she received to her email. I did not mean to undermine you in any way. For future emails that I am CCd on, I wont reply unless Im addressed to or after. I apologise for the way that I approached that and I have 100 per cent trust in the way youre handling this file.

Kristens boss also confessed that she may be a little too attached to the clients and that she needed to learn to let go. She then thanked her employee for speaking up and making her concerns known.

I also appreciate your email and I appreciate you writing to address the way you felt right away instead of keeping it inside, Kristen continued, as she finished reading the email.

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The TikToker concluded her video by praising her boss for the way in which she communciated and took accountability.

I was gobsmacked at this email, of the professional courtesy, of the acknowledgement of wrong, the respecting of my boundaries, she continued. This should be the norm. This should be how work communication goes, and its not. And it is so f***ing refreshing. Work for a millennial, oh god, Gen Z even better.

As of 27 January, Kristens video has more than 1.7m views, with TikTok users in the comments praising her boss, along with other supervisors who are millennials.

Millennials out here DOING THE WORK! Healed people heal people, one viewer wrote, while another added: Thats not a boss honey. That is a LEADER.

A third said: Millennials: On our way to killing toxic work culture.

Other users also revealed that theyve had better experiences working for millennials than for people who were part of older generations.

I work for a millennial and even when were seriously in disagreement shell say thank you for your honesty and it feels great every time, one person wrote.

I worked for a boomer man for almost five years, and now I work for a millennial woman (36 this year and I just turned 30) and it has been LIFE CHANGING, another said.

During an interview with BuzzFeed, Kristen elaborated why she was unhappy working under bosses who were Gen X or Boomers.

I always dreaded going to work. It wasnt enjoyable for me, just something I had to do so I could pay my bills, she said. Having bad bosses absolutely affected my job performance - it made me a miserable employee.

She also explained why she thinks millennials are working towards creating healthier workplace environments.

Generally speaking, millennials are known as the first generation who have put themselves in therapy to better understand themselves and the potential reasons behind their own actions and the actions of those around them, she said. We are holding ourselves accountable for our actions and we are going out of our way to learn how to break the unhealthy generational cycles that we have been born into.

The Independent has contacted Kristen for comment.
Photo of a part of the drone that Ukroboronprom is developing for the Ukrainian army

In total, the Ministry of Defense signed 16 state contracts with Ukrainian drone manufacturers, the Ministry said in a statement. The Ministry noted that Ukraine currently has the simplest approval procedure for approving drones for the military.

Read also: Ukroboronprom tells about new drones for Ukrainian armed forces

The current process allows manufacturers to receive approval in only a few weeks rather than a year or more, as was the case previously, the Ministry said. As a result, the Ministry has received 75 proposals from Ukrainian drone manufacturers, with 13 of them already approved for combat operations. Another three proposals are currently being worked on.

Read also: Long-range UAVs have already been used against Russians, says Ukrainian defender

The participants of the joint meeting also identified a number of tasks and steps to improve regulatory procedures. These proposals have been submitted for discussion by the Coordination Headquarters with the participation of the Minister of Digital Transformation and the Minister of Defense.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Local groups and activists renewed calls Saturday for police reform in Minnesota, reeling anew after seeing video released by the Memphis Police Department that showed officers tasing and beating a 29-year-old Black man to death.

At a press conference held just minutes from the site where where former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd in May 2020, Nekima Levy Armstrong said the Memphis video revealed that the need for police reform is not limited by the race of the officers involved.

"It does not matter that the officers were Black. In that matter, they were blue," Levy Armstrong said. "We need the attorney general, the governor, and the Legislature to do their damn jobs  to pass the type of legislation that sends a message to the rest of the nation that the time for change is long overdue."

More than a dozen activists and group members gathered around Levy Armstrong nodded in agreement. They held signs reading "Justice for Tyre Nichols" and chanted "say his name" as they stood in support.

Many said that Minnesota could be a model for police reform across the nation. But Michelle Gross with Communities United Against Police Brutality, a volunteer group advocating against police misconduct, said Minneapolis has moved backwards by replacing its civilian review authority with an oversight commission that includes police.

"If we want to see more of these outrageous incidents, and more of the people's anger, keep it up Minneapolis because that's what you're doing," Gross said. "Until we commit to ending the systems, to addressing the problems, to making real legislation that addresses the issues of accountability, this problem will continue and grow as it has in the last two years since Mr. Floyd was killed."

Another local group, Families Supporting Families Against Police Violence, is planning to hold a protest at 2 p.m. Sunday outside the official residence of Gov. Tim Walz in St. Paul.

Story continues

In the wake of Floyd's murder, Democrats at the State Capitol pushed for more civilian oversight and other reforms to policing, but faced opposition from Republicans who then controlled the state Senate.

With the DFL now in full control of state government, the party is in a position to go further. But it's not yet clear what reforms could move forward this year as many prominent Democrats in Minnesota and nationally have distanced themselves from calls to "defund the police" or to otherwise drastically remake systems of policing.

The video of Nichols, released Friday at around 6 p.m., shows officers pull him over for reckless driving. Nichols runs away after one of the officers attempt to tase him but is caught blocks away from his home. The officers then restrain Nichols and take turns kicking, punching, and taking a baton to him as he screams for his mother.

He was taken to a hospital later and died of his injuries. Five officers have been fired and charged with murdering Nichols.

For many, the trauma of watching such incidents has become too much.

Chauntyll Allen with Black Lives Matter Twin Cities said she couldn't stomach watching the whole video. She asked: "Do my grandchildren have to experience this?"

Activist D.J. Hooker said he was in tears Friday and had to take breaks from work as he waited for the video's release. Hooker found it ironic that law enforcement in Minnesota erected barriers Friday in case of riots.

"It's easier to pay people, these cops, overtime and it's easier to pay people to put barricades up than it is to actually pass legislation that's going to keep our neighbors safe  that's going to keep Black and brown folks safe," Hooker said.

Walz called the Memphis footage horrifying in a tweet on Friday night, adding that Minnesota and the nation must "recommit to stopping this pattern of violence."

The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the state's largest organization representing public safety professionals, said the force officers used on Nichols was unreasonable and contrary to police policies and law.

"The video is shocking and tragic. It does not reflect proper policing, and Tyre Nichols did not deserve to die," Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association Executive Director Brian Peters said in a statement released Saturday. "Police officers must earn the trust of the communities we serve by treating all people with dignity, compassion, and respect."

At 38th and Chicago on Saturday, snow covered the pavement where George Floyd spent some of his last moments. That's where Bryan, who declined to share his last name, thought about the state of the country.

For him, a solution to police violence must involve the community and law enforcement.

"It hurts seeing a Black man dying under those law enforcement people. They're supposed to be protecting him," Bryan said. "As a society, as a human being, we have to come together and find a common ground. There is no law enforcement without the society and there's no society without somebody who's supporting laws. But [this] has to stop."
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has asked Fairview Health Services and Sanford Health to postpone a scheduled March 31 closing date on their proposed merger, which would heavily expand Sanfords Sioux Falls-based footprint into the Twin Cities.

Ellisons office has not made public a letter it recently sent to the chief executive officers of both hospital networks, but the attorney generals office released a written statement on Friday referencing concerns raised by the University of Minnesota, whose two teaching hospitals are owned and operated by Fairview. State lawmakers are expected to raise additional questions, he noted.

We are conducting a thorough investigation of the proposed Fairview/Sanford merger and want to take the time we need to carefully consider Minnesotans best interests, said Ellison, in the written statement. The public hearings we have conducted thus far are providing helpful information, and the investigation extends far beyond them.

Currently, we are waiting for substantial information from Fairview and Sanford that we need to analyze, the University of Minnesota has indicated that this proposed merger is moving too fast and its interests have not been adequately considered, and the Minnesota legislature will soon begin its consideration of this issue, he wrote. Its more important to do this right than to do it fast, which is why the parties existing timeline concerns us.

March 31 closing date

On Friday, Fairview and Sanford officials released a joint written statement in favor of sticking close to the March 31 closing date, noting every day we delay merging Sanford and Fairview is a missed opportunity to realize the significant benefits for our patients, our people and the communities we serve.

Fairview, which is based in Minneapolis, and Sanford, the nations largest rural healthcare provider, announced in November their intent to merge, though critics have described the proposed transaction as more of an acquisition of Fairview by Sanford, which would serve as the parent company of the combined entity.

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After a year, Fairview CEO James Hereford would step down, leaving Sanford CEO Bill Gassen in the drivers seat, according to their joint announcement last year. Hereford has said Fairview is on financially shaky ground, a problem exacerbated by the pandemic, and will benefit from Sanfords resources, though University of Minnesota officials have asked for greater clarity on exactly how.

Ive been transparent about the financial challenges we face, said Hereford on Wednesday, during a community speak-out in Worthington organized by Ellisons office.

Could U of M reacquire teaching hospitals from Fairview?

Ellisons office fielded comments from members of the public this month during in-person outreach sessions in St. Paul, Bemidji State University and Worthington High School. The final speak-out is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Reif Performing Arts Center in Grand Rapids and will be broadcast in real time on the Minnesota Attorney General offices Facebook Live website.

Held Jan. 10, the St. Paul hearing drew many voices from organized labor critical of how control by an out-of-state parent company will impact staffing and patient care, as well as patient and physician advocates on either side of the question. A Fairview spokesperson on Friday said people speaking in favor of the merger outnumbered opponents 2-to-1 at the Bemidji and Worthington events.

As a condition of the merger, university officials this month floated the possibility of distancing themselves from Sanford and the combined entity by re-acquiring two teaching hospitals from Fairview, which purchased the buildings from the U in 1997 for $87.5 million.

In his prepared remarks delivered at the Worthington event this week, Gassen said the contractual agreements between the three legs of the M Health Fairview partnership  Fairview, the University of Minnesota and the University of Minnesota Physicians group  expire in 2026, offering plenty of time to work out any outstanding questions about the fate of the universitys academic health center.

Nothing  I repeat nothing  will change for the University of Minnesota as a result of this merger, Gassen said.

Gassen informed the audience he had met with representatives of Ellisons office to shadow physicians as they made patient rounds at Sanford Worthington, which is southwestern Minnesotas largest medical center and serves more than 21,000 patients in the area. Ellison attended a similar facility tour in Bemidji a week prior.

Since joining Sanfords community hospital system years ago, Sanford has invested more than $21 million in capital into the Worthington medical center, added physicians and expanded specialty outreach, Gassen said. That includes $3.4 million invested in 2020 alone for the Worthington Cancer Centers linear accelerator, a radiation technology that delivers the equivalent of high-energy X-rays to a patients tumor.

We have no plans to close facilities or reduce access to care as a result of this merger, Gassen said. Our history in other communities reflects our commitment to making the investments necessary to make care more accessible and equitable.

Related Articles
In the complaint, DMonterrio Gibson claims that after his harassment in Brookhaven, Mississippi, he told his supervisor, who wanted to wait until the next day to notify police. Gibson called them himself.

A Black FedEx driver from Mississippi is suing for $5 million over an incident where a white father and son pursued and fired bullets at him as he was making deliveries just over a year ago.

According to The Miami Herald, DMonterrio Gibson claims that on Jan. 24, 2022, Gregory and Brandon Case blocked his trucks path, shot at him and chased him out of the Brookhaven neighborhood where he was completing his route.

The father-and-son duo were taken into custody on Feb. 1, 2022. The elder Case initially faced a conspiracy charge, and his son was accused of committing aggravated assault by shooting into an occupied vehicle.

FedEx driver DMonterrio Gibson (left) stands next to his attorney, Carlos Moore, during a February 2022 news conference in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Gibson is seeking $5 million in a lawsuit that alleges he was discriminated against by FedEx and the city of Brookhaven, Mississippi, after two white men shot at him on his delivery route. (Photo: Rogelio V. Solis/AP)

The Cases made bail and, in November, were indicted for attempted murder, conspiracy and shooting into a motor vehicle. Brandon Case entered a not-guilty plea during his arraignment on Jan. 4, and the father will appear in court in March.

Gibson has since filed a complaint against FedEx, the city of Brookhaven, Police Chief Kenny Collins and the two men who fired the shots, alleging they all failed him and mistreated him because of his race.

According to the lawsuit, Collins and the city of Brookhaven ignored their obligations and gave the individuals suspected of stalking Gibson time to turn themselves in  which they did eight days later  rather than actively seek them as suspects.

Chief Collins intentionally delayed justice for (Gibson) by delaying the presentation of critical evidence and documentation pertinent to the instant matter on January 24, 2022, for nearly ten months, the lawsuit alleges, according to The Herald, and failed to properly investigate the crimes allegedly committed by the two men.

In his complaint, Gibson contends that as soon as he felt secure leaving the neighborhood, he informed his supervisor, who preferred to wait until the next day to report the incident to the police. That decision prompted Gibson to make the call himself.

Story continues

The deliveryman claims that FedEx forced him to go the same route the day after the incident, despite being aware of what happened. In his complaint, Gibson accuses FedEx of deliberate racial discrimination and inflicting emotional anguish.

According to the suit, FedExs actions  or lack of them  have caused Gibsons mental agony and anxiety, sleep deprivation, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder for a year.

Brookhaven City Attorney Bobby Moak; Dan Kitchens, listed as an attorney for Brandon Case; and Terrell Stubbs, attorney for Gregory Case, could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts by theGrio.

We are aware of the lawsuit, FedEx senior communications specialist Tammy DeGroff said in a statement to McClatchy News, The Herald reported. FedEx has a diverse workforce and leadership team, and our focus in the aftermath of the incident was to support Mr. Gibson. We strongly disagree with the claims made against FedEx and will defend the lawsuit.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post Mississippi FedEx driver seeks $5M related to allegations white men chased and shot at his delivery truck appeared first on TheGrio.
Archbishop Jose H. Gomez poses for a photo with Allison Merino, 6, and sister Madison, 8, of Montebello in St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church in Monterey Park on Friday night after a special Mass. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

In the latest of a somber week of memorials since the Monterey Park mass shooting, dozens of people poured into the St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church on Friday night for a service honoring the 11 victims.

At the front of the church was a sign bearing the names of the dead: Mymy Nhan, 65; LiLan Li, 63; Xiujuan Yu, 57; Hongying Jian, 62; Muoi Dai Ung, 67; Valentino Marcos Alvero, 68; Yu-Lun Kao, 72; Chia Ling Yau, 76; Wen-Tau Yu, 64; Ming Wei Ma, 72; and Diana Man Ling Tom, 70.

Father Joseph Magdaong, who presided over the Mass with Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez and Auxiliary Bishop David G. OConnell, noted the significance of the shooting falling on the eve of the Lunar New Year.

"Ironically this is the saddest moment for us in Monterey Park," said Magdaong, the pastor of St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Parish.

The scene inside St. Stephen Martyr Catholic Church during Friday night's special Mass. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Alvero had been a parishioner at St. Stephen Martyr, according to Magdaong. He was a Filipino American and a devout Catholic who loved ballroom dancing, his family said. They called it a great travesty that he didnt receive his last rites, a sacrament administered before death.

Our family would like to request all priests and Catholics to pray for him by name, Valentino Marcos Alvero, the family wrote in a statement. He was a faithful servant of God and we know that he would want the world to lift his family in prayer more than anything.

Alvero's daughter had her wedding at St. Stephen Martyr a few years ago, said Martha Sanchez, a parishioner at Friday night's service.

"When I found out that he was one of the people that was killed, what came to mind was the day of the wedding. It was just so joyful," Sanchez said. "He was so proud to walk her down the aisle. He just beamed."

Alvero also had at least three grandchildren, Sanchez said.

"He was a very nice man," she added. "Very respectful and very loving to his daughter."

Alvero was a loving father, a dedicated son and brother, a grandfather who loved his three nieces and nephews like his own children," his family said.

Story continues

Nearby at the Star Ballroom Dance Studio, the site of Saturday's mass shooting, two of Alvero's relatives stood in front of his picture where a memorial has sprouted, with visitors leaving bouquets of flowers and lighting candles.

Alvero's relatives both declined to be interviewed, but one recalled that Alvero was "always happy and smiling."

Alvero was "more than just a headline or a news story," the family said in their statement.

He loved people and hearing about their lives and, in return, he shared his own stories with so much gusto and enthusiasm that you couldnt help but listen and laugh along with him," the family wrote.

A near-nightly vigil has been held at the site with hundreds passing by each night.

On Wednesday, Vice President Kamala Harris visited Star Ballroom and placed a bouquet at the front.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
(Reuters) - Index provider MSCI said on Saturday it was seeking feedback on Adani Group and associated securities and was aware of a report issued by short-seller Hindenburg Research.

Seven listed companies of the Adani conglomerate - controlled by one of the world's richest men Gautam Adani - have lost a combined $48 billion in market value and U.S. bonds of Adani firms have fallen since Hindenburg on Tuesday flagged concerns about debt levels and the use of tax havens.

"MSCI is closely monitoring publicly available information regarding the situation and the factors that may impact the eligibility of those relevant securities for the MSCI Global Investable Market Indexes," it said in a statement.

Adani Group did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. It has dismissed the Hindenburg report as baseless and said it was considering whether to take legal action against the New York-based firm.

India's capital markets regulator was studying the Hindenburg report as it may help its own probe into offshore fund holdings of Adani Group, Reuters reported on Friday.

Billionaire U.S. investor Bill Ackman on Thursday described the Hindenburg report "highly credible and extremely well researched".

(Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by William Mallard)
Muskingum University

NEW CONCORD  Muskingum University received $866,006 in Choose Ohio First program funding from the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

The universitys COF initiative, Broadening STEMM Career Pathways in Appalachian Ohio, builds on the current COF scholar program and has been designed as part of the institutions Impact 2025 Strategic Action Plan. Over the last two years, Muskingum has received $1,854,886 in COF grant award funding.

ODHE provides funding to Ohios colleges and universities to support students in innovative academic programs. Participating universities and colleges award scholarships to students desiring a certificate, associate degree, baccalaureate degree, or graduate degree in eligible STEM and STEM education fields.

This new award recognizes the successes we have had supporting and developing our STEM scholars since our first COF grant in 2008, said Paul S. Szalay, chair of Division of Natural, Applied, and Health Sciences. We are thankful for the opportunity to be able to continue serving the educational and career development needs of our COF students as we prepare them to impact the future of science and technology in Ohio.

Muskingum will utilize its COF funding to support traditional undergraduate students, adult degree completion students, and graduate students in areas of critical workforce demand. For traditional undergraduates, the eligible majors will include computer science, general engineering, mathematics, nursing, and math and science education.

For students in the Muskingum Adult Program, nursing degrees will be available to registered nurses looking for career advancement through the RN-to-BSN program and to those looking into enter the nursing profession from another field through the accelerated bachelor of science in nursing program. At the graduate level, eligible degrees include the master of business information systems, master of occupational therapy as well as master of arts in education and master of arts in teaching for those pursuing math or science teacher licensure.

Story continues

According to ODHE, Choose Ohio First funds higher education and business collaborations that will have the most impact on Ohios position in world markets such as aerospace, medicine, and information technology. Choose Ohio First is part of a strategic effort to encourage Ohios economic strength by ensuring a ready workforce for STEM-related industries.

Undergraduate students who are interested in learning more about Muskingums Choose Ohio First scholarship program can visit https://www.muskingum.edu/financial-aid/science-scholarships. Graduate and Muskingum Adult Program students interested in the Choose Ohio First scholarship program can contact the Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies.

Provided by Muskingum University.

This article originally appeared on Zanesville Times Recorder: MU receives scholarship funds for students in STEM-related fields
Neighbors in Mandarin are concerned about the potential rezoning of church owned property to allow for new development.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

Neighbors said they are fighting to preserve the character thats still left in mandarin.

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]

Rezoning signs sparked the attention of neighbors like Kent Dowling.

They are wanting to bring in 100 townhomes, which is going to bring over 200 cars minimum daily in and out, neighbor Kent Dowling said.

This comes after a bill was filled to rezone 11.49 acres of land between Old Saint Augustine Road and Pine Acres Road.

Neighbors said the bill will change the land use regulations to medium density residential and planned unit development. That means more homes and construction that they said will change the neighborhoods character.

Read: 11 people fell victim to car break-ins over the Christmas holiday in the Arlington area

The change could permit up to 100 townhomes with associated recreational uses, according to documents Action News Jax obtained.

That doesnt sit well with neighbor Katrina Aprile.

100 townhomes in a rural community is not fitting in with the Jacksonville plan, Aprile said.

Action News Jax spoke with neighbors who said there are two schools on the corner of Livingston Road and Old Saint Augustine Road and these changes will greatly increase traffic.

Theres only two lanes moving because each of the schools on Saint Augustine they take up a lane to turn in, Aprile said. People when they get on to Livingston Road when they are coming into the neighbor will wait 30 minutes to get through this traffic.

Dowling said other concerns are limited drainage and the current infrastructure cant support development.

We are hoping for people to hear us, realize what they are trying to put in a small old neighborhood thats been developed for years and years and years, Dowling said.

There is a community meeting on Feb.8.

Story continues

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Action News Jax reached out to the city council member representing that neighborhood and asked if neighbors concerns were heard and will be considered but did not receive a response to those questions.

STAY UPDATED: Download the Action News Jax app for live updates on breaking stories
There are at least three bills this session addressing the states child care shortage but none are currently before the Special Committee on Childcare.

Massachusetts child care workers earn about $10,000 more a year than their New Hampshire peers. Its a parents gross income, not whats left after paying the mortgage, food, and other bills that determines their eligibility for child care assistance. Good luck trying to find infant care.

Those are a few of hurdles the New Hampshire Houses new Special Committee on Childcare heard about Wednesday as it began work on a gargantuan challenge: improving access to affordable quality child care in the state.

Its a crisis. So well start off with that, said Rep. Ross Berry, a Manchester Republican and the chairman of the committee, who owns a child care center in Epsom. Ive had grown men and women crying in my office because they dont know how theyre going to pay for child care. I see the problems from the business side of it but also the human side of it as well. The child care situation in the state is horrible.

Dont expect a quick fix.

There are at least three bills this session addressing the states child care shortage but none are currently before this committee. And the committee wont propose any of its own legislation this year, Berry said.

Instead, he expects the committee will use this year to hear from state officials, advocacy groups, child care providers, and others about the shortcomings of the existing system and ideas for mitigating those challenges. The bills will come next year, he said, and be informed by what the committee hears.

Child care in NH:Parents stressed by long waitlists, rising costs. What are solutions?

In an interview prior to Wednesdays meeting, Berry said he expects bipartisan and partisan bills to emerge. Members will examine a wide range of issues, from how the state licenses and regulates child care centers to expanding infant care and ensuring students who have children have the support to graduate.

Hurdles to legislation in New Hampshire to help families

Amanda Sears, director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, has been part of the affordable accessible child care conversation for a while. Shes seen bills come and go and new ideas get discarded.

Story continues

She said she left Wednesdays committee meeting hopeful, even knowing members will not propose legislation this year.

There has been an awful lot of study, at least outside the Legislature, about the problems. If the Legislature needs to come up to speed on those problems, that is understandable, she said. But there isnt a lot of missing information about the scale, scope, or causes of the problem. There is a lack of commitment for the solution. If this committee can build that momentum, that would be a great outcome.

Up first was the states child care scholarship, a federally funded program that helps low-income families afford child care.

To qualify, children must be under 13 and parents must be working, looking for work, or attending school or training. Parents must also meet eligibility guidelines, which is an annual gross income up to 220 percent of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, thats $50,566 a year. The amount of assistance increases as income declines.

Debra Nelson, director and chief of the states Bureau of Child Development and Head Start Collaboration, told the committee the Department of Health and Human Services has proposed increasing those income caps to allow more families to qualify.

Berry told Nelson determining eligibility on gross income, a federal rule, eliminates people who run small businesses and net far less than they take in.

Nelson addressed a second major concern with the scholarship fund. Children who miss too many days lose their assistance, even if they are in the hospital or are out because of a disability or chronic illness. The child care center then bills the family to cover the lost state assistance.

Nelson said her agency has asked Gov. Chris Sununu for an additional $5.7 million to pay providers differently to address those situations.

Low pay for child-care workers

Rep. Mary Jane Wallner, a Concord Democrat who ran a day care center for many years, said she frequently saw cases where families lost their assistance over absences and couldnt afford to remain in child care.

You wouldnt imagine public schools to be in a situation where you only pay for children when they came, she said. I mean, public schools couldnt do that. So I think its a policy that is certainly long overdue, and really needed, with caveats.

Those caveats could include a more generous limit on the number or permitted absences.

Committee members also heard about the significant gaps in what child care workers earn compared to counterparts in neighboring states and peers working in schools.

Sarah Vanderhoof, child development director at Southern New Hampshire Services, said Massachusetts is not alone in paying child care workers significantly more money. Vermont averages about $8,460 more a year, while Maine pays about $6,500 more.

Her agency offers scholarships and apprentice programs to recruit and train workers. But retaining them can be hard, she said.

We recently lost a teacher who went to go check in people in a kiosk at a car dealership and is making twice as much, she said.

This story was originally published by New Hampshire Bulletin.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH lawmakers seek solutions to horrible child care situation
A bill sponsored by Rep. Jess Edwards, an Auburn Republican, would require reproductive health care providers already audited by the state to pay for a second independent audit to confirm they were not using public money for abortion services. The state Department of Health and Human Services has said its audit has confirmed they are not.

Reproductive health care centers warned New Hampshire lawmakers Thursday that a bill requiring they do a second audit of how they spend public funds would leave them less money to provide basic health care to low-income patients.

State law already requires the Department of Health and Human Services to audit state-subsidized family planning centers to ensure they use federal and state money for cancer screenings, STI and pregnancy testing, contraception, and other basic reproductive health care and not abortion services.

Executive Councilor Janet Stevens

Rep. Jess Edwards, an Auburn Republican, told the House Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee that Executive Councilor Janet Stevens of Rye asked him to sponsor the bill. Stevens was one of the councils four Republicans who voted four times to eliminate state funding to three reproductive health centers that cared for more than 12,000 Granite Staters despite assurances from the department and Attorney General John Formella that state audits showed they were using public money as required by state and federal law.

House Bill 615 would require all centers that receive public money for family planning services, including those that do not provide abortions, to provide the state a second independent audit by a certified public accountant showing no money is going to abortion care. It would also require centers to provide the council the audits at least a week prior to their vote. The bill does not say who would pay for the audit, but Edwards told the committee he assumed it would be the centers.

Edwards said he does not see his bill as limiting access to abortion but rather preserving public money for contraception, cancer and STI screenings, breast exams, and other non-abortion reproductive health services.

Stevens declined an interview request but sent a statement through her chief aide, Kevin Chrisom, Thursday evening. She said Health and Human Services cited two issues: She doesnt believe the department has the staffing to do the audits. And the department did not provide her the audits before the first council vote. She had the audits before the second vote, she wrote, but not the corrective action steps the centers would take to provide clarification or missing information.

Story continues

At that meeting, Meredith Telus, director of program planning and integrity at the Department of Health and Human Services, told councilors the departments requests for additional information sought more detailed policy and procedure manuals and additional information about staff training, and did not reflect a concern that the centers are misusing public money.

Stevens said she received the corrective action plan the night before the third meeting and did not have time to review it before voting. In her statement, Stevens did not say why she voted against the contracts the fourth time, in July.

Gov. Chris Sununu, who urged the council to pass the contracts, expressed his frustration following that fourth vote in July.

I keep bringing (the contracts) back  but I think theyve made it pretty clear that regardless of timing, regardless of what we put in there, regardless of the explanations that we give and the understanding that weve kind of pushed upon them, theyre not really willing to move on, he said.

In her statement Thursday, Stevens wrote: With critical information lacking, it was not possible to make a proper assessment of the proposed contracts, which is a disservice to everyone, particularly the patients served by these facilities. Moving forward, we should consider simplifying the process through use of an outside auditing firm or more standardized facility requirements. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services is critically understaffed and outsourcing this process should be considered.

Department spokesman Jake Leon could not be reached Thursday evening for comment.

Gregory White, executive director of Lamprey Health Services, which receives state money but does not provide abortions, told the committee his center already spends more than $50,000 on two audits of health care programs subsidized with public funds; federally qualified health centers like Lamprey Health Services are also required to audit other federally funded services. White said hes been told a third would cost the center another $2,000 to $10,000.

White has said his center receives about $229,000 annually from the state through the Family Planning Program.

My concerns here mainly are, this is redundant, its not necessary, and would be a crushing administrative burden on some very scant resources, White told lawmakers.

Edwards said the bill, which has seven Republican cosponsors, is intended to ensure there is a firewall between money spent on basic reproductive health care and abortion. Its a concern raised often by Republicans who have argued that public money used to keep a reproductive health care center open is funding abortions done in that center.

What we had heard for years, years, and years, probably since I first paid attention to this issue in the 70s, is that there is no commingling of money between abortion providers and family planning money, he said. We heard that, we heard it, we heard it.

He told the committee, This (bill) is for abortion providers who have not convinced the Executive Council of the (financial) separation.

Those providers are the three defunded last year by the council: Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Lovering Health Center, and Equality Health Center. They had provided 70 to 80 percent of the states subsidized family planning care to low-income people, which they estimated to be more than 12,000 people.

Patricia Tilley, director of the Division of Public Health Services at Health and Human Services, told the committee the councils vote has left four centers in the states Family Planning Program: Lamprey Health Care in Nashua, Amoskeag Health in Manchester, the Community Action Program for Belknap and Merrimack counties, and the Coos County Health Center in Berlin.

Tilley said shes concerned the added cost of another audit will reduce money available for reproductive health care and be a hurdle for providers.

We are concerned about additional barriers and costly expenses to our very fragile system of reproductive health care in the state, she said. This is fundamental primary care for women as well as men to be able to have access to all of those screening services and contraception. We are concerned that by adding additional barriers and additional cost of their work, we will no longer have a safety net of providers for-low income individuals.

Rep. Lucy Weber, a Walpole Democrat on the committee, raised the same concern Wednesday.

Isnt that cost going to come out of the monies that we really would rather have spent on actually providing services to a vulnerable population? she said.

Kayla Montgomery, vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and New Hampshire, told the committee that their organization had been in the program for most of the last 50 years, complying with financial audits, until last year.

Two of their New Hampshire sites, in Exeter and Derry, do not provide abortions. She said the council vote eliminated needed funding for basic health care.

That is particularly important now as STI rates are really on the rise in this region, she said. And we do it all on a sliding scale fee. If you come in and you cant afford services, we give them to you for free.

The bills supporters who testified Wednesday included Kurt Wuelper, president of New Hampshire Right to Life. He said hed prefer the state not give money to health care centers that do abortions, regardless of what an audit showed.

We consider abortion to be a violation of fundamental human rights, and as such, we believe that to use taxpayer dollars to support that in any way is a violation of the rights of conscience for every taxpayer who believes the way we do.

In a June poll, the University of New Hampshire Survey Center said 10 percent of respondents opposed abortion in all circumstances. The vast majority said abortion should be legal in all circumstances (55 percent) or in limited circumstances (35 percent).

This story was originally published by New Hampshire Bulletin.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH Republicans seek scrutiny of providers in reproductive health care
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Nicaraguan authorities said Friday they arrested 24 settlers after they allegedly attacked an indigenous community as part of a land dispute.

It was the first large-scale arrest of non-indigenous settlers after several years of invasions and attacks in the territory belonging to the Miskito, Mayangna and other indigenous groups.

Nicaraguas National Police said the 22 men and two women were detained in the Caribbean coastal region the previous day. Police said indigenous residents told them the attackers were armed with sticks, stones and machetes.

Nicaraguan authorities have been slow to investigate such attacks, and activists said Friday that the settlers had actually been detained by residents, who turned them over to police.

They didn't detain the settlers. It was the local residents themselves who caught them, said Maria Luisa Acosta, a lawyer who heads the Center for Legal Assistance for Indigenous Peoples.

The arrested settlers were taken to a jail near the capital, Managua, and would be charged with organized crime, land seizure and environmental crimes, officials said.

But activists expressed doubts about whether the government would really follow up on the case, after years in which it has allowed indigenous communities to be attacked.

This is the first time the government has announced the detention of those who invade indigenous territory, said environmentalist Amaru Ruiz, director of the Del Rio Foundation.

He added that we have to be extremely cautious about the arrests. They have detained these kind of people before and later let them go, Ruiz said.

The Mayangna and Miskito communities have been hit by a number of attacks in recent years that have been blamed on settlers who invaded indigenous lands. Ruiz has said that at least 28 indigenous leaders and community members have been killed in recent years.

Several attacks in 2021 and 2022 killed Miskito and Mayangna people around Bosawas, a protected area. The reserve has been hit by illegal mining and logging.

Story continues

Indigenous activists say the government of President Daniel Ortega has not done enough to address the problems in the jungled region, something his administration denies.

Activists say many of the settlers moving onto the lands are former soldiers linked to timber and illegal logging interests.

The Del Rio Foundation says about 60% of the Mayangnas territory has been invaded by about 5,000 settlers since 2015, displacing some 3,000 indigenous inhabitants.
LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigerian opposition presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar urged the central bank on Saturday to extend a Jan. 31 deadline to phase out old high-value banknotes, a measure many Nigerians fear will disrupt business in the cash-reliant economy.

Nigerians have to turn in 1,000 ($2.17), 500 and 200 naira notes by Tuesday when they cease to be legal tender. The central bank started releasing newly designed notes last month but many Nigerians say they are not yet available in banks.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says recalling the notes is part of plans to reduce the use of cash. About 1.3 trillion naira in old notes has been deposited into the bank since the announcement in October, the bank said this week.

However, in Africa's biggest economy Nigeria, most people live in rural areas and the biggest employer is the informal sector where cash is used for most transactions.

Atiku, the main opposition People's Democratic Party's candidate in next month's presidential election, said it would be impossible for most of Nigeria's unbanked population to turn in their old notes in time.

"I'm aware of the challenges that farmers and others like artisans in remote areas of the country go through in moving cash to commercial banks for the conversion," Atiku said in a video.

"It is important for the CBN to consider an extension of the time that the public convert their bank monies into new notes, thereby reducing the financial consequences for citizens."

Nigerian legislators have also asked the central bank to extend the Tuesday deadline.

In Lagos, some shops were rejecting old banknotes at the weekend in anticipation of the deadline.

($1 = 459.7800 naira)

(Reporting by MacDonald Dzirutwe; Editing by Helen Popper)
TRENTON - State Sen. Doug Steinhardt (R- District 23) has introduced legislation that would prohibit foreign ownership of New Jersey farmland amid rising concerns about a Chinese buying spree of American farms.

We need to pay attention to the fact that China and its proxies have been buying up farmland across the United States, said Steinhardt, whose district extends from Bound Brook and Bridgewater in Somerset County through northern Hunterdon County to Phillipsburg and Hackettstown in Warren County.

When you recognize that food security is national security, it quickly becomes clear that we need to prevent our agricultural lands in New Jersey from falling under the control of hostile foreign governments, Steinhardt said.

Steinhardts new legislation would prohibit any foreign government or foreign person from acquiring, purchasing, or otherwise obtaining an interest in any agricultural land in New Jersey with limited exceptions.

The bill also requires any foreign-owned farmland to be sold within five years of the bills enactment to an individual, trust, corporation, partnership, or other business entity that is not a foreign government or foreign person, with a deed easement requiring the land to remain devoted to agricultural use.

The Wall Street Journal highlighted last year reported that state-owned Chinese companies were spending billions to buy farmland and agricultural enterprises across the United States, including the purchase of the largest pork producer in the world, Smithfield Foods in Virginia.

More:Edison shipping firm pays $1.89 million to settle federal government overbilling allegations

South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman, who has introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives, said last year that China owns and controls almost 192,000 acres of farmland in the United States. He also added that it's not a huge percentage, given more than 35 million acres of farmland in the United States are owned by foreign investors.

Story continues

According to the federal government, the total amount of farmland in the United States is 895 million acres.

In some states, including North Dakota and Texas, China has been purchasing farmland in close proximity to sensitive U.S. military installations, raising espionage concerns.

With tensions rising in the Pacific, Steinhardt warned that Chinese control of America's food supply could be disastrous should a military conflict occur.

More:New Brunswick community concerned after woman charged with posing as high school student

We cant make the same mistake with our farms that we made with other industries like manufacturing that we handed over to China and other adversaries and competitors, added Steinhardt. You can live without your iPhone if China shuts off the supply from its factories, but you cant live without the food that comes from our farms. Its that simple.

Steinhardt is also drafting legislation that would require the State Investment Council (SIC) to perform an expedited review of its investments in Chinese companies.

The SIC manages the investment of $95 billion in assets for the public employee pension funds for active and retired state and local government workers.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Should NJ farms be owned by foreign countries? Sen. Steinhardt says no
A bizarre photo of two people in the bath where the Duke of York was alleged to have abused a teenager discredits his accusers claims, Ghislaine Maxwells brother believes.

In the image, two acquaintances of Maxwell can be seen sitting facing one another, fully clothed and wearing masks depicting Prince Andrew and his accuser, Virginia Giuffre.

Ms Giuffre has claimed that Andrew raped and abused her three times in 2001 when she was 17, which he denies.

She said that one of the alleged incidents started in the bath at Maxwells mews house in Belgravia, west London.

Maxwells older brother Ian claims that the photo proves the bath is too small for the alleged incident to have taken place.

 Exclusive: A photograph that the family of Ghislaine Maxwell believes discredits the Duke of Yorks accuser has been made public.



The image shows the bath in which the Duke is alleged to have engaged in sexual activity with a teenage girl.



Read more   The Telegraph (@Telegraph) January 28, 2023

I am releasing my photographs now because the truth needs to come out, he told The Daily Telegraph.

He also revealed the dimensions of the bath to the newspaper - with the base measuring 1,359mm by 380mm.

Mr Maxwell claimed that the image shows conclusively that the bath is too small for any sort of sex frolicking to have taken place in it.

There is no Victorian bath, as Giuffre has claimed, which is proved both by the attached plan of the bathroom and the photos themselves, he added.

Duke of York reached a multilimillion pound settlement with Giuffre in a civil case (REUTERS)

Disgraced socialite Maxwell was jailed for 20 years in 2022 after being found guilty of helping the late financier Jeffrey Epstein traffic and abuse young girls between 1994 and 2004.

Ms Giuffre is one of his victims and said she was trafficked to London with help from Maxwell.

Last year Maxwell appealed against her conviction in New York despite apologising to her victims during her trial.

Story continues

Mr Maxwell released the photo after reports emerged saying Andrew was planning to launch a legal bid to overturn the multimillion-pound settlement with Ms Giuffre.

Andrew was said to be considering his legal options after Ms Giuffre dropped a separate sexual abuse claim against US lawyer Alan Dershowitz. She said she might have made a mistake.

Andrew reportedly believes the extraordinary development raised questions about Ms Giuffres credibility.

Maxwell in prison (Talk TV/PA)

But King Charles, Andrews brother, subsequently threw him out of his Buckingham Palace flat and told him there was no longer a place for him at the monarchs main residence in central London, according to The Sun.

Andrew and Maxwell have both previously suggested a photo showing them together with Ms

(US Department of Justice/PA)

at Maxwells house, where the alleged incident took place, is not real.

Maxwell repeated the claim again in an interview broadcast earlier in the week from the Florida jail where she is serving her sentence.

We cant really establish the photograph and all that, she told TalkTV. I dont know if thats true, if thats a real picture or not.

Maxwell said that I know Virginia travelled with Jeffrey but that she didnt remember her being in her home.
A Kansas City-based nonprofit is raising funds for the family of a prisoner who died maintaining his innocence in a 2002 Kansas City, Kansas, murder.

John Calvin, 56, died at the El Dorado Correctional Center Wednesday after suing the Kansas Department of Corrections for failing to treat his colon cancer.

The Midwest Innocence Project, which provides legal services for prisoners hoping to overturn convictions, launched the fundraiser to assist Calvins family.

According to the GoFundMe, his family lovingly called him by his middle name, Keith, and said he brought light, hope and kindness everywhere he went.

He bore the heaviest of burdens, a wrongful conviction followed by terminal illness, yet he never lost hope that the system would one day deliver the justice he deserved, the page reads.

Calvin was convicted of first-degree murder and attempted robbery in the Dec. 12, 2002, death of John Coates, who was shot on the 2700 block of Haskell Avenue.

Calvins December lawsuit claimed he was another victim of former KCK police detective Roger Golubski, who was previously accused of framing another innocent man in a multi-million dollar lawsuit and was charged with sexual assault and conspiring to sex traffic underage girls in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Calvins co-defendant, Melvin Lee White Jr., received 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 in an interview several years ago. I should be doing the time, not him.

After spending over 19 years in prison, Calvin would have been eligible for parole in May, according to his attorneys.

But Calvin, who claimed the KDOC did not provide proper medical assistance after he began exhibiting symptoms and subsequently denied him proper nutrition, fell months short of that opportunity. In the December emergency filing, Calvin asked to be moved to a hospital. His request, however, was denied.

Story continues

In a previous interview with The Star, Calvins daughters, Kiardra Calvin and Jalisa Bluford, called the KDOC neglectful.

They failed him, Bluford said.

Calvin was a beloved, father, uncle and friend, according to the fundraiser.

John Keith Calvin died an innocent man, the page says. Everyone knew this, and a whole community fought for him.

The Stars Luke Nozicka contributed to the reporting of this story.
Jan. 27KENNESAW  North Alabama used a 15-0 fourth-quarter run to get the game to overtime, then found a way to hold off Kennesaw State in the extra period to post a 69-66 victory at the KSU Convocation Center on Thursday.

The loss was costly as it kept the Owls (9-10, 5-3 ASUN Conference) from getting over .500 for the first time this season. It dropped them out of a fourth-place tie in the conference and into a fifth-place tie with Eastern Kentucky.

Kennesaw State led 55-45 with 7:59 to play when North Alabama (8-11, 3 -5) began its big run, which featured four points each from Skyler Gill and Rhema Pegues. The Owls, however, closed the game on a 7-2 run over the last 1:22 to tie the game.

Carly Hooks' layup ended North Alabama's scoring run, while a 3-pointer from Amani Johnson  who had a team-high 17 points  and a steal and a layup by Stacie Jones forced overtime.

Pegues, who had a game-high 18 points, gave the Lions the lead in overtime, and they did not trail again. Gill, who finished with 13 points and eight rebounds, made a layup and a free throw for a 67-64 lead.

A jumper by Hooks brought Kennesaw State back within one, but Gill's jumper with 10 seconds to play put the game away.

It was a game the Owls seemed to have in complete control early. They had a 16-point lead midway through the second quarter and dominated the glass in the first half, outrebounding the Lions 26-8 overall and 13-3 on the offensive end, which led to a 38-26 lead at the half.

Hooks' jumper with 8:04 to play in the third quarter gave Kennesaw State a 12-point lead, but North Alabama began to chip away at the deficit. A layup by Emma Kate Tittle cut the Owls' lead to three at 42-39, but Kennesaw State answered with eight straight points to push the advantage back to double-digits before settling for a 49-41 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Jade Moore finished with 17 points and Sara Wohlgemuth added 10 for North Alabama.

Kennesaw State was held to 27% shooting (13-of-47) through the second half and overtime. Jah'Che Whitfield finished with 11 points and Jones added 10.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matt Sayles/AP/Shutterstock (6257198ba) Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Sissy Spacek Viola Davis, left, Octavia Spencer, center, and Sissy Spacek are seen backstage after accepting the award for outstanding performance by a cast in a motion picture for "The Help" at the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on in Los Angeles. Viola Davis also won the award for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role for "The Help SAG Awards Insider, Los Angeles, USA

Matt Sayles/AP/Shutterstock

Octavia Spencer and her The Help costar Sissy Spacek go way back.

The Oscar winner revealed on an episode of the WTF with Marc Maron podcast released last week that Spacek had "actually" remembered Spencer before they starred in the 2011 film The Help together.

Spencer had previously worked as an intern on the 1990 film The Long Walk Home, starring Spacek and Whoopi Goldberg, at age 17.

THE HELP, from left: Bryce Dallas Howard, Sissy Spacek, Octavia Spencer, 2011. ph: Dale Robinette/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Dale Robinette/Walt Disney Studios

RELATED: Octavia Spencer Mourns Death of Nephew, Her Sister's 'Only Child': 'Second Worst Day of My Life'

"I was an intern, and they paid me a hundred dollars a week as an intern. And I got to work in the extras casting department. And I had so much fun entertaining the extras," Spencer recalled of her time working on the movie while shooting on location in Alabama.

"It was so much fun. But I, you know, got to meet Sissy. And then to work with her again on The Help, it was so crazy," she said.

"But she didn't remember you?" host Marc Maron asked the Hidden Figures star.

Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Dreamworks Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock (5884951a) Sissy Spacek The Help - 2011 Director: Tate Taylor Dreamworks Pictures USA Scene Still Drama La Couleur des sentiments

Dreamworks Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock

RELATED: Octavia Spencer Teases Truth Be Told Season 3: 'Expect a Propulsive Story'

"She actually did. She did, she did. And I reminded her," Spencer continued. "We talked about her daughter because Schuyler [Fisk] was 3 when she did The Long Walk Home. It was pretty amazing, actually."

"It's interesting to come full circle like that and actually be able to share that story again with Sissy," Maron noted.

"With Sissy and with Whoopi when The Help came out," Spencer added.

RELATED: Octavia Spencer Says She's 'Felt More Racism' in L.A. Than Back Home in Alabama: 'I Was an Anomaly'

Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Dreamworks Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock (5884951z) Octavia Spencer The Help - 2011 Director: Tate Taylor Dreamworks Pictures USA Scene Still Drama La Couleur des sentiments

Dreamworks Pictures/Kobal/Shutterstock

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Released in 2011, The Help follows a white Mississippi woman (Emma Stone), who interviews Black women about their time serving white families as maids. The film also starred Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney, Viola Davis and Cicely Tyson.

Spencer won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her turn as the rebellious maid Minny Jackson, while Spacek, 73, played Mrs. Walters, an older woman who had a soft spot for Minny after she previously worked for Walters in her nursing home.
Over two dozen demonstrators gathered in Pittsburghs East Liberty neighborhood in response to the death of Tyre Nichols.

PHOTOS: Over 2 dozen demonstrators gather in Pittsburgh in response to Tyre Nichols death

The planned protest came less than 24 hours after Memphis police released Tyre Nichols arrest video.

>> To see the unedited video released by the Memphis Police, click here. Warning the videos are graphic and contain profanity.

Local leaders have weighed in on the act of violence. Senator John Fetterman spoke out on social media Friday night and both Pittsburgh mayor Ed Gainey and Senator Bob Casey released statements Saturday morning.

The sidewalks off of N. Highland Avenue were lined with sign tables and protesters demanding justice.

>> RELATED COVERAGE: Tyre Nichols death: Protesters gather in several U.S. cities

>> RELATED COVERAGE: Tyre Nichols death: Memphis SCORPION police unit permanently deactivated

>> RELATED COVERAGE: Tyre Nichols death: Lora Dene King, daughter of Rodney King, reacts to video

>> RELATED COVERAGE: Tyre Nichols death: Incident similar to 1971 case involving 17-year-old Elton Hayes

In some cases, the police officer who commits these killings is just dismissed from the force and faces no further repercussions and we need to show that this will and has to go to a conviction because we wont let this be swept under the rug, said an event organizer who carried signs that said, Stop the war on Black America and Jail killer cops.

Another local protestor shared his own account of police brutality and said how watching the released footage of Nichols tragic encounter with Memphis officers retraumatized him.

I couldnt sleep all night long because it reminded me of what happened to me in 1956, said the protestor.

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PARIS (AP)  Families and friends of a growing number of Europeans imprisoned in Iran gathered in Paris on Saturday to call for their release.

The French government this week denounced the plight of seven French citizens held in Iranian prisons, calling the detentions unjustifiable and unacceptable.

Iran has detained a number of foreigners and dual nationals over the years, accusing them of espionage or other state security offenses. Many were convicted and sentenced after secretive trials in which rights groups said they were denied due process.

Supporters and family members of four of the current French prisoners  Louis Arnaud, Fariba Adelkhah, Benjamin Briere and Cecile Kohler  held a solemn, silent rally for their release Saturday on a plaza overlooking the Seine River.

The supporters said all were wrongly accused and some were in fragile physical or psychological health, or placed in isolation. They are deprived of the most basic rights," unable to contact loved ones, the supporters said in a statement.

Arnaud was arrested Sept. 28 as he was traveling in Iran as a tourist, according to Frances Foreign Ministry. Another prisoner, Bernard Phelan, was detained last year and is in need of medical care that is not being provided, according to the ministry.

Earlier Saturday, dozens of people gathered in a park beneath the Eiffel Tower to show support for detained Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele. Vandecasteele, who worked for many years for aid group Doctors of the World, was arrested in Tehran in February 2022. Doctors of the World said the conditions of his detention were putting Vandecasteeles life at risk.

Most of the European prisoners were detained before the protests that have shaken Iran since September over the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody. Concerns about the detentions have grown as Iranian authorities have cracked down on the protesters.
David DePape, the man who allegedly attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer in October, called in to a California news station on Friday to apologize for not going far enough with his attack.

DePape, who allegedly broke into the Pelosi home and attacked the then-House speakers husband, told KTVU he had an important message to share during a five-and-a-half minute phone call.

He said he attacked Pelosi because liberty isnt dying, its being killed systematically and deliberately.

The people killing it have names and addresses, so I got their names and addresses so I could pay them a little visit . . . have a heart to heart chat about their bad behavior, said DePape, who faces state charges of attempted murder and elder abuse and federal charges for kidnapping.

I want to apologize to everyone. I messed up. What I did was really bad. Im so sorry I didnt get more of them. Its my own fault. No one else is to blame. I should have come better prepared, he added.

DePapes call on Friday came shortly after the San Francisco Superior Court ordered the release of audio and video footage of the attack that left 82-year-old Pelosi with a fractured skull.

The video shows police arriving at the Pelosi home to see both DePape and Pelosi both holding onto opposite ends of a hammer.

When the police ask what is going on, DePape responds: Everything is good.

Police tell the men to drop the hammer. DePape says no and grabs control of the hammer from Pelosi, savagely attacking him. Officers then storm forward and tackle the attacker.

DePape has pleaded not guilty. He is scheduled to appear in court on February 23.

More from National Review
(Reuters) -A man in Peru's capital Lima died on Saturday and others were hospitalized as nationwide clashes between protesters and police continued in the eighth week of the South American country's political crisis.

The death of Victor Santisteban Yacsavilca, 55, brings to 58 the nationwide toll in the protests that began in early December after the impeachment and arrest of President Pedro Castillo.

Initially focused in Peru's rural, mountainous south, protests have gained steam in the capital in recent weeks. Saturday's protests were mostly in Lima and the southern Cusco region, Peru's ombudsman said in a statement.

Santisteban had suffered a severe head injury, the national health insurance agency said in a statement.

Some protests escalated as demonstrators armed with rocks and makeshift shields clashed with police, who deployed gas and rubber bullets.

Peru's ombudsman condemned reports of attacks against journalists covering the protests.

President Dina Boluarte expressed regret early on Saturday after Congress refused to speed up the timeline for a presidential election amid the unrest, her office said.

Lawmakers had given an initial green light to moving elections from 2026 to 2024, but on Friday voted down proposals hold the election this year.

Boluarte has repeatedly backed moving up elections as she struggles to quell the protests calling for her resignation.

A motion to move elections up to April 2024 passed one vote and has a final vote in February. Congress will continue debate on Monday.

On Friday Boluarte said an election could happen this year.

"We urge lawmakers to put down their partisan and group interests and put the interest of Peru first. Our citizens promptly await a clear response that will pave a way out of the political crisis and build social peace," Boluarte's office said on Twitter.

Boluarte, who took office after Castillo's removal, has maintained she will stay on as president until elections are held.

(Reporting by Alexander Villegas and Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Josie Kao and William Mallard)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  Alissa Pili scored 21 points and Kennedy McQueen added 17 behind five 3-pointers to lead No. 9 Utah to an 83-73 victory over Southern California on Friday night.

Pili shot 9 of 13 from the floor to pace an efficient offensive attack from the Utes (17-2, 7-2 Pac-12). Gianna Kneepkens added 16 points for Utah, which shot 53% from the field and outscored USC 42-26 in the paint.

The Utes overcame a late rally by the Trojans after making only two baskets in the fourth quarter.

Its hard to be up and continue to have that killer instinct and thats part of our development, Utah coach Lynne Roberts said. We just kind of took our foot off the gas and offensively, we were sputtering.

Rayah Marshall had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Destiny Littleton also scored 15 points for USC (15-5, 5-4), which had its four-game winning streak snapped. Odako Adika added 12 points on four 3-pointers.

After trailing by as many as 20 in the second half, the Trojans trimmed the deficit to single digits midway through the fourth quarter. Adika and Littleton made back-to-back 3-pointers to cut Utahs lead to 74-68.

The Utes went nearly 10 minutes without scoring a basket before McQueen ended the drought with her fourth 3-pointer.

McQueens final outside basket put Utah up 83-73 with 52 seconds left.

They started cutting into the lead and we just found a way to win, McQueen said. I just think thats a testament to learning from last year and, yeah, I think the locker room is really confident right now. We know who we are and we know our strengths and were getting better at our weaknesses.

USC went nearly 8 minutes in the first half without making a basket. The Trojans missed nine consecutive shots in that stretch before Littleton ended the dry spell with back-to-back baskets.

Utah quickly took advantage of the prolonged drought. Pili capped a 19-4 run with back-to-back layups, giving the Utes a 31-16 lead in the second quarter. The junior forward fueled the lengthy spurt with four field goals.

Story continues

Pili, who spent her first three seasons at USC before transferring to Utah, scored 17 points by halftime.

Shes a terrific player. No one knows that more than us, USC coach Lindsey Gottlieb said. We just let her be too comfortable in the first half. A player of that ability, if you let her into her sweet spot, shes going to score.

Utah used a 12-2 run fueled by three baskets from Kneepkens to build its largest lead of the game late in the third quarter. Jenna Johnson capped the run with a layup, putting the Utes ahead 69-49.

BIG PICTURE

USC: An inability to capitalize on defensive stops ultimately hurt the Trojans. USC forced 10 turnovers but scored only four points on those takeaways.

Utah: The Utes imposed their will around the basket on offense early and it led to a highly efficient shooting performance over the first 2 1/2 quarters.

UP NEXT

USC: visits Colorado on Sunday.

Utah: hosts No. 8 UCLA on Sunday.

___

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
Pittsburgh police are investigating after a person was shot in Pittsburghs South Side Slopes neighborhood overnight.

According to police, officers were called to the 1900 block of St. Paul Street at around 1:06 a.m. for a one-round ShotSpotter alert.

Police found a scene with shell casings nearby. A firearm was also found in the area of Shamokin Street.

According to police, a male with a gunshot wound took himself to a local hospital. Hes listed in stable condition.

The investigation is ongoing.

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Tyre Nichols death: Sheriff says 2 deputies relieved of duty after showing up at arrest Tyre Nichols death: Videos show multiple angles of deadly beating Pittsburgh police on alert for potential protests following release of video in Tyre Nichols arrest VIDEO: School district passes resolution aimed at preventing school violence DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
Jan. 27Manchester police are searching for a man they say assaulted a woman and took her 5-month-old baby.

The child was later found safe and taken to a hospital for evaluation.

Kevin Voisine, 28, is wanted for second-degree assault and endangering the welfare of a child, according to a news release.

The incident began Thursday around 9:45 p.m. when police were called to a Varney Street address, where a woman told officers she had been attacked and her child was taken. Police identified the man as Voisine and learned that he had been seen at several locations on the West Side of the city.

Police found the car that Voisine was driving at a Bismark Street address, where the baby was found inside.

Police are asking anyone with information about Voisine's whereabouts to call them at 603-668-8711, or the anonymous Manchester Crimeline at 603-624-4040.
Jan. 27OLIVE HILL  A woman was booked into Carter County Detention Center on Thursday following a reported stabbing.

Billie M. Binion, 38, of Olive Hill, is accused of stabbing a man and his brother near a residence in the 100 block of Sapphire Drive Thursday afternoon, seemingly for no reason.

According to court records, one of the victims said when Binion came out of her residence, he greeted her with a "hello."

Binion is alleged to have stayed silent throughout the ordeal.

The victim reported that Binion "looked at him funny," before she pulled a knife from her waistband.

The arrest citation states Binion attacked the two men, breaking the knife off into one brother before going for the face of the other.

Officers were dispatched to the scene and approached Binion at the end of Sapphire Drive but she disappeared in the woods.

Binion was eventually apprehended in the back yard of a residence in the 400 block of Honey Lane.

Binion was transported to Carter County Detention Center where she picked up an additional charge after biting a deputy when jail staff attempted to place her in a restraint chair, according to court records.

In total, Binion is charged with first-degree assault, first-degree fleeing or evading police, resisting arrest and third-degree assault on a corrections officer.

Binion is held on a $500,000 cash bond and is scheduled for an arraignment in Carter County Circuit Court on Feb. 1.

The condition of the victims are currently unavailable, however both were able to give statements to police.

If convicted, Binion could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison.

(606) 326-2652  mjepling@dailyindependent.com
Politicians and activists decried the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, after videos showing Memphis police officers violently attacking him in an assault that would lead to his death was released Friday.

A series of four videos show Nichols being pulled out of a vehicle stopped at a red light as he yells, I didnt do anything." Nichols called for his mother as he was tased, punched, kicked and struck with a baton by Memphis police, despite seeming to not fight back.

After the beating, as Nichols moaned in pain propped up against a police car, officers laughed and called him names. Five former officers, fired last week, were charged Thursday with second-degree murder and other crimes in connection to Nichols' death.

Rev. Andre E Johnson, of the Gifts of Life Ministries, preaches at a candlelight vigil for Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police officers, in Memphis, Tenn.. Behind him, seated center, are Tyre's mother RowVaughn Wells and his stepfather Rodney Wells.

Nichols, described by friends as a free spirit," was an avid skateboarder and FedEx worker who had a 4-year-old son.

Who is Tyre Nichols?: Black skateboarders in Memphis and beyond honor Tyre Nichols: 'Weve lost one of our own'

Lawmakers condemn attack

Story continues

'Swift justice': Experts say the speed of accountability in Tyre Nichols killing was 'unusual'

Biden, Harris call on Congress to act

Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris urged Congress to take swift action by passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

The policing reform bill aims to bolster police accountability and would end police practices that have been under scrutiny after the deaths of Black Americans.

"Once again, America mourns the life of a son and father brutally cut short at the hands of those sworn to protect and serve," Harris said in a statement. "The persistent issue of police misconduct and use of excessive force in America must end now."

FBI director: Christopher Wray 'appalled' by Tyre Nichols traffic stop video, 'disturbing' says Garland

Protests staged in Nichols' honor

Activists: Assault 'familiar'

Martin Luther King III, an activist and oldest son of the civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, described the attack as "horrific yet perversely familiar."

Longtime civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson called for a federal investigation into the Memphis Police Department in the wake of five officers being fired for their involvement in a traffic stop that precipitated Tyre Nichols' death.

Ja'Ron Smith, a former Trump advisor who managed criminal justice issues for that administration, said that "a significant change in policing culture" is necessary "for any policy measure to have a shot at success" in an emailed statement.

Memphis' Black Lives Matter chapter said in an emailed statement that the only way to prevent deaths like Nichols' is to "take power and funding away from police and to significantly reduce contact between Black communities and the police."

NAACP President Derrick Johnson called for action in an emailed statement: "Now that the footage has been released: how much more bloodshed will it take before Congress acts? How much more trauma and tragedy must the Black community experience in order to spark real change?"

Dig deeper

Contributing: N'dea Yancey-Bragg, Lucas Finton

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tyre Nichols: Calls for change after video of Memphis attack released
Interview: Spirit of cooperation brings China, Latin America closer, academic says

Xinhua) 08:33, January 28, 2023

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)

BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- China and Latin American and Caribbean countries have been following the spirit of cooperation and mutual trust when dealing with their relations, and that "has allowed ties to deepen to the benefit of both sides," an Argentine academic has said.

In the face of multiple global challenges, cooperation and solidarity are crucial, said Gonzalo Tordini, director of the China-Argentine Strategic Program at the National Defense University in Buenos Aires.

"To that end, CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) and the China-CELAC Forum play an important role," he said in an interview with Xinhua.

Tordini made the comments on the sidelines of the CELAC seventh summit here on Tuesday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a video address, highlighting CELAC's significant role in regional security and development and reiterating China's will to enhance cooperation with countries in the region for a brighter future.

"China has been one of the main promoters of international cooperation in recent years, with an emphasis on multilateralism, win-win and mutual benefit," the academic said. "It has always had a very clear predisposition to work cooperatively with our region."

It is evident that China has made important contributions to the region through the South-South cooperation. For example, the country put forward the Belt and Road Initiative, pursuing common prosperity for developing countries, he noted.

In the view of Tordini, countries in the region attach high importance to their relationships with China, and ties between the two sides are growing even closer because of the greater trust among them.

"The link has a solid foundation and has been developed in an integral way, growing in many fields such as economy, finance, politics, culture, technology and education," Tordini added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
NEW YORK  Demonstrators and activists on Saturday were gearing up to again march on behalf of Tyre Nichols, one day after authorities released video of the brutal traffic stop that culminated in his death.

In New York, rallies were scheduled across the five boroughs, including a march in Washington Square Park that kicks off at 5 p.m. Social Justice Leader Tamika Mallory and the members of United Freedom will attend and speak at the event, according to a press release.

Protests are also expected to unfold across other major cities, including in Memphis, Tennessee, Boston, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Salt Lake City.

On Friday, three people were arrested in Midtown amid protests after one person, identified 33-year-old Argenis Rivera, jumped onto the hood of a parked New York Police Department cruiser and then kicked in its windshield, officials said.

Rivera remained on top of the vehicle for several minutes, taunting the cop inside before he was pulled from the hood.

Protests broke out nationwide when the video was made public on Friday, the day after five Memphis police officers were arrested and charged with Nichols murder.

Nichols was pulled over by Memphis officers, supposedly on suspicion of reckless driving, on Jan. 7 around 8:30 p.m.

The footage shows police officers beating 29-year-old Nichols with batons, kicking him and punching him  even after his hands were restrained  while he questioned what hes done and called out for help.

Memphis police Chief Cerelyn CJ Davis condemned the officers treatment of Nichols as acts that defy humanity.

Nichols died at the hospital three days after his confrontation with law enforcement.


Five Proud Boys plan to subpoena former President Donald Trump as they face seditious conspiracy charges for their role in 2021s Jan. 6 insurrection, a New York Times journalist reported this week.

The defendants  including Enrique Tarrio, the far-right groups longtime chairman  intend to subpoena Donald Trump as a witness at the trial, tweeted reporter Alan Feuer.

Its not immediately clear why they want Trump on the witness stand. Other Jan. 6 defendants, however, have said they stormed the U.S. Capitol because they thought it was what Trump wanted, which they believed may have legitimized the riot.

But a request for Trump to be subpoenaed hasnt been granted in other Jan. 6 trials, noted Feuer.

New: Defendants in the Proud Boys J6 sedition case said on Wednesday that they intend to subpoena Donald Trump as a witness at the trial.

That hasnt flown w/judges in other J6 cases so well see where it goes.  Alan Feuer (@alanfeuer) January 25, 2023

A judge in the current Proud Boys case, however, has already ruled that prosecutors can play a video at the trial of Trump telling the group to stand back and stand by during a televised debate with then-presidential candidate Joe Biden in 2020. The startling comment was widely regarded as a message for the Proud Boys to be ready to take action if called to do so by Trump.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly is allowing the video because he said the former presidents comments showed an additional motive for the Proud Boys to advocate for Mr. Trump [and] engage in the charged conspiracy to keep him in power.

Sabino Jauregui, an attorney representing Tarrio, alleged that the true culprit of the insurrection was Trump, but said that its too hard to blame him since any charges would be battled by an army of lawyers, The Guardian reported Sunday.

Story continues

Its easier to blame  the Proud Boys, Jauregui said, describing Tarrio and other defendants as mere scapegoats.

On Monday, four members of the right-wing Oath Keepers were convicted of seditious conspiracy for their roles in the insurrection. They could face up to 20 years in prison when sentenced.

Oath Keepers founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes, meanwhile, was convicted in November of seditious conspiracy.

The Proud Boys have all pleaded not guilty to the same charge.

Related...
Jan. 27NORWAY  The redevelopment of the century-old Odd Fellows Hall on Main Street took a step closer to reality Thursday night after a public hearing by the Planning Board.

Residents were supportive of the plan by developer Mike Haines of Falmouth and architect Jake Keeler of Jake Keeler Design Build of Portland to build 16 affordable apartments and an 1,800-square-foot commercial space in the three-story brick building at 389 Main St. Built in 1893, it has been vacant for more than 22 years.

The board has scheduled a site walk of the property for 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 6, and will discuss the application further at its next meeting Feb. 9.

Haines, who describes himself as a "problem solver," was working in real estate when he discovered the Odd Fellows Hall a year ago while walking along Main Street to Cafe Nomad to get a cup of coffee. Surprised that it was vacant, he saw the potential and began working with Keeler to develop a plan to bring it back to life.

Keeler was project manager for the remodeling of the iconic Opera House next door and continues to be involved in its development, he said Friday.

The Odd Fellows project calls for 16 units of affordable housing at 80% of the average income in Oxford County, including two apartments that meet Americans with Disabilities Act-accessible guidelines on the first floor. Fourteen of the apartments will be one bedroom. Four apartments will be in the basement and cannot be considered ADA compliant because of the slope behind the building, Haines said.

One two-bedroom apartment each will be on the second and third floors. The third floor, where the Odd Fellows met, has 13 1/2 - to 14-foot high ceilings. Haines is considering loft space in those apartments, but those plans are still in their infancy.

The original floors are in good condition, Haines said, and the tin ceiling will likely be reused in the commercial space.

The street level would be rebuilt to its original appearance, looking similar to the iconic Opera House next door.

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The housing part of the project will be financed 100% by the Maine State Housing Authority, Haines said.

The hall once had businesses and offices, including the district court and jail, as well as a ceremonial space for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge No. 16. The basement and first floor were built in 1893 after fire destroyed much of the downtown business district. The other floors were added in 1910. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The structure had been in disrepair for several years following a couple of failed attempts to repurpose it. Plagued by broken windows and pigeons for a time, the hall was listed in 2013 by Maine Preservation as one of the 10 most endangered historic buildings in the state.

"These are the projects that are fun," Keeler said. "This project is intellectually challenging."

Planning Board member Dan Quinn said parking would be an issue for tenants, a concern also expressed to the Planning Board in a letter from Brian Shibles, executive vice president, treasurer and chief financial officer for Norway Savings Bank, headquartered on Main Street.

Shibles cited the "lack of available on-site parking and adequate off-site parking as a major consideration for evaluating the project and how it will adversely impact the public and private parking spaces in the downtown area that are untended to benefit the existing businesses."

If approved, Haines hopes to start renovations by this November with a completion date tentatively set for between January and March 2025.

The Planning Board also heard a proposal from Jeff Baker to establish a listening lounge with a restaurant and live music space at 493 Main St., directly across from the Gingerbread House at the gateway to the downtown.

The property would include an outdoor beer garden for perhaps 50 people. Describing it as a "chill environment," Baker said his plan is to "bring people together" for conversation and to listen to good music. Much of the music would come from his vast record collection played on a first-rate audio system, but he hopes to offer some live performances on weekends. To address noise concerns, Baker said any outdoor music will end by 9 p.m.

The board must review the application to see if it meets the town's standards.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry will summon Hungary's ambassador to Ukraine over what Ukrainian foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said were "completely unacceptable" remarks made by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban about Ukraine, Reuters reported.

Nikolenko wrote on Facebook that Orban had said that Ukraine was a no man's land and compared it to Afghanistan.

"Such statements are completely unacceptable. Budapest is continuing a deliberate course aimed at destroying Hungarian-Ukrainian relations," Reuters quoted Nikolenko as saying.

"The Hungarian ambassador will be summoned to the Ukrainian foreign ministry for a frank discussion. We reserve the right to take other measures in response."

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told state radio that Budapest would veto any European Union sanctions against Russia related to nuclear energy, Reuters reported separately on Jan. 27.
Photo: The Canadian Press Several police organizations across Canada are sending condolences to the family of a Black man who died earlier this month after five Memphis, Tenn. police officers beat him during a traffic stop. This photo provided by the Nichols family shows Tyre Nichols, who had a passion for photography and was described by friends as joyful and lovable. Nichols was just minutes from his home in Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 7, 2023, when he was pulled over by police and fatally beaten. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Courtesy of the Nichols family via AP

Canadian police chiefs condemned on Friday the death of a Black man who was savagely beaten by police during a traffic stop in the United States, saying the officers involved must be held accountable.

The condemnation of the actions that led to Tyre Nichols' death came as authorities in Memphis, Tenn., released a video of what happened.

The footage shows officers holding Nichols down and striking him repeatedly as he screamed for his mother.

After the beating, officers milled about for several minutes while Nichols lay propped up against a car, then slumped onto the street.

Nichols died three days after the Jan. 7 confrontation. The officers, all of whom are Black, were charged Thursday with murder and other crimes.

The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police called the circumstances of Nichols' death "horrific and highly disturbing," and offered condolences to his loved ones.

"(Officers') duties must always be done in a manner that is transparent, professional, and upholds the high standards of policing as a profession," the association said in a statement. "Every officer understands that they are accountable for their actions."

The Ottawa Police Service said Nichols' death and similar tragedies destabilize communities and undermine trust in police across North America.

"Nichols death, like so many before him, is tragic," Ottawa police said. "We join in the calls for justice, and we support the steps being taken to fully investigate the incident and hold the individuals accountable."

The chiefs of Peel police, Windsor police and Regina police also issued statements to condemn the actions of the officers charged in Nichols' death.

Peel police chief Nishan Duraiappah said the death of Nichols was "deeply disturbing," and that his thoughts were with the man's family and community.

Windsor police chief Jason Bellaire said Nichols death and similar events affect "police credibility" globally, and it will take the police a long time to rebuild relationships and restore trust with the community.

He said his force will work with any community groups that want to plan peaceful protests in response to Nichols death.

Regina police chief Evan Bray called the death of Nichols "tragic and unnecessary" in a video posted on Twitter.

Bray said he reached out to leaders from his city's Black community to express his sympathy and noted that Nichols death brings up "all kinds of heartache and trauma."

Given the likelihood of protests, Memphis Police Director Cerelyn Davis said she and other local officials decided it would be best to release the video later in the day, after schools were dismissed and people were home from work.

Nichols' mother, RowVaughn Wells, warned supporters of the horrific nature of the video but pleaded for peaceful protests.

I dont want us burning up our city, tearing up the streets, because thats not what my son stood for, she said. If you guys are here for me and Tyre, then you will protest peacefully.

The officers each face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Four of the five officers had posted bond and been released from custody by Friday morning, according to court and jail records.

Second-degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison under Tennessee law.

As a precaution, Memphis-area schools cancelled all after-class activities and postponed an event scheduled for Saturday morning. Other early closures included the city power company's community offices and the University of Memphis.

Davis said other officers are still being investigated for violating department policy. In addition, she said a complete and independent review will be conducted of the departments specialized units, without providing further details.

Two fire department workers were also removed from duty over Nichols arrest.
A judge is ordering a 30-year-old murder suspect to take medication so he can stand trial for killing his mother.

David J. Lowe became animated, moving his hands and writing on a piece of paper Friday morning as Judge Jacqueline Stam delivered her ruling.

Mr. Lowe has a poor history of medication compliance, Stam said. Mr. Lowe needs regular and consistent observation for the basis to continue with that medication.

A report from an evaluator at Eastern State Hospital says the former firefighter is suffering from an unspecified schizophrenia disorder and a methamphetamine addiction, and isnt able to understand the court proceedings or participate in his own defense.

Lowe is accused of stabbing his mother to death and wounding his stepfather after breaking into their home on July 27.

According to court records, he mistakenly believed his 4-year-old daughter was dead and his mother and stepfather were responsible.

The attack came just hours after West Richland police officers and medics tried to take Lowe to a local hospital because of his erratic behavior.

He is charged with first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and first-degree burglary. But the case was on hold while state psychologists determined whether he was mentally competent to go on trial.

In his interview with Eastern State evaluator Samantha Litt, he made several claims that didnt appear to be rooted in reality, including being a test subject for pharmaceuticals, having acid poured on his finger and being stalked by his ex-girlfriend.

In the month before the stabbing, Lowe had locked himself in a Richland gas station bathroom for eight hours.

After that incident, he was taken to an evaluation and treatment center, Wenatchee Parkside Stabilization, where he told staff he reported hearing his daughter and parents communicating with him.

Murder suspect David Lowe is escorted by corrections officers into Fridays hearing in Benton County Superior Court held to determine if he can be compelled to receive medication to treat mental health issues and stand trial. He is accused in the July 27, 2022 stabbing death of his mother Bethany Jean Lowe, 47, after he broke into her Richland home, according to court documents. He also allegedly stabbed her longtime boyfriend Andy Davis, leaving him seriously injured. Judge Jacquline Stam ruled he should receive the medication.

He endorsed suicidal and homicidal ideation, including thinking about killing people to steal their cars, so he could escape to Canada or Russia, said Litts report.

Story continues

He was diagnosed with schizophrenia and prescribed medication. At one point, he refused to take the medication because he felt clearer without it.

A short time later, after his release from that facility, he returned to Richland and his mom was killed.

Schizophrenia medication

After he was found not competent to stand trial on the murder charge, Lowe remained at the Benton County jail and was prescribed medication, said Dr. William Grant, a Washington state forensic psychiatrist. That medication is necessary for Lowe to be healthy enough to face charges, said officials.

Grant testified Friday in Benton County Superior Court via video link and described the unspecified schizophrenia disorder as a biochemical condition where a neurochemical system needs to be put back into balance.

Theres no other way to do it, Grant said. You cant treat it with words because its biochemical. Its got to be medication.

While Lowe had been taking an anti-psychotic regularly while in the jail, he stopped recently. The medication wont work if its used intermittently, he said.

Psychiatrist Dr. William Grant appears Benton County Superior court via a video link during the hearing for Richland murder suspect David Lowe. Grants assessment recommended Lowe receive drug therapy to treat his mental health issues.

Grant explained Lowe would need to be brought to Eastern State Hospital in Medical Lake to make sure that he took the medication.

Normally, they would try to negotiate with him to voluntarily take pills. Administering the medication by injection is usually the last resort.

Nobody wants to force medication, he said. For one thing, the defendant can get hurt, people can get hurt. So Im going to work with him for a good long while, and most people come around if youre patient and persistent.

The psychiatrist stopped short of staying what specific drug in particular would be prescribed. He said Lowe would need to be evaluated to determine which of a number of anti-psychotic medication would work.

Medication Problems

The lack of clarity on how Lowe would be treated was defense attorney Michael Vander Sys primary problem.

He pressed Grant to provide specifics on the drugs and their potential side effects.

In his closing, he called the hearing awfully premature since the psychiatrist had based his testimony on a report he didnt write without any specific treatment plan.

I think its a tough sell to tell this court that we want you to authorize medication, but were not going to tell you what it is because we havent decided yet, he said. And if it doesnt work, well just change it on our own without any court authority because we can do that.

It just feels like the request is essentially a blank check to do whether they want, saying, Trust us. We can do it.

He felt that requiring the medication may end up violating Lowes rights.

Deputy Prosecutor Josh Lilly said in his experience its not necessary for the doctors to spell out the treatment plan before he is under their direct treatment.

Stam sided with the prosecution allowing Eastern State Hospital doctors to force Lowe to take the medication while he is under their care.

She said she wasnt going to micromanage the doctor and tell them what they should prescribe.

This court believes that Dr. Grants testimony is persuasive in that he testified that the standard of care in any individual who is diagnosed with similar items as Mr. Lowe would be prescribed medication, she said. The court believes there is no less intrusive options that are available that restore the defendants competency.
Tacoma Police need help identifying the people responsible for the murder of a 16-year-old boy.

On Jan. 15 at 5:15 p.m., a person reported that a car had crashed in the 4300 block of North Pearl Street. Officers arrived and determined that the driver had been shot and killed, according to Tacoma police.

The teenager was driving a 2001 BMW and officers believe he may have been racing or involved in road rage incident with a dark, four-door sedan with tinted windows, the report said.

Detectives are looking for information about the sedan, the people in the car, and what led up to the shooting.

They are offering up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and all callers will remain anonymous. Call 1-800-222-TIPS.
Ncuti Gatwa is set to take over the lead role in Doctor Who later this year. (Disney)

Russell T Davies says Doctor Who viewers can expect several spin-off series in the coming years  partly thanks to the show's partnership with Disney+.

The streamer has acquired the rights to the show outside of the UK and has reportedly also injected some extra cash into its famously low budget.

Read more: Doctor Who to return to Christmas Day schedule in 2024

Returning showrunner Davies told GQ that he believes Doctor Who is ready to move forward and says spin-off series are very much a part of that, pointing to multiple spin-offs during his first tenure on the show.

"I thought  with no criticism whatsoever towards the people who were running it at the time, because they were running it within the BBC's measures  it was time for the next stage for Doctor Who," he said.

Russell T Davies is a huge fan of Doctor Who spin-offs and expects more of them now in the streaming era. (Getty)

Davies added: "I thought the streaming platforms are ready, the spin-offs are ready. I always believed in spin-offs when I was there. I did Torchwood as a spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures as a spin-off.

"Those spin-offs declined when I left, and I can see why. And I very much left after 2008, when the money became scarce.

"I think that's fair enough for the public service broadcaster that the money is spent on other things."

Read more: Torchwood and BBC Three's best shows

Davies said the increased budgets are very welcome, but said that figures in news reports suggesting 10m per episode were way off the mark.

"It was the BBC's notion to go for a streamer [Disney+] to invest in the show worldwide, which I completely agree with," he said.

David Tennant is returning to the lead role in Doctor Who for several special episodes this year. (BBC)

Davies added: "I mean any piece of television costs millions. We're not allowed to talk about budget, and we're not on that Star Wars or Star Trek level, but it's more than I've ever had to work with."

The returning showrunner takes the reins of Doctor Who this year, with a series of special episodes due to mark the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who in November.

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Read more: Everything we know about upcoming Doctor Who specials

David Tennant will play the lead role in those episodes, following the shocking regeneration which saw Jodie Whittaker replaced by the star  12 years after he previously said goodbye.

In the wake of those specials, Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa will receive the keys to the Tardis, alongside Coronation Street actor Millie Gibson as his travelling companion.

Watch: David Tennant and Catherine Tate mark Doctor Who Day
(Reuters) -Russia accused the Ukrainian military of deliberately striking a hospital in a Russian-held area of eastern Ukraine on Saturday in what it said was a war crime that killed 14 people and wounded 24 patients and medical staff.

There was no immediate response to the allegations from Ukraine. Reuters was not able to independently verify the report.

The alleged strike hit a hospital in the Russian-held settlement of Novoaidar and was carried out using a U.S.-supplied HIMARS rocket launch system, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

"A deliberate missile strike against a known functioning civilian medical facility is without doubt a serious war crime by the Kyiv regime," the defence ministry said.

"All those involved in the planning and execution of this crime will be found and held accountable."

Civilian and military medics had been working in the hospital for many months treating local people and soldiers, it said.

Ukraine and its Western allies have accused Russian forces of frequent war crimes in the conflict in which thousands of civilians have been killed and cities and towns pounded by artillery and air strikes. Russia denies targetting civilians.

(Reporting by ReutersEditing by Andrew Osborn and Angus MacSwan)
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A Russian research vessel which has been prospecting for oil and natural gas in the Antarctic docked in South Africa on Saturday following protests by green campaigners who say its operations in the region violate a treaty banning mineral exploration.

Several members of the Extinction Rebellion environmental group held banners reading "Hands off Antarctica" as the polar explorer ship Akademik Alexander Karpinsky arrived as scheduled in Cape Town's port during the morning.

Earlier this week, several dozen protesters from Greenpeace and Extinction Rebellion demonstrated at the port, saying the ship's seismic surveys in the Antarctic were a threat to marine life in the area and violated a 1958 international agreement.

A 1998 amendment to the 55-nation Antarctic Treaty, to which both Russia and South Africa are signatories, prohibits all mineral explorations and extractions in the region.

RosGeo, the state-owned Russian exploration company that operates the Akademik Alexander Karpinsky, says it has been conducting research in Russia's designated part of Antarctica since 1970 to explore for hydrocarbons.

According to RosGeo's website, the hydrocarbon potential of the designated area is estimated at approximately 70 billion tonnes.

RosGeo did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Extinction Rebellion representative Cassie Goodman told Reuters that South Africa's government was being complicit in environmental damage by allowing the Russian ship to dock.

South Africa's Foreign Ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

President Cyril Ramaphosa's government has friendly relations with Russia. South Africa says it is impartial on the Ukraine conflict and has abstained from voting on U.N. resolutions on the war.

Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited South Africa and the two countries along with China are set to conduct a joint military exercise on the African nation's east coast between Feb. 17 and 27.

(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee; Editing by Helen Popper)
Kherson Oblast

Read also: Russians shell Kostyantynivka, killing three civilians

The invaders opened fire on peaceful towns and villages with artillery, rocket launchers and mortars, the OVA said.

In particular, the enemy shelled the city of Kherson five times, damaging residential buildings and medical facilities.

Read also: Russian troops kill four civilians, injure seven in Donetsk Oblast, governor says

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on Jan. 27, Russian troops launched 10 missile strikes, 26 air strikes, and also carried out 81 attacks from multiple launch rocket systems on Ukraine. In particular, in the Kherson direction, the settlements of Zolota Balka, Havrylivka, Dudchany, Chervonyi Mayak, Monastyrske, Tomaryne, Burhunka, Tyahynka, Komyshany and the city of Kherson all came under fire.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Sarah Michelle Gellar at the Los Angeles premiere of

Sarah Michelle Gellar at the Los Angeles premiere of "Wolf Pack" last week.

Vampires dont age, but Sarah Michelle Gellar does  and she doesnt want to be reminded of her mortality.

On Friday, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer star appeared on The Graham Norton Show, where the host noted that her iconic teen drama has been off the air for 20 years now. The final episode, Chosen, was broadcast on May 20, 2003, on UPN, per IMDb.

A week now people have been reminding me, Gellar said. But yes, 20 years.

The host then asked the Wolf Pack star if she thought it was annoying or lovely that people are still talking about Buffy today.

No, I love that people reference it! Gellar said. I just dont need the actual date and passage of time.



She elaborated: Because then its like, Oh, now we realize how old you are. Otherwise I feel like its maybe a little bit of a mystery.

Gellar also recently revealed another aspect of Buffy that she doesnt exactly love, either.

While speaking to Who What Wear, the actor suggested that the iconic crucifix she sported on the show wasnt something the fashionable Buffy Summers would actually wear.

[The character] Angel gives her the cross in episode, I think, seven, maybe, of the first season. And obviously I was going to be wearing this cross forever, and it was just made by a prop master, Gellar said, before quickly noting that she had nothing against prop masters.

But you want your costume designer to design something that youre going to have to wear with every outfit. And the thing is  you know, I have a tiny torso  and the thing is like this big, she said, using her hands to indicate the large size.

It felt like the Mr. T cross, Gellar joked.
Photo: The Canadian Press Toronto police say it has arrested three people who fraudulently sold a home while its owners were out of the country. A Toronto Police Services logo is shown at headquarters, in Toronto, on Friday, August 9, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov

Toronto police say three people are facing fraud charges after they allegedly sold a home that wasn't theirs while the owners were out of the country.

Police allege two men and a woman impersonated the homeowners of a Toronto property earlier this month.

Police say the home was sold and and the woman and two men allegedly collected the proceeds of the sale.

The force further alleges the accused tried to withdraw the money made from the sale of the home at a bank in York Region on Thursday, where they were arrested by York police.

A 41-year-old woman from Markham was charged with fraud over $5,000, forging documents and other crimes, while two 22-year-olds from Toronto were both charged with one count of fraud over $5,000.

Investigators believe there may be more victims and are asking anyone with information to contact police.
Sam Bankman-Fried. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

An attorney for Sam Bankman-Fried asked a federal judge to allow him access to FTX crypto.

Bankman-Fried is currently facing wire fraud and money laundering charges. He's pleaded not guilty.

Bankman-Fried resigned as FTX CEO in November 2022 after the company filed for bankruptcy.

As a part of Sam Bankman-Fried's bail conditions, the disgraced FTX founder is barred from accessing his company's assets and cryptocurrency.

But his lawyer says that should change.

Bankman-Fried has been charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He has pleaded not guilty.

On Saturday, an attorney for Bankman-Fried asked a federal judge to lift the financial restrictions on his client, according to court documents viewed by Insider.

"Nearly three weeks have passed since the initial pretrial conference and we assume that the Government's investigation has confirmed what Mr. Bankman-Fried has said all along; namely, that he did not access and transfer these assets," attorney Mark Cohen wrote in the filing. "Given that the sole basis advanced for seeking that condition has not been supported, we believe that the bail condition imposed at the conference should be removed."

The court barred Bankman-Fried from "accessing or transferring any FTX or Alameda assets or cryptocurrency" on January 3 at the request of the government, which noted that "certain crypto assets in digital wallets belonging to Alameda had recently been accessed and transferred," the filing says.

"The Government admitted to the Court that it had no evidence that Mr. Bankman-Fried was responsible, and Mr. Bankman-Fried has repeatedly denied any involvement in the transfers," Cohen wrote in the letter.

SBF's attorney also proposed that he should have unlimited contact with his father, therapist, and any foreign regulator who contacts him.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A Shelby man was sentenced to more than 17 years behind bars for drug trafficking, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

On Jan. 25, U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney sentenced 45-year-old Chadwick Javon Strong, known as Izeem Ockman Ackridge, to 214 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl and cocaine.

Filed court documents and proceedings show that from 2018 to July 2021, Strong distributed fentanyl and cocaine in Gaston, Mecklenburg, and Cleveland counties.

ALSO READ: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Library celebrates one year anniversary of mobile library

An investigation into Strongs drug trafficking allowed law enforcement to confirm that the defendant sold and possessed with intent to distribute one kilogram of fentanyl. According to investigators, Strong disguised the substance with pill markings for another.

According to the release, along with the illegal substances, $3,000 in cash and two handguns were found in Strongs possession.

In court, Strong pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of fentanyl and cocaine.

He is currently in federal custody, where he will remain until he is transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where he will be assigned to a federal facility.

(WATCH BELOW: Trump kicks off 2024 bid with events in early voting states)
















Three older adults were swallowed by a sinkhole in a front yard in New York, police said.

Police responded to a home in Huntington, Long Island, early in the morning on Jan. 26 after they received a report of a woman in a hole in the ground, according to a statement from the Suffolk County Police Department.

The woman, 71, tumbled into the hole as she was leaving her house to head to work, according to NBC New York. As she walked across her yard in the dark, the ground beneath her suddenly opened up.

Two people rushed over to help, but they also fell into the hole, per NBC and CBS New York.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found all three individuals stuck in a hole measuring approximately six feet wide by six feet deep, police said.

With the help of a bystander, one officer hoisted one of the three to safety.

A second officer got a ladder from a neighbor and lowered it into the hole, allowing the two others to climb out, police said.

Two of the individuals, both in their sixties or seventies, were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation, and the other was not injured.

A town building inspector is expected to survey the property and determine what might have caused the hole, police said.

Sinkholes typically originate when bedrock is dissolved by water, creating open spaces under the surface, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania are most sinkhole-prone, according to the American Geosciences Institute.

15-foot deep sinkhole forms along Oregon coast cliffside, photos show. Portal in time

World War II-era building slides 200 feet down California cliff after heavy rain

Freezing hikers stranded in Zion park found with infrared sensors. See dramatic rescue

29-year-old enrolled in high school and attended for four days, New Jersey cops say
"Find a good way to skate," Josh Adams, a Memphis skateboarder and activist, told the crowd of people gathered for a vigil for Tyre Nichols on Thursday night. "Get into some good trouble out here."

Nichols was also a skateboarder, though Adams never had a chance to meet him before Nichols died on Jan. 10 at the age of 29, three days after being stopped by Memphis Police in an incident that is under investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. It has led to the firing, arrests and indictments of five Memphis Police Officers as well as a national outcry.

READ MORE:Tense Memphis mourns Tyre Nichols, awaits release of video

Nichols has been remembered by friends as a deeply spiritual person and a free spirit. Family noted how he was loved by anyone he met. And how he loved skateboarding. According to his longtime friend Angelina Paxton, skate culture in California, where Nichols is from, is an escape from gang culture.

"When you're going to inner-city schools, you either choose to be part of the gang banging and all the crazy stuff, or you choose to be part of sports," Paxton told the Commercial Appeal in early January. "Or you can be an outcast and be part of the street team  that's what we call skaters and long-boarders and roller skaters."

Nichols lived in Memphis for a little under three years, moving to the city in February 2020 after friends convinced him to relocate and start fresh, but the skateboarding community still wanted to come out to honor him.

"I know that Tyre had just been in the city not a long time, so he really didn't time to establish an amount of friends and build a community that is here, and we just really wanted to show his mom that skaters do care about skaters," Luke Sexton, one of the organizers, said prior to the vigil.

Tobey Skatepark was lined with candles as skaters, activists and community members gathered Thursday evening. RowVaughn Wells, Nichols' mother, spoke to the crowd briefly, thanking everyone for coming and asking for people to protest in peace following the expected Friday evening release of the video showing the interaction between the officers and Nichols.

Story continues

"When that tape comes out tomorrow, it's going to be horrific," Wells said. "I didn't see it, but from what I hear, it's going to be horrific. But I want each and every one of you to protest in peace. I don't want the burning of our city, tearing up the streets. Cause that's not what my son stood for. And if you guys are here for me and Tyre, then you will protest peacefully."

Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy said Thursday afternoon that it is his understanding that the video will be a combination of body camera video and SkyCop video. Some of the video will be redacted, Mulroy said. The video is, by all accounts, incredibly difficult to watch, with Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch, calling it "absolutely appalling" and civil rights attorney and one of the Nichols' family attorneys Ben Crump comparing it to the 1991 beating of Rodney King by police in Los Angeles.

Crump said Monday after seeing the video that the last words on the video were of Nichols, only 80-100 yards from his house, calling out three times for his mom.

"Don't let your children watch the video," family members and activists said Thursday night.

Tyre Nichols death:How to navigate news coverage, social media as footage releases

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis said Wednesday night that more officers are under investigation in addition to the five charged, though she didn't specify how many or the nature of the policy violations. In addition, a Memphis Fire Department spokeswoman said Monday that two Memphis Firefighters involved in the initial care of Nichols were "relieved of duty" pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

"We're not going to take it no more," Amber Sherman, a local activist, said at the vigil. "We want clear answers from every person who was on the scene that violently killed Tyre. Everyone who had a hand, we need every name released. Don't just quietly fire firefighters, don't just quietly fire paramedics, EMTs, release their names. Release the files. All of them got to come out."

Sherman also called for the disbandment of the MPD unit called SCORPION, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, that some of the officers have been identified as belonging to.

The unit focuses on preventing auto theft and gang-related violence and was structured to have some coordination with the Multi-Agency Gang Unit. Davis has also announced an independent review of all of the departments specialized units.

"We're not investigating nothing, we're disbanding it," Sherman said. "We're disbanding the OCU, we're disbanding the MCU, y'all are murdering people. Y'all are pulling up on people buying pizzas with guns to their heads, trying to go home. Tyre was just trying to go home. That man was just trying to go home, he just wanted to get food for himself. We can't even feed ourselves and y'all murdering us. We're not doing it no more."

In addition to advocating for a city ordinance set to be introduced by Councilman JB Smiley in the Memphis City Council's Feb. 7 meeting that would require Memphis Police officers to report consistent and detailed reports on traffic stops, along with use-of-force complaints, Sherman asked that people show up in the coming days.

"Your going to see us putting out calls to action, show up," Sherman said. "Your going to see us saying 'pull up for this family, support this family,' show up. Y'all are real deep at this skate park, I need it deeper. I need thousands. We're going to be in the streets for Tyre and we're not letting up."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Skateboarders, activists, family gather to honor Tyre Nichols
The Grammy-winning music legends new album of original material drops on April 28.

Smokey Robinson is making a return with new music. The legendary singer-songwriter is releasing, GASMS, his first album in nine years.

Robinson is dropping the album on April 28, with nine brand-new tracks, according to PEOPLE. The collection includes the lead single, If We Dont Have Each Other, released on Friday. Known for writing hit ballads as a solo act, Robinson explained that the single finds him going in another direction.

I chose this song as the first single of my new album because its different musically and has a slide dance feeling to it which is different from what Ive ever done before, Robinson said in a statement. It also has a current rhythm of today that I love, and I hope everyone else does too.

Robinsons last album, Smokey & Friends, was released in 2014. The album featured the Grammy Award winner reconfiguring 11 of his classic songs with star-studded duet partners, including Mary J. Blige, John Legend, Ledisi, Miguel, and CeeLo Green. His last album of original material was 2009s Time Flies When Youre Having Fun.

The announcement of Robinsons new album comes nearly a year after his collaboration on The Temptations latest album, Temptations 60. Robinson produced and sang on the albums sensual lead single, Is It Gonna Be Yes or No. Robinson wrote several of the Temptations first big hits for Motown, including My Girl, Since I Lost My Baby, The Way You Do the Things You Do, and Get Ready.

GASMS will add to Robinsons catalog of classic material of most self-penned songs, building his reputation as one of the greatest American songwriters of all time. Whether as leader of The Miracles or a solo act, Robinson penned and recorded additions to the American songbook, such as The Tracks of My Tears, The Tears of a Clown, Cruisin, Quiet Storm, and Being With You, just to name a few.

Story continues

TheGrio music writer Matthew Allen contributed to this article.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post Smokey Robinson to release first new album in nearly a decade, GASMS appeared first on TheGrio.
By Borja Suarez

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police seized 4.5 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of 105 million euros ($114 million) after raiding a cattle ship off the Canary Islands earlier this week, a statement said on Saturday.

The ship had stopped at ports in about a dozen countries before Tuesday's raid, and police said drug smugglers had started using livestock ships because it was more difficult for police to trace their illicit cargo.

"International organisations are reinventing themselves to transport drugs from Latin America to Europe, using livestock to make the control and localisation more difficult," the Spanish police statement said.

Police arrested 28 crew members on the Togo-flagged Orion V, which had been trailed from Colombia in an operation by Spanish authorities, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Togo police.

Officers unloaded dozens of boxes containing the cocaine on the port side in Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria.

($1 = 0.9202 euros)

(Additional reporting by Graham Keeley and Miguel Gutierrez; Editing by Helen Popper)
PITTSBURGH (AP)  Kahliel Spear scored 25 points and Robert Morris beat Antoine Davis and Detroit Mercy for the first time 85-77 on Friday night.

Spear made 10 of 14 shots from the floor and all five of his free throws for the Colonials (10-12, 5-6 Horizon League). Josh Corbin hit six 3-pointers and scored 20. Michael Green III sank three 3-pointers and scored 13 off the bench. Jackson Last contributed 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and four steals. Enoch Cheeks finished with 11 points and eight assists as RMU beat the Titans for the first time in seven tries.

Davis led the Titans (8-14, 4-7) with 29 points. He made 9 of 11 shots from beyond the arc but sank just 1 of 10 from inside it. The fifth-year senior, who is second on the Division I all-time scoring list, now has 3,317 career points. He trails record-holder Pete Maravich of LSU (1967-70) by 350 points. Maravich set the record in three seasons.

Gerald Liddell added 16 points and seven rebounds for Detroit Mercy. Damezi Anderson pitched in with 13 points, six rebounds and four assists. Davis added four steals and three assists. Davis came in averaging 33.6 points in five career games against RMU.

Robert Morris will host Oakland on Sunday. Detroit Mercy travels to play Youngstown State on Sunday.

___

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
Steinhoff International Holdings (JSE:SNH) Full Year 2022 Results

Key Financial Results

Revenue: 10.3b (up 12% from FY 2021).

Net loss: 752.0m (loss narrowed by 24% from FY 2021).

0.18 loss per share (improved from 0.23 loss in FY 2021).

All figures shown in the chart above are for the trailing 12 month (TTM) period

Steinhoff International Holdings shares are up 2.0% from a week ago.

Risk Analysis

Before we wrap up, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Steinhoff International Holdings that you should be aware of.

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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Organization without sacrificing style.

Target

If you're a bit behind on New Year's Resolutions (like me) and still have some spaces in your home that need a bit of extra love and organization, Targets new collection has you covered. South African brand, Mo's Crib makes sustainable baskets, trays, and planters out of hand-woven ilala palm for a unique rustic look.

Sisters and co-founders, Mo and Michelle Mokone, commit to maximum sustainability, durability, and functionality for all of their products, successfully cleaning 6,000 pounds of PVC plastic and expanding operations in South Africa since the brand's launch in the US last year. Supporting the brand means supporting artisans and honoring traditional African craftsmanship.

The Target collection features six products that combine beauty and functionality for optimal organization and styling in every room of your house, with different shapes and sizes to fit your space and budget.

We broke down the entire collection, so you can find the best pieces to help organize your life in style.

Target

Honeycomb Laundry Basket

Adding a touch of beauty to tedious chores makes them a bit more enjoyable to tackle. The honeycomb laundry basket features a gorgeous detailed pattern and hides all of your dirty clothes beautifully, especially with the fitted lid. It comes in two different sizes, holding up to 27 pounds of clothes. Perfect for large families, the basket would also work perfectly in a living room as a catchall for blankets and throws.

To buy: From $69; target.com.

Target

Karula Laundry Basket

If you're looking for a more simplified pattern that still achieves a minimalistic, rustic aesthetic, look at the Karula laundry basket. It features the same handles and fitted lid as the honeycomb variety, fits the same amount of laundry, and has nearly the same dimensions. In this case, it all comes down to your design preference. It's important to note that because each piece is handmade, there may be slight variations in color and design throughout, which just adds to these pieces' appeal.

Story continues

To buy: From $69; target.com.

Target

Karula Tray

Woven in the same striped pattern as the laundry basket of the same name, the Karula trays make excellent decor for organizing and displaying vases, books, and even toys on dining tables, mantels, countertops, and more. The included handles make these trays easy to maneuver and a functional storage solution as well. Pick the perfect size for you and start dreaming about beautifully organized tabletops.

To buy: From $30; target.com.

Target

Multi Storage Basket

When it's time to tackle the closet, rectangular storage bins are the perfect solution to organize shelves and give them a classy, put-together look. The multi-storage baskets feature convenient handles, come in two sizes, and hold up to 12 pounds of clothes, toys, blankets, or anything else you can think of.

To buy: From $41; target.com.

Target

Karula Basket

In addition to the honeycomb and Karula laundry baskets, the collection also features planter baskets in the same designs. There are three different sizes available in the Karula baskets and you can choose ones with handles or without. The options with handles are great for extra storage in a nursery or living room, while the handle-less options would make gorgeous planters for tall indoor trees and houseplants. Buy a few to tie in the rustic theme throughout.

To buy: From $29; target.com.

Target

Honeycomb Basket

Match your new honeycomb laundry basket with a storage basket in the same woven pattern to keep stuffed animals, hats and gloves in the winter, or spare pairs of sheets for guests. Unlike the laundry basket, these honeycomb baskets don't have lids or handles. Therefore, they may not be the best option for moving around constantly. Instead, use it as a permanent storage solution in your bedroom or as a planter nestled near a window.

To buy: From $29; target.com.

Browse the entire Mo's Crib collaboration, only at Target.



More Must-Shop Deals

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Read the original article on Real Simple.
A Tacoma woman on Friday received a 27-month prison term for a multi-year scam that defrauded friends and acquaintances of more than $600,000 through various falsehoods.

Sabrina Taylor, 41, pleaded guilty in July to one count of wire fraud, and the sentence was handed down Friday in U.S. District Court in Seattle.

The sentence was announced in a release from the U.S. Attorneys Office in the Western District of Washington.

Law enforcement officials say Taylor lied about her health, employment status and education to steal more than $600,000 from people who had offered to help her, according to the release.

At Fridays sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez underscored the serious nature of the case, noting that for years Taylor engaged in a sustained and calculated course of conduct that preyed upon her victims best emotions.

Court filings show that Taylor started the scams in 2013, continuing into July 2019 and beyond.

According to the release, Taylor convinced people to provide her with large amounts of money by claiming that she needed to purchase medicine for multiple sclerosis treatment, pay her tuition for the University of Washington, or bail her brother out of jail.

Each scenario turned out to be false. The case was investigated by the FBI.

Taylor used a substantial portion of the defrauded funds to pay for luxuries such as almost $60,000 for multiple trips to Japan and Korea, nearly $38,000 for online purchases from Amazon and Etsy, more than $29,000 for clothing, and nearly $16,000 for make-up, according to Fridays release.

It added that Taylor also made false claims about how she was planning to repay loans, lying about her employment, a litigation settlement from her bank and funds she expected to receive from her parents.

Some of the fraud victims were people Taylor met online, with Taylor later admitting to stealing over $550,000 from one victim, the release noted.

Taylor met the victims using shared interests such as Japanese anime, comic books, or video games to establish a relationship, it added.

Assistant United States Attorney Joe Silvio wrote in his sentencing memo, Several of Taylors victims suffered substantial financial hardship  some likely will never be made whole financially. Equally as important, Taylor exploited and betrayed the trust of each of her victims and many of Taylors victims will continue to pay an emotional toll for many years to come.

Taylor was ordered to pay $608,975 in restitution to the victims. Prosecutors in the case recommended no more than 27 months in prison for Taylor; maximum sentencing guidelines go up to 20 years.
Workers say it is a swing and a miss by Honda of America in attempts to make sure their paychecks are correct.

An News Center 7 I-Team Investigation told you two weeks ago that Hondas switch to a payroll processing firm led to hundreds workers being hundreds of dollars short on their paystub.

>>PHOTOS: Shocked more than anything else; Some Honda workers hundreds of dollars short after payroll error

News Center 7s Mike Campbell spoke with workers and the company Friday about more problems this pay cycle.

Hundreds of workers are still waiting for all the money they are owed from two weeks ago but they and the company hoped the problems would be corrected this pay cycle.

Workers are telling us, there are still issues.

Its definitely frustrating, one worker told News Center 7.

Honda workers flooded News Center 7 with phone calls and emails Friday and all of them said there are still payroll issues this pay cycle.

Many are frustrated because they still arent sure they have been paid everything they owed from January 13.

>>Tired of it; Honda worker shares frustration after shorted paycheck, says it isnt the first time

Workers reached out to News Center 7 by phone claiming they cant double-check because an employee paystub verification web page disappeared.

But when all the workers said their checks were wrong, they took it down, the same worker said. Mine was short about $450, I believe.

Theres definitely been more questions than answers, another worker told News Center 7.

Campbell reports the company told News Center 7 they are working as hard as they can to fix a problem.

While the primary issues were corrected, Honda said. Our payroll audit process detected a new issue that we are working quickly to correct.

>>Frustrating; Wife of Honda employee says theyre under threat of eviction after short paychecks

News Center 7 obtained an email showing that the issue again involves a tax withholding issue with workers Health Savings accounts.

Story continues

Associated HSA medical plan contributions were incorrectly taxed, the e-mail said. This would translate into an average impact of $9 to $20, based on the associates tax with holdings.

Honda values our associates and deeply regrets that the payroll issues occurred, a spokesperson told News Center 7. We will continue to work with our associates until all issues are resolved.

>>Shocked more than anything else; Some Honda workers hundreds of dollars short after payroll error

Campbell reports the explanations and requests to stay patient are also beginning to cause frustrating with workers.

We work, we expect to be compensated for that and not have issues, one worker said.

A lot of us are moving on to other jobs, with more stability, another worker told News Center 7. Honda is not what it used to be.

Campbell said there are almost 5,000 Honda workers here in Marysville, about 16,000 total in Ohio.

The company makes it clear many of them have not been impacted by payroll problems but its possible all have been impacted by potential problems.

>>ORIGINAL STORY: Some Honda workers will get less in their paychecks because of tax withholding errors

Honda released a full statement Friday to News Center 7:

The primary payroll system issues experienced by Honda associates on January 13 have been corrected for the January 27 payroll. Moreover, all associates who completed the necessary updates to their W-4 elections and direct deposit designations, will see their January 13 payroll correction reflected in their January 27 pay. While the primary issues were corrected, our payroll audit process detected a new issue that we are working quickly to correct.

During the past week we have taken multiple actions to minimize the impact to associates affected by the January 13 payroll issues, with a focus on ensuring that no associate is put in a short-term disadvantaged financial position. This includes the immediate corrective payments made to address the HSA contribution error, the availability of a zero-interest payroll loan, and working to establish a process to reimburse associates who incurred late fees.

For all associates who have yet to make their required W-4 tax election or direct deposit designation, we have communicated how to address these issues, including the use of a self-service option to update withholdings, and will continue to support our associates if an issue occurs with their pay.

The implementation of our new HR system brings with it a new payroll process  which introduces variables including a change for some associates to bi-weekly pay. That change to bi-weekly pay could lead to questions from associates that are separate from any pay errors. So, we remain committed to correcting any errors as quickly as possible and are also working to help explain to our associates the changes to bi-weekly pay and how those checks will look.

Honda values our associates and deeply regrets that the payroll issues occurred. We will continue to work with our associates until all issues are resolved.

Photos from: Mike Campbell/Staff

Photos from: Mike Campbell/Staff

Photos from: Mike Campbell/Staff

Photos from: Mike Campbell/Staff

Photos from: Mike Campbell/Staff
A teenager is in serious but stable condition after being shot Friday by Tracy police officers.

The 17-year-old boy was shot by officers responding to a call regarding a suspicious circumstance between two males, according to the Tracy Police Department.

A caller reported that a male with a knife was chasing the other individual.

According to a media statement, Tracy officers arrived at 1:56 p.m. and saw the teenager wielding a knife.

The suspect approached the officer. The suspect was given commands to stop and drop the knife. The suspect failed to follow commands as he advanced towards the officer, according to the police statement.

The officer shot the youth after fearing for his safety and the safety of those in the area, according to Tracy police.

Neighbors can be seen frantically rushing out to Silvertail Place and Foxtail Way, where the boy laid on the ground in a video of the aftermath captured on Tracy Mountain Reviews Facebook page.

I need an ambulance to Silvertail (Place) and Foxtail Way theres a man down, shot by police, a man can be heard saying in a video.

Can someone console the family or something, a neighbor said to an officer.

You guys need to go back in the house, this is a crime scene, the officer responded.

I live here and you guys just shot my minor neighbor, he replied.

Tracy PD just shot a 17-year-old minor, bro, another neighborhood resident said later in the video.

Muslim advocacy group seeks full transparency

The Sacramento Valley/Central California office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Sacramento) is asking for a fully transparent and independent investigation. The boy was identified as a Muslim.

We are monitoring this extremely disturbing incident and demand that law enforcement authorities operate with full transparency and conduct an independent investigation that will swiftly make public all the facts in this case, CAIR-Sacramento Executive Director Basim Elkarra said.

Tracy Police Department spokesperson Kaylin Heefner told The Sacramento Bee the investigation is ongoing and the agency will release its video once the investigation is complete.
After less than a month on the bench, newly elected Whatcom County District Court Judge Jonathan Rands has found himself in the middle of a legal battle with the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorneys Office.

The prosecutors office has accused Rands of illegally refusing to remove himself from handling more than 100 criminal cases and has requested a higher court to take emergency and extraordinary measures to resolve the situation.





At the same time, an attorney for Rands has accused the prosecutors office of attempting to intimidate Rands and by extension, District Court as a whole.

In a Friday, Jan. 27, hearing, Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Rob Olson said in his nearly 30 years practicing law in Whatcom County, hes never experienced a situation or case like this.

Olson issued an order vacating a temporary restraining order issued against Rands last week, and issued a new one that expires within 14 days. The temporary order bars Rands from handling more than 100 District Court cases, but allows Whatcom County District Court Judge Angela Anderson to preside over the cases Rands is temporarily restricted from hearing.

Case background

Whatcom County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Levi Uhrig filed a petition Jan. 20 seeking writs of mandamus and certiorari from Whatcom County Superior Court.

If granted, the writ of mandamus would require Rands to recuse himself from presiding over roughly 123 criminal cases, while the writ of certiorari would void any action or rulings made by Rands in the cases after the county prosecutors office requested he not hear them, according to records filed in Whatcom County Superior Court.

Like a writ of certiorari, a writ of mandamus is an extraordinary remedy which should be granted sparingly, Uhrigs writs petition states.

The same day, a temporary restraining order was issued against Rands, barring him from handling the roughly 123 criminal cases the prosecutors office requested he recuse himself from hearing.

Story continues

Stephen Hayne, Rands former attorney in the matter, filed a motion Friday, Jan. 27, requesting the temporary restraining order against Rands be vacated.

In the motion, Hayne stated that the requirements for issuing a temporary restraining order were not met and that the actions taken by the prosecuting attorneys office were an attempt to intimidate Rands and suggested dubious motives, according to the court records.

The Whatcom County Prosecutors actions raise serious and uncomfortable questions that should be of concern, Haynes motion states.

Friday appointments

At Fridays hearing, Judge Olson also appointed Shane Brady as special prosecuting attorney for Whatcom County District Court and Rands.

Per state law, a county prosecutors office has to represent city, county and judicial officials, among others, when theyre named as parties in a lawsuit. Because theres a conflict of interest in the current case, Brady was appointed as a special prosecutor to represent Rands and District Court.

Hayne also withdrew as Rands attorney at Fridays hearing.

A hearing will be held Feb. 6 where attorneys will make arguments regarding the merits of the temporary restraining order and the petition for the writs.

Brady declined to comment on the pending litigation when reached by The Bellingham Herald Friday evening.

When reached by phone Friday evening, Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Richey said responses to the allegations, information regarding the situation and the actions he and his office took will be filed as legal responses in the case early next week.

The Herald has also asked Rands for comment.

Rands was elected to the District Court bench after winning the November election with 62.3% of the vote. Rands took the oath of office and was sworn in as judge on Jan. 9. He took over the caseload of his predecessor, former Judge Matthew Elich, who retired.

Whatcom County District Court consists of two elected judges who serve four-year terms and preside over cases that include criminal misdemeanors, no-contact orders, general civil actions, small claims and infractions, such as traffic tickets and code violations.

Whatcom County District Court Judge Jonathan Rands was sworn into office Monday, Jan. 9.

Affidavits filed

Between Jan. 13 and Jan. 18, the Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorneys Office filed affidavits of prejudice against Rands in around 123 criminal cases, according to Uhrigs petition.

Affidavits of prejudice are filed against judges in cases where attorneys dont believe they can have an impartial trial or hearing before the judge, according to Washington state law and Washington state court rules regarding the disqualification of judges.

Affidavits of prejudice have to be filed within 10 days after an accused persons arraignment hearing, unless a particular incident, conversation or utterance from the judge arises after the 10-day window, the court rules state. In courts with more than one judge, such as Whatcoms District Court, the 10-day window starts on the date when an attorney has actual notice of assignment or reassignment of the case to that specific judge, the court rules state.

While Rands was presiding over an omnibus calendar on Jan. 17, he did not remove himself from handling the cases where affidavits of prejudice had been filed against him, according to Uhrigs petition.

Rands ruled that the affidavits were untimely. While they were filed within 10 days after he was sworn in as judge, Rands said the prosecutors office had reasonable notice all of the cases were being reassigned to him before he took office, inferring that any affidavits should have been made within 10 days of him winning the 2022 election or the auditor certifying the results of the 2022 election, the writs petition states.

Rands then ruled in some of the cases the prosecutors office had sought to disqualify him from hearing, the records state.

In his petition for the writs, Uhrig stated that the prosecutors office didnt have notice the cases were reassigned to Rands until Jan. 9  the date which Rands took the oath of office. Rands didnt begin his duties as judge until he took office, according to Uhrigs petition.

Judge Rands implicit assertion that the State would have had to file affidavits against him while he was still an attorney and not yet a judge inexcusably bestows duties of judicial office upon individuals who have not taken the judicial oath, have not entered their term of office, and who are explicitly barred by statute from assuming full-time judicial office, the petition states.

Uhrig wrote that Rands was attempting to retroactively extend his term of office to include the time prior to taking the judicial oath, and that Rands arguments for the dates by which the prosecutors office had notice of the cases being reassigned should reveal the extraordinary and unlawful nature of what Judge Rands is attempting to do.

Uhrig requested the Superior Court order Rands to recuse himself from handling the 123 criminal cases where affidavits of prejudice have been filed against him and to void any rulings made by Rands after he declined to remove himself from hearing the cases, the court records show.

Uhrig declined to comment due to the pending litigation when reached Thursday, Jan. 26, by The Herald.

Denial explained

In a written response filed with the court Jan. 18, Rands explained his decision in denying to recuse himself from handling the cases.

Rands wrote that the caseload assigned to former Judge Elich would remain with the judge who succeeded Elich after his retirement.

Rands also stated that its a judges duty to determine whether a motion to disqualify a judge is timely filed and meets the required basis for an affidavit of prejudice. Just because a motion is filed to disqualify a judge does not mean the judge is automatically disqualified, Rands wrote in his decision denying recusal.

Rands said the prosecutors office filed affidavits of prejudice against him in 50 cases on Jan. 13 and that all 50 of the cases had previously been assigned to Elich.

Rands argued that the prosecutors office had 10 days from three possible dates in which they could timely file affidavits of prejudice against him, the court records state.

Those dates, Rand argued, are Nov. 9, the date after the election results were known; Nov. 29, the date in which the election results were certified by the Whatcom County Auditors Office; or Dec. 29, the date when Elich stated in court that all trials in cases assigned to him would be handled by Rands, his successor, as of January 2023, the records state.

Rands stated that many of the criminal cases where prosecutors had filed affidavits of prejudice against him likely involved breath tests. He said several of the cases might be ripe for motions to be filed in them alleging that the software used by breath tests machines, and whose results are often entered by prosecutors in drunken driving cases, doesnt follow state law.

In his denial of disqualification, Rands said he never handled any of the cases while he was an attorney. Rands previously had his own multi-county DUI defense law firm, The Herald previously reported.

Rands said if a motion regarding the breath tests were to be filed in one of the cases, he would voluntarily recuse himself from hearing that particular motion due to the appearance of fairness, but would not recuse himself from the case entirely, the court records state.

It is this Courts desire to serve in a manner that is above the minimum ethical threshold. If this Court is to promote confidence, independence, integrity and impartiality and the newspaper test I believe it prudent to not preside over the (breath test) motion, and I will recuse myself from hearing that motion. However, I will not recuse myself from the entirety of each case, Rands stated in his ruling denying disqualifying himself from handling the affidavited cases.

Whatcom County District Court Judge Jonathan Rands, left, is sworn into office Monday, Jan. 9, in Bellingham by Skagit County Superior Court Judge Thomas Verge.

Restraining order

Uhrig, the prosecutor, also filed a motion on Jan. 20 requesting a temporary restraining order be issued against Rands.

Uhrigs motion argued that Rands unlawfully declined to recuse himself from hearing the affidavited cases, and in doing so, violated the rights of Washington state and harmed the accused peoples rights to a fair trial by a judge with lawful authority to act, the court records show.

The prosecutors office requested an ex parte temporary restraining order against Rands, meaning the motion and decision to grant the restraining order were done without providing notice to or requiring Rands and District Court to be present, the court records state.

District Court had not been given notice of the request for the restraining order at the time the motion was filed due to the extremely urgent nature of the request, the court records state.

By 12:15 p.m. on Jan. 20, a panel of three of the four sitting Whatcom County Superior Court judges had granted the temporary restraining order, court records show. The fourth judge recused herself from hearing the matter, records state.

The restraining order temporarily prohibits Rands from taking any action in the 123 affidavited criminal cases. The restraining order expires after 14 days, unless the order is extended or the writs of mandamus and certiorari are granted, the court records state.

In its reasoning for granting the temporary restraining order ex parte, the panel of judges wrote that it clearly appears that immediate and irreparable damage would be done to the rights of Washington state if the panel of judges had to wait to issue a decision on the temporary order until Rands and District Courts arguments against the order could be heard.

The panel of three of the four Superior Court judges then ordered that it would hear arguments related to the temporary restraining order on Friday.

At Fridays hearing, the matter was continued until Feb. 6, at which time arguments regarding the writs of mandamus and certiorari will also be heard, the court records state.

Intimidation concerns

In his request to vacate the temporary restraining order filed Friday, Hayne, Rands former attorney, wrote that the affidavits of prejudice were not timely and that the county prosecutors office took steps to intimidate and retaliate against Rands due to personal or political motivations.

Hayne said the rules for assigning court cases in Whatcom County District Court are well established and that cases stay with the judge theyre assigned to after an accused persons arraignment, unless there is a legitimate reason to disqualify a judge from hearing a case.

Hayne said since Rands won the election on Nov. 9, clerks within District Court have announced that individual cases would be assigned to either Whatcom County District Court Judge Angela Anderson or Rands, the court records state. Hayne also said that the retiring judge also made comments that cases after the start of the new year would be handled by Rands. All of this gave the prosecutors office actual notice that Rands would be assigned these cases, starting the 10-day time frame for filing affidavits of prejudice, Haynes motion states.

Hayne wrote that notice of the temporary restraining order was required to be given to Rands, who is the person affected by the order. He said that presenting the order ex parte was done deliberately by the prosecutors office, denying Rands, and District Court, an opportunity to be heard on the matter before the temporary restraining order was issued, court records show.

Hayne also wrote that the prosecutors office didnt offer an explanation as to why it couldnt have notified Rands or another District Court official, that there were ample opportunities to do so  including a personal meeting held between Rands and Whatcom County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Richey late last week  and that details of the supposed harm that would be caused by delaying the signing of the order until a hearing could happen were not included.

Haynes motion also included a declaration from Rands that states that the prosecutors office filed more than 50 affidavits of prejudice late in the afternoon on Jan. 13. The prosecutors office then filed around another 50 on Jan. 17, and a third set of around 50 later that same day, the court records state.

Rands stated that after the first batch of affidavits were filed, he did some research and ultimately concluded they were not filed in a timely manner. When he next appeared in court to handle a calendar on Jan. 17, Rands gave an oral ruling stating that he would not recuse himself from hearing the cases because the affidavits were untimely. Rands then issued his written order of denial the following day, on Jan. 18, according to court records.

Rands stated that on Jan. 19, Richey emailed him asking if Rands had a few minutes to talk, the records state. The pair emailed and ultimately Richey said he would come to Rands judicial chambers at 10 a.m. on Jan. 20 to talk.

Rands wrote in his declaration that during the meeting, Richey said he had just become aware of the roughly 123 affidavits of prejudice filed by his attorneys against Rands and stated that we dont want to do this, according to court records.

Rands said Richey then told him the prosecutors office needed to give him a chance and that they would not be filing batches of dozens of affidavits like this in the future, the records show.

Rands said Richey said we want to and we will give you a chance, before Richey then said he had the power to make it stop, according to court records.

Rands said Richey told him that some of his lawyers wanted to go after a Superior Court judge in a similar way, but that Richey would not let them, the records state.

In less than two hours after the face-to-face meeting between Rands and Richey, the temporary restraining order had been filed against Rands, the records show.

Rands said the prosecutors office has not stopped filing affidavits of prejudice against him and had done so as recently as Wednesday, Jan. 25, according to court records.

In his motion to vacate the restraining order, Rands former attorney, Hayne, said the facts demand the Superior Court judges consider whether there is a potential personal or political motivation by Richey and the prosecutors office to punish or intimidate Rands because Rands won his election against a Whatcom County prosecuting attorney.

Hayne said that Richeys request to meet privately with Rands while a separate attorney in his office prepared a temporary restraining order and presented it to Superior Court judges ex parte, Richeys decision to not mention the order during his meeting with Rands, and the prosecutors offices decision to not give notice to Rands or District Court that a request for a temporary restraining order was being prepared, suggested dubious motives, the court records show.

The manner in which the Prosecutor presented the (restraining order), intentionally making sure (Rands) had no opportunity to protest, creates the appearance of an interest to intimidate Judge Rands, and by extension the entire Whatcom County District Court. Perhaps the States hands are entirely clean, but its methodology was both legally impaired and entirely unworthy of the State and the voters who the Prosecutors Office purports to represent, Haynes motion states.

The Herald has asked Richey for comment.

Ethics opinions, reactions

When asked by The Herald Thursday about the unfolding situation and its impacts on people who are represented by public defense attorneys, Whatcom County Public Defenders Office Director Starck Follis said this is an unfortunate situation that puts a judge who was recently elected by the people of Whatcom County off cases by the prosecuting attorneys office.

It also greatly shifts caseloads to the other judge in District Court, making calendars difficult and awkward, Follis said.

The Herald has asked Anderson, the other Whatcom County District Court judge, for comment.

When reached by phone Friday evening, Hayne said there were zero legitimate reasons in his opinion for why the prosecutors office issued the affidavits against Rands. The prosecutors office had an obligation to give Rands a chance to demonstrate what kind of judge hed be, Hayne said, adding that the offices actions have been dishonorable since Rands denied disqualifying himself in the cases.

Hayne said he attempted to work with the prosecutors office to resolve the issues earlier this week, but those attempts were unsuccessful. Hayne said the situation is now damaging the relationship between the prosecutors office and Whatcoms District Court.

The manner in which (Richey) chose to fight this fight, in my opinion, is an embarrassment to the prosecutors office, Hayne said, adding that this situation is unprecedented and something he has never seen in his nearly 50 years of practicing law.

Hayne said the evidence in the case raises legitimate questions regarding whether there was an attempt to intimidate Rands and whether an actual emergency existed that required the filing of the petition for the writs and request for a temporary restraining order.

At Fridays hearing on the matter, Uhrig, the deputy prosecutor, asked the judge to throw out Haynes motion and Rands declaration filed in the case. Uhrig argued that Rands was not a named party in the matter and therefore did not have an interest in the outcome of the case or have a right to an attorney. Uhrig said that Whatcom County District Court was the sole named party in the case, and Rands declaration in the matter was inappropriate.

Olson, the judge, noted Uhrigs objections, but stated that even if Rands never intervenes as an individual party in the case, everyone always has a right to a lawyer.

Olson said he took Haynes appointment as an emergency attorney for Rands in this matter as just that.

Lets say you or anybody had been put in this position where youre accused, your integrity is under attack, your entire duties as a judge is under attack, and then they say you cant respond and you have no right to be heard? That is the most egregious act of sophistry Ive heard in 47 years of litigation in courts throughout the state  and I mean that, Hayne said in a phone call.

Richey told The Herald Friday evening that responses to the situation and Haynes allegations, as well as information on the actions he and his office took, are in process and will be filed as legal responses in the case next week.

The Herald has also asked the Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts District and Municipal Court Judges Association and the Washington State Commission on Judicial Conduct for comment.

The Herald also reached out to the state administrative courts offices Ethics Advisory Committee, which gives judicial officers advice on the states code of judicial conduct.

In response to The Heralds questions regarding whether the ethics advisory committee had issued opinions related to the timeliness of affidavits of prejudice filed after a new judge has been elected and takes the bench; the date by which the state or prosecutors office is on notice for filings once a new judge has been elected to the bench; or what the time frame is for when a judges duties begin after winning a local election for a seat on the bench, an administrative office of the courts official directed The Herald to a list of the ethics committees advisory opinions.

The issues facing Whatcom Countys District Court and Rands may involve an interpretation of state laws and court rules, according to Tom Creekpaum, manager of the Office of Legal Services and Appellate Court Support within the state Administrative Office of the Courts.

Advisory opinions from the ethics committee dont consider legal issues, Creekpaum said.

It does not appear any of the advisory opinions from the ethics committee directly refer or relate to a situation similar to the one facing Whatcoms District Court.
Tennessee lawmakers on Friday night called for accountability in the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, after Memphis authorities released video footage from the arrest that resulted in his fatal injuries earlier this month.

Like so many across our state and nation, I am deeply disturbed by the video footage released this evening, Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) said in a statement, adding, The criminal justice system must swiftly pursue accountability.

Hagerty said he has asked the Department of Justice and FBI to keep him updated on their investigations into the incident and urged for a full, independent investigation to determine what happened and how to prevent such misconduct from ever happening again.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) echoed the sentiment, adding that she had also been in contact with the Justice Department.

I am confident the Memphis Police Department and State of Tennessee will conduct a thorough investigation, she added in a statement.

Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was pulled over by Memphis police on Jan. 10. The footage released on Friday showed that police pepper-sprayed, tased and beat him during the encounter.

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who represents part of Memphis, said it was overwhelming watching the video on Friday.

Its clear that Tyre Nichols died because of the brutality and callous disregard, really an appalling lack of humanity, of the Memphis police officers, Cohen said in a statement.

From the first encounter with the police, its clear this was about ego, he added. There was no respect for Tyre Nichols and no answer to his simple question asking what hed done. They were not there to serve and protect, or even to apprehend; they were there to punish and dominate.

Cohen also criticized the officers for failing to provide aid to Nichols when he was obviously terribly hurt.

They leaned him against a car and left him while they chatted and sometimes even laughed, Cohen said. They were apathetic and callous about his injuries. They were in no hurry to render aid to the man they had beaten.

Five police officers were fired last week over Nichols death and were charged with second-degree murder on Thursday.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
By Sergio Goncalves and Miguel Pereira

LISBON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of public school teachers and other staff marched in Lisbon on Saturday to demand higher wages and better working conditions, putting further pressure on the Portuguese government as it grapples with a cost of living crisis.

Shouting slogans like "for the banks there are millions, for us there are only pennies," about 80,000 protesters filled the Portuguese capital, police said.

A year after Socialist Prime Minister Antonio Costa won a majority in parliament, he is facing a slump in popularity and street protests not just by teachers but by other professionals such as doctors.

The Union of All Education Professionals (STOP) is demanding that the government increases the wages of teachers and school workers by at least 120 euros ($130) a month and speeds up career progression.

The government has not made a counter-proposal specifically for teachers but has said it will increase the monthly salaries of all civil servants who earn up to about 2,600 euros by 52 euros.

Teachers complain that, because of career freezes in the past, they are the lowest-paid senior civil servants, which means their financial situation has worsened after a recent spike in inflation to a 30-year high.

Teachers on the lowest pay scale are paid around 1,100 euros per month and even those in the top band typically earn less than 2,000 euros monthly.

"For years, they (politicians) kept us silent. We need better conditions in terms of salary, it's unacceptable that we don't have progression in our careers," said Isabel Pessoa, 47, a science and biology teacher.

Teachers and other education staff across the country have been taking strike action since early December, closing many schools and leaving students unable to attend classes. The strikes have been organised on an area-by-area basis with successive days of action in each of Portugal's 18 districts.

Story continues

The government has criticized STOP for the way it has organised the strikes because, it says, it does not have a pre-set timetable and teachers and staff only refuse to work certain hours on a specific day but are still able to close schools.

($1 = 0.9202 euros)

(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves and Miguel Pereira; Additional reporting by Pedro Nunes and Graham Keeley; Editing by David Holmes)
TORONTO (AP)  Brady Tkachuk scored twice, Anton Forsberg made 31 saves and the Ottawa Senators defeated Toronto 6-2 on Friday night in the Maple Leafs' first game since losing All-Star Auston Matthews to a knee injury.

Claude Giroux had a goal and an assist, and Thomas Chabot, Drake Batherson and Derick Brassard also scored for the Senators, who won at Scotiabank Arena with fans in attendance for the first time since October 2018. Tim Stutzle added two assists.

Any time you beat a top-end team, you build confidence, Senators coach D.J. Smith said. We just want to be consistent and play well and not worry about the standings  just do what we do. Play the right way, have some fun, win some hockey games and see what happens.

William Nylander and Joey Anderson scored for Toronto, which was without Matthews because of a sprained knee that will keep the star center out at least three weeks. Matthews, wholl miss next weeks NHL All-Star game, was injured in Torontos 3-2 overtime victory against the New York Rangers on Wednesday night.

The Leafs dropped to 31-17-2 when the reigning Hart Trophy winner is out of the lineup since picking him first overall at the 2016 draft.

We took our foot off the gas, Nylander said. Unacceptable.

Ilya Samsonov, who was scheduled to get the night off, made a surprise start and finished with 28 saves as the Leafs suffered just their fourth regulation home loss of the season. Matt Murray was slated to see his first action in goal for the Leafs since Jan. 17, but appeared to take a shot up high from Nylander in warmups and didn't play.

We put (Samsonov) in a terrible spot, Toronto coach Sheldon Keefe said. And then we didnt take care of him.

Tied at 2 in the second period, Ottawa took its third lead of the night on a power play when Brassards centering pass went in off Toronto defenseman Timothy Liljegren for his seventh goal of the season.

The Senators made it 4-2 at 16:37 when Batherson ripped his 15th past Samsonov. Tkachuk added his second of the night 3:32 into the third. Giroux made it 6-2 with five minutes left with his 17th.

Story continues

We faced a lot of adversity this year, Tkachuk said of the Senators, who have been without injured No. 1 center Josh Norris much of the season. Were just trending in the right direction.

STEPPING IN

Toronto captain John Tavares took Matthews spot between Mitch Marner and Michael Bunting on the top line to start the game, while Pontus Holmberg centred Nylander and Calle Jarnkrok.

UP NEXT

Senators: Host Montreal on Saturday night.

Maple Leafs: Host Washington on Sunday.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
In this article, we take a look at the top 20 oil importing countries in 2023. If you want to see more top oil importing countries in 2023, go directly to Top 5 Oil Importing Countries in 2023.

In this article, oil is defined as crude oil.

Because not every country has enough crude oil and crude oil is essential for a modern economy, many countries import crude oil. Given refineries that process crude oil are sometimes located in a different country than where the crude oil is produced, countries also have to import oil for refineries.

The Largest Importers of Crude Oil

In terms of the largest importers of crude oil, many of the top importers of crude oil also have large economies.

In terms of the largest crude oil importers for example, the United States, China, and India are among the top three in 2017. With regard to the world's largest countries by GDP, PPP, all three countries are in the top three. In terms of the world's largest countries by nominal GDP, all three countries are in the top five in 2021.

With regard to the United States, the country has imported less crude oil over time.

The EIA writes on U.S imports, "After generally increasing every year from 1954 through 2005, U.S. gross and net total petroleum imports peaked in 2005. Since 2005, increases in domestic petroleum production and increases in petroleum exports have helped to reduce annual total petroleum net imports."

The EIA adds, "The United States remained a net crude oil importer in 2021, importing about 6.11 million b/d of crude oil and exporting about 2.96 million b/d. However, some of the crude oil that the U.S. imports is refined by U.S. refineries into petroleum productssuch as gasoline, heating oil, diesel fuel, and jet fuelthat the U.S. exports. Also, some of imported petroleum may be stored and subsequently exported."

If U.S. crude oil production continues to increase, the country could be a net exporter.

While the United States has imported less crude oil over time, countries like China and India have generally imported more oil in terms of the last decade up until recently.

Story continues

Up until to 2021, China's crude oil imports rose for two decades given the nation's growing economy. In 2021 and 2022, the country's crude oil imports were down with 2022 imports 0.9% lower than in 2021 with the pandemic lockdowns accounting for some of the decline.

In the near term, many countries need crude oil imports to power their economies although by how much will depend on economic conditions and on the price of crude oil. If crude oil prices are high, many countries might not import as much crude oil as demand will decrease. If crude oil prices are low, countries may import more crude oil as demand could rise.

The price of crude oil will depend on economic conditions and on whether economic data meets estimates. The price of crude oil also depends on supply, demand, and many other factors. In the long term, crude oil demand will depend on how quickly electric vehicles adoption increases and how much crude oil emerging countries need to continue to develop their economies.

Pixabay/Public Domain

Methodology

For our list of Top 20 Oil Importing Countries in 2023, we used data from the CIA.gov's The World Factbook (2021 Archive) crude oil imports list.

The CIA.gov's crude oil import data does not account for crude oil exports. As a result, it is not net oil imports.

Although much of the data is estimates from 2017, the CIA.gov is the only official data source that lists countries. Given oil consumption doesn't change very much from year to year unless there is a big economic change, the relative ordering of the countries is generally the same. Changes such as increases in domestic oil production or decreases in oil demand will change the absolute data however.

For those of you interested, also check out Top 20 Oil Exporting Countries in 2023.

Top 20 Oil Importing Countries in 2023

This list is crude oil imports and not net crude oil imports.

20. Greece

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2017: 484,300

Greece is an importer of oil given its sizable economy of nearly $215 billion in 2021 and its domestic production of crude not meeting demand. According to the CIA, the country imported 484,300 barrels of crude oil per day in 2017 which isn't all that different from the imports of 460,837 barrels per day in December 2021 according to CEIC Data. Given its imports, Greece ranks #20 on our list of Top 20 Oil Importing Countries in 2023.

19. Poland

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2017: 493,100

Poland is a member of the EU with a GDP of $679.4 billion in 2021. Given its growing economy and its oil production not meeting demand, Poland imported 493,100 barrels per day of crude oil in 2017.

18. Indonesia

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2015: 498,500

Indonesia is a country with a big economy with a nominal 2021 GDP of $1.186 trillion and a 2021 GDP, PPP of $3.57 trillion. Indonesia's economy is also growing at a fairly rapid rate given the country's central bank projected in December that Indonesia will grow between 4.5% and 5.3% for 2023 and 4.7% to 5.5% in 2024.

CEIC Data shows that the country's oil imports amounted to 206,333 barrels per day in December 2021.

17. Turkey

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2017: 521,500

According to the the International Trade Administration in 2021, Turkey is a net importer of oil & gas that spends more than $40 billion each year importing energy resources such as oil, natural gas, and coal. Given local oil production meets 7% of demand, Turkey is a crude oil importer. In 2017, the country imported 521,500 barrels of crude oil per day.

16. Belgium

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2017: 687,600

Belgium is an EU country with a 2021 GDP of $594.1 billion that has been a historical importer of crude oil. In 2017, Belgium imported 687,600 barrels of crude oil a day ranking #16 on our list of Top 20 Oil Importing Countries in 2023. In December 2021, Belgium imported 579,444 barrels per day according to CEIC Data.

15. Singapore

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2015: 783,300

Singapore is a nation state that's one of the leading financial capitals in Asia. Given it has a considerable economy with a 2021 GDP of $397 billion and the city state doesn't have domestic hydrocarbon production, Singapore imports its oil. According to the EIA, more than two thirds of Singapore's crude oil imports come from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.

14. Canada

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2017: 806,700

Canada is a major oil producer that still imports oils given its domestic refineries. According to the Canadian government data, the country produced 3.8 million barrels per day in 2014, exported 2.9 million barrels per day, sent 1.2 million barrels per day to domestic refineries and imported 0.7 million barrels per day to domestic refineries. According to the CIA, Canada imported 806,700 barrels per day of crude oil in 2017.

13. Taiwan

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2015: 846,400

Taiwan is a crude oil importer given it doesn't produce much crude oil. Whereas it produced 28,000 barrels per day of petroleum and other liquids in 2015, Taiwan consumed nearly 1.1 million barrels per day of petroleum and other liquids in 2015. According to the CIA, Taiwan imported 846,400 barrels of crude oil per day in 2015.

12. Thailand

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2015: 875,400

Thailand has a 2021 GDP of $505.9 billion, and GDP,PPP of $1.34 trillion. According to CEIC Data, the country imported 862,833 barrels per day in December 2021.

11. United Kingdom

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2017: 907,100

The United Kingdom is the third largest energy consumer in Europe and the country has been a net energy importer since 2004. According to government data, The United Kingdom imported 30.0 billion of oil in 2021 with 17.6 billion being crude oil and 12.4 billion being refined oil. In the same year, The United Kingdom also exported 28.3 billion of oil with 17.9 billion being crude oil and 10.4 billion being refined oil.

10. Netherlands

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2017: 1,094,000

The Netherlands is an EU member with a GDP of $1.013 trillion in 2021, making it one of the larger economies in Europe. Given its domestic production doesn't meet demand, the Netherlands is also a considerable importer of crude oil. According to the CIA, the country imported 1,094,000 barrels of crude oil per day in 2017. According to CEIC Data, the country imported 1,059,927 barrels per day in December 2021.

9. France

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2017: 1,147,000

Given it doesn't produce much crude oil, France imports much of its oil. According to CEIC Data, France produced 14,490 barrels per day in December 2019. In December 2021, the country imported 683,209 barrels per day. In 2017, France imported 1,147,000 barrels per day of crude oil according to the CIA.

8. Spain

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2017: 1,325,000

Spain is another EU country that imports a lot of oil. In 2017, Spain imported 1,325,000 barrels of crude oil per day, ranking #8 on our list of Top 20 Oil Importing Countries in 2023. In terms of its imports, most of Spain's crude oil came from Mexico, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, and Angola according to the EIA.

7. Italy

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2017: 1,341,000

Italy has a big economy with a 2021 GDP of $2.108 trillion. Recently, the Bank of Italy also increased its GDP growth projection for 2023 to 0.6% from 0.4%. In terms of oil imports, Italy is a leading oil importer given crude oil imports of 1,341,000 barrels per day in 2017. As of December 2021, Italy remains a substantial importer given the country's imports of 1,145,298 barrels per day according to CEIC Data.

6. Germany

Crude Oil Imports (barrels/day) as of 2017: 1,836,000

Germany has one of the largest economies in the world with a GDP of $4.26 trillion, which ranks fourth in the world in terms of nominal GDP, behind only the United States, China, and Japan. In terms of crude imports, Germany ranks 6th in the world with imports of 1,836,000 barrels per day in 2017.

Click to continue reading and see Top 5 Oil Importing Countries in 2023.

Suggested articles:

Disclosure: None. Top 20 Oil Importing Countries in 2023 is originally published on Insider Monkey.
Dylan Mulvaney danced to "Swan Lake" in her surgery reveal video. Dylan Mulvaney/Instagram

Trans rights activist and TikToker Dylan Mulvaney revealed the results of her feminization surgery.

In a glamorous "Swan Lake" and old Hollywood-themed clip, Mulvaney showed off her post-surgery look.

"I'm so happy and it's still me, it's just a little bit softer of a version," she said in the clip.

Trans rights activist and content creator Dylan Mulvaney has shared the long-awaited results of her facial feminization surgery.

Mulvaney, who is one of the most recognizable creators on TikTok, made her post-surgery debut with a video of her dancing to "Swan Lake" and channeling old Hollywood glamour on Friday. Mulvaney credited Dr. Harrison Lee with gender-affirming surgery and thanked beauty brand Milk Makeup for supporting her with the video shoot in the caption of the post.

As of Saturday, the nearly two-minute-long clip has over 10.2 million views on TikTok and over 1 million likes on Instagram.

The first half of the video shows Mulvaney, 25, dancing to "Swan Lake" while wearing an edgy, animatronic dress that she said was designed by Cameron Hughes in the caption. On TikTok, Hughes said he was inspired by Lady Gaga and a 1990s Mugler gown when it came to the aesthetic. In a follow-up TikTok, the designer also said he created Mulvaney 's robotic "blossom" dress partly using a 3D printer.

The second half of Mulvaney's TikTok showed her wearing an old Hollywood-style black gown and pearls on stage as a crowd cheered. At the end of the clip, Mulvaney, who underwent surgery in December, thanked her followers and told them they had "so much to catch up on."

"You know I have a flair for the dramatics," Mulvaney said. "But it's so good right?"

"I'm so happy and it's still me, it's just a little bit softer of a version," she added. "I just hope that all trans and nonbinary people can get the gender-affirming resources that they need because this is life-changing and sometimes life-saving."

Story continues

After sharing the glamorous video, Mulvaney took to her Instagram story to tell followers that she also wanted to share a photo that was "not as flattering" from her recovery.

Dylan Mulvaney also shared a less "glam" glimpse into her recovery from facial feminization surgery. Dylan Mulvaney/Instagram

"There's been so much glam involved," she said. "But I feel like we need to kind of level out the playing field."

The photo she shared appeared to have been taken soon after her surgery when her face was still swollen and wrapped in bandages.

Mulvaney became well known on TikTok for viral videos including a memorable moment from 2020 where she attempted to feed bread to a buffalo out of her car window. But her popularity grew to new heights in 2022 when she began documenting a series titled every day "of being a girl" on her TikTok account, which has well over 10.4 million followers as of Saturday.

Her video of day 1 of being a girl, posted last year on March 12, was viewed over 9.5 million times. For day 100, Mulvaney shared a video where several celebrities and LGBTQ rights activists, including Jonathan Van Ness and the cast of "The Sex Lives of College Girls," helped her celebrate the milestone.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Photo: The Canadian Press A snowmobile makes its way across frozen ice near Inukjuak, Que. Thursday, May 12, 2022. A snowmobiler has died after possibly colliding with a moose in Quebec's Chaudiere-Appalaches region. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

A snowmobiler has died after possibly colliding with a moose in Quebec's Chaudiere-Appalaches region.

Provincial police confirmed the 43-year-old man's death on Saturday morning.

Sgt. Beatrice Dorsainville says early evidence at the scene suggests the snowmobiler may have hit a moose.

She says police were called to the crash near Route 269 south of Levis, Que. on Friday around 8 p.m.

Dorsainville says a passerby found the man's body on a trail a few kilometres from Route 269 in Saint-Gilles, and he was officially pronounced dead in hospital.

His identity has not been released, and the investigation continues.
The new leadership at the Lebanon City Police office is still in transition, but the new chief says reaching out to the community is one of his top goals.

Former police Captain Bret Fisher was sworn in as the new Lebanon City Police chief Friday. Fisher has been the acting police chief since former chief Todd Breiner retired in October. Lt. Eric Sims was also promoted Friday as captain of the department.

Moving forward, Fisher's goals include more community outreach and filling the department's ranks.

"The most valuable time I've spent here at the Lebanon City Police Department was the 15 years I spent on patrol," he said. "I believe in just some fundamental policing that involves regular patrol, getting out into the community and trying to move forward with a little more community engagement would come a long way. Change is often slow, but we'll start with that."

Mayor Sherry Capello announced Friday the promotion of former Captain Bret Fisher, right, as chief of the Lebanon City Police Department. Former Lt. Eric Sims, left, was promoted to be the new police captain.

Employed with the Lebanon City Police Department for 25 years, Fisher started as a patrol officer in 1998. In 2002, he volunteered for the K-9 unit, partnering with three different K-9s and receiving the 2003 police officer of the year award by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 42. In 2005, he was assigned to the drug task force, and in January 2013 was assigned to the criminal division as a detective. He was promoted to captain in June 2021.

At least one day a week, Fisher said he tries to walk downtown, stop into the stores and meet other people. It is this type of policing he hopes to instill in his officers moving forward.

With officers still recovering from the Lt. William Lebo shooting incident and rising staffing concerns, Mayor Sherry Capello said it's going to take a "father figure" to lead the department going forward.

"I've been watching (Fisher) over the last three months, and he's been able to demonstrate the qualities that I feel are necessary to move the department forward, heal and grow," she said. "I feel confident he'll be able to do that."

Capello added she did not consider any candidates outside of the department.

Story continues

On March 31, Lebo, Officer Derek Underkoffler, Officer Ryan Adams, and Officer Kris McCarrick were responding to a domestic disturbance report. Lebo died in a shootout with a man who had broken into a home on the 1100 block of Forest Street.

Lebo had more than 40 years of service and was 30 days from retirement. Underkoffler and Adams have not returned to work as of Friday, according to Capello.

Lebo honored:Lebanon City Police Lt. William Lebo remembered as happy husband, mentor to younger cops

Lt. William Lebo:DA reveals new details in shooting death of Lebanon Police Lt. William Lebo

"Since Lt. William Lebo was killed in the line of duty, Lebanon City Police Department has been in a transition," Fisher said. "That transition takes a long, long, long time. I have one officer that has been on the force 37 years. I have some that have been on a few months. It'll take years."

Fisher said his door is open for officers still dealing with the loss of Lebo, and that all officers will still get any help or counseling that they need.

Lebanon City Police Chief Bret Fisher said his goals for the department moving forward is more community outreach and filling the department's ranks.

Serving the department for 17 years, Sims was hired as a patrol officer in 2006. He received an award of commendation in 2019 for his role as a supervisor when one of his officers heard shots fired. Sims directed officers while personally involved in a pursuit of the suspects, which lead to their arrest.

"Some of my priorities is to make sure our training is on point," he said. "I want to try and do everything possible for the patrol guys and the detectives so they can be successful. So I want to facilitate all that stuff for them so that makes their job easier."

Former Chief Todd Breiner:Lebanon City Police Chief Todd Breiner retires after almost 27 years of service

Officials are still looking for officers to fill its 41 police complement. Capello said officials made changes, including a 12-hour shift schedule and applying for grants, to help with recruitment and retention of officers. Officials are also looking for ways to include more diversity in their ranks, including candidates who speak Spanish.

"We are always trying to hire police officers," Fisher said. "We welcome everybody who applies, regardless of race, religion and sexual orientation. I invite everybody to please come apply to the Lebanon Police Department, and we'll try to get you on the force."

Fisher added the department is still re-assessing the hiring process and the benefits to try and attract new officers.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Bret Fisher sworn in as new Lebanon Police chief, Sims new Captain
Former President Donald Trump launched a fired-up culture war directly at American classrooms Thursday, calling in a video for certification of patriotic teachers, the firing of radicals and the direct election of school principals by students parents.

The declared Republican candidate for president also demanded that funds be slashed for any school teaching critical race theory, gender ideology or other inappropriate racial, sexual or political content, apparently as defined by him.

Trump called for the creation of a new credentialing body that would certify teachers who embrace patriotic values while radicals, zealots and Marxists (and pink-haired communists) would be fired. (Trump has hailed the insurrectionists of Jan. 6, 2021, as great patriots.)

He also called for investigations of school districts that have engaged in race-based discrimination, including against Asian American students. Ironically, Trump himself has repeatedly fired anti-Asian slurs at Republican Sen. Mitch McConnells wife, Elaine Chao, his former secretary of transportation.

NEW VIDEO: President Trump's Plan to Save American Education and Give Power Back to Parents pic.twitter.com/aizxaRXIM3  Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 26, 2023

The video, posted on Twitter, predictably triggered an uproar on the social media platform.

Several posters referred to the so-called Trump University (which was never certified as any kind of school) that promised to teach adult students how to be successful businesspeople. Trump ended up paying $25 million to settle claims that students were swindled by the operation.

Anyone can't possibly wonder now why he loves Russia, China and North Korea education systems and Governments and above all Dictators.  David Howes (@dhowes3) January 27, 2023

pic.twitter.com/YIvH5KftVp  The Dark Night of Fascism (@SojournerNow) January 27, 2023

You mean this guy? The traitor? pic.twitter.com/roQpmgWFKj  D.B. Miller (@DBMillerIMO) January 27, 2023

The nightmare that never ends.  Shar E.  (@shurtis123) January 27, 2023

Related...
By Gram Slattery and Ted Hesson

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Reuters) -Former U.S. President Donald Trump hit the campaign trail on Saturday for the first time since announcing his bid to reclaim the White House in 2024, visiting two early-voting states and brushing aside criticism that his run was off to a slow start.

"I'm more angry now, and I'm more committed now, than I ever was," Trump told a small crowd at the New Hampshire Republican Party's annual meeting in Salem, before heading to Columbia, South Carolina, for an appearance alongside his leadership team in the state.

In contrast to the raucous rallies in front of thousands of devotees that Trump often holds, Saturday's events were notably muted. In Columbia, Trump spoke to about 200 people in the state's capitol building, with Governor Henry McMaster and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina flanking him.

Once the undisputed center of gravity in the Republican Party, an increasing number of elected officials have expressed concerns about Trump's ability to beat Democratic President Joe Biden, if he decides to run again as is widely expected.

Numerous Republicans are considering whether to launch their own White House bids, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, widely seen as the biggest threat to Trump. Top Republicans in both states that the former president visited - including New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley - are among those weighing bids of their own.

There were several conspicuous absences in South Carolina, including the state party chairman, five Republican U.S. representatives from the state and South Carolina U.S. Senator Tim Scott, who has himself been floated as a potential Republican presidential candidate.

Trump attempted to allay those concerns, telling the crowd that he expected a wave of additional endorsements from South Carolina's state and federal lawmakers within days.

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Several Republican state lawmakers decided against attending after failing to gain assurances from Trump's team that doing so would not be considered an endorsement, according to a person with knowledge of the planning.

William Oden, the chair of the Republican Party in Sumter County, South Carolina, said he was a fan of the former president, but was keeping his options open.

"I haven't decided," Oden said. "We're waiting until everybody comes out. And like I'd do in business, I make no choices until we hear all the candidates."

EYES ON DESANTIS?

At both stops on Saturday, Trump echoed some of the themes that animated his 2016 campaign, including sharply criticizing illegal immigration and China.

But he also emphasized social issues, perhaps in response to DeSantis, whose relentless focus on culture wars has helped build his national profile.

In Columbia, the former president railed against transgender rights and the teaching of critical race theory, a once-obscure academic concept that has sparked school board protests and classroom bans in some states.

"We're going to stop the left-wing radical racists and perverts who are trying to indoctrinate our youth, and we're going to get their Marxist hands off our children," Trump said.

"We're going to defeat the cult of gender ideology and reaffirm that God created two genders: men and women. We're not going to allow men to play women's sports."

Trump did not spend much time on his grievances about the 2020 election, though he made allusions to his false claim that the election was stolen from him, calling the election "ridiculous."

Since launching his campaign in November, Trump has maintained a relatively low profile. He called multiple conservative Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives in early January to persuade them to vote for Kevin McCarthy, an ally, as the new speaker.

Most brushed off his entreaties, though McCarthy was elected to the position after a bruising battle.

Trump retains a significant base of support, particularly among the grassroots. While he loses in some head-to-head polls against DeSantis, he wins by significant margins when poll respondents are presented with a broader field of options.

(Reporting by Gram Slattery in Columbia, South Carolina and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Ross Colvin, Daniel Wallis and Cynthia Osterman)
Donald Trump at a rally in Minden, Nevada, on October 8, 2022. Newly released footage shows Trump complaining about his popularity with American Jews. Jose Luis Villegas/AP

Trump warned of the possible "catastrophe" of World War III amid increased nuclear threats from Russia.

Trump claimed that other countries were making threats "because they have no respect for our leadership."

He said he would build an "impenetrable dome" over the US, similar to Israel's Iron Dome.

Former President Donald Trump said he would build an "impenetrable dome" over the US if re-elected as president, as he warned of the possible "catastrophe" of World War III.

"If you take a look right now, the 'nuclear' word is being mentioned all the time. This is a word you're not allowed to use. It was never used during the Trump administration," Trump said in a video released Friday.

Trump claimed that nuclear threats are being made by other countries "because they have no respect for our leadership," appearing to reference Russian President Vladimir Putin and his allies making threats about using nuclear weapons.

"World War III would be a catastrophe unlike any other. This would make World War I and World War II like very small battles," Trump said.

To address this potential threat, Trump said he would "build a state of the art next generation missile defense shield, just as Israel is now protected by the Iron Dome."

Israel's Iron Dome was designed to intercept incoming missiles and is one of the most advanced defense systems in the world.

"America must have an impenetrable dome to protect our people," Trump said.

The former president is so far the only Republican to announce their plans to run for president in 2024.

Trump's comments about a possible world war come a day after he posted a message on Truth Social claiming he could negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours.

Trump has frequently claimed that the conflict would not have taken place if he was president, despite the fact that he withheld military aid from Kyiv, which played a role in his 2019 impeachment.

Experts have also said the former president emboldened Putin, and Trump has frequently praised the Russian leader even after his invasion of Ukraine.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Getty; Marianne Ayala/Insider

As Trump looks to 2024, he could face a presidential field with multiple candidates from the South.

Southern conservatives were a key part of Trump's electoral coalition during his 2016 campaign.

Potential WH contenders like DeSantis and Haley could significantly erode Trump's Southern support.

After Donald Trump launched his 2016 presidential campaign at Trump Tower in Manhattan, few would have predicted the reach he'd eventually have across the American South.

Headed into the race, many saw former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas as the likeliest candidates to win over Southern voters. But as Trump made the case for why he was best suited for the Oval Office, his message  emphasizing his background as a political outsider who would disrupt the status quo on issues like immigration and trade  resonated among Republican primary voters across the country.

But his message had particular traction in the South, where the Queens native found a deeply receptive audience among evangelical voters, driven by his promise to nominate candidates for the Supreme Court who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion in the United States.

Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures towards Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida, left, and Ted Cruz of Texas during a Fox Business Network GOP presidential primary debate in North Charleston, S.C., on January 14, 2016. REUTERS/Randall Hill

In the pivotal 2016 South Carolina primary, Trump won the contest  beating Bush, Rubio, and Cruz in their own Southern backyard. And on Super Tuesday that year, Trump completed a near-sweep of the region  winning Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Virginia  while only coming up short in Texas.

Trump rallied GOP voters in the South in both 2016 and 2020, which helped him carry states like Kentucky and West Virginia in electoral landslides while also winning politically-competitive states like Florida and North Carolina.

But a lot has changed in the nearly eight years since Trump first announced his campaign.

After leaving the White House in January 2021, Trump's political sphere of influence shifted from New York to Florida. And Ron DeSantis, who for years had been a staunch Trump ally, was elected governor of Florida in 2018 and soon forged his own conservative political identity  which has made him a major threat to Trump's quest to win the GOP presidential nomination next year.

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However, DeSantis isn't alone. A contingent of Southern GOP politicians  from Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina to Gov. Glenn Youngkin of Virginia and former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina  have the potential to block the former president from winning the nomination should they launch their own candidacies. Cruz may also run for the White House again in 2024.

Looking to 2024, in what ways could the South  which was instrumental in sending Trump to the White House in 2016  fail to deliver the GOP nomination for the former president?

Donald Trump announces that he will run for the US presidency, in the lobby of Trump Tower in Manhattan, on June 16, 2015. AP Photo/Richard Drew, File

Trump is no longer a Washington outsider

In 2016, Trump was a novelty to many Republican voters. He lacked government experience, which many saw as a net positive in selecting a nominee to take on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Trump also benefited from GOP enthusiasm over his experience in the private sector, along with a fervent desire to see conservative jurists placed on the Supreme Court  an achievement he was able to fulfill with the successful nominations of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

But in 2020, Trump would face then-Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, who had served in the Senate for 36 years before an eight-year stint as vice president under President Barack Obama. And as October arrived, many voters were frustrated by Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which pushed them to cast ballots for Biden.

After the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, and the middling performance of the GOP in the 2022 midterm elections, some Republicans have also begun to question the former president's electoral appeal. And the Southern electorate represents the best chance for a GOP candidate to blunt Trump's comeback, given its plethora of delegate-rich states.

Potential entrants who could point to their strength with conservatives and suburban moderates include Govs. Brian Kemp of Georgia and Glenn Youngkin of Virginia. Also, if Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas or former Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas were to run, they could both tout their stints leading conservative states far from the nation's capital.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida arrives to speak to supporters at an Election night party in Tampa, Fla., after winning reelection to a second term on November 8, 2022. AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell

All eyes are on Ron DeSantis

DeSantis  who in 2018 cut a GOP primary campaign ad where he read a passage from "Trump: The Art of the Deal" to his young son and presented a MAGA lawn sign to one of his daughters  was reelected to a second term as governor last November in a 19-point landslide over former Gov. Charlie Crist.

Over the course of his first term in Tallahassee, DeSantis morphed from reliable Trump booster to a national political figure in his own right.

Within the last two years, DeSantis has become a favored speaker at Republican functions across the country. And in recent months, DeSantis has increasingly eclipsed Trump as the top presidential choice among GOP primary voters.

While Republicans continue to laud the policies that Trump pursued while in office, many simply see DeSantis as the future of the party.

But DeSantis has not yet announced his intentions for 2024.

Then-President Donald Trump, center, walks with (from left to right) Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida during a visit to Lake Okeechobee and Herbert Hoover Dike at Canal Point, Fla., on March 29, 2019. AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta

Multiple Floridians could be on the GOP ballot

Trump may be a Florida resident these days, but DeSantis is the face of efforts to turn the state into a laboratory for conservatism.

Last year, the state's voting laws were overhauled, with an election police unit now empowered to probe suspected cases of voting fraud. The state Department of Education is blocking a pilot Advanced Placement (AP) African American Studies course from being offered to students, arguing that the course would violate state law in its current form. And just this week, the governor announced that he wants to permanently bar COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates in the state.

But Rubio and Republican Sen. Rick Scott could also potentially be in the mix for 2024, which could create a scenario where four Floridians are vying for the White House.

Could Trump win Florida in such a situation? Yes. But if there are multiple Floridians on the GOP primary ballot in addition to other strong conservatives in the race, it would be tougher for the former president to sweep the state like he did in the 2016 Republican primary when he swamped Rubio statewide  winning in 66 out of 67 counties.

Then-Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina announced that she was appointing then-Rep. Tim Scott to the Senate seat being vacated by then-Sen. Jim DeMint during an appearance in Columbia, S.C., on December 17, 2012. Haley and Scott could potentially be competitors to win the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt

Trump must contend with the delegate math

In February 2016, Trump gained significant momentum after winning the South Carolina primary, which boosted his performance across the region.

By the time the Florida GOP primary was held, Jeb Bush had already suspended his campaign, humbled by his fourth-place showing in South Carolina.

But the 2024 race could have much different dynamics, especially if Haley or Tim Scott decide enter the presidential contest.

Such a showdown in the Palmetto State would be sight to behold, with an ex-governor and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations potentially going up against the first Black senator from the state  whom she appointed to the seat.

Trump has not held any major public campaign events since he announced his 2024 campaign at Mar-a-Lago in November.

But on Saturday, he'll jumpstart the race and hold a rally in Columbia, S.C., alongside Gov. Henry McMaster and Sen. Lindsey Graham  amid speculation about Haley's potential candidacy and Trump's overall standing within the Republican Party.

In 2016, Trump locked up the nomination by racking up wins in states like South Carolina and Florida  which employed a winner-take-all system in allocating their delegates  while also capturing a swath of states with more proportional systems. While Trump didn't earn a majority of the vote in many of the primary races that year, he benefited from a divided GOP field, allowing him to amass delegates to the point where candidates including Cruz, Rubio, and then-Gov. John Kasich of Ohio were simply unable to keep up with his performance.

Only time will tell if Trump can recreate that same electoral magic next year.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Jan. 27Tuscola High School senior Kayden Mallette signed a letter of intent to continue her academic and volleyball-playing career with the Felician University Golden Eagles in Rutherford, New Jersey.

Her signing took place Monday, Jan. 23, at the Tuscola High School gymnasium.

"I'm so excited to sign and play at the next level," Mallette said after signing. "I feel very accomplished."

She said there were doubts along the way, but her love for volleyball drove her to continue to push for her dream of playing college volleyball.

Mallette's start in volleyball wasn't a traditional path.

"I started in seventh grade because my mom forced me to play a fall sport, and I fell in love with it," She said.

Mallette had an accomplished playing career with the Mountaineers, highlighted by achieving 1,000 career digs this season. She played with Xcel Volleyball Performance, a WNC-based volleyball club.

"I wanted to play more elite," she said of Xcel. "They've helped a lot with recruiting."

Feclian University is a Division II school, something Mallette always wanted in her future home.

"I knew I wanted to play Division II and did not want to play Division I, which is very mentally and physically exhausting. A lot of times, I hear you don't get to have the full college experience. I like that in Division II, you still get to play top-level volleyball, but you also get to enjoy college," she said.

Mallette recently visited the school, which is 20 minutes from New York City.

"They picked us up from the airport, and we toured the school. There was another recruit there with me, and we got along very well," she said. "I got to go with the players and they took us into the city. It's a great atmosphere up there."

Kim Butrico is the head volleyball coach and Warren Tom is her assistant coach. Butrico is in her second season coaching the Golden Eagles.

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"The coaches are amazing," Mallette said. "They're fun people and I like their coaching style. This year, [Butrico] is trying to build the program and bring in top-level recruits."

Even though she'll be over 700 miles from home next fall, Mallette said it's only a few hours' plane ride away. Plus, she'll be busy. Mallette plans to major in criminal justice with aspirations of becoming an FBI profiler.

"Our coach is very flexible with our schedules. Our practices are later at night, so we'll be able to do our homework before we go to practice," she said.
Two Shelby County, Tennessee, deputies who responded to the scene of Tyre Nicholss arrest have been relieved of duty and are under investigation following the release of footage on Friday night of the encounter that resulted in Nicholss death.

Having watched the videotape for the first time tonight, I have concerns about two deputies who appeared on the scene following the physical confrontation between police and Tyre Nichols, Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner Jr. said in a statement.

Bonner added that both deputies have been relieved of duty pending the results of an internal investigation into their conduct.

Five Memphis police officers were fired last week over Nicholss death and were charged on Thursday with second-degree murder and other crimes.

Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was pulled over by Memphis police on Jan. 7 for alleged reckless driving. Video footage of the ensuing incident released on Friday showed officers pepper-spraying, tasing and beating Nichols.

Those officers and others who later arrived on the scene did not appear to offer Nichols any aid for the injuries he sustained in the beating. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition, and died three days afterward.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Memphis and other cities, including Boston, are preparing for possible protests after video from the arrest of Tyre Nichols was released. Five former Memphis police officers have been fired and charged with murder after Nichols, a Black man, died three days after a violent traffic stop on Jan. 7.

Dozens of protesters gathered on the Boston Common Friday night demanding justice for Trye Nichols.

People near Boston Common are demanding justice for Tyre Nichols. pic.twitter.com/PMIctSS7zz  Brea Douglas (@BreaDouglasTV) January 28, 2023

Protestors were seen marching the streets holding signs that say Justice for all victims of police terror!, Stop the war on black Americans, The people demand: End police terror!

Protesters taking to the streets near Boston Common demanding justice for Tyre Nichols. pic.twitter.com/AOHMCtg6oj  Brea Douglas (@BreaDouglasTV) January 28, 2023

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, local clergy, and community activists gathered inside the common for a vigil in response to the killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis. Wu spoke in front of The Embrace Memorial Friday night.

To the Black and brown men of Boston, you deserve to feel and be safe in your cars and in your homes, in our streets, in our stores, the places where you work, and live and celebrate, Wu said. Please know that we see you and we love you.

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
Five former Memphis police officers have been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection to the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after having multiple "confrontations" with the law enforcement officials during a routine traffic stop. Prosecutor Steve Mulroy said that the world is watching us and we need to show the world what lessons we can learn from this tragedy, noting that the charges  and forthcoming public release of police bodycam footage of the incident  would be a step in that direction.

Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr., and Justin Smith  all former Memphis Police Department officers  have been charged with second-degree murder. The officers were fired last week after an investigation into Mr Nichols death.

Mr Nichols was pulled over on 7 January for reckless driving but ended the night in a hospital following confrontations with the police. He died three days later.

Family members and supporters hold a photograph of Tyre Nichols in hospital during a news conference in Memphis (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis announced on Wednesday that the body camera footage showing the events of 7 January would be released on Friday at 6pm CT ( 7pm est). The video will reportedly have some redactions and will be approximately an hour long.

The former officers are each facing additional charges, which are aggravated assault  acting in concert; aggravated kidnapping; official misconduct and official oppression, according to the Shelby County District Attorneys office.

During a press conference announcing the charges on Thursday, prosecutor Steve Mulroy said that the investigation was ongoing and that additional charges could be added pending review.

Tyre Nichols (DEANDRE NICHOLS via REUTERS)

While each of the five individuals played a different role in the incident in question, the actions of all of them resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols, and they are all responsible, he said.

David Rausch, the director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, said what happened here does not at all reflect proper policing.

This was wrong. This was criminal, he said.

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He added: Simply put, this shouldnt have happened.

Ive been policing for more than 30 years. Ive devoted my life to this profession, he said. Im shocked, Im sickened by what I saw and what we learned through our investigation.

On the night of the incident, Mr Nichols had been stopped by police for reckless driving. A confrontation occurred, according to the officers report, which resulted in Mr Nichols allegedly attempting to run away from the officers. They caught up to him, and a second confrontation reportedly occurred. Shortly thereafter Mr Nichols reportedly complained that he could not breathe, and was transported to a hospital.

His death three days later led to demands for transparency from the department and the city regarding the events immediately preceding his hospitalisation.

Booking images provided by the Shelby County Sheriff's Office shows, from top row from left, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, bottom row from left, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith (AP)

His family and their attorney, Ben Crump, commissioned an independent autopsy, which found Mr Nichols suffered extensive bleeding caused by severe beating.

Mr Crump and the family demanded to see the police bodycam footage from the incident. After reviewing the footage, Mr Crump called it appalling, and likened it to the Rodney King beating by police in the 1990s.

It is deplorable. It is heinous. It is violent, he said during a press conference after reviewing the images.

Chief Davis had a similar description of the events, also calling them heinous and a failing of basic humanity towards another individual.

She warned that viewers would likely feel outraged by the disregard for basic human rights, but urged members of the public who decide to protest to spare the community from violence and destruction.

Mr Crump praised the arrest and indictment of the officers on Thursday.

That these five officers are being held criminally accountable for their deadly and brutal actions gives us hope as we continue to push for justice for Tyre, he said in a statement. This tragedy meets the absolute definition of a needless and unnecessary death.

Rodney Wells, Mr Nichols father, said after reviewing the footage he and his family believe the former officers should be charged with first-degree murder, according to The New York Times.

Justice for us is Murder 1, he said. Anything short of that we will not accept.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, left, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrive at a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 25, 2023, to talk about the Republican bill called the Fair Tax Act. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty)

Remember how cameras followed Rep. Kevin McCarthy up and down the aisles of the Houseas he tried to string together enough deals during 15 rounds of voting to be elected House speaker?

The California Republican gathered enough votes to win the post  and now he seems to be running almost as fast to back away from some of those deals.

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One particularly problematic example is the proposed Fair Tax Act, which is not to be confused with the failed Illinois Fair Tax.The proposed Illinois state constitutional amendment on the 2020 ballot would have changed the states income tax system from a flat tax to a graduated income tax.

The proposed federal measure, a radical product of the GOPs right-wing Freedom Caucus, would abolish the Internal Revenue Service, do away with income, payroll, estate and gift taxes and replace the income tax with a 30% national sales tax.

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Wow. Are you as gobsmacked by that 30% figure as I am? Rep. Earl Buddy Carter, the Georgia Republican who introduced the bill, argues on his website that the 30% is really more like 23%, since the tax is included in the purchase price.

Right. Im all in favor of simplifying the annual torture that filing income taxes puts me through, especially if it also lowers taxes. But, since I was not a math major in school, I identify as too math-illiterate to know whether this bill will save me money or take me to the cleaners.

But, wait, theres more. To further sweeten the deal, the bill includes a monthly check, which Carter calls a prebate, that would go out to every registered household to cover the consumption tax spent on necessities up to the federal poverty level.

Thank you, sir. But already this tax simplification plan is sounding too complicated for me.

One group appears to be particularly delighted by this Republican proposal: Democrats.

Democratic leaders mocked McCarthys apparent cave-in to Trump-aligned MAGA Republicans with various concessions in exchange for their votes.

Theyre also expected to work it into their continuing theme that Republicans are endangering Medicare and Social Security and, more generally, are out of touch with regular Americans.

The bumpy launch of the proposed Fair Tax Act reveals another troubling trend for the Republicans. The small-government party of ideas GOP that we saw in the 1980s and 90s under President Ronald Reagan and House Speaker Newt Gingrich lost its intellectual steam in Trumps MAGA era.

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Instead, it has become more dominated by hard-right extremist culture warriors and Trump wannabes, rejecting old-school bipartisan gestures across the aisle as some form of ideological treason.

The result is such sights as McCarthy campaigning through 15 feverish rounds of voting and deal-making to cobble together enough votes to become speaker, during which he promised Republicans that he would hold a hearing on the national sales tax measure, among other promises. More recently, he appears to be backpedaling away from it.

When he was questioned, for example, by CNNs Manu Raju in a hallway as to whether he supported the Fair Tax Act, he responded simply, No and kept on walking, swiftly away.

That may not matter much in the long run, since the Fair Tax idea has only spotty support among Republicans and virtually no chance of passing in the Senate. Even anti-tax hawks such as Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform, wrote recently in the Atlantic that the bill was a free gift to the Democrats.

I dont have to be an economic wizard to see how tacking a 30%  or even 23%  tax or surcharge onto the price of goods or services puts a drag on consumer sales and wallets. As the late Republican congressman and policy wonk Jack Kemp used to say, If you want less of something, tax it, he said. If you want more of something, subsidize it.

The same might also be said of those who want more votes.

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cpage@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @cptime
If you want to understand why so many Black people dont trust the police, why so many of us, when we pass a cop car, or are stopped by one, feel our hearts race, even though we know we did nothing wrong, and we look at our kid in the back seat and tell them to stay calm.

If you want to truly understand why so many of us think police officers see us as animals. As things to be dispatched, or strangled, or sent to our deaths after a hail of bullets in our backs or kicks to our sternum. Killed for holding a bag of Skittles or a toy gun or, many times, nothing at all. If you want to understand why we think cops see us as lower than white people. Lower than all people. Lower than dirt.

If you want to understand all of that, theres one particular part of the horrid, hourlong video showing the beating death, or actually, the alleged on-screen murder of Tyre Nichols, you need to focus on.

Nichols, 29, is handcuffed and seated on the ground, moaning in pain and bloodied, after the brutal attack by the officers, five of whom would later be charged with second-degree murder. Nichols begins to fall over, and one officer tells Nichols to sit up. Theres no compassion or, at this point, aid given. The police are standing around and talking like they just watched the Tennessee Titans game.

Tyre Nichols was offered little humanity

Nichols begins to fall over again. After all, he is badly beaten. And again, there is little humanity shown Nichols. In fact, he is actually taunted by one person at the scene.

The cops in the video act like a gang. They look like goons.

'Oppression units': Tyre Nichols' family attorney says SCORPION units target 'most vulnerable'

Press conference: FBI director 'appalled' by the Tyre Nichols traffic stop video involving Memphis PD

In that moment, you see how Black lives dont matter to these police. In that moment, you see with extreme clarity what centuries of dehumanization looks like, what seeing Black bodies as less than looks like, and it doesnt matter if the cops are Black. Once some Black cops become part of that system, they dehumanize themselves, too. Black people, their own people, become the enemy.

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Earlier in the video, one cop says: I hope they stomp his ass. One street cam video shows a cop repeatedly kicking Nichols in the head. He is also hit in the face with some type of baton. Later, Nichols calls out for his mom.

Protesters rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 27, 2023, after Memphis, Tenn., released police body camera footage of the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols.

There are several historical markers in the centurieslong bloody timeline that is the interaction between police and Black people. Some of the more recent include the 1991 attack on Rodney King and of course the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

The killing of Nichols will be another one of those markers because of the callousness and viciousness displayed by the officers. We will look back at this moment as one of the ugliest weve experienced as a nation.

It was obvious to me, Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "CJ" Davis told NBC News on Friday, that what I saw was beyond the scope of what is condoned in this police department, in any department that Ive ever worked in before.  Completely next level. Completely outside of, you know, humanity. Im not even gonna say training. I mean humanity.

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The mayor of Memphis, Jim Strickland, said he was stunned by what he saw. He told The Commercial Appeal on Friday: My first emotion was sadness  sadness for Tyre  watching him go through what he was going through. And then some disbelief. It's just beyond anything I've ever seen. Then it turned into anger that a fellow human being was treated that way.

How did traffic stops become executions?

The killing of Black people at the hands of police happens everywhere, from the West Coast to the East, from the Midwest to the Southwest.

The attack on Nichols has been compared to the beating of King. Whats remarkable, however, is the police who beat King didnt know they were being videotaped. These police were using bodycams. They knew their actions were being recorded and they still behaved like that.

How does a traffic stop become an execution? For Black and brown people, it does because we are Black and brown. How is it, it seems, that we die over so little? Or nothing at all? See previous answer.

Police kill far too many people during traffic stops: We must change why stops are made.

A family asked police to help man struggling with mental illness: Instead, they shot him.

Theres not even proof (so far) of a traffic violation committed by Nichols. Thats because some police dont feel that they need one when it comes to us. Were not Americans or fellow citizens. The Constitution isnt for us. Rights? We dont have rights.

If theres one thing we need to always remember is that Nichols was a person. He was a father. He loved to skateboard. He existed.

He mattered. Black lives do. No matter how much it seems to police that they dont.

Mike Freeman is the race and inequality editor for USA TODAY Sports.

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @usatodayopinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To respond to a column, submit a comment to letters@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tyre Nichols killing, video show how Black lives don't matter to cops
People hold signs at a protest in Times Square after footage showing Tyre Nichols's fatal beating at the hands of Memphis, Tenn., police officers was released on Friday night. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Protests unfolded across the U.S. on Friday night after body camera footage and surveillance video showing Memphis, Tenn., police officers brutally beating Tyre Nichols were released.

Nicholss family, the Memphis police chief and President Biden called on protesters to remain peaceful in response to the videos, which Biden said that after viewing left him outraged and deeply pained.

In Memphis, where Nichols  a 29-year-old Black man who died on Jan. 10, three days after five officers tased, pepper-sprayed and assaulted him  around 100 protesters blocked the Interstate 55 bridge in both directions, bringing semitrucks and other vehicles to a halt.

Demonstrators filled New York Citys Times Square, demanding justice for Nichols, a FedEx driver and father of a 4-year-old son.

Nichols, 29, died on Jan. 10, three days after five Memphis police officers tased, pepper-sprayed and brutally beat him. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

"Say his name! Tyre Nichols!" they chanted as part of the largely peaceful protests that traveled through Manhattan. What's his name? Tyre! Say his name. Tyre!"

Three people were arrested, including one who was seen jumping on a police cruiser and smashing its windshield. The citys police commissioner said there will be an increased police presence in New York throughout the weekend.

In Chicago, people attended peaceful vigils and rallies across the city calling for justice not only for Nichols, but also for Anthony Alvarez, a 22-year-old man who was fatally shot by a Chicago police officer in March 2021.

From Memphis to Chicago, these killer cops have got to go, they shouted.

Los Angeles police officers stand shoulder to shoulder in riot gear after a protester wrote "KILLS" on the outside of LAPD headquarters on Friday. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Protesters also gathered outside the White House in Washington, D.C., where the Metropolitan Police Department activated more than 3,000 officers to remain on duty this weekend to prepare for potential unrest.

In Los Angeles, officers were dressed in riot gear to face off with protesters who attended a vigil for Nichols and Keenan Anderson, a 31-year-old high school teacher who died in LAPD custody earlier this month, hours after police restrained and tased him six times in 42 seconds after an alleged hit-and-run accident.

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A photograph of Tyre Nichols is displayed at a rally in Atlanta. (Cheney Orr/AFP via Getty Images)

President Biden spoke with Nicholss parents on Friday, and in a statement said the body camera footage showing his fatal beating is yet another painful reminder of the profound fear and trauma, the pain, and the exhaustion that Black and Brown Americans experience every single day.

The five police officers involved in Nicholss death  Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith  were fired for conduct that the police chief said violated department policies. The former cops, all of whom are Black, were booked and charged with second-degree murder and other offenses on Thursday. They have since posted bond and been released.

Two Memphis fire department employees were relieved of duty after Nicholss death. After the body camera footage was released to the public Friday, two Shelby County sheriffs deputies were placed on administrative leave.

Heres a look at the protests that unfolded across the U.S. on Friday night.

A protester in Memphis holds a sign that reads "Justice for Tyre." (Alyssa Pointer/Reuters)

Protesters blocked traffic in Memphis after the video was released. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Demonstrators protest in Times Square on Friday night. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

A protester holds a sign reading "Abolish Killer Police" during a rally in freezing temperatures in Chicago. (Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

At a protest in Boston, a woman reacts while watching the video of the police attack on Nichols. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Protesters face off with a line of police officers outside the LAPD headquarters. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images)

Police officers try to remove a protester from a police vehicle in Times Square, New York. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Sean Blackmon leads a chant as protesters gather near the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday night. (Nathan Howard/Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A four-star U.S. Air Force general said in a memo that his gut told him the United States would fight China in the next two years, comments that Pentagon officials said were not consistent with American military assessments.

"I hope I am wrong," General Mike Minihan, who heads the Air Mobility Command, wrote to the leadership of its roughly 110,000 members. "My gut tells me will fight in 2025."

The letter was dated Feb. 1 but had been sent out on Friday.

The general's views do not represent the Pentagon but show concern at the highest levels of the U.S. military over a possible attempt by China to exert control over Taiwan, which China claims as a territory. Both the United States and Taiwan will hold presidential elections in 2024, potentially creating an opportunity for China to take military action, Minihan wrote.

"These comments are not representative of the department's view on China," a U.S. defense official said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said earlier this month he seriously doubted that ramped up Chinese military activities near the Taiwan Strait were a sign of an imminent invasion of the island by Beijing.

China has stepped up its diplomatic, military and economic pressure in recent years on the self-governed island to accept Beijing's rule. Taiwan's government says it wants peace but will defend itself if attacked.

Reuters reviewed a copy of Minihan's memo, which was first reported by NBC News.

In response to a request for comment, Air Force Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said in a statement that military competition with China is a central challenge.

"Our focus remains on working alongside allies and partners to preserve a peaceful, free and open Indo-Pacific," he said.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
A four-star Air Force general sent a memo on Friday to the officers he commands that predicts the U.S. will be at war with China in two years and tells them to get ready to prep by firing "a clip" at a target, and "aim for the head."

In the memo sent Friday and obtained by NBC News, Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, said, I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me will fight in 2025.

Air Mobility Command has nearly 50,000 service members and nearly 500 planes and is responsible for transport and refueling.

Minihan said in the memo that because both Taiwan and the U.S. will have presidential elections in 2024, the U.S. will be distracted, and Chinese President Xi Jinping will have an opportunity to move on Taiwan.

He lays out his goals for preparing, including building a fortified, ready, integrated, and agile Joint Force Maneuver Team ready to fight and win inside the first island chain.

The signed memo is addressed to all air wing commanders in Air Mobility Command and other Air Force operational commanders, and orders them to report all major efforts to prepare for the China fight to Minihan by Feb. 28.

During the month of February, he directs all AMC personnel to fire a clip into a 7-meter target with the full understanding that unrepentant lethality matters most. Aim for the head. He also orders all personnel to update their records and emergency contacts.

In March he directs all AMC personnel to consider their personal affairs and whether a visit should be scheduled with their servicing base legal office to ensure they are legally ready and prepared.

Video captured Dec. 21 shows a Chinese fighter jet flying close to a U.S. surveillance plane in international airspace over the South China Sea. (U.S. Indo-Pacific Command)

Minihan urges them to accept some risk in training. Run deliberately, not recklessly, he writes, but later adds, If you are comfortable in your approach to training, then you are not taking enough risk.

He also provides a window into one capability the U.S. is considering for possible conflict with China  commercial drone swarms. He directs the KC-135 units to prepare for delivering 100 off-the-shelf size and type UAVs from a single aircraft.

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After publication of this article, a defense department official said, These comments are not representative of the departments view on China.

An AMC spokesperson confirmed in a statement Friday that the memo is real: This is an authentic internal memo from General Minihan addressed to his subordinate command teams. His order builds on last years foundational efforts by Air Mobility Command to ready the Mobility Air Forces for future conflict, should deterrence fail.

Defense Department press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement, The National Defense Strategy makes clear that China is the pacing challenge for the Department of Defense and our focus remains on working alongside allies and partners to preserve a peaceful, free and open Indo-Pacific.

In March 2021, Adm. Philip Davidson, then commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that Taiwan is clearly one of [Chinas] ambitions.

I think the threat is manifest during this decade, in fact, in the next six years, said Davidson.

When asked earlier this month whether a Chinese invasion of Taiwan was imminent, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, What were seeing recently, is some very provocative behavior on the part of Chinas forces and their attempt to re-establish a new normal.

But whether or not that means that an invasion is imminent, said Austin, I seriously doubt that."

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Colorado health care giant UCHealth on Friday warned its patients, employees and providers to be vigilant about any activity involving their personal information following a data breach involving one of its vendors.

UCHealth characterized the breach as the result of actions by a lone, unidentified cybercriminal who accessed a variety of records held by business operations software company Diligent Corp. Here's what we know and how to protect yourself if you're worried that your personal information is compromised.

What happened in the UCHealth data breach?

Health system officials said that Diligent provides online hosted services for UCHealth, and its software was accessed and attachments downloaded by the cybercriminal. The downloaded documents may have included names, addresses, dates of birth and treatment-related information. Social Security numbers and other information may have been accessed "in very limited cases," according to UCHealth.

The health system's email and electronic medical record systems were not accessed, according to a news release.

Was patient data used or sold following the breach?

UCHealth officials wrote that "we have no reason to believe the data taken from Diligent's system went beyond the cybercriminal or was misused in any way." However, they encouraged patients, employees and providers to watch for any signs of suspicious activity or identity theft.

UCHealth apologized for the concern caused by the breach and says it was told that Diligent has taken additional steps to protect the data it stores.

What should I do if I'm concerned that my data has been compromised?

Those with additional questions are directed by UCHealth to call 855-624-6798 from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays.

John Buzzard, a financial fraud analyst at Javelin Strategy and Research, told USA TODAY that people with no evidence of identity fraud should still take advantage of their one annual credit review, which is free from each bureau: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.

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If youve received an indication that an account has been tampered with or credit has been extended in your name, you should contact that company or financial partner directly and promptly.

There is no perfect way to validate that your identity has been stolen until you start to see material account-based charges or financial losses, Buzzard said.

Consumers can also purchase identity protection services that provide preemptive warnings when unusual activity starts to occur.

What should you do if your identity is stolen?

Freeze your credit. This should be the first step at the sign of a scam so you can potentially limit the damage going forward.

File a police report. Some financial institutions require this step to gain access to other coverage. Do this at your local law enforcement agency if theyll accept it.

Write paper letters to any service providers that wrongly opened accounts in your name. Buzzard suggests writing concise, drama-free letters that provide the details of the fraud. Make it clear that youve been a victim, attach the police report and follow up. The goal is to get each account closed and work toward expungement so youre no longer liable for the money. Remember that each lender and credit agency needs to get a letter.

Be patient and tenacious. Its your problem to fix, you have to advocate for yourself, Buzzard said, and despite being frustrating, the best results go to those who are concise and follow up with each piece of the financial system until the problem is resolved.

Get an attorney. If things get really bad, some consumers consider filing for bankruptcy or attempting to obtain a new Social Security number entirely, but Buzzard said a $1,200 bankruptcy filing fee would probably be better used to see a good attorney.

Contributing: Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: UCHealth warns patients, employees of data breach by cybercriminal
Police on Friday released videos showing the deadly police beating of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, who died on Jan. 10, three days after he was stopped by police a short distance from his home in Memphis.

>> RELATED: Tyre Nichols death: Memphis police release bodycam footage

Area law enforcement issued statements, some on social media, in reaction to the video. Many condemned the officers behavior and shared the impacts it could have on officers nationwide.

In a statement on social media, Richmond Police Chief Michael Britt called the assault which lead to the death of Nichols unacceptable and repulsive. He added his department does not support the officers in Memphis who betrayed public trust.

January 27, 2023 Message to our Community, Regarding the incident that we have all witnessed with the release of... Posted by Richmond Police Department on Friday, January 27, 2023

>> RELATED: Tyre Nichols: Inhumane act of violence; President of Dayton NAACP speaks on Memphis Police video

Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal also condemned the actions of the officers in a statement, calling it vile and ugly behavior. The full statement can be read below:

Wearing the uniform I wear comes with lots of responsibilities. Over the 31-plus years, I have seen ugly and vile behavior resulting in suffering of victims. It is beyond my understanding and comprehension that someone in my profession could be responsible for such vile and ugly behavior. Tragically, that is what I saw last night as Mr. Nichols was so inhumanely and brutally attacked, ultimately paying the price with his life. These men should be held accountable for their actions, but nothing will bring back a grieving mothers son.

We, in the profession, must remain vigilant and take a stand that any behavior that deviates from not valuing sanctity of life is not acceptable. We do not have a choice. We must serve all, we must protect all. Our communities expect and deserve the very best of us and we must deliver on that very oath of office to faithfully protect the rights of every citizen we encounter.

Story continues

>>Photos: Protests in response to video of Tyre Nichols arrest

Springboros Chief of Police said in a statement on social media that unfortunately this incident will tarnish every police officer in America.

The full statement is below:

Earlier this evening, like many Americans, I watched the horrific video of the arrest of Tyre Nichols by members of the Memphis Police Department.

I, and the members of the Springboro Division of Police join most of our peers in Law Enforcement in condemning the actions of these officers. It was gratifying to see the City of Memphis move quickly to discharge these officers and file criminal charges.

Unfortunately this incident will tarnish every police officer in America. Every day, thousands of police officers work honorably and diligently to protect and serve their communities. Many of these same officers will be facing several days of dangerous work as chaos will break out in their communities. We pray for calm and peace in those communities that historically ignite in flames when incidents like this occur.

We pray for the family and friends of Mr. Nichols during this difficult time. We also pray for justice for Mr. Nichols and that permanent change will result from the despicable actions of these officers, and eliminate those small number of police officers who possess the intent to act in a similar manner.

We will continue to update this story as more statements are issued.








President Joe Biden walks out of the White House in Washington to speak with reporters before heading towards Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. (Susan Walsh/AP)

President Joe Biden said he was very concerned about the prospect of violence, but called for protests over the death of Tyre Nichols to remain peaceful.

Speaking Friday at the White House before departing for Camp David, the president reflected on his call earlier with Nichols mother, RowVaughn Wells.

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Im obviously very concerned about it, Biden said when asked if he was worried about violence, but I think she has made a very strong plea. Shes obviously in enormous pain.

Memphis authorities released more than an hour of footage Friday of the violent beating of Tyre Nichols in which officers held the Black motorist down and struck him repeatedly as he screamed for his mother.

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The video emerged one day after the officers, who are all Black, were charged with murder in Nichols death
LONDON (Reuters) - A judge on Saturday adjourned legal proceedings against a serving soldier in the British army who is accused of terrorism and explosives-related offences and remanded the 21-year-old in custody, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

London's Metropolitan Police said on Friday they had charged Daniel Abed Khalif from Stafford in central England with eliciting or attempting to elicit in August 2021 information that could be used by a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.

He was also charged with the offence of placing an article which other people might fear was a bomb on or before Jan. 2 this year.

When Khalif appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday, the judge adjourned proceedings until Feb. 3 so that the Attorney General can give permission for the case to go ahead, the CPS said.

It said Khalif did not make a plea and was remanded in custody.

(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Helen Popper)
Fighter jets

The newspaper did not specify how exactly Russias withdrawal would be defined.

Read also: U.S. defense officials have not ruled out transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine

Commenting on the matter, one of the newspapers sources said never say never, while another one stressed that its not the priority now, regarding fighter jet transfers.

The British Army is concerned that the Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy are not pulling their weight in providing support for Ukraine, The Telegraph wrote. However, the RAF and Navy explained that their equipment is much more complex to use and takes longer to train on.

Read also: Poland alleged to have covertly sent MiG-29s to Ukraine last spring

However, The Telegraph said, British sailors have been teaching Ukrainians since July 2022 how to operate Sandown-class minehunters.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Oleksiy Danilov

When asked whether Ukraine could get permission to use weapons supplied by partner nations to launch pre-emptive strikes on military targets in Russia itself, Danilov answered that only military objects that are directly related to those pro-cesses taking place at the front would be attacked.

As for military targets on Russian territory  we have no constraints. I dont understand where it all comes that we cant hit military targets, Danilov said.

We are not Russians and we do not destroy critical infrastructure facilities, hospitals, kindergartens, schools.

Read also: Kremlin within reach of Ukrainian weapons, just like Engels airfield, Ukraines intel warns Putin

An unknown drone crashed on Dec. 5 on the runway of the Engels-2 airfield in Russias Saratov Oblast. Satellite images recorded damage to at least one Tu-95 bomber. On the same day, a gas tanker exploded at an airfield near Ryazan. Three Russian soldiers were killed and four more were injured in the incidents, according to reports by the Russian Defense Ministry.

On the night of Dec. 26, a new powerful explosion occurred at the same military air-field in Engels. According to Ukrainian intelligence, at least three Russians were killed.

Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat called the Dec. 26 explosions the consequences of Russian aggression. He also reported that in connection with the incidents, Russia has redeployed its strategic aircraft. Ukrainian authorities have not directly commented on possible Ukrainian involvement in the explosions.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Abrams tanks

As of today, numerous countries have officially confirmed their agreement to deliver 321 heavy tanks to Ukraine, Omelchenko told BFM.

He did not specify which countries would provide the tanks or provide a breakdown of which models.

Delivery times are case-by-case and we need this help as soon as possible, he added.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian army needed 300-500 tanks for the offensive.

Read also: Ukraine needs thousands of Western tanks to change course of war, says Ambassador Prystaiko

In December 2022, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhnyi said in an interview with the UK magazine The Economist that Ukraine needs 300 tanks to push Russian forces back to the borders of Feb. 23, 2022.

Omelchenkos comment comes after the U.S. pledged to provide 31 M1 Abrams tanks and Germany agreed to send 14 Leopard 2 A6s. Previously, the United Kingdom pledged sending 14 Challenger 2 tanks, while Poland asked for approval from Germany to transfer some of its own German-made Leopard 2s to Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said that on Jan. 27 the Ukrainian tank coalition already includes 12 countries.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The Ukrainian Defence Ministry has signed 16 state contracts with Ukrainian drone manufacturers recently.

Source: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine

Details: The ministry announced a joint meeting of representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff, as well as Ukrainian developers and UAV manufacturers, on Saturday, 28 January.

Quote: "The Ukrainian Defence Ministry will increase the procurement of UAVs for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2023. About UAH 20 billion (approximately US$544,055) should be allocated to this segment in 2023, taking into account the needs and requests of the Ukrainian army...

It was noted during the meeting that the Ministry of Defence is deepening cooperation with Ukrainian developers and manufacturers of UAVs. In particular, 16 state contracts with domestic manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles have recently been signed. And Ukraine has the easiest procedure in Europe for authorising UAVs for use in the army, thanks to the work carried out by the Ministry of Defences specialists."

Details: The Defence Ministry noted that they received 75 applications for UAVs of various types from Ukrainian manufacturers in the period from November 2022 to January 2023, after the introduction of the new approval procedure, which used to take from one and a half to two years and now takes just a few weeks. 13 of them have already received codification, and their technical conditions have been approved. Another three UAVs types are at the stage of codification.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Destroyed Russian equipment

The enemy has also lost over 21,000 units of military equipment, including:

Tanks  3,189 (+7);

Armored combat vehicles  6,344 (+4);

Artillery systems  2,188 (+8);

Multiple launch rocket systems  453 (+1);

Air defense systems  221 (+0);

Warplanes  293 (+1);

Helicopters  284 (+1);

UAVs  1,947 (+6);

Cruise missiles  796 (+0);

Warships / boats  18 (+0);

Motor vehicles and fuel tankers  5,027 (+26);

Specialized equipment  199 (+0).

Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Jan. 28 is the 339th day of the full-scale war. Invading Russian forces initially tried to advance from the north, east and south, shelling peaceful cities throughout Ukraine using artillery and bombing them from the air. Russia continues to attack civilian structures in Ukraine with cruise missiles. It also has launched Iranian-made suicide attack drones against Ukrainian cities, starting in October.

During this time, the Kremlin has changed the goals of its war in Ukraine several times.

Russian forces currently occupy parts of Zaporizhzhya, Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk, Mykolayiv, and Kharkiv oblasts.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
In a regular morning update on Jan. 28, the General Staff of Ukraines Armed Forces reported that the Ukrainian military had repelled 13 Russian assaults in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

According to the General Staff, Over the past 24 hours, Ukraine's military repelled Russian attacks near the settlements of Bilohorivka in the Luhansk Oblast and Rozdolivka, Krasna Gora, Bakhmut, Ivanivske, Klishchiivka, Druzhba, Vodyane, Maryinka, Pobyeda, Vuhledar and Prechistivka in Donetsk Oblast.

Kremlin proxies in Donetsk Oblast claimed on Jan. 27 that Russian forces were inching toward capturing the eastern town of Vuhledar, but Ukraine refuted the claim, saying that Moscow was exaggerating its progress in the area.

Vuhledar, once home to around 14,000 people, is located some 50 kilometers southwest of the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk.

Ukraines Eastern Military Command spokesman Serhiy Cherevaty reported that fierce fighting continued around Vuhledar, but Ukrainian forces have been able to stop Russians from achieving any progress.




CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela should release arbitrarily detained individuals and end torture, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said on Saturday at the end of a trip to the country.

Turk arrived in Venezuela on Thursday and met with President Nicolas Maduro on Friday, in addition to Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, senior government officials, opposition figures and victims of human rights violations.

"In my meetings with the president and ministers, I called for all people who have been arbitrarily detained to be released," Turk said on Saturday in a statement.

Turk extended his call to governments around the world to release, pardon or grant amnesty to "all those arbitrarily detained for exercising their fundamental human rights."

During his trip, Turk said he met with people who were arbitrarily detained and tortured.

In September, a U.N. independent international fact-finding mission on Venezuela said state security agencies have for years used sexual- and gender-based violence to torture and humiliate detainees.

"I was given commitments that torture complaints would be addressed decisively, fully investigated and those responsible brought to justice," Turk said.

The High Commissioner's visit comes after Venezuela's National Assembly on Tuesday passed the first of two readings of a bill to regulate non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which has sparked criticism from advocacy groups.

On the subject, Turk said he reiterated to authorities the importance of guaranteeing civic space.

The most recent Venezuela report by a U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, made last June, said Venezuela had taken some steps to strengthen the rule of law, but that there were still concerns about the lack of independence of the judicial system.

(Reporting by Deisy Buitrago and Vivian Sequera; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Josie Kao)
Protesters march down the street on Jan. 27, 2023, in Memphis, Tennessee, as authorities release police video depicting five Memphis officers beating Tyre Nichols, whose death resulted in murder charges and provoked outrage at the country's latest instance of police brutality. (Gerald Herbert / AP)

Authorities released video footage Friday showing Tyre Nichols being beaten by five Memphis police officers who held the Black motorist down and repeatedly struck him with their fists, boots and batons as he screamed for his mother.

The video is filled with violent moments showing the officers, who are also Black, chasing and pummeling Nichols and leaving him on the pavement propped against a squad car as they fist-bump and celebrate their actions.

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The footage emerged one day after the officers were charged with murder in Nichols death. The chilling images of another Black man dying at the hands of police renewed tough questions about how fatal encounters with law enforcement continue even after repeated calls for change.

Protesters gathered for mostly peaceful demonstrations in multiple cities, including Memphis, where several dozen demonstrators blocked the Interstate 55 bridge that carries traffic over the Mississippi River toward Arkansas. Semitrucks were backed up for a distance. In Washington, dozens of protestors gathered in Lafayette Park, across the street from the White House and near Black Lives Matter Plaza.

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Other cities nationwide braced for demonstrations, but media outlets reported only scattered and nonviolent protests. Demonstrators at times blocked traffic while they chanted slogans and marched through the streets of New York City, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon.

The recording shows police savagely beating the 29-year-old FedEx worker for three minutes while screaming profanities at him throughout the attack. The Nichols family legal team has likened the assault to the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King.

Editors note: The following video is one of four released by Memphis authorities. The footage contains graphic content and language. There is no audio for the first minute. The full hour of footage released can be viewed here.

After the first officer roughly pulls Nichols out of a car, Nichols can be heard saying, I didnt do anything, as a group of officers begins to wrestle him to the ground.

One officer is heard yelling, Tase him! Tase him!

Nichols calmly says, OK, Im on the ground.

You guys are really doing a lot right now, Nichols says. Im just trying to go home.

Stop, Im not doing anything, he yells moments later.

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Nichols can then be seen running as an officer fires a Taser at him. The officers then start chasing Nichols.

Other officers are called, and a search ensues before Nichols is caught at another intersection. The officers beat him with a baton, and kick and punch him.

Security camera footage shows three officers surrounding Nichols as he lies in the street cornered between police cars, with a fourth officer nearby.

Two officers hold Nichols to the ground as he moves about, and then the third appears to kick him in the head. Nichols slumps more fully onto the pavement with all three officers surrounding him. The same officer kicks him again.

The fourth officer then walks over, draws a baton and holds it up at shoulder level as two officers hold Nichols upright, as if he were sitting.

Im going to baton the f--- out you, one officer can be heard saying. His body camera shows him raise his baton while at least one other officer holds Nichols. The officer strikes Nichols on the back with the baton three times in a row.

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The other officers then appear to hoist Nichols to his feet, with him flopping like a doll, barely able to stay upright.

An officer then punches him in the face, as the officer with the baton continues to menace him. Nichols stumbles and turns, still held up by two officers. The officer who punched him then walks around to Nichols front and punches him four more times. Then Nichols collapses.

Two officers can then be seen atop Nichols on the ground, with a third nearby, for about 40 seconds. Three more officers then run up, and one can be seen kicking Nichols on the ground.

As Nichols is slumped up against a car, not one of the officers renders aid. The body camera footage shows a first-person view of one of them reaching down and tying his shoe.

It takes more than 20 minutes after Nichols is beaten and on the pavement before any sort of medical attention is provided, even though two fire department officers arrived on the scene with medical equipment within 10 minutes.

Throughout the videos, officers make claims about Nichols behavior that are not supported by the footage or that the district attorney and other officials have said did not happen. In one of the videos, an officer claims that during the initial traffic stop Nichols reached for his gun before fleeing and almost had his hand on the handle, which is not shown in the video.

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After Nichols is in handcuffs and leaning against a police car, several officers say that he must have been high. Later an officer says no drugs were found in his car, and another officer immediately counters that Nichols must have ditched something while he was running away.

Authorities have not released an autopsy report, but they have said there appeared to be no justification for the traffic stop, and nothing of note was found in the car.

The video raised questions about the role and possible culpability of the other officers at the scene, in addition to the five who were charged. The footage shows a number of other officers standing around after the beating.

Memphis Police Director Cerelyn CJ Davis has said other officers are under investigation for their part in the arrest. Davis described the five officers actions as heinous, reckless and inhumane.

During the traffic stop, the video shows the officers were already ramped up, at about a 10, she said. The officers were aggressive, loud, using profane language and probably scared Mr. Nichols from the very beginning.

Police are trained to understand that people might flee just because they are scared, said Geoffrey Alpert, a criminologist at the University of South Carolina who studies use of force.

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Nichols relatives urged supporters to protest peacefully.

I dont want us burning up our city, tearing up the streets, because thats not what my son stood for, Nichols mother, RowVaughn Wells, said Thursday. If you guys are here for me and Tyre, then you will protest peacefully.

Christopher Taylor was one of the protesters at the Interstate 55 bridge on Friday. He said he watched the video. The Memphis native said it was horrible that the officers appeared to be laughing as they stood around after the beating.

I cried, he said. And that right there, as not only a father myself but I am also a son, my mother is still living, that could have been me.

The image from video released on Jan. 27, 2023, by the City of Memphis, shows Tyre Nichols during a brutal attack by five Memphis police officers on Jan. 7, 2023, in Memphis, Tenn. (Uncredited)

Speaking at the White House, President Joe Biden said Friday that he was very concerned about the prospect of violence and called for protests to remain peaceful.

Biden said he spoke with Nichols mother earlier in the day and told her that he was going to be making a case to Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to get this under control. The legislation, which has been stalled, is meant to tackle police misconduct and excessive force and boost federal and state accountability efforts.

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Court records showed that all five former officers  Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith  were taken into custody.

The officers each face charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Four of the five officers had posted bond and been released from custody by Friday morning, according to court and jail records.

Second-degree murder is punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison under Tennessee law.

Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner said in a statement late Friday that two deputies who appeared on the scene after the beating were relieved of duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation.

Patrick Yoes, the national president of the Fraternal Order of Police, condemned the alleged actions of the Memphis officers.

The event as described to us does not constitute legitimate police work or a traffic stop gone wrong. This is a criminal assault under the pretext of law, Yoes said in a statement.

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As state and federal investigations continue, Davis promised the police departments full and complete cooperation.
The author and her daughter in Hawaii. Emily Hochberg/Insider

In 2022, I planned a big family vacation to Hawaii for me, my husband, and our toddler.

We spent a week on Oahu, dividing time between Honolulu and Aulani, a Disney Resort in Ko Olina.

At $4,500, it was expensive, and my daughter is likely too young to remember it. But I'm glad we went.

Last summer, I wanted to plan my family's first big vacation that wasn't a road trip to somewhere tropical.

The author and her family. Emily Hochberg/Insider

Before the summer of 2022, my travels with my husband and then 1-year-old daughter were strictly close-to-home road trips or visits to see family.

While we've flown cross country before, we never embarked on a far-flung family vacation, and as my child neared her second birthday, I felt more than ready for one.

Until then, we put big trips off for a variety of reasons: the pandemic mostly, but also budget as we prioritized a cross-country move, and the fact that it was just easier to travel with her by car and stay closer to home. After all, traveling with a toddler requires a lot of planning.

But last summer, we were ready to take a big adventure, and ideally, one that involved a beautiful beach.

We didn't feel ready for an international trip, and as a West Coast-based family, we decided Hawaii was our top option.

The author's family on the plane to Hawaii. Emily Hochberg/Insider

My husband and I initially considered Mexico or the Caribbean for a tropical getaway, but both felt more comfortable with the idea of Hawaii for our first big trip.

We didn't want to worry about going through customs and keeping track of passports, changing COVID-19 rules, or the hassle of a flight that required layovers.

Hawaii wouldn't require international travel, felt more accessible to us as newly-based West Coast residents who could take direct flights from Los Angeles, and was the epitome of the tropical paradise we both wanted.

While we had each visited Hawaii before, we wanted to go back.

Right away, my research showed it would be pricey. I ruled out my first island choice, Maui, and decided on Oahu as it was more affordable.

Story continues

The author's daughter in the lagoon at Hilton Hawaiian Village. Emily Hochberg/Insider

I've spent time on Maui before and love it for the variety of activities and ample natural beauty.

I thought Maui would be more remote-feeling than built-up Oahu but more family-friendly with a young child than Kauai or the Big Island, known for great hiking that we knew we wouldn't do with a young, fidgety child.

I found cheap flight deals to Maui from Los Angeles but was shocked by my hotel search results. I wanted to stay in a nice hotel with child-friendly pools and food and drink service as opposed to a condo or Airbnb where we'd have to make our own meals.

I was a parent who wanted to be on vacation, after all.

But a standard room in a four-star hotel cost nearly $1,000 per night when I searched on Google a few months in advance. Even smaller hotels with fewer amenities commanded $700 per night.

On Oahu, in Honolulu, on the other hand, I found standard hotel rooms for around $250 to $300 per night on Google.

Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, which had all the amenities I wanted, starts at $279 for a standard room, depending on the time of year, a representative for the hotel told Insider.

I could book a one-bedroom suite there for the same price as a standard room on Maui.

Not wanting to spend all our time in Honolulu, we decided to start at the Hilton for three nights, followed by a two-night splurge at Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, before wrapping up at The Royal Hawaiian back in Honolulu on Waikiki Beach for two nights, which I booked with credit card points.

Seven nights at four-star hotels would not have been possible for us on Maui, and all three were in places we had never been.

Usually, when I travel for a week with my husband and daughter, I expect it to cost between $1,000 and $2,000. Our trip to Hawaii cost more than double that.

The author and her family at Hilton Hawaiian Village. Emily Hochberg/Insider

Even though Oahu hotels were cheaper than the ones I considered on Maui, they still added up.

Insider received a media rate for a suite at the Hilton, which cost around $850 for three nights.

Two nights at Aulani in a standard ocean-view room with tax was $1,826.

And I used my Chase Sapphire Reserve points to book a junior suite at The Royal Hawaiian, where I only owed taxes and resort fees upon check-in.

Still, that came close to $3,000 before flights, food, rental car, and activities for the three of us.

I estimate we spent close to $4,500 all-in for everything over the course of a week in Hawaii.

So why'd we do it? We thought satisfying our tropical wanderlust was worth the cost.

The author with her daughter on the beach at Aulani. Emily Hochberg/Insider

As a travel editor who used to take several international trips a year, and who hadn't planned anything big in over two years thanks to pregnancy and a pandemic, I desperately wanted to go somewhere different.

My wanderlusting heart craved adventure and somewhere new, and my tired parent brain begged for a pool chair overlooking a tropical, beautiful beach.

Plus, I realized as a parent that beach vacations with little ones are just the most accessible travel option.

I also wanted to start to make the family memories I had as a child of traversing the world and expose my daughter to new places, cultures, and experiences.

We had spent far less on travel in recent years, and I thought my Oahu itinerary was a responsible mix of savings, splurges, and well-used points.

Going into the trip, I knew the memories I wanted to make with my daughter would be ones I was more likely to cherish.

The author and her family pose with Minnie Mouse at Aulani (L), and the author and her daughter after going down the water slide at the Hilton (R). Emily Hochberg/Insider

Truthfully, I'm not sure how much my daughter will remember from this trip in a few years.

She was 21 months old at the time, and I doubt that one day in the future, she'll recall the stunning blue waters of the ocean or the glee she felt riding down her first waterslide with me.

I'm not sure she'll ever remember meeting her heroes, Minnie Mouse or Moana, at Aulani or laughing uncontrollably while playing in the resort's numerous interactive splash pads.

Some friends I know wait to take big trips with their kids until they're older for this reason, hoping that later on, they'll be more likely to "appreciate it."

But I ultimately decided that while big vacations cost money, life is meant to be lived. I still wanted to travel as a family even though I knew she might not even remember the trip in a few years.

Truthfully, on the trip and immediately after, most of what I remembered was the frustration of traveling with a toddler.

The author and her family at a restaurant in Hawaii. Emily Hochberg/Insider

Traveling with a toddler is really hard.

Keeping them busy and entertained on a 5-hour flight alone is a true challenge. Follow that with jet lag, missed naps when hotel rooms aren't ready for check-in, and restaurant tantrums, and the result is a cranky, screaming child  and a parent who, more often than not, wants to resort to tears, too.

Going to Hawaii wasn't a total idyllic escape where I spent my days lounging by the pool, reading a book, and drinking a cocktail while my child quietly and responsibly played next to me.

Instead, she straight up refused to go to the beach unless it was dinner time when I wanted to sit and enjoy my meal.

She liked the pool, but for short bursts. I was often tasked with chasing her on the go rather than sitting in a lounger.

Instead of toasting sunset Mai Tais together, my husband and I took turns walking around with our daughter while one of us sat at a table alone.

Long morning walks on the beach were capped short because she wouldn't sit in her stroller. And at night, when she couldn't sleep and was able to stand up in her crib and make eye contact with us in the same room, we took turns sharing the extra bed with her to get her back to sleep.

In all honesty, I came back from this trip more tired than when I left, and with the promise that I wouldn't be dining with my daughter in a restaurant again any time soon.

But now, months later, we always talk about what a good trip it was.

The author and her daughter at one of their hotels in Hawaii. Emily Hochberg/Insider

They say many people choose to have a second child because they forget how hard pregnancy and delivery are in a cloud of both exhaustion and true love.

I think that sentiment extends to traveling with your kids, too.

Now that our Hawaii trip is long behind us, I keep thinking about how beautiful the scenery and hotels were. I daydream about how nice it was to be somewhere totally new. And mostly, I think about how happy it made my daughter to splash around in a pool, eat ice cream, or listen to Hawaiian music.

I don't think about the cost, because we planned and saved for it and didn't take other trips as a result.

I don't think about the stress, either, because I'm too busy wishing I could go back.

The other day, we were looking at pictures of our trip on my phone. I showed my daughter pictures of herself going down the pool slide, videos in the splash pad, and meeting Disney characters.

"That's Hawaii," I said. "Remember when we went to Hawaii?"

"Yes," she answered, followed by, "I need Hawaii."

Me too, kid. Me too.

Read the original article on Business Insider
COLUMBIA, S.C.  Donald Trump resumed public campaigning Saturday with renewed attacks on long-standing targets: President Joe Biden, the 2020 election, federal and state prosecutors, and a lengthening list of Republican opponents.

We will do it again, Trump told supporters while introducing his South Carolina Leadership Team during an event at the statehouse in downtown Columbia, capping a day-long trip that also took him to New Hampshire; both states hold early primaries in the 2024 presidential election.

In an earlier speech to members of the New Hampshire Republican Party, Trump said: So, we're here and we start, we begin.

The trip comes after more than two months of political turmoil for Trump following his mid-November announcement of a 2024 campaign. A rising number of Republicans say the former president cannot win next year and the party should look for another standard-bearer.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during the New Hampshire Republican State Committee 2023 annual meeting, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Salem, N.H. (AP Photo/Reba Saldanha) ORG XMIT: NHRS110

"We just want the best normal candidate," New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu told NBC News in the days before Trump's visit.

Among Trump's themes on a renewed campaign:

Target: Biden

In rambling speeches in both South Carolina and New Hampshire that bounced rapidly from topic to topic, Trump berated Biden and other Democrats as "radical leftists who have pursued bad policies.

The Trump rollout:Donald Trump plans campaign stops targeting Republican opponents  and prosecutors

Polls, polls, polls:Trump trails DeSantis in possible 2024 matchup in New Hampshire, which holds first primary

Trump criticized the president over border security, military aid to Ukraine, election rules, drug trafficking, education, energy, military policy and son Hunter Biden's business practices.

People took to a snowbank in the parking lot of Salem High School to show support for former President Donald Trump before he speaks during the New Hampshire Republican State Committee 2023 annual meeting, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023, in Salem, N.H. (AP Photo/Reba Saldanha) ORG XMIT: NHRS101

While bemoaning Biden's presidency, the ex-president again made false claims about the administration of the 2020 election, despite a lack of proof about systematic voter fraud.

Biden and his allies say they aren't worried about the prospect of running again against Trump, noting that they defeated him in 2020.

Story continues

Democrats mocked Trumps events. South Carolina Democratic Party Chair Trav Robertson, Jr., noting that former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina and maybe Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., might challenge Trump, said his state is sure to be ground zero for MAGA Republicans race for the MAGA base as they push for increasingly extreme abortion bans and tax giveaways to their special interest donors.

Target: Prosecutors

As some Republicans wonder if Trump will soon be campaigning while under criminal indictment, Trump has braced supporters by claiming that law enforcement officials are biased against him.

Prosecutors in Atlanta and Washington, D.C., are investigating Trump over efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden, activities that led to the attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2021. Yet another investigation involves Trump's handling of classified material.

On that last item, Trump noted to supporters in his Saturday speeches that Biden recently turned over classified documents improperly in his possession.

One difference between the cases: Trump has been accused of obstruction of justice over refusing to turn over documents to the National Archives. That refusal led to the highly publicized search of his Mar-a-Lago home in South Florida, another subject of Trump's stump speeches in New Hampshire and South Carolina.

All those investigations:Jan. 6 Capitol attack 2 years later: Trump still plagued by multiple investigations

The Atlanta case:Decisions in Trump Georgia election probe are 'imminent', but no report yet: Takeaways

Target: Other Republicans

Prominent Republicans are considering runs against Trump, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Trump's former vice president Mike Pence. Other potential Trump opponents reside in the states he visited Saturday: Haley and current New Hampshire governor Sununu.

Trump did not single out any potential challengers during his speeches, but he did denigrate the Republican field as a whole. Noting that no other Republican challenged him in 2020, Trump said in New Hampshire that "I don't think we have competition this time either, to be honest."

With primaries still a year away, polls are all over the place on Trump and his place in the Republican Party.

A few days before Trump's trip to New Hampshire, a University of New Hampshire poll showed him trailing DeSantis by double digits, 42% to 30%.

Meanwhile, a New Hampshire Journal/Coefficient poll gave Trump a 37%-26% lead over the Florida governor. The same poll also said that, asked to pick between Trump and "someone else," 43% went with the ex-president while 42% went with the alternative.

Two months of turmoil

The day-long trip to two early-primary states comes more than two months after Trump announced his 2024 presidential campaign.

Those two months have also featured a bevy of political problems.

Some Republicans blamed Trump for the party's disappointing showing in the 2022 congressional elections, including a failure to win control of the U.S. Senate. Other Republicans cite the many criminal investigations hovering around the former president.

Trump also took heat over a November dinner he hosted featuring anti-Semitic rapper Ye and white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

Different kind of events

Trump has yet to schedule one of the mass political rallies that fueled his presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020.

On Saturday, he went for more traditional types of campaigning with the keynote address at the winter meeting of the New Hampshire Republican Party and the event at the statehouse in Columbia, S.C.

Discussing rallies during the New Hampshire event, Trump told supporters: "We're going to do them soon."

South Carolina GOP skepticism

Katon Dawson, a former South Carolina Republican Party chairman, said party members in his state are looking for alternatives to Trump. Many hope that Haley jumps into the race.

"They think it's time for the next generation to step up," said Dawson, who did not attend the Trump event.

Dawson said Trump will still be a formidable candidate in 2024. The ex-president will likely retain a strong base of support that could add up to 35%-36% of the vote, enough to win a primary with four or five more candidates who could split up the anti-Trump vote.

"As there are no runoffs in presidential primaries, all Trump needs is a crowded primary in the first ten states," Dawson said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Donald Trump hits campaign trail in New Hampshire, South Carolina
Courtesy of Yu Miao

Yu Miao, the former owner of the celebrated Jifeng Bookstore in Shanghai, never imagined that his wifes trip to China to care for her ailing mother would devolve into something of a hostage situation.

The 50-year-old ex-bookshop manager, who moved to Florida with his family in 2018, received an unexpected call from his wife, Xie Fang, two days before her Aug. 1 flight back to the U.S.. Fang had been staying with her mother in China since January of last year, with the intention of returning in the summertime.

But those plans never came to be.

They told her to save her time and money, and not to bother going to the airport, Miao told The Daily Beast from his home in Florida in his first interview about his wifes predicament. They told her they think her husband published some political commentary articles in the U.S. under a pseudonym, and they want me to go back for interrogation.

Miao said he was totally shocked when his wife called to tell him that she was summoned to a police office by Shanghai citys security bureau, where she was told about the exit ban. Fang, her husband said, attempted to board her Aug. 1 flight anyway, but was denied at Pudong Airport.

I never thought such a thing could happen to my wife, he said. I dont know what to do. We had already planned to celebrate my wifes birthday in August. Now, everything has changed.

Miao told The Daily Beast thatover the course of the next six monthshe tried to cooperate with authorities with hopes that the issue would be resolved rationally and without putting himself at risk by returning to Shanghai, the condition authorities allegedly set to allow for Fangs return.

So they asked my wife to pass questions to me and I would answer through my wife. I thought they would give my wife freedom after they clarified everything, he said, denying accusations that he had published any political articles under an alias.

The former bookshop owner decided to take the matter into his own hands this month, after Chinese authorities dismissed a letter Fang had written to them pleading that the exit ban be lifted.

Story continues

She gave that letter to the policeman to express her attitude and stance and ask their permission to let her go. But after the letter was submitted, for two weeks, there was no positive feedback, he told The Daily Beast. So I felt hopeless and angry. So I decided to publish the letter.

In the letter, published on the Chinese messaging app Wechat last week, Miaos wife made an emotional plea to authorities.

How Chinas Dictatorship Terrorizes Students in America

For the past five months, I have missed my three children and my loving husband every day. I missed our silver (25th) wedding anniversary, New Years Day, my daughters birthday in January, and Chinese New Year, she wrote. As an innocent person, Ive been deprived of freedom of travel; as a wife, Ive been kept away from my loving husband; and as a mother, Ive been prevented from taking care of my children I humbly implore you to restore my freedom as soon as possible, so that I can finally be reunited with my family.

She said in her note that authorities told her that she had violated certain national entry-exit requirements and endangered national security, adding that she had been interrogated by the Shanghai Municipal Police multiple times about whether her husband had published or uploaded articles under a pseudonym in the United States in the first half of 2022.

I have never heard of such activities. Every time I finished speaking with the Shanghai police, I actively cooperated and sent a message to my husband as per their requirements, Fang said. During the many years when he managed the Jifeng Bookstore in Shanghai, I never asked him about or participated in any of the bookstores activities.

The couple had made the decision to leave China after the Jifeng Bookstorelong known as an intellectual and cultural hub for liberal scholarswas forced to close down in 2017. Miao, who owned the bookshop for five years, was denied a lease extension on the store after pressure from the citys government. Efforts to find other locations were likewise hampered, until Miao realized that the bookshop can no longer get a foothold in Shanghai, as he wrote in a blog post about the closure.

It seems now that the Chinese governments watchful eye on Miao did not end with Jifeng Bookstore.

Its seriously against modern civilization and morality to take my wife as leverage to demand my return for their investigation, Miao told The Daily Beast. Every moment, Im anxious and worried about her safety for 25 years, I have been married to my wife. My kids are the sole pillar of my wifes life. She is used to being with us to take care of her kids and talk to me every moment. Weve never been separated this long.

The posting of Fangs letter has further inflamed tensions between the family and Chinese authorities. Fang was told things will be harder since I made everything public, according to her husband.

The U.S. State Department and the Chinese Embassy in the U.S. did not respond to comment requests from The Daily Beast by the proposed deadline. Miao told The Daily Beast that he has recently reached out to local representatives for support in bringing his wife back to the U.S., but has yet to receive a response.

For Miao, every day without his wife by his side has been a struggle. Shes resilient and optimistic, he said. But I know she feels alone.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow is a candidate for the state's Supreme Court. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel via AP, Pool, File

Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow is running for the state's Supreme Court in November.

Dorow and her husband, Brian, have also applied to open an indoor gun range, Jezebel reported.

The gun range would host weddings and holiday events and serve alcohol, city documents show.

A Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate and her husband are trying to open an indoor gun range that can host weddings and serve alcohol.

Waukesha County Judge Jennifer Dorow, a conservative candidate for the state's Supreme Court and her husband Brian Dorow, purchased the former Hartland Sportsman's Club in 2021 and renamed it Delafield Oaks Range, Jezebel reported.

The couple asked the city of Delafield to turn the space into an indoor shooting range that could also double as an events space that will "host weddings, conventions, and high-end meetings," and also feature outdoor hiking trails, horseshoes, bean bag toss," alongside other similar activities, per city records.

Dorow announced her candidacy for the Wisconsin Supreme Court in late November 2022. PBS Wisconsin reported that Dorow is one of four candidates running to take the seat of Justice Patience Roggensack, who is retiring. The state's highest court is currently made up of four conservatives and three liberals.

Additionally, the proposal includes plans to offer food, a liquor license, and outdoor holiday events like Easter egg hunts and Halloween festivities.

In audio obtained by Jezebel, Dorow can be heard confirming the details of the couple's plans at a Republican Women of Southeast Wisconsin meeting earlier this month.

"My husband and I actually are developing a state-of-the-art range in Waukesha County. We bought the old Hartland Sportsman's Club. And so that's just a little project that we have going on," she said, according to Jezebel.

In 2021, Brian Dorow defended the idea in front of the Delafield Plan Commission, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported at the time.

Story continues

He said at the time he would work on planning the hours so that shooting times did not conflict with weddings going on.

"I know there was a concern that 'I don't want shooting during my weddings.' We won't do it during the weddings and other activities that may present themselves," Dorow said, according to the Journal Sentinel.

He also defended the proposal request for a liquor license in the same space as the gun range.

"It's pretty common when you look at Wern Valley (Sportsmen's Club in Waukesha)," he said, according to the newspaper. "Clearly, there's a separation. You're not having a glass of wine and shooting. You're clearly done for the day, your gun and ammunition is in the vehicle, and you come and have a social drink or two."

The city documents outline the proposed club's "alcohol safety policy", where anyone buying alcohol would get a handstamp and not be allowed into the gun ranges. "Preliminary breath testers will be available to test suspicious individuals," the documents continued.

Read the original article on Business Insider
This photo provided by the Nichols family shows Tyre Nichols, who had a passion for photography and was described by friends as joyful and lovable. (Uncredited/AP)

A timeline of events in the Tyre Nichols case, which sparked state and federal investigations into police brutality and led to murder and other charges against the five officers involved in his arrest this month:

Jan. 7: Tyre Nichols is pulled over by police for an alleged traffic violation after photographing a sunset, according to accounts his family would give later. A confrontation ensues, and he is brutally beaten by five Memphis police officers in an encounter that is recorded by police body cameras.

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Jan 8: Memphis police say in a statement that officers attempted to stop a man for reckless driving on Jan. 7 and he was taken to a hospital in critical condition after two confrontations. The first description of what happened says one confrontation occurred when officers approached the vehicle and the suspect fled on foot. Officers pursued, and another confrontation occurred when they took him into custody, police said. The subject complained of shortness of breath and was taken to a hospital. Due to his condition, police contacted the Shelby County District Attorney Generals Office, which asked the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to conduct a use-of-force investigation.

Jan. 10: The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation says the man involved in the altercation with Memphis officers has succumbed to his injuries and identifies him as 29-year-old Tyre D. Nichols, a Black man.

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Jan. 14: Family, friends and supporters of Nichols protest in front of a Memphis police station and call for police to release body camera video of the arrest. Nichols stepfather, Rodney Wells, tells local media that his stepson suffered cardiac arrest and kidney failure because of a beating by officers.

Jan. 15: Police Chief Cerelyn Davis says she has reviewed information on the encounter and has decided to take immediate action by serving notice of policy violations to the officers involved.

Jan. 16: Civil rights attorney Ben Crump announces he is representing Nichols family and calls on police to release body camera and surveillance video from the traffic stop. Meanwhile, protesters gather at the Civil Rights Museum to push for the release of police video and call for officers to be charged.

Jan. 18: The U.S. Justice Department announces that it has opened a civil rights investigation.

Jan. 20: The five officers involved in the arrest are fired after an internal investigation finds they used excessive force, failed to intervene and failed to render aid. They are identified as Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills Jr. and Justin Smith. All five are Black.

Jan. 23: Nichols family views the police video with their attorneys, who say it shows Nichols being beaten for three minutes in a savage encounter reminiscent of the infamous 1991 police beating of Los Angeles motorist Rodney King. The video shows Nichols was shocked, pepper-sprayed and restrained after he was pulled over minutes from his home while returning from a suburban park where he had taken photos of the sunset. Crump says the family has agreed to investigators request to delay making the video public so as not to risk compromising the criminal investigation.

Jan. 24: Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy says the release of police video will be carefully timed to avoid the chance that suspects or witnesses tailor their statements to what they saw in it and asks the public for patience. The timetable rankles activists who had expected the video to be released after Nichols family viewed it. Meanwhile, the Memphis Fire Department says two employees involved in the initial care of Nichols the night of his arrest have been removed from duty while the agency conducts an investigation.

Jan. 25: Davis, the police chief, calls the officers actions heinous, reckless and inhumane and makes a plea for people to protest peacefully when the video is made public. She says in a statement issued on social media that other officers are still being investigated for violating department policy and that a complete and independent review will be conducted of the departments specialized units.

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Jan 26: The five officers are charged with murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Mulroy says they each played different roles in the killing but they are all responsible. Mulroy also announces that video of the traffic stop will be released to the public the following evening. Nichols parents say they are satisfied with the charges against the officers. At an evening candlelight vigil, Nichols mother pleads with supporters to protest in peace when the horrific video footage is released.

Jan. 27: In the hours before video is to be released, the police chief says she has not been able to substantiate the reckless driving allegation that prompted the stop. The community takes steps to prepare for the release, including school cancellations of after-class activities and early closures of places such as the Memphis power companys community offices and the University of Memphis.
It is already clear to everyone, even in Russia, that the so-called special military operation has failed. It has obtained no quick and long-term results. Military operations are moving into a protracted phase, and this is no longer a special military operation. This means that it requires the mobilization of the economy and a transition to new principles of mobilizing the population. This is what Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu has been talking about as of late when he ordered a change in operational procedures for military registration and enlistment offices, presented some new programs for the development of the military-industrial complex, etc. Thus, this all indicates that the war has become protracted, and the Russian Federation will most likely declare martial law.

Will anything change for Ukraine after this? I think that Ukraine has already gotten passed the worst and has managed to harden itself. Considering all of the experience gained and how certain things we feared at the beginning no longer faze our psyche, I think that the civilian population will be able to survive this, and the troops will have to tighten up.

Keep in mind that any plans and programs that Russia has are operating at no more than 30-40% capacity. The rest of the funds are either not targeted spending, or they end up being stolen. Therefore, their efforts to increase the size of their army to 1.52 million personnel, and to transition their economy and industry to a full military foot-ing, will not be fully realized.

Read also: Lukashenko says he has already put Russian S-400s and Iskanders into service

They have started firing S-400 missiles, probably because they have run out of S-300s. The fact that the range of the S-400 is greater than that of the S-300 has no effect. The fact is that the range of anti-aircraft missiles against ground targets is determined by the range to the horizon, and not by the flight range. That is, these missiles can of course be launched at longer ranges, but not accurately. Firing at ground targets with anti-aircraft missiles is not selective, and has no accuracy at all. And if you just launch missiles without a target designation, then they wont really hit anywhere reliably.

Story continues

As for the use of the Kh-22 missile, it all depends on what they have available, what they have been able to scrape together from warehouses and from other districts, what they have managed to put in the air, and what they have fired. Therefore, they do not have much choice  what they have is what they fire.

If we have the opportunity, then we should build a layered air defense. Due to the fact that our partners provide us with certain systems, we can build such a system in certain areas. Starting with short-range systems and ending with missile defense systems. But I repeat, this is not in all areas, because so far only a few have been provided to us. Two Patriot SAM batteries are not enough. In order to cover the most important strategic objects, at least four or five such batteries with eight launchers in each would be needed.

Can we destroy the S-400 missile launchers? It should be understood that the S-400self-propelled launcher is connected to targeting stations. This means that it radiates.AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missiles work well against radiating targets.

If the invaders manage to take Bakhmut, this will not affect the course of the war. The fact that they manage to win at least some kind of victory may lead to an increase in Russian morale. This will be broadcast as a super victory in this so-called"special military operation" because there is nothing more to report. Perhaps the capture of Soledar will entail some further operational and tactical consequences, but not strategic ones.

There is information that the Russian army is preparing for another large-scale offensive against Ukraine. Recall how at the beginning of the war, in February 2022, they also said that the size of the Russian forces did not allow them to seize Ukraine. But they were not going to seize Ukraine. They were going to reach the administrative borders of Donbas, break through a corridor to Crimea and capture Kyiv. That is, the whole of Ukraine was too tough for them to take even then.

They will now probably try to consolidate their successes in the Zaporizhzhia region, in the Donbas, and possibly try to strike at Kyiv. That is, a possible strike from Belarus in the direction of Chernihiv, Kyiv, or the Kharkiv or Sumy Oblasts. It could possibly be in the Volyn direction as well in order to cut the logistics routes for the supply of aid to US.

Where will the main blow be? We dont know yet. After all, feints are possible in all directions, with massive strikes in one or two directions in order to break open a corridor inside Ukraine. Therefore, it is necessary to very clearly monitor the maneuvers of the existing and newly-created Russian reserves of personnel and equipment. This is a matter for intelligence.

What could be the turning point in this war? In my opinion, the disruption of the so-called "special military operation" is, overall, a turning point. Will Russia be able to seize the initiative once again? This is the question for the time being. This will depend on the motivation of our armed forces, the level of their training and equipment, and the volume and rate at which we receive military-technical assistance from the West.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
KYIV (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his condolences on Saturday following attacks in Jerusalem in which he said a Ukrainian citizen was among the dead.

"We share Israel's pain after the terrorist attacks in Jerusalem. Among the victims is a Ukrainian woman. Sincere condolences to the victims' families," he wrote on Twitter.

"The crimes were cynically committed on the Intl Holocaust Remembrance Day. Terror must have no place in today's world. Neither in Israel nor in Ukraine."

Israel's military said it was boosting its forces in the occupied West Bank a day after a Palestinian gunman shot dead seven people on the outskirts of Jerusalem, and another shooting attack in the city on Saturday wounded two people.

(Reporting by Dan Peleschuk)
In the event of disaster or extreme weather, do you have a plan in place for your pets if you had to evacuate your home quickly? Living in the Midwest can bring tornados, fires, earthquakes, floods and violent storms. Not including your pet into your emergency preparedness plan can be dangerous for your furry companion, first responders and even yourself. Here are some tips on making an emergency kit for Fido or Fluffy, and other things to keep in mind to reduce stress and worry in case of an evacuation.

As you prepare a kit for yourself and your family, necessities for basic survival should be packed for your pets, too. If you can manage, having two kits  one large kit in the event you would need to shelter in place and a small kit that is easy to grab on the go  would be beneficial.

Kits should be regularly checked to ensure that contents arent expired, especially medications and food. Some items to include in your kit are: several days worth of food sealed in an airtight, waterproof container; a supply of water that lasts several days with a bowl; an extra supply of medicine that your pet takes on a daily basis; sanitation needs (litter box, paper towels, trash bags, etc.); sturdy crate or carrier; an extra collar with identification attached; familiar items like toys or blankets that will keep your pet comfortable; and a photo to document ownership in case you get separated from your pet. Another great way to reunite with your pet if you have become separated is to ensure that your pet has been microchipped and that your contact information registered with the microchip is current.

Once you have your emergency kit together, it is also recommended to have a plan on places you and your pet can stay in case of evacuation from your home. Several evacuation centers, like the Red Cross, do not allow pets or other animals. Ask any out-of-town family or friends if they can assist you or check in with your local boarding facilities or animal hospitals in case you are not able to return to your home for an indefinite amount of time. If you are sheltering in place, make sure the room you are in is pet friendly and free of any potential toxins or hiding spots where your pet could get stuck if they get frightened.

While we all hope that using these tips wont necessary, being prepared in the case of emergency is important in keeping you, your family and your pets safe. For more information on pet safety during an emergency, you can check out redcross.org, cdc.gov or akc.org.

MHS Pets of the Week:

Dane is a 5-year-old neutered male Great Dane. He is a sweet guy looking for a quiet home with a calm environment as loud noises can spook him easily. He has previously lived with other dogs and children. Dane is a typical giant breed and likes to lean in for pets and nudges you for attention. He has been diagnosed with a heart murmur, so his adopter will need to work with their veterinarian to monitor.

Dot is a 1-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair who came to MHS as a stray. He starts off shy with new people, but will warm up quickly with a patient owner. He has previously lived with another male cat and will do best in a low traction home.

Enzo is a 2-year-old Doberman mix who is ready to add some excitement to your life. He is a very smart guy who learns very quickly and will need an owner who will be consistent with his training and keep him both mentally and physically stimulated. He has not always done well with other doggy friends, but we are always happy to do a meet and greet. We recommend a home with no cats and any children to be in their teens so they can assist in his training.

Dodger is a 1-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair. Dodger came to MHS with a rough start to life. This sweet guy came in with a broken leg that needed to be amputated, and in need of some TLC. He is still a shy guy, but with some time he warms up. He would do best in a quiet home without a lot of traffic.

Stop in to MHS on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or weekdays from noon to 6 p.m. to view our adoptable pets. You can also check them out online by visiting our website at midlandshumanesociety.org.
Haitian police officers on Thursday blocked streets and forced their way into the country's main airport to protest the recent killing of officers by armed gangs expanding their grip on the Caribbean nation.
The Moroccan-Italian Human Rights Organization (OIMDU) has strongly condemned the interference of the European Parliament (EP) in the internal affairs of Morocco as illegitimate and inadmissible.

OIMDU President Abdellah Khezraji stressed that this is an irresponsible drift on the part of some entities angered by the remarkable influence of the Kingdom at the regional and international levels.

We do not accept this blatant interference in our countrys affairs, a lack of respect for more than three and a half million Moroccans who actively contribute to the political, economic, cultural and sporting life of Europe.

This resolution comes at a time when the Kingdom has become not only a partner in the region, but an influential one in various fields, including the management of migratory flows, the promotion of peace and the fight against terrorism.

Following the recent positions of the EP, the Moroccan parliament announced last Monday its decision to reconsider its relations with the European Parliament and subject them to a global reassessment in order to take appropriate decisions.

Several other Moroccan institutions and entities and a number of Moroccan and European politicians and pundits decried the resolution of the European Parliament which overstepped its prerogatives and duties.
The European Union has reaffirmed, in its 2022 report, the full benefit of the population of Moroccos southern provinces of the agreements between Rabat and Brussels and their positive impact on the socio-economic development of these regions.

The publication of this annual report, by the services of the European Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS), is part of the implementation of the agreement in the form of exchange of letters, amending Protocols 1 and 4 of the Association Agreement between Morocco and the EU, which entered into force on July 19, 2019, commonly known as Agricultural Agreement.

As in previous years, the positive tone of the report, which details the various aspects of the benefits that this agreement brings to the population of the Moroccan southern provinces, reflects the quality of the Partnership between Morocco and the European Union, and attests to the satisfactory implementation of the Agricultural Agreement, including through the tools of dialogue and exchange of information existing between the two parties.

Quantitative impact on socio-economic development

The report confirms the upward trends in 2021 in trade between the two parties, thanks to the Agreement and the tariff preferences enjoyed by Moroccan products, including those of the Southern Provinces, for export to the EU, making them more competitive and attractive.

The figures-documented report reaffirms the positive impact of the agreement on the socio-economic development of the Moroccan Sahara regions and their populations, in terms of economic growth, production and export of farming and fisheries products, job creation and investment.

Main conclusion: Thanks to their development, the Moroccan Sahara regions have now become a real hub of prosperity and investment in the framework of the win-win partnership with the European Union.

Overall, the document of about thirty pages highlights the significant progress made by the Kingdom for the development of its southern provinces, under the development program 2016-2021, through the implementation of major projects and various public policies deployed in these regions. It confirms the impact of the measures deployed and their multiplier effects in terms of investments, improvement of working conditions, socio-economic integration of women, strong support to youth, or infrastructure development.

Substantial efforts, colossal investments

Equally important: The report reflects a recognition by the Commission and the EEAS of the substantial efforts made by the Kingdom in its Southern Provinces, in terms of rationalized and sustainable use of natural resources (Dakhla Port project, desalination plant project, plan to combat desertification, ). It also notes significant national investments in the renewable energy sector, electricity production in the region and the development of new job-generating industrial activities.

In its comprehensive and inclusive approach, the report recalls that the various economic actors and representatives of civil society, including non-governmental organizations active in the field of human rights in these regions, have stressed the paramount importance of the Agreement, its satisfactory implementation and its beneficial impact on the socio-economic development of the Moroccan Sahara regions.

The agreement is implemented in a balanced way. The tools for its proper implementation are still in place and functioning properly. Information exchanges have been carried out regularly and in a spirit of cooperation. The exchange system provides, on a monthly basis, information on exports of products and is functioning properly and has not given rise to research difficulties, the report says.

According to them, there is a constructive dialogue and regular contacts between the European Commission and the Moroccan authorities to ensure the proper implementation of the agreement.

Important achievements in the defense of human rights

Without evading any area, the European Executive and the EEAS highlight Moroccos important efforts and achievements in the defense of human rights at the national level, and its active role at the multilateral level, as evidenced by its election as a member of the Human Rights Council for the period 2023-2025. It recalls the regular dialogue between Morocco and the EU within the framework of the Subcommittee on Human Rights, Democratization and Governance and the important role played by the regional Human Rights Commissions in Dakhla and Laayoune, reiterated in the latest UN Security Council resolution.

Regarding the Sahara issue, the document recalls the EUs support for the UN-led process and the efforts of the new Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General, Staffan de Mistura. It affirms the EUs commitment to strengthening regional cooperation and its readiness to contribute to it.

Stinging reversal for Algeria

The report, a new slap in the face by the European institutions to the propaganda of the adversaries on a so-called plundering of the resources of the Southern Provinces, confirms the importance of this Agreement for the Southern Provinces, and thus goes against the objective sought by the adversaries, aiming to deprive the populations of these regions of their right to development.

It represents a new setback inflicted by the European Commission and the EEAS to Algeria and its polisario puppet, which keep multiplying unsuccessful maneuvers in order to question the legality of the Agreements between the EU and Morocco, covering the Southern Provinces. It comes, in fact, in the wake of the decision of the Administrative Court of London, rejecting their legal action against the Association Agreement between Morocco and the United Kingdom, which confirmed the validity of this Agreement that benefits the populations and development of all Moroccan regions.

No matter how much Algeria dislikes the report, since it sounds like a rejection of its thesis, this 2022 edition is further evidence of the continuity of trade relations between Morocco and the European Union, their stability, and the EUs continued commitment to its comprehensive, strategic, and long-standing partnership with Morocco.
A Chicago man was sentenced to 31 years in prison for intentionally crashing his SUV into a strangers van at high speed in McHenry County, killing one man and severely injuring another, prosecutors said.

William Bishop, 44, was found guilty but mentally ill on a murder charge. He also was found guilty of aggravated battery and aggravated driving under the influence of marijuana, prosecutors said. After a weeklong trial, Judge Michael Coppedge rejected the insanity defense and convicted Bishop.

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Witnesses testified that on May 18, 2020, Jason Miller, 41, and Rory Fiali, 56, both of McHenry, had just finished a job in Harvard and were driving east on Vanderkarr Road near Hebron, according to a news release by prosecutors.

Bishop was driving a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee westbound on Vanderkarr when he accelerated to 87 mph, crossed the center line and intentionally crashed into a 2003 Chevrolet cargo van carrying Miller and Fiali, despite Fialis attempts to avoid the crash, prosecutors said. Emergency personnel had to extract the victims from the rolled over van.

Advertisement

Miller died at the scene. Fiali was critically injured and is still in inpatient rehabilitation due to his debilitating injuries. Bishop suffered minor injuries.

After the crash, investigators said, Bishop told investigators that he deliberately targeted the van for a head-on collision, though he didnt know the men inside.

Testing showed Bishop had more than twice the legal limit of THC, the component of marijuana that gets users high, in his blood, prosecutors said, adding that a cannabis vaping device that contained THC was found in the open compartment area of Bishops SUV along with other marijuana paraphernalia.

Bishop said he had smoked pot that day and left his apartment in downtown Chicago feeling paranoid and hearing voices, according to police testimony and recordings. Defense attorneys argued that he had been having a manic psychotic episode and thought he was getting messages from the radio telling him to kill himself.

Coppedge sentenced Bishop to 24 years for murder, plus seven years for aggravated driving under the influence.

The Associated Press contributed.

rmccoppin@chicagotribune.com
A Winside teacher has been arrested on suspicion of having a sexual relationship with a student.

In a post on its Facebook page, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office said it received information about an alleged relationship between a Winside Public Schools teacher and a student and began an investigation.

On Sunday, authorities arrested Cali Heikes, 25, of Winside, and booked her into the Antelope County Jail in Neligh. Heikes has posted bond and was released. The investigation is ongoing, according to the sheriff's office.

Charges have yet to be filed in Wayne County.

Winside school Superintendent Andrew Offner said in an email Wednesday Heikes has resigned, and the school board will take action on the resignation at its next meeting.

Heikes was a high school and junior high family and consumer sciences teacher.

Offner said state law limited him on how much information he could share concerning a personnel matter. He said Heikes was placed on administrative leave before she resigned.

"The school district is unaware of the exact nature of the criminal charges," Offner said, referring anyone with relevant information about the situation to contact law enforcement.

Heikes is the second Winside teacher accused of inappropriate contact with a student in the past year.

Rachel McPhillips, 28, a former art teacher, was charged in April with third-degree sexual assault and child abuse, both misdemeanors, for having sexual contact with a 16-year-old male student. She has pleaded not guilty. No trial date has been set.
The stigma around suicide leads many people to avoid having conversations about it.

Because of this, Kermit Jones, a reserve Navy chaplain and a trainer of a program called Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, has a mission to help teach others to discuss the topic openly.

If youre able to help someone in the topic of suicide, you have a better skill set for working with domestic violence or addiction or mental illness or those sorts of things because what youre doing is youre increasing your ability to listen to hear their story, Jones said.

He along with Ron Newhouse, a retired Navy chaplain and an ASIST master trainer, will be coming to Auburn to teach these intervention skills.

Its a two day, evidence-based workshop that equips individuals with the skill set to intervene when someone else is having thoughts of suicide, Jones said.

In these workshops, participants self-report a 74% increase in the likelihood that they would conduct an intervention and an 88% increase that they felt confident to help a person with thoughts of suicide.

The seminar will be held at Parkway Baptist Church, located on 766 E. University Drive in Auburn, on Feb. 18 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Feb. 19 from 12:30 p.m.to 8 p.m. Meals will be provided.

The training is open to any individual 16 years old and older and is not limited to military personnel or veterans.

If youre trying to stop veteran suicide, its not the veterans you have to focus on. Its the support structure around them, and this isnt a veterans-only class, Jones said.

At the workshop, Jones and Newhouse will discuss the stigma and bias surrounding suicide, show a model about how to approach the topic with someone and how to deal with it once the discussion has begun and will discuss how they can get the person to the next level of care.

To register for the two-day workshop, visit parkwayauburn.org and look under events or email secretary@parkwayauburn.org. Sign-up is first come, first serve and a waitlist will be created for future workshops.

There is a suggested $50 fee to help cover food and materials, but Jones said they will work to ensure that the fee is not a barrier. Just call 334-887-3782.

Reason to get up

According to the CDC, about 45,979 Americans died by suicide in 2020 and there were an estimated 1.2 million suicide attempts.

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, about 17 veterans died a day to suicide in 2020, and Jones believes that number has risen to more than 22 veterans a day as some surveys dont capture all the numbers.

Jones has served in the military since 1994, and for the past five years, hes been attached to Marine Forces Reserve and assigned a CREDO, Chaplains Religious Enrichment Development Operations. Through this operation, Jones hosts training workshops on topics including leadership, marriage, suicide prevention and more.

Jones decided to become a master trainer for the ASIST program, through a company called Living Works, and help people become suicide aware after he became a Navy chaplain.

He often had people come to him and say they were having thoughts of suicide. When someone would admit this to Jones, he said hed have a moment of panic. Now, hes able to use what he learned from the ASIST program.

Ive enjoyed teaching ASIST because I see the impact that it has, Jones said. I can actually see it saving lives, and so that kind of put me down the path of continuing that.

Jones said about a year ago, he also got connected to an organization called The Long Walk Home, a non-profit dedicated to preventing Veteran suicide founded by Vietnam Marine veteran Ron Zaleski.

Jones said The Long Walk Home has a mentor program and sponsors ASIST workshops like the one that will be held in Auburn.

Zaleski was born in 1950 and came from what he called a dysfunctional World War II family. He saw the cycle of dysfunction create more dysfunction, and decided to create The Long Walk Home to address this issue.

When a guy comes home and hes angry, the ones that suffer the most is the family, theyre in the impact zone, he said. A veteran that kills himself, his kids have a 85% chance of committing suicide because thats what they sawWhen a family is broken apart and kids end up in foster care, their suicide rate is five times higher than a normal child.

Zaleski said after he returned home from the military, he found out that two members of his squadron had been shot and killed in combat and the other three were injured. He said he became an angry, miserable person filled with guilt and shame.

He also stopped wearing shoes, but never told anyone the reason behind this until several years later. Around 2005 while teaching swim lessons, Zaleski said a young boy asked him why he doesnt wear shoes, and he finally revealed he stopped wearing them as a memorial to his fallen brothers.

Thats the first person I told in 33 years because when he did that is was like God hit me with a two-by-four and said, What are you doing? They say Gods always speaking to you, well, hed caught me with my fingers out of my ears and my eyes open that day, and thats when I made the shift, Zaleski said.

After 33 years, he started getting help through different programs, and decided he wanted to share this with others so they wouldnt spend that much time in anger.

After Zaleski discovered the suicide rate of veterans, he wondered what he could do to help. He decided to walk the Appalachian Trail barefoot to spread awareness and later across the country with a sign that said, 18 Vets a Day Commit Suicide!

During this barefoot trip, Zaleski was often stopped by a mother who had a son in the military commit suicide.

She would have this look of despair and loss in her eyes and she would basically talk about a whisper and say thats my son, he said. Then she would hold me like I was her son and say, He told me. I didnt believe him. I shouldve known. Its my fault.

Zaleski said the suicide situation needs to be talked about and there needs to be hope for the veterans who come home.

I feel more of a Marine now than when I was in because Im back for the wounded, and it gives me a sense of purpose and gives me a reason to get up, Zaleski said.

The Long Walk Home offers a program called 10 Challenges to Service. To get involved, visit The Long Walk Home website or call Zaleski at 305-399-5354.
lol didn't Cate praise Andrea? this is low lmao

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Yeah, they could've posted the critics quote without including his mention of Cate.

Andrea and her team/friends all seem particularly desperate.



Edited at 2023-01-28 07:01 pm (UTC)

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Finish them 

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that was low, they could have used the same quote and erased the part where they referenced cate's performance

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They can't even claim it wasn't meant as campaigning,just sharing a review bc of all the hashtags they used.

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Mte why would they not start the quote with my favorite performance of the year and leave Cate out of it

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"No evidence has been presented that Riseborough or anyone from her team directly reached out to AMPAS voters to ask for their support."



This part confuses me since we know celebritries were contacted to tweet out support for the movie and some on that list are definitely members.



Even if Mary McCormack did this without her knowledge, which I find hard to believe, her husband surely knew and he directed the movie.

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There was a mistake. It was meant to be sent to Leslie, but they CCd it to everyone else 



Edited at 2023-01-28 02:53 pm (UTC)

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Although I know this requires having an ounce of shame, if I were Andrea I couldn't possibly show my face again for a long, long time lol

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And the thing is she was doing so well on her own without this bs. I really was a fan.

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same, shes a good actress, but Im soured on her now

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I guess it was naive of me to think she was ~above all this petty awards stuff. I was rooting for you, etc!!

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I cannot imagine being her and showing up on the red carpet for this

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She'll be fine. Her face changes all the time.

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Deleting the post entirely is not a good look.

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lol what a dumb mess

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I only sort of understand whats happening or who this actress is but its fascinating how shameless people can be.

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The amount of embarrassment i feel just tripping in public, these people must be built different. I legit wouldn't show my face again. I would dye my hair, change my name, and move off grid to New Mexico.

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SAME lmao! Like, just straight off the face of the earth 

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Omg. Once, my dog wrapped her leash around me and bolted and I spun to the ground in a circle and fell on my side in front of a giant block of packed outdoor seating. It got so quiet you could hear a fork drop. Not one person asked if I was ok, they all just stared at me. It was maybe one of the most humiliating moments of my life lmao I think about it sometimes and feel my face get red

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Call me crazy but I really want to see this movie

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not the 3 likes on that post 

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they can't even get bot likes, when bots are all over IG liking random stories and shit. it's so embarassing

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Must've been Mary, Frances and Andrea's 

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i think that's the default it shows when people/accounts have the number of likes private lmao

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This whole mess makes me angrier and angrier. All the whites coming out and showing their asses. Everyone does it shes a good actress though! She didnt know! Shes not complicit! Bullshit on all of it. She absolutely did know and she fucked it up for everyone. If michelle yeoh wins (if it doesnt go to cate because of sympathy voting) her win will be tarred by this. And future indie movies and actors chances at oscars will be on more shaky ground. Whites never stop making shit about themselves when poc are involved lol. She had no buzz for her lifetime movie!

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there is no damn way andrea didn't know. even if she didn't orchestrate the actual campaign, she had to know this was going on and give her consent. and frances fisher especially can fuck off.



re: "everyone does it!" i read a post on reddit earlier from a woman who got fired because she was caught taking sick leave to go on vacation. her excuse was "but everyone does it!" yeah everyone might do it but it comes with a risk that you might face the consequences of your actions, so if you can't accept the risk don't be playing russian roulette with the rules damn

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Wait.... what? How did her employers find out her sick leave was actually a vacation and she wasn't sick?

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Andrea used her own fucking money to fund at least part of this campaign. If you're spending your own money wouldn't you want to know what the fuck it's being spent on?

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Idk I feel like your days off are there to use for whatever you need. It's bs you aren't allowed to be sick without permission in America anyways

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The way this has all unfolded, I would not be surprised at all if this was some ploy to create buzz after what happened last year. That whole mess with Chris Rock/Will Smith and everything in the aftermath has taken a lot of shine off the Academy's prestige so with all the race politics going on, sacrificing one white woman to re-establish the legitimacy of the award doesn't seem too far fetched. It can't be a coincidence as well that 2 talented and well deserving black actresses were shoved out of contention by a week old "grassroot" campaign. It's bullshit that they're not letting another actress take up her freed-up spot.

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I know a man who said he had covid (this is when covid was at its peak so you had to stay home) so he could go on vacation. His employer found out and fired him. It was nearly a six figure income job lol and he had JUST been hired, people are so fucking stupid sometimes honestly lol, all I could think about when he told me that was RuPaul and "inner saboteur"

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Im tired of people giving Andrea a pass. She didnt know! She used her own money to fund the campaign, how could she not know??

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There is no way anyone's victory will be tarnished by this (and Andrea is not winning).

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my favorite one is that the system caused thisas if her campaign was not fully taking advantage of the system to push out two black actresses from the conversation. the moment Viola and Danielle were namedropped told me everything I needed to know about what they were doing

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To do all this for the director of "The Slap" (US)???? Hello, have some shame here.

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Lmfao he directed that too? That's funny

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Why wouldn't she be replaced with another nominee? Why should an actress be punished because Andrea's team broke the rules?

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I mean imagine you were the actress nominated next in line (likely Danielle). we would know shes deserving and all the details of fuckery that led up to it - but the majority of people would think its a pity nom, token nom. oh she didnt really deserve it she only got it cuz of a technicality, etc etc. the nom would always need an asterisk explanation which sucks. she deserves better 

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An actress (likely Danielle) has already been punished over this. A new nomination at this point would be awful, it's too late to fix this mess.

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Why Danielle?

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was this posted before or after cate did free (paid??) promo in her acceptance speech?



tacky and shameless!!

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Which acceptance speech?

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The Critics Choice speech. She shouted out Andrea amd Tang Wei.

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critics choice

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Post is January 7th, Cate won the Critics Choice January 15th

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Unconfirmed reports suggested that Russia was already making demands about taking control over Central Asian gas transportation systems.

Both governments have signed new cooperation agreements with Russian gas giant Gazprom, cementing partnerships with Moscow.

Russia got cold-shouldered when it last proposed the possibility of a gas union with Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, but the two Central Asian nations may have had a change of heart.

When Russia floated the idea of forging a tripartite gas union with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan late last year, it fell flat.

Critics derided it as a bid by Central Asias former colonial master to gain political and economic leverage. Both countries seemed to pour cold water on the idea.

Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko cautioned that Kazakhstan would not allow its territory to be used to circumvent sanctions and would bear that in mind when it comes to assessing any potential new initiatives.

Uzbekistans government also offered a blunt response.

If we import gas from another country, we cooperate only based on a commercial, sales contract, Energy Minister Jurabek Mirzamahmudov said in December. We will never agree to political conditions in exchange for gas.

But now, both governments have signed new cooperation agreements with Russian gas giant Gazprom, cementing partnerships with Moscow.

The roadmaps were inked on a bilateral basis between Gazprom and the two governments, suggesting that the three-way union idea may be off the table  at least for now.

Although Russian energy-reporting website Neftegaz.ru offered a different, somewhat convoluted take.

The talks about this [tripartite union] continued in a bilateral format on the level of Gazprom and the relevant ministries and governments of the three countries, it suggested, hinting that Russia is pursuing its plans through the backdoor, by another name and under a different format.

Questions about a union  and what exactly that would mean  aside, the agreements demonstrate how Russia is driving forward its energy ambitions in Central Asia, as Moscow seeks new markets for gas that Europe now shuns because of Russias war in Ukraine.

Little is known about the content of the roadmaps, other than that they both cover gas exports from Russia to the two countries.

Mirzamahmudov and Gazprom boss Alexey Miller signed a roadmap on cooperation in the gas sector, the company announced in a terse January 24 statement offering no further details.

Gazprom used the same wording to announce the roadmap with Kazakhstan on January 18, but Kazakhstans government offered a few more, albeit sparse, details.

The document covered matters including the processing of Kazakh gas at Russias Orenburg gas plant and the possibility of Russian gas supplies to Kazakhstan, Astana said.

A statement from Uzbekistans Energy Ministry on January 25 revealed that its agreement also covers Russian gas supplies to Uzbekistan.

The roadmap outlines the technical actions necessary to carry out the transit of gas along the Central Asia-Center pipeline, which links Russia with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, it said.

But the ministry took pains to stress that everything would be done in the full defense of the national interests.

It was worth underlining separately that the talks with the Russians and the resulting roadmap set the goal of supplying natural gas to [Uzbekistans] domestic market in the necessary volumes, with the full preservation of the right of ownership (full preservation of the right of administration) over the existing gas transportation system of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

That followed unconfirmed media reports, citing anonymous sources, that Russia was making demands about taking control over Central Asian gas transportation systems.

There was no threat of handing over the gas transportation system to anyone, or to our sovereignty, Uzbekistans Energy Ministry said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Gas-producing Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan already import some gas from Russia, and Moscow said last month it was in talks with the two about increasing exports as they cry out for extra supplies amid a winter energy crisis in Central Asia.

Kazakhstan also exports gas to Russia, while Uzbekistan does not.

The two countries usually send the bulk of their exports to China, but both Astana and Tashkent say they have halted gas exports this winter to conserve supplies for domestic use.

Uzbekistan has committed to halting exports altogether by 2025, and Kazakhstan is mulling an end to exports as soon as this year.

By Eurasianet.org

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Chinese rice contributes to global food security

Xinhua) 08:38, January 28, 2023

HEFEI, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- After a journey of more than ten days, hundreds of tonnes of hybrid rice seeds from east China's Anhui Province arrived in Pakistan in January. These seeds will take root in the land there in May.

"We exported nearly 5,000 tonnes of hybrid rice seeds to Pakistan every year, and the yield of some varieties reached 800 kg per mu (0.067 hectares), about 30 percent higher than local varieties," said Jiang Sanqiao, vice general manager of Win-all Hi-tech Seed Co., Ltd., the producer of these seeds.

Besides Pakistan, the company also exported hybrid rice seeds to several other countries, including Bangladesh and Angola, Jiang added.

As the largest food producer and the third largest food exporter in the world, China has dedicated itself to promoting Chinese rice seeds and planting techniques to more countries and contributing its share to the safeguarding of global food security.

In 1979, hybrid rice began to be introduced to the world, benefiting nearly 70 countries across five continents. This has been a remarkable contribution to their grain output increase and agricultural development and offered a Chinese solution to food shortages in developing countries.

"Chinese hybrid rice seeds are high-yield and are more drought resistant. I can earn 100,000 Pakistani rupees (about 426 U.S. dollars) from planting one season of hybrid rice," said Zizam Jagsi, a Pakistani farmer who buys over 800 kg of Chinese hybrid rice seeds each year.

While promoting high-yield rice varieties, China is also sharing agricultural techniques and strengthening scientific cooperation with other countries, to help cultivate rice varieties that are more suited to the local conditions.

After years of research and testing, Botswana launched a ceremony to celebrate the harvest of Chinese water-saving and drought-resistant rice in the southern African country last year.

This rice variety is also more adaptable and environmentally friendly. Now, this variety has been introduced to 11 African countries, bringing higher yields and income to local farmers.

"We have been developing rice varieties based on the local climate and hope the Chinese rice varieties can help African countries achieve food self-sufficiency as soon as possible," said Liu Zaochang, a researcher with the Shanghai Agrobiological Gene Center, who is also one of the members of the development team of the water-saving and drought-resistant rice.

To promote hybrid rice planting techniques, China has sent a large number of agricultural experts to dozens of countries and regions.

In 2015, Win-all Hi-tech Seed Co., Ltd. established a branch in Bangladesh to cultivate new rice varieties and launch scientific cooperation with local people.

Lian Chengye, general manager of the branch company, said that they launched a new project in 2022, which includes establishing scientific laboratories, a storage house for seeds, and a seeds processing workshop, aiming to promote advanced agricultural technologies in Bangladesh.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
A judge set bond at $2 million Friday for an 18-year-old Illinois man who is accused of traveling to Michigan to meet a teenager and then stabbing her for refusing to have sex.

The 14-year-old suffered severe injuries Wednesday but seems to be holding her own, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said.

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Julian Pinedo of Monmouth, Illinois, was charged with attempted murder during his first court appearance Friday. He did not appear with an attorney.

Investigators said the victims sibling was asleep at the time of the attack in Springfield Township and their parents werent home. The teen told sheriffs deputies that she met Pinedo on a social media website.

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Pinedo told investigators that he stabbed the girl when she declined to have sex with him, the sheriffs office said.
Russias re-invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 took a heavy toll on the Ukrainian economy. Moscow focused on destroying the Russian-speaking industrial heartland in the southeast, displacing millions of workers, damaging crops, smashing the power grid and blocking exports from Ukraines seaports. As a result, Ukraines gross domestic product (GDP) plunged 30 percent in 2022 (Me.gov.ua, January 5). Worse had been expected, yet the economy was able to weather the storm largely thanks to Western assistance. In 2023, everything will depend on the course of the war. If it drags on, or if Ukraine loses, the economy will continue to shrink. In any case, Ukraine will heavily rely on Western financial assistance throughout the year.

Apart from the defense industry, which Russian missiles targeted first, metallurgy, Ukraines main export industry before the war, took the hardest hit. The nations second- and third-largest steel mills, Illich and Azovstal, both located in the occupied southeastern city of Mariupol, were destroyed. The other large steel mills, all located in the front-line areas, have had to reduce production due to missile strikes and blockaded seaports. As a result, metal exports plunged 60 percent from January to November 2022 (Ukrstat.gov.ua, accessed on January 20).

The energy sector has been another major target of Moscow. Ukraines largest oil refinery, based in the city of Kremenchuk, was destroyed by Russian missiles in March 2022, along with large fuel reservoirs across the country (Ukrainska Pravda, Vikna.tv, April 2, 2022). In November, Russia hit gas production facilities, depleting the natural gas reserves Ukraine had accumulated for winter. As a result, Kyiv turned to foreign partners for an additional 3 billion cubic meters of gas (Naftogaz.com, December 1, 2022).

From October to November 2022, Russia, in several waves of missile strikes made possible by the Wests reluctance to send sophisticated air defense systems, damaged almost half of Ukraines power facilities, trying to trigger a blackout (Ukrinform.ru, November 18, 2022). The strikes have caused long power outages severely affecting Ukraines production capacity. An attack on November 23, 2022, triggered a temporary shutdown of all three nuclear power plants controlled by Ukraine. The fourth one, Ukraines largest, in Zaporizhzhia region, was occupied and stopped by Russian forces (Facebook.com/minenergoUkraine, November 23, 2022; Hromadske.ua, December 13, 2022).

Ukraines agricultural sector has also suffered severe damage, as large swathes of arable land have become minefields, and scores of grain silos across the country have been destroyed. Farmers have lost access to credit, seeds and fertilizers, and in the occupied areas, their harvest was looted by the invaders. Agricultural exports have also been affected by the blockade of Ukraines seaports. Russia eventually agreed to unblock only three of Ukraines seaports, in line with the August 2022 grain corridor agreement mediated by Turkey and the United Nations. Yet, this was not enough. In the marketing year which began in July 2022, grain exports have thus far plummeted 29 percent, in spite of a record harvest from 2021 (Ukranews.com, January 12).

Such huge losses caused fiscal revenues in Ukraine to plunge. Meanwhile, defense spending soared by 818 percent and accounted for a whopping 42 percent of total fiscal expenditures from January to November 2022. The economy would not have survived such a blow but for unprecedented foreign assistance, mainly from the United States and the European Union. Foreign grants accounted for 23 percent of Ukraines fiscal revenues in 2022 (Mof.gov,ua, accessed on January 17). International financial assistance exceeded $30 billion from February 24 to December 20, a figure unthinkable before the war (Kmu.gov.ua, December 20, 2022). Total foreign assistance, including financial, humanitarian and military, amounted to 113 billion euros ($122 billion), including 48 billion euros ($52.37 billion) from the US (Kmu.gov.ua, January 17). For comparison, Ukraines GDP totaled $200 billion in 2021 (The World Bank, accessed on January 18).

In 2023, Ukraine is set to rely on international assistance even more, both to defend itself and to keep its crippled economy afloat. Ukraine expects international financial assistance to grow to $38 billion this year, of which 18 billion euros ($19.64 billion) is to be contributed by the EU, at least $9.9 billion by the US and the rest mainly by international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) (RBC, December 28, 2022). Ukraine has already received the first 3 billion euros ($3.27 billion) from the EU (Mof.gov.ua, January 17).

Ukraines exact needs will depend on the course of the war. The Ukrainian authorities and international financial institutions have thus far been cautiously optimistic, hoping that the war will end in 2023. The Ukrainian National Bank forecast in October 2022 that Ukrainian GDP will grow by 4 percent if the war ends by mid-2023, and by 2 percent if the war lasts longer (Bank.gov.ua, October 27, 2022). In November, the IMF forecast 1-percent growth for 2023 (International Monetary Fund, November 23, 2022)

Among the main complications for 2023 and onward will be re-employing the several million qualified workers who fled the war abroad or became internally displaced persons, as most are expected to return home after the war, as well as restoring Ukraines destroyed industry and infrastructure. The UN estimates the number of Ukrainian refugees in Europe alone at over eight million, out of a pre-war population of around 40 million (Data.unhcr.org, accessed on January 18). The Ukrainian government, EU and World Bank estimated the cost of reconstruction and recovery at $349 billion in September 2022, before the massive missile strikes on Ukraines power infrastructure (The World Bank, September 9, 2022).

Ukraine hopes to use the Russian assets frozen by the West, estimated at several hundred billion dollars, for reconstruction needs. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen revealed in November 2022 that the EU was looking for mechanisms to cover part of Ukraines reconstruction needs from the frozen 300 billion euros ($327.29 billion) of the Russian Central Banks reserves and 19 billion euros ($20.73 billion) of Russian oligarchs funds (Ec.europa.eu, November 30, 2022). Ukraine is also sure to attract both institutional and private investors if its EU entry process continues, after the country obtained official EU candidate status this past June. The EU will assess Ukraines progress on the accession requirements in the fall of 2023 (Hromadske.ua, January 13). Consequently, Kyiv will aim to not only defeat Russia before the end of 2023 but also carry out those domestic reforms necessary to achieve EU membershipand Western assistance will be highly consequential in both cases.

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By the Jamestown Foundation

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
KALAMAZOO, Mich.  The high-scoring Western Michigan offense set an early tone in its series opener against UNO on Friday night.

The ninth-ranked Broncos scored four goals in the first 17 minutes then coasted to a 6-1 NCHC win.

Western Michigan (17-9-1, 9-5-1), winners of seven straight, moved past the Mavericks (13-10-2, 8-6-1) into third place in the league standings with 28 points. UNO, with 27 points, had its five-game winning streak snapped.

The Broncos scored twice in the first nine minutes before UNO got on the board with 10:15 left in the first period.

Ty Mueller scored off a rebound after Jack Randls shot was blocked. It was Muellers 10th goal this season and his fourth in six games.

But momentum didnt stay with the Mavs for long. WMUs Chad Hillebrand scored a breakaway goal with six minutes left, then Luke Grainger became the fourth Bronco to score in the first period at the 3:34 mark.

Western Michigan scored on four of its seven shots in opening 20 minutes.

Jake Kucharski started in goal for the Mavs before Simon Latkoczy made 20 saves during the final two periods.

The teams will meet again at 5 p.m. Saturday, when the Mavs look to slow an offense that is averaging 5.9 goals during its seven-game winning streak.

UNO swept a series from the Broncos in Omaha in early December.

<start agate>

UNO (13-10-2, 8-6-1);1;0;01

At Western Michigan (17-9-1, 9-5-1);4;1;16

First period: 1, WMU, Berger (Larkin, Wendt), 4:55. 2, WMU, Washe (Gallant, Perbix), 8:25. 3, UNO, Mueller (Randl), 9:45. 4, WMU, Hillebrand (Gallant, Fiedler), 14:07. 5, WMU, Grainger (Fulp, Gallant), 16:26.

Second period: 6, WMU, Washe (Galambos, Rome), 3:18.

Third period: 7, WMU, Larkin (Wendt, Perbix).

Shots on goal

UNO;7;9;521

WMU;7;12;1029

Goalies: UNO, Kucharski (3 saves), Latkoczy (20 saves). WMU, Rowe (20 saves).

Penalties-minutes: UNO 3 for 6, WMU 2 for 4.

Power plays: UNO 0 of 2, WMU 0 of 3.
Investigators have identified the woman killed in a two-car vehicle crash in Saunders County Wednesday night.

Jackilyn J. Potter-Buckendahl, 24, of Prague, Nebraska, died at the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, according to a press release from the Saunders County Sheriffs Office. Two children also suffered injuries in the crash.

About 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, the Sheriffs Office responded to the crash site, which was on Nebraska Highway 79 south of County Road W, about four miles north of Prague.

Investigators determined that a 2007 Toyota Camry driven by Payton R. Pruett, 20, of Lincoln, was northbound on Highway 79. It appeared that the driver lost control of the car, which entered the east ditch. He then overcorrected and the car crossed the center line, striking a southbound 2001 Buick Regal, the Sheriffs Office said.

The Buick came to rest in the west ditch. The Camry ended up on its top in the highways northbound lane.

All five people involved in the crash were taken to Fremont Methodist Health. Some, including Potter-Buckendahl, were later were transferred to the Nebraska Medical Center.

Potter-Buckendahl was in the front passenger seat of the Buick. Two children who were in the Buick, ages 3 and 6, also were injured. The 3-year-old has life-threatening injuries, and the 6-year-old has injuries that arent considered life-threatening, the Sheriffs Office said.

Pruett suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

The driver of the Buick was hospitalized with serious injuries that also were not considered life-threatening.

The Saunders County Sheriffs Office and the Nebraska State Patrol are investigating the crash.

Prague is about 55 miles west of Omaha.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of January 2023
BLOOMINGTON  Deanna and Michael Ferrara of Bloomington recently became first-time foster parents to a 2-year-old Bernese mountain dog named Bella.

Just a few days after the couple took her in from Pet Pack Rescue Initiative in Peoria, Deanna Ferrara was retrieving an Amazon package from the front porch when Bella bolted past her and out the front door.

Ferrara had no way of knowing that those few seconds would bring an extensive search and hundreds of social media shares as Bella trekked her way across the McLean County countryside for four long days.

Ferrara made several Facebook posts about Bella being missing, including in the groups "News happening in Bloomington-Normal" and "Lost pets in Bloomington/McLean County/Illinois." Bella had gone missing Sunday, Dec. 18, and the news was quickly shared hundreds of times.

"I had been made aware on Facebook; I just had repeat messages of strangers saying, 'I just want to let you know I shared it to the Morton page, to Stanford, to McLean, to Peoria," Ferrara said. "People just shared it everywhere. But the one thing the rescue kept telling us was don't call her, don't chase her. They just wanted to get repeat sightings of her so they could get her to settle in an area and set traps."

Over the next few days, Bella was spotted several times in Stanford and McLean. On Wednesday, Karry Rich from Pet Central Helps in Normal went with Ferrara to help set traps in the area. A farm dog, however, kept being trapped instead.

On Thursday morning, Ferrara and some friends decided to drive around McLean to look for Bella. Jean Ann Hart of Ruby's Rescue and Retreat in McLean joined them in the search.

"The next thing I knew there was probably about six to seven cars along this road and they all started going this way. And we all kind of had the same thought in mind: We're all going to try to pin her in, but every time we would get close to her she would bolt away," Ferrara said. "I think by the end of the day, there were probably 25 car loads of people that were helping us to try to get her."

Eventually, Bella made her way to the interstate and was spotted along Interstate 55. At that point, Ferrara said she started losing hope, convinced Bella would be hit by a car or that she'd be unable to survive the winter storm that was heading toward McLean County.

While community members encouraged Ferrara by saying that Bernese mountain dogs are made for that kind of weather, Rich warned her that at some point, Bella's feet would become frostbitten. They needed to find her that day, Rich said.

So on Thursday night, the Ferraras' neighbor, Kelsie Thompson, told them her husband, Jonathan  a fifth-generation farmer who has a four-wheeler, a weighted net and a solar flashlight  was willing to lend his help in the search for Bella.

Jonathan Thompson put on his winter gear and drove to McLean, where Bella had been seen once again. He managed to get Bella out to a field and circle her for an hour. He tried to catch her several times, and finally, on the fourth try, he was successful.

Bella went back to Pet Pack Rescue Initiative for a few days to rest and "decompress," Ferrara said, and she returned home to the Bloomington couple on Dec. 27, after the area had recovered from the weekend of snow and subzero wind chills.

"We're super thankful for everybody that came out and helped," Ferrara said. "Just appreciative and feel blessed to be from a community that so many people helped. We couldn't have done it without all the people that came out, that's for sure."

Ferrara said her favorite part of the story is that the Thompsons have a daughter named Kay, who drew a picture of a stick figure woman with the letter "D" and another stick for Bella. Kay told Ferrara that she was praying hard that Bella would be found.

Every day after that, Kay would say it was "Find Bella Day," and would tell strangers about Bella as if she was her own dog.

"I just love the fact that her daddy was the one who ended up being the hero, we're so very thankful to them," Ferrara said. "But we're just so thankful to McLean County  so many people came out and helped us find her and she's kind of well-known now. I took her to the vet the other day and this woman said, 'She looks just like that dog that was all over Facebook,' and I go, 'It is Bella.'"

Though Bella lost 9 to 10 pounds during her four days of travel, the vet was surprised that she wasn't more malnourished, and that she had no missing teeth or marks on her paws.

The Ferraras now keep a gate up in front of their front door to prevent Bella from escaping again.

And on Saturday, they made Bella's place in the family official with her formal adoption from the pet rescue.

"If it wasn't for everybody  our friends, family and neighbors and complete strangers for spreading the word  I mean, if it would not have been shared as much... Every site that shared it ended up having 200 or 300 shares on it," Ferrara said of Bella's adventure last month. "It was just really crazy how much everybody was invested in finding this dog, and it was right before Christmas, so it was kind of a Christmas miracle that she got found."

Photos: Sled dogs train and play in warming Arctic
BLOOMINGTON  The Bloomington-Normal branch of the NAACP on Friday condemned the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, who died days after a traffic stop by five African American police officers in Memphis, Tennessee.

Nichols, who also is Black, was pulled over Jan. 7 for erratic driving and died three days after the confrontation with police. Shelby County, Tennessee, District Attorney Steve Mulroy had said that all five officers are responsible for Nichols' death.

"The preliminary reports of the police officers indictment for kidnapping and murder are disturbing and concerning," Linda Foster, president of the NAACP's Bloomington-Normal chapter, said in a news release. "The NAACP adamantly rebukes police brutality, no matter the officers race, creed or color.

Officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin and Desmon Mills Jr., were fired and charged with second degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.

As the world prepares to brace for yet another incident of police brutality against an African American male, we must not remain oblivious to the fact that total disregard for humankind is wreaking havoc throughout the African American community," NAACP 1st Vice President Dr. Carla Campbell-Jackson stated. "We must never tolerate police officers blatant disregard for the sanctity of life, regardless of the officers race. Law enforcements adherence to the NAACPs Ten Principles would have possibly prevented Nichols' tragic death."

In a statement issued Friday, Normal Police Chief Steve Petrilli said the actions by the officers in Memphis can not be tolerated" and the Normal Police Department supports the statement from the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

According to the association's statement as provided by Petrilli, Nichols' death at the hands of police is appalling and indefensible.

The brutality suffered by Mr. Nichols and the failure of any of these individuals to intervene is sickening and leaves everyone, including police officers, disgusted, infuriated, and outraged. Our thoughts go out to Mr. Nichols family, his friends, colleagues, and community.

The individuals involved have rightly been fired and criminally charged in the death of Tyre Nichols. There is no excuse for their actions. They have betrayed their oath of office, disgraced the law enforcement profession, and brought shame on the officers across the nation who work selflessly each day to protect their communities.

As police leaders we remain committed to emphasizing dignity and respect for all and instilling within our agencies a fundamental commitment to the preservation of human life. But we must, and will, do more. We must remain committed to working together in partnership with community members, advocacy organizations, elected officials, and others to build a future that ensures dignity, security, and justice for all.

Bloomington Police Chief Jamal Simington also made a statement Friday evening after the videos showing Nichols' death were released.

"I am appalled by what I witnessed in the video which allegedly resulted in the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of Memphis Police Officers," the statement read. "The men and women of our police department feel the same way. We are saddened for the Nichols' family and friends, as well as for the city of Memphis. The excessive use of force by those officers was abominable.

"The noble profession of police service is fragile and is negatively impacted by any police officer's inability to support the oath each of us take to serve our communities, businesses, and residents. This is another deplorable event in this country that brings significant harm to a profession which has tremendous responsibility to appropriately serve and protect the communities. These officers failed to uphold the trust expected of them. I am elated to know the Memphis Police Department and prosecutors acted swiftly to address the officers' misconduct. Honesty, integrity, reverence for law, professionalism, respect for human dignity, and commitment to service are the Bloomington Police Department's Values. The Bloomington Police Department is also committed to the NAACP and Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police's Ten Shared Principles, which include we value the life of every person and consider life to be the highest value and all persons should be treated with dignity and respect.

"I understand the community will share our outrage at the Memphis Police Officers' alleged illegal conduct. I would ask the public to express any disappointment responsibly and know the Bloomington Police Department aims to surpass expectations of those we serve in this community. This includes treating everyone with dignity. You have our commitment that the members of the Bloomington Police Department have pride in our work with community members to solve crime and other problems in this city."

Photos: The aftermath of the violent arrest, death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis
BLOOMINGTON  The assistant states attorneys in McLean County juggle cases, courtrooms and dockets on a daily basis, and theyre used to it.

But being short three attorneys is anything but easy.

Its made it incredibly difficult over the last year, said McLean County States Attorney Erika Reynolds.

Having been appointed in September, it hasnt been long since Reynolds was one of those assistants, accustomed to operating understaffed  at less than desirable capacity  with open positions as well as temporary absences.

Because we have a young office, we've had multiple people on maternity leave.  That's a two-month timeframe that everybody else in the office has to pick up the slack, Reynolds said. We've gotten good at doing that and identifying where people can shift their resources, but it is incredibly difficult.

The office is budgeted for 27 assistant states attorneys, but its been a really long time since thats been the case, Reynolds said.

Prosecutors in a few of McLean Countys neighbors  Livingston, Woodford and DeWitt counties  said they have been able to maintain a full staff, but others in Central Illinois cant say the same.

Sangamon County, McLean County, Champaign  all of us are having difficulty finding and attracting people to work in this part of the state, said Macon County States Attorney Scott Rueter, whose office has 13 attorneys but is looking to hire four more.

Central Illinois is not alone. Nelson Bunn, executive director of the National District Attorneys Association, told Reuters last year that the problem extended across the country. "It's not limited to large jurisdictions versus small jurisdictions," he said.

In Dodge County, Wisconsin, there were no full-time prosecutors remaining in the district attorney's office as of mid-January, according to the Watertown Daily Times. Last month, KSAT-TV reported that judges in Bexar County, Texas, worried about a lack of prosecutors leading to a delay in trials; 16 people had resigned from the district attorney's office in the prior month. And a spokesperson for the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council earlier this month told a lawmaker committee that the state was short 440 prosecutors and several counties were operating with significantly fewer prosecuting attorneys than their caseloads demand, according to Inside Indiana Business.

How did the problem reach this level? McLean Countys lead prosecutor has a few theories, beginning with fewer students pursuing law degrees.

Path to the law

Not as many people are willing to go to law school to take on the amount of debt that you take on in order to go to law school, Reynolds said.

Many of those who have chosen to study in the last few years did so under COVID restrictions, leaving them with remote lectures that Reynolds said might have affected their ability to sit for the two-day bar exam and come out successful.

The bar exam is the qualification that enables lawyers to practice. Candidates have to score 266 out of a possible 400 points to practice law in Illinois.

The global shift to remote work has changed how fresh law graduates view their prospects, too.

People want to work from home and you cant prosecute from home, Reynolds said.

When she graduated from law school, it was more common for new grads to seek a position in a prosecutors office to get as much trial experience as they could get before moving to private practice.

The masses are just generally not interested in trying cases, being in a courtroom, being more specifically in an office. They want to do remote work, and thats just not an option as a prosecutor, Reynolds said, noting employers in every industry are facing that challenge to some degree.

Extending job offers to those coming out of law school is tricky, too. Under the Illinois courts 711 rule, students and new graduates can practice under another attorney while they await the results of the bar exam.

Some are hired under the 711 rule, but if they dont score to Illinois minimum passing score, they cant keep the job with the States Attorneys Office, Reynolds said.

While several states lowered their minimum passing scores for the bar in the last few years, Illinois remained unchanged.

According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, Illinois latest pass rate was 68%; Vermont reported the lowest pass rate at 50%.

So there's people who failed the bar in Illinois but are practicing in Missouri because their passage rate requirements score is lower than Illinois, Reynolds said. We know for a fact that that is true, because there have been people that have been employed here for a period of time, failed the bar exam and are now employed in Missouri working as attorneys.

Compared to Illinois 266, the Missouri passing score for the uniform bar exam is 260 and Indianas is 264. Iowa and Kentucky are on par with Illinois. Wisconsin does not use the uniform bar exam, but the passing score for its state bar is 258, according to Barbri, a company that offers bar exam prep courses.

The SAFE-T Act

Though it remains unfilled, the 27th assistant states attorney position was added to McLean Countys budget in anticipation of the changes to the criminal justice system going into effect this year.

The shortage of prosecutors comes as attorneys across the state prepare for significant potential changes under the Pretrial Fairness Act, a component of the broader criminal justice reform legislation known as the SAFE-T Act. The measure would eliminate cash bail for criminal defendants and change pretrial procedures, requiring prosecutors who wish to keep a suspect in custody to petition the court for pretrial detention and argue the matter at a hearing.

The law was set to take effect Jan. 1, but its implementation was delayed by the Illinois Supreme Court, which is preparing to hear arguments in a lawsuit filed by over 60 county state's attorneys  including Reynolds  objecting to the legislation.

Because there are so many more requirements on our office, its going to prove more difficult if we have the same (shortage) moving forward, Reynolds said.

As an arm of law enforcement, Reynolds said people demonizing law enforcement and the criminal justice system also makes it less likely to attract attorneys to the state's attorney's office.

Tammy Wagoner, a former assistant state's attorney in Macon County who was contracted to help with some McLean County cases in 2020, wonders if prosecutor recruitment is going the same way as police officer recruitment, which is also struggling.

Were all kind of part of that same law enforcement group, and all of our numbers are down, said Wagoner, who recently joined the general counsel staff at the Illinois State Police.

A calling

But more than schooling, scores and the SAFE-T Act, being a prosecutor simply isnt for everyone.

It's a calling, Reynolds said. Especially when it comes to reviewing evidence that can be graphic, you kind of see the worst of the worst of society, so its important that they want to do this, theyre interested in doing it. I think it takes a certain type of personality and a certain type of person to be able to do that.

The states attorney said the wider community could begin to feel the effects of the prosecutor shortage, too.

We will obviously do whatever we can to avoid any type of real impact on the community, but cases will just logistically move slower; it will take us longer to screen more significant cases, she said.

Under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, defendants have the right to a speedy trial. With a shortage of prosecutors in the states attorneys office, cases that go to trial sooner than expected might be tried by an attorney who wouldnt ordinarily be assigned to them, as the attorneys try to spread out the workload.

In 2020, the McLean County Board contracted Wagoner to help with bearing the brunt of multiple murder trials that were set to begin that summer.

In order to get the most skilled attorneys on those cases, because thats whats most appropriate in those circumstances, and then also give those attorneys time to prep, it made sense to bring her in, Reynolds said, adding that she would pursue that option again if needed.

The victims and the community deserve to have people that are skilled on those cases, that are prepared on those cases. Our office knows the importance of that, and not only me, but all of the other assistant states attorneys understand that that is necessary and theyll do whatever they can.

Some states attorneys have gone as far as not charging less significant charges because they simply dont have time to process those cases, Reynolds said, though she noted that has not been their practice in McLean County. That would obviously be the nuclear option in addressing the issue.

On the other side of the courtroom, some departures have left the McLean County Public Defenders Office reorganizing in the last few years to ensure they can take on new cases as they arise. Those departures include Judge Carla Barnes, who served as chief public defender for about seven years before she was sworn in as the 11th Judicial Circuits first Black judge in 2021.

Herald & Review reporter Tony Reid contributed to this report.

Correction: An earlier version of this story had the wrong length for the bar exam. This version has been corrected.

10 ways legal discovery has changed throughout history 10 ways legal discovery has changed throughout history 1937-38: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure established 1966: Freedom of Information Act offers new avenues for discovery 1994: Subpoenas through certified mail are allowed 2000s: Rising costs of discovery 2006: Rule 37 and the destruction of digital evidence 2010s: Finding facts through social media 2010s: Evolving protocol for electronically stored information April 2015: Supreme Courts far-reaching changes to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 2020: Virtual depositions Looking ahead: Obtaining personal data through new technologies
EUREKA  Congressman Darin LaHood will headline Eureka College's annual Ronald Reagan Birthday Dinner.

The event is Thursday, Feb. 2, starting with cocktails at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. It is being held to celebrate what would have been Reagan's 112th birthday on Feb. 6. The dinner is put on by the Ronald W. Reagan Society.

Reagan graduated from Eureka in 1932 and the college continues to commemorate him with an on-campus museum and other memorials.

LaHood is from Peoria and represents the 16th Congressional District, which includes Eureka. He has been in Congress since 2015, representing the 18th Congressional District prior to this year, when redistricting changed him to the 16th. He graduated from Loras College and University of Illinois Chicago John Marshall Law School.

Before serving in Congress, LaHood spent four years in the Illinois Senate. He also worked as a state and federal prosecutor, including as an assistant United States attorney in Nevada and as an assistant state's attorney in Cook and Tazewell counties.

Tickets for the dinner are $75, though Reagan Society members can receive two complimentary tickets. Tickets are available at eureka.edu/reagan-birthday or calling 309-467-6317, according a press release from the college.

Experts rank the best US presidents of all time Experts rank the best US presidents of all time #44. James Buchanan #43. Andrew Johnson #41. Franklin Pierce (tie) #41. Donald Trump (tie) #39. John Tyler (tie) #39. William Henry Harrison (tie) #38. Millard Fillmore #37. Warren G. Harding #36. Herbert Hoover #35. Zachary Taylor #34. Martin Van Buren #33. Rutherford B. Hayes #32. Benjamin Harrison #31. Richard Nixon #30. Chester A. Arthur #29. George W. Bush #28. Gerald Ford #26. James A. Garfield (tie) #26. Jimmy Carter (tie) #25. Grover Cleveland #24. Calvin Coolidge #23. William Howard Taft #22. Andrew Jackson #21. George H.W. Bush #20. Ulysses S. Grant #19. Bill Clinton #18. James K. Polk #17. John Quincy Adams #16. James Madison #15. John Adams #14. William McKinley #13. Woodrow Wilson #12. James Monroe #11. Lyndon B. Johnson #10. Barack Obama #9. Ronald Reagan #8. John F. Kennedy #7. Thomas Jefferson #6. Harry S. Truman #5. Dwight D. Eisenhower #4. Theodore Roosevelt #3. Franklin D. Roosevelt #2. George Washington #1. Abraham Lincoln
Senator Paul Simon was keenly aware of the endless challenge and enduring opportunity to revitalize our democracy and strengthen our communities.

He believed that democracy can be sustained and enhanced when citizens respect values such as tolerance and responsibility and take practical steps to make the world better. In his book, Fifty-Two Simple Ways to Make a Difference, Senator Simon outlined dozens of specific things we all can do to become better citizens who build better communities.

Inspired by his vision and commitment, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute will soon accept applications for the inaugural Paul Simon Democracy Prize.

The Institute will award $5,000 prizes to three current Illinois college or university students for the design  and implementation  of projects to strengthen democracy in their communities. Proposals could involve hosting public discussions or debates, registering voters, funding school newspapers to cover local issues, creating a speaker series on community matters, developing a program to recruit and train poll watchers, or an entirely new idea.

To enter the competition, students must submit a video proposal by April 1, 2023, to the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute. Winners will be announced on April 17. We are looking for proposals that are persuasive, imaginative, optimistic, and can plausibly be implemented within six months. Videos should be between 3 and 5 minutes and will be assessed on the quality of the proposal, not the video itself. However, creative and well-produced videos will get our attention!

The three winning videos will be posted on the Institutes website and YouTube channel. Prize recipients will be invited to a celebratory reception at the Institute in the fall of 2023 and asked to describe how their proposals are being implemented.

Complete details of the Paul Simon Democracy Prize will soon be available on our website, https://paulsimoninstitute.siu.edu/.

The Simon Institute recently hosted a conversation with Rachel Kleinfeld, a democracy expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Dr. Kleinfeld described the many challenges confronting our democracy but warned against despair. She urged Americas colleges and universities to encourage students to renew and reimagine our democracy.

This challenge resonated with me and its in that spirit that the Institute is creating the Paul Simon Democracy Prize. It complements two ongoing Institute programs focused on Better politics and Smarter government in our state: the Renewing Illinois Summit for Illinois college and university students and the Paul Simon-Jim Edgar Award to acknowledge and celebrate statesmanship in state and local government in Illinois.

When Senator Simon announced his candidacy for president in May of 1987, he offered both inspiration and a challenge. You and I are on this planet but a short time, he said. Let us seize this time and opportunity to build a better tomorrow so that generations to come will look back upon us and say, These were people of uncommon compassion and vision and courage.

The Democracy Prize, along with the Renewing Illinois student summit and the Simon-Edgar statesmanship award, embody Paul Simons highest values and aspirations.
I was saddened and dismayed to read that State Sen. Jason Barickman voted against the bill to provide all workers in the state a week of leave, because it would provide a challenge to small businesses which, as he put it, put our people to work.

Clearly, his understanding of economics is woefully simplistic. Our economy puts people to work and the economy is all of us, not just the thousands of Illinois business owners but also the many millions of Illinois citizens, most of whom are workers, who generate the demand which is the engine of our economy.

For without the demand generated by Illinois millions of citizens there would be no business for small business owners to conduct. Not to mention for most small businesses without the millions of Illinois workers there would be little means to meet that demand. Clearly, its not just business owners who create jobs.

I hope Im not being too hard on the senator. A wise man once said something to the effect that it is a constant struggle to see whats in front of ones nose. Still, its distressing that Senator Barickman has eyes only for business owners.

Keith Wilson, Bloomington
CPR training classes will be offered free of charge in February by the Kane County Sheriffs Office, the Kane County Health Department and Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin. (JanekWD/E+ via Getty Images)

Kane conducting survey to help form Climate Action Plan

Residents are being asked to complete an online survey for Kane Countys first Climate Action Plan.

The information collected through the survey will be used to help identify perceptions, needs, opportunities, priorities and issues so that the countys sustainability priorities can be determined, a news release said.

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Participants will be asked to identify if they live or work in the county but the survey can be completed by anyone, the release said. It takes about seven minutes to complete and will be available through May at palebluedot.llc/kane-climate-action-survey.

Anyone who completes the survey by April 1 will be entered into a drawing to win a Sustain Kane prize kit.

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For more information, email Kane County Resource Management Coordinator Ivy Klee at KleeIvy@co.kane.il.us.

Gail Borden libraries offering financial wellness classes

The Gail Borden Public Library District is offering three personal finance classes in February. They are:

Improve Your Credit Score at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, in the Hoffer Room of the South Elgin library branch, 127 S. McLean Blvd. A representative from First American Bank will provide information on how credit scores work and ways they can be improved.

Managing Money: A Caregivers Guide to Finances at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, in the Elgin Room of the main branch library, 270 N. Grove Ave. Elgin. CPA Jim Sullivan, who specializes in working with clients and families facing dementia and ALS, will discuss how to avoid financial abuse and fraud, assess financial needs and discuss finances with family members.

First Time Home Buyers Workshop at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, in the Elgin Room of the main branch. The program is part of the KCT Credit Union Financial Wellness Program and will explore whats happening in the current housing market.

To register to attend, go to gailborden.info/register, call 847-429-4597 or drop by any library location.

Kane County offering free CPR classes in February

Free CPR classes will be held in February by the Kane County Sheriffs Office, the Kane County Health Department and Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin.

Sessions run from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, and Thursday, Feb. 16, at the sheriffs office, 37W755 Route 38 in St. Charles.

They will be held on the same hours Thursday, Feb. 23, at the Kane County Health Department, 1240 N. Highland Ave. in Aurora.

The classes will use the American Heart Associations Heartsaver CPR course curriculum and will not provide certification.

To register, go to www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0d4baba923a6fec34-kane#/.

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For more information, email Nickey Franzen at FranzenNicole@co.kane.il.us.

Nominees sought for Hanover Township service awards

Nominations will be accepted through Friday, Feb. 24, for the 2023 Hanover Township Supervisor Brian P. McGuire Community Service Awards.

The honors recognize organizations and individuals who volunteer their time to the Hanover Township community. Winners are selected by a committee of volunteers.

Categories include adults, seniors, youths, businesses, service clubs and organizations.

Applications are available online at www.hanover-township.org or can be picked up at the Hanover Township Town Hall, 250 S. Route 59, Bartlett.

For more information or to serve on the Hanover Township Supervisors Awards Committee, call 630-837-0301.
The International Monetary Fund is pushing Ghanas cash-strapped government to stop borrowing from its central bank, according to people familiar with the matter.



The IMF wants the two entities to sign a commitment to zero financing, said the people who asked not to be identified because theyre not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.



The accord is a condition Ghana is required to meet in order to secure final approval for a $3 billion IMF bailout, one of the people said.



An IMF spokesperson didnt immediately respond to an email seeking comment. Spokespeople for the Ghanaian finance ministry and the central bank didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.



The decision would bring a halt to central bank loans to the government that amount to about 40 billion cedis ($3.2 billion), according to one of the people.



Central-bank lending to Ghanas government ballooned last year as investor concern about the state of the nations public finances depressed demand for its domestic bonds.



The central bank stepped in to provide funding for the budget and to roll over maturing loans.



An agreement would also bar state-owned enterprises such as the Ghana Cocoa Board, which owes about 7 billion, from using more central bank financing, according to the person.



The cocoa regulator  the sole buyer of cocoa from farmers in the worlds second-biggest producer of the chocolate ingredient  uses the funding to support growers.



Auction Undersubscribed



An auction of cocoa bills worth 940 million was severely undersubscribed last week, the central bank said after it declined to buy the instruments issued by the board.



The central bank used to step in when there were under-subscriptions, Steve Opata, who heads financial markets at the central bank, told Accra-based broadcaster Joy FM earlier this week.



The bank decided to do things differently, so this shortfall was not financed by the central bank, he said without giving further detail.



Ghana is overhauling an estimated 467 billion cedis of its loans. Its been locked out of international capital markets since borrowing costs surged last year on investor concern about the state of Ghanas public finances.



The country secured a staff-level agreement for a $3 billion IMF bailout last year, but final approval by the IMF board requires the fulfilment of so-called prior actions, which havent been made public.



It is also negotiating a restructuring plan for its local and external debt in a bid to show that it can make its loans more sustainable, another requirement to tap IMF funding.



Ghana is targeting a reduction in its debt to 55% of gross domestic product by 2028, compared with an IMF estimate of 105% in 2022.

Source: Bloomberg









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, the substantive Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and Caretaker Minister for Trade and Industries has urged the Private sector in Ghana and in Africa to own the AfCFTA Agenda; to boost Intra-African trade and Africas prosperity within the context of the African Unions Agenda 2063 and continue to work with Governments in achieving its full implementation.



The Private sector, he said will not only be the driving force of AfCFTA, but will also be the primary beneficiary of the single market when Africa achieves the desired levels of trade between Africans as a people, adding that the advancement of intra-continental trade would mean private businesses can expand their markets, and venture into new territories which were previously inaccessible to them.



The Caretaker Minister, Samuel A. Jinapor was speaking at the closing of a two-day Business and Policy Dialogue, dabbed The Kwahu Summit on Africa's Prosperity, organized by The African Prosperity Network (APN) in collaboration with The Presidency and the AfCFTA Secretariat on Friday, 27th, January, 2023.



While targeting the private sector, he noted that "we must drill down further to address the needs of Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises in our respective countries, as they contribute more than half of the continents Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Indeed, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) estimates that Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) account for some ninety percent (90%) of all businesses in Africa, and provide for some eighty percent (80%) of jobs across the continent".



Closing on the theme AfCFTA: From Ambition to Action, Delivering Prosperity Through Continental Trade", Hon. Jinapor indicated that The quality of presentations, the constructive exchanges, and active participation over the past two days, are clear testimonies of their collective desire to move from ambition to action, and to deliver prosperity through AfCFTA for the Africa We Want.



He added that the discussions over the last two days, have shown that through public-private and multi-sectorial engagements, Africa can unblock the bottlenecks that hamper the full realisation of the single market agenda.



Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor therefore called on Ministers, policymakers, government representatives, and representatives of regional economic communities, to work with the private sector to institute the requisite institutional and logistical frameworks for the private sector to thrive.



He enlightened participants that Ghanas Ministry of Trade and Industry, as the lead policy advisor of Government on matters of domestic and international trade and industry, places a lot of premium on the AfCFTA, which is the fulcrum around which most of our trade policies revolve.



In view of the importance Ghana places on AfCFTA, the Caretaker Minister disclosed a number of initiatives the Ministry has undertaken in collaboration with the AfCFTA Secretariat saying;



" Since the establishment of the AfCFTA Secretariat in Accra, the Ministry has worked closely with the Secretariat, and has undertaken a number of initiatives aimed at promoting the AfCFTA, including the establishment of the National AfCFTA Coordination Office, the development and implementation of a comprehensive National Policy and Action Plan for AfCFTA, and the implementation of an AfCFTA Facilitation Programme aimed at promoting local companies to produce and export to the AfCFTA market".



On behalf of the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and the Government of Ghana, The Caretaker Minister, Hon. Jinapor appreciated the efforts of the African Prosperity Network (APN), led by its Executive Director, Dr. Eugene Owusu, and all other partners, particularly the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), led by its distinguished Secretary-General, H.E. Wamkele Mene, for facilitating the holding of such a high-level business and policy dialogue on the very consequential issue of the AfCFTA.



The Africa Prosperity Dialogues, first of it's kind in Ghana, is uniquely designed to offer a strategic and trusted annual platform to drive intra-African trade. It is a platform where the highest political and business decision makers in Africa, discuss and come up with clear, actionable initiatives to enhance trade and prosperity in Africa, aligned with the AU's Agenda 2063.



The two day event brought together Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, Representatives of Regional Economic Communities, Business Executives and Associates, Technocrats, Women, Young Entrepreneurs, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the media, to dialogue and proffer actionable solutions to boost Intra-African trade and Africas prosperity within the context of the African Unions Agenda 2063.

Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
An opportunity to have university education is supposed to be an exciting moment but for many freshmen, that could also be a moment of frustration and anxiety, as they are thrust into a worrying situation even before they settle down to the new phase of life.



This is because, like the biblical son of man, some of them would have nowhere to lay their heads while on campus. Gaining admission to any of the public universities in may be easier these days, but having accommodation as part of the admission arrangement is not.



In recent times, improved performances from students and the introduction of the free senior high school (FSHS) policy have tripled the number of applicants which has also impacted on the number of applicants who successfully gain admission.



With the varied programmes they offer, the University of Ghana (UG) Legon, University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) are often the first choice of majority of students.



Though the accommodation available does not commensurate with the numbers for the successful freshmen admitted each year, the KNUST and UCC have by and large, managed the situation efficiently such that accommodation for first-year students is not an issue. Even if it were, it did not leave students and parents frustrated, compared to what pertained at the UG.



For instance, the KNUST and UCC have since 2013 implemented the in-out-out-out system where freshmen are offered accommodation on admission, but subsequently from Level 200, they are required to make their own accommodation arrangements with the hostel facilities within and in neighbouring communities.



These arrangements have contributed to greatly minimize accommodation challenges in these two universities for first-year students, but their colleagues who opt to be at the nations premier university in Accra have no such comfort.



In-Out-Out-Out policy does magic for KNUST



As part of the in-out-out-out policy, the traditional halls of residence at KNUST are strictly reserved for only first-year students, reports Emmanuel Baah.



Aside from the universitys six traditional halls on campus, which accommodate an estimated number of 10,000 students, assigned on first come, first served basis, there are over 480 private hostels off campus that are working closely with the university, which has very much helped to resolve the issue of inadequate students accommodation.



For instance, this year, the KNUST admitted 15,000 freshmen and after placing 10,000 in the traditional halls, the 5,000 found accommodation at the partner hostels.



We are expecting 15,000 fresh students. So once 10,000 of them are accommodated on campus, there are available hostels for the remaining 5,000, Dr Noris Bekoe, the University Relations Officer (URO), told this reporter in an interview on Friday January 20, 2023.



As we speak, even managers of some of our private hostels have been complaining to us [University] that they have not gotten the full capacity of their hostels, he emphasised.



Allocation



Dr Bekoe said all those hostels were on a common online platform known as KNUST Off-Campus Students' Accommodation Support System(KOSASS), which prospective students were accessing via https://kosass.knust.edu.gh



Also, to help students prepare adequately, the university shared the locations and the rate of the various hostels and the number of occupants per room to enable them to make informed decisions.



So far, no student has complained of his or her inability to access accommodation, he said, and that aside from the online platform, a desk has also been created at the Universitys administration block to assist students who failed to log onto the online portal so they can secure accommodation.



The accommodation fee at the hostels, either public or private, were in four categories: A,B,C, and D, and the rates ranged from GHC 2000 to GHC 4,500, depending on the category and ones preference.



For those who secure accommodation off the university campus, shuttle services have also been made available to convey students who live outside campus to their various faculties on a daily basis with the Tech Junction being the pickup point , Dr Bekoe assured, emphasising that the safety, comfort and security of students, particularly, freshmen who were getting used to their new environment, were the universitys utmost priority.



No issues at UCC



Also running an in-out-out-out accommodation policy in favour of first year-students is the UCC, which does not experience the issue of long queues of frustrated students reported on other campuses.



Shirley Asiedu-Addo reports that some first-year students of the university were full of commendation for the university for arrangements to provide first years with accommodation on campus.



They also commended management for the smooth processes in the allocation of rooms.



Several students the Daily Graphic spoke to said they were happy not to have struggled with accommodation, adding that arrangements made and the processes made to ensure they were placed in halls were less stressful.



A fresh student, Gloria Aba Bentum, of the VALCO Hall said nobody took any illegal money from her at the hall.



Everything is alright with the accommodation. There were no struggles with getting accommodation. Nobody took monies from me, it was cool, she said.



Another student, Lordina Arthur, of the Kwame Nkrumah Hall said the accommodation was just fine. The rooms are not too big but I am happy I did not have to worry much over accommodation.



Others indicated that apart from a few electrical works and some carpentry works that had to be done on the rooms, all was fine.



We went through smooth processes and we were given the keys to our rooms, a student of Adehye Hall stated.

Joyce Akua Blay, who is at the Supernaution Hostel, said she opted for the hostel and she liked clean state of the facility.



Christabel Adarkwah of the VALCO Hall also said: Accommodation here is not bad at all. I am happy I didnt have to go through so much stress getting accommodation.



The Director, Public Affairs of the university, Major Kofi Baah Bentum (retd), in an interview, said the carefully crafted in-out-out-out accommodation policy of the university was to give priority to the first-year students who were often not familiar with the terrain.



Not until the freshers get accommodation, continuing students cannot, that is the policy, he stated.



All continuing students must leave the halls of residence for the freshmen.



He said the continuing students were aware of this and usually made arrangements even before school vacated for hostels in nearby communities and on campus.



He however stated that some freshmen who did not get into the halls of residence were given prior information and made arrangements for alternative accommodation after accepting admissions on those terms.



Some who fell within the late admissions and who could not be offered accommodation at the halls of residence were told and they accepted admissions with that in mind, Major (retd) Bentum explained.



Chaos at Legon



For students of UG, there is no such comfort or preferential treatment as over 6,000 freshmen out of the 16,000 admitted, have been left on their own to secure accommodation either through trying to apply for rooms online for the traditional halls or queue at the various hostels in a bid to secure a room.



Some of the students who spoke to the Daily Graphic expressed dismay about the situation, wondering why the countrys premier university had not been able to find a solution to this challenge that comes up every year.



A Bachelor of Arts student who gave her name as Elizabeth said she was on campus to complete her manual registration after she was unable to secure a room on the portal.



I came here to finish my manual registration processes because I have accepted that I wont get into any hall. From the moment it was opened, the portal kept telling me it was full.



I dont even know what to do now, Ill just try to rent around somewhere, I just hope I can afford it, she said.



Another fresher, Mavis, said the entire process was daunting and psychologically stressful.



I have been roaming since morning trying to figure out what is going on. In less than five minutes the portal said rooms were full. I cannot be coming from home every day, she lamented.



After the closure of the portal for accommodation placement, hundreds of students who were unsuccessful also went to Evandy Hostels, hoping to secure a room as an alternative to avoid the stress of securing one through the portal, but most of them were left disappointed as it ended up being a venture for protocol where parents arrived in their big vehicles, jumped the queue and in no time, secured rooms for their wards, a group of freshmen told the Daily Graphic.



Lectures have begun and there are still students who have not had their accommodation challenge resolved and have to commute to lectures from home for now.



More students, fewer rooms



The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, in charge of Academic and Student Affairs, Professor Gordon A Awandare, admitted there was very little the university could do immediately to resolve the challenge, though there were plans to improve upon the situation going forward.



We were only able to upload about 1,500 rooms, but there are 16,000 students trying to get accommodation so thats why within five minutes its full. There is no trick there, it is just the pressure.



It is a problem that bothers us and we are working very hard to resolve it, he stated.



On plans to resolve the problem, Prof. Awandare said the university had embarked on many hostel projects and had also given land leases to investors to build private hostels



Theres one the university itself is completing which we thought would be ready by now, but it is not, hopefully next academic year.



Also, our GUSS, which is our Retirement Fund, is about to build a hostel. Managers are still going through the procurement process to get a contractor to start working on it and that will also augment the accommodation on campus, he said.



Additionally, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor said the university had annexed a private hostel near the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) which will bring on board 650 beds.



New policy, no solution



Though a new policy has been introduced by the University of Ghana management, it seems it is rather to deal with rising incidents of violent clashes among some students, rather than resolving the accommodation challenge for freshmen.



The University Council on December 12, 2022, decided to implement the recommendations from the Residence Board and the Academic Board regarding changes to student residence arrangements.



It said those changes were requested by the council following repeated incidences of violence involving students.



The measures, which took effect from the start of the 2022/2023 academic year, are to prevent future occurrences of violence.



These include all continuing students of Commonwealth Hall and continuing male students of Mensah Sarbah Hall not returning to these halls, or to any of the traditional halls.



Also from the 2022/2023 academic year, only Level 100 and graduate students (Masters and PhD level) will be assigned to Mensah Sarbah and Commonwealth Halls and subsequently, undergraduate students will vacate the halls at the end of Level 100 and could secure accommodation in the private hostels from Level 200 until completion.



For Level 100 students who opt for traditional halls, they will be randomly assigned to the halls and progressively, all the traditional halls (Mensah Sarbah, Commonwealth, Volta, Legon and Akuafo halls) will be reserved for Level 100 and graduate students only, culminating into a full in-out-out-out policy by 2025/2026.

Source: graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
A woman who broke up with her fiance has been ordered to pay him financial damages for psychological anguish.



The court in Kanungu, Uganda said Richard Tumwine paid 9.4m shillings ($2,550; 2,060) for Fortunate Kyarikunda's law studies, which she must now repay plus his legal fees.



By calling off their engagement after four years, Magistrate Asanasio Mukobi ruled that Ms Kyarikunda had broken a promise to the detriment of Mr Tumwine.



The court said it was "unreasonable, a misrepresentation and a fraud" for the defendant to argue that her parents told her not to marry an older man, saying she "had all the opportunity to reject the plaintiffs love requests at the earliest point possible and avoid interfering with his financial obligations".



It is not known if Ms Kyarikunda will appeal against the judgement.



Critics tell the Monitor newspaper that the verdict is flawed because an engagement, unlike a marriage, is not legally binding.



Meanwhile, Sheila Kawamara, of the women's advocacy group ED EASSI, warns there are sometimes exploitative circumstances where a man gives money to a woman on the condition that she will marry him.







Source: BBC









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
Fifty-three people are now confirmed to have been affected by the Yellow Sisi waakye suspected poisoning incident at Oyibi in Greater Accra.



A joint investigation by the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has revealed that the 53 people experienced symptoms of foodborne disease after consuming waakye or plain rice and tomato stew from a food vendor called Yellow Sisi located at Bush Canteen, a suburb of Oyibi.



The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) in a statement dated Jan 27, 2023 and released Friday evening following the report by Graphic Online said it received notification through its Food Safety Alert System on Sunday, January 22, 2023 the suspected foodborne disease outbreak.





It said it was reported to have occurred at Oyibi, within the Adenta Municipality, in the Greater Accra Region.



In line with the Food Safety Emergency Response Plan, a joint investigation with the Ghana Health Service (GHS) started immediately.



Poor food handling practices



"So far one (1) person has been reported dead, but the exact cause of death is yet to be confirmed," it added.



"Environmental assessment of the food preparation site located at Malejor and the three vending sites at Bush Canteen, Prison Joint and Sharp Curve Joint revealed poor food handling practices which could have resulted in the contamination of the food, leading to the foodborne disease outbreak.



Yellow Sisi operations suspended



The FDA said it has suspended the operations of Yellow Sis until measures have been instituted to ensure that their activities are brought into compliance to prevent future occurrence.



Graphic Online's Mary Anane Amponsah reported that the victims including the waakye seller, popularly known as Yellow Sisi, and some of her family members were rushed to the Valley View Hospital, Oyibi Hospital, Dodowa Hospital and other facilities when they complained of severe stomach ache after they had eaten the food last week Friday.



The Yellow Sisi Waakye joint is considered to be one of the popular food joints at Oyibi Bush Canteen.



When the Daily Graphic team visited the area, it observed that the joint was quiet and the kiosk locked.



Some shops close to the food joint were also closed as it is believed that the shop owners who also patronised the food that day and suffered the side effects, were also said to be receiving treatment in hospital.



Confirmation, investigation



When the Daily Graphic followed up at the Valley View Hospital for confirmation, hospital officials did confirm the incident, indicating that a number of patients were rushed to the hospital in bad condition but as of today, all the patients have been discharged, an official said.



The Valley View Hospital officials could not provide enough information as to the number of people who might have been affected but only indicated that the data from the hospital had been forwarded to the Kpone Katamanso District Hospital where further investigation was ongoing to ascertain the cause of the problem.



Officials at the district hospital confirmed the story but said they were conducting further tests on patients to find out whether it was indeed a case of food poisoning or something else.



As at now, some other people are still visiting the hospital and, therefore, until all the necessary laboratory tests are complete, we cannot give specific data on the number of people who have been affected or whether it was indeed a case of food poisoning, Dr Esther Danquah from the district hospital said.



Victims narration



One of the victims who gave his name as Justice Ankomah said he started experiencing stomach ache and then diarrhoea later in the day, but did not consider it as a big deal and took some medication to treat himself.



However, he pointed out that three other residents who operated shops around the joint and also patronised the waakye, as they often did, fell very sick and ended up being admitted to the hospital and had not been able to return to open their shops for business since last Friday.



The wife of one of the deceased that the Daily Graphic met and who only gave her husbands name as Kennedy, disclosed that her husband died last Monday at the St Johns Hospital at Amrahia, when he was rushed there after complaining of stomach ache and diarrhoea.



He started complaining that Friday that he was not feeling well, but we thought it was a normal thing. It was later when it became severe that we rushed him to the hospital but he did not survive, the widow disclosed.



She said later on they heard the news that many other people had been affected and were at different hospitals within the community.



Some relatives of Kennedy were spotted at the Oyibi Police Station following up on the issue.



They, however, refused to talk to the Daily Graphic about the incident as they said the police were investigating.



At the Oyibi Police Station, although there was confirmation that a case of food poisoning had been reported there, the police declined to brief the Daily Graphic team but rather, directed the them to seek further information from the police headquarters.







Source: graphiconline.com









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Former Greater Accra regional Chairman of National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ade Coker is calling for peace within his party.



His plea follows agitations after a shocking reshuffle of minority leaders in parliament by the NDC national executives.



MPs for Tamale South and Asawase Haruna Iddrisu and Muntaka Mubarak have been stripped of their positions as minority leader and minority chief whip respectively.



Their supporters have expressed unhappiness and are protesting against the removal of the duo as leaders of the party in parliament.



Speaking on the issues on NEAT FMs morning show, Ghana Montie, Mr Coker said the changes are in the best interest of the party.



He urged that; the party must now focus on winning the next presidential election rather than the agitations.



Lets accept the decision from party leadership and move on, he advised.





Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/peacefmonline.com/ghana









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Decision by the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia to change the parliamentary leadership of the Minority caucus without recourse to democratic principles has sparked chaos in the opposition party.



After Mr. Nketia aka General Mosquitos actions which have left in their trail a heated political debate and deep crack in the Minority caucus, he jetted to the United Kingdom (UK), attending a lecture to be addressed by former President John Dramani Mahama.



A statement released and signed by the National Communication Officer of NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, said General Mosquito would lead the partys delegation to go and support Mr. Mahama at the event which is billed to take place at the Chatham House that was scheduled to take place yesterday.



The delegation included the NDC Director of International Affairs, Alex Segbefia, Deputy National Women Organiser, Abigail Elorm Akwambea, and the NDC Deputy Treasurer, Vida Addae.



The statement indicated that the ex-President would speak on the theme: Africas strategic priorities and global role, and will among other things discuss the prospects for economic recovery and growth on the African continent.



This is in the light of the recent debt crisis that has compelled African countries, including Ghana to seek debt treatment under the G20 Common Framework, the statement added.



Confusion



The NDC chairman, whose relatively few days in office has been marked by turmoil, left the country at the time his backyard was on fire, as a result of the infamous decision to reshuffle the Tamale South MP, Haruna Iddrisu, and Asawase MP Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka as Minority Leader and Minority Chief Whip respectively.



He, together with some executives, undertook surprising changes in the partys parliamentary leadership on Tuesday in the name of re-organisation process of the NDC to reposition the party better for the 2024 general election.



In a letter, addressed to Speaker Bagbin and signed by the General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, the NDC said the MP for Ajumako Enyan Esiam would become the new Minority Leader when the House resumes on February 7, 2023.



Ato Forson will be deputised by Emmanuel Kofi Armah Buah of Ellembelle Constituency, taking over from James Kludze Avedzi, while the MP for Asawase, Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka would be replaced by Kwame Governs Agbodza of Adaklu Constituency as the Chief Whip.



The MP for Banda, Ahmed Ibrahim and Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah of Ada Constituency maintained their positions as First and Second Deputy Whips respectively.



Flowing from the decision, the countrys political observers have been treated to a split-screen spectacle of NDC Minority caucus fratricide, with some of the members signing petitions for and against the decision.



This has also caused a surge in anger by supporters of the NDC at Kumasi in the Ashanti Region and Tamale in the Northern Region, with some burning tyres amidst threats.



















Source: Ernest Kofi Adu/Daily Guide









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AN ACCRA High Court has ordered the immediate former National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo and a Communication Officer of the party, Kwaku Boahen, to open their defence in a trial in which they are accused of planning to assault the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission and others.



The court, presided over by Justice Samuel Asiedu, a Supreme Court judge sitting as an additional High Court judge, gave the order after it held that the prosecution had proved its case against the two, hence they ought to give their side of the story.



The order followed the courts decision in applications for submission of no case filed by counsels for the accused persons filed in November last year after the prosecution closed its case, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish the allegations against the accused, hence they had no case to answer.



But the court in its ruling rejected the arguments of the defence lawyers and held that the prosecution had made a prima facie case against the accused persons, and subsequently ordered them to open their defence on February 10, 2023.



Trial

Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo and one of the partys leading communicators, Anthony Kwaku Boahen, are on trial over the tape which captures how the opposition NDC is allegedly planning to commit crimes in the country and turn round to blame them on the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).



Among the strategies were the creation of a general state of insecurity in the country through kidnappings, arson and verbal attacks on public officials like the Chairman of the NPC, Prof. Emmanuel Asante, and EC boss, Jean Mensa.



Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo has been charged with one count of conspiracy to cause harm and two counts of assault against a public officer.



Mr. Boahen, on the other hand, is facing one count of conspiracy to cause harm.



Tape



The controversial tape which is the subject of the trial was tendered in evidence by the case investigator, Detective Chief Inspector Bernard Berko, in his evidence-in-chief by the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Yvonne Atakora-Obuobisa.



The over two hours tape which was recorded at a meeting of NDC communicators somewhere last year or so, had Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo telling the party members to make life uncomfortable for the targeted persons who included the Chairpersons of the Electoral Commission (EC) and National Peace Council (NPC).

The leaked tape also detailed how the party would approach campaign strategies, including what he described as overt and covert operations in the wake of the disturbances that characterised the Ayawaso West Wuogon bye-election.



I want to assure you that as long as I remain the leader of our party, my approach to elections and security has completely changed and we need to marshal all the human and material resources, Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo stated when he took his turn to address the party faithful as captured on the tape.



Forensic Examination



A forensic examination conducted on the leaked audio tape has confirmed it to be his voice on the tape.



The examination which was carried out by the Israeli Forensic Science Institute was to compare the controversial tape to another voice recording of the NDC guru when he addressed supporters of the party at the Police Headquarters in Accra after he was granted police enquiry bail.



According to the report, there is 90 per cent probability that the voice of Mr. Ofosu-Ampofo on the tape addressing the party faithful is the same as the voice on the leaked tape.



The report also indicated that There is also 85 per cent probability of coincidence of speech features and defects.



Alibi

Chief Inspector Berko also told the court that while the matter was in court, Kwaku Boahen pleaded an alibi that he was in Bomfa Achiase in the Ashanti Region on February 3, 2019, when the said meeting was held at the NDC headquarters in Accra.



He said a team was constituted to investigate the alibi, and a report was produced after the investigations.

Source: Gibril Abdul Razak/Daily Guide









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At a time when most Ghanaian actors are complaining of no jobs in the local movie industry, actor James Gardiner has been busy in one production after the other in both Nigeria and Ghana.



The year 2022 was very good for him and he is looking forward to an even more amazing new year.



In a chat with Graphic Showbiz, Gardiner said: Now, I will say its been a cruise in Nigeria, and thanks to God.



There is a lot of competition, so to even come from Ghana and still get roles there on a regular basis is like a big buzz.



Thankfully, I am working with some very good directors, as well as talented actors, so its been a very good year for me so far as filmmaking in Nigeria is concerned. Movie lovers will see my good works out there and I am going to make Ghana proud.



Ghana is not left out. I have done a couple of productions here, so I am trying to balance it. But its like there is more work to be done in Nigeria just to make sure I become a household name.



I want to work hard so that it will be a good representation of Ghana over there and in the whole of Africa as well. Most of the productions I did will be out this year and once they do, everyone gets to see my craft and what I have to offer, he stated.



Touching on the difference between working in Ghana and in Nigeria, Gardiner explained, I believe we have more in common than people think. I think what works in favour for Nigeria is their numbers. It is a big country and they tend to do more with business, as the numbers interpret into bigger consumption.



For instance, in Nigeria, there are loads of cinemas scattered around which are patronised by people. Ghana is a very small country - the population of Lagos alone is bigger than Ghana - so if we are trying to compare the two countries in this regard, then it becomes a bit of a mismatch.



We have very good actors here, we have very good directors here and we do solid productions here. I think the problem is with funding. Because we dont have the numbers on our side, we dont have the masses on our side to balance it or to make the mathematics work out. Thus, we need more of corporate sponsorship and government support.

Source: graphic.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Pitt men's swimming and diving team won seven events against No. 24 Wisconsin and four events against No. 17 Michigan during a double dual meet Saturday morning at the Donald B. Canham Natatorium.Pitt fell overall to the Badgers by the score of 155-145 and to the Wolverines 194-106."This was a great meet for our men's team," said head coach Chase Kreitler. "We picked up seven event wins, including three events in which we finished 1-2 against Wisconsin, who is currently ranked 24th. In addition, we won four events against Michigan, who is currently ranked 17th. I thought we competed really well, had a great deck presence and executed details in our races that we've been working on in practice. To take Wisconsin down to the final relay and come up .37 of a second short of getting a win over a top 25 opponent is a sign of where we want to be as a program. We have a lot of momentum headed into ACCs and we are excited for championship season!"The Panthers picked up four 1-2 finishes during the meet, highlighted by(1:58.92) and(2:01.22) finishing first and second overall in 200-yard breaststroke. In the 100-yard breaststroke, Van der Laan (54.17) and Chen (54.52) also claimed first and second to Michigan, respectively.Juniortook first overall in the 200-yard backstroke (1:44.77) and finished third overall in the 200-yard freestyle (1:37.44). The Krakow, Poland native also took first to the Badgers in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 48.36.(48.42) took first and(48.59) came in second to Wisconsin in the 100-yard backstroke whilecontinued the momentum for the Panthers as he came in second overall in the 200-yard butterfly (1:47.31).Newcomer(20.52) and senior(20.63) came in second and third to Wisconsin in the 50-yard freestyle. Goncharov (44.82) and Crisci (45.54) also finished second and third to Wisconsin in the 100-yard free.The 200-yard medley relay team of Radziszewski, Van der Laan, Goraj and Crisci got the Panthers started, finishing first to the Badgers and second to the Wolverines with a time of 1:27.36. The men's 400-yard freestyle relay team of Goncharov,, Crisci and Radziszewski capped off the meet with a third-place overall finish with a time of 2:58.29.On the diving side,(324.85) and(294.40) took first and second in the 3-meter to Wisconsin. Reed (368.25) also took first against the Badgers in the 1-meter with(315.40) and Cash (313.45) coming in third and fourth.Newcomerwon both the 1-meter (330.95) and 3-meter (384.20) events during the Western PA Invite at Carnegie Mellon University, Saturday morning. Mendoza qualified for NCAA Diving Zones in both events.The Panthers return to the pool Feb. 10-12 for the Ohio State Invitational in Columbus, Ohio. Pitt will be back in action the next week at the 2023 ACC Championships in Greensboro, N.C.
South Elgin High School junior Hannah Yoder reads the role of Phyllis Zimbler Miller in a production of Zimbler Miller's "Thin Edge of the Wedge," which was presented Thursday night at Congregation Kneseth Israel in Elgin. (Ryan Lewin / HANDOUT)

Friday was the 78th anniversary of the day on which more than 7,000 people awaiting their deaths at the hands of the Nazis were freed from the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland.

Its known as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and this year a group of School District U-46 students learned some powerful lessons about the humanity behind the history thanks to Phyllis Zimbler Miller, a 1966 Elgin High School graduate, and Elgin resident Mark Seigle.

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Zimbler Miller, who now lives in California, wrote the play Thin Edge of the Wedge, which she makes free to high school students as a way to educate them about the Holocaust and the need to fight anti-Semitism and all forms of hate.

The first-person monologues it features are from people who survived the Nazi genocide of the 1930s and 40s and those who helped save some of them, all real accounts documented by Zimbler Miller when she lived in Munich, Germany, in 1970.

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When Zimbler Miller, who now lives in California, asked Seigle last year to help her get her work to students in the Elgin area, he made it his mission.

Playwright Phyllis Zimbler Miller speaks with Danny Spungen Thursday night after a performance of Zimbler Miller's "Thin Edge of the Wedge" at Congregation Kneseth Israel in Elgin. South Elgin High School students did the readings -- first-person accounts from Holocaust survivors and those who helped save people during World War II -- and Beacon Academy students filmed them. (Mike Danahey / The Courier-News)

On Thursday night, members of Elgins Congregation Kneseth Israel attended a staged reading of the work presented by South Elgin High School students. It was documented on film by students who attend Beacon Academy, the magnet school on the South Elgin campus.

On Friday, a similar presentation was done at Elgin Community College for U-46 high school language arts, social studies and theater teachers.

By having kids do staged readings, they really are able to feel its stories, said Zimbler Miller, who attended the events.

She said her passion to learn about and educate others on the Holocaust started in 1969, when she and her husband honeymooned in Israel. A year later she graduated from Michigan State University with a journalism degree and moved to Munich, Germany, where her husband was stationed as an Army officer.

It was just 25 years after the end of World War II, and she was able to interview people who survived the genocide and the saviors who risked their own lives to save those who would have otherwise been killed, she said.

Zimbler Miller published those accounts and other interviews she did while working as a reporter and editor for the Jewish Exponent, a weekly newspaper in Philadelphia.

It was kismet when she met Seigle at a wedding reception in Los Angeles last year, she said.

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I asked Mark if there was someone in the Elgin school system with whom he could connect me who might be interested in my free nonfiction Holocaust theater project, she said. Next thing I know, Im talking to Jacob VandeMoortel (U-46s coordinator of social studies and world languages).

South Elgin theater students staged the first reading of the work in November to commemorate Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, when violent mobs provoked by anti-Semitic Nazi agitation destroyed hundreds of Jewish-owned businesses, homes and synagogues in 1938 in Germany and Austria.

Getting the opportunity to read the words of someone who endured the Holocaust and imagining themselves in these situations was a humbling experience for the students, theater teacher Jessica Smith said.

We often think of the Holocaust as a historical event, viewed in black and white, but it was less than 100 years ago, and the hate that caused it still exists. Its a reminder to be kind, vigilant and to speak up for one another.

Seigle helped arrange the synagogue performance Thursday as well as a field trip in which students involved in the production and filming went to the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie.

Arianna Suarez, a Beacon Academy freshman who helped film the productions, said the museum visit was upsetting but also reinforced what she was learning through her work on the project.

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(It) helped connect us to the stories and intensity of what went on, said junior Hannah Yoder, who read the monologues Zimbler Miller wrote for herself in the play documenting her reaction to what she was learning.

Seigle said his mother, her sister and their parents escaped Germany in the late 1930s but many family members who did not leave were killed.

There are two types of Holocaust survivors, those who want to tell their stories to preclude a recurrence and the others who cant bear to talk about it. My mother was the latter so I have little to share, Seigle said.

Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
FORT EDWARD  The Washington County Board of Supervisors Agriculture, Planning, Tourism, and Community Development Committee voted Tuesday to divide an extra $100,000 in federal pandemic relief funds between technical assistance for small businesses and an electronic message sign for the county municipal offices.

Economic Development Director Laura Oswald said county treasurer Al Nolette obtained the money through the American Rescue Plan Act.

The county will receive two payments of $50,000 over two years.

She recommended designating $50,000 for the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Commission to offer marketing, financial and planning assistance to non-agricultural small businesses.

The LCLGRPB would keep some of the grant to cover its administrative costs.

Warren County, which received $150,000 from the same program, is doing the same thing, she said.

Deborah Donohue, county public works superintendent, wanted the other $50,000 to replace the deteriorating sign in front of the municipal building. With an electronic message sign, the county could communicate with the public when offices are closed. If the funding is available, the DPW wont have to budget for a new sign, she said.

The proposals will go to the full Board of Supervisors for approval in February.

In other business, the board heard year-end reports from several agencies that work with the county.

Corrina Aldrich, district manager for the Washington County Soil and Water Conservation District, reported on a group, the Watershed Health Coalition, that is proposing changes to the states water conservation district laws. The group doesnt understand how water and soil conservation districts in New York work and how their funding works, Aldrich said. The coalition has drafted a bill and is looking for state legislators to sponsor it. The proposal is adding a lot of language that is unnecessary and could be restrictive, Aldrich said. Other counties, the New York Grange, New York Farm Bureau, state Department of Agriculture and Markets, the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service, and other groups are opposed, she said. The committee approved a resolution that would add Washington County to the list of opponents. Committee Chair Jim Griffith called it a no-brainer.

Todd Erling, executive director of the Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corp., described his organizations activities in the county. The HVADC, based in Hudson, serves agriculture and food entrepreneurs. HVADC has a loan fund and has been chosen by the state to implement a red meat processing program, Erling said. Grants of $50,000 to $250,000, funded by $5 million in the state budget, will be available over four years to help existing meat processors expand or maintain their USDA status and market access. HVADC also works with fiber processors, he said.

Committee member Brian Campbell, Hebron supervisor, asked about HVADCs position on solar energy projects. Erling said his organization has no individual programs but has worked with other organizations on integrating solar energy facilities and agriculture. So

lar panels can be spaced farther apart and built to be swung out of the way so farmers can work the land underneath and between them. It gives the farmer multiple avenues of income over 20 years, Erling said.

Beth Gilles, director of the Lake Champlain-Lake George Regional Planning Commission, said the Planning Board secured three grants for the county in 2022. Two will assist sewer districts. The third was a Complete Streets policy and implementation grant for the village of Cambridge. The Planning Board is helping the Washington County Fair with the federal broadband infrastructure grant it received last year and is working with Salem, Cambridge, Granville and Argyle on feasibility studies for water-related projects.

The county planning agency received 25 referrals for site plan reviews in 2022, Oswald reported. She submitted a summary of grant applications her office completed last year. The village of Fort Edward received $48,000 in federal Community Block Development Grants for planning and engineering. Awards for most other programs are pending.

The county was awarded $1 million through U.S. Rep. Elise Stefaniks office for new broadband connections, Oswald said. She has applied to the offices of U.S. Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and Stefanik for $1.4 million to expand the village of Greenwichs wastewater treatment system. The grant may not be enough to cover the entire village but more customers would be served, she said.
ATLANTIC CITY  Social services agencies, aided by police, set up shop in Renaissance Plaza on Friday afternoon to offer assistance with housing, jobs and substance abuse treatment to anyone willing to accept help.

Court representatives were also on hand to help clear outstanding warrants.

A few people took advantage of the offer, talking to case workers in a Volunteers of America trailer, but many more continued to hang out in front of the Pay Less Liquor store there.

Over the last couple of years, residents and community leaders have expressed concerns about the drinking and loitering homeless people at the plaza. Some have even called the plaza unsafe.

Still, there are multi-million dollar plans to refinance the Renaissance Plaza on Atlantic Avenue. Private real estate investment firm Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation announced earlier this month a $7.5 million year-end refinancing for a 7-year fixed rate loan for the 76,000-square-foot shopping center.

Renaissance Plaza is the home of the citys only corporate food store, a position that was further cemented in December when a long-touted, publicly funded plan to bring a new supermarket to the city fell apart.

Residents who have options say they dont use the plaza to shop because of the number of vagrants, drug use and trash.

The social agencies were there for that reason  to help those who need assistance.

Residents need housing and jobs, and the homeless need a place to go during the day, said Gerald Cherry, 56, after talking to outreach workers Friday afternoon.

Cherry said the Atlantic City Rescue Mission provides a place to sleep and some food, but people have to find somewhere else to go during the day.

He does not stay in the mission anymore, he said, but walks the streets trying to find a place to get warm.

Cherry said he hasnt had a job since about 2004 or 2005, when he got sick. His last job was working for the Atlantic City Convention Center, doing cleaning jobs, he said.

Police Chief James Sarkos said police are restricted in how much they can do to move vagrants along when they are on private property, such as on the sidewalk in front of the liquor store and Save-A-Lot grocery store.

Its not illegal to loiter, Sarkos said. But, ,he added, it is illegal to loiter with intent to engage in drug selling or prostitution. Its also illegal to block city sidewalks.

Councilman Kaleem Shabazz, who represents the 3rd ward, where Renaissance Plaza is located, said its location near the Gateway Head Start Early Education Center preschool is a particular problem. Sometimes those who loiter engage in drug use and sexual behavior behind the store, and little kids are exposed to such behavior, Shabazz said.

They cant hang out here, Shabazz said.

Over the years, the Plaza has developed a reputation for not being safe.

Theres a lot of vagrants, homeless people begging, its not well lit. ... Its a hub for vagrants and people with bad intentions, said Brian Ireland, an Atlantic City resident and vice president of the planning board. All it does is make it harder for people to get food since people dont feel safe enough to even get out of their cars.

Residents said Renaissance Plaza has only gotten worse over time.

The Atlantic City Police Department regularly attends community meetings where residents bring up concerns at Renaissance Plaza, Sarkos said. ACPD is working very diligently with all our social services partners to address these concerns.

Like I said before, its going to need a dramatic improvement, Ireland said. It needs to feel a little safer. Its just so unattractive.

Some of that improvement may come in the form of the corporate financing recently set in place for renovation. A company official said the plaza is worth the investment.

Despite the challenges brought upon by the pandemic, this property has done exceptionally well, said Joe Press, chief operating officer at Ashkenazy Acquisition Corporation in a news release announcing the financing. Owning one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable assets will always be in demand.

On Friday, about a dozen men of all ages were standing around talking and joking.

I was homeless a lot of years, said Isaac Bethea, 69, of Atlantic City. Now he has housing in a senior citizens building, he said.

Bethea said he retired early after years as a chef and got help from many places to kick his heroin habit. He had never been much of a drinker, but when he stopped using drugs he started drinking, he said.

Now he relies on God to help him moderate his behavior and tries to help people who need a place to stay on cold nights.

I have empathy for people who dont have a clue. Who am I to judge? Ive done worse than most, Bethea said. Thats what I have done, not who I am.
A 29-year-old woman was arrested after police said she posed as a teenager and attended a New Jersey high school, according to local news outlets.

The woman, a resident of New Brunswick, is said to have given a fake birth certificate to the New Brunswick Board of Education with the intent to enroll as a juvenile high-school student, according to a Jan. 25 police news release.

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

An attorney for the woman could not immediately be reached for comment by McClatchy News.

After gaining admittance, the woman attended New Brunswick High School for four days before anyone noticed something was awry, according to 6ABC News.

She was arrested Tuesday, Jan. 24, according to CBS News.

Last week supposedly the administrators let in a 29-year-old, a student told 6ABC. So basically everybody was scared. Some people gave their personal information to that lady.

State statutes direct schools to enroll unaccompanied children lacking proper documentation, though school districts can request documents to verify a childs age, police said.

A school district may not prevent or discourage a child, including an unaccompanied child, from enrolling in or attending school because he or she lacks a birth certificate or has records that indicate a foreign place of birth, such as a foreign birth certificate, police said.

The New Brunswick Public Schools superintendent said the incident was bothersome, adding that she would closely examine the districts enrollment process, according to News12.

The woman was charged with one count of providing a false government document, a third-degree offense, police said.

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CPI-M MLA, Trinamool leader join saffron party before Feb 16 assembly polls

#NEWDELHI In a development that could provide a major boost to the ruling BJP in Tripura ahead of the February 16 Assembly polls, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MLA Moboshar Ali and Trinamool Congress leader Subal Bhowmik on Friday joined the saffron party in the national capital. Ali and Bhowmik joined the BJP at the party headquarters in Delhi in presence of Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, state party president Rajib Bhattacharjee, and the partys spokesperson and northeastern states in-charge Sambit Patra.

BJP sources also said that senior Congress leader Billal Mia and some other leaders are also likely to join the saffron party. Mia, however, denied the possibility of joining the BJP. Ali was elected to the Tripura Assembly from Kailasahar constituency in northern Tripura in 2018, while Mia won the Boxanagar seat in western Tripura twice, in 1988 and 1998. Both Ali and Mia are senior leaders of their respective parties. The Trinamool Congress removed Subal Bhowmik from the post of Tripura unit state president on August 24 last year, but he was in the party.

Bhowmik, a former Congress MLA, joined the Trinamool Congress in July 2021. He had jumped ship from the BJP to the Congress in 2019. The party is in talks with a few other CPI-M and Congress leaders to join the party, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said. The BJP is likely to nominate both Ali and Mia to contest the forthcoming Assembly polls, he told IANS on the condition of anonymity.

When contacted, Congress leader Mia, also a former minister, told IANS: At this moment, I am not joining any other party. As I am in politics, leaders of any party can talk to me about their offers. About the queries about which leaders and parties talked with him, Mia said: No comments at the moment.

IANS
As a counter to viewing of BBC docu on PM Modi, ABVP organises screenings of The Kashmir Files

For the second time in less than a week, BBCs controversial documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and 2002 Gujarat riots was screened by a group of students at University of Hyderabad while the rival group responded with the screening of Hindi film The Kashmir Files.

The screenings late on Thursday triggered mild tension on the campus of the central university, also known as Hyderabad Central University (HCU)

Students Federation of India (SFI)-HCU organised screening of the documentary India: The Modi Question on the Republic Day.

More than 400 students turned out for the screening rejecting the false propaganda and the attempts of ABVP to create unrest and the administration to disrupt the screening of the documentary, the SFI-HCU said in a social media post.

SFI-HCU salutes the student community who have stood for freedom of expression and campus democracy, it added. As a counter to the SFI programme, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) organised screening of The Kashmir Files based on the exodus of Hindus from Kashmir due to killings by Pakistan-backed terrorists.

There was mild tension when a group of students belonging to ABVP staged a protest at the main gate against the university authorities for not allowing equipment for screening of the movie into the campus. Police said they have received information about screening of the documentary on the university campus but no written complaint was filed.

Rival groups counter with their favourite at Hybad varsity

For a second time in less than a week, BBCs documentary was screened by a group of students at the University of Hyderabad while the rival group responded with the screening of Hindi film The Kashmir Files.

Peaceful viewing at Jadavpur University

A controversial BBC documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi was screened peacefully within the premises of the prestigious Jadavpur University (JU) in Kolkata without any resistance either from the state administration or from any group opposing the content of the film.

AMU orders probe into alleged religious slogans on R-Day

A video from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) that went viral on social media, shows several students purportedly chanting Allah-hu-Akbar (God is great) during the Republic Day celebrations. IANS
Party alleges status quo not maintained after 17 rounds of talks with China

Congress on Friday demanded discussion in the Parliament during budget session on losing 26 patrolling points at the LAC in Ladakh, and alleged that after 17 rounds of talks, the restoration of status quo was not maintained.

Citing three-day Annual DGPIGPs Conference in which a detailed Security Research Paper was submitted for discussion, the Congress alleged that it revealed shocking facts about the rank apathy by Modi govt to Chinas illegal occupation of Indias territory in the region.

Addressing a press conference, media chairman of the party Pawan Khera said, India lost access to 26 out of 65 Patrolling Points (PP), which was not the case before May 2020, and the subsequent Galwan clash where 20 bravehearts sacrificed their lives.

He stated as per the paper Presently, there are 65 PPs starting from Karakoram pass to Chumur which are to be patrolled regularly by the ISFs (Indian Security Forces). Out of 65 PPs, our presence has been lost in 26 PPs (i.e. PP no. 5-17, 24-32, 37, 51,52,62) due to restrictive or no patrolling by the ISFs (Indian Security Forces). Later on, China forces us to accept the fact that, as, such areas have not seen the presence of ISFs or civilians since long, the Chinese were present in these areas. This leads to a shift in the border under control of ISFs towards Indian side and a buffer zone is created in all such pockets which ultimately leads to loss of control over these areas by India. This tactic of PLA to grab land inchby-inch is known as Salami Slicing.

He said PLA has taken advantage of the buffer areas in this de-escalation talks by placing their best cameras on the highest peaks and is monitoring the movements of Indian forces. This peculiar situation can be seen at Black top, Helmet top mountains in Chushul, at Demchok, at Kakjung, at Gogra Hills in Hot Springs and at Depsang Plains near Chip Chip river. IANS

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RaGa accuses J&K admin of big security lapse'

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday accused J&K administration of a big security lapse at the Banihal tunnel. Addressing a press conference in Khanabal area of Anantnag district, Rahul said that when the Bharat Jodo Yatra crossed Banihal tunnel, there was not a single police man to manage or control the huge crowd that had come to receive him. IANS

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SEBI probe sought on Hidenburg report

Congress on Friday demanded an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on the Hidenburg report on Adani group. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, The allegations require serious investigation by those who are responsible for the stability and security of the Indian financial system, viz. the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and SEBI. IANS
They cant be credited as author, accountability too is absent: Springer Nature

AI tools such as ChatGPT threaten transparent science, according to Springer Nature, the worlds largest academic publisher, which has laid down ground rules for its use, saying software like ChatGPT cant be credited as an author in papers published in its journals.

First, no large language models (LLMs) tool will be accepted as a credited author on a research paper.

That is because any attribution of authorship carries with it accountability for the work, and AI tools cannot take such responsibility, said Nature in an article. Second, researchers using LLM tools or AI chatbots should document the use in the methods or acknowledgements sections.

If a paper does not include these sections, the introduction or another appropriate section can be used to document the use of the LLM, said the publisher.

The AI chatbot ChatGPT has brought the capabilities of such tools, known as LLMs, to a mass audience.

ChatGPT can write presentable student essays, summarize research papers, answer questions well enough to pass medical exams and generate helpful computer code.

It has produced research abstracts good enough that scientists found it hard to spot that a computer had written them.

Worryingly for society, it could also make spam, ransomware and other malicious outputs easier to produce. Although OpenAI has tried to put guard rails on what the chatbot will do, users are already finding ways around them, said the report.

That is why Nature is setting out these principles. Ultimately, research must have transparency in methods, and integrity and truth from authors. This is, after all, the foundation that science relies on to advance, the report mentioned. IANS
The racket involving fake no objection certificates (NOCs) being obtained by schools is getting bigger and murkier. In the latest incident, Elpro International School in Chinchwad has been found to have submitted a fire safety NOC bearing the PCMC stamp and containing the forged signature of a retired officer of the Pune fire brigade, Prashant Ranpise, leaving him as well as the education officials aghast.

This is shocking. I will order an inquiry into the fake fire NOC from the school. We will take strong criminal action against the guilty people and school management. As a precautionary measure, we will cross-verify the fire NOCs of all the schools that come under the jurisdiction of the PCMC immediately,  Sandip Khot, deputy commissioner and education administrative head of PCMC, told Mirror.

The SNBP School allegedly forged the signature of divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao on a land deed certificate

Mirror reported about a school in Chikhali in a news item, Can of worms opens in fake school NOCs (Jan 28, 2023). The school allegedly forged the signature of divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao on a land deed certificate. While Rao denied that it was his signature, the institution called it a conspiracy. A police investigation is underway. Reacting to the Elpro school development, Ranpise said, Last week, I received information about the fake fire NOC. The date mentioned on the said schools fire NOC is April 20, 2022. I retired in January 2022.

It is clear that this signature is not mine. Some anti-social elements are run - ning a racket. It is shocking and the PCMC fire brigade should take serious cognizance of the issue. I appeal to the authorities concerned to initiate an inquiry and register criminal cases against the guilty. Audumber Ukirde, the Pune divisional deputy director of education, said inquiries have been initiated against all the schools and their documents are being verified.

Some of these schools have obtained fake NOCs to run CBSE schools while some indulged in faking land deeds and obtaining fake fire safety NOCs from local bodies like Zilla Parishad and municipal corporations. As per the state education commissioners order, we are cross-verifying all documents submitted to the education department, he said. Ukirde confirmed that a fake fire safety NOC with forged signature of the chief fire officer of the Pune fire brigade has been found to have been submitted by the Elpro school.

We have told the school management to give a clarification on this, following which strong action will be taken against the guilty. State education commissioner Suraj Mandhare said he has already established a special committee under the presidency of the joint commissioner of education to investigate the matter. We will cross-check all the documents, including NOCs for CBSE, land certificates, building safety certificates, fire safety certificates, additional rooms, teachers and other staff details, and self-certification.

We will take strong action against those found guilty, from the school management and agents from outside. We will also take strong action against government officers and employees, if they are found guilty, added Mandhare. Elpro International School issued an official statement on the fake fire safety NOC, saying: We will crossverify the claimed Fire Safety NOC. Then we will give further official clarification on that.

Some of these schools have obtained fake NOCs to run CBSE schools while some indulged in faking land deeds and obtaining fake fire safety NOCs from local bodies like Zilla Parishad and municipal bodies  Audumber Ukirde
Mirrors survey finds modified devices sold freely in market; police nonchalant even after locals file several complaints; state pollution control board doesnt care about their sufferings from blasting sound during odd hours

Residents of Kalyani Nagar and Wadgaon Sheri are suffering for no fault of theirs. Bikers using modified silencers, which make a deafening noise, disturb the peace in the area leaving people with sleepless nights. What cannot be understood is that the authorities, police, and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, are not in any mood to delve into the matter and come to the help of the residents even after they approached both authorities several times complaining about the menace.

Team Mirror conducted a survey at Nana Peth and found that modified silencers are easily available in the market, but no action has been taken against them so far. Noteworthy that such silencers are not legal to use.

When contacted, the Traffic Police DCP refused to provide the data of their action, if any, and was also unable to inform under what law and sections action was being taken against the bikers using modified silencers.

Demanding strict action against bikers who used modified silencers, residents prepared a presentation in which all information about the laws regarding modified silencers has been mentioned and suggestions to curb their usage made.



The Swachh Kalyani Nagar team is supporting the residents fight against noise pollution. Residents of Kumar Kruti and Sophronia housing societies came together and wrote to Police commissioner Retesh Kumaarr. They complained that the bikers ride especially during the night time till around 3 am disturbing the sleep of residents. The reckless riding by some youngsters poses a risk to the life of residents.

Aaditya Patil from Sophronia housing society said, They zoom with their bikes in the area late at night for one or two minutes but that affects us for the next four to five hours. Children get disturbed during their exams while senior citizens are disturbed in their sleep. People partying till late at night raise the accelerators of their bikes and honk without any reason. We are helpless.

Ajay Podwal from the same housing society said, It is an everyday nuisance. I had personally come down to the road at midnight and requested them to stop such stunts but the youngsters give two hoots to our request.

The area is surrounded by IT, restaurants, and pubs and they are open for the whole night. Earlier, we requested the Pune Municipal Corporation to install speed breakers but they refused to do so.

Wadgaon Sheri resident Monica Sharma said: Study shows that e-commerce websites like Amazon and Flipkart are openly selling modified silencers and fancy number plates although they are illegal. These companies dont adhere to the laws. These bikers have the audacity to upload their videos on Youtube.

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The residents presentation

1) It states that the blaring sound of highend bikes with modified silencers can be heard from hundreds of metres away. It causes discomfort to all, especially senior citizens, ailing patients, newborn babies and their mothers, children, and others who may require silence. 2) The sound can be dangerous for a heart patient too. It results in disturbance to schools and hospitals which are silence zones. A few bikes with such silencers also have pressured horns, fancy number plates, and muffer silencers with explosion-fire shots. 3) The bikers drive at high speed which is life-threatening for others. The noise may disturb the concentration of other drivers which could result in accidents. 4) Street dogs get aggressive with loud noise. They start barking adding to the commotion. 5) The bikers race against each other and perform stunts in the night near Cerebrum IT Park B3, Kalyani Nagar. These activities need to be stopped immediately.

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Mirrors survey

In order to check the easy availability of the modified silencers, Mirror visited a few shops in Nana Peth. Our observations: 1) The shop owners were found openly selling modified silencers. Various types of silencers were found displayed. 2) They are priced between Rs 850 and Rs 4000 which include Punjab and Indore models. Youths demand them the most but while buying them no one bothers about the legality and police action. 3) The shopkeepers are about the legality but they do not hesitate to display loud silencers. 5) According to some shop owners, they were not directed about the ban on modified silencers. The Police do not even visit their shops and take action against them for selling such silencers.

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What law says

The permissible limit in residential areas, as per Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 (amended in 2020) published by the Ministry of Environment and Forest, is 55 dB in the daytime and 45 dB in the nighttime. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has proposed a new set of fines between Rs1,000 and Rs 1 lakh for those who violate norms restricting noise pollution. If the noise pollution continues, then the punishment is an additional fine of Rs 5000 for every day the pollution happens. If the noise continues for more than a year despite orders to stop it, then you may be punished with jail time up to 7 years. The police have the authority to impose fi nes and they can seize the instruments.

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Silent Zones

Silent Zones are areas comprising not less than 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutions, and courts. Under the Noise Pollution Rules, in a silent zone, you cannot use a public address system, play any music, use any sound amplifiers, beat a drum or tom-tom, blow a horn either, musical or pressure, or trumpet, play sounds on any instrument or exhibit any mimetic, musical or other performances to attract crowds.

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Reducing noise pollution

 Police should conduct a special and consistent drive against bikers using modified silencers.

 Regular surveillance is required in areas where bikers roam around.

 Action required against shop owners selling modified silencers.

 The pollution control board should look into the cases.

 Spreading awareness by discussing health hazards of noise pollution on social media.

 Speak up if you are a victim of noise pollution. Call the police by dialing 112 or for repeat offenders please submit a written complaint at the nearby police station for official record. Furthermore, do send a copy to Maharashtra



Pollution Control Board (MPCB).

 Only a fine is not enough, the bikes should be seized and returned only after the owners bring original silencers and fit them.

 In order to give a message, the modified silencers should be crushed using a bulldozer.

 Awareness drive to use original silencers.

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Failure of police

The traffic police have failed to initiate any action against bikers who use modified silencers. They just charge fine from such bikers under Sections 119 and 190(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act. In 2021, the Pune traffic police conducted drives only three times, but Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Vijay Magar has no details of the cases. When Mirror asked him about the same, he was unable to even inform us under what laws and sections they take action against the bikers. He said: I am busy in bandobast. I am unable to give the details of the cases -- we dont have the data of fine which we collected, said the DCP.
#MUMBAI The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Saturday slammed Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) president Prakash Ambedkars (in pic) comments vis-avis the Bharatiya Janata Partys stance on the Central probe agencies like CBI, ED and Income Tax Department. Ambedkar - who tied up with the Shiv Sena (UBT) last week - told a news channel on Friday that there was nothing wrong with (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi using Central agencies... those are legal and not illegal. If I were in his position, what would I have done... To save the chair I would have done everything legal.

If you are clean then you challenge the law, otherwise not, Ambedkar said. Ripping into Ambedkar, NCP national spokesperson Clyde Crasto said that this was a serious insinuation that the Central agencies are being used to save the chair and sustain the party (BJP). Ambedkar must corroborate the facts to his statements and prove what he says is true, or BJP must prove that what he is saying is false. If not, then the people of India will begin to believe that BJP is truly misusing the Central agencies, said Crasto sharply.

IANS
Josh Mowry is expanding his Darien-based Miskatonic Brewing Company to downtown Naperville this spring. The new location on Washington Street, just north of the Barnes & Noble bookstore, will include a full-service restaurant. (Suzanne Baker / Naperville Sun)

Josh Mowrys dream of owning both a brewery and a restaurant will come to fruition this spring when he expands his Miskatonic Brewing Company business to include a full-service restaurant in downtown Naperville.

Planned for Washington Street, just north of the Barnes & Noble store, it will be an offshoot of the Darien-based brewery and taproom with which it will share a name.

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When Mowry and John Wyzkiewicz started Miskatonic in 2015, they initially considered including a restaurant component, Mowry said.

Even before we got into brewing, we loved to cook, he said. But none of us ever worked in a kitchen.

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So, they kept the focus on brewing, selling and serving beer in Darien in a business park near Cass Avenue and Interstate 55, he said.

With the brewery and taproom going strong, Mowry said, hes ready to open the restaurant component in a more vibrant area.

While hes not from Illinois, his wife is, and the two found a home in Naperville, he said.

Naperville has great energy, Mowry said, and its far enough from Darien that the two businesses wont be in competition.

The restaurant location is a blank slate, he said, allowing them to mold the former retail space into what he describes as a modern beer hall with table seating for about 100 and another 20 to 25 stools at the bar, he said.

It will be a place to come together, he said.

Mowry wants the menu to remain simple with between 15 and 20 items.

Its better to do 15 things really, really well, he said.

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Twelve different beers brewed by Miskatonic will be on tap at any given time.

Their most popular pilsner and India pale ale varieties will be available year round, and the rest will be swapped out seasonally, he said.

Wine and cocktails also will be available.

Mowry said he wants to be active in the Naperville community and to participate in and host events.

One activity customers can expect the restaurant to host, he said, will be Oktoberfest festivities in the fall.

subaker@tribpub.com
A new road from Nagpur to Pune will be built; travel time will be 6 hours

Envisioning high volume of traffic in the coming years, Pune is all set to get multiple flyovers in heavily-congested arterial roads, the Development Project Report (DPR) of which is ready, but yet not revealed.

Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways, gave this information on the occasion of the unveiling of the statue of Late Dr(Col) A Balasubramanian, founder of the Sri Balaji University, and the convocation ceremony of its MBA students held on Friday.

Nationally acclaimed for his speedy work on the first ever Pune-Mumbai Expressway and the 55 flyovers that were constructed during his tenure as the State Transport Minister in the 1990s, he said, the objective of fast mobility is being achieved through other road construction work around Maharashtra and other parts of the country.

Gadkari stated, Now we are going to make a new road from Nagpur to Pune, which would need only six hours of travel. Delhi to Mumbai is still in progress, and will be inaugurated soon. Similarly, Delhi to Jaipur, Dehradun and Haridwar would take only two hours of travel each. Delhi to Amritsar would take four hours, Delhi to Srinagar eight hours, and Bengaluru to Chennai two hours.

Gadkari highlighted the huge potential of road journeys when he said, Before the Pune-Mumbai road was made, there were nine Jet Airways flights every day. Now, I dont think there is a single one, as the road journey has improved.

Addressing the students, Gadkari goaded them to go beyond their professional career or entrepreneurship, and contribute to society and the nation. He said that, with the degree that students are equipped with, they would surely do well in life. However, sensitivity to people, and an attitude of humility will make them more successful and good citizens of the country.

S V Nathan, Partner & Chief Talent Officer, Deloitte India was the Guest of Honour.
A 54-year-old Davenport man has been sentenced to more than 19 years in federal prison after a jury found him guilty of sex trafficking of a child and distribution of marijuana to a person under 21.

During a sentencing hearing Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Davenport, Chief U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose sentenced Keith Deshon Euring Sr. to 235 months in federal prison, or 19 years and seven months, on the sex trafficking charge, and to a concurrent term of 120 months, or 10 years, on the marijuana distribution charge.

On Jan. 12, 2021, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Euring, also known as Sweat, on charges of sex trafficking of a child, transportation of a minor, facilitating prostitution and distribution of marijuana to a minor.

After a two-day trial in September, a federal jury found Euring guilty of sex trafficking of a child and distribution of marijuana to a person under 21.

According to testimony, on Nov. 6, 2018, a missing person report was filed at the Bettendorf Police Department regarding a minor victim.

The investigation revealed that Euring had taken the victim to Chicago for the purposes of sex trafficking the victim on multiple weekends in October and November of 2018.

While in Chicago, Euring supplied marijuana and other drugs to the victim while engaging in commercial sex acts.

Euring must serve five years on supervised release once he completes his prison sentence.

This is Eurings second stint in federal prison.

In 2001 he was convicted of trafficking in cocaine base, commonly known as crack. He was released from federal prison in that case on Oct. 18, 2010.
A Geneva, Ill., man with a history of traffic infractions and reckless driving in DuPage County and whose drivers license is revoked was arrested early Friday after leading Iowa State Patrol troopers on a chase during which police said he rammed two squad cars.

Joseph Peter Henry-Trzynka, 22, is charged in Scott County District Court with second-degree criminal mischief, eluding and assault on persons in certain occupations. Each charge is a Class D felony under Iowa law that carries a prison sentence of five years.

Henry-Trzynka also is charged with possession of a controlled substance-marijuana-first offense and interference with official acts-bodily injury. Each of those charges is a serious misdemeanor that carries a sentence of up to one year in the Scott County Jail.

He also is charged with traffic violations of no valid drivers license, speeding, fraudulent use of registration and insufficient number of headlights.

According to the arrest affidavit filed by Iowa State Patrol Trooper Michael Stegall, at 2:59 a.m. Friday troopers attempted to stop a silver 2000 Mazda Protege with Missouri plates in the area of 8th and State streets in Bettendorf after the Mazda was seen speeding and had only one working headlight.

The Mazda had been seen traveling at 70 mph on Interstate 74 near mile marker 4.

When troopers tried to stop the vehicle, the driver, Henry-Trzynka, sped away.

As officers tried to get the vehicle stopped, Henry-Trzynka rammed into Iowa State Patrol squad cars. Henry-Trzynka hit one squad car that a trooper was exiting. The trooper was not injured.

Henry-Trzynkas vehicle was stopped only after multiple collisions disabled it.

From the vehicle officers seized 10.35 grams of marijuana.

Henry-Trzynka also fought with troopers as they tried to take him into custody. One trooper sustained a finger injury.

The license plate that was on the Mazda did not belong on that vehicle.

During a first appearance on the charges Friday in Scott County District Court, Henry-Trzynka waived a preliminary hearing through his attorney Tomas Rodriguez. Magistrate Peter Gierut scheduled an arraignment hearing for Feb. 16.

Henry-Trzynka has a history of reckless driving in DuPage County, and has racked up fines and court costs totaling $40,057.10 that he still owes, according to DuPage County Circuit Court electronic records.

According to DuPage County Circuit Court electronic records, Henry-Trzynka has convictions for driving too fast for conditions, operating an uninsured motor vehicle, operating a vehicle using an electronic communication device, driving while license revoked, unlawful possession of cannabis by a driver, driving while license is suspended, leaving the scene of an accident involving damage to a vehicle, no registration plate and speeding.

Henry-Trzynka was being held Friday night in the Scott County Jail on a bond of $10,000, cash or surety.
Longtime riverfront advocate, event planner, and lease manager for the City of Davenport, Steve Ahrens, has left the city, leaving big shoes to fill, say Davenport Riverfront Improvement Commissioners.

After 16 years of working for the Commission, Ahrens left toward the end of 2022 for new opportunities, he said.

City administration and commission leadership say theyre evaluating how best to replace Ahrens, who managed leases of city riverfront property, planned riverfront events, and served as a liaison between the commission, the city, and other stakeholders. Replacing Ahrens could mean hiring a third-party lease manager for city-owned riverfront property and one or more positions to cover day-time duties and weekend and night events.

In the meantime, city staff in various departments are filling in on duties, which will ramp up as the summer riverfront event season approaches.

Davenport city, economic development, and tourism leaders see the river as the Quad-Cities key asset to attracting residents and visitors, and several projects under Ahrens tenure have worked or plan to work to activate the riverfront.

National river cruise boat companies added Davenport as a stop in the last two years. Events at the Freight House Farmers Market, LeClaire Park, and the recently constructed Quinlan Court frequently draw hundreds of people to the riverfront.

A proposal to leverage millions in grant money to build a regional attraction on a stretch of lawn near the Skybridge called Main Street Landing is in the works. And Davenport is taking its first steps on a long-awaited flood resiliency plan with construction on storm sewers to better prevent floodwaters from blocking off key roads downtown.

Riverfront Improvement Commission chair Kelli Grubbs said Ahrens wore a lot of hats, and was responsible for a lot of riverfront activities.

Youd be hard pressed to find somebody who was more passionate about advocating for the riverfront and ensuring that good things were happening on the riverfront, Grubbs said.

The commission is an advisory arm of the city council that manages leased properties on Davenport's nine miles of riverfront. Technically, the city owns the riverbanks from city borders next to Bettendorf and Buffalo and much of the land south of River Drive. Some is parks and green space, but the land also includes the Freight House and Union Station. The most recent lease negotiated was with newly opened D'Lua on the River, which is the riverfront restaurant at the foot of Oneida Avenue.

Commission goes way back

More than 100 years ago, the federal government banned garbage dumping into the Mississippi River and gave cities control over their waterfronts. In 1909, the Iowa Legislature passed a law that allowed cities to improve their waterfronts and create levee improvement commissions. Davenport's was formed in 1911.

Grubbs and city administration have a meeting next week to discuss a variety of staffing models to fill the role Ahrens performed, and Grubbs said she hopes the new model will be more integrated with the city to make it easier to access city services. Another important part of deciding on a staffing model, she said, is finding a way to better accommodate weekend events  having someone on hand for organizing, questions, and set-up.

For the programming side of things, a really important part of things is the activation of the riverfront, specifically on the weekends, which is something that's outside somebody's normal Monday through Friday job, Grubbs said. So, we've talked a little bit about how do you staff that with perhaps a part-time position or an alternate-schedule position, where you have somebody who's available really for those weekends, because that's a big big time for the riverfront.

For the nine miles of Davenport-owned riverfront properties, the new staffing model could also include bringing riverfront properties under the larger city portfolio or bringing on a third-party lease manager.

There's a lot of properties along the riverfront the commission is responsible for, and so, whether that becomes part of the larger city portfolio, and how the city is looking right now at how they want to manage citywide real estate; this might be an opportune time for that conversation on whether we fit within that and so we're looking at a lot of potential models, Grubbs said.

Shes hoping to have more information in the next month or two.

Theres just a lot to do to keep the riverfront available for people to use it the way we want to be able to use it, Grubbs said.

Asked what legacy Ahrens has left, Grubbs said: A really highly activated riverfront. I think theres a lot that can certainly be laid at Steves door in the level of activation that we see all across the riverfront. I think the riverboats that are coming  Viking, American  that is really due to the tireless work that Steve did.

Bill Churchill, another commission member, also complimented Ahrens' work and said he looked forward to new riverfront plans, including Main Street Landing, the Veterans Memorial Park, and improvements to Credit Island.

Just before Ahrens' began his tenure, there was a "renaissance" on the river. Projects like the skate park and sky bridge were constructed and other smaller projects were intended to animate and get people to the riverfront and enjoy their time there, Ahrens said.

He's quick to point to other people's work in riverfront projects. And he is particularly proud of the Freight House Farmer's Market, which now brings hundreds, if not thousands of people, to the riverfront every Saturday and Sunday during the summer.

The growth occurred during his first years as an employee of the commission in 2008. Two seasonal outdoor farmers' markets competed for vendors and visitors. They each had yearly leases with the levee commission, and a number of vendors petitioned the commission to unify the farmers market and offer better security.

So, the city created what today is the Freight House Farmer's Market. The building at the time was privately owned, and the city bought it a few years later.

"To know that something is so strong today because of so many great and talented people, that's a great feeling," Ahrens said.
Running Wild is hosting a new relay competition and 5k, lapping Davenport's Credit Island this summer.

On a "fast and flat" course, a co-ed team of four runners each run a single lap around Credit Island  about 4.2 kilometers or 2.6 miles.

Called Running Wild Relays, the new race will be the morning of May 20.

The target audience is post-collegiate running clubs. In running, it's difficult to get an individual sponsorship, and can be easier for top runners to be a part of a team with a sponsor, like Running Wild Elite, which is sponsored by shoe company Brooks.

The race is an effort to meet growing demand for teams competitions in the Midwest and the Quad-Cities, said Devin Allbaugh, Running Wild Elite team manager and elite club team coordinator for the race.

"It's an odd distance, and generally, it's something I really haven't seen done anywhere, especially with these club teams," Allbaugh said.

In March, Chicago hosts the Shamrock Shuffle, and around the April Drake Relays, Des Moines' Blazing 10k includes a team competition.

In 2022, Allbaugh was one of the architects of a new team competition as part of the Quad-City Times Bix 7, where teams with the lowest cumulative times won. Twenty-three teams ended up participating, and Allbaugh expects closer to 40 this summer.

Allbaugh said they've got spots for 10 elite teams as part of the Credit Island competition, and have filled about half. But the competition as well as the 5k are open to the public without caps.

Credit Island is frequently used for avid runners to train, Allbaugh said, but this will be one of the first races organized on Credit Island.

"It's a special place to a lot of us locally just because we do run and do workouts around there," Allbaugh said.

"It's a really nice place to spectate, too, especially if you're running that 2.6 miles like, people could run from one side to the other if they wanted and see different vantage points," Allbaugh said.

As part of the relay race, each member of a 4-person co-ed team will run one 4.2k lap around Credit Island Park, passing a sash between team members.

The runners will compete for a $2,000 purse.

The first place team will receive $1,000, second $500, and the third $250. The fastest individual laps will receive prizes, too -- with $125 each to the fastest male and female.

The top three men and women in the 5k race will also receive an award.

Crawford Brew Works will be on hand at the event, and Allbaugh said the race organizers are contacting food trucks to be at the event.
Marie Thompson has been appointed director of Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, a ministry of the Congregation of the Humility of Mary.

The employment was announced by Sister Johanna Rickl, CHM president. OLPR is located near Wheatland, Iowa on a 100-acre native prairie grass woodland near the Wapsipinicon River.

Thompson, originally from Omaha, Nebraska, has been living in Brisbane, Australia for the past 32 years.

She has masters degrees in Christian spirituality from Creighton University and counseling from University of Queensland. She is also a graduate of the Institute for Spiritual Leadership in Chicago.

She began her career in spiritual direction and retreat ministry in 1984 and has been involved in some aspect of formation ministry since. She served as the first lay retreat director of the Presentation Spirituality Center, a ministry of the Presentation Sisters in Brisbane. Most recently, she has been in full-time ministry in professional supervision and spiritual direction for both religious and lay persons. For the past five summers, she has been returning to the United States to teach courses in the Christian Spirituality Masters Program at Creighton University. Prior to this, Thompson was the director of the ecumenical formation program for spiritual directors at St. Francis College in Brisbane. She also served as president of the Australian Ecumenical Council for Spiritual Directors.

Thompson, who officially began work at OLPR on Jan. 16, decided to move back to the United States to be closer to family. She was drawn initially to CHMs charism and the vision statement of The Prairie including the focus on ecological sustainability, interdependence, and right relationships with earth and those in need. Since arriving, she has been impressed with her new work environment. It is a beautiful place with a quiet, welcoming spirit, she commented, adding, Working in a supportive team environment like this is very nourishing.

Sr. Rickl is happy to welcome Thompson to the OLPR team which also includes property and operations manager Todd Seifert and program coordinator Lori Freudenberg. Marie brings a vast background as a retreat director, formator and spiritual director. I believe our retreatants will benefit from her experience, she said.

Thompsons husband, Brian, is a native of Brisbane. He is joining his wife in residence at OLPR. We will miss Australia, but we both agree it is time to make this move and be closer to our USA family, she said.

OLPR offers in-person and online retreats throughout the year on topics including spirituality, conservation, wellness, creativity, and self-awareness. The facilities can also be used by businesses and organizations for strategic planning, team building and workshops. The retreat center is also a favorite place for knitters, quilters, artists and writers. Up to 30 people can be accommodated for one-day events. Individuals are welcome to spend a day or several days with overnight lodging available for a reasonable cost. In the future OLPR plans to offer days of reflection, formation opportunities and directed retreats for parishes.

To learn more about OLPR, visit www.theprairie.retreat.org or call 563-374-1092.
This will be a free community event for parents, teachers with struggling students, administrators, board members, legislators or anyone else interested in learning about this neurobiological language-based disorder.

Participants will be able to engage in a dyslexia simulation to understand what it is like to have dyslexia. There also will be information about the brain structures and differences in those that have signs of dyslexia and common indicators/characteristics of dyslexia as well as initial strategies, tips and tools for dealing with the disorder.
Having a home can make the world go round.

For raising a family, going to school and having a job, housing is essential. But an increasing number of people don't have access to it.

The overwhelming increase in demand for affordable housing has placed more than 1,000 people on a waiting list for a unit with the Moline Housing Authority.

"In a civilized and advanced country as America, housing should be a right," said John Afoun, executive director/CEO of the Housing Authority.

After all, he said, society urges citizens to be law-abiding, healthy, employed and useful. But those things are nearly impossible to achieve without a stable place to live.

The housing authority manages and provides affordable, public housing to low and middle-income families that qualify under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's standards. There are two program waiting lists in Moline, including conventional public housing and Section 8, which is a housing-choice voucher program.

For conventional public housing, Afoun said, 1,002 people are waiting and another 139 are standing by for Section 8 availability.

"They are entitled to apply for housing," Afoun said. "However, I still let them know that the demand and supply equilibrium is not in their favor, because we have a long waiting list."

A lack of funding is the main challenge when it comes to meeting the increased demand, he said. The source of the Authority's income is rent and federal programs. Their annual operating budget is around $2 million, along with another $3 million in federal assistance for capital-improvement projects. The Authority is tax-exempt.

In its three housing developments, Moline's Housing Authority manages about 500 units.

They broke ground in November on additional affordable apartments adjacent to their Spring Valley office at 41st Street and 12th Avenue. The apartments, Spring Valley Village, will have 16 units near the intersection and duplexes in a nearby lot that previously was a dental office.

The cost of the development is $6.7 million, with funding from a Permanent Support Housing Development program grant and gap financing from the Illinois Housing Development Authority. The estimated timeline for completion is December 2024.

Spring Brook Courts is a family development with 184 units, consisting of one-to-two-story duplexes and row houses. The neighboring Spring Valley is a senior and singles development with 182 one-story units.

Hillside Heights also is a senior and singles development with 120 units that are in a nine-story high-rise building at 825 17th St.

Tenants are welcome to stay as long as they need but must be earning at least 30% or less of the median income as determined by the federal government. Once someone is making more than the determined income, they are asked to find other housing to make room for others.

But in a city that is landlocked and in need of housing, getting creative and being collaborative are key to Moline in addressing housing demands.

To do so, the city must partner with nonprofits and convert empty buildings, such as hotels and office space, said Mayor Sangeetha Rayapati.

"I think it's really key to use partnerships with this work, because we can't do all the work ourselves," she said.

The city also is in discussion about expanding housing options downtown, including the 5th Avenue corridor and on property closer to the river, such as the former KONE campus. Annexing land south of the Rock River has been a goal for many years  also in the name of increased housing.

"For larger, affordable housing complexes, that is another kind of conversation with the city and potential developers," Rayapati said.
Post Playhouse is pleased to announce the hiring of a new Producing Artistic Director, Andy Meyers, who will begin his tenure working to present our 2023 season. Meyers takes over from Tom Ossowki, who bid farewell to the Playhouse last season after 16 years.

Though the position is new for Meyers, he was actually hired by Playhouse Development Director Em Laudeman this past fall, to help with some of the artistic planning during the transition as the search began for a new artistic director.

During that transition, he chose to throw his hat in the ring because it started to feel like a good fit for him.

Id worked with Em back when we were both actors, Meyers said. Id hired her a few times, so I was really happy she hired me to help through the transition.

Meyers is an award-winning actor, director, playwright, and arts administrator who has worked at theatres and arts organizations across the county. His extensive career as an actor includes performing at the Tony Award winning McCarter Theatre and in the National Tours of Annie, Bus Stop and A Christmas Carol.

He starred Off-Broadway in the 35th Anniversary revival of Dames at Sea and Circle of Friends. He is a frequent guest director/choreographer with such companies as Arizona Broadway Theatre, Missoula Childrens Theatre, Bigfork Summer Playhouse, Public Theatre of San Antonio, Shawnee Playhouse, and various academic appointments. He recently served as Season Director for the immersive experience House of Spirits NYC.

As a playwright, he focuses on creating Theatre for Young Audience scripts primarily through his nonprofit AM Theatrical, with the goals of bringing arts exposure to youth in underserved communities, while addressing social issues in a positive, entertaining and educational event.

Previously the Managing Director for Performing Arts at Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Staten Island, NY, Meyers continues in his role as Artistic Director for Fort Peck Summer Theatre in Northeast Montana where he has led the company to over a decade of record-breaking seasons. Combining that with is work at the Post Playhouse will be interesting, he said, because there is a bit of overlap. I know I have strong companies on the ground in both places, he said, adding with a laugh, and who needs sleep, right?

Meyers is a graduate of Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Boston and holds his BA in Theatre & Speech from Wagner College in NYC and Masters in Musical Theatre from University of Montana. During the pandemic, he returned to the virtual classroom, earning professional certificates in Nonprofit Administration and Grant Writing.

Though having never worked with Ossowski previously, Meyers knew him from working in a different company in the late 1990s. This is his first year working with the Post Playhouse.

Regarding the upcoming season, Meyers said The Spitfire Grill is one of his favorites. It really is a celebration about being in a smaller rural community, and it just has so much heart.

Leader of the Pack is a jukebox musical where the audience will know every song, he said, and Clue has an intriguing concept as the production relies on audience participation to guide the course of events.

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Youre a Good Man, Charlie Brown are classic family hits, he said.

Spitfire is the one that has my heart, but all the others are awesome shows.

The mission of the Post Playhouse was a draw for Meyers, as well as the connection to the community and the opportunity to provide high-quality arts in areas that might not otherwise see them. I think thats important. He further added the board and the community were very welcoming and gracious.

Meyers is based in Montana and finds himself right at home creating art in our beautiful western region of the country. Andy shared his excitement of this appointment, It is so fulfilling to bring new shows and energy into towns in rural areas that would not otherwise be exposed to them. Being able to celebrate our awesome and historic venue this summer is going to be so rewarding. I love being part of a tight knit community and just cannot wait to be part of the community in Northwest Nebraska!

Hes hopeful to be in the position long-term. As for bringing his style of direction to the Playhouse, Meyers said, The goal with the transition is to have nobody know. I dont have an ego about coming in and making my mark. If its not broke, I dont need to re-invent the wheel. I hope I can continue to raise the quality level. Tom did such an amazing job. Its a testament to how long he was there, and how well the theaters doing. I think Ill just continue to program a variety of shows that will appeal to everyone. I dont need to push any boundaries, at least not right away.

I want to sell it out and fulfill the wonderful legacy thats in place.
The Salvation Army of The Black Hills is extending its annual red kettle fundraising campaign through Jan. 31. This week, the nonprofit organization remains about $100,000 short of its fundraising goal, largely because of snowstorms and frigid temperatures that disrupted the Christmas season campaign for 10 days in December.

The fundraising goal for the red kettle campaign is $457,000, said Major Jerry ONeil, Black Hills Area coordinator for the Salvation Army. All donations are used locally year-round to help Black Hills residents with food, utilities and clothing vouchers, as well as supplying Christmas food boxes and gifts to families in need.

Donations can be made online at blackhillsredkettle.org, or donations can be made in person at the Salvation Army office or mailed to the Salvation Army office, 405 N. Cherry Ave., Rapid City, SD 57701.

Donations to Salvation Army red kettles are critically important, ONeil said. (Those donations) make it possible for The Salvation Army to carry out its mission to serve those in need year-round  in Rapid City, around Pennington County, and in the Spearfish area, as well.

The Salvation Armys need for funds comes at a time when it, like many nonprofits, is seeing increasing requests for its services. Its food pantry and utility assistance programs are especially in demand.

There are a lot of people that are first-time folks in our everyday food pantry. Were seeing a huge increase and a lot of those people are going there for the first time, ONeil said. Were still seeing an increase (in people seeking help). That continues to be on the rise.

The Salvation Armys familiar red kettles and bell ringers are a holiday season staple, and typically the last two weeks before Christmas are when about 65% of donations for the Christmas Campaign come in. Traditionally, more donations are dropped into red kettles during the final week of kettle season than any other week of the month-and-a-half-long campaign.

We had the impact of the (December) storm and were waiting to see whats happening. Were doing the best we can to get as close to the goal as we can, given the time we have left, ONeil said.

ONeil said fewer than usual direct mail contributions and economic factors have also affected fundraising.

The economy has been very different this year and I think peoples disposable incomes are (affected) and (that's) a part of that as well, he said.

Despite winter weather that prevented volunteers and red kettles from being out consistently in December, ONeil said he appreciated the communitys help in getting the Salvation Army within $100,000 of its goal.

I think to be in that arena says a lot about the generosity of the people. We live in a generous community and were hoping everything works out fine, he said. We absolutely couldnt do it without the generosity of this community. Were grateful to the folks that give.

ONeil said he is also grateful the Salvation Army got a phenomenal response to its Angel Tree program. Through the Angel Tree program and Christmas food boxes, the Salvation Army of The Black Hills served about 1,400 families in 2022  an increase over 2021 when the Angel Trees and food boxes served about 1,000 families.
Indivisible Naperville co-founder Dianne McGuire, far left at lectern, welcomes the crowd to the forum held last week for Naperville City Council candidates held at the Naperville Municipal Center. (Suzanne Baker / Naperville Sun)

All the council candidates at the recent forum hosted by Indivisible Naperville agreed the city needs more affordable housing, better governmental transparency and a sustainability plan going forward.

Where they often diverged was on their ideas for accomplishing those goals.

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Seven of the 11 candidates who are running for the four four-year council terms were asked a series of questions on a variety of topics.

Speaking to the crowd of more than 100 in the lower level of the Naperville Municipal Center, Patrick Kelly, Allison Longenbaugh, Rebecca Malotke-Meslin, Ashley South, Ashfaq Syed, Jodi Trendler and Madhu Uppal outlined why they should be chosen in the April 4 consolidated election.

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A spokesman for Meghna Bansal at the forum said she was unable to attend because she was out of town on business.

Indivisible Naperville said Nag Jaiswal and Nathan Nate Wilson declined because they had other commitments, and Josh McBroom reportedly did not respond to the invitation.

With just 7.5% of Napervilles housing stock considered affordable by the Illinois Housing Development Authority, candidates were asked how the council could reach the 10% goal, which equates to roughly 1,400 new housing units.

Malotke-Meslin said the incentives package recently approved by the council can get the ball rolling. But the city needs to work with developers to hit the target and without adding to the student population of Indian Prairie District 204.

She also said she wants to ensure everyone living in the city feels seen, heard and valued, whether through supporting diversity and inclusion or reinvesting in infrastructure.

Uppal called for more creative and inventive affordable housing solutions, including allowing conversion of some homes for in-law suites for older adults on a fixed income who have trouble finding housing.

A former Naperville Public Library Board member, Uppal said the council needs someone who can bring a truly nonpartisan perspective.

Because the city is running out of space for new affordable developments, South said the city should encourage developers to retrofit existing structures.

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She added that the city needs to level the playing field so small businesses have the same power as larger ones. Shes also a strong supporter of mental health initiatives and committed to going green, she said.

Syed said the city should create a task force to research properties that can be developed for affordable housing and look for federal and state funds to help fund projects.

He cited his record of service in the community, including working as a trustee on the Naperville Public Library Board and as co-chair of the 2020 U.S. Census Complete Counts Committee, as assets in the race.

Trendler said the city needs to be proactive to promote affordable housing developments and transition the existing stock of buildings into places where people live, work and shop in the same location and dont have to drive.

She said her experience leading the Naperville Environmental Sustainability Task force, or NEST, will be helpful as the city moves forward with its five-year strategic plan that likely will include many of NESTs recommendations.

Longenbaugh said not everyone wants a huge home, and the city must demand that developers offer some type of smaller housing that is affordable for teachers, police officers and firefighters who work in the city.

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Currently a member of the citys library board, Longenbaugh said her focus also is on sustaining essential services that give a big town like Naperville that small town feel.

Kelly, the only incumbent in the race, pointed to his support of affordable housing during his tenure the last four years. He voted in favor of the micro-unit apartment complex at the former Regency Inn motel on Ogden Avenue, pushed for CityGate West to include micro-units in its apartment plans north of Interstate 88, and encouraged the development of housing for seniors and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities on city-owned property at Route 59 and 103rd Street.

Kelly said he ran four years ago to bring a fresh perspective on long-term decisions that affect young families, like his, who are vested in Napervilles future.

When it comes to funding public art, Malotke-Meslin said the council needs to ask why and make sure its a priority for the community. Groups like Century Walk need to provide transparency in how they spend money from the city, she said.

Regarding council members disclosing any campaign donation of $750 or more, South said leaders should lead by example and reveal any appearance of a conflict of interest. She added that shed be willing to drop the threshold to $500.

When asked for possible improvements to the mayoral appointment process to the citys 17 boards and commissions, Longenbaugh said the city needs to do a better job both of marketing what positions are available and of vetting candidates.

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Syed, to the same question, said hed like to see more community input in the process and a requirement that people have some type of experience serving in the community before theyre considered for appointment.

Uppal suggested the citys human resources department could get involved with a team of people to see who is best suited for the mayor appointments.

To a question about what the city should do with $13.3 million in federal COVID-19 stimulus funds, Kelly said the council is intentionally waiting to see how the city bounces back after the pandemic so the money can be invested where the community will receive the biggest return.

He said hed like to see the money fund infrastructure projects, like wastewater treatment or the police radio systems, that will save taxpayers money in the long term.

Trendler suggested spending the stimulus on standardizing city practices for its emergency response to disasters, such as the 2021 tornado or the COVID-19 pandemic.

subaker@tribpub.com
The South Dakota Senate released additional details Friday about the allegations against Sen. Julie Frye-Mueller, R-Rapid City, that led to her suspension and the formation of a special committee to investigate the alleged behavior.

Frye-Mueller, who represents District 30, was stripped of her rights in the Senate Thursday and was removed from all senate committees on Wednesday. District 30 includes portions of Pennington County and all of Custer and Fall River counties.

In a prepared statement, Senate Majority Leader Casey Crabtree said leadership members were notified Wednesday of an allegation of unprofessional behavior against Frye-Mueller brought forth by a Legislative Research Council staff member. Crabtree said the seriousness of the alleged behavior prompted Senate President Pro Tempore Lee Schoenbeck to remove Frye-Mueller from her committee assignments.

Crabtree said more details were received Thursday in a report from the LRC staff member, which included allegations of harassment and inappropriate behavior by Frye-Mueller. Crabtree said the behavior included "private maternal matters, including childhood vaccines and breastfeeding."

Frye-Mueller was given an opportunity to speak to Senate leadership on Wednesday. Crabtree said the comments Frye-Mueller made in that meeting are "inconsistent with her public statements and the report received from the LRC staff member."

We thank the state employee for bringing this matter to our attention, Crabtree said. Our goal is to create a safe work environment for staff and legislators, and an environment where employees feel safe bringing concerns forward. All allegations of harassment must be taken seriously. There will be due process afforded to all parties as this matter moves forward.

Frye-Mueller was suspended by a 27-6 vote from her fellow senators on Thursday, pending a full hearing on the matter. Crabtree said the committee's work will begin next week.

"Since the allegations involve a sensitive personnel matter and formal accusations against a public official, the Senate will determine a procedure that respects the rights of all parties involved and keeps the public informed throughout the process," Crabtree said in the statement.

Crabtree cited two clauses in the South Dakota Constitution that gave the Senate the power to suspend Frye-Mueller prior to the committee hearing. The first clause states "each house shall determine the rules of its proceedings" and that the Senate has a right to determine the "qualifications of its own members."

A Senate Select Committee on Discipline and Expulsion has been formed to hear the allegations against Frye-Mueller. Crabtree said the rules for the committee will be determined by the Senate on Monday. The hearings should begin next week, Crabtree said, with a full report being issued before the end of the fourth week of the legislative session.

Crabtree said the hearings will be open to the public and the full report will be a public record, except in instances where South Dakota law protects the proceedings. The report will be presented to the Senate with the committee's recommendation on any additional action against Frye-Mueller.

The select committee will be chaired by Sen. David Wheeler. Other committee members include Sens. Jim Bolen, Sydney Davis, Helene Duhamel, Red Dawn Foster, Brent Hoffman, Liz Larson, Tim Reed and Dean Wink.
The task of counting how many people in South Dakota are homeless wrapped up on Thursday. Once the numbers are compiled, they'll be used to direct funding to various agencies that provide assistance to homeless populations across the state.

The South Dakota Housing for the Homeless Consortium conducts a statewide point-in-time count every year to determine how many people are without housing in the state.

Amy Richie, Black Hills Regional Homeless Coalition coordinator, said the count provides historical and current information regarding who is homeless, where they are located and what services they need to become self sufficient. Richie said the information is utilized by service agencies and government officials when evaluating programs and allocating resources.

"It's not a them problem, it's a we problem. It's not those people, or that group. It's all of us as a community need to be aware of what's going on and how we can assist with remedying that situation," Richie said. "We can't have funding without these numbers, and funding runs everything."

Formed in 2000, the consortium is a statewide organization consisting of service providers, individuals, city/county governments, faith-based organizations and state government that work to address homelessness in the state.

The consortium accesses funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which has provided over $20 million dollars of capital and operating funds to South Dakota since 2000, according to the Dakota Housing Development Authority.

"Those numbers directly drive the funding community organizations receive to assist with people struggling with houselessness, rent issues. Some organizations have utilities assistance. It just plays a huge, huge role in most of the government funding that we get for our social programs in South Dakota," Richie said.

Richie was tasked with coordinating the count for Rapid City and Region 1, which consists of Bennett, Butte, Corson, Custer, Dewey, Fall River, Jackson, Haakon, Harding, Lawrence, Meade, Pennington, Perkins, Ziebach and Oglala Lakota Counties.

This year is the first time the consortium has gotten tribal permissions to conduct the count on the Lower Brule, Standing Rock, Pine Ridge, Rosebud and Cheyenne River reservations.

"Tribal lands take up a significant part of the actual land in South Dakota and there's a significant amount of our population living in those places," she said. "Accuracy is key. We want to try and get as accurate a count as we possibly can."

HUD selected Tuesday as the point-in-time for the count. Richie said the count is centered around where people slept on Tuesday night. Starting at 4 p.m. that evening, surveyors asked where people planned to sleep that night.

"When we do a survey with someone on Wednesday, the question is where did you sleep on Tuesday, Jan. 24. When we do a survey on Thursday, the question is where did you sleep on Jan. 24," Richie said. "That's why they call it a point-in-time. It has to be one snapshot of the exact same point and time across the nation."

It's a community effort in Rapid City and the Black Hills, Richie said. She said homeless shelters and domestic violence shelters in the area participate in collecting surveys, as does the Care Campus and Journey On, a nonprofit organization that assists the homeless community with supplies and transportation, and answers dispatch calls for local law enforcement.

"I'm sure we're missing somebody," Richie said. "Just a lot of community partners have hopped in and are doing their part, we're doing our part."

Volunteers filled out surveys at three community meals held in Rapid City on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Once the state sorts through the surveys and accounts for any possible duplicates, a full report will be released.
A Richmond police officer facing 50 charges of possessing child pornography is scheduled to be in court next month.

The preliminary hearing for David Edward Stone is Feb. 17 in Louisa County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court.

Stone, 51, of Mineral was arrested Wednesday.

The arrest came after the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force provided information to the Louisa County Sheriffs Office, which obtained an search warrant for Stones residence on Old Apple Grove Road, authorities said.

Investigators seized multiple digital devices containing images of child sexual exploitation, police said.

Louisa sheriffs Detective Chuck Love said arrest warrants then were obtained for Stone.

Unfortunately, crimes like these happen entirely too much in our society, Love said. It affects everyone in every profession. No one is immune to it.

Love said he encourages parents to monitor their childrens digital media.

The Richmond Police Department in a statement said: After learning of the existence of arrest warrants, members of the Richmond Police Department arrested Stone and later turned him over to deputies of the Louisa County Sheriffs Office. The Richmond Police Department does not tolerate the abuse of children in any form and this officer will be held accountable for his actions.

Stone is on administrative leave without pay, police said.

Anyone with information about the investigation is asked to call the Louisa Sheriffs Office at (540) 967-1234 or Crime Solvers at (800) 346-1466.

Photos: The aftermath of the violent arrest, death of Tyre Nichols in Memphis
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said the hearts of Virginians and our entire nation ache tonight as we struggle with the horrible events in Memphis and grieve for Tyre Nichols and his family.

My statement on the deadly assault of Tyre Nichols: pic.twitter.com/qpXtRwvclO  Governor Glenn Youngkin (@GovernorVA) January 28, 2023

The disturbing and shocking video released this evening displays incomprehensible violence towards another human being and we must condemn these heinous actions, he said.

Richmond Acting Chief of Police Rick Edwards in a statement said: Many of us have watched the news and seen the deplorable actions of five Memphis police officers who did not have an appreciation of someone elses life and caused a senseless death of a Memphis man, father, and son.

He added that life as we know it will never be the same, as communities around the U.S. react to the images of Nichols being beaten to near death.

Richmond, like many other cities across the globe, continues to feel the weight of responsibility that arose in 2020 where people around the world grappled with the death of George Floyd, Brianna Taylor, Marcus-David Peters and many others.

Words cannot express this horror we have all now witnessed on video  the sickening footage of the arrest, brutal beating, and horrific murder of Tyre Nichols by sworn officers of the law, said U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va. We watched as Mr. Nichols was tased, pepper sprayed, and viciously beaten. We heard this young man scream out for his mother. We watched as officers did not relent for three excruciating minutes.

The Richmond City Council also released the following statement: We express our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the family, friends, and loved ones of Mr. Tyre Nichols. After witnessing this video, our hearts ache for this family as a traffic stop has resulted in the death of a young, black mans life  a father and a son."

The footage of #TyreNichols murder is disturbing and horrific. This senseless act must be condemned. I call on all of us to lift his mother up in prayer because NO parent should ever have a child so brutally taken from them in this way. The Nichols family deserves justice.  Mayor Levar M. Stoney (@LevarStoney) January 28, 2023

The statement also said: "As other leaders of our great city and across the nation have shared, we recognize that processing this will be handled in different ways - some will wish to use their first amendment rights and others will look to identifying safe spaces in which to communicate with professionals. It is our hope that those who wish to engage civically will do so peacefully."

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney in a tweet said: "The footage of #TyreNichols murder is disturbing and horrific. This senseless act must be condemned. I call on all of us to lift his mother up in prayer because NO parent should ever have a child so brutally taken from them in this way. The Nichols family deserves justice."

Close 02-18-1949: Belvidere St. and Main St. 05-23-1947 (cutline): Traffic bottleneck on Belvidere--Belvidere Street between Cary and Broad is one of Richmond's worst bottlenecks. At Cary, the street narrows from 56 to 36 feet in width, as shown in the picture. 12-16-1958 (cutline): General view of Belvidere St. ceremonies as Charles G. McKimmie addresses crowd for a ceremony. 1957: Tied for second, Belvidere St. and Idlewood Ave., with 18 accidents. 04-26-1951 (cutline): Belvidere Bottleneck--Traffic conflicts along Belvidere Street and intersecting East-West arteries would be eliminated by the proposed expressway's central grad separation section from Broad to Idlewood, just west of Madison Street. The Madison and northern sections could be completed by 1956. This January 1953 image shows houses on Belvidere Street in Richmond, as seen near Rowe Street, which were to be taken by the city for a proposed war memorial. The row formed the western boundary of a block that city officials were preparing to acquire. The Virginia War Memorial was dedicated in February 1956. In February 1948, the intersection of Cary and Belvidere streets showed the effects of 20 days with snow on the ground. All around the city, streets had been damaged by the lingering snow and freezing temperatures, and a survey was finding that the cost of road repairs was likely to exceed the cost of snow removal. Intersection of Cary and Belvidere broken up by traffic and snow. From the Archives: Belvidere Street Scenes from Belvidere Street in Richmond. 02-18-1949: Belvidere St. and Main St. 05-23-1947 (cutline): Traffic bottleneck on Belvidere--Belvidere Street between Cary and Broad is one of Richmond's worst bottlenecks. At Cary, the street narrows from 56 to 36 feet in width, as shown in the picture. 12-16-1958 (cutline): General view of Belvidere St. ceremonies as Charles G. McKimmie addresses crowd for a ceremony. 1957: Tied for second, Belvidere St. and Idlewood Ave., with 18 accidents. 04-26-1951 (cutline): Belvidere Bottleneck--Traffic conflicts along Belvidere Street and intersecting East-West arteries would be eliminated by the proposed expressway's central grad separation section from Broad to Idlewood, just west of Madison Street. The Madison and northern sections could be completed by 1956. This January 1953 image shows houses on Belvidere Street in Richmond, as seen near Rowe Street, which were to be taken by the city for a proposed war memorial. The row formed the western boundary of a block that city officials were preparing to acquire. The Virginia War Memorial was dedicated in February 1956. In February 1948, the intersection of Cary and Belvidere streets showed the effects of 20 days with snow on the ground. All around the city, streets had been damaged by the lingering snow and freezing temperatures, and a survey was finding that the cost of road repairs was likely to exceed the cost of snow removal. Intersection of Cary and Belvidere broken up by traffic and snow.

We express our deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the family, friends, and loved ones of Mr. Tyre Nichols.

After witnessing this video, our hearts ache for this family as a traffic stop has resulted in the death of a young, black mans life  a father and a son.

As other leaders of our great City and across the nation have shared, we recognize that processing this will be handled in different ways - some will wish to use their first amendment rights and others will look to identifying safe spaces in which to communicate with professionals.

It is our hope that those who wish to engage civically will do so peacefully
Virginias Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera on Friday visited a Richmond charter school, the Patrick Henry School of Science & Arts, in celebration of National School Choice Week. Despite the administrations push over the past year, Democrats have blocked efforts to expand school choice in Virginia.

Every single student in Virginia should have access to a school which is as wonderful as Patrick Henry, Guidera told an assembly of students on Friday morning at the school on Semmes Avenue. Im going to go back to my office inspired to make sure that we make it possible for there to be more Patrick Henrys across the commonwealth.

Charter schools are publicly funded schools that are independently operated under their own governing boards and are not under the authority of local school boards. The autonomy gives charter schools more freedom in their curriculum, budget and staffing. Charters are free and open to all students.

Virginia, with its restrictive charter school laws, is home to only seven charter schools. Neighboring states North Carolina and Maryland both have upward of 100 charter schools.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin before his inauguration announced a plan to launch up to 20 charter schools in his first year in office. The plan did not come to fruition last year when the Senate rejected administration-backed legislation to clear a path for more charter schools in the commonwealth.

The most likely path forward for the administrations school choice push is lab schools, which are K-12 schools partnered with a higher education institution to focus on innovative curriculum outside the traditional public education system.

Youngkin won a partial victory for his signature lab school proposal last year when Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears broke a tie vote in the Senate to rescue his amendment to triple the number of higher education institutions that can partner with local school divisions. But the Senate then voted to block his proposal to use state per-pupil funds to pay for them.

The House Education Committee voted this week to advance an administration-backed school choice bill that would allocate a portion of per-pupil state funding to a savings account for parents to spend on private school tuition or other specified education expenses. But it faces a steep uphill battle in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Senate Democrats are committed to ensuring our public schools get the funding they so need, said Gianni Snidle, spokesman for the Senate Democratic Caucus. Any bills that would funnel money away from our underfunded public schools will not pass.

Close 02-18-1949: Belvidere St. and Main St. 05-23-1947 (cutline): Traffic bottleneck on Belvidere--Belvidere Street between Cary and Broad is one of Richmond's worst bottlenecks. At Cary, the street narrows from 56 to 36 feet in width, as shown in the picture. 12-16-1958 (cutline): General view of Belvidere St. ceremonies as Charles G. McKimmie addresses crowd for a ceremony. 1957: Tied for second, Belvidere St. and Idlewood Ave., with 18 accidents. 04-26-1951 (cutline): Belvidere Bottleneck--Traffic conflicts along Belvidere Street and intersecting East-West arteries would be eliminated by the proposed expressway's central grad separation section from Broad to Idlewood, just west of Madison Street. The Madison and northern sections could be completed by 1956. This January 1953 image shows houses on Belvidere Street in Richmond, as seen near Rowe Street, which were to be taken by the city for a proposed war memorial. The row formed the western boundary of a block that city officials were preparing to acquire. The Virginia War Memorial was dedicated in February 1956. In February 1948, the intersection of Cary and Belvidere streets showed the effects of 20 days with snow on the ground. All around the city, streets had been damaged by the lingering snow and freezing temperatures, and a survey was finding that the cost of road repairs was likely to exceed the cost of snow removal. Intersection of Cary and Belvidere broken up by traffic and snow. From the Archives: Belvidere Street Scenes from Belvidere Street in Richmond. 02-18-1949: Belvidere St. and Main St. 05-23-1947 (cutline): Traffic bottleneck on Belvidere--Belvidere Street between Cary and Broad is one of Richmond's worst bottlenecks. At Cary, the street narrows from 56 to 36 feet in width, as shown in the picture. 12-16-1958 (cutline): General view of Belvidere St. ceremonies as Charles G. McKimmie addresses crowd for a ceremony. 1957: Tied for second, Belvidere St. and Idlewood Ave., with 18 accidents. 04-26-1951 (cutline): Belvidere Bottleneck--Traffic conflicts along Belvidere Street and intersecting East-West arteries would be eliminated by the proposed expressway's central grad separation section from Broad to Idlewood, just west of Madison Street. The Madison and northern sections could be completed by 1956. This January 1953 image shows houses on Belvidere Street in Richmond, as seen near Rowe Street, which were to be taken by the city for a proposed war memorial. The row formed the western boundary of a block that city officials were preparing to acquire. The Virginia War Memorial was dedicated in February 1956. In February 1948, the intersection of Cary and Belvidere streets showed the effects of 20 days with snow on the ground. All around the city, streets had been damaged by the lingering snow and freezing temperatures, and a survey was finding that the cost of road repairs was likely to exceed the cost of snow removal. Intersection of Cary and Belvidere broken up by traffic and snow.
What has been a mild start to 2023 will come crashing to a halt this weekend as winter makes a roaring comeback across the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest.

Minneapolis residents have seen a mild January so far -- at least by their standards -- with temperatures failing to fall below zero this month and averaging about 7 degrees above normal.

"Dangerously cold temperatures and wind chills are forecast across the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest through early next week," the Climate Prediction Center said. "Expect much below normal temperatures across the central/northern Plains to interior portions of the Pacific Northwest for the weekend into early next week."

High temperatures will be in the single digits or even subzero range across much of the northern tier of the United States -- between 25 to 40 degrees below normal. Overnight lows will be downright frigid, resulting in wind chill advisories being issued for portions of Minnesota, North Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas and Montana.

"This would be the coldest weather since Christmas for this region, with locations from eastern Montana to northern Minnesota likely remaining below zero for highs Saturday through Monday, and perhaps into Tuesday," the prediction center said.

These temperatures may come as a shock to many since most of January has been so mild. Chicago and Kansas City are both running more than 9 degrees above normal for the month, and Minneapolis and Oklahoma City are running at least 6 degrees above normal for January.

The dramatic shift from mild temperatures to bitter cold may catch people off guard.

Bozeman, Montana, for example, will go from a high of 33 degrees on Friday to a high of -3 on Sunday -- with more than 40 straight hours below zero. Minneapolis will see a high of 33 degrees Friday plummet to a high of 3 degrees Monday. St. Louis will remain milder on Saturday, with a high temperature of 56. On Sunday, however, the high will fall to 36 degrees and eventually reach a low of 16 degrees Monday night.

Western cities will also witness dramatic drops. Denver will go from a high of 30 degrees on Saturday to a high of 7 degrees on Monday.

Add some wind, snow and ice

Air temperatures are not the only concern this weekend. Across much of the High Plains and Midwest, winds will be gusting 20 to 30 mph. While that may not seem very high, it doesn't take much for frostbite to set in when the air temperature is already so cold.

"Wind chills could reach 40 below at times for these areas. Highs in the 0 to 10 degree range may extend as far south as northeast Colorado and northern Kansas," the prediction center said.

At that range, exposed areas of skin can experience frostbite in just 10 to 15 minutes.

Another concern from that wind is its impact on snow storms. Blowing snow and reduced visibility will make travel difficult at times.

"The upper level wave train has another snow maker for us this weekend," said the National Weather Service office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "There will be a good period of light to moderate snow for much of southern Wisconsin from midday Saturday through Saturday evening."

Winter conditions started to affect travel in parts of the Midwest on Friday. A portion of Interstate 39/90 between the cities of Beloit and Janesville in Wisconsin was shut down due to an 85-car pileup Friday afternoon, according to the WIsconsin State Patrol.

At least 21 people were taken to area hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

From Saturday into Sunday, snow is expected to spread from the Cascades to the Rockies and into the Great Lakes region. Winter weather advisories and winter storm warnings are in place for over 18 million people.

Generally speaking, in southern Wisconsin, northern Illinois and much of Iowa there will be 2 to 4 inches of snow, though these quick but intense snow burst events make it difficult to pinpoint who will see the highest snowfall amounts.

"An additional narrow swath of 4-6" of snow, with locally higher totals, is forecast from northern Iowa through Lower Michigan by early Sunday," the prediction center said.

While snow will be predominant a little farther south, along the Iowa/Missouri border, according to the National Weather Service office in Des Moines, the office warns that it will be possible to see "a brief period of freezing drizzle and very light glazing of ice Saturday afternoon."

Snow will also fall this weekend across the Intermountain West. Most areas of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Colorado and northern Utah will see light to moderate snow through Monday. However, the heaviest snow will occur in the higher elevations of Wyoming and Colorado where multiple feet of snow are possible.

The-CNN-Wire

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A House subcommittee voted down a bill Thursday that would require Bon Secours and other nonprofit health systems to disclose how they use a federal program to save money on drug costs.

Bon Secours came under scrutiny last year for how it uses its savings from the 340B program, which are intended to uplift low-income communities. Bon Secours expanded hospitals in Hanover and Chesterfield counties but waited 10 years to build a medical office building in Church Hill.

Bon Secours is opposed to House Bill 2472, from Del. Kathy Tran, D-Fairfax, which likely will be reviewed by a full committee next week.

The bill calls for nonprofit hospitals that use the 340B program to estimate their savings, to show how they use those savings to benefit the community around the hospital and to make a commitment to oversight, ensuring the hospital system follows the law.

Rhodes Ritenour, a vice president for Bon Secours, described the requirements as too onerous. The bill would increase administrative and regulatory burdens on hospitals. He added that monitoring of the 340B program is the prerogative of the federal government.

Ritenour disputed the claims made in The New York Times and the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Richmond Community Hospital in Church Hill has been neglected and that Bon Secours hasnt properly reinvested its savings.

We follow the law at Bon Secours, he said.

If hospitals are investing in poor neighborhoods as theyre supposed to, they shouldnt be afraid to lay their cards on the table, Tran argued.

The delegate modeled the bill off the American Hospital Association, which asks hospitals using 340B to commit to its good stewardship principles, which are the same three requirements made in the bill.

Six other hospitals in the state, including Virginia Commonwealth University Health, already made such a commitment. Currently, the federal government does not require hospitals to explain their savings and reinvestment, but scrutiny of the 340B program has grown since September.

The program lacks a little bit of integrity, and were hoping to put that back in, said Sara Cariano of the Virginia Poverty Law Center. Its not that administratively burdensome for the hospitals.

VCU Health saved about $120 million using the 340B program in fiscal 2022, the health system said. The health system says it has used its savings on a number of facilities and services that treat low-income patients, including a community care program in which social workers and other employees link residents to facilities and resources, the 17-story Adult Outpatient Pavilion, the soon-to-be expanded Childrens Hospital of Richmond and the purchase of Community Memorial Hospital in South Hill.

Bon Secours said it saved roughly $50 million through 340B in each of the past four years. The vast majority of that savings doesnt come from Richmond Community itself but through 10 clinics throughout town that can sell drugs to wealthier, privately insured patients. Though the clinics arent anywhere near Church Hill, they are listed on paper as satellite clinics of Richmond Community Hospital.

Freddy Mejia, a Church Hill resident, said Richmond Community is lacking in services and updates.

If you saw it, you would keep on walking all the way to Midlothian where they have a fantastic, brand-new facility, he said.

The Republican-led House Health, Welfare and Institutions subcommittee voted against the bill 3-2 on a party-line vote.

Bon Secours Opens New East End Medical Office Building
The president of the Virginia NAACP said footage showing the beating of Tyre Nichols in Memphis is yet another horrifying reminder that the culture of policing must change.

Our legislators cannot continue to turn a blind eye to criminal justice reform, said Robert Barnette Jr., who urged the public to ask lawmakers to act.

In the footage released Friday evening, Nichols is shown Jan. 7 being repeatedly struck by five Memphis police officers who held the Black motorist down after a traffic stop. The video shows the officers, who are also Black, celebrating after the incident.

In Virginia, elected officials of both parties released statements about the images.

Attorney General Jason Miyares, a former prosecutor, said in a statement that the death of Nichols is a brutal, horrific tragedy. The role of police is to serve and protect, and those officers violated their solemn oath.

GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Friday called the video disturbing and shocking and said we must condemn these heinous actions.

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears posted on Twitter: Wickedness continues to grip us! Lord, we pray for the family of Tyre Nichols. We pray for the peace of America.

Earle-Sears cited a biblical passage from 2 Chronicles 7:14 that says: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said in a statement that the footage is disturbing and horrific. This senseless act must be condemned. I call on all of us to lift his mother up in prayer because no parent should ever have a child so brutally taken from them in this way. The Nichols family deserves justice.

The Richmond City Council in a joint statement said: After witnessing this video, our hearts ache for this family as a traffic stop has resulted in the death of a young, black mans life  a father and a son.

The statement from the council and others also called for peaceful demonstrations in the wake of the video release.

As other leaders of our great city and across the nation have shared, we recognize that processing this will be handled in different ways  some will wish to use their first amendment rights and others will look to identifying safe spaces in which to communicate with professionals. It is our hope that those who wish to engage civically will do so peacefully, the council statement said.

No major demonstrations were announced for Saturday or Sunday across the Richmond area. On Friday night, police vehicles were lined up in front of RPDs downtown headquarters in the hours after the video release.

Rick Edwards, the interim Richmond police chief, said: Our hearts go out to the family and community of Memphis as they deal with this most egregious act. We pray for their healing during this time.

In a joint statement, the Virginia Joint Democratic Caucuses and the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus said public policy changes, and not just condolences should follow Nichols death.

The footage of #TyreNichols murder is disturbing and horrific. This senseless act must be condemned. I call on all of us to lift his mother up in prayer because NO parent should ever have a child so brutally taken from them in this way. The Nichols family deserves justice.  Mayor Levar M. Stoney (@LevarStoney) January 28, 2023

Tyre Nichols was murdered by the very people who had been tasked with keeping him safe, the statement said. We need accountability, but even more, we need reform and systemic change. We must commit to doing more to guarantee safety and respect for our communities. A system in which a traffic stop ends with someone murdered is a system that is deeply broken.

Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-10th, once a Loudoun County prosecutor, posted on Twitter: Words cannot describe the horrifying violence & lack of basic humanity displayed by the officers in the murder of Tyre Nichols. My heart breaks for Tyres loved ones who have been put through this nightmare. Those responsible for this brutality must be brought to swift justice.
Aguakan agrees to finish PDC wastewater treatment plant started 15 years ago

Playa del Carmen, Q.R.  After 15 years of being abandoned and unfinished, the wastewater treatment plant in the Cristo Rey neighborhood will finally be completed. The announcement was made by mayor Lili Campos who recently toured the plant.

During her tour, Campos explained that it had been left unfinished for many years since it lacked the 20 million pesos needed to complete the project. She reported that after negotiations, Aguakan agreed to provide the missing equipment to finish it.

The Secretary of Infrastructure and Public Works, Teresita Flota, also said that work is being done on equipping the treatment plant.

The important thing is that in addition to being beneficial for the settlers of Cristo Rey, it will also contribute to the development around this area. It is exclusive to a single subdivision, but to a sector of the city, she explained.

The general manager of Aguakan, Jorge Montoya Suarez, said that the original design treated between 8 and 10 liters per second, but with adaptations, the plant will have the capacity to treat 20 liters per second.

The wastewater treatment plant is expected to be finished in mid-March of this year.
Cancun taxi driver gets himself jailed after aggressive attitude toward police

Cancun, Q.R.  Police in Cancun arrested a Cancun taxi driver Friday after he ignored an order to stop. According to the State Public Security Secretariat of Benito Juarez, Victor N was taken into custody for disobedience and resistance by individuals.

Cancun police agents in SM 36 came across Victor N driving his taxi at excessive speed and ignoring traffic laws. When he was asked to pull over, he ignored them and continued to drive.

He was eventually intercepted and stopped. When asked to get out of the car, police reported him becoming both physically and verbally abusive, at one point allegedly pushing a police officer then attempting to flee on foot.

Police found a Motorola radio and two telephones inside his unit during an inspection. He was taken into custody for disobedience and resisting arrest.
Porter County Elections and Registration Office Deputy Clerk Melissa Hartig assists Chesterton Town Councilman Jim Ton, R-1, in filing his paperwork seeking placement on the ballot for reelection on the first day of candidate filing. (Shelley Jones / Post-Tribune)

With just one week left to file for a spot on the May, primary ballot candidates continue to make their intentions known.

Gary Mayor Jerome Prince Thursday filed his bid for a second term at the citys helm. He so far is being challenged by State Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Gary. Danien J. Walls tossed his hat in the ring Friday to make it a three-way race.

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In Gary, Republican John D. Collier this week filed to run for the Gary Common Council 6th District. He joins Ivan D. Ursery II, who is seeking the 5th District nomination. The men are the only two Republicans to file for a city seat so far.

Five candidates are vying for the 1st District seat including incumbent Councilwoman Lori Latham, who was seated by caucus to fill the term of Cozey Weatherspoon. Macarthur Drake joins a growing field that includes David Gearman, Sondra Marie Ford and Myles Tolliver in seeking the Democratic nomination.

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Democrat Ebony (Rogers) Miller will challenge incumbent Tai Adkins for the 4th District spot.

Robert Buggs Sr., is making another run at the city council, seeking the Democratic nomination for the 6th District. He will face incumbent City Councilman Dwight Williams and challenger Gilda George for the nomination.

In East Chicago, Travis Adonis Francis is looking for the Republican nod for the chance to run for mayor. Robert Sims is looking for the nomination for the 5th District post.

Incumbent At Large Lake Station City Councilman Dewy Randle Lemley is looking to return for another term, this time as the District 1 councilman. He challenges the incumbent 1st District Councilman Carlos Luna, who is seeking reelection. Challenger Michael Jiusat Chhutam is looking to defeat them both for the seat.

On the Republican side, Jennifer Williams is seeking the District 4 post.

Pat Silverthorn Alexander filed as a Republican candidate for Lake Station clerk-treasurer. Matthew Arts filed for the citys District 4 council seat challenging incumbent Ericka Castillo for the nomination. Rick Long is seeking reelection to the 5th District Council seat.

In Hammond, Alfonso (Al) Salinas filed to run as a Democrat for the District 2 spot on the Hammond City Council, challenging incumbent Councilman Pedro Torres, D-2, who is seeking reelection.

Porter County

More candidates are filing for the Porter County municipal elections as well.

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In Chesterton, incumbent Jennifer Fisher, who is now on the town council as an independent, filed as a Republican to represent 5.

Portage saw multiple filings, with Democrats Terri Clark and Elizabeth Modesto, who previously served on the city council, filing for clerk-treasurer. Democrat Pete Trinidad Jr. and Republican

Robert Bob Parnell filed to run for the District 2 seat on the city council. Democrat Joetta Collins is seeking the District 3 seat. Additionally, Democrat David Degard filed for an at-large spot on the ballot.

In Valparaiso, Republican Lori Simon filed for the District 1 seat on the city council. Democrat Emilie Hunt is seeking an at-large seat on the council as well.

Filing closes at noon on Feb. 3.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly listed East Chicago councilwoman Stacy Dixon Winfield as running in two different races and Robert Sims as running in the wrong district for the East Chicago City Council. Dixon Winfield is running for re-election in District 4 and Sims is running for the District 5 seat.
Governor determined to transform law enforcement in state

Cancun, Q.R.  Governor Mara Lezama Espinosa says she is determined and committed to fully assume the mandate of the people. In a ceremony celebrating Police Day, she said that each action of her government will be governed by the principle outside the law, nothing and above the law, nobody.

Lezama pointed out that this profound transformation of her new government began four months ago and winning an election is not an everyday thing, it is fully assuming the mandate of the people and I am determined and committed to doing so.

She said that today, there is a new mandate and the law must be enforced, adding that her government is committed to the people, to social welfare, to the poor, to the marginalized and to the groups that demand priority attention.

The population of Quintana Roo expects a professional police force, which attends to the peoples mandate. Expect police officers working for security, peace and justice. Expect close, empathetic, friendly treatment from your authorities. That is why I am not going to tolerate apathy, nor laziness in public practice, she said during the ceremony.

To achieve this, she said she is working on a citizen security model that will strengthen trust between the people and the police because Quintana Roo expects its elements to be the best police in the country.

Mara Lezama announced that the Fund for Strengthening Security Program is included in this years budget, which means police officers have better work equipment, technological support and training to fulfill their duties.
Long lines form around public bus stops as Cancun residents participate in a day without a taxi

Cancun, Q.R.  Long lines at public bus stops were seen around Cancun Friday in support of a day of not using taxis. On Friday, thousands of Cancun residents boycotted Cancun taxis for a day in protest of the recent hostility toward Uber drivers.

Instead of using a taxi, residents took public transportation, which lead to the more popular routes generating long lines. Despite the rain, thousands participated in the UnDiaSinTaxi or one day without a taxi campaign. Some participated to show their support for Uber, while others participated to simply protest the ongoing hostility by the taxi drivers.

Cancun buses were packed as residents protested taxi driver hostility. January 27, 2023.

The UnDiaSinTaxi was organized by several online social media groups earlier in the week after the hostility heightened to include a U.S. travel warning for the state of Quintana Roo.
The Dialogue on Race community group in Montgomery County outlined 10 years of progress Saturday, highlighting results in education, local government and law enforcement.

But in a panel discussion, speakers personal accounts showed that fractured race relations remain a significant issue.

Speaking to an audience in an auditorium at Christiansburg Middle School, two student panelists recounted witnesssing unsavory verbal exchanges between students, including use of the n word and bullying.

People are made to feel uncomfortable all the time, student Morgan Stewart, a senior at Christiansburg High School who described herself as an advocate for people of color, the LGBTQA-plus communnity and people with disabilities. It has to be changed that we are more aware of the little things that do hurt people.

Student Kaleigha Richardson, a senior at Blacksburg High and leader of its Black student coalition, urged improvement in the school environment, saying unjust actions occur frequently and a lot of them go unnoticed.

Richardson voiced doubt that, after she reaches her goal to attend Howard University, she would return Montgomery County without the area becoming more welcoming. I dont feel there is truly enough diversity here, she said.

The young women urged school personnel to pay close attention to minority students and to take a stand against hurtful behavior by white students.

Black members of an adult panel were asked to describe living in the county as African Americans.

Its been a roller coaster ride, Shirley Akers, chief officer of elections for the county, said. Ive seen the good, the bad and the ugly.

Moderator Justin Grimes, a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, recalled a past visit to the area for an interview at Virginia Tech.

A resident of Georgia at the time, he was directed to a Blacksburg hotel on Plantation Road, he said. But he was happy to eventually find a community of people interested in making changes after moving to the area.

Penny Franklin, a member of the county school board who co-founded the effort to create the Dialogue on Race, moderated the event. She described the work so far as positive.

Theres still work to be done, she said.

Amen, someone called aloud from the audience of between 120 and 175 people.

In 2010, Black community members began gathering people to form a group to develop and fund a dialogue on race. The dialogue, a community conversation on race relations in Montgomery County, launched in 2013. Since that time, local governments have adopted ban the box policies eliminating questions on initial job applications regarding criminal history.

High school graduates in Montgomery County who meet academic and community service goals have free access to two years of community college. Montgomery County Public Schools created a department on diversity and equity and increased minority hiring.

Police agencies started to collect data on the race of people stopped for traffic enforcement. The Dialogue on Race group has spawned or contributed to those successes, its leaders said.

The groups progress report ran two pages. Copies are available online at thecommunitygroup.org.

Volunteers operate five issue groups examining the education system, white privilege, law enforcement, the employment and income gap and the limited presence of Blacks in leadership roles. Each welcomes new members, officials said.

Dr. Wornie Reed, emeritus professor of sociology at Virginia Tech, paused the meeting agenda to share an observation about police violence as he brought up the Memphis police beating of Tyre Nichols.

He said police violence does not always arise from sentiment in the heart and mind of the individual officer.

The culture of some police departments is a warrior mindset, he said, and in those cases, its hard to not do what the institutions policies and practices tell you to do.

His words resonated with Tammi Franklin, sister-in-law of Penny Franklin. Its not a Black and white thing as we all think it is. Its a police thing, she said after the meeting.

Tammi Franklin, who lives in Christiansburg, volunteered that she doesnt experience local police officers as coming from the warrior culture. Police have gone out of their way to be friendly, she said. We dont see them as the enemy and they dont see us as the enemy.
The Montgomery County-Radford City-Floyd County Branch #7092 of the NAACP hosted the areas Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration on Jan. 15 online. Some 100 people virtually viewed the celebration.

The event opened with greetings from Mistress of Ceremonies Dr. Shernita Lee, and an invocation by Rev. Michael Sanborn, followed by the sounds of Lift Every Voice and Sing.

Newly elected officers for the branch for 2023-2024 were introduced: President Deborah Travis; Secretary Shirley Akers; Assistant Secretary Shirley Brown; Treasurer Jill Stewart; Assistant Treasurer Allen Palmer; and At-Large Members of the Executive Committee Marlin Reeves, Michael Sanborn and Larry Bechtel. Robert N. Barnette Jr., President of the Virginia State Conference of the NAACP, administered the oath of office and swore them in.

President Travis greeted the attendees and thanked the branch members for the opportunity to continue to serve as its president. She reminded the branch of some of the NAACP goals: a better education for our children, including Black history; protection of voter rights; better health care for all, including mental health; defending the rights of the incarcerated; sensible gun laws; and a clean environment. She thanked Dr. William Hendricks for his recent service as branch vice president, and she introduced the branch Youth Council officers: President Tyler Graves; Vice President Melvin Palmer; Treasurer Addison Clark and Secretary Sathara Kane. Palmer then read the poem Betrayal Silence, written by 12th-grader Kundai Chikowero of Dos Pueblos High School in California; and Kane read the poem Martin Luther King Jr., April 4, 1968, by the late Gwendolyn Brooks. The Youth Council co-advisors are Deborah Travis, Cheryl Burrell-Graves and Tamara Cherry-Clarke.

Branch Secretary Shirley Akers announced the winners of the annual M-R-F NAACP Branch Community Service Awards in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Mrs. Vondelear Hubbard, of Radford, and Mrs. Eulalia Mills, of Christiansburg.

Mrs. Hubbard has devoted her entire life to community service. Loving children and teaching, she has served as the PTA president at McHarg Elementary School and currently works as a substitute teacher with the Radford City Schools. Mrs. Hubbard is a member of the Radford City Police Chief Advisory Board. At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, she personally handmade comfortable mask extenders for the officers and for the local fire department workers. When the news about this service spread, a mother of a young child with a medical condition from another state reached out to her to make mask extenders for her daughter. Mrs. Hubbard freely donated and shipped the mask straps so that the child would have some additional comfort, since she had to wear masks continuously due to her medical needs. Mrs. Hubbard is an active member of First Baptist Church on West Rock Road in Radford. She and her husband, William, have one son William Jr., and two daughters -- Chrystal; and Yuvonda, who has passed on.

Mrs. Mills has been active in the community in many ways. She attended Christiansburg Institute and New River Community College. She has worked at Volvo in Dublin for several years and has been a continuing part of the chaplaincy and womens committee there. She volunteers with the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin to raise funds and participates in the laying of the wreaths on gravesites during the holidays. Mrs. Mills is a member of Greater Mount Zion Holy Church in Christiansburg, where she serves as an usher and as secretary to the regional youth department. She assists the elderly and those in need of transportation to doctors appointments and for hospital stays, and has volunteered as a caretaker for the elderly and as a visiting companion to those in need of a friendly smile. Mrs. Mills has for many years been an active member of our local branch of the NAACP and is a Silver Life Member. She has also served our branch as an at-large member of the executive committee. Mrs. Mills was married to Reggie Mills (now deceased), has three children (one deceased), several grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

The Samuel H. Clark Memorial Scholarship Fund offers up to five scholarships to youths who extend their education beyond high school at a college or technical school. Branch Treasurer Dr. Jill Stewart reported that last year five $1,000 scholarships were awarded. To be eligible, youths must be a member of the Youth Council, or be a child or grandchild of a branch member and live in this area. Dozens of local youths have been supported in this way since the scholarship was begun in 1998. Beginning this year, the scholarships will be $2,000 apiece. To make a donation to support the Samuel H. Clark Scholarship Fund, write a check to M-R-F NAACP and mark it for Scholarship Fund in the memo line. Then mail your donation to: M-R-F NAACP, P.O. Box 6044, Christiansburg, VA, 24068. Or go online to: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mrf-naacp-shcs.

David Travis, past president of the branch, introduced the keynote speaker, Elder Marlin A. Reeves, assistant pastor at New Beginnings Church in Pulaski, and vice president of the New River Valley and Roanoke markets of the Freedom First Credit Union, to speak on the topic We Cant Define Our Purpose Until We Define Our Identity. Reeves began by comparing Martin Luther King Jr., who battled the Goliath of racism, with David in the Bible. Like David, King had the humility to recognize his weakness and the willingness to admit his mistakes, but still he had the courage to step up and fight for what is right. Reeves stated that each of our daily actions go together to make up our identity, which in turn shapes our purpose. The speaker listed several of Kings accomplishments, but noted that he was arrested 29 times along the way. Yet he never wavered in his purpose. Our identity is determined not by our external appearance but by our daily behavior and our internal purpose. Reeves ended by comparing modern freedom fighters with a tree planted by the water. It can receive sustenance even in adverse conditions. But it will be judged by its fruit. What can we accomplish in the continuing fight to realize Dr. Kings dream?

Branch President Deborah H. Travis thanked the guest speaker, all of the program participants, and Karen Jones for the technological arrangements that made the online celebration possible. President Travis urged those gathered to follow Kings example and continue the work of advocating for justice for all by joining our NAACP branch, for $30 per year, or a Silver Life Membership of $750, payable over 10 years.

The General Body meetings of the local NAACP are on the fourth Sunday of each month. Email info@mrfnaacp.org for a link to our virtual meetings. All are welcome! You can learn more about the Montgomery County-Radford City-Floyd County NAACP Branch #7092 and join the NAACP at mrfnaacp.org or https://www.facebook.com/mrfnaacp.org.

- Submitted by James Klagge
Two inmates have been recaptured after their Thursday escape from an Abingdon jail.

Johnny Shane Brown, 51, and Albert Lee Ricketson, 31, who escaped from the Southwest Virginia Regional Jail Authority, were apprehended late Friday in Rogersville, Tennessee, according to the Washington County Sheriffs Office Facebook page.

Authorities found them in the upper level of a barn, about 4 miles from where they recovered an SUV that the inmates were alleged to have stolen.

They were arrested without incident, according to the Facebook post. Rogersville is about 72 miles from Abingdon.

Federal, state, and local law enforcement personnel from Virginia and Tennessee were involved with the search, according to the post. Brown, a federal inmate, is in the Washington County Tennessee Jail without bail.

Ricketson, convicted in 2020 on two counts of first-degree murder in Bristol, is in the Hawkins County Tennessee Jail, also without bond.
The Mississippi man charged with eluding police and killing his best friend when he crashed a car on an Interstate 81 on-ramp last year was sentenced in Botetourt County Circuit Court on Thursday during a hearing in which attorneys questioned his ex-police chief stepfather, and his stepbrother left the courthouse in handcuffs.

Errington Stenson, 28, of Gulfport, Mississippi was charged with felony murder homicide and eluding police, plus misdemeanor reckless driving, after a fiery crash killed his friend, Gevante Dale Bolton, 28, also of Mississippi.

At about 4:20 a.m. on Feb. 8, 2022 a 2018 Chevrolet Impala  clocked going 99 mph southbound by a Botetourt County deputy  careened off the interstate at the exit 150 interchange at Daleville, crossed the off ramp and smashed into a parked tractor-trailer, state police said.

The Chevrolet caught fire in the collision. One passenger, Dale Brown, died at the scene, and one was airlifted to a hospital.

In September, Stenson pleaded no contest to all three charges and was convicted. Members of his family and Boltons family traveled from Mississippi to attend his sentencing hearing Thursday.

Among those family members, seated on the defendants side of the courtroom, was Boltons stepbrother, Ronnie E. Rankins Jr., 34, of Beaumont, Mississippi, who was injured in the Feb. 8 crash.

Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Gillian Deegan said in a post-hearing interview that Rankins Jr. had been subpoenaed to appear in Botetourt County General District Court in April to testify during Stensons preliminary hearing.

Court documents indicate that a subpoena was filed by the attorneys office, and that subpoena was personally served to Rankins Jr. When he didnt appear in court in April, Deegan said a capias was issued for his arrest.

During Thursdays hearing, defense attorney Rob Dean identified Rankins Jr., who stood up from his seat in the gallery. Deegan quietly got the attention of a deputy in the courtroom and advised him that a warrant was out for Rankins Jr.s arrest.

Rankins Jr. was removed from the courtroom, and Deegan said a scuffle occurred. She said later that Rankins Jr. had been arrested and left the courthouse in handcuffs.

Dean said he became aware that Rankins Jr. had been arrested at about 6 p.m. Thursday, about three hours after the conclusion of Stensons hearing.

I was not aware that he was ever summonsed to appear in court on April 18 last year, Dean said in an email Thursday evening. The prosecutor did not call any witnesses on that date, as we entered a waiver of the preliminary hearing.

According to Virginias online court case information system, Rankins Jr. was charged on Thursday with disobeying judgement, or contempt. The case was resolved in Botetourt County General District Court on Friday.

The online system indicates that Rankins Jr., represented by Dean, was found guilty of the contempt charge and ordered to pay $76 in court costs.

Rankin Jr.s father, Ronnie Rankins Sr., was called by Dean to testify during Thursdays hearing. The man told the court he was a retired police chief. But Deegan said her understanding is that he was fired from the position after Stensons arrest in Mississippi.

After the fatal crash, Stenson was treated for injuries he sustained in the collision at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. He was released from the hospital before deputies could serve him with arrest warrants.

The U.S. Marshals Service was contacted and asked to help locate Stenson, who police believed had returned to Mississippi. Deegan said after Thursdays hearing that law enforcement went to Rankins Sr.s residence looking for Stenson.

There, Deegan recalled from police reports, Rankins Sr. was uncooperative with officers, who had to force their way in the residence.

Inside the home, Deegan continued, law enforcement found and seized evidence of drug activity. Stenson was found in the homes garage.

Deegan also said after Thursdays hearing that Rankins Sr. was the first person Stenson called after the Feb. 8 crash. She said the Virginia State Polices Salem office also got a call from Rankins Sr. that night.

The stepfather testified Thursday that he could not confirm or deny that he made that call. But he did testify that he didnt know Stenson was in his home when the U.S. Marshals knocked on his door.

Rankins Sr. referred to Stenson during his testimony as Mr. Z, which he told Deegan was short for a nickname: Zoom.

Other family members of Stenson and Bolton testified Thursday that the men, who knew each other from elementary school, were like brothers. Stensons girlfriend of 14 years said Bolton wouldnt have wanted Stenson to be in court.

Everybody loved Dale, and everybody loves Errington, she testified. There was nothing Errington wouldnt do for Dale, nothing Dale wouldnt do for Errington.

But Boltons father said Stenson needed to spend time in prison.

I am so disappointed in this young man, he said, nodding in Stensons direction from his seat on the witness stand. I just cant imagine anyone driving 100 plus miles per hour on that highway.

You have to take responsibility for what youve done, Boltons father continued. You need some help. You need some time to get yourself together to make sure you dont do this again. Please, change.

One of Boltons sisters also said Stenson needed to be held accountable for his actions on Feb. 8, to set an example for people who are thinking about making similar decisions.

Boltons stepmother said Bolton was always happy, always smiling, always helping, and she can hear him saying, Stop this car. Let me out. She said Bolton wanted to make something of himself, but his life was stolen from him.

God took what he wanted, and he left what he didnt want, the stepmother said. I dont think 25 years is justice. Because it didnt have to be that way. He played Russian roulette with his life and with everyone that was in his car.

Dean argued that the incident that caused Daltons death was, by all accounts, an accident. But Deegan disagreed, saying To keep referring to this as an accident is ridiculous.

Bad things happen when people run from police, and bad things happened this time, the prosecutor said. He decided to go too fast, to try to outrun the police [], which resulted in the death of a human being. 

Im truly sorry. My actions, they hurt a lot of people, Stenson told the court Thursday. He said he would give anything to live another day with Bolton, whom he called a man of reason.

Judge Joel Branscom told Stenson that when he looks at eluding charges, he starts at the maximum when considering a sentence.

When people decide not to stop, theyre breaking the law, Branscom said. Its happening all the time, and this is the result.

On the eluding charge, Branscom sentenced Stenson to sixteen years in prison: five years for eluding, one year for reckless driving and 40 years for homicide, suspended after 10 years have been served.
Earlier this month, a six-year-old student shot a Newport News elementary teacher during class, an event that re-ignited issues of gun violence and school security statewide.

In particular, the shooting has led to renewed interest about installing metal detectors at school entrances.

Soon after the shooting, and following several reports of guns being found at district schools, Henrico County Public Schools announced a plan to install metal detectors. The installation is expected to be finished in February.

In the Roanoke and New River valleys, while some districts reevaluated the possibility of installing metal detectors in the wake of the shooting, none has plans to make the change in the near future.

Roanoke City Public Schools have either finished or are in the process of implementing several security changes approved in the summer of 2022, including changes to physical facilities.

Measures include replacing 731 antiquated door lock sets, increasing the number of surveillance cameras in school facilities and enclosing all open concept classrooms, as well as non-facilities measures such as adding and assigning more school resource officers.

Roanoke County Public Schools has placed particular emphasis on hiring new resource officers, according to Chuck Lionberger, the public information officer for the district.

The police department is in the process of adding additional SROs in elementary schools, Lionbergers statement said. We continue to work with Roanoke County and the board of supervisors to examine possible ways to further expand the number of SROs in our schools.

Lionberger added that Roanoke County schools safety advisory committee had considered the idea of adding metal detectors but determined that the risks didnt outweigh the detriments.

As technology changes, this decision will continue to be evaluated, he said.

Mike Crawley, Salems police chief, said city public schools dont plan to install metal detectors as of now.

All six of our schools are different in design and makeup, Crawley said in a joint statement with Salem schools. But the safety of our students, teachers and support staff members is always our number one priority.

In the New River Valley, Montgomery County officials said that there are no plans to install metal detectors in the immediate future.
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COLUMBIA, S.C.  Four Florence County Sheriffs Office deputies earned the South Carolina Sheriffs Association Valor Award for 2022. One of the recipients received his second such award.

The award is presented to deputies who perform actions above and beyond the call of duty, exhibit exceptional courage, extraordinary decisiveness, and presence of mind, or act with unusual swiftness, regardless of their personal safety, in an attempt to save or protect human life.

The Florence County recipients for the 2022 Valor Awards are Capt. Rollins Rhodes, Cpl. Tyler Urquhart, Cpl. Christian Seal and Deputy Brandon Rowell. The awards were presented Wednesday at the annual banquet hosted by the South Carolina Sheriffs Association in Columbia.

Rhodes received the award for his actions on April 11, 2022, when he came to the aid of a choking victim and applied a life-saving Heimlich maneuver in a restaurant in Lake City. After he dislodged the obstruction the victim began breathing. Without the prompt response and lifesaving efforts from Rhodes, this situation could have had a much different result. Rhodes is the captain over the Narcotics Bureau.

Urquhart received the award for his actions on Jan. 5, 2022. While he was attempting to effect a traffic stop for an expired license tag, Urquhart was in a brief vehicle pursuit and then a foot pursuit. During the foot pursuit the suspect turned on Urquhart, pointed an AR pistol at him and threatened to shoot him, according to investigators. Urquhart drew his duty weapon and fired two times  both rounds struck the suspect. Immediately after, Urquhart began life-saving techniques including chest compression on the suspect until EMS arrived. Urquhart demonstrated extraordinary compassion and professionalism toward the person who had just tried to kill him. This is the second Valor Award presented to Urquhart while a Florence County sheriffs deputy.

Seal received the award for his actions on April 18, 2022, when responding to a motor vehicle crash on North Williston Road where the vehicle with several children came to rest in a body of water. Seal immediately began life-saving efforts on a 2-year-old child who was not conscious or breathing, including chest compression. Seal continued those efforts even after EMS arrived and rode with the child in the ambulance to the hospital. While en route to the hospital, the child regained a pulse and began breathing.

Rowell received the Valor Award for his response to an active shooter incident which occurred May 28, 2022, on Old River Road in rural eastern Florence County. The shooter was firing randomly at passing vehicles with a high-powered rifle and two victims were struck by gunfire. With the active shooter situation still ongoing, Rowell responded to the vehicle with the wounded victims and immediately began to administer first aid to a seriously injured juvenile victim. He determined that the best course of action was to take the juvenile in the back of his patrol vehicle to waiting ambulances, which had staged outside the immediate area of the active shooter. After he placed the juvenile into the hands of paramedics, Rowell returned to the incident scene to begin first aid on the adult victim by applying a tourniquet to stop the bleeding until an ambulance arrived to provide treatment. Rowell then returned to the active shooter scene to assist in the establishment of a perimeter where the active shooter was later taken into custody. The juvenile victim did not survive, but the adult victim did. Rowell exhibited extraordinary valor in providing lifesaving aid to the victims of this crime.

None of our deputies begin their duty day expecting or even trying to earn an award, said Sheriff T.J. Joye. They would tell you they were just doing their job the way they were trained, and their service to the community is their reward. But we are blessed in this county to have extraordinary people work for us and they make me proud to be their sheriff.
COLUMBIA  Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful and PalmettoPride announce a comprehensive joint study on the efficacy of state litter statutes and enforcement practices and procedures.

The multistate study is the first of its kind in the country and can serve as a benchmark to measure litter control enforcement efforts across the country.

The two states engaged with Carson Consulting to review existing state litter laws and interview key stakeholders to evaluate the strength of the states current litter enforcement tools and systems.

Carson Consulting conducted a mixed-methods study examining five years of data from 2016-20 and conducted interviews with representatives of law enforcement and judicial officers to gain on-the-ground insight.

A primary focus of the research included examining Pennsylvania and South Carolina statutes regarding penalties and reviewing the attitudes, behaviors, and influences that emerge by comparing case disposition with interviews.

Four key takeaways from the study reveal that enforcement is considered necessary to stopping littering and illegal dumping but that activity is low; officers or judges do not favor high fines; there is a high rate of guilty convictions; and community service requirements are considered effective in sentencing.

Enforcing litter laws is crucial to changing behaviors that create litter, said Sarah Lyles, executive director of PalmettoPride, but those laws need to be enforceable from ticketing to adjudication. This study helps to support and identify what is most effective from a law enforcement and judicial perspective.

The Litter Law Studies in each state are part of larger initiatives dealing with litter prevention. The goal of Pennsylvanias Litter Action Plan is to prevent littering through the development and implementation of a research-based plan of recommended actions that can be used statewide to change littering behavior over time. PalmettoPride, South Carolinas anti- litter organization, will release a litter study in 2023.

Pennsylvanias Litter Action Plan of 2021 called for litter law enhancements, including but not limed to the following action items: evaluate and update littering and illegal dumping fines, mandate litter pick-up, and link community service to litter clean-ups. This research, which details the efficacy of the states thirteen litter and illegal dumping laws, is the first step in this process, said Shannon Reiter, president of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.

Litter is not a problem unique to any area, state or county. Population density, individual attitudes, and infrastructure are just some factors that impact how well we deal with the amount of waste produced.

This study provides insight into a much bigger conversation about how we address solid waste, Lyles said. Globally, we are playing catch up with a decades-old system.

Carson Consulting is a global consulting company specializing in litter, illegal dumping, and waste management issues. Dr. Carson and the team conducts research on these issues to determine the effectiveness and efficacy of related programs and provides a unique blend of analytical and operational expertise in addressing littering behavior and identifying innovative solutions. Carson Consulting is working with several other states on similar litter studies, providing hope for change for Reiter and Lyles, who are both state leaders for Keep America Beautiful.

Systematic change takes time. Understanding the scope of the problem and the efficacy of existing tools in the toolbox are critical. As more and more states turn their attention to addressing litter and illegal dumping, our hope is that lessons learned in Pennsylvania, can not only add value, but also move those discussions forward, Reiter said.

The study was funded in part by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

PalmettoPride is working towards a litter-free South Carolina. It is a legislative initiative to fight litter and help beautify South Carolina by engaging citizens to take action in their communities through education, enforcement, awareness and pickup.
The Porter County Board of Commissioners is formally offering up a new type of meeting to its department heads and the public with the goal of making their body more accessible and relying less on the county attorney to assist in day-to-day operations. So far theyve held three of these meetings since the first of the year.

Topics addressed so far have included: the highway department; video equipment; the county coroners need for more storage space in her office; parking garage signs; the county website; building issues at the Family & Youth Services Bureau; and department head and trustee meetings, among others.

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Called administrative meetings, they are simply being advertised at the reception desk at the County Administration Building, 155 Indiana Ave. in Valparaiso, and can take place any time, though the first three have been at either 10 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. in Room 102A on various weekdays. Freshman Commissioners Vice President Barb Regnitz, R-Center, got the idea at an Indiana Association of County Commissioners Conference that recommended the practice at a half-day symposium she attended.

I believe an attorney from one of the larger law firms from downstate recommended them, said Commissioners President Jim Biggs, R-North. Before the first of the year these meetings were happening all the time, he said, pointing out that they were not advertised at that time.

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Luke Britt, public access counselor for the state of Indiana, confirmed administrative meetings, which he referred to as having administrative function, do not need to be advertised if they meet certain requirements.

My office has historically defined it as those matters related to the operational matters of keeping things operating from day to day, Britt said. He said anything a town manager might be responsible for, such as ordering supplies, signing claims on existing projects or receiving updates from staff, would be exempt from advertising requirements.

That doesnt mean its a closed-door meeting, he added. That just means they dont have to give 48 hours notice.

Biggs said Porter County Attorney Scott McClure has taken on such a managerial role in the past, but the current commissioners leadership of himself and Regnitz have committed to a greater hand in those tasks. Scott was much more hands-on and active dealing with day-to-day issues when the commissioners should be dealing with that, Biggs said.

Regnitz, who is retired from the private sector, has committed to keeping full-time office hours at the board of commissioners office.

Theyre less for the public and more for day-to-day operations, Biggs said of the meetings. There was a feeling among the departments, Its difficult to get before two of you. Rarely, if its not a public meeting day will you see all three of us in the building at the same time.

Britt said advertising requirements would come into play if commissioners intended to tackle anything new or novel at these administrative meetings. My very informal, average litmus test would be would an average member of the public be interested in sitting through a meeting on the subject? Britt said.

He gave an example of a bridge project. If a new bridge had already been approved and contracts let through appropriate public meetings and the county engineer wanted to meet with commissioners at administrative meetings to give updates, advertising would not be required. But if the engineer needed to seek additional funding to complete a current bridge project, that would not be an appropriate use of an administrative meeting.

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McClure doesnt necessarily attend the meetings. We only invite him if we think were going to have legal questions, Biggs said, because if we have him there we have to pay him.

Biggs explained the county has a contract with McClure to attend a certain number of county meetings. Any meetings he attends beyond that agreed-upon number are billed separately.

We looked at what weve been paying in legal fees over the last few years, Biggs said. We havent decided OK, say $50,000 is the cutoff point. We just know we were spending a lot.

Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 83F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Overcast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 69F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
Dear Mr. Dad: My wife is due to give birth in a few months, and Im trying to work something out with my employer to take some leave after the baby is born. Whats a good amount of time to take off?

A: Great question  one that, unfortunately, has no single answer that will work for everyone. That said, I recommend that you take off as much as youre able to without jeopardizing your job or your familys finances.

Your first order of business is to do some research into what types of legally mandated leave programs youre eligible for. The federal Family and Medical Leave Act provides many employees  as of 2018, about 56%, according to U.S. Department of Labor data  with 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave. In addition, 13 states and the District of Columbia have passed paid-family-leave laws.

However, the U.S. remains one of just a handful of countries (and the only wealthy one) that don't have national paid-maternity-leave policies. When it comes to paid paternity leave, according to data from the WORLD Policy Analysis Center, the U.S. is one of just 83 countries (out of roughly 200) that dont require it. But more than 100 do, with leave periods ranging from just a few weeks to over a year. The average amount of paid leave for fathers in the European Union is 6.3 weeks, according to research by the career resources company Zippia.

In the U.S., Zippia research showed that new dads take an average of one week off after the birth of a child. Through the course of writing 10 books on fatherhood and teaching a class for expectant dads at one of the largest hospitals in San Francisco for 19 years, hundreds of the dads I've interviewed report that by far the biggest reason for taking so little time off is they cant afford to go without their paychecks.

Even when the leave is paid, however, most dads dont take it. Why? In most cases its out of fear that taking leave will negatively affect their careers (by making them seem wimpy or feminine or by flagging them as not committed to their jobs or their companies).

Once you know what your legal rights are, check with your employer to see what they offer; you might be surprised (pleasantly or unpleasantly). Researchers Gayle Kaufman and Richard J. Petts found that 72% of Fortune 500 companies offer some amount of paid parental leave. However, most offer significantly more  up to twice as much  to mothers than to fathers. A far lower percentage of small and medium-size companies offer paid leave, but its worth asking about.

Next, have a long talk with your partner about what, given the legal and workplace constraints and your financial situation, will work best for your family. Keep in mind that neither of you needs to take all your leave in one chunk, and the two of you definitely dont need to take it at the same time (though, if at all possible, try to be there for at least the first few weeks).

After you and your partner have come up with an ideal plan, present it to your respective employers  but be smart, and make sure you keep your companys perspective in mind. In my view, if you were hired to do a particular job, its up to you to make sure the job gets done. And companies that dont support family leave tend to do so because theyre worried things will fall apart while youre gone. If you can show that thats not going to be the case (by coordinating with colleagues to cover your workload, making yourself available for regular phone calls while youre on leave and so on), youll have a better chance of getting what you want.

The benefits of your taking paternity leave can be significant, and well talk about them in a future column. But for now, suffice it to say that paternity leave is good for you, good for your partner and your child, good for your relationship and good for your employer.
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SIOUX CITY -- Neeraj Agarwal, a real estate developer, described downtown Sioux City's once long-vacant and red-tagged Badgerow Building as "a developer's dream project."

"We were just blown away that a building like this was even available and had not been redeveloped, given how large and prominent it is relative to the whole city," he said. "When we found the property, it was really just an issue of mechanical, electrical, plumbing -- what do we have to do?"

Omaha-based Clarity Development, Inc. has been rehabilitating the historic 12-story building, 622 Fourth St., into a mixed-use facility with housing, office space and an upscale restaurant. The project's total budget is $25 million, with construction costs coming in at around $16.5 million. W.A. Klinger is the project's contractor, while BVH Architecture is the architect.

The Badgerow had been vacant and red-tagged by the city as unfit for occupation for more than three years before California-based Mako One purchased it for $450,000 in 2007. Mako and its managing partner, Bruce DeBolt, had planned on transforming the Badgerow into a hub for small data centers, as well as space for restaurants, professional offices and other businesses. But his vision never came to fruition.

The City of Sioux City purchased the Badgerow for $750,000 from a bank that foreclosed on the troubled property and, then, sold the high-rise to Clarity Development for $1 million in 2020. Clarity Development's focus is historic renovations using historic tax credits and affordable housing using affordable housing tax credits.

Agarwal said he found out about the Badgerow from some Iowa brokers, whom he had been working with.

"We actually tried to buy it from the bank directly. But, then, the city bought it," he said. "We submitted a response to the RFP (request for proposal) as part of that process and were fortunate to get that under contract, so it worked out well."

Agarwal said the building's previous developer spent a fair amount of money addressing a lot of "potential headaches," including drywalling and abating eight of the 12 floors and fixing a couple elevators.

"The prior developer had looked at it for an office and data center. While there was kind of HVAC and MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) systems in place, we actually took a pretty detailed, rigorous process to determine what's the best way to approach the HVAC and just MEP, in general, for the building," he said.

Agarwal said Clarity Development coordinated with engineers in Omaha to get a breakdown of potential challenges concerning the building's mechanical, electrical and plumbing. Five contractors who looked at the building reviewed a detailed memo that those engineers put together. Ultimately, the contract was awarded to W.A. Klinger, and work began in early November of 2021.

The building's interior has a modern industrial look throughout, according to Agarwal. He said the apartments feature granite countertops, while the hallways and common spaces have Art Deco lighting.

Seventy market-rate apartments on floors 3-11 are expected to begin being pre-leased in the next 30 days. Agarwal said he anticipates that the apartments will be 100% leased by June or July.

"From an apartment standpoint, we've been very pleased. Even early on in the project, people had reached out to me and our property management company, Seldin," he said. "We've gotten a lot of positive feedback from local residents about potentially living in the apartments that we have planned."

Class A office space and a restaurant and bar are still in the works for the first and second floors, however, Agarwal said there are currently no commitments with commercial tenants. He said the building has received "a lot of great feedback and interest" to date and noted, "It's just finding the right people who will ideally stay in the building for decades to come."

"In a project like this, the commercial tenants will typically be more active when we're closer to finishing up construction. We're basically at that stage now," he said. "So, I'd anticipate in the next three to six months we'll probably lease up the remaining of the commercial spaces in the building."

A health club was initially planned for the 12th floor, but Agarwal said that floor is "kind of in motion."

"We were thinking a gym, originally. We got interest from a potential restaurant/bar user for a portion of it, about 3,000 square feet. So, we'll kind of contemplate that. If they move forward, we'll just end up doing that on the 12th floor," he said. "That balance of the 12th floor would then be a small fitness center, about 1,000 to 1,500 square feet, for the apartment residents and the commercial users. The remainder is the tenant lounge space."

Agarwal said the Badgerow is a building that Clarity Development "would never sell," given its prominence and successful rehabilitation. He said the company is looking to acquire additional property in Sioux City to redevelop over the next two years and credited the city for being "developer-friendly."

"It definitely made us very bullish on Sioux City in the long-term," he said. "We've just seen all of the development that has gone on over the last couple of years with the Warrior Hotel and what (the city) has planned the next couple of years. We're excited to be part of the future of Sioux City, for sure."
SIOUX CITY -- After completing demolition of the old YMCA, city staff are recommending taking down a building that once housed a turkey plant in the former stockyards.

The Swift building is "constantly being vandalized" and "constantly has vagrants in it," Darrel Bullock, the city's code enforcement manager, told the City Council during a capital improvement program, or CIP, budget hearing Saturday.

"It's also a big play hangout for kids. It's very unsafe -- open elevators, structures and things like that," Bullock said of the building, which he noted has a lot of graffiti on it and is located across from Home Depot.

According to Bullock, a man from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, purchased the building a couple years ago. When he first took possession of the building, Bullock described the man as "very cooperative."

"He was going to do something with it right away. Every time I made a phone call, he was down the next day to secure the building and make sure it was safe again," Bullock said. "Since the last probably 18 months, he's kind of non-existent."

Bullock described the structure as "very, very sound."

The proposed CIP has $400,000 allocated annually for blight removal from FY 2024-28.

"It will take at minimum an equal amount as what the Y is taking, if not more to do that," Bullock said. "The Y is probably right at $700,000 -- $750,000 for the remaining portion of that."

The $66.1 million proposed CIP is a decrease from the current budget years $99.9 million capital budget. Additionally, the $66.1 million is the first year of the proposed five-year CIP, which totals $468.9 million over fiscal years 2024-28 and is funded with both city and non-city resources. Non-city resources include grants and donations received from outside agencies.

The total city resources for the proposed FY 2024 CIP budget is $57,999,075, an increase of roughly 6% from the approved FY 2023 CIP.

The Parks and Recreation Department is requesting $450,000 for stadium seat replacement at Lewis & Clark Park and $175,000 for caulking under seats.

"Caulking under those seats is not going to make any difference. You're going to have to find an epoxy that you can put in those holes, and that's not 175,000 bucks worth," Mayor Bob Scott said.

Last September, the City Council, in a split decision, voted against a resolution adopting plans, specifications, form of contract and estimated cost for the replacement of 2,300 more plastic seats at the park.

Before that 2022 vote, Sioux City Parks and Recreation Director Matt Salvatore told the council that the city budgeted around $135,000 to cover the replacement of 770 seats, which are slated to be installed this spring.

Salvatore told the council on Saturday that the original sets of seats are shipping on March 9.

The council is expected to further discuss the matter at a budget wrap up session slated for Feb. 15.
STORM LAKE, IOWA -- A Storm Lake woman was flown to a Sioux City hospital with injuries after a two-vehicle crash Friday in Buena Vista County.

According to a minimal crash report from the Iowa State Patrol, the crash happened at 6:20 p.m. at the intersection of Highway 71 and 600th St.

Ann Krummen, 40, was driving a 2022 GMC Terrain eastbound on 600th St. and failed to yield the right of way from the stop sign, before her vehicle collided in the intersection with a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado, which was driven by Michael Sly, 37, of Dallas Center, Iowa.

Krummen was taken to MercyOne Siouxland Medical Center via Wings Air Ambulance.

Alcohol is a suspected factor in the collision, according to the State Patrol.
NEW YORK  Countless artists have taken inspiration from The Starry Night since Vincent Van Gogh painted the swirling scene in 1889.

Now artificial intelligence systems are doing the same, training themselves on a vast collection of digitized artworks to produce new images you can conjure in seconds from a smartphone app.

The images generated by tools such as DALL-E, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion can be weird and otherworldly but also increasingly realistic and customizable  ask for a peacock owl in the style of Van Gogh" and they can churn out something that might look similar to what you imagined.

But while Van Gogh and other long-dead master painters aren't complaining, some living artists and photographers are starting to fight back against the AI software companies creating images derived from their works.

Two new lawsuits  one this week from the Seattle-based photography giant Getty Images  take aim at popular image-generating services for allegedly copying and processing millions of copyright-protected images without a license.

Getty said it has begun legal proceedings in the High Court of Justice in London against Stability AI  the maker of Stable Diffusion  for infringing intellectual property rights to benefit the London-based startup's commercial interests.

Another lawsuit in a U.S. federal court in San Francisco describes AI image-generators as 21st-century collage tools that violate the rights of millions of artists. The lawsuit, filed on Jan. 13 by three working artists on behalf of others like them, also names Stability AI as a defendant, along with San Francisco-based image-generator startup Midjourney, and the online gallery DeviantArt.

The lawsuit alleges that AI-generated images compete in the marketplace with the original images. Until now, when a purchaser seeks a new image in the style of a given artist, they must pay to commission or license an original image from that artist.

Companies that provide image-generating services typically charge users a fee. After a free trial of Midjourney through the chatting app Discord, for instance, users must buy a subscription that starts at $10 per month or up to $600 a year for corporate memberships. The startup OpenAI also charges for use of its DALL-E image generator, and Stability AI offers a paid service called DreamStudio.

Stability AI said in a statement that Anyone that believes that this isnt fair use does not understand the technology and misunderstands the law.

In a December interview with The Associated Press, before the lawsuits were filed, Midjourney CEO David Holz described his image-making service as kind of like a search engine pulling in a wide swath of images from across the internet. He compared copyright concerns about the technology with how such laws have adapted to human creativity.

Can a person look at somebody elses picture and learn from it and make a similar picture? Holz said. Obviously, its allowed for people and if it wasnt, then it would destroy the whole professional art industry, probably the nonprofessional industry, too. To the extent that AIs are learning like people, its sort of the same thing and if the images come out differently then it seems like its fine.

The copyright disputes mark the beginning of a backlash against a new generation of impressive tools  some of them introduced just last year  that can generate new visual media, readable text and computer code on command.

They also raise broader concerns about the propensity of AI tools to amplify misinformation or cause other harm. For AI image generators, that includes the creation of nonconsensual sexual imagery.

Some systems produce photorealistic images that can be impossible to trace, making it difficult to tell the difference between whats real and whats AI. And while some have safeguards in place to block offensive or harmful content, experts fear its only a matter of time until people use these tools to spread disinformation and further erode public trust.

Once we lose this capability of telling whats real and whats fake, everything will suddenly become fake because you lose confidence of anything and everything, said Wael Abd-Almageed, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Southern California.

As a test, the AP submitted a text prompt on Stable Diffusion featuring the keywords Ukraine war and Getty Images. The tool created photo-like images of soldiers in combat with warped faces and hands, pointing and carrying guns. Some of the images also featured the Getty watermark, but with garbled text.

AI can also get things wrong, like feet and fingers or details on ears that can sometimes give away that theyre not real, but theres no set pattern to look out for. Those visual clues can also be edited. On Midjourney, users often post on the Discord chat asking for advice on how to fix distorted faces and hands.

For all the backlash, there are many people who embrace the new AI tools and the creativity they unleash. Some use them as a hobby to create intricate landscapes, portraits and art; others to brainstorm marketing materials, video game scenery or other ideas related to their professions.

There's plenty of room for fear, but what can else can we do with them? asked the artist Refik Anadol this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he displayed an exhibit of climate-themed work created by training AI models on a trove of publicly available images of coral.

At the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Anadol designed Unsupervised," which draws from artworks in the museums prestigious collection  including The Starry Night  and feeds them into a digital installation generating animations of mesmerizing colors and shapes in the museum lobby.

The installation is constantly changing, evolving and dreaming 138,000 old artworks at MoMAs archive, Anadol said. From Van Gogh to Picasso to Kandinsky, incredible, inspiring artists who defined and pioneered different techniques exist in this artwork, in this AI dream world.

***

How AI predicts what youll buy How AI predicts what youll buy Compiling user movement across the web Identifying user characteristics Mapping user location data Matching new users to known customers who look and act in similar ways IP address targeting by network connection
DES MOINES --- Rita Hart, a former candidate for Congress and lieutenant governor, and one of the last Democrats to represent a rural district in the Legislature, was elected Saturday by her fellow Iowa Democrats to lead the party as it attempts to rebound from a string of poor election performances in the state.

Elected to a two-year term during a virtual meeting of the Iowa Democratic Partys leadership committee, Hart assumes leadership of the state party as Democrats are reeling from poor election outcomes in 2014, 2016, 2020 and 2022 in the state and as the party is fresh off its presidential caucuses being stripped of their enviable first-in-the-nation status.

Hart, 66, of Wheatland, did not immediately speak after her election, but during her remarks ahead of the vote pledged to focus primarily on winning elections in Iowa. In her candidacy letter to state party leaders, she highlighted a need for Democrats to raise more money in order to build a stronger campaign apparatus.

Hart noted that she twice won elections in a statehouse district carried by Donald Trump, and outperformed Joe Biden more than other Democratic congressional candidates.

She said she has gained even more perspective on what it will take for Iowa Democrats to win elections again while serving as chair of the Clinton County Democrats over the past year.

Ive seen at a grassroots level the kind of support that our county parties need in order to work more effectively, Hart said. Im under no illusions that this will be easy, and I know that it will take time, but I am heartened by the support that Ive heard from the (state party leadership committee) and from folks across our state.

Hart succeeds state Rep. Ross Wilburn from Ames, who stepped down after serving as party chair the past two years. Wilburn was the first Black Iowan to serve as a major party state chair.

I know that we have made some important strides since January of 2021  even if it doesnt feel like it, Wilburn told party members during the meeting. We did our best to fight for a better future for every Iowan.

Hart was selected over two other candidates:

Brittany Ruland, 32, who moved to Iowa in 2019 to work on Bernie Sanders presidential campaign and also worked on Eddie Mauros U.S. Senate campaign in 2020 and Sarah Trone Garriotts state legislative campaign in 2022. In the latter, Trone Garriott defeated former Iowa Senate President Jake Chapman.

And Bob Krause, 73, a former state legislator who ran for the U.S. Senate nomination in 2010 and 2016 and for governor in 2014.

Hart received 34 votes, Ruland 14 and Krause one.

Hart served in the Iowa Senate and was Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbells running mate in 2018, losing to Gov. Kim Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg by 3 percentage points.

Hart later lost her 2020 congressional race to Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks by a historically close six votes. Hart is now serving as chair of the Clinton County Democratic Party.

In an email to members of the State Central Committee, Hart wrote that she has never previously considered leading the party, but that she cares deeply about Iowa Democrats success.

My focus is squarely on helping our party begin winning elections again. With that focus on winning in mind, I have worked to put together a series of proposals on the governance of our party and structure of staff that will put IDPs focus squarely on supporting our elected leaders and candidates for office, Hart wrote.

The email included a document she called her Mandate for Change that emphasizes the need for the state party to raise money so that it can adequately invest in candidates and amplify a statewide message, including hiring a staffer to manage online fundraising as part of a proposed small-dollar donor program.

The plan also calls for hiring positions dedicated to content generation, digital and field organizing, and a data director to manage and improve the partys voter database.

Instead of starting with four organizers covering 20-plus counties each, we will begin with organizers having responsibility for only a couple of contiguous counties and responsible for working that turf all off-year aggressively, Hart wrote. This program will grow to cover more counties as more funding becomes available and serves as a pilot for an eventual 99-county year-round program.

Hart proposed prioritizing smaller, swing counties in a statewide race as well as counties that need additional capacity to grow but have shown clear signs of committed leadership.

As for the Democratic Iowa caucuses, Hart during a virtual forum hosted by the Southwest Iowa Democrats did not say whether she thinks the party should hold an unsanctioned caucus in defiance of the Democratic National Committee, as some have suggested.

None of the three candidates for state chair during Saturdays meeting mentioned the caucuses during their remarks.

State party members spent the first two hours of the meeting arguing over newly created constituency groups  one for Arab Americans and one for environmental and climate change issues  that were not formally created and recognized in time to vote in Saturdays leadership election.

Tom Barton of The Gazette Des Moines Bureau contributed to this report.
Earlier this week, Amazon launched RxPass, a prescription drug service that costs Prime members $5 a month for as many eligible generic medications as they need. The announcement follows the unveiling, last January, of another novel prescription initiative, Cost Plus Drug Company, an online pharmacy developed by billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban. By cutting out middlemen, Cuban promises to offer many generic drugs for a fraction of the cost that other pharmacies charge. Both endeavors yank health insurance from the equation, allowing the process of buying prescriptions to feel a bit more like buying paper towels.

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Because the average American spends around $1,300 a year for prescription drugs, more than people in any other country, and millions of Americans are underinsured, the announcements have generated lots of interest. Given that this is Mark Cuban, the larger-than-life investor extraordinaire of Shark Tank fame, and Amazon, the society-altering guilty addiction, its natural to expect that both endeavors will disrupt and deliver.

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I reached out to a bunch of specialists in drug pricing to see what they thought. Most were quite tempered about just how revolutionary either project is. Heres a look at why that is, how its possible for Cuban and Amazon to still make millions while charging so little, and some guidance on how to actually find the cheapest generics.

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Lets begin with Amazon. The company has maintained an online pharmacy for more than two years. Whats different about this new offering is that for a flat fee, you can obtain all the eligible generic prescriptions you need. Get your Lisinopril, a widely prescribed high-blood-pressure medication; your Estradiol, an estrogen hormone drug; and depression-treating Bupropion, the generic version of Wellbutrin, for just $5, including shipping! In order to participate, you must first have an Amazon Prime account, something that currently costs $139 per year. Still, given that more than 200 million people are already Prime members, this seems huge.

Its not, said Karen Van Nuys, the executive director of the Value of Life Sciences Innovation program at the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, who called the announcement less exciting than it maybe could have been. Lots of generic drugs only cost pennies a pill, said Van Nuys, who published an illuminating report on generic drug pricing last year. Plus, Amazons list only includes 50 or so generic drugs. Therefore she feels that $5 for 30 days worth isnt actually that impressive. Though youll never go above $5, its unlikely that someone who takes multiple medications would find them all covered. Others noted that though focusing on generics is helpfulsince they account for the majority of prescriptionsoften the most expensive medications are brand-name drugs. The pass is also off-limits to customers in a handful of states, including California, and individuals with Medicare and Medicaid.

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Still, its no mystery why this is a smart move for Amazon. First of all, because most of the generics they are including are so cheapand they already have shipping infrastructure set up it likely wont be hard for them to break even. And once they start delivering medications in a few hours, this will boost their appeal further. Amazons real goal is probably to be the king of online pharmacies, replacing many retail, in-person pharmacies over time, said John Lu, a health economist who is the director of the UCLA Seminar on Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy, over email. He offered the helpful context that the average retail cost for a generic is somewhere between $20 and $30.

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Now lets look at Mark Cubans effort. Cubans Cost Plus Drug Company is offering hundreds of generic medications. The pitch is that Cuban negotiates directly with wholesalers and bypasses price-inflating middlemen. Then, in an unusually transparent move, he marks up all prices by just 15 percent, and tacks on a $3 pharmacy fee and $5 shipping fee. Unlike with Amazon, there are no major restrictions on who can use it and no membership is required. Lets revisit those same drugs from before:

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 Lisinopril: Starting at $8.60 for 30 pills from Cuban, including shipping.

 Estradiol: Starting at $10.10 including shipping.

 Bupropion: Starting at $9.80 including shipping.

Where Cubans effort really stands out is with many drugs not offered through Amazon. One example Cuban likes to tout: Imatinib, a generic leukemia treatment. He charges around $47 per month, while other retailers charge $9,657, he declared in a press release last year.

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Still, this could exaggerate the novelty of what hes offering. Craig Garthwaite, a professor who studies pricing and innovation in the biopharmaceutical sector at Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, noted that cheaper options have long been available if you knew where to look.

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Since Imatinib appears in many news articles about Cost Plus, lets use 60 100-milligram tablets as an example:

 Cost to manufacture, according to Cost Plus site: $19.80

 Cost to purchase from Cost Plus: $25.80 plus $5 shipping, so $30.80

 Costco: around $130.

 GeniusRx: $120.

 GoodRxs prescription comparison tool (very useful for comparing options!) shows that while CVS charges $10,624 and RiteAid charges $5,460, you can also get a coupon to bring it down to $547 at CVS and $51 at RiteAid.

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 Amazon and Walmart: not available.

Yes, Cuban beats them all. And even if the vouchers came closer to Cubans prices, there are many reasons why forcing people to become coupon experts is not the optimal way to counter inflated drug costs. But the savings arent quite as dramatic as some framings of his endeavor have made it seem. Still, his project, along with Amazons, offers an important reminder: generic drug prices are far from standard across the board, and so we should be shopping around.

They offer a second lesson as well: Insurance is not always as helpful as many of us assume it is. Both Amazon and Cuban are offering these excellent prices without insurance. How is that possible?! Largely because generic medicines are often exploited by middlemen that seize significant profits at the expense of patients and the companies that make the medicines, explained Allen Goldberg, a spokesman for the Association for Accessible Medicines, a trade organization representing manufacturers and distributors of generic prescription drugs. Sometimes that means that despite all that effort you go through to dig up your insurance card number, youd pay the same amount without it.

Occasionally, as Van Nuys at USC has found, that means that youd pay more. Yes, more! The good news for uninsured and underinsured people: if a generic is available, with careful sourcing, you may be able to avoid any cost disadvantage.
When someone shot up Linda Lopezs house, the truth is: She didnt even know it, and she was there. Lopez lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The shooting happened on Jan. 3. That night, shed stayed up late with her kids, and then theyd all gone to bed. It was about 1 in the morning when Lopez heard the bangs. And she assumed she knew what they were: fireworks.

Lopezs 10-year-old daughter, Cherish, came into her room. Cherish had her own theories about what had woken her up. She thought maybe a spider had plopped down on her face? Theyd had spiders before. Shed felt something, she knew that much. She said shed felt some sand or dirt on her face and on her nose, Lopez said. And I told her, Sweetheart, maybe Mom needs to clean the fan on top of the bed. Its not like Im the best housekeeper in the world, so I thought maybe thats something that needs to happen.

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Then, they went back to sleep.

About 6:30, quarter of 7, I woke up and proceeded to turn on the bathroom light. I looked toward my bed, and on the wall, you could see what had happened. There was a hole in my wall above my bed. And then I looked to the left, and there was a hole through the closet door12 bullet holes total. My daughters room is right next to mine. And the trajectory that the bullet had, it could have grazed her head if she had been sitting up.

After seeing the damage inside, Lopez threw on a robe and slippers and went out front. Thats when she saw that the garage had been sprayed with bullets, too. So she pulled out her cellphone and called for help. Lopez works as a state senator, so she knew how to get the police chief on the line. Within 30 minutes, police were present, and I had to wake up the children because they were still asleep.

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Lopez has been working in politics for almost 30 years. I asked her at what point it crossed her mind that what had happened could have been politically motivated. Ive had threats over the years, maybe via email or maybe somebody will leave a message on my home phone number. But its never risen to this point, Lopez said. When I was speaking to Chief Medina that morning, I distinctly remember he said, Well, youre the third one. Two county commissioners had also had their home shot up.

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On Thursdays episode of What Next, I spoke with Linda Lopez about how a series of brazen, partisan attacks in New Mexico are making her rethink what it means to work across the aisle. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Mary Harris: As soon as state Sen. Linda Lopez realized other politicians had been attacked, she started reaching out to them. Pretty soon she realized it wasnt three Democrats whod been shot at; it was four. And for a little while, no one knew why, exactly. But pretty soon, that changed. Eventually, police ended up tracing the attacks to a man named Solomon Pena, who had recently run for the state House of Representatives as a Republican, and lost. Pena refused to concede and took to Twitter to claim the election had been rigged.

Authorities now say Pena hired four men to carry out these shootings, aimed at area Democrats. In addition to Lopez and those two county commissioners, a state representative named Javier Martinez was also attacked at home. Lopez had been hit last, and Pena allegedly attended that shooting himself. He was arrested on Jan. 16. When Solomon Pena was arrested, were you surprised?

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Linda Lopez: Just grateful. Grateful that someone can be and will be held accountable for what happened. I still have many questions, to be honest. With our county commissionersour county commission is the entity that certifies election results, so I kind of get it. For those who are election deniers, they go first to the body that certifies election results. But where do I come in this picture? Why me? Why my family?

You told my producer that basically you knew him because he had a big billboard near your house and that was sort of the beginning and the end of it.

Yeah, thats it. Theres this one major thoroughfare that goes from the west side of Albuquerque over to the east side, crossing the Rio Grande. And you see the big billboard of Solomon Pena running for House district, and Id see that every day. Thats about the closest Ive ever come to meeting Mr. Pena or knowing who he was. Of course, he was running against Rep. Miguel Garcia. But the Senate district that Mr. Pena has his place of living in is not in my Senate district. So for me, Ive just been trying to piece together why me.

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It seems to me like Pena was kind of a distinctive candidate. He described himself as the MAGA king, and his candidacy was controversial enough that other Democrats had taken note. And actually Rep. Miguel Garcia had tried to make it so that Pena could not serve if he won the election. So it seems like he was sort of on peoples radar.

Most of us were aware of the news when Rep. Garcia sued in court to have Mr. Pena removed from the ballot. That was when it became much more public about his background.

Penas background was controversial for a lot of reasons. He claimed to have attended riots at the Capitol on Jan. 6, for instance. But it wasnt just that he was a vocal supporter of Donald Trump; he also had an extensive criminal record. He had spent seven years in prison for a string of robberies on big-box stores, which Democrats had argued should have disqualified him from serving. And in his district, critics also said he was an overly aggressive campaigner, urging voters to change their party affiliation to vote for him. But a judge ultimately decided that Pena could stay in the race.

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What I have seen over my years is judges are very reluctant to remove somebody from the ballot.

Eventually Pena lost his legislative race by a significant margin, like 50 points, almost.

Right. The district that he was running in as a Republican is a solid Democrat district. And I think he already knew what the outcome was going to be, quite frankly.

One of the strange things to me is that right after he was allegedly involved with the shooting at your home, Solomon Pena was elected to a leadership position in the county Republican Partya county ward chairman.

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Yeah. Our county is broken up into wards. And in the particular ward for the Republican Party, he was elected, which is so ludicrous. I am hoping that the Republican Party of Bernalillo County will remove him at this point in time. But the response from the Republican Party for the stateits interesting. Theyre waiting until hes proven guilty. The decision that was made by the judge in district court is that hes going to stay in jail until the trial begins, which Im grateful for. But, this should be an automatic removal as ward chair. So TBD. Lets see what they really are going to do.

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Have any of your Republican colleagues reached out to you to talk about what you experienced?

I do have a couple of legislators who did reach out to me and did share their disgust with what happened. And I really appreciate the outreach that did take place. I know that Senate Republicans did have a press conference that mentioned something to the effect that this is uncalled for, etc., etc. But thats the extent of it at this point.

I wonder if you thought about saying, like, Im so grateful for your comments. What are you going to do now?

Thats part of a conversation that still needs to be hadon a national level. This happened here in New Mexico, yes, but its happened in other places across the country. Its not just localized. You can look at the governor of Michigan. You can look at our secretary of state here in New Mexico, whos been threatened. You can look at other secretaries of state whove also been threatened because of this whole issue of election deniers. And thats kind of what happened on Jan. 6 with the insurrection. Its a bigger issue across this country. Its not just localized here in New Mexico. Its a bigger thing. And I really believe that its an underlying issue about safeguarding our democracy. And as I said before, Im sworn to uphold the constitution of the state. Im also sworn to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. And apparently the national Republican Partytheyve got problems. And if the national folks cant take care of it, then what are we going to do at the local level?

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Theres this one detail about the attack on her home that Linda Lopez cant shake. Its about how easy it would have been for things to have gone much, much worse. Authorities now allege that Solomon Pena himself came to Lopezs home because he thought previous shootings hadnt been violent enough. He reportedly brought his own automatic weapon.

Im not very familiar with guns, but he essentially had a gun that had a huge magazine attached to it, and it jammed while he was shooting at our house. If that gun had not jammed, it would have been a very different story.

This detail lingers because it connects so neatly to her workwork she has yet to finish.

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Ive introduced and co-sponsored legislation in the past about reducing bump stocks and all the other stuff. And I just did this this session again, too.

Gun control legislation.

We cannot keep going the way we are. Its an epidemic in this country. We have to come to some point where we cant use, and should not be using, guns as the end-all response. Even for me, somebody came up to me and said, Well, why dont you go get some guns now? That way you can protect yourself. And thats kind of the mantra. And I said, No, Im not going to do that. There are other ways. I believe that we can have a discourse. But just because theres more shootings now, you have to arm yourself to protect yourself and your family and your property. Theres that whole radicalization of guns. Yes, the Constitution guarantees it to us, but how far do we go? And I am going to learn a lot more as time progresses because its something that has hit close to home, very close to home.

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Given all this, I wonder if youre approaching your job any differently right now, especially since what happened is so tied to your work.

It causes me to be keeping my eyes open, watching my back, making sure that I know where the kids are and they know where Im at. My neighbors alsoIve noticed that change, that were all checking in. And I think thats the most important thing that we can do because I also believe part of this tactic was to bring fear into the mix. And fear doesnt have a place in my home. Fear doesnt have a place in our community. Theyre not going to win on that. And if that was part of the intent of what Mr. Pena and his associates or whoever else is associated with this action that was taking place in our community, fears not going to win.

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Are you sleeping in your house again?

Oh, yes. I try and keep it as normal as possible for the family because I dont want for the fear to take over.

What was the hardest question your daughter asked you?

Two of them, I would say. She did ask, Why us, Mom? And the second, that she has stated repeatedly, is she says, Im very lucky. And when a 10-year-old is able to do thatbecause 10-year-olds in my world are supposed to be a little more happy, thinking about many other thingsfor this to be on her mind and to ask me those questions, it gives me as a mom the challenge of trying to find how we work through this. And were working on it just one day at a time. Were still processing, and its going to take a while. Its not going to be over tomorrow. Its not going to be over next week. Its going to take time. But well get there. We will get there.
Tow operator John Cortina arrives at federal court in Hammond on Thursday, May 10, 2018. Former Portage Mayor James Snyder's campaign finance reports still show a loan to Cortina. (Kyle Telechan/Post Tribune) (Kyle Telechan/Post-Tribune / Chicago Tribune)

Years after he last ran for office and ultimately had to resign because of federal convictions on charges of public corruption and defrauding the IRS, former Portage Mayor James Snyder still has his mayoral campaign fund open.

The most recent form, filed Jan. 3 ahead of a Jan. 18 deadline for annual campaign finance reports for any open campaign committees, reflects a $6,000 loan from John Cortina, as do a handful from previous years.

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Snyder was initially charged with two federal corruption charges, one involving contracts for garbage trucks and another for reportedly accepting a $12,000 bribe from Cortina for a towing contract. A jury found Snyder not guilty on the bribery charge involving Cortina; Cortina pleaded guilty in the case.

Snyder is asking for a new trial on the convictions for the charges involving the garbage truck purchases and the IRS, with the hope that he will be exonerated. Meanwhile, the fund remains open, said his campaign treasurer, Kenard Taylor, because if Snyders public corruption doesnt stand, he can, under state statute, seek reimbursement for legal funds from the city of Portage.

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You cannot close a campaign account owing money to anybody or having any money in the bank, said Taylor, who has served as a campaign treasurer for elected officials from both parties, including former Porter County Sheriff David Reynolds and former Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson, both Democrats. He also reviews campaign finance reports for Porter Countys Elections and Voter Registration Office.

Thats why I have to keep filing those reports. Id rather not, Taylor said, adding he has not billed Snyder a fee for his services since his conviction. If Snyders charges are overturned and his campaign fund is replenished, we will discuss the fees appropriate to the action Ive taken. Its not much.

Snyders most recent campaign finance report reflects $195.41 in cash on hand; the $6,000 loan to Cortina; and a $2,949.29 loan Snyder made to his campaign.

Former Portage Mayor James Snyder arrives to the first day of his retrial at the federal courthouse in Hammond on Tuesday, March 9, 2021. (Kyle Telechan / Post-Tribune)

Snyder, who was indicted on the federal charges in November 2016 and received the funds from Cortina in January 2016, according to his previous campaign finance reports, did not return a request for comment about the open campaign fund or how much his legal defense has cost over the past several years.

That loan has not been paid off yet, Taylor said of Cortinas loan to Snyder. Its not been resolved because the case has not been resolved as far as James overall case.

Once Snyders federal charges are resolved and if hes found not guilty, the city of Portage would have some degree of responsibility for his legal fees.

If Snyder is successful on both quests, exoneration and the request for reimbursement for the fees related to the public corruption charge, Taylor said, that money comes back to the campaign fund.

At that point, Snyder can pay Cortina for the loan. If Snyder is not successful, Taylor said, he can come up with the funds to return the money or Cortina can absolve him of the loan.

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In January 2019, Cortina, then 80, pleaded guilty to a charge that he paid bribes to Snyder to get a spot on the tow list. Cortina did not testify during the trial, invoking his Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate himself, according to court documents. He was sentenced on Jan. 22, 2020 to time served and a $12,000 fine.

Snyder, who was elected mayor in 2011 and 2015, had relied heavily on his campaign fund from his run for mayor to offset his legal fees. The once-robust fund, which a 2017 campaign finance fund annual report showed had about $102,000 in contributions and expenditures, including $41,000 in legal fees, had dwindled to a balance of $233.41 at the start of 2020.

Much of the activity in and out of the fund ceased around mid-February of 2019, when Snyder was convicted and forced out of office. Expenditures included $5,000 for legal fees for one of his attorneys at the time, Jackie Bennett Jr., paid out March 5, 2019.

They also include more than $4,400 in hotel expenses for legal meetings; $2,300 for additional legal work; and hundreds of dollars for restaurant bills for legal meetings, including a tab of almost $500 at Ginos Steakhouse in Merrillville, paid in January 2019.

How much Snyder is reimbursed by the city of Portage for his legal fees, if one or both of his convictions are dismissed, is up to the city council.

The statute allows the fiscal body to determine what reasonable attorneys fees would be, said Dan Whitten, Portages city attorney. Well cross that bridge when we get to it.

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State statute, Whitten said, requires a complete acquittal before the fiscal body can consider reimbursement. The council also would determine what a reasonable amount for reimbursement might be.

If Snyders conviction on the IRS charge were to stand, that could impede his ability to seek reimbursement for legal expenses related to the public corruption fund.

I dont believe thats the intent of the statute, to have a convicted felon feeding at the public trough, Whitten said.

alavalley@chicagotribune.com
Welcome to this weeks edition of the Surge, whose capacity for absorbing cringe expanded when Sen. Richard Blumenthal made a Taylor Swift pun.





This week, we check in on Kevin McCarthys efforts to boot a few Democrats off committees, which are running into trouble in one case. (In Adam Schiffs case, though, its money in the bank.) George Santos is either attempting a cunning PR strategy of laughing at himself or succumbing to an anxiety spiral, another former vice president was busted keeping classified docs as bathroom reading material, and Senate Democrats responded with a resounding tra-la-la to questions about their Arizona Senate endorsement.





Let us begin, though, with a look at the ambitions of Kevin McCarthys bestest friend in the whole wide world.
Earlier this month, two young Black men died shortly after encounters with police: On Jan. 3, Keenan Anderson died after members of the Los Angeles Police Department stopped, restrained, and tasered him multiple times. On Jan. 10, Tyre Nichols died from his injuries three days after Memphis police officers beat, pepper-sprayed, and tased him.

Theres a fact about these two tragedies that distinguish them from many prior policing deaths: Nonwhite officers were involved in Andersons death. And all five involved in Tyre Nichols killing are Black. Those five officers were all charged with murder this week.

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In the latest episode of A Word, host Jason Johnson speaks to Phillip Ateba Goff, an African American studies and psychology professor at Yale who also co-founded the Center for Policing Equity, about the psychology and politics of fighting police violence, and how much changing the demographics of the police force actually matters. Below is an excerpt from the conversation; it has been edited for length and clarity.

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Jason Johnson: Tyre Nichols and Keenan Anderson were both killed by police in the opening weeks of 2023and despite the so-called racial reckoning, police killings actually rose in 2022, with Black Americans suffering disproportionately.

One of the things that people always talk about is, like, Hey, we need more police officers who are similar in race and culture to the people theyre policing. We need them to be from the neighborhoods. But weve seen in these situations there were officers of color involved in Andersons death. All five of the Tennessee officers involved in killing Tyre Nichols are Black. So is diversifying police really going to do anything about this issue of police violence?

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Phillip Ateba Goff: So will it do anything is a different question than is that where we should focus? To the degree that there is a debate between reform and abolition on policing or the carceral state or anything else, it is in my mind the original Black political debate, which is: Do we make something betterdo we make this system weve got better for ourselves and stop catching hell tomorrow? Or do we say thats not going to be sufficient and we need to tear it all down and build something entirely different up? And if you look at the history of those conversations, I mean, theres points to be made on both sides of the conversation, but usually the most radical progress for Black communities has happened when those two things are held in creative tension. Its not the case that the only way that you can envision a world where we dont have systems of punishment and we only have systems of care, is that you do nothing about the system tomorrow, right? And Black folks catching hell will tell you, Yeah, Id like to have a system where its massively better and it wasnt set up as a sort of an analog to slavery. Also, please stop beating my ass.

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So when you ask the question, will it do anything, I have changed my mind on this. So I used to say out loud for lots of people to hear, Getting my ass beat by someone whos Black versus getting my ass beat by someone whos white, I still got beat. It hurts the same. I have also said it is politically different if the entire force looks white and its an occupying force in a Black community. But more recent research demonstrated that in Chicago, with the best data that weve ever had, that you see a massive difference between white male and Black officers, white male and white women officersand I had never seen evidence that was remotely convincing that the demographics of the officers would make a difference, but the white women had a vastly lower use of force rates, because they werent beating Black people. They were not using force against Black people.

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And that was, I got to say, a little bit shocking to me to see it in such stark relief, and its really strong data. That doesnt say to me that in every city its like that, because if youve ever been to Chicago, Chicago is a different kind of city. But it says to me that its possible that thats the ceiling, the most difference the demographics could make. But they made an enormous difference.

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And so it was not intuitive to me that that would be a thing. It is absolutely not the thing that I would suggest, that we have to make that our No. 1 priority, but I no longer scoff at that as a potential way to mitigate some of the terrible harms that we see. I would only say in every city where I have worked, it is the fact of the police and not the kind of the police that is the biggest lever for reducing the state-sponsored violence. And I take that from working with the police in many of those cities and the police saying, If you send us there, we have a limited number of tools and were going to use them, so if you dont want these outcomes, stop sending us.

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Johnson: You got a Black woman whos the head of the police department in Memphis. We now have a Black woman, Karen Bass, who is now the mayor of Los Angeles. Many people believe that having these Black mayors can actually have an impact on how some of these police departments are operating. Is there any evidence for that? Is there any evidence for Black mayors either reining in these departments, holding them accountable? Wheres the data pointing as far as these Black mayors and policing in cities?

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Goff: I can tell you, we dont know a whole heck of a lot about the Black mayors. We know a little bit about Black chiefs of police, which is kind of a similar question, and it has always been the case that when you put Black people in charge of oppressive systems, that the systems change less than the people in charge of them do, right? There is some evidence in peer-reviewed journals that I would trust that says when you put a Black person in charge of a police department, you get more accountability. So more sustained complaints, you see a lower rate of arrest and a lower use of force, but these are marginal effects. And the question shouldnt be, is this a thing that could have any impact, but: Is this where we should put our resources?

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Its fine to say we want more representative policing. I think in general thats going to be good. Its definitely OK to say we want a more representative democracy. When I started doing this work, there were two to three Black chiefs at what are called the Major Cities Chiefs Association, which is just the largest municipal law enforcement agencies across the United States. And now, its majority Black, majority Black. And thats not that long a time in the history of things; 15-some odd years that clearly hasnt solved the problem. Its not the majority of cities thats like, Nah, racisms not a thing anymore. So its definitely not going to be the whole package. And I would make the argument that demographics and personnel are a relatively smaller portion of the problem than [the fact that] weve decided to give up on whole swaths of communities. Weve not invested in the resources they need to keep themselves safe, and instead of giving them those resources so theyre not in crisis, we quote-unquote, solve crises by sending people whose job it is to decide whether or not you continue to breathe or live outside of a cage.

Thats an insane way to try and solve problems that we have made choices about as policies. We told those communities: Here are the problems were willing to let you have and now were going to punish you if you happen to fall into it. That is a much bigger lever on fixing those problems than changing the demographics of the people who are in charge of the system.

Listen to the entire episode here:
After charges were officially announced against five officers involved in the beating and subsequent death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, the Memphis District Attorney quietly confirmed a critical detail: the officers were part of the SCORPION Unit. The unit is a special division of the Memphis Police Department that was launched in 2021 in response to outrage over George Floyds murder, and the intention was reportedly to find a better way to address the citys rising crime. In light of Nichols death, the MPD police chief Cerelyn Davis announced a review of the use of all special units, including Scorpion.

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Memphis was struggling with a high murder rate even before the pandemic, with 346 murders in a city of about 600,000 people in 2020. The FBI ranked it as the most dangerous city in the U.S. that year, and then, in line with the trend around the country, murders in the city rose by roughly 5 percent in 2021.

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The city responded by launching the SCORPION UnitSCORPION is an acronym, standing for the Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods. Its comprised of 40 officers who focus primarily on homicides, aggravated assaults, robberies, and carjackings. Officers are deployed to areas where the police department receives a high volume of calls daily. They are often in unmarked cars, making traffic stops, seizing weapons, and conducting arrests.

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In addition to forming the SCORPION Unit, the effort to curb police violence seemed to have prompted the Memphis police to also implement reforms of their own that caught national attention. For example, it banned the use of no-knock warrants, a tactic involved in Breonna Taylors killing, in 2020. Memphis mayor Jim Strickland also introduced a program called Reimagine Policing, which welcomed citizens to offer feedback on the citys public safety services in an effort to increase transparency. A report analyzing the responses included recommendations to evaluate MPDs use of excessive force and improve community relations. The city also published a report that details when firearms and force were used by MPD. It found that physical force has been used far more in the years since 2016 when compared to baton, chemical agent, or taser.

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In the few years that it existed, some residents complained of negative experiences with the SCORPION Unit. One man recounted his experience just days before they pulled over Nichols, telling local media that Scorpion Unit officers were physically and verbally aggressive to him. He was not arrested, and he said he tried to file a complaint with MPDs internal affairs but never heard back.

One of the Nichols family attorneys described MPDs SCORPION Unit as a suppression unit that winds up oppressing vulnerable Black and brown communities. This SCORPION Unit was designed to saturate under the guise of crime fighting, Antonio Romanucci said. He charged that the unit ended up creating a pattern of bad behavior by officers. A video of the beating that proceeded Nichols death is set to be released tonight. The officers involved in the beating were all Black.

The family has called on Davis to immediately disband the unit. It hasnt done thatinstead, he five officers who were involved in the beating were immediately let go. Davis confirmed on Friday that an outside entity will be hired to review her departments specialized units from every angle. Strickland said the SCORPION Unit has been inactive since Nichols death on Jan. 10.
This story is part of Future Tense Fiction, a monthly series of short stories from Future Tense and Arizona State Universitys Center for Science and the Imagination about how technology and science will change our lives.

At first, the hardest part about living on the seastead was the smell.

When Dr. Shelley arrived on the platform built beside a largely abandoned island, it was already overcrowded. I got there a few years after the first group. Apparently, when they arrived, it wasnt so badtwo people to a room, laundry whenever you wanted it. But by the time I got there, it was four in each room, and you could only shower once a week. Laundry every two weeks. The experiments with animals had started. It smelled awful, they say. I seriously considered asking someone to cauterize my nose. The good news was that those old television commercials were rightnose blindness exists. After a few weeks of nausea, I couldnt smell it anymore.

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Dr. Shelleya pseudonymwould spend seven years on the platform, leaving only once, for a six-week vacation to visit family and attend a wedding. Being back in the real world, it was overwhelming, they say. I gorged myself. On the platform, the food was all efficient and nutritionally maximized and disgusting. Breakfast and lunch were those meal replacement shakes, and dinner was usually squishy in some way. I basically never had to use a knife on anything there. On the seastead, each person was allowed only a single carry-on piece of luggage; uniforms were provided. I wore the same shirt and pants until my mother made me go shopping with her. She couldnt understand why I kept saying that I couldnt bring any of it back to work with me.

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Small talk was excruciating, in part because Dr. Shelley couldnt say a word about what they were really doing. I dropped a lot of hints to make people think I was working in the Arctic on top-secret climate-change research funded by the government. But you know what people really want to hear about? Working in the Arctic on climate-change research funded by the government. They sigh. I shouldve told people I was working on mollusk conservation somewhere really boring. No one ever wants to talk about mollusk conservation.

The Bigfeet may be just the beginning of a troubling new era in humanitys relationship with the natural world.

But theres one thing people want to talk about more than top-secret climate research in the Arctic, and thats what Dr. Shelley was actually working on. They were bringing the Bigfeet to life. Few scientific stories have generated as much outrageor press coverage. In the four years since the Bigfeet exploded into public view, their story has been covered with equal ferocity in premier journalism outlets, gossip columns, legal journals, business publications, and the worlds most respected scientific forums. Theyve been the subject of countless podcasts, documentaries, even art installations. What happened when the Bigfeet began appearing is well known. But weve heard far less about how they actually came to be.

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Thats why Matter of Fact magazine set out to create the most thorough accounting to date of the Bigfeets origins. For the first time, a scientist who helped engineer the creatures is speaking on the record. The previously unreported information Dr. Shelley is sharing suggests that the Bigfeet may be just the beginning of a troubling new era in humanitys relationship with the natural world.

Randall Squash was 22 and still going by the surname Catell when he had what he calls his come to Bigfoot moment.

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During childhood camping and hunting trips in eastern Washington state, his father would break out the Bigfoot stories, but they didnt make that much of an impression on him. Maybe something was out there; maybe it wasnt. I was more focused on the animals in the woods that I could see, he says.

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Squash, now 75, dropped out of school after 10th grade and earned his GED. Then he began working at a logging camp in Idaho located on public land and operated by the company Knock on Wood. His older sister, Rebecca, tells me, Randall loved logging. Hed go into the woods for weeks at a time, and then hed come back out and blow his money partying and do it all over again.

Then came the day that would end up changing far more than just his own life.

Some of the guys had talked about Bigfoot being nearby, warning us newbies to be careful. But I just blew it off, Squash says, chuckling at his naive younger self. Until I went for a walk alone and came to a small clearing and almost walked into this giant thing.

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Its a story hes told thousands of times publicly. The creature didnt charge him or roarit just stood there, seeming as curious about him as he was about it. He sniffed a bit and cocked his head to the side, and I swear to God, he smiled. He reached an arm out toward me. Hes standing maybe 10 feet away from me, but hes probably 7, 8 feet tall. And I tore off, thinking he would chase me. But nope, he just stayed there. After running through the brush for a few minutes, branches whacking at my face, Squash stopped to catch his breath. Instead of terror, though, he felt a serenity he hadnt experienced before. It was that smile. And now, whenever Im feeling stressed out or worried or like something terrible is going to happen, I close my eyes and think about that smile, and wow, my heart rate comes down and I know exactly what I have to do next.

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He told some of the loggers about his experience, the ones who had shared Bigfoot stories, but they just laughed.  You know we were kidding around, right? That sort of thing. It infuriated me. They told me all this stuff about Bigfoot being a monster who would snack on my eyeballs, so when I saw him, I ran. But I was communing with that thing even when I didnt want to. What if I hadnt been so scared? What if Id stayed?

(Squash denies his sisters allegations that he was under the influence of psychedelics when he had this experience.)

Before seeing Bigfoot, Squash had intended to live in the moment, to work just enough to be able to really enjoy himself the rest of the time. But the encounter gave him a sense of purpose. During his down weeks, he didnt party much anymore.

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Instead, he devoted his time to reading about Bigfoot online. He learned that modern Bigfoot lore is a mixture of Indigenous legend, rooted in thousands of years of storytelling, and much more recent encounters. Its widely believed that Sasquatch comes from sasqets, a Hulquminum word that refers to a giant, wild, hairy man. Hulquminum is spoken by some Coast Salish people of the Pacific Northwest; other Indigenous people from the region, as well as farther south in Arizona and New Mexico, also have traditions of such a supernatural creature.

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The Anglicization Sasquatch first appeared in 1929, in an article for the Canadian magazine Macleans by J.W. Burns, a teacher at Chehalis Indian School in British Columbia. (Chehalis was another name for the Stsailse, a people who live in British Columbia and for whom the sasqets is a particularly important symbol.) Burns wrote:

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Are the vast mountain solitudes of British Columbia, of which but very few have been so far explored, populated by a hairy race of giantsmennot ape-like men? Persistent rumors led the writer to make diligent enquiries among old Indians. The question relating to the subject was always, or nearly always, evaded with the trite excuse: The white man dont believe, he make joke of the Indian. But after three years of plodding, I have come into possession of information more definite and authentic than has come to light at any previous time.

In the article, Burns shares several stories of Indigenous peoples encounters with Sasquatch. It makes for rather offensive reading. (Is it really so trite for a subjugated people not to want their beliefs and ancestral knowledge mocked?) Nevertheless, it marks an important moment in the history of Sasquatch.

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Still, the idea of Bigfoot was largely restricted to the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia until the 1950s, when the term Bigfoot first entered the lexicon; it was reportedly coined by some loggers who spotted tracks made by something with very Big Feet. (In the same decade, a man published a book claiming that 30 years prior, he had been taken hostage for days by an apparent family of Sasquatches. He was able to escape only when the adult male in the group decided to try some chewing tobacco and began to choke on it.)

Even a supernatural or alien Bigfoot would leave some kind of scientific trace.

Bigfoot became a true cryptozoological blockbuster in 1967 with the release of the controversial footage known as the Patterson-Gimlin film. In that grainy 10-second video, a large, slightly hunched apelike creature lurches past some fallen wood, pausing briefly to look over its shoulder. Biomechanical specialists, primatologists, even special-effects experts from Disney weighed in on its authenticity. Rather than solidifying the existence of Bigfoot, the film more deeply entrenched the divide between believers and skeptics.

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Squash joined what more scientifically inclined Bigfoot hunters dismissively refer to as the woo campthose who think that Sasquatch is supernatural and/or extraterrestrial in some way. I know it sounds completely loony, but those 30 seconds in the woods completely changed my soul, he says. He figured, though, that even a supernatural or alien Bigfoot would leave some kind of scientific trace. Squash wanted to find and, more importantly, share that proof. If he could change my soul in 30 seconds, what could he do for the rest of the world?

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I needed to find Bigfoot again for myself, and for everyone else. That meant he needed moneyreal money.

When Squash wasnt researching Bigfoot, he was studying up on logging, particularly the industrys changing technology and regulations. While at the logging camp, he began to hang around Knock on Wood managers, soaking up their knowledge, learning how to ingratiate himself to them. He was a total suck-up, a former colleague from those days says. And when he wasnt brown-nosing, he was talking about Bigfoot.

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In the years that followed, Squash made himself indispensable to Matt Fluke, Knock on Woods owner and president. When Fluke died, Squash was 28 and found himself heir to the privately held company. He knew Id keep Knock on Wood going. And he knew my mission. He loved Bigfoot. He asked me to tell him the story all the time. Flukes niece, who had anticipated being his heir, sued, but the will was clear. He did everything by the book with the lawyers, Squash says wistfully.

Under Squash, the company thrived. I put way more money into tech and into recruiting and into doing the environmental stuff right. It was better for our business to work with the government instead of against it. And its better for Bigfoot for us to protect where he lives. He paid a group of Bigfoot experts to advise him on areas that should remain free from logging, so as not to put Sasquatchs habitat in danger. (The twice-yearly meeting with those kooks was the highlight of my time working for Squash, his former personal assistant says. They once spent three hours arguing about Squashs habit of referring to every Bigfootat least, every non-Bigfeet Bigfootas male. He kept saying, Im just not convinced they have sex like we do. Everyone else kept pointing to the fact that the figure in the Patterson-Gimlin footage has, well, pretty definite breasts.) He also invested very well, thanks to the counsel of his good friend Thomas Bunch, famed venture capitalist and Silicon Valley oddball.

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But no one realized how much, exactly, the company and Squash had prospered until 25 years ago, when he made a major announcement: He was offering $20 million to anyone who could bring him proof of Bigfoot. He was also legally changing his surname from Catell to Squash, to honor his sense of kinship with the creature.

The announcement garnered the expected zany billionaire coverage, including affectionate dismissal from Bunch, who said at the time, The great news is that hell never have to pay it out.

Dr. Shelley, who was then in grad school, only vaguely remembers hearing the story. It just didnt make any impression on me at all.

Looking for Bigfoot means digging through a lot of shit, figurative and literal.

Even Squash seemed not to believe hed ever give away the money; he wrote up the competition terms himself and published them on a website built by his cousin Stuart Catell, who was a high school senior. Anyone could visit the website and fill out a form about a supposed encounter. Catellwhom Squash paid a few thousand dollars a year to maintain and monitor the sitewould then call them to ask a few questions. If they didnt seem completely unhinged, Catell would send them a package with preaddressed mailers and instructions on how to submit any samples (hair, scat, bone fragments) to a Cascade State University lab to which Squash sends a hefty annual donation. A few potentially legit tips would come in every year, but the results always came back unremarkable: opossums, bear, deer. One sizable fecal matter sample turned out to be human. According to Catell, the chagrined submitter said it probably belonged to a buddy who had drunkenly disregarded the camping groups plan to defecate far away from the tents and then, embarrassed when it was found the next morning, made up a story about seeing Bigfoot.

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Looking for Bigfoot means digging through a lot of shit, figurative and literal, Squash once told Scientific American. In 1958, in a famous incident in Willow Creek, California, some heavy-equipment operators found large, puzzling tracks; a few weeks later, two men spotted a Sasquatch. In a connected incident, another man found fecal matter of absolutely monumental proportions.

Generally, though, the website received little traffic after the first year or two, and even fewer submissions. Still, it was kind of fun for Catell ( Im heavily involved with the hunt for Bigfoot is great for two truths and a lie work icebreakers, he says), and the extra money was nice to have, especially as he made his way through medical school.

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And then, nearly 20 years after Squashs bounty announcement, Catell got home from his shift as an emergency room doctor and found the submission that would unleash the biggest scientific story in decades.

Catell had been expecting a few more submissions than usual. A new crop of videos had recently appeared on social media, and every time Bigfoot was in the news or trending, interest in the bounty would spike. Like most others, hed already mentally dismissed the videos. Sure, they were pretty convincing, the creatures lurching and, weirdly, mooing through the woods of Michigan and Pennsylvania and Georgia and Washington state. But being convincingthats what deepfakes are for, right?

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The submission Catell received that day seemed pretty standard. A mushroom hunter in Washington said he had startled a large creature in the woods; before he could take a picture, it ran off awkwardly, leaving behind a large patch of fur caught in a low tree limb.

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I know its probably nothing, the submitter wrote on the form of Squashs website. But hey, might as well try. After their short screening call, Catell, as he had done countless times before, mailed the submitter packing materials and instructions to ship the fur to the lab at Cascade State. It was so routine that Catell didnt even bother to mention it to his uncle. But six weeks later, Squash got the news: The material came from a previously unidentified primate.

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Squash planned a colossal celebration: a press conference with the person who submitted the remains plus his favorite Bigfoot scientists, a gala with proceeds to benefit Bigfoot conservation, and scholarships for three Cascade State doctoral studentsone in veterinary medicine, one in environmental studies, one in anthropologywho promised to specialize in the newly confirmed creature. Keep those samples coming! he crowed in an interview. (What a mistake, he says mournfully now.)

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The cryptozoological news site Weird Stuff had taken the new videos seriously from the beginning, with articles like Bigfoot Invasion! Where Are They All Coming From? After the announcement, its editor in chief embarked on a social media victory lap, demanding a Pulitzer. He didnt acknowledge the three dozen other times Weird Stuff had falsely claimed that Bigfoot (not to mention aliens) had been discovered.

A few weeks after the festivities, Catell and the Cascade State lab directorwho pleaded not to be named in this storycalled Squash again and told him, We have a problem. Catell and his teenage son were working around the clock, trying to answer new website submissions. The lab was buried in more scat and fur and hacked-off body parts than it could store, let alone test. So far, four more of the tested samplesall received before the first had been announcedaligned with the first mystery primate.

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Squash realized something important: He had never stipulated that there could be only one bounty reward. And he did want everyone to know how many Bigfeet were out there. But this just seemed odd.

He held another ceremony with the four new discoverers, handing over a further $80 million, but the photos show a man with a strained smile. One of that group had found the creature on his own land, shot it, and, with help from his grown sons, dragged it into his meat locker, where he invited local media to visit it after the ceremony. Videos show something that looks like a bizarro A.I. rendering of the traditional Bigfoot, with a purple tongue, oddly short arms, and a faint cow print to its fur.

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When the next set of lab results came outwith hundreds more specimens waiting for testingSquash said he was done. It was never my intention to pay out $20 million indefinitely. Thats not the point of a bounty, he said in an interview with NPR at the time.

I have the money, but I want to spend it on figuring out whats going on, he tells me. Where do these guys live? What do they do all day? Why havent we found them before if there are so many out there? Is climate change flushing them out? Thats where my investment needs to be.

Ignoring the increasingly outraged press cycle and the harassment he was facing, Squash turned his attention to figuring out what had caused this Bigfoot boom. He had a hunchthat it was Thomas Bunch.

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Squash and Bunch became friends in their mid-30s, after both had become wealthy. At parties, they would ignore everyone else and debate how to save the environment. They agreed on the goal but not the means.

Squash hoped to leverage business interests to convince the government to work with conservationists in productive, albeit incremental ways. Bunch believed that private investment could solve climate change, animal population collapse, all the terrifying dystopic visions of the futureif only the government would stay out of the way of scientific research and implementation. At a San Francisco dinner party hosted by a billionaire effective altruist, he sketched out an elaborate plan that involved geoengineering the climate, de-extincting certain plant and animal species, and genetically modifying humans to be smallerso as to require fewer resources to feed, keep warm, etc. He was particularly intrigued with the idea of altering the human genome so people wouldnt be able to digest meat or other animal products. When asked how he would convince people to go along with this, according to two people present at the dinner, he shrugged. They wont have a choice.

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So youre more of an ecofascist than a libertarian? one person reportedly asked him.

Im whatever works, he said before digging into his steak. (Genetic engineering is the only way I could give up meat, he told someone who asked whether he was being hypocritical.)

When Squash changed his name and made his big bounty announcement, Bunch was delighted for him, even finding excuses to mention his friends quixotic hunt in interviews about more-pedestrian topics.

But within a year, they had stopped mentioning each other on social media, and friends say they no longer spoke. According to two sources, Bunch had invested in a renewable energy company that planned to put massive solar arrays on cleared forest land. But to his surprise, Squash funded a wildlands-conservation group mounting an ultimately successful lawsuit against the projectbecause it was an area his Sasquatch council told him was known for Bigfoot sightings. Tom tolerated the Bigfoot thing when it was just a boondoggle. But now Squash was messing with his money and humiliating him, one person close to Bunch says.

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Others with knowledge of the pair say the lawsuit wasnt the cause of the splitit was an effect. The real story, they say, was pretty boring: Their long-term romantic relationship went sour. As one venture capitalist puts it, I see a lot of rich-people divorces, and everything about this screams uber-wealthy couple breaks up and spends a ton of money to be shockingly petty to me.

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Whatever happened, Squash wont say. I understand why people want to know, but its between Tom and me, Squash says. I thought wed both moved on, particularly when I started hearing about the seastead. He always talked about this idea of creating some kind of cow that poops methane-scrubbing waste, which of course would be wonderful for the environment, but there are all sorts of ethical and regulatory hurdles there. He said hed have to go somewhere offshore to do it.

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Word of the seastead began to spread two or three years after Bunchs falling-out with Squash. It was a popular topic of conversation at Silicon Valley parties, where attendees debated whether Bunch had set up his gonzo lab in the South Atlantic, the Caribbean, or the South Pacific.

So when all those Bigfeet appeared, says Squash, and when someone from a genetic sequencing lab called to tell me that the genomes were really, really weird  I knew Bunch had to be involved.

Weird is not a terribly precise scientific word, but if you ask a genomics expert whats going on with the Bigfeet, its the term they often come back to.

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A few years after Squashs announcement, in an event that seemed entirely unconnected at the time, researchers revealed that the first woolly mammothesque elephant had been born. Experts were careful to clarify that this was not true de-extinction; the baby elephant wasnt cloned from the remains of a woolly mammoth that had died thousands of years ago. Instead, it was an elephant that, thanks to CRISPR genetic editing, exhibited traits of the woolly mammoth. The modern woolly elephant lived just a few weeks. But since then, others have survived, and a small herd is expected to be introduced to Siberia within the next decade.

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The Bigfeet that emerged four years ago, like the woolly elephants, are chimerasthe genetics of different animals smushed together. But with those examples, scientists took a base species and made edits to transform it into a cousin of an extinct animal. By contrast, the Bigfeet are basically a designer animal, says Dr. Honeydew, a pseudonymous researcher from a major Midwestern university who has studied samples of Bigfeet roadkill.

For years, the more scientific camp of Bigfoot hunting has theorized that the animal was, or evolved from, Gigantopithecus, an ape that evolutionary primatologists believe went extinct about 350,000 years ago. In the 1950s, after the first Gigantopithecus mandible was discovered, some suggested that it could be proof of the yeti, Bigfoots supposed Himalayan cousin. But anthropologists and biologists dismissed the idea that Gigantopithecus (or its unknown descendants) has survived, let alone migrated to North America.

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If the Bigfeet that had begun appearing were truly Gigantopitheci or their descendants, their genetic material would have been a pretty close match to DNA fragments found within 350,000-year-old molars in southern China, Nepal, Vietnam, and elsewhere. But that wasnt the case. Theres a little Gigantopithecus there, Dr. Honeydew says. But only a bit. It seems as if someone started with a modern-day gorilla and then mixed in a bunch of other stuff: bonobo, Gigantopithecus, black bear, a bit of cow. And then they seem to have messed with the genome to make it a little more Bigfooty. He pauses. The best way to think of it is that they de-extincted an animal that never existed to begin with.

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Thats exactly what happened, according to Dr. Shelley, the first person who worked on the seastead who has agreed to speak with a journalist. Like their colleagues, Dr. Shelley signed an extremely punitive nondisclosure agreement; Bunch has publicly taken action against employees on other projects who have violated his NDAs. Nevertheless, they decided to speak with me after seeing proposals gain traction that would allow hunters to shoot the Bigfeet. Dr. Shelley believes that the Bigfeet can ultimately be good for the planet, if people give them time and support.

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Dr. Shelley says that that toward the end of their time on the platform, it was home to roughly 500 peoplehalf scientists, the rest support staffalongside a menagerie of research animals. Some were mercenaries who just wanted to get enormous paychecks with room and board covered. (But I would have given half my salary back to have better food, they say.) A few were fleeing the law: Two were facing designer-drug charges in China; another had been accused of botched biohacking surgeries in the U.S.

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But not everyone was there for purely self-interested reasons; Dr. Shelley says they and many others were there for the thrill of the science and the sake of the environment. On the seastead, there was a rumor that Bunch mostly wanted to screw over his friend. But I just didnt think that could possibly be the real motivation. Theres a really compelling case that adding the right kinds of animals to the right ecosystems would be good for the environment. Dr. Shelley points to the introduction of those woolly elephants to Siberia, which their creators and environmentalists hope will help heal the ecosystem from damage caused by humans. Thats an active step. Thats doing something. We wanted to increase biodiversity and create a species of large herbivore that could thrive within the forests of North America. We thought it could be another food source for large predators like wolvesOK, maybe only the young Bigfeet for wolvesor maybe grizzly bears. It could eat a ton of plants and poop out seeds, fertilize the soil and help even more plants grow. Its hard to overestimate how good this could be. And if it became beloved, they hoped, it could be declared endangered and its habitat protected, though they and their colleagues often argued about whether that would be ethical, or whether the U.S. government would even consider it.

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Dr. Shelley is reluctant to talk about the actual science (Itd get too easy to identify me), but they gave some outlines. It was a lot of trial and error. Of course, the hardest part was waiting for gestation. The gestation period for a large primate like a human or gorilla is almost a year. Whats more, most large primates tend to breed at an older age than other mammals. Gorillas generally dont reproduce until theyre at least 10 or so. All Dr. Shelley would say is We made some tweaks to speed up reproduction. (Many observers have cheekily suggested that there must be some rabbit DNA involved, since the animals seem to be reproducing at such rapid rates; Dr. Honeydew says they did not identify any rabbit DNA in the genome.) I actually think this could end up being really useful in humans, toowho wouldnt want to be pregnant for two months instead of 40 weeks?

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Even so, especially early on, there was a lot of waiting around to see whether an embryo with an edited genome would survive implantation into a surrogate, then whether it would survive pregnancy and birth. Dr. Shelley says the size of a Bigfoot in popular lore also presented a challenge. The best surrogate would have been a gorilla, but that was impossible, because all gorilla species are endangered. Instead, we used cows, which meant that every surrogate required a C-section; the vast majority ended up dying.

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And then there was the habitual bipedalism. Though many mammals can walk on two legs for short periods, most of the time, nonhumans use all fours. But bipedalism was nonnegotiable when creating a Sasquatch. We had to monkeyforgive mewith the genome on that, since we couldnt just insert genetics from an existing species. Bunch suggested we could accomplish it by inserting some Neanderthal DNA that had been recovered from fossilsGod knows how he got itbut he was persuaded it was a bad idea, thankfully. Whatever the kluge was, it worked, but it means the Bigfeets gait is a little herky-jerky. (Like a drunk circus bear, Dr. Shelley says. But they seem happy enough about it.)

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There were a lot of false starts and unexpected results, a lot of dead animals and dead ends. But eventually, over more than a decade, it started to workthey ended up with an animal that looked an awful lot like Bigfoot, though not exactly. (We have no idea why their tongues are bright purple. Theres no giraffe in them! says Dr. Shelley. But the purple tongues are better than the underdeveloped lungs we saw for a while there.) The researchers built enclosures on the island next to the seastead platforma sort of bizarro zoo, attempting to simulate the environment in which the Bigfeet would eventually be placed. The trees and weather werent right, of course, and it wasnt hilly enough. We had to hide extra food for them to hunt for. But it indicated that they could probably live at least a little while in the wild. They were docile animals, thanks perhaps to the cow DNA, which also explains the mooing and the subtle patchy fur patterns. (Dr. Shelley declined to comment on popular rumor, first reported by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, that Bunch wanted the final Bigfeet to be violent predators and was dissuaded only upon hearing that dangerous animals could mean frequent death and dismemberment of the care team and researchers, delaying things further.)

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At last, Bunch decided that the time had come. In groups of fiveThey really are social animals; they dont like to be alone, says Dr. Shelleythe Bigfeet would be taken to six remote spots across the U.S. Each location had a long tradition of Bigfoot sightings. I think there are more scientists still out on the platform, but I quit after the transportation. I was really sick of the food. Im only eating meals I can chew for the rest of my life. Plus, I wanted to be back here to see how it would play out. When I found out the rumor was rightthat he really did it just for revengeI was so disappointed.

Bunch has commented publicly on these allegations just once. After news about the Bigfeets weird genomes began to circulate, the popular conservationist forum Leaf Itwhere Bunch was a known poster, and one of the founding investorsexploded with discussion. After one person posted, This billionaire really genetically designed a fake Bigfoot to screw over his rival? Bunch apparently couldnt resist replying. Using his verified account, he wrote, Pretty impressive stuff.

Except, to a lot of people, its not impressiveits horrifying.

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The Bigfeet released in Georgia appear to have died off fairly quickly. But in Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Washington, and Pennsylvania, theyve thrived. Some have made it across state lines to Idaho and over the border to British Columbia, and theyre being found far from the woods where they were originally released.

As they have proliferated, so has legal action. First, theres the class-action suit against Squash, brought by people who found Bigfeet without receiving bounty payments. Its led by Kayley Porter, a middle-school teacher from Washington state who claims that she should have been among those who received the second set of bounties, if only the website had been working properly when she went to fill in her information.

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There are other civil suits: against Bunch by farmers who say that hungry Bigfeet have eaten their crops (apparently they love kale) and by the family of someone who died when his car collided with a Bigfeet in the middle of the road. A group of Native American tribes from the Pacific Northwest and the Southwest have sued, alleging that the Bigfeet have damaged their land and coopted legends that were sacred to them.

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Squashs favoriteone that he denies supporting himselfis against Bunch for interfering with the bounty, from someone who claims to have found a real Bigfoot.

Weeks before an early hearing in the class-action suit against Squash, he called me at 3 a.m. He had a theoryone he said his lawyer was hesitant to endorsethat if he found a genuine Sasquatch, then all the legal trouble would go away. I shouldnt have paid out a single one of these claims, he told me that morning. None of them are a real Sasquatch. Yes, theyre a primate that had never been identified before living in North America, and thats what the rule said. But it was only living there because someone designed it to live there. Someone brought it over from the labs and just dropped them in forests across the country. How is that finding Bigfoot?

But his real worry, he said, wasnt financial. I just keep thinking that these monsters are going to run out the real thing, he told me. I pointed out that in his conception, Bigfoot was at least a little supernaturalwouldnt he be able to survive this incursion? Maybe, he said, sounding relieved, as if I had just uttered a sentiment hed been trying to convince himself of. But I cant be sure. The only solution was for him to head to the Idaho woods, outside the small town of Sully, where he first saw his own Bigfoot all those years ago. If I can find proof of this one, I can get all these suits tossed out. Then we can start focusing on eradicating these things to protect the real Bigfoot. He invited me along with him.

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We didnt find a real Sasquatch. But we did encounter Bigfeetthree of them, a female with two juveniles. They were about 50 yards from us, but we could smell them even from that distance. The babies played as the mother stared vacantly at us, chewing some plant matter slowly. Theyre like bipedal cows, our guide, Marissa Tarbaugh, told me. Theyre actually really chill. I love them. Tarbaugh said theyve been great for business and for the local economy. People pay a lot of money to go camping, to hear Sasquatch stories, and then see these things. And theyre perfectly safe, so its better than taking campers to try to see bears or bison or something. The gift shop in town sells a ton of Bigfeet stuffed animals. Kids love themtheyre basically like cartoons come to life. Next year, Sully will host its first Bigfest, where people will compete to see who can produce the most authentic-sounding Bigfeet moo-like call, and a Bigfeet-themed band will play.

But Squash was appalled by our Bigfeet encounter. Its like hearing a recording of a recording of a recording of a recording of a symphony.

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Squash now spends most of his days on the phone with lawyers and has surrogates running his company, which has struggled in the face of new regulations around timber. His former Bigfoot friends have largely deserted him, saying that if he hadnt put forth the bounty in the first place, none of this would have happened.

Bunch, meanwhile, is nowhere to be found. Dr. Shelley says he isnt on the seastead, from what theyve heard. If he does return to the U.S., the legal risks he faces are almost entirely financial. No state or federal law in the U.S. criminalizes the introduction of a novel species into an ecosystem. If he had put in some human DNA, yeah, wed be able to charge him with something with teeth, a U.S. attorney who gleefully asked to be referred to as Mr. Henderson told me. But he was smart enough not to do that. (Mr. Henderson was unclear on what the government could have done if Bunch had indeed used Neanderthal DNA. I genuinely have no idea whether that would count as human.)

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The best the federal government was able to do was charge Bunch with violating the Endangered Species Actthe Bigfeet, it turns out, really enjoy eating harsh paintbrush, a plant that sometimes grows on the edge of forests in the Northwest U.S. and British Columbia. Harsh paintbrush is also favored by the Taylors checkerspot, an endangered butterfly found in just a handful of locations in Washington state, Oregon, and British Columbia. Thanks to the Bigfeet, the butterfly has all but disappeared from one of its few remaining habitats. Bunch has been convicted in absentia and fined $50,000; if he ever surfaces, he could face a prison term of one year, though its unlikely he would serve all or even most of that time. The prosecutions case depended almost entirely on that single forum message in which Bunch seemed to admit to his role, and the general We all know he did it atmosphere that has developed over the past four years. (He could easily appeal it if he wanted to, but clearly he doesnt, Mr. Henderson says.)

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Congress recently debated a law that would have made Bunchs actions a crime going forward, but it died in committee after lobbying by agricultural biotech companies that claimed it would interfere with their climate-change mitigation work.

The Washington state government is currently debating whether to classify the Bigfeet as an invasive species. Dr. Shelley thinks its too soon for them to make such a declarationI bet that in 10 years, everyone will see theyre a good thing. But theyre too impatient.

Sometimes people say what we did was playing God, but really, it was playing parent.

For the past few years, Dr. Shelley has lived off the riches they made working on the platform. Readjusting to life off-seastead has been difficult. At first I took about six showers a day. I got a two-bedroom apartment, and it felt cavernous. I gained 30 poundsthat part was a lot of fun, though. The hardest part is when the Bigfeet come up in casual conversation and they cant talk about their role. When people say they like them, I want to take credit! For all thats gone wrong, Im so proudwe did an amazing thing! And when they say they hate them, well, its so hard to bite my tongue. Someone once told me that they heard the Bigfeet were preying on peoples pets. Of all the nonsense. They dont eat cats! They dont eat meat! Why would you say that about such a gentle creature? We worked so hard to make sure they would be gentle and good for the environment.

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They pause. Sometimes people say what we did was playing God, but really, it was playing parent. I helped birth them and usher them into the world, and now I have to watch people talk about whether we should be hunting them. I want them to have a chance. I feel terrible about putting them out in a world they werent prepared for, that wasnt prepared for them. But they will find their way if we can just give them time.

Dr. Shelley wants to help repair some of the unintentional damage done by the project. I really thought we had done this for purely altruistic reasons. I certainly did. I feel pretty used. In particular, they want to work with a new startup that aims to engineer more-resilient pollinators. Their first project: a Taylors checkerspot with a wider-ranging appetite. But they cant figure out how to do that without giving themselves away. I dont know if Id be able to sit there in meetings while they talk about the evil of the Bigfeet without confessing everything.

Sometimes they miss the seastead. Everything seemed so clear and easy there. You knew what you were wearing, what you were eating, and what you were working toward. Out here  everything is just a lot more complicated.

Read a response essay by a conservation researcher.

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Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
Welcome to State of Mind, a new section from Slate and Arizona State University dedicated to exploring mental health. Follow us on Twitter.

I met Mr. Lee, a kind Korean-American senior who reminded me of my own late grandfather, at a practicum site for my masters degree in social work, St. Barnabas Senior Center in L.A.s Koreatown. Born in 1936 in Japanese-occupied Korea, Mr. Lee eventually made his way to America in 2005, after surviving colonization, wars, famine, poverty, the constant fear of imminent danger, and rapid industrialization. He hopes to live until age 120 and to continue to volunteer at the senior center, making wellness calls to other Korean seniors in the area.

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Mr. Lee is an example of an Asian American senior who has a lengthy trauma history, but who is also resilient and well adjusted thanks to his social support and purpose-driven life. He is in constant contact with his community and with people who speak his language. He feels connected and valued, and belongs to something greater than himself.

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However, the same cannot be said for all elderly Asian Americans. Mr. Lee is luckyhe lives with his wife in one of the coveted affordable senior apartments in K-town, within walking distance of the senior center and his church. In K-town, home of the largest population of Koreans outside of Korea, he can get by without knowing a lick of English, which is a protective factor since humans are social creatures and biologically wired to connect.

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But for many older immigrants in the sprawling abyss that is America, this basic need goes unmet. The luckier ones are in senior housing in neighborhoods like K-town, Chinatown, and Little Tokyo, where they have access to social services, case managers, and therapists who can provide in-home services. Some are out in the suburbs, living with their families. The loneliest, most vulnerable elderly Asian Americans are off by themselves in faraway places like Hemet, California, a small town approximately 80 miles southeast of Los Angeles with a population of 89,833, of which 0.03 percent identify as Asian, according to the 2020 U.S. Census. Here, elderly people live alonea stark contrast to the multigenerational homes of the motherland. It was here that Huu Can Tran lived, by himself.

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During my internship at St. Barnabas Senior Center, I conducted home visits and assessed senior citizens who lived alone for signs of elder abuse and mental health issues, and linked them to appropriate services. Most of them were happy and excited to finally talk to someone and to have someone hear them, a reprieve from feeling ignored and unimportantwhich are common symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder that can lead to more severe mental health issues. Furthermore, research has shown that a combination of social isolation, physical illnesses, sensory deficits, cognitive changes, medications, age-related deterioration of the brain, and neurochemical changes, may increase the likelihood of developing psychosis, and a persons susceptibility to violence. Recently, Asian American seniors have faced the additional challenge of being targeted for anti-Asian hate crimes spurred by the start of the pandemicand the lockdown and stay at home orders didnt help, either. Moreover, one in 10 older Americans has experienced some form of elder abuse, with social isolation and mental impairment being risk factors.

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Unfortunately, the inherent patriarchal and collective values of Asian cultures exacerbate this problem: In 2020, 58 percent of homicides of AAPI women were related to intimate partner violence. In a 2001 study, 14.3 percent of Chinese adults, 22.8 percent of Koreans, 22.4 percent of Cambodians, and 54.2 percent of Vietnamese adults stated that they believe that a husband should have the right to discipline his wife. Furthermore, Asian Americans are three times less likely than their white peers to seek therapy due to shame and stigma, and often choose to suffer in silence, unintentionally normalizing abuse and violence instead.

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This is because immigrants are often culturally frozen in time. While the rest of the home and host countries socially, culturally, and ideologically evolve over the years, the immigrant remains stuck in that point in time and space in which they left due to social isolation and lack of access to people they can grow with and learn from in their own language and culture. When Asian American elders continue to feel misunderstood and unheard, this reinforces negative core beliefs instilled by American society due to racism and ageism, rendering them more vulnerable to mental disorders like depression and anxiety.

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This is why access and awareness of culturally sensitive mental health resources is so important. In my next practicum site during my masters training, I provided therapy in English and Korean at Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Center, an agency contracted by Los Angeles County that provides intensive outpatient and field based mental health services to Asian American individuals and families of all ages, who struggle with a range of mood disorders, personality disorders, and severe mental health issues. APCTC provides culturally sensitive therapy, medication support, and case management services in English, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Japanese, Spanish, and more. At APCTC, mental health and wellness, community, and social connection are celebrated and not ignored.

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Los Angeles County residents can obtain these services through the areas mental health department, the largest mental health department in the country that accepts Medi-cal/Medicare. Since all seniors age 65 and above qualify for Medicare in California, Asian American elders can obtain these services free of charge. Culturally sensitive mental health services can be searched by language on the Department of Mental Healths Provider Directory.

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However, there is still a big barrier for Asian American elders seeking mental health services: the shame and stigma of asking for help, the susceptibility to which is a common trauma response. Instead of seeking out services, they hold shame in until they cant anymore and their mental and emotional anguish manifests as hypervigilance, anxiety, depression, personality disorders, psychosis, or even murderous rage.

Chunli Zhao admitted during a jailhouse interview that he believes he suffers from some sort of mental illness and wasnt in his right mind the day of the Half Moon Bay shooting. Zhao lived on the mushroom farm he was working at, in deplorable conditions, according to San Mateo County officials. Even if he wanted to get help, finding it would be a challengemaybe impossible. Half Moon Bay, a population of 11,795, located approximately 30 miles south of San Francisco is predominantly white and Hispanic, with Asians making up only 0.06 percent of the population. Christopher King, nurse practitioner at the county health department, told the Washington Post that, Due to language and cultural barriers, [the Mandarin-speaking farmworkers] are probably more removed from the ability to access health care than our Spanish-speaking population. Most people who need help do not kill people, but they might perpetuate smaller acts of violenceand, of course, they are living in pain themselves.

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This is where we, their children and grandchildren, need to step in. Societal change starts with us. Ive been a psychotherapist for five years and specialize in working with Asian Americans. Almost all of my Asian clients who are in their 20s to 40s hide that theyre in therapy from their parents and families. How can we expect older generations to embrace therapy when we are too ashamed to expose our own vulnerabilities?

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We can stop these intergenerational cycles of trauma by doing the work ourselves and encouraging our elders to process their trauma by learning tools to regulate their emotions, talk about their feelings, ground themselves, and cultivate positive coping skills in therapy. We can ease our parents and older generations into it by sharing our own experiences with therapy and by leading by example.

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Although we cant force people to go to therapy, we can show our loved ones how much it has helped us by demonstrating skills learned in therapy and this might plant the seed that it might help them too. Ive also asked my parents to join me in my own individual therapy and later in family therapy to get their feet wet and show them that communicating and confronting difficult emotionssomething Asian Americans are notorious for avoidingis not only doable but also cathartic. My 62-year-old immigrant mother and I are currently in family therapy together, and in a way it feels like I tricked her into finally doing the work. Our Korean American therapist and I take turns, in Korean, empowering her to advocate for herself and put an end to archaic patriarchal customs that have the potential to get abusive if not checked.

The back to back shootings in California illustrated a clear messageour Asian American elders are crying out for help, and were the only ones that can hear and see them. We come from collective cultures, and we need to heal collectively. And, after a lifetime of living in survival mode, we all deserve some rest.
On a list of most bizarre Australian mammals, echidnas rank near the top. Besides the duck-billed platypus, echidnas are the only other surviving monotreme: an ancient type of mammal that lays eggs. Echidnas keep their young (technical term: puggles) in pouches like kangaroos, kicking them out when they start to grow long, sharp spines. They are one of just three known mammals with a sixth sense for the electrical currents of their prey.

If all thats not bizarre enough, a new paper in the journal Biology Letters measured another way in which echidnas are unique: they blow snot bubbles over their noses to keep cool.

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On behalf of toddlers everywhere, I spoke with co-author Christine Cooper, a senior lecturer in the School of Molecular and Life Sciences at Curtin University, to learn whether this could work for us, too. Our conversation has been condensed, and lightly edited for clarity.

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Meg Duff: Talk to me about the snot bubbles.

Christine Cooper: So, echidnas have a tiny little mouth, a long, sticky tongueno teethand a long, pointy snout with the nostrils right at the tip. And the tip has electroreceptors. When ants and termites are moving around in the soil, echidnas can detect those electrical currents. Thats how they find their prey.

For the electroreceptors to work well they need to have moisture, so echidnas keep the tip of their beak moist. They do that by blowing mucus bubbles that burst over the tip of the snout.

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So they use snot-covered noses in order to detect electricity. Sounds like a two-year-old Marvel hero! But your team found that echidna snot does something else, too.

When those bubbles burst over the beak tip, its a way of dumping heat. They might be primitive mammals, but theyre mammals, and they produce heat through their metabolism; they have to lose that heat or they would get too hot.

So they wet the skin that overlies this big balloon of blood right behind their nostrils. If they can keep that surface evaporating, thats going to cool the underlying blood. By cooling blood that then circulates back to the body, they can dump a lot of their metabolic heat to the environment.

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Can humans blow snot bubbles to cool off? Is this a climate resiliency strategy we can learn from?

Well, we dont have that big blood sinus in our nose, so it doesnt work as well. But running your wrist under water is a really good trick! That works because weve got lots of blood vessels close to the surface in our wrist.

And if you dont have water, presumably snot works fine.

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If you dont have an external source of water, you can use nasal mucus, you can use saliva, you can use urine. Kangaroos lick their forearms. Vultures and storks urinate on their legs.

Really anywhere youve got blood vessels close to the surface, if you can wet that and allow that moisture to evaporate, you can dissipate heat.

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Snot-powered cooling is weird, but alsowe sweat. Are we the weird ones?

There are other mammals that sweat, so were not really special. But we are really good at it. Were one of the most efficient sweaters.

Other animals pant and lick to dissipate an environmental heat load. Echidnas, welltheir tongue almost looks like a worm, its really long and thin. Its not broad and flat like a dog, so its not going to be very useful for licking themselves. Instead, they blow bubbles.

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In your paper it says that echidnas surpassed expectations in terms of their ability to cool off. Im curious why the low expectations.



Monotremes branched off really early from the other two groups of mammals. They have some really weird anatomy thats quite primitive, and they share some traits with reptiles. The normal body temperature in echidna is 29 to 30 degrees Celsius [84.2 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit], which is really low Were 37 degrees Celsius [98.6 degrees Fahrenheit]. Generally once their body temperature gets to about 38 degrees, thats it. They die.

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Because of this, people once thought that if you got an echidna exposed to an ambient temperature of 35 degrees Celsius [95 degrees Fahrenheit], he would die. But we saw wilder echidnas doing their thing, happily foraging up to 37.5 degrees Celsius. Not only were they not dying, but they were active and happy. So theyre obviously more tolerant to higher temperatures than what theyve been given credit for. Now we have a mechanism.

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What was the hypothesis was that you actually tested?



In the lab they blew bubbles and their noses looked wet and probably cool, but we couldnt measure how cool. So when we were in the field, we went out and filmed them with a thermal camera.

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Thermal images assign a temperature to every pixel; we overlaid the standard red is hot, blue is cold color scheme. And so yeah, their nose was really quite dark blue. Obviously much cooler than the rest of their body.

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Youve also studied some other ways that echidnas keep coollike splooting.



Yes. If theyre getting a bit hot, they can go and press their underneath against cool ground and that lets heat move from the animal to the ground. If theyre cold, they can just curl up in a ball and then theyre reinsulating that area.

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Then, if conditions are badso everythings burnt and theres no food or coverthey drop their body temperature down and go to sleep for a few days. Short-term hibernation is probably a really good way of getting through really bad times.

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There have been some bad times in Australiain particular, there have been some bad fires. What are echidnas up against?



The good news is, the echidna is among the least likely to be a species we lose from climate changethey have the broadest geographical distribution of any Australian mammal. But we might lose them from particular environments. That is a real problem because echidnas provide an important ecosystem service.

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When theyre foraging, theyre digging in the soil and theyre turning that soil overthey bury leaf litter and stuffwhich is really important for plant growth. So if youre lost an echidna from a particular habitat, that would have bad flow-on effects for that environment.

The next step we need for echidnas is heat balance models. Now that we know their surface temperatures, we can start to do some complicated mathematical modeling to work out exactly how much heat they are dissipating and how that relates to the environmental temperature.

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Then we can predict, Well, if it gets to a certain temperature an echidna can only forage for 10 minutes before it overheats, or, It can forage for two hours before it overheats. And, If the climate warms up by two degrees, is this going to shorten their foraging period? Can they just go nocturnal? Are they going to run out of time?

The good news is, the technology that allows us to study this is advancing. to the point where we can study animals in the wild undisturbed and get a good idea of what theyre actually doing out there.
Having lived through 2022, the present look back may be the dose of hope that we all need.

On New Years Eve, Czech and Slovak hikers meet at the Velka Javorina peak on the border of the two states, to celebrate the Czecho-Slovak friendship. This photo shows a gathering in 2017. (Source: TASR)

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Welcome to your weekly commentary and overview of news from Slovakia. This week, Slovakia marks a big anniversary and we are looking at how it has fared in terms of politics, society, economics, living standards, science, and in various other areas.

Thank you, our dear readers and subscribers, for your trust and support in the past year: we couldnt (and wouldnt want to) make it without you. The Slovak Spectator team wishes you a peaceful, successful, and enjoyable 2023.

To download your PDF copy of The Slovak Spectator special on Slovakias 30th birthday, scroll down.

Slovakia turns 30

One advantage of living in such a young country is that its anniversaries are so relatable in human terms. But while, at least in modern times, we might understand that twenty-somethings are still finding out who they are, when it comes to the country our expectations are much more ambitious. As Slovakia turns 30, we expect it to be mature and settled.

Despite the effort required to avoid despondency given the chaotic events at the end of 2022, it is worth reminding ourselves that throughout its short post-1993 history, Slovakia has made it, often against the odds.
Slovak politicians welcome the victory of retired General Petr Pavel.

Slovak President Zuzana Caputova and Czech president-elect Petr Pavel meet in Prague, Czech Republic, on January 28, 2023. (Source: TASR - Petr David Josek)

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Slovak President Zuzana Caputova has made an unexpected appearance in Prague to congratulate retired General Petr Pavel on becoming the Czech president-elect.

"Your victory is the victory of hope that decency and truthfulness are not weaknesses," she said on stage.

On Saturday, Pavel defeated the Bratislava-born entrepreneur and populist ex-Czech prime minister Andrej Babis (ANO) in the second round of the presidential elections. The retired general won 58.32 per cent of the votes.
At least four Michigan State players will have their charges dropped after the postgame incident between the Spartans and Michigan last season. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Several Michigan State players are set to have their charges dismissed after the Spartans' altercation at Michigan Stadium last season.

Four Michigan State players  Angelo Grose, Itayvion Brown, Brandon Wright and Justin White  will likely have their misdemeanor charges dropped in exchange for community service, attorneys said Friday.

Those players appeared in court Friday and signed up for a special program, according to MLive. If they can work with a case manager and successfully complete a plan for accountability, charges will be dismissed.

The most important outcome of todays hearing is this case is on a straight line to being dismissed upon motion of the prosecutor, said Groses attorney, Max Manoogian, via MLive. Its going to happen outside of court. There is going to be no criminal responsibility whatsoever, there are no admissions being made, no pleas being tendered. All that happens today is weve set a date for this case to be dismissed in the future.

Seven Michigan State players were charged after a brawl broke out in the tunnel after Michigan beat the Spartans 29-7 in October. Video showed several Michigan State players assaulting Michigan defensive back JaDen McBurrows in a hallway.

Michigan State suspended eight players as a result of the incident. All but one have since been reinstated. Defensive ends Jacoby Windmon and Zion Young were also charged with misdemeanors, and their cases are still pending.

Cornerback Khary Crump was the only Michigan State player charged with a felony. He accepted a plea deal earlier this month to reduce that charge to a pair of misdemeanors. He will be suspended for the first eight games of the 2023 season as a result.
Pac-12 Networks' Maylana Martin Douglas and Greg Mescall recap Oregon women's basketball victory against California on Friday, Jan. 27 in Berkeley. Follow Pac-12 womens basketball this season with the Pac-12 Now App. Download the Pac-12 Now App today and set alerts for Pac-12 womens basketball to make sure you never miss a moment of the action. Pac-12 Now is available today in your app store for iOS, Android, and Apple TV.
Climate activist Vanessa Nakate of Uganda speaks beside Greta Thunberg of Sweden, right, and Helena Gualinga of Ecuador, left, at a press conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland Thursday, Jan. 19, 2023. The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is taking place in Davos from Jan. 16 until Jan. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber) (Markus Schreiber/AP)

High profile leaders met at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last week to discuss simultaneous and interconnected threats to humanity: economic uncertainty and geopolitical fragmentation on the cusp of a global climate crisis.

As a not-for-profit, the WEF promotes international cooperation between public and private sectors. The goal is to advance entrepreneurship addressing (or attempting to address) complex global problems, and to provide a platform where innovators can learn from the mistakes and successes of others. Formed in 1971, the WEF is not tied to any nation, enterprise, industry, or special interests.

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Despite its lack of political/national identity, the WEF has drawn the long talons of the far right, who cast it as a plotted conspiracy to restrict Americans religious liberties.

Colorful conspiracy narratives inspired by WEF

The previous WEF presented sophisticated discussions about sustainability and carbon financing, and encouraged new thinking about compounded global problems, a conference theme called the Great Reset. This encouragement to innovate  to reset approaches to world challenges (COVID, climate)  led to unhinged reactions from the right. Anti-WEF conspiracy theories proliferated on mainstream media and remain in widespread circulation despite their complete divorce from fact.

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One widely circulated claim is that the WEFs Great Reset theme is a plan to force Americans to eat insects instead of meat in order to reduce global warming. Another claim drawing tens of thousands of shares on Twitter and Facebook falsely alleges that Klaus Schwab, WEFs chairman, wants to decriminalize sex between children and adults. (The rights extreme obsession with pedophilia borders on projection, but that is a different column.) A traveling roadshow, the ReAwaken America tour, organized by Michael Flynn to recruit Christian nationalists, continues to vilify WEF and the Great Reset theme. Flynns show, complete with religious hysteria and bathtub baptisms, displays a photo of Schwab on a large screen alongside other villains who threaten American values.

Flynn, who wanted to impose martial law to allow a military junta to re-do the 2020 election, explicitly rejects the constitutional ideal of a pluralist society derived from differing beliefs and religions. Flynns traveling tour promotes fear that American Christians are under attack, and that Christianity must be legally mandated as the center of American life and institutions as a corrective.

Christian nationalists claim without evidence that the WEF seeks to manipulate global events for its members own benefit, and that the goals of international cooperation are just shorthand for a reorganization of society stripped of religious rights, a conspiracy theory now circulating on MSM, prime time news, and nightly networks. With the help of Flynn and Fox News, Christian nationalism has recently exploded among mainstream members of the GOP. In May, 2022, a poll by the University of Maryland found that 61% of Republicans now support declaring the U.S. as a Christian nation, to hell with the foundational underpinnings of the Establishment Clause.

Those who fear, conspire

Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy >

Kathleen Hall Jamieson is the director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. She studies misinformation, and co-founded FactCheck.org in 2003. Jamieson reports that during times of uncertainty, such as economic flux, political instability, and accelerating extreme weather events, anxiety mounts. Jamieson reports that this anxiety and uncertainty causes the public to become more susceptible to falsehoods; conspiracy theories are promoted as a tool to give uncertain people something to believe in.

Apparently the U.S. is full of uncertain people. In 2022, WEFs Great Reset theme was criticized more than 60 times on Fox News. Tucker Carlson and The Ingraham Angle were obsessed with it, while profiteer conspiracist Alex Jones new book, The Great Reset And The War For the World claims the WEF is engaged in an international conspiracy to  wait for it  enslave humanity and all life on the planet.

Climate Denihilism is deeper than politics

A study in Scientific American examines how awareness and fear of our own mortality can influence our thoughts and what we believe. Terror Management Theory suggests that some people avoid thoughts of their mortality by investing in culture as a symbolic way of attaining some degree of immortality, perhaps explaining why some get more aggressively religious when faced with evidence of life-threatening climate change.

Research has shown that subconscious awareness of mortality prompts people to defend their world views in ways that may be harmful, as the mind seeks ways to avoid awareness of the inevitability of ones own death. The Worm at the Core: On the Role of Death in Life illustrates how death anxiety influences behavior: When fear of death is overwhelming, people seek security and go to great lengths to embrace belief systems that give them a sense of meaning, primarily through religion, values, and community. This study also concludes that people suppress their primal fear of mortality by supporting those who are similar to themselves, demonstrating how political preferences are influenced by attitudes on death. Overwhelmingly, conservative ideologies offer the most security to those who are most fearful of death. Hence, the more climate change is explained to these groups, the more their primal fears are triggered, and the fiercer their denial becomes.

The Koch brothers and their fossil-fuel friends have spent hundreds of millions to manipulate this dynamic. They know what has set the planet to boil, and have gone to extreme lengths to hide it. The belief system driving their religiosity is money, which they conflate with conservative values to secure political power that, in exchange, protects them from climate accountability.

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Eventually, another well placed class action will reset legal liability for climate malfeasance. Until then, understanding how fear (of others, of science, of death) drives conservative ideologies, such as Christian nationalism that envelops climate denialism, could help reset climate action. Understanding the fear/climate dynamic may be key to changing minds; whether changing minds remains a practical goal as the oceans rise around us is another question.

Sabrina Haake is a freelance columnist for the Post-Tribune.
Auburn plays West Virginia on Saturday at WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, and if youre wondering how you can watch the action live, youve come to the right place.

The No. 16 Auburn Tigers look to dust themselves off after suffering a 79-63 loss to Texas A&M at Neville Arena on Wednesday. With the loss, Auburn surrendered its then-nation-leading home winning streak, which lasted 28 games.

Next up, the Tigers will travel to West Virginia to meet up with the Mountaineers in the final installment of the SEC-Big 12 Challenge. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl expects the Mountaineers to provide the same challenge that Texas A&M did on Wednesday, especially on defense.

They turn you over 15 times a game, great ball pressure, make it harder for you to run your offense, Pearl said of West Virginia. Pearl also says that he would also like to see his team limit the number of times that the Mountaineers go to the free-throw line, as they make 70% of their free throws.

RELATED: How Auburns loss to Texas A&M affects their place in the KenPom rankings

RELATED: Auburn appears in 31st straight AP poll, breaking a program record

Heres a look at everything you need to ahead of Saturdays clash between Auburn and West Virginia on the hardwood including a how-to-watch guide, injury report, and a projected starting lineup:

How to watch/listen to Saturday's game

Heres when you should tune in to see the game:

Date: Saturday, Jan. 28

Time: 11 a.m. CT

TV Channel: ESPN (Kevin Fitzgerald, Dane Bradshaw)

Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)

Radio: Auburn Sports Network (Andy Burcham, Joe Ciampi)

Auburn vs. West Virginia injury report

AUBURN No Injuries Reported WEST VIRGINIA No Injuries Reported

Players to Watch:

AUBURN

Johni Broome

Wendell Green Jr.

Jaylin Williams

WEST VIRGINIA

Erik Stevenson

Jimmy Bell Jr.

Tre Mitchell

Projected Starting Five

AUBURN

G Wendell Green Jr. G Zep Jasper F Allen Flanigan F Jaylin Williams F Johni Broome

WEST VIRGINIA

G Kedrian Johnson G Erik Stevenson F Emmit Matthews F Tre Mitchell F Jimmy Bell Jr.

Story continues

Auburn vs. West Virginia series history

Auburn leads the all-time series, 2-1

Auburn leads the all-time series in Morgantown: 1-0

Auburn won the last meeting, 84-59 in 1985 in Auburn.

Jan. 29, 1984 Auburn 59 West Virginia 58 Nov. 22, 1985 West Virginia 75 Auburn 58 Dec. 3, 1985 Auburn 84 West Virginia 59

Story originally appeared on Auburn Wire
Oregon women's basketball defeats California by a final score of 78-73 on Friday, Jan. 27 in Berkeley. Grace VanSlooten finishes with a game-high 20 points and Endyia Rogers follows with 18 points against the Golden Bears. Follow Pac-12 womens basketball this season with the Pac-12 Now App. Download the Pac-12 Now App today and set alerts for Pac-12 womens basketball to make sure you never miss a moment of the action. Pac-12 Now is available today in your app store for iOS, Android, and Apple TV.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230127/dems-reject-gop-ransom-note-as-treasury-warns-debt-limit-hike-only-solution-to-avoid-us-default-1106776425.html

Dems Reject GOP Ransom Note as Treasury Warns Debt Limit Hike Only Solution to Avoid US Default

Dems Reject GOP Ransom Note as Treasury Warns Debt Limit Hike Only Solution to Avoid US Default

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said there is only one way out of the fiscal crisis created by the US hitting its debt ceiling: to raise the ceiling before the country defaults on its debts.

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US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said there is only one way out of the fiscal crisis created by the US hitting its debt ceiling: to raise the ceiling before the country defaults on its debts.Reports in US media on Thursday claimed Republicans had forwarded a proposal to Democrats to raise the debt ceiling, but only enough to last until September 30 of this year.US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has called on the White House to negotiate over the raising of the debt ceiling. He and other Republicans have long used the crisis created by hitting the debt ceiling as a point of leverage to make Democrats agree to their demands to make sharp cuts to federal government spending, especially on social programs they failed to defund through normal legislative means.House Democrats have so far also resisted attempts by McCarthy, who commands a very narrow GOP majority in the House. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said earlier this week there was a difference between a compromise and a ransom note. In the Democrat-controlled Senate, Democrat and GOP leaders alike have said the solution to this crisis has to begin in the lower chamber.The federal government hit its $31.5 trillion spending limit on January 19, at which time Yellen began adopting extraordinary measures to keep making necessary payments on its debts. However, she has warned that such measures can only buy lawmakers so much time, and that in the absence of raising the debt ceiling, the extraordinary measures will only last until early June before the US government defaults on its debt.The debt ceiling was created during World War I as a way to simplify financing the large number of spending bills Congress passed at the time. It had previously approved debts piecemeal. Increasing the ceiling was a regular congressional chore for decades, only becoming a battlefield in the late 20th century as Republicans declared war on government-funded social programs.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230125/us-debt-ceiling-outserved-its-purpose-can-be-abandoned-to-stimulate-growth-experts-claim-1106672573.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230124/china-tells-us-to-solve-its-debt-problem-instead-of-worrying-about-zambias-1106662107.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/almost-60-of-italians-oppose-tanks-other-weapons-being-sent-to-kiev-poll-finds-1106783500.html

Almost 60% of Italians Oppose Tanks, Other Weapons Being Sent to Kiev, Poll Finds

Almost 60% of Italians Oppose Tanks, Other Weapons Being Sent to Kiev, Poll Finds

At least 58% of Italians do not support the decisions of Western governments to send weapons to Ukraine

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At least 58 percent of Italians do not support the decisions of western governments to send weapons to Ukraine, according to a poll published on Saturday by an Italian newspaper.The respondents fear, in particular, that "Germany's decision to send Leopard tanks - and on the whole continuous sending of weapons to Kiev" may lead to an escalation of the conflict with the possibility of direct involvement of NATO. Only 33.9 percent of the respondents support the sending of weapons.At least 68.5 percent are against the entry of NATO into the conflict in Ukraine and only 16.2 percent are in favor.According to the survey, almost every third respondent (32.5 percent) believes that a ceasefire agreement will be reached with Russia, and these solutions will be imposed on Ukraine. About 24.9 percent believe that military assistance to Kiev will be gradually reduced.The poll was conducted by the research company Euromedia Research on 24 January and is a scientific and statistical study based on anonymous statements.The German government previously announced that it had decided to transfer German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. Germany intends to form two tank battalions. At the first stage, they plan to provide a company of 14 Leopard 2 type A6 from Bundeswehr inventories.Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February 2022 in response to calls by the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics for protection from Ukrainian troops. Western nations have imposed a number of sanctions on Russia and have been supplying weapons to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said any cargo that contains weaponry for Ukraine will be a legitimate target for Russia.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/anti-government-protest-in-tel-aviv-over-judicial-reform-spat-1106781220.html

Anti-Government Protest in Tel Aviv Over Judicial Reform Spat

Anti-Government Protest in Tel Aviv Over Judicial Reform Spat

Thousands of demonstrators are gathering to rally against recently elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

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Sputnik comes live from Tel Aviv as thousands of demonstrators are gathering to rally against recently elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet.On 4 January, Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin rolled out a legal reform package that would limit the authority of the High Court of Justice and would give the cabinet control over the selection of new judges, according to Israeli media. The planned overhaul sparked public criticism and prompted a wave of protests.In December, the Israeli parliament swore in Netanyahu as prime minister. This is Netanyahu's sixth term in office after he was ousted from power in June last year, ending his 12-year run as prime minister. His return to office became possible after his right-wing bloc won 64 seats in the November elections - the fifth national vote in less than four years.Follow Sputnik's Live Feed to Find Out More!

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/brazilian-police-raid-home-of-ex-president-bolsonaros-nephew-over-uprising-reports-say-1106784389.html

Brazilian Police Raid Home of Ex-President Bolsonaro's Nephew Over Riots, Reports Say

Brazilian Police Raid Home of Ex-President Bolsonaro's Nephew Over Riots, Reports Say

The Brazilian federal police searched houses belonging to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's nephew, Leonardo Rodrigues de Jesus, also known as Leo Indio

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Police officers visited Leo Indio's addresses in Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro, a Brazilian news website reported Friday, adding that the federal police have confiscated some items without releasing the list of them. The relevant warrants were issued by the country's Supreme Court as part of the third phase of Operation Lesa Patria, investigating the unrest in Brasilia, where Bolsonaro's supporters temporarily seized and looted the buildings of the Supreme Court, Congress and the presidential palace in Brasilia, the report read. A total of 11 arrest warrants, and 27 search and seizure warrants have been issued, the report said, adding that six people have already been arrested. Leo Indio posted photos of himself on social media on top of the roof of the congressional building during the riots, according to reports. One of the photos showed his eyes red, which he attributed to the use of tear gas by police, the report added. The former president is currently in the United States. Bolsonaro lost the presidential election in Brazil in October and left for the US on December 30, a day before his term ended, thus avoiding the inauguration of his successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. On January 8, Bolsonaros supporters stormed the National Congress building as well as Palacio do Planalto, one of the official palaces of the Presidency, and the Supreme Court building in Brasilia. Police managed to regain control of the vandalized buildings on the same day. Brazil's federal police said that over 1,840 participants in the anti-government protests had been detained. On January 10, Brazilian Senator Renan Calheiros made a formal request to the Supreme Court for the immediate extradition of Bolsonaro from the US. He said that the former president was responsible for the riots.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230120/brazils-bolsonaro-decides-to-stay-in-us-at-least-until-end-of-february-reports-say-1106528034.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/ex-swedish-pm-calls-for-contacts-with-muslim-countries-amid-quran-burning-protests-1106787276.html

Ex-Swedish PM Calls for Contacts With Muslim Countries Amid Quran Burning Protests

Ex-Swedish PM Calls for Contacts With Muslim Countries Amid Quran Burning Protests

Former Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has called for maintaining close contacts with Muslim countries, which have condemned the burning of the Quran in Stockholm.

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Former Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson has called for maintaining close contacts with Muslim countries, which have condemned the burning of the Quran in Stockholm.Andersson went on to say that her successor, Ulf Kristersson, had emphasized the need to keep in touch with Turkey, but, according to her, it's also important to explain to Muslim countries how the Swedish law works and why it works the way it does.The former Swedish prime minister made the comments as protests are being held across the Middle East and Asia against the desecration of the Islamic holy book by Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan.Paludan, who is the leader of the right-wing Danish political party Stram Kurs, has repeatedly burned copies of the Quran in Sweden, with his latest acts taking place in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. While he received a relevant permission from the authorities, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has condemned the burning of the Quran as a "disrespectful" act. He, however, admitted that it did not violate the country's law.Turkey, for its part, has blasted the act as a "vile attack" on the holy book and "another example of the alarming level that Islamophobia and racist and discriminatory movements have reached in Europe." In response to the act, Ankara broke off negotiations on Sweden and Finland's accession to NATO, calling them "meaningless." It also canceled Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonsons planned trip to Turkey in the wake of the incident.Nonetheless, Paludan has pledged to repeat his stunt every Friday until Turkey agrees to accept Sweden into NATO.Over the past few weeks, relations between Turkey and Sweden have drastically deteriorated. Aside from the Quran burning, Kurdish activists in Sweden hanged an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Stockholm, while a Swedish newspaper held a cartoon contest mocking the Turkish leader.Sweden, along with Finland, applied to join NATO in May 2022 following the launch of Russias special military operation in Ukraine, marking a major shift away from Stockholm's longstanding position of neutrality. However, Turkey has objected to their membership, accusing the Nordic states of harboring Kurdish "terrorists."Ankara refused to greenlight their accession until both countries meet its demands, including extraditing a number of Kurds, who, Turkey claims, belong to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which it views as a terrorist group. For its part, Stockholm has stressed that Turkey is demanding concessions that it cannot give, with Kristersson insisting that his country has done all it can to alleviate Ankaras concerns.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230127/protests-across-middle-east-and-asia-against-danish-quran-burning-1106762799.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230127/paludan-burns-quran-in-copenhagen-as-turkey-summons-danish-envoy-1106766218.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/italy-france-may-send-to-ukraine-air-defense-system-worth-870mln-reports-say-1106785820.html

Italy, France May Send to Ukraine Air Defense System Worth $870Mln, Reports Say

Italy, France May Send to Ukraine Air Defense System Worth $870Mln, Reports Say

Italy and France have agreed to jointly provide Kiev with an advanced Samp/T air defense system with about 700 Aster-30 anti-aircraft missiles at a total cost of 800 million euros ($870 million)

2023-01-28T11:12+0000

2023-01-28T11:12+0000

2023-03-05T11:00+0000

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The system can reportedly intercept and destroy the full spectrum of air threats, including missiles within a radius of 25 kilometers (15.5 miles), as well as aircraft within 100 kilometers, the report said, adding that the system can intercept ballistic missiles as well. The SAMP/T battery is reportedly capable of simultaneously engaging up to 130 air targets and launching up to 10 missiles at them. The developer and manufacturer of the air defense system is the European consortium Eurosam. Earlier in January, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that the total amount of Italian military aid to Ukraine was about 1 billion euros. On Tuesday, the Italian parliament approved a government decree stipulating the continuation of military aid to Ukraine in 2023. The Italian government is currently preparing a sixth package of military aid to Ukraine. On Thursday, Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, citing sources in the national security services, reported that as part of this package, Rome will send Kiev, among others, an air defense system Samp/T with ammunition, drones of Israeli design, as well as heavy artillery equipment. In April 2022, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev after Russia started its military operation in Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that pumping Ukraine with weapons was not conducive to peace negotiations and would have a detrimental effect on the conflict.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230127/ex-pentagon-analyst-in-ukraine-f-16s-useful-as-propaganda-but-not-as-weapons-1106772377.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/new-york-police-arrest-3-people-during-protest-after-tyre-nichols-death-1106781782.html

New York Police Arrest 3 People During Protest After Tyre Nichols' Death

New York Police Arrest 3 People During Protest After Tyre Nichols' Death

Police arrested three people at a demonstration in New York on Friday, following the release of bodycam footage showing five Black Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols

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On Friday evening, Memphis authorities released four videos of the beating of Nichols, who died three days after the fatal incident. Police officers initially pulled him over for reckless driving before dragging him out of his car and putting him on the ground. Nichols escaped arrest in the first altercation but police officers eventually caught up with him in a nearby neighborhood. During the second altercation, police officers struggled to place him in handcuffs again. Several of the officers kicked and beat Nichols with a baton until one officer appeared to punch Nichols in the head several times while two other officers held his hands behind his back. After the footage was released, a wave of protests swept across the United States. Around 250 people marched in Midtown New York, obstructing traffic and walking through cars, NBC News reported. Some people could be seen carrying banners that read "Stop police brutality." A video on social media shows one of the protesters jumping on a police vehicle and smashing its windshield. Police officers then rushed to the scene and took the person into custody.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230127/murder-in-the-us-everything-to-know-about-tyre-nichols-case-before-release-of-body-cam-footage-1106744264.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/report-us-reaches-deal-with-netherlands-to-restrict-chinas-access-to-microchips-tech-1106779845.html

Report: US Reaches Deal With Netherlands to Restrict China's Access to Microchips Tech

Report: US Reaches Deal With Netherlands to Restrict China's Access to Microchips Tech

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States has reached a deal with Japan and the Netherlands to restrict China's access to their advanced semiconductor... 28.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-28T03:11+0000

2023-01-28T03:11+0000

2023-01-28T03:05+0000

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The report said on Friday that several key companies in Japan and the Netherlands, as part of the agreement, will implement some US export control measures the United States adopted in October. The new agreement will restrict China's access to semiconductor technology from Dutch firm ASML and Japanese firms Nikon Corp and Tokyo Electron Ltd., the report said. Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, according to reports, said earlier in the day that it is unclear if the Netherlands will disclose details about the agreement. In December, Bloomberg reported that Japan and the Netherlands agreed in principle to uphold some US controls on exporting advanced chipmaking machinery to China. According to the report, the two countries were expected to ban the sale of machinery capable of manufacturing 14-nanometer or more chips to China. In October, the Biden administration expanded controls on the export of US semiconductor technology going to China to restrict Beijing's ability to make certain high-end microchips used in military applications. Beijing took the matter to the World Trade Organization (WTO), filing a lawsuit challenging the US export controls.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20221216/us-export-restrictions-may-force-china-to-indigenize-microchip-value-chain---expert-1105506199.html

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As Wandering Earth II, the sequel to China's most successful sci-fi epic, is well received in cinemas, the seemingly omnipotent industrial robots, a recurring presence in the film, offer a glimpse into the country's plan to be a global innovation hub for robotics.



The automatic mobile robots that appear in the film, for instance, are being increasingly used in the real world to facilitate industrial production. Youibot, a startup based in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, provided such robots and technical support for the film.

Meanwhile, the patrolling robots seen in the movie also undertake important tasks in reality. At offshore oil-drilling platforms, offshore wind-power stations and open-pit coal mines, the robots are used to operate and maintain equipment, according to Youibot.

Such uses of robots are part of China's broader push to cope with a graying population and leverage cutting-edge technologies to advance industrial upgrades.

The country will enhance its efforts to promote the use of robots in 10 sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, construction, energy, and logistics, according to a plan jointly issued earlier this month by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and 16 other government departments.

China will strive to double its manufacturing robot density by 2025 compared with that of 2020, the plan said.

The manufacturing robot density, a metric used to measure a country's level of automation, reached 246 units per 10,000 people in China in 2020. The number hit 322 in 2021, surpassing the United States for the first time and ranking fifth globally, according to a report released by the International Federation of Robotics.

China is by far the fastest-growing robot market in the world, with the highest number of annual installations, and it has had the largest operational stock of robots each year since 2016, according to the IFR.

"Robot density is a key indicator of automation adoption in the manufacturing industry around the world," said Marina Bill, president of the IFR.

China's rapid growth shows the power of its investment so far, but it still has much greater potential in terms of automation, Bill said.

The report to the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China said innovation will remain at the heart of China's modernization drive, and the country will accelerate the implementation of its innovation-driven development strategy to achieve greater self-reliance and strength in science and technology.

As one of China's strategic emerging industries, the robotics sector has made remarkable achievements in recent years. According to the Chinese Institute of Electronics, the country's robotics market is estimated to reach $17.4 billion in 2022, with a five-year average annual growth rate of 22 percent. In 2024, the number is expected to hit $25.1 billion.

Song Xiaogang, executive director and secretary-general of the China Robot Industry Alliance, said robots are important carriers of emerging technologies. As key equipment for modern industries, robots can drive an industry's digital development and upgrades of intelligent systems.

Deng Xiaobai, co-founder and CEO of Dorabot, a Chinese AI-powered robotic solutions provider for logistics and other industries, said he is optimistic about the prospects for future development.

Thanks to technologies such as 5G and artificial intelligence, robots can play a bigger role in boosting efficiency, Deng said.




https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/russia-calls-on-all-parties-to-prevent-nuclear-confrontation-in-northeast-asia---ryabkov-1106780620.html

Russia Calls on All Parties to Prevent Nuclear Confrontation in Northeast Asia - Ryabkov

Russia Calls on All Parties to Prevent Nuclear Confrontation in Northeast Asia - Ryabkov

Russia is calling on all parties involved in the situation around the Korean Peninsula to focus on avoiding a nuclear confrontation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told Sputnik.

2023-01-28T04:11+0000

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2023-01-28T12:20+0000

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"I wouldnt want to talk about the prospects for an open nuclear confrontation in Northeast Asia, since the efforts of all the parties involved should be concentrated on avoiding it," Ryabkov said. He added that Russia is ready for dialogue with all the interested parties on the basis of joint initiatives with China and the general road map on resolving the issues of the Korean Peninsula. Earlier this month, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol dialed back on his comment that Seoul could make its own nuclear weapons or have them redeployed from the United States, assuring the media on the sidelines of the Davos economic forum that his country remained committed to the non-proliferation regime. On January 11, the South Korean leader said his country could host foreign nuclear weapons or create its own if the threat from North Korea grows. He also said that Seoul and Washington were discussing joint deterrence planning, potentially involving US nuclear assets. The United States pulled nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula in 1991. Under the NPT, it is committed not to transfer nuclear weapons to other countries or assist non-nuclear countries in acquiring such weapons. During the sixth Plenary Meeting of the eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for a boost of the countrys nuclear arsenal.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230127/russia-will-turn-all-western-weapons-sent-to-ukraine-into-scrap-kim-jong-uns-sister-says-1106767360.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/russian-diplomat-us-complicit-in-ukrainian-himars-attack-on-donbass-hospital-that-killed-14-people-1106792215.html

Russian Diplomat: US Complicit in Ukrainian HIMARS Attack on Donbass Hospital That Killed 14 People

Russian Diplomat: US Complicit in Ukrainian HIMARS Attack on Donbass Hospital That Killed 14 People

Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky has blamed the United States for the Ukrainian attack on a hospital in the Donbass.

2023-01-28T18:59+0000

2023-01-28T18:59+0000

2023-01-29T07:05+0000

russia's special operation in ukraine

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Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky has blamed the United States for the Ukrainian attack on a hospital in the Donbass, saying that the use of the HIMARS rocket launchers was green-lit by Washington, which made the US "directly complicit."His statement came just hours after the Russian Defense Ministry reported the attack, which occurred on January 28 in Novoaydar, a town located in the Lugansk People's Republic."The Ukrainian armed forces deliberately hit the hospital building with multiple rocket launchers of the HIMARS system manufactured by the United States".The MoD warned that those behind the attack would be found and held accountable. Earlier this week, Ukraine's allies in the West announced their decision to supply Kiev with more weapons, including battle tanks, armored infantry vehicles and artillery systems. Moscow blasted the move as the West's direct involvement in the Ukraine conflict, and once again warned that the weapons would become a "legitimate target" for Russian forces.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230127/live-updates-ukrainian-crisis-only-escalates-due-to-west-pumping-kiev-with-weapons-kremlin-says-1106749367.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/russian-foreign-ministry-deeply-concerned-by-escalation-of-palestinian-israeli-conflict-1106787096.html

Russian Foreign Ministry Deeply Concerned by Escalation of Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Russian Foreign Ministry Deeply Concerned by Escalation of Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Moscow is deeply concerned by the recent flare-up in the Israeli-Palestine conflict and is calling on both sides to resume constructive dialogue and refrain from any unilateral actions

2023-01-28T12:54+0000

2023-01-28T12:54+0000

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The foreign ministry recalled several recent attacks in the region, including a terrorist attack at a synagogue in East Jerusalem on Friday, which left seven people killed, according to the Israeli police. The attacker was a 21-year-old resident of East Jerusalem named Alkam Kheiry. On Thursday, at least nine Palestinians were killed and over 16 others were injured as a result of an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, the ministry said. On Wednesday, two Palestinians were killed in the city of Qalqilya and at the Shuafat refugee camp in similar circumstances. The ministry stressed that "the latest events clearly confirm the need to urgently resume constructive Palestinian-Israeli dialogue and refrain from unilateral actions." Russia, being a part of the Middle East Quartet, which also includes the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, views attempts "to artificially block the joint work of the Quartet and to usurp 'external assistance' to the contacts between the parties as contrary to the fundamental interests of the two peoples."

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/russias-latest-pantsir-air-defense-systems-to-be-used-in-special-operation-zone---source-1106779556.html

Russias Latest Pantsir Air Defense Systems to Be Used in Special Operation Zone - Source

Russias Latest Pantsir Air Defense Systems to Be Used in Special Operation Zone - Source

Russias air defense system in the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine will soon be reinforced with the latest Pantsir-SM systems, an informed source told Sputnik.

2023-01-28T02:04+0000

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"It is planned that, in the near future, a batch of Pantsir anti-aircraft missile and artillery systems in the latest modification - the Pantsir-SM - will be sent to the zone of the special military operation to strengthen the air defense system," the source said. One Pantsir-SM system can be equipped with 48 mini-missiles, the source specified. Russia plans to test the use of the Pantsir-SM system, equipped with mini-missiles, in the special operation zone "for the destruction of drones and self-propelled projectiles of multiple launch rocket systems of the Grad type," the source told Sputnik. Russias new Pantsir-SM air defense system has an increased target detection range of 75 kilometers (47 miles) and an engagement range of 40 kilometers. It can target drones at a greater distance than previous versions and has a new multifunctional target tracking and missile guidance radar.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/saudi-arabia-warns-israelis-palestinians-against-further-escalation-1106792078.html

Saudi Arabia Warns Israelis, Palestinians Against Further Escalation

Saudi Arabia Warns Israelis, Palestinians Against Further Escalation

Saudi Arabia has warned Israelis and Palestinians against descending into "further serious escalation" following several recent attacks in the region, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

2023-01-28T18:48+0000

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"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabias warning that the situation between Palestinians and Israelis will slide into further serious escalation, and the Kingdom condemns all targeting of civilians, stressing the need to de-escalate, revive the peace process and end the occupation [of the Palestinian territories]," the ministry said on Twitter. Earlier in the day, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued a similar call to the conflicting parties. Earlier in the day, two people were injured as a result of a suspected terrorist attack in the City of David, an archaeological site in Jerusalem, according to the Israeli police.On Friday, Israeli police reported a terror attack at a synagogue in East Jerusalem. According to police, seven people were killed as a result of the shooting in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood. The attacker was reportedly a 21-year-old resident of East Jerusalem named Alkam Kheiry. The Friday attack came 24 hours after a massive Israeli army raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, in which at least nine Palestinians were killed and over 16 others were injured.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/two-injured-in-jerusalem-shooting-day-after-deadly-terror-attack-in-city-1106783196.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/two-dead-in-northwestern-iran-following-59-magnitude-earthquake-1106793209.html

Two Dead in Northwestern Iran Following 5.9-Magnitude Earthquake

Two Dead in Northwestern Iran Following 5.9-Magnitude Earthquake

At least two people died and over 300 were injured as a result of a powerful earthquake in northwestern Iran, Iranian state-run Fars news agency reports, citing emergency services.

2023-01-28T22:04+0000

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The 5.9-magnitude earthquake hit Irans northwestern city of Khoy and the vicinity on Saturday night. Some of the areas hit by the quake are currently experiencing freezing temperatures and snow. Power outages have also been reported.Fars initially said that at least two people died and 122 were injured; all of the injured were taken to local hospitals. Later, the news agency reported, citing Iran's Red Crescent Society, that the number of injured stood at 307 (300 of them were injured in the city of Khoy itself). According to According to the state-owned Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) service, Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber has ordered all the emergency services to assist those injured in the earthquake as soon as possible.Earlier in the day, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake was reported in Northern Italy. No injuries were reported in that case.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/two-injured-in-jerusalem-shooting-day-after-deadly-terror-attack-in-city-1106783196.html

Two Injured in Jerusalem Shooting, Less Than 24 Hours After Deadly Terror Attack Near Synagogue

Two Injured in Jerusalem Shooting, Less Than 24 Hours After Deadly Terror Attack Near Synagogue

Two people have been injured in a shooting at the City of David archaeological site in Jerusalem, Israel.

2023-01-28T09:04+0000

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Two people have been injured in a shooting at the City of David archaeological site in Jerusalem, Israel. Both wounded, a 22-year-old man and a 45-year-old man, are in serious condition, with injuries to their upper bodies, according to a spokesperson for the Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel's national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance, and blood bank service. The two men are reportedly father and son.According to police, the gunman has been "neutralized." They are currently investigating the shooter's identity, and searches are underway in the area in an attempt to find out if he acted alone. The police are treating the shooting as a suspected terror attack.The incident comes less than 24 hours after seven people were killed and at least three others wounded in a terror shooting attack near a synagogue in Jerusalem's Neve Yaakov neighborhood. The perpetrator was shot and killed by police.Later, the Israeli police tweeted that the shooter was a 21-year-old resident of East Jerusalem. According to preliminary investigation, he committed the terror attack by himself. He is believed to have waited outside the synagogue until Shabbat prayers ended, then started shooting at worshipers as they walked outside.A total of 42 suspects were arrested after the deadly attack, some of them were relatives or friends of the perpetrator, local media reported.Meanwhile, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Kasem said that the Friday attack was carried out in retaliation for a deadly Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp on Thursday.On January 26, at least 10 Palestinians were killed and 20 others were injured as a result of an Israeli raid on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. The Israeli military said it had neutralized several Palestinian militants suspected of plotting major terror attacks.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230127/raids-drone-strikes--rockets-the-jenin-raid-and-its-aftermath-1106746054.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/uk-may-send-fighter-jets-to-ukraine-when-russia-withdraws-troops-reports-say-1106781326.html

UK May Send Fighter Jets to Ukraine 'When Russia Withdraws Troops', Reports Claim

UK May Send Fighter Jets to Ukraine 'When Russia Withdraws Troops', Reports Claim

The United Kingdom may supply Ukraine with fighter jets for air policing missions after Russia pulls out its troops from the country

2023-01-28T06:03+0000

2023-01-28T06:03+0000

2023-01-28T06:23+0000

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Although sending combat aircraft to Ukraine is "not the priority" for London at the moment, the possibility of such supplies cannot be ruled out, the source told the newspaper. The UK may consider such a scenario when the Russian forces withdraw from Ukraine and "there is a need for the Ukrainians to conduct an air policing mission to protect their airspace," the source said. On Wednesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced that the German armed forces would give Ukraine 14 Leopard 2 battle tanks from their own warehouses but rejected Kiev's call for jets, saying he did not want the Ukrainian conflict to turn into an armed standoff between Russia and NATO. Western countries ramped up their military support for Ukraine after Russia launched a special military operation there in late February 2022, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. In April 2022, Moscow sent a note to NATO member states condemning their military assistance to Kiev. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned that any arms shipments on Ukrainian territory would be "legitimate targets" for Russian forces.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/us-arms-sales-through-the-roof-despite-looming-recession-1106773854.html

US Arms Sales Through the Roof Despite Looming Recession

US Arms Sales Through the Roof Despite Looming Recession

On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Manila Chan, Jamarl Thomas and Melik Abdul discussed a number of domestic and international topics, including the boom in... 28.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-28T09:31+0000

2023-01-28T09:31+0000

2023-02-03T08:22+0000

fault lines

tyre nichols

memphis

weapons

jenin

george soros

radio

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US arms sales through the roof despite looming recession On this episode of Fault Lines, hosts Manila Chan, Jamarl Thomas and Melik Abdul discussed a number of domestic and international topics, including the boom in U.S. arms sales despite the looming recession.

Ted Rall - Political Cartoonist & Syndicated ColumnistMark Frost - EconomistRobert Inlakesh - Journalist, Writer & Political AnalystShane Harris - President of People's Association of Justice AdvocatesIn the first hour, the hosts spoke to Ted Rall about billionaire George Soros meddling in politics by funneling millions of dollars nationwide. Later, they discussed Boeing pleading not guilty to fraud charges in 737 Max arraignment.In the second hour, Mark Frost and the Fault Lines team discussed the booming arms industry, as weapons sales jumped in 2022 due to the US support of the Ukraine conflict.In the third hour, Robert Inlakkesh joined the Fault Lines team to discuss the Israeli military attack and killing of Palestinians in the Jenin refugee camp.Later in the final hour, Shane Harris spoke with Fault Lines about the possible unrest in Memphis, Tennessee following the charges of five ex-police officers with second-degree murder after Tyre Nichols was killed following a traffic stop.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230128/weekly-news-wrap-memphis-police-killing-german-fm-says-war-with-russia-nicaragua-low-poverty-rate-1106778345.html

Weekly News Wrap; Memphis Police Killing; German FM Says War With Russia; Nicaragua Low Poverty Rate

Weekly News Wrap; Memphis Police Killing; German FM Says War With Russia; Nicaragua Low Poverty Rate

Five Memphis police officers have been arrested for the murder of an unarmed civilian. 28.01.2023, Sputnik International

2023-01-28T09:29+0000

2023-01-28T09:29+0000

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the critical hour

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bill gates

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Weekly News Wrap; Memphis Police Killing; German FM Says War With Russia; Nicaragua Low Poverty Rate Five Memphis police officers have been arrested for the murder of an unarmed civilian.

Linwood Tauheed, associate professor of Economics at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, joins us to wrap up the important news stories from the week. Five Memphis police officers have been arrested for the murder of an unarmed civilian. Also, the German Foreign Minister has stated that Germany is at war with Russia.Dr. Jack Rasmus, professor of Economics and Politics at St. Mary's College in California, joins us to wrap up the important economic news stories from the week. Congress is having another fight over the debt ceiling. Also, the GOP wants to raise the Social Security age to 70, and the world is trying to avoid recession.Dr. Gerald Horne, Professor of History at the University of Houston, TX, author, historian, and researcher, joins us to discuss this week's essential news stories. The FBI is going after the African Socialist Party Movement like J. Edgar Hoover's attack on Martin Luther King. Also, backlash grows against Florida's halt on African American studies.Dr. Colin Campbell, DC senior news correspondent, and Ajamu Baraka, 2016 US vice presidential candidate for the Green Party, come together to wrap up the important news stories from the week. Five Memphis police officers have been arrested for the murder of an unarmed civilian. Also, Haiti is being pushed into further instability by the US and Canada, and Nicaragua stands out for its low poverty rate.Steve Poikonen, national organizer for Action4Assange, and Jim Kavanagh, whose work can be found at Jim Kavanagh's Substack, thepolemicist.net, and Counterpunch, come together to wrap up the important news story from the week. A video has been released showing a Pfizer executive bragging about controversial covid related subjects. Also, President Trump and Bill Gates have both called for an end to the Ukraine conflict and Ukrainian president Zelensky calls his nation a business opportunity.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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